The School Days and Beyond

by Storyjumper

These stories are going to focus largely on Ferdinand during his school days with the last few focusing more on Part 5 content. We all know how Ferdinand feels about Dunkelfelger women and I wanted to expand on that with a slight twist... one of them is much more than they seem.

21. Heralds

Magdalina 3rd Year Royal Academy

Werdecraft, Minerva, and I all sat around a table with archnobles Heisshitze, and Jürgen; the current captain of our ditter team. We were looking over the reports from the first ditter. I frowned heavily at the chaos that the hastily scratched out reports conveyed. But it boiled down to one inescapable fact; we lost. Everyone at the table stared at the reports in complete confusion. Glancing at my twin I amended that thought quickly. Sister seemed to be in quite a good mood, and behind her Peter certainly didn't seem surprised. Or at least, he wasn't gripping the side of his head in panic like Werdecraft's scholar was. Glancing back at the reports I just couldn't understand it.

How had we lost?

"How did we lose, to Ehrenfest of all duchies?" Werdecraft banged his fist on the table.

Minerva giggled; actually giggled. Drawing the attention of everyone in the room. She grinned at us in her mischievous way. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"But they aren't even friends with Werkestock. They've made no moves-."

Sister snorted. "Of course not. Nor did they need to. Even someone with their head buried in the sand knows Isabella has a vendetta against me. I doubt it took much more than a wayward Ordoschnell for her to lose Duldsetzen's blessing." She wasn't wrong, I hated to admit it, but the other girl was definitely out for blood ever since that tea party where Minerva scared her. Oddly enough though, sister almost seemed to encourage the other archduke candidate's anger. Like the first day of our archduke candidate classes where I could have sworn, she baited the other girl into tripping her. Or maybe Minerva really just didn't care about someone she did not consider a threat. Because in the end Isabella was only a gnat to her. That could be very dangerous, but I wasn't sure how to get my twin to see it. "As for the rest? Well from what Peter gathered, there was a nasty surprise hidden around their gathering site. I'd bet my glaive that the Ehrenfest archduke candidate was the creator of those tools." I had trouble hiding both my excitement and irritation at the thought that someone from a middle-ranked duchy could outdo me in crafting tools.

I looked over the report in question. Broken bones abounded. Several people were deafened with a few people reporting a ringing in their ears that even potions weren't too quick to fix. If Lord Ferdinand had truly been behind these, then he had been quite cruel to use them on fellow students. I was certain he was the creator, especially after our very interesting tea party. He certainly had the mind for it.

"How do we fight this? We can't possibly take on more than two greater duchies. If they band together-."

"If." Our sister said with a smile. "If they do, we need only prepare better. It was a failing on the part of our scholars that we could not tell where the increased hostility was coming from. We didn't even care to look."

"Lady Minerva, with all due respect, it was whisperings of lesser duchies, I don't see-."

"It is exactly because you and others don't see that lost us this fight." Minerva turned her predatory smile on Werdecraft's scholar. Causing the older boy to flinch and straighten up. "Lesser duchies you say. You live in Dunkelfelger so long yet you forget the lesson of the Myrmica. Small and not particular deadly on their own, but if they swarm, they can take on grown knights." I shuddered. The Myrmica were a particular vicious insect-like feybeasts in Leidenschaft's color. They were about the size of the first segment of my littlest finger and had strangest forms that were creepy to behold. Three equally sized small round bodies connected together in a line and six legs coming off the middle body made up their basic shape. While they weren't particularly large, they could easily lift things several times their size and weight. And their bites and stings left nasty welts. "Yes, individually they can't match us. The differences in resources, strength, and skills are too vast. But think about what they did. They whittled down the support the upper ranks took for granted. Then they poisoned our information network using those who turned against us." She let those words sink in before finishing with, "That arrogance will steal first place from us again if we are not careful."

Brother and Jürgen looked thoughtful at her words. She had always made such warnings, but only now were they beginning to listen.

"What would you have us do, Lady Minerva?"

My twin smiled coyly. "My, my, is it not your job to find a strategy for our issues?" She really had no intention of helping them out. I almost forgot that she could be quite petty when the urge hit her. But then she looked to me. "What do you think Lady Magdalena? You are a much better scholar than I." So that's what she was up to. Setting me up to be the 'fun parent' with the solution while she was the 'mean parent' who pointed out the faults.

I tapped my fan that she had given me against my other hand. "We've confirmed that the Ehrenfest archduke candidate was behind the various tools and tactics?"

Peter nodded from behind my twin. "Yes, Lady Magdalena." I resisted the urge to click my tongue in thought. My gaze shifted from Peter, to Minerva, to Heisshitze. My cousin was practically wiggling in his seat like he wanted to say something, but a look from Minerva kept him quiet.

"Then we will need to have someone keep an eye on the Ehrenfest lord. Since you and your entourage already so close; Lady Minerva, would you be willing to be Ordoschnell and Sehweit?"

She placed a fist against her heart. "It is my honor to serve my family." Then her solemn expression turned mischievous. "Besides, our dear cousin needs as many chances as he can get to win his cloak back."

I blinked at first not quite understanding what she had said. I looked to my cousin at the same time as everyone else in the room and noticed his cloak was completely bare. Then it clicked.

"WHAT!?" I couldn't help it! Heisshitze sank lower into his chair as I glared him down. I was furious. "We spent seasonsworking on that. What were you thinking?" I demanded. If he didn't have a half way good excuse I was going to strangle him here and now. God's all damn the consequences. And why was my sister cackling away? I noticed she wasn't even trying to hide her snickering behind her cup while our cousin squirmed. I turned back to the pitiful knight that was about to slide out of his chair. "How could you be so irresponsible?"

"It was the only thing that would be worth Ehrenfest winning." He whimpered. And while a small part of me preened at the praise it was drowned out by the rage that he had bet something so valuable. Those circles were brand new creations of mine and he bandied them about so easily! They were not meant to be given up so frivolously. Only him, Minerva, and myself had some of those.

"That is not something you bet in a ditter match!" I somehow managed to maintain my noble smile. The same could be said for my twin who was actually covering her mouth with her own fan and chuckling. I grit my teeth. "You will get that cloak back and you will get it back using your own resources and you may not use Minerva or Peter's help." That should be punishment enough if what was in these boards was enough to go by. It would likely take Heisshitze several attempts to best Lord Ferdinand. However instead of looking worried Heisshitze looked like I had just given him a gift.

"I shall win it back in ditter as demanded by-."

"Heisshitze!" I growled.

"Now, now, Magalena. He can win back the cloak easily. Don't be so har-."

"Dear brother, should I play Ordoschnell to Sieglinde. I'm sure she would be very interested to hear you believe her cloak would be an appropriate stake in a ditter match." It was very gratifying to see Werdecraft go pale.

"That is, um, well, I-." He continued to sputter, but did not have anything to say, at least he had the dignity not to beg me to keep my silence. I smiled at him. But the sound of Minerva choking on her laughter was enough to turn my annoyance on her again.

"Now, dear sister, why didn't you stop him? He is your guard knight after all." She did not even have the sense to look guilty let alone remorseful. This was all one massive joke to her. It was interesting considering how much of a perfectionist she was with her embroidery. It struck me as not odd, but out of place. Like I was missing something.

"What the fool does with the gifts he's given is for him to decide. Even the Gods allow us to use and abuse our gifts. If doing so invites Chaoscipher then that is his problem." I wanted to shake her even if just to wipe that smug smile off of her face.

"And if Chaoscipher plays with you both?"

The smile my sister gave was a uniquely bitter one. "Chaoscipher will find me regardless of whether Heisshitze has that cloak or not." She cleared her throat. "Besides, this is truly Greifechan's blessing. Now we have an excuse to keep a close eye on the new Demon Lord." The boys at the table chuckled at the parallel my sister drew to the clever fallen god who was Chaoscipher's male counterpart. But while they all found it funny, I found it unsettling. Did we truly want to encourage something like this? To be another Chaoscipher?

"Be careful, sister." For once she nodded in agreement without her usual grin. Perhaps for once she was taking my words seriously

I sighed. "What else?"

Jürgen pushed forward a board. "There is one more matter. My lord, my ladies. Dimitri."

I resisted the urge to swear and glanced at Minerva. Her grin was gone. Instead, she looked incredibly bored. The others had a mixture of contempt and barely veiled frustration.

"Lady Minerva's report was quite clear. He was found close to our gathering site far from where he and Joffrey should have been scouting at Gilessenmeyer's gathering site. As you know he volunteered to do scouting this time around. Normally it is something I have to assign because no one wants the role. There is also evidence that he clashed with Lord Ferdinand's group." I grimaced. Scouting was a vital part of gathering information in battle. The fact that so many of our knights hated it was not a good thing. Glory is all well and good, but if it cost us the battle there would be no glory at all. And once again Lord Ferdinand comes up. I tapped my fan into my other hand.

"What did Joffrey say?" Werdecraft asked.

Jürgen's lip twitched. "That they got separated early on. Though he was vague on the details, and being that he's a mednoble it's very likely Dimitri threatened or bribed him." My money was on the former. And because Dimitri was technically slightly higher in status than Jürgen, Joffrey would not be likely to reveal anything that would get him or Dimitri in trouble. I took a sip of my tea and used it to once again glance at my twin. She was still impassive. But something was catching in my mind.

"The report says he was found injured and unconscious. How exactly did you find him, sister?"

The right side of her lip quirked up in a sly half grin. "Schlageziel whispers things on Ordoschnell's wings for those who are willing to listen to his strange words." Fine. She could keep her secrets.

"What about his injuries? They were severe enough to warrant his return home."

Behind her fan, Minerva's expression briefly twisted to a more malicious grin before she controlled herself. "When I found him, he had a hole in his palm as well as black veins spreading down the injured limb. For what little I could see whatever poison was used had spread to his chest."

"So, he was poisoned by another student?" Werdecraft muttered in disbelief.

Minerva tapped her fan against her lips. "There were also some pieces of glass scattered around the area I found him. It would be about the size of a standard vial. And Peter tested them and they had traces of a poison made in Dunkelfelger."

"Why are we just now hearing about it?" Something about this was just too convenient. She held my gaze and gestured for Peter. He placed a small vial on the table with a few pieces of glass inside as well as notes in his hand.

"My apologies Lady Magdalena, I just finished testing everything this morning." My twin's scholar held my gaze with a charming smile. The kind that probably got many ladies to give him whatever he wanted. I was certainly not pleased to have it turned on me.

"How fortuitous that you have this now." I said turning to my sister. Was she protecting the Ehrenfest Lord? If so, why was Peter helping her. Even I knew the boy had more in common with Ewigeliebe than the Dark God.

She shrugged. "You would know better than I how much time it takes to analyze poisons and other substances. Being that you are by far the best scholar here." Flattery would not divert me. She had to know that.

"So, what did your scholar discover?" I was fairly certain whatever information the boards she presented contained they would undoubtably clear suspicion from Lord Ferdinand. But why would sister draw so much attention to how carefully she was shielding him. Didn't she know there were plenty of people who would use him to get to her?

Jürgen tapped the board with Peter's findings. "Boarweed is native to Dunkelfelger. It's also heavily controlled substances. Only a few Giebes have access and Lord Adalgiso province does have heavy jungle that the plant is known to grown in. It is a heavy crime to sell or trade with outsiders." It was treason actually, that was how unpleasant the sap burned flesh, leaving fist sizes boils. If it was distilled to a purer form however, the result would be necrotic black flesh wherever it touched. Not even potions would touch it, short of an almost immediate waschen the flesh typically died and rotted off. All the way down to the bone. So, the poison was likely something Dimitri himself was using, seen as his father did have permission to gather and use the sap. But against who? He couldn't honestly want to use it on Minerva? I couldn't discount the possibility. She had humiliated him in front most of the younger knights. Several whispered jokes about that fight well within range of the proud boy.

"So, who was his intended victim?" I asked not really expecting an answer.

Brother, Heisshitze, and Jürgen shared a look across the table. Then their thoughts were along the same lines as mine. But how would we convince Minerva of the danger? Gods knew she would not back down from a challenge. Hell, if she or Peter realized he might be targeted him, they would take things into their own hands and confront him head on. But that would be disastrous, even setting aside the fact that we couldn't just accuse an archnoble of such high standing of treason. Werdecraft laced his fingers together and looked at Minerva and I.

"Until we have proof of what Dimitri intended to do and why I want both of you to stay away from him. If he has betrayed Dunkelfelger he will be dealt with." As he said this last part, he looked very pointedly at Minerva who smiled back as innocently as a Shumil. "I want your word that neither of you will get close to him unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Not that I really want to be anywhere near that talfrosch in any capacity." Especially after his threat he made towards Minerva before their first duel. "I will keep my distance."

He nodded his thanks to me then turned to Minerva. Noting her continued silence with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Will you heed my warning, Lady Minerva?"

She smiled demurely at him. "As part of my bride task I cannot refuse any challenge offered by any noble. Plus, Dimitri still has two separate duels that he can steal my hand from Peter. Part of the challenge is that he may use potions and yes even poisons against me. It is my responsibility to combat that. Will you demand I lay down my honor just so you feel safer?" Pretty words that came down to no.

He sighed. "Do not be difficult, sister. You can still have your challenges. Just do them in a place surrounded by witnesses. I do not want him trying to do something out of desperation."

Minerva smiled brightly. "Ah, yes, that would be unfortunate."

"Thank you for being reasonable." Somehow, he managed to not add 'for once' to the end of that.

Minerva smiled like a Fetze clearing hearing it in his tone. She purred, "You worry too much, brother dear."

Ferdinand 3rd Year Royal Academy

I spent every spare moment studying the things I had won in Ditter. The first thing I wasted no time looking at was my new cloak. My hands were practically shaking as they skimmed over the sturdy fabric. Truly it was a thing of beauty. The cloak was dyed a deep rich blue and it was much longer than the standard cloak. Normally Dunkelfelger cloaks went down to the back of the wearer's knees so they wouldn't drag on the ground or catch and on stray claws. But this one easily went to my ankles matching the Ehrenfest style more. Maybe it had been made to grow with Heisshitze assuming the fool would be difficult to find a partner for. Upon running my finger over the heavy seam at the base of the cloak I found there was even more fabric that could be let out over time. Clever.

Then I turned my attention to the embroidery on the outside. It was done in the exact same shade as the cloak itself so the designs were not easy to see. Meaning it was unlikely that someone would be able to see what kind of protections it provided even if they were close. I ran my finger over the twining lines that spread over the cloak like a tangle of vines. Some created magic protections circles. The first of which muffled the sound coming off the wearer. The second I felt a sharp stinging bite of mana when I tried to trace it to figure out what it was. After a bit more careful study I realized it was a pair to another circle on the inside. Anyone trying to figure out what the circles were would get a bite if they brushed up against the circle, and the one inside would subtly warm to warm the wearer. Fasicanating.

The more my fingers traced over the twisting branching lines the more admiration I had for Minerva. This must have taken ages for her to embroider such an expansive pattern. As my fingers moved up towards the outer sides a realization struck me. The pattern was not random. It in fact created a massive image. I traced over the wings of beast that spread out like they were a shield. Then I found the long neck that ended in a wedged shaped head. I nearly chuckled. Well, the woman had cheek. I wondered if Heisshitze even noticed that his cousin was saying she would protect him with this. My fingers reached the dragons jaws and I was surprised to find she had depicted the beast with an open mouth. Then I found the symbols for fire, ice, wind, and lightening seemingly bursting of the beast's maw. Interesting choice.

Carefully I turned the cloak over to find even more magic circles. These however were not disguised in the curling vine motif that had been done on the outside. Here there were circles that reduced the strength of any blows that landed. Circles that slowed the effects of poisons. There was one that even made it hard for someone with ill will to focus on the cloak. Towards the top was a ring of tiny linked magic circles. These were what had effectively won me the match against Heisshitze by blowing me back. Apparently, any attack aimed above them would cause the circles to activate and throw the attacker back with a combined wind spell. And because it was several circles chained together the effect was multiplied. Once I was satisfied that I had found every scrap of new magic the cloak had to offer I removed my blank yellow cloak; keeping the broach, and threw the blue over my shoulders.

It settled in place with a soft flutter. Almost immediately I felt an itch at the back of my neck where the magic circles brushed against my skin. Instinctively I reached back to check my ribbon was still in place holding my braid and she wasn't about to grab it. I scolded myself just as quickly. Of course, that vexing woman isn't here. How would she get in Ehrenfest's dorm room, much less my hidden room? I grimaced, knowing I was going to have to get used to the feeling of her mana pressing against me. I tapped two fingers to my temple. The best way would just be to wear it whenever I could to force myself to learn to deal with it. At least it was Minerva's mana and not…

I shuddered.

My eyes caught on my yellow cloak where I had discarded it. Quickly I snatched it off the floor and hurriedly dusted it off, feeling an unease in my stomach like I had eaten something bad. I ripped the broach off the blue cloak letting it fall to the floor and swiftly resecured my Ehrenfest cloak back in place. Only once it was settled did my racing heart ease up. I took a deep breath just standing there for a moment. Then I sighed, grabbed the blue cloak, and folded it before setting it on the edge of my desk.

What to study next? On my desk was the mushroom shaped bit of metal and the charm that had made Dimitri invisible. The amulet won out. The design was simple a flat circular charm just a little larger than a large gold coin. A magic circle was inscribed on either side. Together they made the wearer invisible. I made several attempts to ascertain what the disc itself was made up of, but that soon stalled. Frustrating. I had, however, been able to tell that the charm would become less effective over time and it was not something that could be recharged. Rather it was a consumable. So, I could save it for when needed and when it was spent, I could break it down to properly analyze it.

From there I looked at the metal mushroom. As best as I could tell it was mostly just iron, but judging from the way mana could interact with it, I hypothesized that gold dust from a powdered feystone had been added during the smelting processes. That would even give it that faint sheen. So, I turned my attention to the smudged scratches on the back. Here there were stronger traces of gold powder. Implying the circle had been carved and filled with gold power. I studied the bits that were visible and grabbed a spare board and began sketching the fragments of the circle that I could make out. The general of it was that it was a fire-based circle. With hints that there might be wind. Too bad the smudge was right at the center as if the circle had been struck before the metal hit the tree. I ground my teeth in frustration. What I really needed was more information. I tapped my temples and leaned back in my chair, thinking as I looked at the mess piled on my desk. Dimitri's amulet stuck out in my mind. I stared at it for only a moment before smiling, grabbing it, and slipping it over my head. Then I got up and went to leave, glancing back over my shoulder to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

The deep blue cloak seemed to call me back. I hesitated at the door for a moment, my hand clutching at hem of my Ehrenfest cloak. Finally, I sighed. If I was going to go without my guards, I would at least need some kind of protection. After several annoying moments I managed to get both cloak on with the yellow cloak on top of the blue. As quietly as I could I snuck out of my hidden room. Double checked to make sure Justus was distracted before slipping out of the room. It was actually quite freeing to be able to pass by people without feeling the weight of their stares. A near hysterical giggle tried to work its way up my throat, but I suppressed it ruthlessly as I made my way out to forest.

Even with my impeccable memory it took me a while to find the spot where the ambush occurred. I circled around the Dunkelfelger gathering site in order to ornate myself. Then I used it to go in the direction of the battle with Heisshitze. As I stepped through the clearing I an itch across the back of my neck. It wasn't the cloak. I stopped and took in my surroundings slowly before I placed the reason for my discomfort. The trees were silent. Not even a peep from the birds. Why were they silent?

Caw!

The sound of a crow burst through the silence nearly making me jump. My eyes instantly found the beast of carrion in the direction I was heading. It was perched on a long straight branch that was coming out of brambles. The foul thing tilted its glossy head and peered in my direction before uttering another shrill caw flapping its wings impatiently. I drew my schtappe to send the creature on its way, but it was already taking to flight into the branches nearby. Onward I went until I was closer to the briar patch. The stick the crow had landed on was no a stick, worse it was very familiar to me. The long black shaft of glaive and the blue feystone set into the pommel stuck out from the thorny vines. I double checked to make sure the charm was still keeping me invisible then glanced around. There was no sign of the vexing woman.

I reached for the weapon and yanked it free. The rings in guard, the guard itself and the bare blade were all blackened. As if they had been stuck in a fire. Two rings crumbled to dust upon being wrenched free. The whole weapon was warm to the touch and I very much suspected the blade would be even more so. Caught on the end of the blade was a scrap of blue fabric. It was unmistakable especially now that I wore a cloak made from the same material. I pocketed the fabric feeling the heat from the blade. What had happened? Why was this tossed aside in a bush? Unease slithered thorough me. I needed to-.

CAW!

This time I did jump a little. The crow wasn't far off by the sound of it. Then another much softer sound than the cawing had me moving quickly in that direction. After all, crows were scavengers and they would know where dead and dying would be. My footsteps were completely silent as I bolted through the trees. Not even the branches that caught on me made much noise. Only the glaive made soft clicking as I burst into a new clearing.

It took my mind a moment to catch up to what I was seeing. The whole world seemed to have changed in those bare few steps. The color no longer matched that of the muted greens and browns. Everything thing was spattered in red flicks. Ground, trunks, leaves, and bushes, all of it was speckled red as if there had been an explosion of red paint at the very center. The red on the ground was smeared where something had been dragged towards a tree. And at the end of the smear Minerva sat propped against the tree, eyes closed. She was coated in a fine layer of red dots marking her as being close to the explosion. I was about to step into the clearing when the smell hit me. A coppery tang that coated the inside of my nose and left a thick feeling on my tongue.

Blood.

I studied Minerva instinctively reaching for my potions. Was she even alive? A cold chill seemed to seep into me. There was clearly enough blood in the area to equal that of at least one person. But Minerva had no visible injuries other than the tracks of red running from the corner of her eyes. Her clothes were dirty, though not torn. Her magical tool however was missing as well.

The crow dropped down to her shoulder and cawed again. I was about to aim a spell at it to shoo it away when Minerva moaned pitifully.

"Hush, you pest. My head hurts enough without you squawking in my ear." She weakly reached up and patted the creature's head. "Be useful and go get-." I stepped forward and the pommel of the glaive caught on a root. The metal rings clicked together overly loud in the silence. She chuckled. "Guess you already did." Then her head moved in the direction of the sound, eyes still closed. "Peter, it's done. He's safe, they all are for now." Then her eyes snapped opened. I nearly stumbled back at the sight. The silver in her irises had completely bled into and taken over the whites of her eyes leaving only her black pupils at the center. And the bloody tears made her a truly macabre and alien sight to behold.

I wet my lips and restrained the urge to ask who was safe, from what. I knew she couldn't see me thanks to the charm, but it wouldn't take long for her to realize I was not Peter when I didn't answer. Would she kill me in attempts to keep this mess hidden? Then her gaze traveled past the spot that the glaive was in. While I was invisible her blade was not, yet she couldn't seem to see it. She leaned forward a little the noonday light filtering through the branches caused no reaction to her pupils. The realization that she was completely blind hit me.

"Who are you?" Her voice was hard and icy cold. "Because you are definitely not Peter." I watched her left hand subtly move around her side searching for a weapon. It curled around a rock. What good that would do her here I had no idea. It was probably a desperate attempt or maybe even a distraction. Gods knew she wouldn't be able to get far without her sight. Not unlike when I had been poisoned and needed help just holding my hair up. Regret squirmed in my gut as I thought of the bitter angry words, I had snapped at her in my own self-pity. I hated feeling venerable and weak, hated seeing it in her too. Maybe that's why I moved closer to her keeping an eye on the hand that held the rock. It was the height of foolishness, but the sound of my practice sword cracking against her shoulder rang in my ears pushing me forward. I planted the butt of the weapon beside her right hand, being sure it made a sound when it struck the cold earth.

She didn't flinch from the sound. Instead, she tilted her head knocking the crow from her shoulder. It cawed in distaste and flew up to a nearby branch. Then she grabbed the weapon and carefully laid it across her lap. All of the tension left her body and slumped back against the tree closing her eyes. Exhaustion and pain pulled at her features making me wonder if some of the blood was actually hers. At the very least the pulsing vein in her temple was proof of a nasty headache.

"You should go before Peter arrives."

I hesitated. Keeping quiet here would prevent her from learning my identity, but if someone else stumbled upon this before Peter came, who knows what kind of trouble she would be in. At the very least having her in my debt would be very beneficial to me. I pointed my schtappe at her.

"Waschen." Water poured forth and covered her only to vanish a moment later. Minerva coughed weakly and shivered. It took two much larger Waschens to cleanse the rest of the area of all the blood.

"We need to work on your explanations, Little Flower. But I guess I can't complain too much."

"You owe me."

She sighed, "For what?"

"Typically, when one saves another from a blunder, they owe that person." There was something very satisfying about throwing her own words back at her.

She chuckled, "You will have your favor, Little Flower." I opened my mouth to make a demand, but she continued as if she could easily read my intentions. "Unless it is to stop calling you, 'Little Flower'. That is not a bargain I can honor." Her smile curled up her face and I glared back at her. "By all means, go right ahead and shout to the world that you found me in a pool of blood. Just be sure to leave out that you cleaned all the blood up." Her smile twisted into a smirk. "Run along now, before Peter gets here."

Now that she mentioned it, I could hear faint footsteps pounding in the distances. But again, I hesitated.

"I will honor my word, Ferdinand. If you need something desperately you can just send that scrap of cloak you have to Peter. I will come." I felt my blood freeze. I knew she couldn't see. So, how did she know about the cloth that was tucked away in a secret pocket. A scrap of fabric the incidentally didn't come from her completely undamaged cloak.

I swallowed the questions I had and moved off into the trees, though I didn't go far. It's not that I was worried about her, but I didn't completely trust her either. So, I crouched in the shade of some trees to wait. Better safe than sorry considered I was not sure how long the invisibility would last. It wasn't too much longer before Peter did appear.

The green haired scholar took in the scene quickly. His sharp eyes missed nothing. Not even the ground which was abnormally clean. Then he approached his Lady like one might a wounded animal.

"What happened?"

"A feybeasts was a little stronger than I imagined. Lost my temper a bit and made a mess."

"So, you cleaned the forest." He made it a statement, but Minerva choose to answer the clear question.

"No, that was curtesy of the Little Flower."

Peter stiffened beside her and began to doing small basic health checks of his lady. "Did he see the battle?"

"No."

"Do you know that, or did you see it?" He placed an odd emphasis on seeing.

"Does it matter?"

Peter sighed through his nose as if trying to contain the arguments he wanted to make. Finally, he sighed, "Love, the boy isn't Theo."

She snorted and winced. "Of course, he's not. I am not an (*idiot*)." She shuddered and began shivering.

Peter reached for one of the pouches on her belt. Minerva shook her head and instantly hissed in pain.

"Don't, not yet." She opened her eyes which had not changed back to normal. Her scholar did not flinch from the sight. Instead, he held those alien looking eyes for a long moment.

He sighed. Then reached up and unclipped his cloak from his shoulders. I felt blush rise to my cheeks as Peter wrapped his lady in his cloak. The other boy's hand trailed over Minerva's cheek in a touch that was way too brazen for either of them. "Was it worth it?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"We need to prepare. War is coming."

Author's Note: I am sorry this took a while. Things happened. But glad to be back. I have an idea for another chapter, but I want to run it by you guys first see what you think. I'm considering writing a chapter from Aub Ehrenfest's point of view during the tournament of the fourth year. Then I can throw several larger duchies at him as well as see how Minerva would treat him and his lady. If I do this it probably be a couple of chapters before it comes out regardless. Let me know your thoughts because they do truly help shape the story.

Also incase anyone was wondering, boarweed is based on a real plant called hogweed. The sap really does burn skin and leave some pretty unpleasant boils.