Chapter Two: Part Three

The group reconvened upstairs in Pete's bedroom. It was a small room so it quickly became crowded, but Astraea didn't mind. Viktor for his part seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood despite the circumstances. "Three royals and two assists on the run," he mused, folding his arms over his broad chest. "Just when I thought things were starting to get boring…"

"All three of you are foreigners, aren't you?" Sigrun said, looking between Pete, Viktor, and the young man who took a seat on the bed. "Pete, you said you were from Dunan, and—"

"I'm from Dunan as well and David here is from Toran," Viktor said, jabbing his thumb to the young man. "All from the Northern Continent."

"Wait, Ferdinand said, stepping forward. His eyes went wide. "Viktor. From Dunan. Are you Vagabond Viktor?!"

"EH?!" everyone, including Astraea exclaimed. Her heart raced as she gaped at the man in question in shock.

"Wait, THAT Viktor?!" Denzel shouted, pointing to him. "Hero of the Dunan Unification War?!"

"And the Gate Rune War, and the Higheast Rebellion," Viktor added with a cheeky smile. "I also slayed a vampire tw—OOF!" he suddenly grunted when Sigrun suddenly seized his hand and shook it furiously.

"it's an absolute honor to meet you!" Sigrun exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "We've heard all about your heroism here here in Zelant!

"Yeah," Denzel said, grinning and stepping forward to offer his own handshake.

Viktor laughed loudly. "Glad to know that I have a positive reputation in Zelant!"

Astraea choked on a laugh, and found herself smiling as well.

"Are you still traveling with Blue Thunder Flik?" Sigrun asked, looking around the room as if expecting to see him.

"Nah, Flik went back to the Warrior's Village," Viktor said. "Chief Tengaar is keeping him busy prepping their young men for their "Journey of Manhood"."

Astraea had heard about that, as all Zelantans did. As the people of Zelant prided themselves on power and battle, the Warrior's Village in the Toran Republic was seen as a good example of keeping the traditions of honor and combat alive. She had heard that the relationship between a Warrior's Village soldier and their weapon was sacred, and the Journey of Manhood was meant for them to out into the world and prove themselves as warriors, and prove themselves worthy of wielding their chosen weapon. When they completed their Journey, warriors of the Warrior's Village would then name their weapon as the person they cherished most.

It was good to hear that the legendary Blue Thunder Flik was training these potential warriors, but Astraea was disappointed to not see him with Viktor, as she had heard they were best friends and a superb combat duo.

Astraea looked at the young man, David, who was watching her. "Your name is David?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Highness," David said politely. He stood up and offered a hand for a handshake. "David Silverberg."

Silverberg.

Astraea found herself dragged backwards away from David, and she saw a blur head towards the young man. David didn't flinch, but there was a loud 'CLANG'. Musashi had lunged for David with his kunai ready, but Viktor quickly threw himself between the ninja and David and blocked the kunai with his sword. "Hey, HEY!" Viktor shouted, his expression turning dark. "What's the big idea?!"

"He's a Silverberg!" Denzel shouted, readying his plumbata. "He is kin of Sir Albert!"

"Your Highness, please don't shout!" Pete hissed. "The guards will hear you outside!"

"Are you here to hunt us down, Vagabond Viktor?!" Ferdinand demanded, raising his own weapon.

"Whoa, wait a damn minute!" Viktor snapped, waving his arm furiously. "I'm not allied with anyone! I'm just babysitting this kid and tracking a bastard acting like a thief!"

"Oi," David said softly, looking a little offended.

"Babysitting?" Sigrun demanded, glaring at David. "On behalf of Sir Albert?!"

"No! Caesar told me to keep an eye on him!"

Caesar?! Astraea blinked with confusion before realization dawned on her. She stepped forward. "Wait—Caesar Silverberg is the President of the Toran Republic!"

"Yes!" Viktor snapped. "I'm doing HIM a favor! Not his brother! I haven't ever even met Albert face-to-face!"

"What did my cousin did this time?" David asked, sighing softly.

"'This time'?" Astraea echoed, her heart rising into her throat.

A thunder pounding downstairs however halted all conversation. "We heard shouting inside this establishment! Is everything okay?!"

"Damn," Viktor grunted, shaking his head. "Now we've done it."

"We've got to get out of here," Sigrun said, looking around the room.

"I'm not traveling with a Silverberg," Musashi said harshly, pointing his kunai towards David.

"Damn, most of you ninjas are also so prickly," Viktor complained. "Are you from Rokakku like Kasumi, or Dark Wind like that asshole Kage?"

Musashi's glare darkened. The pounding downstairs however persisted. "Sir?! Are you all right?! We have the shop surrounded!"

"Damn!" Denzel snapped.

"We wasted too much time," Ferdinand said grimly. He glared at Viktor and David. "Did you call them here?"

"When would we have done that?" David demanded.

In the moment, Astraea made a decision. She knew she could either trust in Viktor and David that they weren't involved, or she could believe that they were out to get them. She stepped forward again and raised her hand. "Guys," she said softly. "I don't believe Viktor and David were targeting us. We all seem to be in a bad situation right now, so we need to work together to get out of it."

Sigrun and Denzel looked at her, while Ferdinand and Musashi kept their eyes on Viktor and David. The pounding downstairs amplified. "Sir, if you do not open to us by the count of ten, we'll be forced to barge in! One!"

"The count of ten?!" Denzel echoed incredulously, looking towards the door. "Since when do we teach our soldiers such lazy tactics?!"

"It will work for us," Sigrun said, sheathing her sword. "I will trust you both. For now."

"Good," Viktor said. "Since we're now all in a bad situation, we should stick together."

"Two!"

"There are soldiers below us," Musashi said, finally moving away from the pair and looking out the window.

"Damn, how do we get out of this?" Ferdinand asked.

"Three!"

"Whoever is counting down needs to be demoted," Denzel grumbled.

"Well we don't have a lot of options," Viktor said, though his tone was nonchalant and there wasn't an ounce of fear or worry in his voice. "So Your Majesties—what should we do?"

"'We'?" Astraea asked.

"You are their target, Princess Astraea," David said. "We would be the collateral."

"But you said Sir Albert is your cousin," Sigrun pointed out.

"Four!"

"But he serves a king who is hunting three of his legitimate heirs," David pointed out. "So it would appear I cannot rely on Albert to protect me, can I?"

"He helped orchestrate the Massacre of Innocents!" Astraea blurted out.

"EH?!" Pete cried out in shock. Viktor and David however didn't look surprised.

"Five!"

"We're running out of fine," Musashi said harshly. He grabbed Denzel's arm. "We either flee or fight our way out. If you will not give me an order to act, then I will be forced to act on my own Your Highness."

"As will I," Ferdinand said.

"So our choices are to try to flee or try to fight our way out of this," Viktor said. He looked at Astraea. "What should we do, Princess?"

Astraea didn't know why he was asking her for direction, when she was the youngest person there. She knew that fleeing or fighting were the only options, but neither felt like the right option. She felt that there had to be a third option they could choose. Ultimately she shook her head. "Neither option would bring a good outcome. There must be a third option."

"What third option, Astraea?" Sigrun asked.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "But the other two options won't help us escape."

"They are our only options, Princess," Musashi told her. "Unless you have an idea for the third option?"

She didn't. She didn't know what they could do. She joined Musashi at the window and looked out. She counted over a dozen soldiers outside. She swallowed hard, but her heart was still in her throat. I need more time. I need to come up with a strategy. What do I do?

"Six!"

"Their counting is pretty inconsistent, isn't it?" Viktor asked as Pete closed the door and locked it.

"Princess Astraea is right," David spoke up, rubbing his black gloved hands together. "Fleeing or fighting does not seem ideal at this moment because we are cornered and outnumbered. We are bound to be captured or die."

"Then what should we do?" Denzel asked.

David looked at Pete. "You live here. Do you have anything here that we can utilize to escape this?"

"I can't think of—" Pete's voice broke off and his face suddenly lit up. "That's it!"


"Nine!" the Zelantan soldier shouted outside of Pete's shop. A large crowd of thirty soldiers had formed around the storefront. "Te—"

The front door abruptly swung open, and Pete violently stumbled out. He clutched a bottle of wine in his right hand, and some of the liquid splashed onto the cobblestones outside. His face was flushed and he was breathing heavily. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close to the soldier's face. "Yer early, aren't ya?" he rasped, breathing deliberately into his face. "I taught I told ya not to make deliberies before sunrise!"

The soldiers exchanged confused glances. The soldiers in front frowned, and pushed Pete back. "Show some respect, lush," he said harshly. "We're looking for murderers. We need to search your shop. You are to open your business and let us search it top to bottom."

"Go 'head," Pete said, slurring his words and drinking heavily from his bottle. "I ain't got nuthin' to hide!"

The soldier in command jabbed his finger towards Pete. "Watch him," he said to a subordinate.

"Yes, Sir!"

Soldiers flooded into the item shop. Pete however was nonplussed and continued nursing his drink. He sat down in the doorway of his shop and looked at the soldier watching. "Hey," he said.

"What?" the soldier snapped at him.

"Did I ever tell ya that my parents served in the Dunan Army?"

"The Dunan Army?" the soldier looked interested for a few seconds. But then his face hardened and he shook his head. "Right. Your parents fought in the Dunan Unification War. The greatest war of this generation. And I'm a unicorn!"

"A unicorn served in de Army, too," Pete told him. "His name was S-S-S—" he floundered on the name for a moment. " Sigfried. But Sigfried wouldn't speak to ya unless ya were Lord Riou. Or a virginal woman."

"Sounds like a unicorn of culture," the soldier said dryly.

The lead soldier returned, looking annoyed. "The house is clear," he announced. "The shouting we heard earlier was probably this idiot's drunken rants."

"Oh, didn't you hear Sir?" the other soldier snickered. "He claims his parents fought in the Dunan Army!"

Several soldier burst into laughter. The lead soldier however didn't look amused. "We wasted our time. We need to keep moving."

Pete sat in the doorway, waiting for the soldiers to leave. When he did he reentered his shop, and he bristled at what he saw. The shelves had been knocked over and his wares had spilled onto the floor. He cursed under his breath and set the wine bottle on the windowsill. "Of course I have to clean this up," he muttered.

He crawled across the overturn shelves and towards the front desk. He reached underneath the front counter and found a long box. He carefully lifted the box onto the countertop and lifted the lid. When he looked inside, he saw seven tiny faces looking up at him. When they stood up they only reached ten centimeters tall, but he had known that the soldiers were looking for full-sized people.

Not people the size of Pixies.

"Well," Pete said, smiling. "That was my first time using Pixie Dust."

"Where did you get Pixie Dust, Pete?" Viktor called up to him. Despite his smaller size, his voice was still low and rich.

"A Pixie placed an order through my shop a few months ago," Pete told them. "He didn't have Potch to pay, so he gave me Pixie Dust as payment." He reached into his pockets and pulled out two bags. One was yellow and the other was blue. "This one shrinks you—" he waved the yellow one. "And this one makes you grow—" he waved the blue one.

"How did he give you Pixie Dust in bags that size?" Denzel called up to him. "Those bags are the size of us currently!"

"He made himself big so the bags would be bigger," Pete explained. "I've heard that Pixies who have complete control over magic can make themselves grow and shrink without the use of Dust. He certainly proved me right!"

"Thank you, Pete!" Astraea shouted up to him. "I won't forget your help with this!"

"We should stay this way for now," Ferdinand said. "It will keep us from detection. But we'll need to be big to get out of Triona quickly."

"I'll carry you guys out of the city tomorrow morning," Pete told them. "Then I'll make you guys big again."

"Good idea," Viktor said. "I don't exactly like being this small, but it will do for a night."

"Once we're out of here, we'll need to discuss our next move," David said.

"'Our'?" Sigrun and Denzel echoed.

"I guess we're tagging along with you lot for now," Viktor said with a shrug. "I hope you guys don't mind."

"I don't mind traveling with the legendary Vagabond Viktor," Ferdinand said. "But…" his voice trailed off as he looked towards David.

"Hey," David said, raising his hands. "You can trust me. I'm not spying on you for my cousin. After everything he's done, I want absolutely nothing to do with him. The only reason we've remained here in Zelant is like Viktor said—we're trying to get rid of a bandit. Once we get rid of him, we were planning on going to the Western Continent."

Astraea had so many more questions. She looked between Viktor and David, wanting to say something but couldn't find the words. Then she felt a presence beside her and she turned to see Musashi standing at her right. She flinched away from him. "Ah—"

"The third option," Musashi said, holding her gaze. "It was the right call. You were right, Princess."

Astraea blinked in surprise and looked at everyone. They all looked at her with approving smiles. It confused her greatly. "I-I—I didn't do anything," she said. She gestured to Pete above them. "It was Pete's idea to use Pixie Dust to hide us!"

"Musashi is right, though," Sigrun said, moving towards her. "It was your insistence on a third option that brought us here. Well done, Astraea."

Astraea was stunned, but Pete spoke above them again. "You guys should rest. You have a long day, tomorrow."

"There goes my drinking plans," Viktor complained, but he was grinning.

"I have a lot of questions for you about your experiences," Ferdinand said to him.

"I'll try to answer as best as I can."

"About the Unification War—"

"Man, everyone always asks about the Dunan Unification War!" Viktor laughed. "That war just lasted a year, you know? The Gate Rune War lasted five years, don't you want to hear about that?!"

"Yes, but there is—something about the Dunan Unification War," Sigrun said. "The story surrounding the war is magnetizing."

Astraea knew this to be true, as when studying wars across the world the Dunan Unification War was the most popular for people to study. But she was tired and didn't feel like engaging. She moved to the side of the box and sat down. Now that they were in a relatively safe place, the events of the evening started to wash over her once more. And it made her feel ill.

Sarka…she truly believes I killed Milo.

"Hey, Astraea." Denzel sat down beside her. "Rest your head against my shoulder. You'll feel more comfortable."

Astraea felt tears sting her eyes. She closed them and rested her head against his shoulders. She frowned deeply, and she spoke softly as to not start sobbing. "Denzel…thank you."

"It's nothing," Denzel said. "I'm your big brother. It's my job to look out for you."

She understood then why Sarka was so fervent in avenging Milo. Milo had been her little brother, and he had been murdered away from home. And…Sarka had not been able to protect him.

I'm sorry, Sarka. I'm so sorry…

As Viktor regaled the others with one of his stories, David sat in one of the box's corners. His gaze shifted to the royals; Denzel and Astraea sitting together. He frowned deeply. Albert…why must you continue to ruin lives? Why can't you think about anyone else but yourself for once?

He covered the back of his left hand with his right. Of course…I'm in this current mess because I was thinking of someone else.


Triona was still on high alert early the following morning. Thankfully with the group still shrunken, Pete was able to slip out of the city without issue. Everyone was gossiping and stressed; there was a mix of people who believed in Astraea's guilt, and those who thought she was innocent. Pete kept on his way, walking away from Triona until the city was a line on the horizon. He set the box down on the grass and opened it. "I'll pick you out each one at a time and turn you one at a time," he said.

Thankfully there were no mishaps as Pete used the Dust that made them big again. "Woo," Viktor said, patting himself down. "I never want to do THAT again."

"We are in your debt, Pete," Sigrun said, bowing to him. "We won't forget this, I swear it."

"Think nothing of it, Your Highness," Pete said. "But I would recommend that you lot NOT stay in this country any longer. It's not safe for any of you."

Astraea's heart sank when she heard this, but she knew he was right. "I have to head back and clean up my shop," Pete said. "If you end up in Dunan, say hi to my folks for me, okay?"

"Absolutely," Viktor said, clasping his hand.

Everyone took the opportunity to shake Pete's hand before he hurried back towards Triona. "So," Viktor said, clapping his hands together. "What are your plans?"

"Pete brought up a fair point," David said, looking between them. "You went to Triona to seek asylum from Lady Sarka, did you not? And the fact that you ended up in Pete's shop tells me that she wasn't hospitable towards you?"

"Worse," Denzel muttered. "She gave us hospitality—and then tried to kill us."

David's brow rose in shock. "That's…very out of character for her reputation."

"Her brother was killed in the Massacre of Innocents," Astraea said, clutching her shoulder. "And…she believes I killed him."

"That'll do it," Viktor said. "In her mind, her actions weren't a faux pas because of a blood feud she felt she had with you."

"But Astraea didn't do it," Sigrun said. "His Majesty…and Sir Albert…"

"So I'm going to guess that Potsfurt is out of the question," David said. "Since that's the closest port to the Bianca Alliance. Should we aim for Feldgenz, since that's the port visitors from Western Continent primarily use?"

"Do we need to leave?" Denzel spoke up. "I-I mean—we just have to clear Astraea's name!"

"My cousin is undoubtedly building a stronger case against the Princess as we speak to further "prove" her guilt," David pointed out. He looked at Astraea. "Do you want to be here when he makes his manufactured evidence against you public, Your Highness?"

Astraea stammered for a moment before she shook her head. "If I flee the country," she said softly. "I'll look guiltier."

"If you stay, we'll all surely die," Musashi said bluntly.

"If you stay, then they will try to seize the True Wind Rune," Ferdinand said. "His Majesty—"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Viktor screamed, his eyes going wide. Sigrun gave Ferdinand a look. He lunged forward and grabbed Astraea's right hand, pulling her glove back to reveal the True Rune symbol. "My God—the rumors were true!"

"So that's the True Wind Rune," David breathed, staring at the Rune. He looked at her. "Did it jump to you or was it placed on you?"

"I-It chose me," Astraea said. "I was dying, and it offered to save me. I accepted it. It even saved me when I was drugged—"

"Wait, it expunged a drug from your body?!" Viktor asked. He threw his head back and laughed. "Oh man—these True Runes are hilarious! When poor Master Tir got drugged that one time, the Soul Eater Rune didn't expunge the drug from his body!"

"Oh, I heard of that," David said. "Was that the incident where bandits drugged the lot of you? Including my cousin Odessa?"

"Oh yeah! Man when those morons realized who Lady Odessa was, they—"

"I think we should focus on our current situation," Sigrun interjected. She looked at Astraea. "I know you want to clear your name, but your survival is most important, Astraea. Going into exile isn't ideal, but it might be the only way for you to be safe."

"But—" Astraea protested.

"Exile sounds like fun," Denzel said cheerfully. "Does it sound like fun to you, Musashi?"

"I will follow you wherever you go, Prince," Musashi said.

"B-But our families!" Astraea protested. "And Ferdinand—you have your family in Hundehöhle! If we flee Zelant in exile, you might never see them again!"

"I knew the risks of being an assist to Princess Sigrun," Ferdinand said. "My oath is absolute. If Her Highness goes into exile, then I will go into exile with her."

"B-But…" Astraea shook her head furiously, tears stinging her eyes once more. "But we can't just leave! We have to do something!"

"Princess," Viktor cut in, his tone turning serious. "You don't have a lot of options. You don't have the resources your father has, and you don't have soldiers falling in line to fight for you. The five of you?" He gestured to them "You're on your own. You need to think rationally. Clearing your name may be important, but you can't clear your name if you're dead. And if you stay here, then you're surely going to die. Especially since you have a True Rune. And even if you don't die, by staying in Zelant you are putting your brother and sister at risk. Do you want them to die, Princess?"

Astraea's breathing was shallow and quick. "You're not being a coward," Viktor said, his tone softening. "You're not running away. You're surviving. There's a difference. For the sake of these four people—who have chosen to lay down their lives to defend you—you need to leave. It's what best for you right now."

Astraea closed her eyes. She didn't want to cry but she felt an incredible pain in her body. It had been difficult to leave Zelant when she thought she would be studying in Crystal Valley, but now…now she knew that if they left, then it may be permanent. She may never come back to clear her name. To get justice for Milo, Barrett, Ritta, and everyone who had died that horrible.

But…there's nowhere for us to go. If we stay… she opened her eyes and looked at Denzel and Sigrun. Since their ordeal started not once did her two siblings look upon her with blame or anger. Only understanding and love. My brother and sister. The two people who stood by me. But if I lose them…

"Sometimes running isn't easy," David said softly. "But sometimes…it can be your only option."

Astraea looked at him. His words felt…very loaded. It left her with many questions, but they were unimportant questions in the moment. She knew she had to make a decision. Would she stay and try to push back against her father and expose him for what he had done? Or would she flee the country and go into exile?

But she knew there was only one option for her. She took a deep breath and let out slowly but harshly. Then…she nodded. "I understand," she said quietly. "…Let's go."

The tension in the group dissipated with her statement. "We were going to go to the Western Continent," Viktor said. "But given the current circumstances it probably wouldn't be a good idea to venture there. You'll need to create distance between Zelant and you. So instead of the west…you should head to the east."

"Do you intend to come with us?" Sigrun asked him. "Aren't you here to kill a bandit?"

"I can come back anytime to get him," Viktor said, waving a hand. "You lot can't really do that, can you?"

"Then where shall we go?" Astraea asked. "The Northern Continent? Southern? Eastern? The Island Nations?"

"Let's just get on a boat and go wherever it takes us," Denzel laughed. "Anywhere is better than here."

"If we're not going to the Western Continent then," David said. "Then we'll need to make haste to get to Niebieska Brama."