After we finished buying everything we needed, we walked back to the palace. It was so calm and peaceful after that hectic bout between the two of us, that it took me until we finished passing through the gates before one of my main worries resurfaced in my mind. Something more distressing to me than Flora and my promise to Hiram. It was about Tasha. As we made our way past the front courtyard, my pace noticeably slowed and Flora called me out on that right away.

  “Is something wrong, Mr. Braith?”

  “No,” I lied. I sped up my pace but that didn’t last more than a few steps. Tasha and I haven’t spoken a word since yesterday. Not even a good morning. How? I mean, that’s so simple to say, how could I not say it? Why didn’t she say it? She must still be worrying about something. But, even when she was worried about things, she’d still talk to me at least? Am I reading too much into this? Let me think, have there been days where we never exchanged such simple pleasantries before? Oh, yes, there have been! Of course there have been. It’s such a bothersome thing, isn’t it? Always having to greet someone? That is simply an overexaggerated level of politeness and formality. Why is it even necessary? It’s not! Simple as that. Wew, that’s a load off my mind!

  “Um…are you sure?”

  “Of course I am. Why do you ask?”

  “You…haven’t moved at all for a little while now.” I looked down at my feet pointlessly. What, was I expecting to find my boots stuck in glue so as to make a proper excuse?

  “Just a bit tired. Ah, nothing to worry about, though. Let’s get back inside.”

  “I- is it about Tasha?” Where’d she get that idea? And what’s with this nosiness? I praise her a bit and she starts thinking she can diagnose my problems? No, stop thinking like that.

  “We’ll talk about this inside.” We entered the palace and started walking down some random hallways. I was thinking about going to my room to talk about this, but that would mean I want to have a long talk, wouldn’t it? No, this is just a slight issue that can be easily addressed while walking.

  “Where are we going, Mr. Braith?” Flora asked after a minute of silent walking.

  “Nowhere in particular,” I said truthfully. “Anyways, why do you think I might have a problem with Tasha?”

  “Well, the two of you didn’t say anything to each other during breakfast.”

  “It happens sometimes. Could just be a bit of absent-mindedness on both our parts today.”

  “Well, I didn’t want to read too much into it either, but then it was just the two of us who went out today.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” my voice was raised a couple levels in defensiveness.

  “Um, it’s one of the first times that has happened. The other time…well, Tasha wasn’t feeling well, so, I thought maybe she wasn’t feeling well today as well?” It took a moment to recall these past circumstances. When I did, I ended up coughing a bit.

  “W- well, I wouldn’t know too much about that. But, yeah, maybe she just needed a bit more rest. In any case, if that is what you think is a problem, it’ll pass soon enough. Nothing to worry about.” The more I went down this route, the more I started to believe it as well. Could yesterday’s outburst really be a hormonal issue? That seemed a bit too convenient. Yeah, I can’t just chalk it up so simply. “Flora, do you know where Tasha might be right now? I need to talk to her.”

  “Well, she might be with Princess Leonora in the inner courtyard. They were going to organize a practice session, but that might not be today.”

  “Practice?”

  “Practice fighting against the Iron Knights.”

  “Oh, that thing she was going on about on the first day.” She’s still serious about that? Also, it just seems so pointless now. The king has seen firsthand how well she can fight. “I’m surprised she managed to pull off that plan of hers.”

  “Well, it’s not quite the same as her original plan. I think she said she would find some squires who were willing to spar with Tasha, but I’m not sure if she managed to do that yet. It just sounded like she was on the verge of it yesterday, though.”

  “Well, I’ll go check it out, just in case. Um…lead the way.” We went to the inner courtyard and to my surprise, she really was there. In one corner of the inner courtyard, past the flower gardens and shrubbery, where the ground was soft dirt and sand, was Tasha in the middle of a fight with someone wearing chainmail armour. Off to the side of their battlegrounds were two more men in chainmail, both seated on the ground and looking very exhausted. On another side were Princess Leonora and someone who was almost definitely an Iron Knight going by his plate mail. The two combatants were fighting with wooden swords, which could have been seen as a disadvantage on Tasha’s part considering the difference in their armour. Well, if this guy is just a squire, it’s not like it matters either way. Sure enough, before we even finished crossing the courtyard, Tasha landed a multitude of strikes against her opponent and he finally went down to one knee and conceded. Leonora and the Iron Knight both applauded and Tasha did a bit of showmanship and bowed to them. She must have been quite into it all for it was Leonora who noticed me first.

  “Sir Braith, you’ve returned! Did you find everything you were looking for?” Before I could answer her, Tasha whipped back around and came racing towards me, her expression positively elated.

  “Dad, you’re back!” she exclaimed as she brought her arms around me. When was the last time Tasha initiated such an excited hug with me?

  “Ah, yes…” I said with a bit of shock. “You’ve been sparring against some squires?”

  “Yup, and I beat them all easily!” Cool down with the pride just a bit…I mean, they’re right there.

  “Ah, yes, of course.” The Iron Knight strode towards me and patiently stood just off to the side. I eased Tasha off me and turned my attention to the Iron Knight. “May I help you with something?” He took off his helmet and bowed to me.

  “I am Sir Emmerick, Captain of the Iron Knights. Please allow me to thank you for your heroic deeds in saving the lives of both His Majesty King Henrik and Her Highness Princess Leonora. Please also forgive my delay in expressing my gratitude. I have been very busy with my duties for the past couple days.”

  “…No problem.” I extended out my hand and he shook it.

  “I must say that I am very impressed with the skill of your daughter. She has done a very thorough job of beating my squires.” Oh, they’re his squires. Wait…the squires to the knight captain? “Looks like they all still have much to learn.” The three squires all cast their gaze towards the ground.

  “Well, no need to be too harsh on them.” I haven’t beaten Tasha in a spar in years.

  “Your daughter’s abilities may be above theirs, but that is no reason for them to not train as hard as they can to better themselves. Perhaps we should extend it to a best four out of seven for each of them now, Your Highness?” he asked towards Leonora. Wait, it wasn’t just one match each?

  “As long as Miss Tasha is willing to continue to cooperate.” I was a little surprised by the modifier before Tasha’s name. Was the princess trying to keep up appearances in front of Sir Emmerick?

  “If you’d please?” Emmerick asked towards Tasha. Tasha smiled in response and the squires looked down in despair. “Thank you very much. Alright, another two-minute break before we begin the next series.”

  “Oh, wait,” Tasha began, her smile disappearing for just a second, “Dad, maybe you want to spar instead?” she asked happily with an even bigger smile. Emmerick’s expression perked up with piqued curiosity.

  “I would not be opposed to such a substitution,” he stated.

  “Ah, no, it’s quite alright. I came here just to check on something else. Tasha, come with me for a bit.” We went behind some shrubbery as Emmerick suggested that his squires do some image training before their next match. Tasha seemed a bit confused but other than that, she did not seem upset or worried at all. “Um, Tasha, how are you feeling?” I asked awkwardly.

  “I’m feeling great, dad! I got to move around a lot so far! Although, it’d be better if they had better stamina.”

  “Um, that’s not quite what I meant. I mean, are you still…feeling concerned?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked with a clueless expression.

  “About yesterday…” For about half a second, her expression was shaken, but she quickly smiled at me.

  “Oh, I already told you not to worry about that, dad!”

  “You did, but I thought that maybe it was still troubling you.”

  “No, no, not at all! I don’t even know what I was talking about back then!”

  “Really?” I was still skeptical about it.

  “Look, I’m fine, dad! Please, don’t worry about it.” She smiled even more brightly at me. My resistance finally broke down and I let her convince me.

  “Oh, that’s great then. Well, that’s all I wanted to check up on. Oh, and great work, Tasha.” I patted her head. “Teach those squires a lesson.” Sorry, guys, but if kicking your asses makes her happy, then you’re just gonna have to deal with it.

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  “Will do, dad.” I stayed to watch her thoroughly overwhelm her opponents one more time. However, Emmerick seemed to not think the squires put in enough effort and forced them all to fight again. I figured that by this point, it would do them good to have one fewer spectator for their impending defeats so I took my leave. Flora looked ready to leave with me as well, but I told her I wanted some time to wander alone. At first, as I began walking about the palace, my thoughts turned back to Tasha but I quickly pushed it out of my mind. Instead, I got to thinking about what to do about the king. Should I ask for something else now? What if he already made preparations? Perhaps it would just be better to set aside getting a reward after all? As my concerns started to grow more serious, an Iron Knight called out to me.

  “Sir Braith! I have finally found you!” Was this my first time seeing a knight in the halls? Strangely enough, this was my initial thought upon seeing this man in full body plate mail. Yet again I thought about how empty this palace seemed to be given its size. “His Majesty has sent me to find you! Please, follow me to the throne room!” What an energetic knight I thought to myself as I quietly let him guide me.

  The throne room, like most other rooms save for the baths, had hardly any decorations or adornments. The massive room had several shields with the royal crest mounted on the left and right walls and a long red carpet divided the room as it led straight from the entrance to a wooden throne right before the far wall. The seated king dismissed the knight as the door closed behind us, I noticed that it was just the two of us. It has already happened so many times before, but he really does not seem to care much for security. Either that, or he just values privacy so much more.

  “You wanted to see me?” I asked, as I made my way towards him. He smiled at me and gave a hearty chuckle. I looked at him bemusedly.

  “My apologies. I have had many meetings with various officials and nobles over the past few days, and the stark contrast in attitude fills me with relief.”

  “Relief?”

  “I feared the casualness you had about you was only a result of the shock of being in your situation. I see more definitely than ever now though that this is just how you truly are.”

  “Should I be taking that as a compliment?” I stopped about five feet away from him.

  “From me, yes. Although, I imagine most others would mean so otherwise.”

  “Thank you for your kind and generous understanding, then.” He laughed again.

  “It is always a delight conversing with you. Now then, on to why I summoned you. I immediately wished to begin preparations on fulfilling your reward, but I fear I may have overlooked a few things.”

  “Oh, that,” right as I said that, I realized that I might have to cut him off, “you don’t need to worry about that anymore,” might as well finish what I was saying, “I did not properly consider Flora’s thoughts at the time and after speaking with her, I have decided against it.” He raised an eyebrow. “I hope I did not waste your time or resources.” The king looked to be processing this sudden change.

  “Ah, no. I summoned you here to go over some of the finer details, but I have yet to begin any other preparations. There has been nothing unnecessary done whatsoever, do not worry about that. But…I see…yes, no problem at all.” He finally seemed to finish sorting through his thoughts and returned to his usual demeanor. “In that case, please, tell me what else you would prefer as a reward.”

  “Oh, I’m not sure that would be right to suddenly change it so I’m fine with not receiving one.” Well, not really, but I felt like asking for a reward that was either too small or large now would not go over well. I would rather not risk it.

  “Is that so?” Just like in the baths, the question pierced straight through my lie. It was in these rare moments that I felt I was truly in the presence of a king.

  “At the moment…I am unsure of what to ask of you.”

  “I do not mind if you take some time to think it over.” I’m not sure if it was his intention, but that line made me feel that I had to come up with something soon. Judging by his expression, he seemed quite expectant.

  “Well,” I began, “I am not presently troubled by a need for anything…” No matter how many times I say it, it was clear that this would be unacceptable. I was not sure if it was because of his pride, sense of obligation, or whatever else, but I knew that I could not simply leave without receiving something. This would be a blessing for many; a guaranteed reward from a king. I knew that accepting knighthood would please him the most and it would be desirable for so many others, but my thoughts from before had still not changed. I want to dive no deeper into the politics of any nation. This was part of the reason I did not bother even asking about the details of the assassination attempt.

  “Braith,” the king began, after a moment of strained silence, “are you perhaps an agent of another nation?” That question threw me off guard. All of a sudden, after all the trust the king seemed to have in me, he basically just asked me if I was… a spy?

  “No!” I replied a little too suddenly and loudly. The king looked at me with unchanging composure. “Sorry, I don’t think I am quite sure what you meant by that question,” I said, doubling back.

  “Your skill and strength is undeniable. A man with your capabilities would normally either be a knight or a mercenary. A mercenary with renown, to be specific.” Confusion remained on my face for another couple seconds before realizing what he was getting at. He thought my refusal of knighthood was due to either an important mission or personal duty. Well, that was not exactly wrong. It also was not even much of a speculation. I already told him I needed to leave soon. I just never told him why.

  “There is something that I must do. I apologize but I can go no further into what that is.” The king’s expression remained the same, but he was likely mulling over his thoughts.

  “Is there nothing I can do to support your task?”

  “This may not be my place to say this, but should a king offer to support an unknown mission?” The king’s composure cracked, just for an instant. Did I go too far?

  “A king’s affairs should be left to a king.” Was this the first time he pulled his rank over me? “When a king decides to reward someone for their services, then a reward shall be given. Beyond what you may consider petty or complicated politics, an obligation to repay a debt owed supersedes all.” Wow, he knew more about my thoughts than he seemed to let on. Now that I think about it, though, during those days I was passed out, those Harbingers also probably found out more about me than they let on...but, how much did they find out. I pulled away from those thoughts and looked directly into the king’s eyes. If anyone else had been watching, they might have thought I had just silently challenged him in some way. I tried probing the king’s expression but I garnered nothing. If he truly knew even more about me, I had no way of knowing from simply looking.

  “The Harbingers…” I said, testing to see if the king would let something slip. Nothing happened. No, I’m thinking too much about this. If the Harbingers really knew everything about me, I definitely would not be in this situation right now. The king was just good at guessing some of my private thoughts. It was not that hard of a guess, either, was it? I did not stand on ceremony with him and I rarely changed my tone of speaking. But still...how much did the Harbingers know? And why exactly am I assuming they are so skilled? Could they really find out so much information on a traveler who came to this kingdom for the first time only weeks ago?

  “You require the services of the Harbingers?” the king asked. I was taken aback by the sudden question. However, I quickly realized he said that in an attempt to complete what I was trying to say earlier with that little test. Perhaps he thought the continued silence was me having difficulty asking for such a thing. “The Harbingers are meant to serve the interests of the crown, without even taking on requests from any of the nobility.” Oh, so this was something difficult to ask for. “But, if they can be of some use to you, please feel free to speak what is on your mind.” I am actually being lent royal agents? How bad would it be to tell him that this was not what I had in mind? I mean, what would I even do with them?

  “That’s…” do I just say it? That’s not what I meant. What if I just roll with it and ask for them to do something for me? Something that seems important but isn’t. They deal with gathering intelligence, right? I can just ask to learn about something? No, it’s not that simple. It would have to be something I couldn’t just learn from having access to a library.

  “It seems you are still struggling to say what you want. I give you my word, Braith. what you say shall be kept confidential. Only the two of us and whomever else you want to know will know.” But, there isn’t something that I want to know that...well, I mean, of course there is. Hey, you know what? Here’s the thing; I found my daughter randomly in the snow one day and I am trying to find her original home and parents right now based on a dream she had. Do you think you could gather any relevant information on this?

  “Um…” No! Of course I’m not going to just ask for that! But, why not? I think King Henrik seems trustworthy enough. I mean, I was willing to let him watch over Flora. That’s different though! This is Tasha we are talking about here! What’s the big deal? Yeah, it sounds ridiculous...really ridiculous...what am I even- “Shut up!” I suddenly shouted to end my internal argument. A quick look at the king told me that the last bit was definitely not kept inside my head.

  “Braith?” he spoke with concern.

  “Sorry, sorry,” I apologized hurriedly. “My mind was...it was...anyways, about my, uh, request...”

  “Yes?”

  “...yeah…” I tried to muster up something more cogent, but my mind was still a bit rattled over both my inner turmoil and outburst.

  “Did you recall some painful memory?” No, it wasn’t quite like that. Not that I am lacking in any of those from the past. Even more recently, there was the incident with-

  “Yes, I’m truly sorry about shouting like that out of nowhere. You see, something terrible happened before I arrived in Brennan.”

  “Oh, what happened?”

  “It wasn’t right before coming here, but initially, my daughter and I were traveling with a merchant. He...he was a good man. But, when I wasn’t around...he was killed.”

  “Oh, I am sorry to hear that.”

  “It...it wasn’t an easy death. He was mortally wounded by stab wounds, but what ended his life was poison. I must confess that vengeance had been on my mind. I want to find those who robbed and murdered him.” This was not quite a lie, but there was an initial tinge of guilt over using Dennis’ murder to settle my matter with the king. However, as I recalled Dennis’ final moments, my seething feelings of vengeance started to boil once more.

  “I see. You want to use Harbingers to help you track these murderers down. To kill and rob a merchant, these people must be either very bold or very reckless. They are exactly the sort that should not escape punishment.”

  “Yes, exactly!” No, this is not just some cover up. I swore that I would avenge Dennis. If I can get my hands on the info I need then I will finish this.

  “Unfortunately, the Harbingers are limited to acting within Brennan.” When I looked at him with sudden confusion, he elaborated. “Following the War of the Nines, the nations came together and signed a treaty. In that treaty we agreed to a number of things including restrictions over the use of military force in the Outlands. If these fiends were in Brennan, there would be no issue over using the Harbingers. However, they can only be deployed beyond our borders under exceptional conditions.”

  “Oh, well, that might not be an issue.” For the first time, King Brennan was the one to look confused. “I’ve been tracking them somewhat. Not too closely, but there is a good chance they came to Brennan.” This was just a guess, but it was as if I suddenly had an epiphany. Judging by the route they had taken so far, they were going to major nations, probably to sell off their stolen goods. Well, they were last seen in the wastelands north of Brennan so it was possible they continued towards the Dridam Plains instead, but that would not be the end of it. If the Harbingers search for them in Brennan and find no trace of them, then I will know where they headed towards instead. Yes, it would be harder to find them in that case, but my initial destination is the Dridam Plains anyways.

  “Is that so? How confident are you in that?”

  “I believe there is a decent chance. Although, if that’s not good enough, I suppose we can forget about this.” I would not be too pleased with letting it end like this, and King Brennan thought the same.

  “No, I did not mean to suggest something like that. However, is there at least some other clues that would help the Harbingers find these people?” Clues? I’m not the tracker here. I don’t know what they really looked like or much else about them, so I decided to just say whatever I could recall. After saying what I could remember, it was clear that neither of us were convinced this would work too well. No matter what, after what I resolved myself to, I did not want to just give up on finding them. Then, I remembered one last thing I had that could be used. But, it could pose problems to bring it up. No, this time, I will take the risk.

  “There is one last thing that I have. It is a map that once belonged to the merchant. I retrieved it from someone that purchased it.”

  “Is there something special about this map?”

  “It contains his own writing. If someone else has purchased a map from the bandits, it may also have his writing on it.”

  “Ah, I see. Yes, if that really did happen, it may be possible to find them.”

  “So, you agree, then?” The king smiled briefly.

  “Yes, I believe this is a suitable reward for your actions. I will call on Harbingers in this city and relay my order.”

  “Great, thanks.”

  “May you pass me the map now or do you need to fetch it from your baggage?”

  “I...have to get it first.”

  “Very well. I will direct one of the Harbingers to retrieve the map from you later.” I nodded and made ready to leave. The king said nothing else and I exited the throne room.

  After finding the map, I waited in my room. Less than half an hour later, I hear a knock on my door.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “It is Sir Decius,” the familiar voice seeped past the door. “His Majesty has given his orders for a new mission and informed me that you are currently in possession of something crucial.” Did he really have to say it like that? I opened the door with the map in hand. As expected, there he was standing outside, but despite the obviousness, I still felt somewhat surprised. No, that’s not quite right. Shaken? Unsettled? Maybe I just didn’t want to see him at all.

  “Yeah, I have this map with writing on it.” I passed the map over and he gingerly took it from me. He carefully looked it over and although his mouth was still covered, it felt like he was smiling at me.

  “Is this your blood?” His voice lacked any hint of accusation or genuine curiosity. It was as if this was just small talk. “The bloodstains on the map,” he continued when I did not immediately answer. Briefly, I wondered if a joking response could make this go over smoother. Another look at his eyes told me no. It’s not like there was any malice or any other discernible negative sentiment coming from him, but I just did not want to kid around with him.

  “Yeah, it’s mine.” I could sense his unseen smile widening slightly.

  “Must have been a rather troublesome retrieval.”

  “It was,” I responded curtly. Decius seemed to take the hint and stopped asking any more questions.

  “Well, I shall excuse myself. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, sir Braith.” He gave a small bow and stepped away from the doorway in a manner as to not expose his back to me as he left. Was that being cautious or respectful? I guess I shall take it as a compliment in either case.

  After he left, I spent some time organizing my thoughts on everything that happened today. It only took a moment to realize that a lot has changed since the day began. Whatever mastery of the Thousand Bolts I had has been mostly reset, and I’ve changed my mind on two major things I had resolved to never go back on: going to the Dridam Plains and leaving Flora in Brennan. Is it fine to live such a fickle life? Probably not. Does that mean I’m going to change my mind yet again? Well...at the very least, I should consult Flora and Tasha about our future plans. As for my powers...if I can help it I would rather not let anyone else know. I can only hope I will have recovered by the time we leave. Which we definitely will. Definitely. I let out an audible sigh and lay down on my bed. Just another few moments of rest, please.