“What the hell?” Erin gasped upon returning to the inn with Amyra and Siv. It was a peculiar sight, one that indicated something drastic had taken place.
Right at the entrance of the largest inn in the town, there were the bodies of mercenaries. They were Iris’ private soldiers. Some were dead, some were not. Those who lived were either in a precarious state or at death’s door. They couldn’t be compared to Erin but they were still formidable fighters. Yet, they were destroyed and utterly defeated.
“This is a massacre,” Siv muttered.
A crowd had already gathered around the scene. Whispers and murmurs were passing around. Erin couldn’t quite discern the contents yet but she heard some concerning words in the messy jumble.
Iris stood at the doors, along with the inn employees, all looking dismayed and in distress. By Iris' feet, there was Aedan. He was also in bad shape but he was faring much better than the mercenaries. Erin and the other two immediately rushed over to Aedan upon seeing him in such a state.
“What happened here?” Erin asked.
“The Fae Embassy,” Iris answered, taking in the devastating sight of her fallen soldiers.
Faces turned grim.
“Oh, that’s not good,” Amyra mused.
“Bunch of hard asses is what they are,” Aedan grunted. He tried to stand but his wounds made him fall back down.
Erin was quick to hold him right and helped him to his feet after some struggle. With Amyra’s assistance, they carried Aedan into the lobby and laid him down on a sofa. Iris took a seat on a sofa adjacent to Aedan while Erin and the others sat across from Aedan.
The inn’s employees came up to them with refreshments even though they were not requested or summoned. Iris accepted the drinks and waved them away. The employees politely took their leave and distanced themselves from the group.
“They came for the two. Nivia and Lilian,” Iris began to explain.
“Where’s Aera and Lyra? I don’t see the two.”
“Lyra’s fine, presumably. She had gone out to the smithies. As for Aera…” Iris’ expression darkened. “She was taken.”
Erin felt a fire burning furiously in her heart. “Taken? Why?”
“The High Elves came for Lilian and Nivia. Or at least an envoy of the High Elves did. The two did not want to go with the envoy. No was not an answer the envoy accepted. The envoy commanded the Tempest Blades to take them along by force. I intervened. I tried to be reasonable. I used my words but they insisted. My soldiers came to my defence. They spouted some slur at the Tempest Blades. The Fae spouted some slurs back. And that prompted my soldiers to draw their swords. I commanded them to stand down but they were much too easy to be taunted by the Tempest Blades. As you can see, my men were all swiftly beaten. Then, Aera came forward. She was also defeated. They seized her afterwards and took her away. They deemed her to be too volatile to be let free.”
Erin raised her brows. “How did they defeat her without creating so much mess? How did they accomplish that?” The Aera she knew was impossible to be contained once her wrath was incurred.
“They seemed to have an inkling of what she’s capable of,” Aedan answered, pushing himself up into a seating position. “There wasn’t much of a fight. They put her to sleep before she could invoke her wrath.”
“Smart,” Amyra muttered.
Erin frowned at the Augur.
“What? It is very smart. You know what Aera’s capable of.”
Erin sighed. The Augur’s mind worked differently from the average individual. “What of… Ruri?”
Iris blinked. “Ruri?”
“She’s with Lilian. I don’t think they noticed she was in her garments.”
“Pardon me for interrupting. Who’s Ruri?”
“The… cat.”
“Oh, that strange yet adorable creature. So, her name’s Ruri.”
“And Nivia and Lilian? Were they—”
“They didn’t hurt them,” Aedan assured. “Although they did threaten them using me, us. They obediently went along with them after that.”
“And what about you? You confronted them?”
Aedan laughed in a wry manner. “I tried. I got my ass handed to me.”
Erin stared.
“It means I got absolutely walloped.”
“Nonsense,” Iris said. “You gave them a difficult time. I reckon if it’s single combat, you would be the victor.”
“If it’s single combat. The keyword is ‘if’.”
“What’s with their insistence? Did they say why?”
“The envoy said nothing,” Aedan answered. “But if I have to guess, it would be due to Nivia’s… status. She is something of a princess and something dark is brewing in the capital.”
“She has been in much more dangerous situations. Their exaggerated actions are unwarranted.”
Aedan shrugged. “It was just a guess. There could be other reasons.”
“Well, what do you plan to do now?” Iris asked.
“Rushing straight to the embassy right away is a terrible idea,” Siv said.
“I didn’t say anything yet.”
“We can all tell what you were thinking, Mistress.”
“She’s right,” Aedan concurred.
Amyra was nodding too.
Erin clicked her tongue. “Why can’t I? I’m also a Fae.”
“You certainly are,” Aedan said. “However… they will not be welcoming towards you. The Faerie-kin know their own people. Everyone of them. You are special. You are not from any of the forests. If you go there, you will be apprehended and interrogated.”
“That’s very harsh and very paranoid of them.”
“Dark tidings lurk at the edge of the capital. They have every right to be paranoid. I would be wary of you too, if I didn’t know you.”
Erin sighed. “Then, what do you suggest I do?”
Aedan held his head in contemplation for a while before turning his gaze to Iris.
“Oh? Do you need my assistance?”
“Yes, please.”
Iris giggled. “How courteous. For you, I shall.” Smiling, she looked at Erin. “First off, you need not to be so worried about your friends. No harm will come to them unless the other party makes the first move. Your friends are not idiots like my… soldiers. No one can approach the embassy as they please. Not even the royal family. There needs to be a reason and a proper… display of request.”
“Display of request?”
“Bureaucracy everywhere,” Aedan grunted under his breath.
“You need to inform them of your arrival in writing first and wait for their response.”
Erin frowned. “Sounds tedious. Is there any… practical reason for this?”
“It’s just the formality here. But if you truly want a proper reason, it would be because the area inside of the embassy is considered Fae’s lands, a segregated part of their nation.”
“And the kingdom is fine with this arrangement?”
Aedan laughed. “Of course, they are not. But what else can they do? They don’t want to lose the Fae’s grace.”
“So, I just need to write a letter to the embassy?”
“Yes,” Iris said. “But to do so, the letter needs to be stamped in a seal that they recognised and acknowledged.”
“I don’t have a seal. Where do I get one?”
“Through a very lengthy and tedious process that takes weeks or even months.”
“Well… that’s not doable. I hope you already have a method in mind to circumvent this problem.”
“I do already have one in mind. You would need a patron.”
“A patron?”
“A guarantor of sorts, one with considerable influence and wealth.” seaʀᴄh thё NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“And where would I find a guarantor of those criteria?” Erin narrowed her gaze. “You?”
“I would love to be your guarantor, Erin, but sadly, I am not recognised by the Fae Embassy.”
“Why not?”
“They mistrust me. Need I say more?”
Amyra scoffed, which begat an elbow-shove from Siv.
Erin shrank slowly into her seat. “...No.”
Iris tittered. “Fret not, however. If what I have heard is true, you have a friend amongst the court. One in a very high place.”
“House Valdrun.”
“So it is true. You have made an extremely powerful friend, my dear Erin.”
Erin couldn’t help but let her curiosity take over for a moment. “How powerful?” she asked.
“House Valdrun governs a vast portion of land in the north. If the house fell, the Kingdom would be vulnerable to their enemies in the north. They could be replaced, but it would take considerable time and effort. But in the meantime, the kingdom’s enemies would have already taken over the north. That’s how powerful House Valdrun is.”
“So, the Fae Embassy would not turn away a request from House Valdrun?”
“There’s no absolute, but it will give you priority among many other requests.”
“The embassy receives a lot of requests?”
“The lands of the Faerie-kin are rich and fertile because of the Spirits’ blessings. Many individuals hope to form a relationship with the Fae, in hopes of making a huge profit off of their resources. But of course, it never worked, though it had never stopped people from trying.”
Erin fell silent for a while. She was brooding about something; anyone could tell.
“Is there something wrong?” Iris asked.
“Well… I’m not exactly friends with House Valdrun. I’m just friends with the High Lady, Melissa Valdrun. I haven’t exactly met anyone else from House Valdrun.”
“You don’t need to. Being friends with the High Lady is being friends with the house itself. Lady Melissa herself wields considerable influence in the court.”
As if right on cue, one of the inn employees came over to their table. She approached Iris and leaned close to the Umbrum’s ears, whispering the news.
Erin was not sitting close to Iris but she picked up on the employee’s words clearly.
After the inn employee had taken her leave, Iris stared at Erin and smiled. “I trust that you heard everything?”
“I have,” Erin answered. “Seems very timely of them, wouldn’t you say?”
“I say they have likely arrived in this town around the same time as the Fae envoy, but they waited for the Fae to leave before taking their turn.”
Erin rose from her seat. The others followed. “Really?” Erin looked at her companions, who all looked eager to follow her.
“We can’t be too careful,” Amyra said.
“Doesn’t hurt to be cautious, Mistress,” Siv concurred.
Erin sighed and resigned to their company.
A knight awaited the three just outside of the inn’s entrance, along with a small group of soldiers behind him. All on horseback. There was a carriage behind all of them. From what Erin could tell, the carriage was empty. As if the crowd of onlookers from before had never left, there was once again a crowd in front of the inn.
“They’re strong,” Amyra remarked. “They’re in their fifties and sixties.”
“They all bore the insignias of House Valdrun,” Siv observed. “They are not shams”
“I always wanted to fight a knight. A proper and seasoned knight.”
Erin rolled her eyes at Amyra’s remarks and gave no further thought to it.
The knight stepped forward with his helmet off. He then bowed with a hand on his chest and began his introductions. “Good afternoon, Lady Erynthea. I am Sir Jensen, a knight of House Valdrun. On the High Lady’s behest, I have come to escort you to the main estate at your convenience.”
“Such a young knight and yet… so strong and experienced,” Amyra muttered.
Erin nodded inwardly. She had to agree. The knight bowing in front of her was rather young. He looked no older than twenty if she had to guess. “At my convenience, you say?”
“Yes, at your convenience. As long as you remain within the capital and its nearby lands, you will be under House Valdrun’s guidance and protection. You are to be treated as our guest of honour. Of course, this honour and privilege naturally extends to your companions, Lady Erynthea.”
“Truly?”
“We have no reason to lie, Lady Erynthea.”
“If that’s so, how soon can we depart?”
“Right this instance will be of no issue, Lady Erynthea.”
“Do you make detours?”
“As long as it’s not too far from the capital.”
Erin smiled. “Splendid.”
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