Lovely Meeting

'That's... her,' he thought. The rest of the journey after the conversation that made Sari cry was made in near silence, with occasional whispers between Vynn and Sari, but he finally made it.

"Vallum?" The short woman was wearing black clothes and had blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She called out, "Val, is that really you?"

"K- kenra," Vallum said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kenra looked around her like she was trying to figure out if she was in the middle of something, and then looked to the figure in the black cloak that was floating on their back. "Birdie?"

"Take your time, Sky Knight." Birdie replied, "Your farmer in shining armor has formed a party to hunt you down, so you might as well figure out why."

Vallum looked at Kenra questioningly, "Sky Knight?"

Kenra blushed and let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, Val, it is my court mage alias. It sounds kind of silly, doesn't it, Val?"

"I think it sounds awesome, Kay. It has only been a couple days, but you already look so official and you have a new name and everything." Vallum was like a little kid when he started talking to her.

"The training moves so fast, Val. It is crazy. I have already learned so much. Oh, I can't wait to show you, Val."

"Val? Kay? Yeah," Vynn sighed, "It looks like I am out of my league, Sari. She seems to like saying his name as much as I like picking pockets."

"But, big sis-" Sari started.

"Just look at him Sari," Vynn said harshly, "We have never seen him with that look in his eyes. We aren't special to him."

Kenra, who was completely focused on Vallum turned to Vynn whenever she started talking, and she rushed over with shining eyes. Kenra reached out and grabbed Vynn's hands, "You traveled with him?"

Vynn was unprepared for the sudden contact and just nodded to the affirmative.

"Thank you so much! He is so clueless, isn't he? He probably would have gotten everything he owned stolen by trying to help some criminal in the city if he didn't have someone watching out for him." Then Kenra went up to Sari whose eyes were downcast. Kenra put her hands on the girl's shoulders and got down on one knee to look the girl in the eye. "I can tell that you helped to guide him, too. Thank you so much for bringing him to me safely."

Vynn was shocked, by the girl's straightforwardness, and went slack jawed when she looked down at her hands. Kenra stood back up and went over to Vallum and started conversing with him once again, while Sari followed Vynn in going slack jawed. Out of habit, and perhaps a little spite, each of them had reached into the pocket that Kenra had in her black pants and both of them pulled out a coin that had their respective faces on it. Kenra looked over from her conversation with Vallum for a brief moment to wink at the two girls.

"So," Vallum addressed Kenra, "You decided to join the Court of the Night so that you could protect us when we move to the mountains?"

"Well, Val," Kenra said, "You never know what could happen when we move out there all alone. I want to be able to protect our children as well."

Vallum looked perturbed, "Why didn't you tell me that you were worried about that? I should be the one to have the strength to protect our family."

"You have the strength to provide for the family, Val. When Birdie was recruiting me, she let me in on some of the real dangers that this world possesses. Ones that can't be stopped without magic. That is why I'm here."

Vallum worked his jaw, processing the information.

"Hey, farmer boy," Vynn called, "My and Sari are going to head back to the city. My debt has been paid."

"Bye, big bro," Sari called out in a weak voice as the pair started to walk away.

Vallum started to say something, but he couldn't find the words. He watched silently as they walked off back toward the town. Before they got too far away, Vynn silently turned and threw a coin to Vallum. Then she turned back around with Sari and walked off.

"You pushed them away for my sake, didn't you, Val?" Kenra asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," Vallum answered, his voice thick with emotion, "I didn't even know them for that long, so it isn't a big deal."

Kenra reached up to run her hand through Vallum's hair, "It is a big deal. You did something that was very painful for my sake, Val. That makes me happier than you know."

"Yeah," Vallum was lost to the conversation. He stared after the girls until they disappeared from his sight.

"So," Vallum tried to refocus himself, "When can you come back with me?"

"It will take me a year, Val, to get what I am looking for. After that we can get married and start living together. We won't have to worry about any people or animals causing us trouble. We can live a peaceful life together, Val." Kenra flashed a smile at him.

"A whole year? Now that we are both of age, can't we get married now? Even if you have to stay in training, I could come along with you."

"You come in with shining armor and a party, but end up asking to move into the tower?" Birdie cut in, "She has to complete the training alone, so no. You cannot live with her while she is training."

Vallum looked at the cloaked figure floating a few feet away and then back to Kenra, "Aren't these people kind of weird, Kay?" He whispered.

"Ha!" Kenra laughed, "You know that I am one of them now, right? I think it is just an effect of the solitude. Birdie said that almost none of the mages from the Court of the Night are in relationships. The group's name combined with a dislike for magic make it hard for them to find friends, much less partners. I am lucky." She gave Vallum a warm smile and bumped her shoulder into his.

"A year then," Vallum said resolutely, "I'll be back then. I'll have a house waiting for us."