CH 5 - Friends

Dainn

The next few weeks were off, to say the least. Every day, practically, I was asked to join either Emilia or Hannah when they wanted to leave the manor.

They seemed to have gone from pretending I wasn't there, to seeing me as their bodyguard. Or at least, Hannah certainly did. I had to make it clear with her after the first three times she demanded I join her that I wasn't her chaperone. I did so after I realized she was having me accompany her to see a different crush of hers each time.To be fair, they weren't exactly her crushes. They were just boys simping for the Lord's daughter.

Either way though, I had to let her know I wasn't a tool for her to use just because she felt unsafe. But, then there was Emilia.

Emilia wasn't using me, it seemed. In fact she never took me to see anyone else, but instead took me to do things with her. Unlike Hannah, who tried to have me stand guard outside some kids home while she did whatever it was she did, Emilia included me in everything.

She dragged me to her favorite clothing shops, asking me how things looked on her, though never liking my answers of "good", or "could be better". She dragged me to her favorite sweets stalls, and even made me try her favorites, laughing and pouting based on whether I liked them or not. Every time she laughed, I felt lighter, and every time she pouted it was like a weight had been added to my shoulders.

I didn't hate the feeling, but I didn't recognize it, and it was making me uncomfortable. And yet, despite all that, I could never seem to turn her down.

Eventually I learned that she didn't like magic, or rather, she didn't want to learn it. I picked up that she thought magic was neat and interesting, she even let slip that she had gotten excited watching his affinity test, but her passion wasn't for it.

She wanted a bow. More than that, she wished to be a Bow Demon, the highest rank of bowmen in Elysia. Like how mages get ranked, so too are there rankings for martial fighters. They went, from most common to the one percent: Squire, Knight, General, Paladin, Executioner, and Demon.

"Is there a reason you haven't asked your father? I was under the impression he only trains you in magic for self defense anyways. Surely trading magic for a bow wouldn't be too much of an ask?"

We were sitting eating some ramen at the Vatica Park. It was busy, teens and adults alike jogging, playing, living. We were probably the youngest people there, a four and a five year old. Still, I didn't feel unsafe in the least, unlike the other world I lived in,

"Haven't you ever wondered how White magic can be used in self defense? Short answer: you can't. No, he wants us to run and heal ourselves up until help can arrive." She put her bowl down, and I could see her shaking. She was upset. "I asked if he'd get me an instructor, like he did for you, and he said I needed to show improvement first."

"I see. That's unfair, if you ask me," I said as I slurped some noodles, and I meant it. She looked at me, those pink eyes lighting up.

"Really? You think so, too?" She reached over and touched my arm. Her hand was soft, and cool. It was not unpleasant.

I nod. "Yeah. I mean, you clearly try your best, but magic just isn't your forte."

"Fort hay?" She looked confused, and I made note that 'forte' wasn't a word here.

"It means you just don't have the right talent for it. If he wanted to be fair, he would support your desire and give it a try." I remember my mother and father, how they gave up their only son to give him a chance at a better life. Surely a single lesson from a bow master was easier than that, right?

An idea was forming, a gift for Emilia, perhaps. I had never given someone a gift before. Would it be too much? Would it be weird? Do I care?

"Thanks, Dainn. I'm glad you're my friend. Hannah just told me to grow up and stop complaining." She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder, and a chill went down my spine.

Friend?

I smiled, ever so slightly. I knew what I wanted to do.

***

"He's ready to see you now, Master Blackguard," Bartleby said as he returned. His head was always held high, his black hair kept short and swept back to accent his exquisite raven's peak. It accentuated his strong, angular nose and crowned his piercing violet eyes that saw everything.

He held the door open to the master bedroom of Hera Manor, and I bowed before entering. "Thanks, Bartleby." I quickly walked by him, and my sixth sense tingled. It always did here at random times, or so I thought. I eventually came to realize that it went off around two people in the manor the most often: Bartleby and Henry.

It was different, however, from when I feel bloodlust or murderous intent in scum and criminals. No, their presence told me they more had a willingness to kill, if danger were present. Their constant subtle alertness was unnerving me.

I entered the room to find Lord Hera getting dressed up, with the help of his wife Sila. She was busy straightening his collar and tying a brilliant gold ascot around his neck. She was quite beautiful, with the same platinum blonde hair as Emilia, but her eyes were more crimson. They were soft, but stern. She kept quiet most of the time, but when she did speak, I noticed that everyone listened, most of all Lord Hera.

Henry, on the other hand, was very outgoing, so much so that he constantly had to put his roguish black hair back in place. His eyes were hazel like Hannah's, but where she saw people as tools, I could tell he saw people as either an ally or threat.

He turned to look at me with a smile. "Ah, hello Dainn," he said, but Sila gently but firmly turned his head back to face forwards so she could finish. "Sorry, dear. Anyways, Dainn, Bartleby said you wished to speak, so go ahead and let me know what's on your mind."

I hesitate, unsure of how to broach the topic. I decided to start with the date I needed for my plan. "It's about Emilia. I'd like to know when her birthday will be."

Sila gasped softly, then giggled. I couldn't discern why for the life of me, but I waited for an answer.

"An interesting question, and one you didn't need to ask me. I do believe that you wish to discuss something else."

I was tense. He wasn't who he claimed to be, and I couldn't figure out why that thought kept entering my mind. In the few months I've been here, he's left the manor six times, always for less than a week. I noticed after the third unexplained trip that he kept a precise schedule. Leave by nine in the morning, return exactly at noon the day of. It was too neat.

And then there was his keen insight, like right now, but also things I couldn't really explain. For example, he knew when Emilia broke a bust, despite me being there to repair it with magic before anyone saw.

"It's for a gift." I hesitated, but the look he gave me when Sila finished with the ascot told me not to withhold anything. I knew I needed to take control of the conversation, and immediately. I had one shot, since I came in with no cards.

"I want to make a bargain. I wish to pay an adventurer from the City Guildhall to give Emilia a lesson with the bow on her birthday. I have been told you denied her request for it until she improves with her magic studies, but I can tell she really wishes to at least try. Just one lesson is all I ask, to see if she has any talent beyond her desire."

Silence followed, and I saw a look of surprise on Sila's face. Henry stroked his goatee and sat down on the end of his bed, his eyes never leaving me.

"I see," he said after a full minute of silence. "The answer is no, Dainn. I won't allow it."

I looked down to hide the anger I knew would flash on my face before I could reign it in. I took a deep breath before looking back. "My Lord, might I ask why, at least?"

He stands, and I could see a look of anger flash across his face. "I said no. Do not think my hospitality is without limits."

My fists clenched instinctively, my fight or flight flaring. His eyes radiated a predator's warning. I hadn't realized how thin the ice had gotten.

Was this worth it, I wondered, all to try and do something nice for a friend.

I thought back to the recent past, of all the times Emilia dragged me along with her on her city trips. I had found it somewhat annoying at the time, but now?

I wanted to hang out with her more. I enjoyed it more than I realized. At the very least it was better than the isolation.

"I'll do anything, sir. I'll even leave the manor afterwards if that's what it takes."

I could see him falter, ever so slightly. In the end, however, it was Sila who saved me. "Dear, he is just trying to make Emmy happy. I for one think it's sweet." She gave me a giggle, a smile, and a head tilt combo that made me blush incredibly hard, and this time I looked away out of embarrassment.

Henry sighs, and I could feel his decision to relax. "Alright. One lesson. That is it, understand?"

I nod.

He plops back down on the bed, dragging his hand down his face as if to wipe off the stress I caused. I was still unsure what he was so against, why he insisted she remain a healer. "Listen. Her birthday is actually in two weeks, on the third Friday of the month. We were planning to invite some nobility over, including a rival of mine, Lord Ezekiel Ares."

"Your rival? Do you mean you are at war with him?" Seemed stupid to go to war with someone whose last name was that of a war god, but was that true here? I still hadn't gone to that church, nor have I deigned to ask Michelle.

"Nothing like that, no," he waved in hand as he dismissed the thought. "No, more that we used to compete as young lads. Whether it be with weapons or on the ballroom floor, we used to compete for Lady Sila's hand. As you can see, I won."

The lady flashes another smile, and I wondered briefly if Emilia would grow to be as beautiful as her. The thought left as soon as it came, and I barely noticed it.

"With that being said, I have heard that Lord Ares was planning to bring with him a ward he recently took in. He is apparently already a Royal Red mage, and only thirteen years old. I had planned to keep you away from him and this ward of his, at least for a few months more, but you've cornered me here.

"As such," he looked me in the eyes with an expression that froze me to the core, "As payment for this insult of a request you've brought me, I expect you to duel this ward on my dear Emilia's birthday, for all to see. The only way you can repay this sin is by besting Ares' prodigy and prove yourself worthy of making such bold moves."

I relaxed, letting slip, "Oh, is that all?" This was going to be a simple task.