The Princess & The Twilight Blade

Audrey

Let's make this quick! I thought as I charged the monstrous spider in front of me. My twilight blade was pointed right at the center of its head, and I jumped into the air to add some gravity to my strike. I descended with a shout of determination, but that soon faded as I saw green fog begin to surround the behemoth. Ah… I forgot about that.

The poisonous fog spewing from the spider's maw certainly wouldn't kill me, but it would hurt until I escaped it. I didn't have many options to reverse my momentum, as I was already falling through the air toward its face. Should I just commit? I weighed my options, but a synced cry shocked me from my thoughts.

"Audrey!"

"Audrey!"

Voices rang inside and out of my mind, and a sheet of golden light appeared beneath me. My feet hit it just before I sank into the growing cloud of caustic haze, and I quickly rolled into a sprint as more light platforms appeared in my path, keeping me just above the spider's fog. I ran around in the air and ignored the frustrated chittering coming from the monster as it attempted to follow me with its dozens of eyes.

Suddenly, its massive body lurched, and I saw a flash of white fire crash into the spider's side.

"I'm here too, you oversized bug!" I looked over and saw Lydia standing still, her bow drawn back as a vortex of white fire surrounded the arrow on the string. "Burn like the rest of your kind!" When she released the second projectile, it blurred with impossible speed, leaving a wispy trail of magic behind it before the arrowhead buried itself into chitin. The kickback of air blew her golden hair backwards into a stunning fan before it fell into place again. She's so hot.

"My guardian… Please take this seriously…" Aurora begged, but I couldn't wipe the smile from my face even if I tried, which I didn't

"Sorry… but this is the first time we've faced something so strong together…!" I had been piecing together my plan, and I jumped from my girlfriend's platforms of light, surrounding myself with stella-infused water as I careened into the dark green haze beneath me. I landed on the spider's back and swung my blade downwards into its body. Despite how my weapon sank effortlessly into the shell, it didn't have enough length to pierce flesh. Even when I added water blades and launched them from the tip of my weapon, the water barely caused any real damage.

"You're losing your shield, Audrey." My goddess warned, and I finally noticed the sizzling noise of the dense poison in the air slowly evaporating the liquid around me. I melted into shadow and appeared behind Lydia, not even a second later.

"That thing is tough!" I said, maybe a bit too excited.

"Only you would be enjoying this situation." My girlfriend muttered, losing another arrow at the giant target in front of us. It seemed that my sudden disappearance from its back had confused the beast, and it was currently turning in circles, emitting disgusting noises and shrieks from its mouth. Lydia's arrow once again struck true into its side, drawing its attention.

"I couldn't see very well while you were in there. Did you get some good hits in?" Lydia asked.

"The chitin's thick," I said. "My sword cuts easily enough… but my reach is the problem. I can't get deep enough."

"At least one of us can hurt it properly," she replied. "My arrows might as well be nothing to it… My fire does better, at least." She swiped her hand through the air, and I felt a surge of mana as half a dozen firebirds made of white flame appeared around us. After a beat, they shot toward the spider, exploding into its side. The shockwaves loosened some stone from the ceiling, and it fell, bouncing harmlessly off the enemy, who only bore a few more spots of melted armor.

"Damn. I tried to keep the power down too…" she griped, which I thought was incredibly cute. "I can't go all out in here. Not without burying us along with it."

"Maybe we should do that. I can just get us out of here…" I started to say, thinking of shadow travel, before my eyes found Koyuki on the ground, remembering that wasn't an option with her. The fluffball was growling and shooting icicles at the spider at regular intervals. Sadly, the thick fog dissolved the ice before it could make contact. She was just a pup after all.

After thinking about it, I just shrugged. Collapsing the mine was definitely not the best option anyway.

"Never mind, let's just kill it." I willed a good amount of power through the shadows beneath the spider, and then launched a massive spike of darkness into its underbelly. From what I knew, that was typically the weak spot of spiders.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to apply to this one. My shadows definitely hurt it, and I even saw some green blood ooze from the wound. Despite that, I could sense my shadows hadn't dug as far as I wanted. Before I could push them further, the monster spider shrieked. The piercing noise filled the cavern, echoing off the walls. Lydia and I covered our ears in sudden pain, and Koyuki rolled on the ground, using her paws to pull her floppy ears down.

The attack made me lose control of the shadows, and they dispersed into purple particles. When the vibrations finally stopped, I uncovered my ears, and my hands came away slick with blood. Again… I suddenly realized I couldn't hear anything, and my thoughts flashed back to my fight with Cass. My heart thrummed in my chest as my mind began to slip from reality, but the colorful bracelet on my wrist helped anchor me. No… I can't… Not here. Closing my eyes, I focused on my breathing, then promptly pushed stella throughout my body, healing myself. When I opened my eyes again, I was relieved to see the giant spider and not a bloodied battlefield. I can't believe I just said that.

"Audrey! Are you alright?" Lydia asked with panic in her gaze as our eyes met. Blood also stained the skin around her ears, but it was already beginning to dry. She was crouched and healing our wolf, who looked much better now as well.

"I'm fine," I said with a wry smile. Before I could ask if she had any ideas, a high, hissing noise dragged our attention back to the massive spider. The green fog around it was growing denser before our eyes, until we could no longer see the creature. Then a series of continuous, wet popping sounds followed.

"What is it doing…?" Lydia asked, and her answer came a few moments later as shadows appeared in the fog, then emerged as countless smaller spiders scattered in every direction, flooding the cavern with more enemies. Calling them smaller was relative to the behemoth… The new arrivals ranged in size from that of a dog to a horse, and boasted various patterns and colors.

"Again?" My girlfriend groaned, holding her hands in front of her. A wave of white flame shot forward, but the spiders scattered in every direction. Some moved away with incredible speed, while others shot webs to the ceiling or just leaped over the attack entirely.

"That's not terrifying at all!" I shouted as a few spiders closed the distance toward us, and I cut through them with my blade. I did my best to ignore the slick, dark green blood that splattered against my armor and skin.

Lydia gritted her teeth, moving her arms to swing her flames around the cavern. Gold was starting to infect the white as she pushed more power into incinerating the nightmares. Koyuki was launching icy attacks in tandem, but the pup was starting to wear herself out, and she panted heavily between icicles.

I took control of the shadows all around us and began slaughtering the arachnids, using the opportunity to scoop the wolf from the ground and place her back into Lydia's backpack.

"Stay here, Koyuki," I said, patting her head. She began to whine, but I shushed her. "Our good girl has done enough, so just rest. Your moms can handle the rest."

"M-moms?!" Lydia asked, embarrassment flushing her cheeks as she continued to channel her flames.

"What? You don't like it?" I teased as I refocused on the endless spiders coming from the cloud of poisonous fog. I swung my blade around me, using it to channel water spells in every direction to join my shadows, spearing the bugs.

"Like I wouldn't!" She scoffed, and I grinned.

"Not to interrupt the flirting, but wouldn't this be a good time to practice some night magic?" Aurora said, and I tilted my head in realization.

"Oh. I totally forgot."

"I'm aware…" A long sigh escaped her as I giggled to myself.

'Starfall' was obviously off the table, so I began to pull on my stella until a thin purple-black mist began to emanate from my hands. I thought about returning my blade to its pendant form, but then had a different idea. I circulated my stella through the artifact, and the mist intensified dramatically as it leaked from the blade like a waterfall. It filled the area around us quickly, and I made sure to keep it away from Lydia so it wouldn't affect Koyuki. The instant it made contact with the spiders, they seized up and collapsed, rolling onto their backs with their thin legs curled in the air.

"Is this that 'Veil' spell you told me about?" Lydia said with amazement as she watched.

I nodded. "Yep! Isn't it impressive?"

"More like scary…" She started, then noticed my pout. "I mean, incredible!" The way she course-corrected was adorable.

While the spell was potent, I still wasn't confident in controlling a large amount of the mist at once, so I directed what was already created around the cavern. Unfortunately, whether it was by direction of their leader or by instinct, a good number of spiders managed to retreat into the green fog in the center of the area. When the two fogs met, they ate away at each other. Even though my mist was stronger and slowly winning the duel, it would take a long time for it to penetrate fully.

I adjusted 'Veil' to surround the green haze instead, preventing anything from exiting. The giant spider must've realized that, and instead of sending more foot soldiers out, a volley of green fluid and white webs shot towards us instead. It's got ranged attacks?! Discounting the fog, we hadn't seen it do anything other than strike out with its own body.

I used my water to intercept the thick globs of what I assumed to be venom and sliced through the airborne threads with my sword. However, Lydia had happened to turn her head to check on the fluffball, and her reaction was a moment too late. The sticky white threads I had missed wrapped themselves around her, and she fell to the ground with a scream that was more unsettled than scared.

"Oh my Goddess! Why does it feel so slimy!" She shouted as she squirmed on the ground. She had fallen on her side, so Koyuki was unharmed, save for also being wrapped in webs. Another volley came our way, but I raised a thick wall of water to block all of it this time. "A-Audrey! Stop laughing and help me!" My shoulders shook even more at her pleading, and I turned my head and covered my mouth in an attempt to suppress my snickering. "Audrey Rose! I'm going to make you pay—" She stopped in the middle of her threat, before her face went blank. Thanks for reminding her, Azzy. It seemed her goddess had pointed out the obvious as white flames burned the sticky thread away in an instant. She stood up slowly, humiliation burned across her face.

With a darkened expression, she faced the source of the webs and raised a single finger toward it. Her power consolidated on her fingertip before a spear of solid golden flame shot forward. It pierced through the water wall I had created and into the caustic haze, moving so fast I almost missed it. There was a moment of silence before a massive explosion rocked the mine, and the green fog dispersed with the shockwave. Visible again, the monster spider careened backwards into the stone wall and was buried in a pile of rubble. All of its children lay in scattered pieces from the attack.

Taking the opportunity, I disappeared from my girlfriend's side, using the shadows to close the distance. The monstrous spider was already struggling to its feet again, despite the massive hole in its side that revealed cauterized flesh and a couple of missing legs. I appeared from the wall right above its head, and sliced a significant portion of its armor away before stabbing straight down into its skull. It bucked wildly with shrieking death throes as I kept my grip on my sword, pushing it even further as blood spurted all around me. Shadows attack its underbelly in tandem until it finally collapses with a final inhuman cry. For good measure, I sliced its neck off as I flipped off its carcass. I was utterly drenched in spider blood from head to toe now.

I was a bit wary of the mine collapsing after Lydia's attack, but nothing was shaking. Maybe those stones earlier were already loose? Either way, I moved to wash myself with my water magic, then froze as I felt Lydia's icy glare on me. I turned slowly and saw her approaching me with golden fire sparking throughout her hair. She stepped toward me, and I took a step back.

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"L-Lydia? The fights over…" I tried, but she just ignored me.

"Where are you going, Audrey?" She asked, the smile on her face missing any warmth. I swallowed reflexively as our steps mirrored each other until I eventually ran out of room to retreat, my back against the cold stone wall on the opposite side from where the spider lay.

"I'm still covered in blood—!" My words cut off as her hand slammed into the rock beside my head. The heat radiating from her palm was enough to melt the stone as her hand sank into it slightly. Being so close now, I could see the lines of swirling gold that had cracked through her emerald eyes.

"Do you understand what you did wrong?" She asked bluntly. Desperately, I searched for an escape, but couldn't formulate a route as she pressured me. Admitting defeat, I nodded slowly, not daring to drop eye contact.

"I shouldn't have laughed at you…?" I offered meekly.

"That's right." She replied. "But you did, and bad girls need to be punished, right?"

I don't like where this is going… Or maybe I do…? My mind was a mess from the intense aura my love was exuding. I gave her the only appropriate response… shutting my mouth and nodding in agreement.

"I'm glad you understand." She leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing. "Now here's what we're going to do…"

***

Lydia

Leaving the mine was much easier than entering, since whatever magic that massive spider had been using to control the poisonous fog dissipated with its death. Randall, the site supervisor, greeted us hastily. We were in the mine for only a few hours, but he was on the verge of contacting the guild already. I filled him in as Audrey stood quietly behind me, letting him know the mine was completely safe now, but that it would be best to wait for the guild to complete a final investigation.

"I can't thank ya' enough. Now we can get back to work." He said while shaking our hands. "Sorry again for the disrespect I showed ya' before."

"There's no need. I understand it came from a place of concern." I replied with a smile. He sighed in relief and waved us off as we finally headed back to town.

The walk was filled with silence, save for the quiet snores coming from the backpack Audrey wore. Our little wolf had worn herself out quite a bit. I had given her Koyuki to prevent her from running away, not that I thought she would. The punishment I had laid out in the mines had left my girlfriend in a state of reluctant anticipation.

"Dia… I don't think your plan would be considered a punishment to either of you…" Azure said with exasperation, and I quirked my head in confusion.

"What could be worse than not participating?" My question only elicited another sigh. It seemed she wasn't going to grace me with a response this time.

I glanced over at my redhead, who was humming quietly to herself and enjoying the scenery around us during our walk. Part of my punishment was for her to keep quiet, but I realized quickly I couldn't live without hearing her voice. Truthfully, I wasn't angry about what happened anymore. In fact, I had gotten over it before we even left the mine, but I had made a promise to her, and princesses should never go back on their word… even if that promise more resembled a threat.

"Audrey," I said, and she turned toward me with a smile.

"Hm?" She made an inquisitive noise in response.

"You can talk until we get to the city… The silence is boring me."

"Okay!" She said happily.

The rest of the walk passed quickly, and we soon entered the guild just as the sun started to dye the sky orange. Audrey had fallen silent the minute we crossed into the city limits, and I giggled at how obedient she was to me sometimes.

The report to the guild soon became a major issue once we explained the results of our investigation. We even had to explain everything to the branch's guildmaster. She was a tough-looking woman with auburn hair and orange-brown eyes. The way she glared at the two of us rivaled Mother when her children did something stupid.

"Let me get this straight. You two girls not only pushed through the caustic gas, but fought all the way to the main area with no backup?" She chillingly asked. Audrey and I both sat with our heads down, too afraid to meet her gaze. "And now I hear there was a spider queen, and that you defeated it? Remind me what rank your party is?" Despite having just met us, we were already being scolded.

"We're B-Rank, Ma'am…" I said.

"That's right. What rank was the monster you fought?"

"High A-Rank…" Apparently, the gargantuan spider was a rare variant of a magical beast. There were records of them appearing before, but I'd never seen them in any texts, so I hadn't been aware until we returned to the guild and Chris nearly called an emergency until we said we killed it.

"Part of being an adventurer is knowing when to retreat." She said calmly. The guildmaster was telling us to know our limits, and there was no way to explain that even a spider queen wasn't at our level. The only reason the fight had lasted so long was because of the environment. Had it taken place out in the open, I was confident that beast wouldn't have lasted even thirty seconds against us.

Alas, we'd have to reveal our secrets to convince the guildmaster properly, so Audrey and I just took the tongue-lashing quietly. After a few moments of silence, the woman let out a long sigh before relaxing back into her chair.

"Either way, I can't deny that you girls did a good job. I thank you on behalf of the guild and the entire city of Jarno. We would've had to recall our top A-Ranks to handle a beast like that." She took an implement from her desk drawer and personally stamped our quest form completed before handing it back to us. "It looks like you two haven't listened to a word I've said anyway. Even though we've just met, I can sense your confidence isn't as baseless as some would assume."

Both Audrey and I looked up in surprise, and the guildmaster smirked at us. "You don't get to the top without learning how to read people, and a spider queen isn't a creature to fall because of luck alone. I'm sure you girls have your reasons, but if you're trying to keep a low profile, you're doing a terrible job." Audrey laughed awkwardly as I leaned back on the couch and groaned quietly. Our reactions made the guildmaster laugh boisterously.

"If you two need anything while in our city of glass, please let me know. The name's Hannah, guildmaster of Jarno's adventurers' guild." It seemed she had realized she had launched straight into a lecture before introductions.

"I'm Lydia, the leader of our party 'Stars of Dawn'," I said with a smile, then gestured toward Audrey, who cut me off.

"I'm Audrey! Lydia's partner and soulmate!" My face flushed at her openness, and I wondered if I'd ever get used to her being so cavalier about our relationship. The girlfriend in question then pulled the bag she had placed on the floor onto her lap and opened it to reveal Koyuki, who looked around sleepily. "This is our resident fluffball, Koyuki! She's a frost wolf!" A tired yip escaped the little pup before her eyes fell once again, and Audrey returned the bag to the floor to let her sleep some more.

Guildmaster Hannah nodded with a playful grin. "A party full of lovely women, then. I hope you'll enjoy your time in our beautiful city." After that, we left her office and went back to the counters. Chris, the receptionist, explained that we could collect our reward in a few days, once the guild had completed its assessment of the mines and determined the amount of our reward. We voiced our understanding and then left for our inn, stopping to grab dinner from a street vendor on the way. It seemed there was always good food to be had, no matter the city.

Once we stepped into our room, I closed the door and locked it behind me. Audrey retrieved a small, fluffy bed from the shadows, putting it in the corner of the room and gently placing the sleeping Koyuki on it. The wolf was out like a light, snoozing away peacefully. She must've been dreaming because her little legs twitched every once in a while like she was chasing something. Adorable.

I bent down to pet her gently before turning my attention to Audrey, who was already shedding her armor. Once all the heavy stuff was off, she collapsed onto the bed in the thin underclothing she usually wore. The day's events definitely tired us out, but that didn't mean she'd escape her promised punishment.

I undid the leather straps of my own outfit, removing most of it except the cotton blouse. I slowly climbed onto the bed with my girlfriend, straddling her lower back. She had collapsed face-first onto the pillow, and now I used my body weight to stop her from turning over when she tried.

"You didn't forget, did you?" I bent down a whisper against her ear, biting the tip of it gently from behind. Her skin flushed to match the shade of her hair, and I laughed mischievously.

"O-Of course I wouldn't… It just looked like you were tired," she mumbled.

"I am, so I'll be taking your energy instead," I said. My hands snaked up the back of her neck and into her tied-up hair. Audrey usually used a ribbon to hold her ponytail, and I swiftly untied it to let her hair loose. "You'll be a good girl and do as I say." It was a demand, not a request, and I felt shivers run the full length of her body beneath me.

I lifted myself just enough to let her finally turn over on my order, then sat back down over her waist. Her sapphire eyes were dewy and filled with desire. Her arms moved to hold me, but I glared at her, stopping the movement in its tracks.

"I didn't tell you to move. You will stay completely still, understood?" My voice held as much authority as I could muster, and her arms slowly fell back to the mattress at her sides.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good answer," I smirked, then placed my hands on her stomach. Her breathing grew heavier as my hands slid beneath her shirt, pushing it up toward her chest before sliding back down without exposing anything. I take my time, my fingers gliding lightly over the soft skin of her torso, avoiding any truly sensitive areas.

Her fingers twitched against the sheets, desperately longing to join, but Audrey kept herself still… Well, as much as she could. I pretended not to notice the way she squirmed under my touch. Leaning down again, I kissed her collarbone, suctioning gently until a small bruise appeared on her supple skin. My hands finally moved up her sides enough to expose the lace of her bra, and I pulled at the fabric of the cloth shirt teasingly.

"Get rid of it," I said curtly, and a shadow immediately engulfed the blouse, making it vanish into her storage. Sitting up again, I stared down at her toned body, admiring it with much more fervor than I usually did. My hands returned to idle patterns all across her body, before my right hand slid down her thigh, over the pants she still wore. "This, too." Again, it was like her shadows moved before she even comprehended my words. I stripped off my own blouse, leaving both of us in just underwear as I ran my hands all over her body.

The sight of my bare skin made Audrey's arms twitch even more, and I could sense she was starting to lose her self-control. I adjust myself to lie entirely on top of her, one of my knees planted between her legs, and our chests pressed together. I could feel her heat in multiple places now, and joined her lips with mine, claiming her mouth entirely.

"Audrey… Tie yourself up." I breathed out between gasps for air. Immediately, tendrils of shadows wrapped themselves around her wrists, binding them together against the headboard above her head. Her ankles fell victim next, each tied and pulled slightly to the bottom corners of the bed. I licked my lips, savoring her taste on my tongue as her eyes widened.

"W-What?! I didn't do that!" She said, her voice trembling as she pulled at the restraints she herself had created.

"Oh?" I said seductively, tracing her jaw with my fingers. "Are you saying you've lost control of your own magic? How… Convenient." It was more likely that her magic was responding to her subconscious desires rather than her conscious thoughts at the moment. Audrey's gasps and moans were like a harmonic symphony to my ears as I kissed and licked my way down her body, skipping over the prominent peaks straining against her bra. My lips trailed down over her naval until my teeth pulled playfully at the waistband of her panties.

Cassandra had teased us about using a safe word before, but we had decided to create one. We both knew how out of control we could become when we gave in to our base desires. Neither of us had ever used it, and I knew without a doubt Audrey wouldn't be using it now, judging from the dampness I had felt against my knee… and now against my hand.

Teasingly, I used my mouth to pull the fabric down her thighs, inch by inch, maintaining eye contact the whole way. Audrey's mouth hung open as she panted hotly, and her blue eyes contained nothing but excitement. Once I had pulled her underwear down far enough, her shadows made it vanish completely, and I slid back up her body, keeping one of my hands between her legs.

"I hope you're ready for your punishment, my love." I grinned before kissing her hungrily. Golden barriers erected themselves around the bedframe, preventing any noise from escaping as I had my way with my girlfriend. Soundproofing was usually Audrey's job, since she had more fine control over her magic. However, the expressions on her face made it obvious she wasn't in a state to do that this time. I wasn't confident I could maintain it either, alongside the mind-breaking pleasure. Still, I managed to keep them strong until we both finally exhausted ourselves an unknown amount of time later. It's a good thing I didn't try to cover the whole room…

***

The next morning, we languidly gave Koyuki her breakfast before heading to wash ourselves of the previous night's activities. The inn we were staying in didn't have a bathing area, but in a city as large as Jarno, there were plenty of communal bath houses. To avoid any embarrassment, we used the shadows so we wouldn't come in contact with anyone, after making sure Koyuki would be alright in the room alone for a time, of course. The young pup seemed to pick up on the situation, and happily stayed behind.

We appeared in a nearby alleyway, then swiftly headed inside, stripping the clothes we had hastily put on after waking up. The women's bath only had a few other customers, so we quickly settled into a large tub after scrubbing each other down.

"This feels amazing…" Audrey sighed as she sank into the warm water. I had no doubt she was sore after my punishment. We relaxed in comfortable silence together. Damp, red hair filled the corner of my vision as she leaned her head against my shoulder and whispered. "That was absolutely incredible, Lydia."

I smiled back at her, adjusting my position slightly so I could also rest my head against hers. "I'd have to say the same to you… even without your hands…" I murmured. Perhaps it was unsightly for a princess to flirt so openly in a public space, but we were both still riding the highs from the night.

She giggled cutely. "Cass recommended some books before we left Grunde… I have to say that people come up with some impressive positions…"

"Why do people keep teaching you such things?" I sighed with exasperation. Leah was my own fault, since she was practically my older sister… Even if I did wish she'd show some restraint sometimes. Cassandra was a different matter entirely. I'll smack her next time I see her… Or maybe I should thank her instead? The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I could be grateful when necessary. After the bath, we changed into a set of casual clothes and enjoyed the walk back to the inn, hand in hand.

The day passed peacefully, and then the next one followed. We kept ourselves busy with a few gathering and hunting quests, avoiding wolves, of course, until the third day after the mine incident. We were set to receive our reward today, and headed to the guild to hear the final decision.

"The original posting said up to a gold coin, right?" Audrey said, and I nodded my head. "I wonder if it could even be more than that, considering what the cause was, and how we handled it."

"You just want extra coin to buy more ice cream." I teased, and she didn't even bother to deny it as her eyes sparkled.

"Are you saying you don't want to try it again, Lydia? I saw how much you enjoyed the mint chocolate chip." She had me there, and we both laughed as we stepped through the front door of the guild hall.

"Please! I just need to know if they were here!" A woman's voice rang through the hall, and the tense mood in the building destroyed the sweet atmosphere Audrey and I had going. Two hooded figures stood in front of the reception counters, and one of them slammed her hands on the desk, demanding an answer to her question.

I frowned and made my way across the floor. Even though our history with the guild barely spanned three months, being B-Rank still gave us some authority, even if it wasn't as much as A-Ranks enjoyed. Judging by how no higher-positioned employees were present, I figured these two troublemakers must've just arrived as well. I suppose I'll try to de-escalate until someone else arrives. The option to ignore it crossed my mind, but poor Chris looked like he was on the verge of tears, and he had been very helpful during our stay here.

As we neared, I heard the receptionist reply, one he'd no doubt repeated to this woman. "I'm sorry, miss, but we can't give out the personal information of our adventurers, even if I knew who you were talking about!"

"You don't need to tell me anything important! I just need to know if you saw them!" The woman shouted in frustration. The second cloaked figure had stayed silent, but I could sense their unease, even as the cloak concealed their body.

Finally, close enough now and with Audrey to my side, I spoke up.

"Excuse me. I'm not sure what you're problem is, but that's no way to act inside the guild." Chris sighed in relief at my intervention, and I filled my tone with as much sternness as I could muster. I assumed that was why both of the cloaked figures stiffened up immediately… At least until they slowly turned toward me.

"M-My Lady…?" The familiar way she addressed me made my mind freeze with shock. Her voice had a note of familiarity to it, but I never would've guessed… The two figures hastily lowered their hoods.

"Leah… Lucia…" I murmured, my heart following my mind. They looked older now, and definitely more weary than I remembered, but they were my attendants. Tears pricked at those familiar light brown eyes, her haggard expression turning into relief immediately.

"My Lady… I finally… found… you…" Leah's voice grew weak before trailing off completely.

Then Lucia caught her as she collapsed toward the ground.