When the King is Killed.

"My hand itches." 

"We'll look for a doctor at our next stop Ralline." Audrey deflected. She glanced at the Girl. 

The memory, still fresh in her mind, played over and over. 

'I hate that power.' Audrey sighed. 

"Why do you keep sighing?" Ralline asked. 

"Why do you keep talking?" Audrey asked. "Be a good Pupil and be quiet would you?"

"Pupil?" Ralline asked. "It's been half of a month. And I still haven't even heard a lecture about magic. All you've said is your teaching me the smoke spell... That's it. Am I supposed to learn it by myself?"

"Maybe." Audrey asked. "But you still aren't exactly ready for magic lessons."

"Why not?" Ralline said. "What do I need to do?" 

Audrey glanced at her. 

"Alright." 

"What?"

"Alright." Audrey repeated. "Hip Hip." She pulled the horse, no she refused to call it Lucky, off towards the side of the road. 

"Really?!" Ralline asked, excited. 

"Yep." Audrey said hopping off and snapping her fingers. 

Her staff flew from the back of the Carriage. 

She spun her staff and aimed at the forest. 

The ground muddied away, pulling the trees with them. 

"Whoa..." Ralline said, following Audrey into the newly created clearing. 

Stabbing her staff into the ground, Audrey created a rocky structure. Water formed inside as Audrey heated everything up.

"Get inside." 

"Are you kidding?" Ralline asked. "I'll die?"

"It's barely... what a hundred and fifty degrees?" Audrey pulled her clothes off and walked into the water, sighing in relaxation. "Get in or I'm gonna clean myself up and we're leaving. And you'll have to be quiet about the magic."

"..." Ralline quickly pealed her clothes off and stepped towards the water. 

"Here's some advice." Audrey said. "You're supposed to get into hot water quickly. And this... AWWHN~!" Audrey yawned and stretched back. "This is nice. Even without the magic just get in and relax. We've been on a hair trigger since Veinren. Stress relief is just as important as getting you trained. Otherwise you'll end up like me."

"A crazy old bag?"

Audrey snapped her fingers. 

Splash!

Ralline squealed as she was magically pulled into the water. 

"Hot hot hot hot hot!" Ralline said. 

"Come here." Audrey said.

Ralline quickly swam over to her. 

"Why is it so hot!" She whined?

"Cause it's a hot springs." Audrey said. "Mages all over the world agree it is the best place to begin to learn how to use magic."

"Really?" Ralline asked astonished. 

"Hot springs are sacred." Audrey said. "Lots of gods visit famous hot springs."

"W-What?" 

"I once met the Goddess of fire Amatra in a hot spring. Totally won our little spar to." 

"YOU FOUGHT A GOD?!"

"...Is that weird?"

"...You're crazy." Ralline realized. "You're crazy... and I'm crazy because I believe you... You made me crazy."

"Good." Audrey said. "That's practically the first step to learning magic. Be crazy. Anyone who's not stagnates to fast."

Audrey slid behind Ralline. 

"Agh?!" Ralline yelped as Audrey set her arms against her own arms. 

"Follow my movements." Audrey ordered. 

Audrey moved her arms towards her stomach. 

"Clench your belly. Right above your Naval. Right there is where I feel most of your magic. Which is an improper positioning but we'll work on that later. Now... I'm going to pulse my magic through your own. Don't fight my Magic I'm not great at healing magic exactly because my magic hates other magics. So just accept it in your own magic. And try going with the flow."

"O-Okay." Ralline said. 

Audrey pulsed her magic. 

It flooded into Ralline's magic and bonded with it. 

"I-I feel it?!" Ralline said excited. 

"Stay calm." Audrey ordered. "Magic is nearly impossible to master as it's part of us. Our emotions and soul. We are one with our magic. It is one with us. One must be calm to use it or it will over power you."

"O-Okay." Ralline nodded. 

Audrey pulled her magic through Rallines own and dragged both through her body.

"I-I feel it Audrey." Ralline whispered as Audrey circled the magic through her body. "It's in my hands... chest... legs... It everywhere now."

"Good job." Audrey praised. "I'm going to withdrawl my magic now. I want you to push and pull your magic through your body for a while. If you need help I'm right here to show you again." 

"Yes ma'am." Ralline whispered as Audrey pulled her own magic out of the twelve year olds body. 

"And while you're working on that, I'll clean your hair." Audrey said, Reaching into her pocket dimension, she pulled out a bar of soap. 

"Soap?"

"I stole a whole big crate of the stuff from your father a few years ago. He was so mad at me." Audrey said. "He refused to send me sweets for an entire month after that."

"Oh my gosh yes..."

Ralline groaned as she felt the Sud covered bar of soap hit her scalp. 

Audrey washed Ralline's hair. 

"My servants used to do that for me." Ralline admitted as Audrey used her fingernails to help work out the knots in Rallines hair. "Clean me... Then one of them tried to kill me... Father had to teach me how to clean myself after that. It feels nice."

"I'm glad you find it so appreciative." Audrey said, rolling her eyes. "I'm also never doing this again." 

"Fine~" Ralline drawled out with a long sigh. 

After a few seconds Ralline started to giggle as Audrey Chuckled. 

"How are..." Audrey said, before clamming up. 

"What's wrong?" Ralline asked. 

"How are you holding up?" Audrey asked. 

"...Huh." Ralline looked down at her legs. "I don't know. I'm... it's weird. I'm mad a lot... and really sad a lot... and happy a lot now to... but then I get angry at you... and then get angry at myself for getting angry at you... and then angry that I'm sad, cause you're sad to... and then happy you're here with me.... but mad that it's not Father... and sad that I wish..."

"Hey." Audrey said. She wrapped her arms around Ralline. "Your dad... was kind of my dad in a way. I'm... I feel a lot of what your feeling. So... If you ever need to talk. Or just need to cry for a little bit. If you want to punch and kick me go right ahead. I'll exhausts you out. I'll let you use my shoulder... or just listen. So... So just ... yeah."

"... Just yeah." Ralline agreed.

"...Alright dunking time." 

"Dunking wHA?!"

SPLASH!

"YOU PHSYCHO!" 

"Hey you're clean now." Audrey said evenly. "Remember to be calm. Or your magic with go wild."

"God I hate you so much!" Ralline scowled. Before grinning. 

"...Why are you grinning?" Audrey asked, getting a shiver down her spine. 

"SPLASH ATTACK!"

"AAAHHH!"

______

"Over there." 

Looking over the, newly dubbed, stealth unit spotted a Carriage. 

"I see it." 

A woman rode up next to it and looked at the interior. 

"It's not abandoned." She said. "Fresh food."

"Could it be our two?" 

"May-"

"AUDREY NO WAIT I-I'M SORRY!"

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT YOU DAMN BRAT!"

"NOO!" 

"GIVE ME BACK MY CLOTHES!"

"GIVE ME BACK MY CLOTHES!"

"NOT UNTIL I SPLASH YOU!"

"NEVER!"

"Uh..." She looked back over to the other four.

"Check it out." Her commander ordered. 

"Cognito Reduct." She whispered as she felt herself bath is warm nothingness. 

Opening her eyes she walked towards the clearing. 

'Why does it smell... so nice?'

Peaking inside of the clearing she stared at the... hot springs. 

She looked at the two people running. 

If it wasn't for their bare bodies, Mireille would have thought they were men. 

'But their aren't dongs and those are definitely tits.' She thought rolling her eyes. 

Audrey. The Sacred mage, Kidnapper of the sole heir to the throne turned and looked at her. 

Dead in the eyes. 

Turning she jumped at Ralline. 

"Gotcha brat!" Audrey growled. 

'Shit... Is she gonna hurt the princess?!' Mireille grabbed her knife-

"So...?" Audrey asked. "You still circling your magic?"

"Yep!" Ralline said proudly. 

"Did it stutter to much through the chasing?" Audrey asked. Snapping her finger and a large warm gust burst through the air. 

"W-WHAT THE HELL!?" Ralline squaked. "That's cold!"

"Just... airing out the place." Audrey said, Looking Mireille straight in the eyes. "Don't want any Oxalo peeking at us as we get dressed."

Mireille understood the message. 

Leave

Silently she walked to her horse and rod back to her group.

"She knows we're here." She reported. "She seems... I don't... Not to be hurting the princess. But teaching her how to use magic. How did she see through my spell? She looked me in the eyes Captain."

"She's the sacred mage." Captain Nellie said. "She probably saw your magic. Did the princess see you?"

"No." Mireille said. "That's the other thing. Audrey gave me an out to report back."

"... We'll follow for now. And Report our findings to Acting King Reginald."

"Understood." She fell back into the back of the line of four. 

"Shalt." Captain Nellie said. "Survey the next town for threats." 

"Yes Captain." The thin boy said. His horse galloped forward and left everyone behind. 

"We work surprisingly well as a Stealth team." Carmon said on his own horse. "You know... except we're already outed." He gave a glare to Mireille.

"It's not her fault." Captain Nellie said, raising her hand. "We can't fight on such an important mission especially as it's her first mission."

"Oh." Mireille said. "I almost forgot."

"What?" Captain Nellie asked. 

"The Sacred mage was shot by a crossbow in the shoulder right?" 

"Yes." 

"I didn't see anything there."