The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

To say that the ride back was awkward would be an understatement. Neither of the pair spoke nor even move for that matter. It felt creepy having both of them just sitting there and looking at me behind their completely darkened faceplates. Just who are these two?

Now that I think about it, they really reminded me of knights. But why were they here? Hell, how did they even get here?

Rachel had completed most of her treatment. Whatever had attacked us felt like I was fighting Irina all over again, only more of them. I should really thank Silvi, Yukari, and Abigale for all their training; it really saved my ass back there until I was overwhelmed.

I roll my shoulders, feeling them pop as they rotated. I wince as I place them into my lap. I look back towards the knights. Well what else am I going to call them?

“You both must really be sweating behind those faceplates. Why not take off your helmets?” I ask them

The pair remains motionless. “We cannot remove our armor until we have reached a safe place, as is Dewlouran military custom,” states the man.

Again with Dewloura. In the past year, I have only been hearing passing talk and found so little on that lost empire. I clinch my fists tightly, asking more and more questions.

We finally enter into the tunnel, looking as Rachel snaps her fingers.

I peer out the rear windshield to watch as the tunnel closes shut. A wall of light soon rises from the ground and over the entrance. I sit up on the seat, wincing as my back pops, sending wave upon wave of pain up and down my spine. I grit my teeth, fighting through the pain as we draw closer to the Manor.

Both knights twitch, reaching for me, “Your Highness,” exclaim the pair.

I roll my eyes at hearing them call me that. I had many pet names from everyone on the Estate, but that’s a freaking title. I even didn’t care about being called “Young Miss”. But “Your Highness”? That is just a bit too much for me.

I sigh; my day out with Rachel had been ruined and was nearly killed today. Just what else can happen?

The car makes the final turn onto the driveway, watching as the flanking trees whoosh pass the windows. I glance once more at the pair, noticing a crest emblazoned on their pauldrons. I curl my eyebrows, somehow it looked familiar, but from this distance I couldn’t really make out the full image.

Rachel continues to stroke my body, looking me over.

I’m finally able to breath normally again but my throat, where I was nearly choked to death, still stings. My hands instinctively stroke it, helping to ease away some of the pain. I reach over for the mini-fridge, trying to grab a bottle of water.

Fenris looks up and uses his tail to not only open it, but to grab one for me, placing it gently into my lap.

I smile to him, stroking his fur as I twist off the cap and instantly down half of the bottle, before choking and coughing a little.

“Slowly sweetheart,” softly spoke my mother. The cool water soothes and loosens my pinched throat. I sigh, resting my head against her chest, watching as we pull into the main driveway in front of the Manor.

The car slowly comes to a stop with the driver quickly dashing to the door to open it. Rachel pulls us forward and walks me to the door, stepping out onto the brick-laden drive.

The sun had already passed over the house, covering us in a cooling shade. Fenris soon slips out of the car, his claws clicking on the stones, sending soft echoes against the buildings.

I look over to see the knights exit the car. Their feet clang loudly on the bricks, watching as the pair scans the courtyard as if assessing any possible dangers. My mother holds me close as we slowly head up the stairs and to the front door.

The door soon flies open to the sight of Sebastian, bowing to us, “Welcome back my Ladies, you have a pair of…” his voice trails off as he looks at me, “my God, what happened?”

Rachel looks to him, “We were attacked,” hearing her growl, holding me tighter to her. “I nearly lost my daughter.”

“What!?!” I hear a voice calling out.

I look over to see Silvi running towards us, quickly reaching out and pulling me into her arms. Soft growls emanate from her body as she held me tightly, “What happened Rachel?”

My mother looks to my sister, “A group of men, if you could even classify them as such, ambushed us, with one nearly choking the life out of my little girl.”

Silvi looks down at me, running her claws through my hair. I bury my face into her body, still feeling some pain from my injuries.

“She fought bravely, but her assailants would not relent, even after being engulfed in dragon fire or had their limbs lobbed off,” she adds.

My sister continues the stroke my hair, her golden eyes twinkle softly into mine, “No one messes with my baby sister and gets away with it.” I giggle, but winced from the pain in my throat.

“If I ever find the person who commissioned to have my daughter murdered, I will personally draw and quarter them as the animals that they are,” says Rachel, feeling her magic swirling around her.

I give a soft smirk, “Count me in,” my voice still sound raspy. Both women give a proud, but faint smile towards me.

The smell of fresh flowers filled my nose as my aunt “floats” towards me, “Little Blossom.”

I look up to her, slipping from Silvi’s grasp and crumble into her arms, hugging the alraune tightly, burying my face into her chest.

She gently strokes my hair, examining me. Her eyes grew stern, “By Demeter herself,” caressing my throat.

My aunt pulls out a vial from under her “clothing” and opens it, spreading its contents onto where I had been choked. The burning pain which had lingered soon fades away completely.

She turns to Rachel, who smiled and shook her head. I look up at her, “Well…I did want to come see you later. Guess now is better than later.”

She grins, cuddling me tightly to her body, stroking my hair, “We have all the time in the world Little Blossom. I am just glad that you are safe and home.”

I smile, clinging to her.

The sounds of footsteps running towards us echo in the foyer, “Dammit, if only we had gotten here sooner,” speaks a new voice, but one I recognized.

“Arcturus?” exclaims Rachel.

I peer around my sister to see the ebony-haired man rushing towards us. “I was hoping that I would’ve had some time before anything happened. Apparently I was naïve in the regard.”

My mother looks to him, “What are you doing here? Not to say that I am unhappy to see you again,” still sounding angry, but also slightly shocked and happy.

He stops just shy of where we were standing, “The Court was presented with some rather disturbing news not even twelve hours ago. We feared for both of your safety and rushed here as fast as we could. I never imagined having such a rapid response.”

Rachel walks towards me, resting her hand onto my shoulder, tilting her head, “What…'news' and who is this ‘we’ you spoke of?”

“That would be me my Lady,” echoes yet another voice, one that I didn’t recognize.

Appearing beside Arcturus is another dark haired man, but I notice a silver streak along the sides of his head.

“Wait…aren’t you Viktor Titalos?” asking softly.

The man looks to me and lightly bows his head, “That I am, Your Highness.”

My heart shutters, not this again.

Rachel stares at him, “Viktor, why are you here as well?”

He looks to her, “I am here to see your daughter Lady Rivenfeld. When the Court was informed of your daughter’s lineage, I knew I must come to her side.”

Wait…what?

She stands there, looking confused. My eyes instantly catch sight of a crest adorning his chest. On it is a wolf standing with a sword in its mouth and posed in front of a shield. My head tilts slightly.

I then hear the sounds of metal clanging on the marble, turning to watch as the knights finally entering the foyer as the door quickly closes.

Viktor turns to them, seeing his eyes grew huge as he gazes upon the armor-clad warriors, “Dewlouran knights. True Dewlouran knights, just as my grandfather described to me as boy.”

The pair eye him, heads tilting in the direction of his chest, “You are of House Titalos are you not?” asks the male knight.

He nods, “That I am good sir knight. My family has long hoped and prayed for return of those we swore to serve.”

They each give a deep nod and turned back to him, “Good.”

My eyes grow wide, watching as the armor begins to retract, folding into segments starting from their hands and feet, and following up their limbs and bodies. The final parts to retract are their helmets, which split apart, it all folds behind them.

The man is about the same height as Rachel, short cropped amber-colored hair adorned his head with fierce silvery eyes set within a fair-skinned face. He couldn’t have looked any older than being in his early forties, late-thirties, wearing a full-on business suit which shocks me.

His partner is slightly shorter than him. She now wore a long silken dress, which was no different than what you might think an elf would wear. She too looks to be in her late thirties, with platinum-blonde hair resting halfway down her back.

I catch a glimpse of what appears to be long pointy ears. Is she an elf? I thought.

She looks hauntingly beautiful with her appearance being smooth and almost seamless, as her partner is rugged and chiseled in the face. I can’t help but wonder why everyone looks like they just came out of a painting or something.

Both look to me, bowing low, “Please forgive our rudeness for not introducing ourselves to you Your Highness,” spoke the man, “I am Orga Navan Kulvoin, and this is my wife.”

The woman holds her hand over her chest, “I am Kateryna Tulutha Kulvoin, at your service Your Highness.”

Each spoke with a slight British accent, maybe mixed in with a little Ukrainian. I couldn’t really tell while they had their helmets on. I look up to my mother, who gives me a simple nod.

I took a deep breath, “Arianna Lucindel Edge.”

They bow even lower, “We know, Your Highness.”

Question, how did they already know who I am? I looked to them and felt my body shrinking away, “Just…just call me Aria.” They nod but still bow to me.

If I have to be honest, I wanted to just bolt away right then and there. This is getting to be way too much for me, on top of everything else that had been happening today.

“Uhhh…okay? Would you both please stand up, this was getting way too embarrassing for me.”

They slowly stand upright, with the woman folding her hands in front of her. Both knights exude nobility and a presence that feels crushing to me. I just can’t handle this.

A cold nose presses against my hand, looking down to see Fenris slipping his head under my hand. I give the wolf a warm smile, leaning down and hugging him tightly, stroking his fur.

Viktor stepped forward, gazing at my bonded, “Your black Uldulvan wolf. Such beings are only born in odd times, a rare sight that few ever truly witness. The wolves were of the great houses and even the kings were often seen with them. But the black wolves were only known to emerge during a time of great change. Said to be even stronger and more powerful than the typical wolf.”

He then turns to me, “To think I am able to properly meet him up close. This is a true honor.”

I blush, stroking Fenris’ fur. I had seen his power firsthand, knowing what the man said was true.

My gaze then looked up at the two gentlemen, furling my brow, “I want answers and right now I don’t care if I’m being rude.”

Arcturus smiles softly, “Given what you just endured, I don’t blame you little one. Why don’t we adjourn to the parlor?”

We all nod and head towards it. The sound of dozens of feet echo in the foyer.

Once inside, I quickly found my seat on the couch, with Rachel on one side, Velhemina on the other, and Silvi kneeling behind, wrapping her arms around me. Fenris sits in front as Arcturus and Viktor sitting in the chairs across from us.

The knights walk over to the other side of the couch, standing like stalwart statues.

I then see the combat maids all walk in, taking position at the door with Sebastian next to them. I both sigh and smile, having so many familiar faces in the same room. The only people missing, if you’re really counting, would be my yokai aunts and Marron.

I turn my attention back towards the men, “All right…what’s this all about?”

Arcturus nodded, leaning forward, “Approximately twelve hours ago, a surprise session was held. The summonses were sent out not by the council, but by Regulus Cromwell.”

The air in the room grew hot as Rachel’s eyes narrow, watching her grit her teeth. Her hair flared as it began to float off of her. My hand grips hers tightly, staring up into her violet eyes. She looks down at me, letting her anger recede, and smiles, kissing my forehead.

I giggle softly, turning back to him, “Please continue.”

He nods, “Needless-to-say, when he made himself known to the chamber, no one was exactly thrilled to see him. But then he made the announcement that you were descended from House Shyair. Naturally, such news would cause the chamber to erupt into a frenzy, with accusations flying towards your mother alleging that she somehow knew of your lineage.”

Rachel’s eyes grow angry once more, “Of all the nerve. I had no idea of her heritage apart from her father’s side, but her mother’s was a complete mystery.”

He leans forward, folding his arms, “Andriy also confirms this fact. While on the way here, I too poured into whatever information my sources could gather for me. For as much as I despise the man, he did have a great deal more time in compiling his facts.”

I leaned back, “Okay…so what? I knew my mom’s side of the family didn’t keep any records, so how did he find it?”

Arcturus sighed, “Somehow he was able to trace your lineage starting from your ancestors and following down through the centuries. I’ll the give the man credit; he truly poured his heart into his research. According to him, your ancestors destroyed all of their records and chose to live as peasants.”

He slowly takes another breath, “All trace of their existence, outside of the city, was lost to time. But eventually he was able to locate all of the branches of the survivors’ descendants. Many did in fact die off over the centuries, leaving only your family little one. He managed to track down the final line and you are a part of that line.”

I sink back into the couch and sigh. As if a light just pops up in my mind, I looked up at my mother, “Wait…what if they’re gonna go after Arnold next?”

She holds me close, stroking my hair, “I’ll make sure he and his family are safe my precious.”

The man looks to her, “Who is this Arnold?”

She peers back at him, “One of her last remaining blood relatives. But she hasn’t spoken to him since her birthmother’s funeral.”

He turns to me, “Aria…I’m sure they will be safe from harm. I highly doubt they are in any danger. I’m not even sure they would even be targeted. The line passes through the mother. So while they are also descendants, they would be of little if no value to anyone.”

I sigh and think of Melissa. If the line passes through the mother, then that would’ve made Marlene and Nathaniel heirs as well, and with all of them dead, that easily passed to me.

But it makes me wonder, if this announcement had been made just two years ago, then whoever sent those…things after me, they easily would’ve been killed.

I look up to Rachel, “I guess this means that Beltrok is still on the hook for killing them.”

“He didn’t kill your family, Your Highness.”

I quickly turn to Viktor, tilting my head in confusion, “What do you mean?”

His gaze softens, “Beltrok, a few months after being reprimanded for his actions here, eventually relinquished his hatred of you. You proved yourself in his eyes, by winning honorably in your duel with his daughter. So he would have had no reason to go after your family. I can also assure you that his daughter also did not facilitate in their deaths either.”

Okay…wasn’t expecting that.

I sigh, “Okay…next few questions,” looking to everyone, “I need to know about Dewloura. I’m still not buying any of this. Aside from Regulus’ claims and then the knights over there,” pointing to them, “how am I supposed to fit into all of this? Whenever I go, I’m only able to find next-to-nil on the lost empire. Even the Professor can’t find anything.”

Viktor raises his brow, “The Professor?”

Rachel strokes my hair, “He is a sphinx and one of the masters within the Loreian Order. He also serves as caretaker of my library as well as Aria’s tutor.”

He leaned back into his seat, staring softly at us. I could easily see the wheels in his mind spinning. “A sphinx resides here. Interesting.”

Rachel hugs me close as the man then stands up and walks around the parlor. “The reason as to why there is so little information pertaining to Dewloura is due to how it fell. The capital city was not as much destroyed but merely sealed away.”

I nod slowly as I listen.

“When the city disappeared,” she continues, “it caused a chain reaction which rippled throughout the world, effectively erasing nearly all records. It was as if the world itself wished for the city to be forgotten. The only surviving texts reside within the houses and the rest being scattered throughout the world.”

That makes sense, but also leads to even more questions.

“Now onto the city itself,” he continued, “as you know, the empire was settled near what is now known as the Balkans, along the northern shores of the Black Sea around 100 BC. This settlement rested upon two critical leylines that crossed between Europe and Asia. Making it not only a natural hub for trade, but spurned the development of the magical art, given its unprecedented access to raw energy and abundance of resources.”

A broad smile lines his mouth. “Its influence was vast and far-reaching. Kingdoms and other empires would come and trade, with some trying to take the city for its wealth and knowledge. For you see, the city was also highly technologically advanced, having compiled knowledge from Nerazon, Rome, and its successor, the Byzantines, and other such places from all over the world. A true marvel blessed beyond measure.”

I smiled softly. The gentleman clearly is gushing, as much I do whenever I go into detail about my hobbies.

“According to tales from my great-grandfather,” he continues, “races of all kinds would travel to the city and take up residence there; dragons, elves, dwarfs, and many others. They all worked and lived together in relative peace.”

I smile softly, loving how expansive the world really used to be.

“Governing over all of this were the sixteen noble Houses of Dewloura,” says Viktor, sounding a bit more somber. “Twelve lesser houses comprised the majority of the nobility, along with their branch families. Standing on top of them were the four Great Houses. Drakthul, Laevatain, who served as the military and magi of the city.

But then there were the royal houses of Shyair and Nethune. Both were equal in status, but Shyair was also the smallest of the four. While small, they were the most beloved of all, for their modesty and humility. Shyair was also known to be wise and cunning, but patient, if not too patient at times.

Each great house had any number of lesser houses serving them. Shyair only possessed a single house as their servants. My own house of Titalos, and my ancestors happily and graciously served yours. It was said that the wolves themselves favored them above all other houses, for they were also the caretakers of the wolves and were are responsible for the rearing of the ancient guardians. The house was also known to have the strongest affinity with wolves, with many being bonded to children upon birth.”

I watch as Viktor continues to stroll about the parlor, looking to me, “As a family, they shared many of the traits of foxes and of wolves. The cleverness and cunning of the fox, along with the strength and pride of the wolf. A true paradoxical dynamic which is exemplified within their crest.”

My eyes grew huge as I instantly remembered the dream I had after opening the Ze’criesch and finding the lantern within it. I could still see the image of the crest clearly in my mind.

“Shyair served as the voice of reason whenever Nethune would grow too ambitious, often assuming the throne if Nethune grew out of control,” says the man, hands clenched tightly.

I look to him, “How can there be two royal houses? Wouldn’t they both be at each other’s throats trying to wipe each other out for the throne?”

He smiles to me, “Both houses were linked through ancient familial ties. Shyair often remained hidden from the main stage of the world. Not wanting to become corrupted by their cousins, only stepping in with the need was greatest.”

I smile to myself at how I’m starting to like these people.

Viktor’s face goes grim. “But everything changed once the majority of the wolves suddenly and unexpectedly vanished from the city. The event soon served as an omen, meaning the great defenders had lost their confidence in its rulers.”

I pulled my legs into my chest, glancing at Fenris, who in turn looked back at me, “What happened?”

The man took a deep, thoughtful breath, “To the Dewlourans, the Uldulvan wolves were sacred. Near the beginning of the empire, a pact was struck between them and the nascent great houses. The wolves guided and protected those first few families. The pact meant for both human and wolf to be seen as equals. Now, most wolves as you should know were either silvery blue or pure silver in color. A black wolf was seen a sign of great change.”

He sighs softly, “For countless generations, the wolves and the great houses lived in harmony, until the one fateful campaign which changed everything.”

I blink softly as I listen, feeling my mother holding me close.

He takes a soft breath, “Roughly a century before the Fall, the empire secured a decisive victory over the Mongols. This unfortunately gave rise to a deeply seeded arrogance within Nethune. Over time they began to dabble into dark magicks, which they kept hidden for decades.”

I look down Fenris, who had already risen to his feet, placing his head into my lap. I lean forward, stroking behind his ears. He closed his eyes rolling his head to the side. “I’m guessing that’s when the wolves left.”

Viktor nodded, “Correct, Your Highness. Nethune broke the ancient pact made with them, having mistreated the wolves, viewing them with contempt and nothing more than mere animals rather than equals, causing them to leave. In the following century, Nethune and the other houses slowly began to return to their old selves, and Shyair, whom still honored the pact and guarded few remaining packs, gradually granted them the offspring of those who remained.”

I nod slowly, still stroking my bonded

“Now,” he continues, “this dabbling into dark magic was believed to have necromantic properties, yet the full extent is still unknown. What is known, according to the surviving records of my family, was the city was slowly changing, yet again this was hidden. Yet once revealed, the city had been severely corrupted. Its people altered and if unchecked, would’ve led to the leyline being put at risk. ”

Hidden plans and schemes, dark magic and unknown happenings, this just adds more to my curiosity yet also my stress.

“Shyair was known for its patience and wit, yet Nethune managed to hide everything from them, until yet something rather unexpected occurred.” He looks to me, “You remember my telling of how ‘black’ Uldulvan wolves were known as signs of great change?”

I bob my head.

“The last one to be seen did not belong to the king or to any other house. But was said to be bonded to a fox,” he says, looking both confused and intrigued.

I tilt my head, “A…fox?”

He crosses his arms, “More accurately…some sort of fox spirit. The accounts that do survive are vague. This spirit convinced Shyair that city wasn’t completely beyond redemption. However in order to protect the sanctity of the leylines and its people, the city had to be sealed away and allowed to heal. So the spirit with the help of the last princess of Shyair, went about to bring down the city. The cataclysm that soon befell the city had repercussions which affected everything. Chief among them was the total collapse of the intersecting leylines.”

He looks towards the windows, “It was said that earthquakes tore the region apart, obscuring any and all possible landmarks. As the city fell, that was when my great-grandfather and his family fled the city, along with Drakthul and Laevatain, and traveled west to France to settle with the Court. They steadily began to rebuild their power over time. With my family taking up the mantle of making sure neither house tore each other apart.”

He rounds his chair, retaking his seat, “It has also been said that if the wolves were ever to return, it meant they had judged the descendants worthy enough to reclaim their ancestral home. However I believe this to be nothing more than wishful thinking on their part.”

I blink softly. There…is surprisingly a lot to take in and unpack. As much as I love history, this is just a little too heavy for me to all accept. I finally had a few answers, but now had even more questions.

I look over to the knights, “So how did you two know that I was the heir?”

Orga turns to me, “My wife and I were placed into slumber shortly before these events. Our resting place was a far-flung outpost which belonged to the House. There we slept until your name was spoken and transmitted to our pods, rousing us from our slumber.”

Kateryna shifts slightly, “We then flew here to aid you in your time of need. We will never allow the last daughter of Shyair to fall.”

I tilt my head, “Flew?”

She leans against her husband, “Our armor possesses the ability to summon forth a means of transportation which allows us to fly wherever we need to go.”

I gaze at her. Given how their armor really reminded me of the keyblade armor from Kingdom Hearts, it wasn’t too much beyond the realm of possibility that they could conjure up something similar to those bike things some of the characters used.

I sigh, and then looked to my mother, “You told me you once visited the city.”

She smiles, stroking my hair, “I was part of the English delegation, hoping to secure an alliance during our perennial wars with France and Spain.”

She sighs, smiling brighter, “You should have seen the city during its prime. White towering buildings that glowed blue in the evenings, with islands floating in the sky, architecture that defied any notion of modern concepts of construction or design. Merchants sold their wares in the markets, hailing from all over the region. Dragons flew overhead and ridden by armored knights. I remember the night you and Fenris bonded. You described much of the city to me with surprising clarity.”

I nod, pulling my legs even tighter into my chest, and burying my face into my knees, “I’m guessing with all of this, we aren’t going to the gathering are we?”

Rachel cups my face, caressing it softly, “On the contrary. You will be even safer while amongst the rest of the Coven. No one would dare strike against you while surrounded by our full strength.”

I grin, which then turns to horror, “Oh God…what if the girls find out about all of this?” I hug my legs tightly to my chest.

My mother chuckles softly, pressing her head against mine, “Then they will have to accept yet another facet about your life my love. Even before this, your friends already know you to be a princess. This…merely will solidify that notion.”

I slowly bury myself deeper into my knees. Aside from the round of teasing I know that lay in store for me due to my relationship with Kenji, the news that I am a real-life princess would be even more disastrous for me.

Kateryna leaned forward, looking confused, “I wish to know who these 'girls' Her Highness is referring to.”

Rachel smiled stroking my back, “She speaks of her friends within our coven. They love to tease one another on a near constant basis. With little Aria here being a particular favorite target of theirs.”

I grumbled, knowing she was right. This also was what terrified me when Yukari took that video of me kissing Kenji.

The elf smiles, “It would appear that no matter what era it is, adolescent girls still act and behave the same.”

My mother chuckles, “You’d be surprised madam knight,” with her, my aunt, and sister hugging me even tighter.

I let out a long sigh, pushing the forthcoming embarrassment from my mind, and back onto the revelation of me being an actual princess. I feel exhausted, and not just from the battle, but from the weight of this bombshell that had been dropped right into my lap. My thoughts were in a tailspin, and I didn’t know where or how to stop. I need to get out and breathe.

I take a shallow breath, “I need to get some air,” slipping from under the entangled arms of my family. I walked quietly over to the door, now feeling dizzy, still smelling the blood coming off of my clothes.

Abigale smiles, handing a large sheet to Lyra, who both cover me as Marie and Bianca hand me some fresh clothes to wear.

I quickly change out my old clothes, putting on shorts, and a long tee shirt. The sheet was dropped and I smiled to the maids, who in turn smiled to me. My mind is still swirling, having done my best to bottle up all of this and not just collapse under it all.

As I turn to leave, I hear the sounds of the table where the knights had leaned against shift. “Your Highness, we should accompany you if you are to leave the house,” hearing the male knight as they both walk towards me.

My heart leapt, feeling what fragile tiny speck of control I had left finally shatter, “Don’t…don’t call me that!” I snap. “This is just way too much for me to handle.”

I turn and run out the door, pulling out my necklace and thumbs it, feeling my body transform into a dragon. I then head for the backdoor, open it and flies off.

The knights follow after me but are stopped by the maids.

Orga and his wife stare at them. “Stand aside maids.”

Abigale looks to him, “That child is perfectly safe while here in these lands, good sir knight. So I suggest that you calm yourself and allow the Young Miss to sort out all of this for herself.”

Kateryna glare at the kikimora, “Know your station maid.”

The head maid stares the elf in the eye. “We have been that girl’s guardians for over two years. We know our station, and I will remind you that she is well-protected while the Young Miss is here at home. So in words of the Young Miss, chill out and give her some space.”

The knights grit their teeth and glare at the maid.

Two clawed hands rest onto each of their shoulders, “I’d take their advice, little knights,” spoke Silvi. They both look up at the dragon, who smiles to them.

“Just give her time. This is a lot to take in. Hell, I think we all could use some time to process all of this,” she says, turning back to my mother, “agreed?”

Rachel nods, “Agreed.”

The dragon smiles, “In any case, I’ll go after her,” then eyeing Fenris, is already standing up and looking up her. She smirks, “Race you pup.”

He curled his lips back into a grin, “Gladly, fire-slug.” She roars into laughter.

Rachel rose from the couch and brushed off her outfit, “Give her an hour, Sil’vari.”

The dragon nodded, releasing her hands from the knights.

My mother then turned towards everyone, and then stopped for a moment, “That child hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Seeing how her lunch was poisoned and all,” sighing, and looking to her butler, “Sebastian would you please have the kitchen prepare some food for our guests?”

The butler gives a short bow, “At once, my Lady,” and then turned and disappeared out the door.

The knights turns back to gathered company, confused. “How can anyone here jest at a time like this?” asks Orga.

My mother looks to them and smiles, “It is because we can. While this news is indeed world-shattering, there is nothing that can be done by allowing it drown us. If you are to stay here, you will have to accept the many quirks of those who call these lands home. That includes my daughter,” walking over to Arcturus and Viktor, “we need to talk, in private.”

Both men nod and rise from their chairs and follow her out of the room. Arcturus then looks to her, “Arcohan disappeared from the chambers after the announcement had been made.”

She stares at him, eyes flaring in surprise, and with a faint glint of smile forming on her face, “Did he now? Interesting, if not a good sign.”

He tilts his head, “What do you mean?”

She shakes her head, “All in due time.”

Velhemina smiles, walking to the dragon, “I should gather up some leaves, the Little Blossom will surely want some tea to soothe her nerves,” eyeing her and smirking, “I could use that flame of yours, seeing how it can be useful at times.”

Silvi grins, “I could dry more than just tea leaves, little Miss Shrubbery.”

The alraune chuckles, “Oh how I’d loved to see you try, flame-sucking saurian.” Both women glared at each other and laughed.

The knights stand in shock, watching the performance in front of them. Orga raises a hand, “I am confused. I thought Her Highness could only transform into her fox-like form, but now she is a dragon.”

Silvi looks to him, “There’s a lot more about that little girl you will soon come to find out. But for now, let’s give her some space. Heaven knows she needs it.”

The alraune nods and turns for the door, followed by the dragon and wolf. The knights remain motionless and confused, staring at each other.

“Strange era we have awoken to, wouldn’t you agree husband?” asks the elf.

He nods, “Agreed wife. Until Her Highness settles her mind, let us remain close by.” The elf smiles, looking to him.