The warrior stared dumbfounded. He looked left and right, expression twisted into a grimace. His breath was slightly labored, most likely due to how long and fast he had given chase to the girl at the square. He stood there for the longest time, just staring at the wall in front of him, regaining his lost breath.

On the other side of the ‘wall’, Penelope was just a few feet away, hands clamped over her own mouth as she fought not to breathe too loudly. The aim was to stay as still and silent as possible, while she watched this stranger standing on the other side of this false alleyway wall, just steps away from his prey.

Penelope, in her haste to somehow escape the situation she had been in, used her special ability – whenever she drew something, it became real! It was a skill she was very glad for, even if there were drawbacks. It was quite something, trying to draw while also running for her life. The wall she had envisioned into paper was not at all perfect, but considering where they were and the adrenaline filled state they were both in, she hoped he would overlook the shoddy construction of the wall she created between them. Add in the amount of concentrated intent she put into the drawing to become something akin to a one way mirror, Penelope was feeling supremely lucky she had put this up as fast as she had.

Truly, this was something out of a Western cartoon, where some odd animated rabbit would escape through the silliest of shenanigans. Now that he was here, she felt very stupid for the solution she came up with.

Don’t touch the wall, don’t touch the wall. She thought this over and over as a frantic mantra in her mind. Due to how fast she had made it, it was certain that the wall would not hold up to intense scrutiny or investigation. It could crumble if he touched it.

The moments passed very slowly, one after the other as Penelope held her breath, just agonizingly waiting for him to go. And after what seemed like an eternity, he did leave, stomping away back where they had come from.

Penelope counted to ten, before allowing a slow, quiet, shaky breath to leave her (experience said never let your guard down around a dangerous man, even if it seems safe). And she counted to one hundred (slowly) before she allowed herself to leave the alley she had hid herself inside, pushing the fake wall and peering around the corner to check if he had been waiting for her.

Nobody to be found.

Penelope slumped against a building and slid down in relief.

That was scary, what the Hell…the one time I decide to go outside on my own and I get chased by some weirdo in armor.

After ten minutes, the fake alley wall she made disintegrated back into nothingness and Penelope could safely leave and be on her way. Considering the way she got in, Penelope was turned around a few times before she made it back out. It was like going through a maze. Sure that she had already left a spot, she felt like she had circled around and wound up at the same place as before several times. It didn't help that everything looked the same in the back, compared to the front facing part of the buildings.They all blended together until she had no choice, but to mark her way out.

Crouching down, she made a mark on the ground, a simple arrow pointing the way with the word ‘EXIT’ next to it using a piece of charcoal. Whenever she wound up at the same place again, she would erase the arrow there with some water from her waterskin and then choose a different route. Of course, that meant she left other arrows behind that made the previous root, but if she never went back, it wouldn't be a problem, rightÉ And Ceralde saw enough rain that whatever she drew would be erased eventually.

However, with this method, she slowly made her way out of the maze that were the back alleys of Ceralde and by the time she found her way again, hours had passed with her puzzling out her way home. How embarrassing.

Tomorrow I’ll go out again, she told herself. It was unacceptable that she had gotten lost so easily and lost hours out of her day. She would commit to memory as many of the streets and paths of this town, if it was the last thing she did.

For now, she was tired from being on her feet all day and just wanted to go home and fall straight into bed.

 

Crime never rests. That was as true a statement as one could make. No matter where one went, a crime was being committed, big or small. In a port town like Ceralde, it was almost expected, considering how many people went in and out. It was nigh impossible to keep track of everyone’s movements without the use of magic.

For those who required secrecy, paths unseen and unused by the masses were the best.

Slipping into the alleyways of a town or city gave one much privacy and cover, and if one knew the way well enough, could use the winding back streets to their advantage to lose tails. But that was the key point here: if one knew the way. A stranger to town would find themselves getting lost, if they chanced a run through unfamiliar labyrinthian streets.

Members of the temple of Tulilith were sent to Ceralde in the dead of the night, members gifted at Unnatural Magic and devoted to the mission given to them. With just the light of the moon, they secreted their way into town, making sure not to draw anyone’s gaze were they to come across someone…which was decidedly difficult. Whenever a guardsman spotted them, they were quickly ejected from town. Much nicer than if Minerva Riverthorn had found them, but still, having to constantly renew their efforts could try even the most patient of saints.

There had to be a way for them to get to their proposed rendez-vous point with their contacts within the port town without getting spotted and thrown out.

The group of priests looked at a map they had been given, figuring out a new route. There were many opinions about how they would try their latest attempt to get inside, however, they eventually agreed the best way was to enter the back alley labyrinth. As long as they paid attention to where they needed to go, then they should make it to the town center.

And so the group of clergy re-entered Ceralde, under the cover of night, through a small alley that spread out into the rest of town.

Now, it was all well and good to make their plans, looking at a top down map of a location. A great idea. Wonderful planning. However, it was another thing to actually implement that plan in real life.

With how dark it was, every wall and corner blended into one another, making it difficult to tell which fork they needed to take. As they had been travelling for a long time and wasted so much time being thrown out and sneaking their way back in, they had little energy and, thus, little patience and wished to get the infiltration out of the way. It did not help that there was no set leader in the group, so they often butted heads, proclaiming one was more righteous in their actions than the others.

So out of their minds with fatigued, frustrated with each other, the arrows on the ground when they stumbled upon them seemed like a divine sign that would help them out. No one, in the days to come, could ever figure out the train of thought these priests had when deciding to follow some strange markings left by only Tulilith knew who. Not even themselves.

The three of them, of differing opinions, choose three separate arrows, following the one they had chosen, declaring their choice the right one.

Due to Penelope taking the most roundabout path, erasing arrows that didn’t work while leaving behind others, made each path disjointed, incomprehensive and misleading. If one did not follow the same method she had done to make her path, then it would only be right that they would only lose themselves deeper into the back alleys. Further and further into the depths, filled by the cheerful arrows marked as ‘EXIT’.

The priests were stuck in there for hours, getting nowhere fast. They toppled eventually, due to a lack of energy from forcing themselves forward. The men all passed out in various parts of town, not waking until hours later, when the locals found them and reported them to the guards.

They had explained what they had been doing and why they were where they were, though everyone who heard them were quite incredulous.

A passing shower had moved through the port town before dissipating when it reached the sea. Though it had been nothing more than a five minute drizzle, it had been enough to wash away all evidence left behind by the young girl who had originally set them earlier the previous day. All traces were gone.

The men had all insisted on it, despite the folly of the whole affair and the fact they were not permitted to enter Ceralde in the first place.

Like every other time, the priests were escorted out, though they were this time soaked, exhausted and feeling humiliated.

As this was not their first time trespassing in the last 24 hours, Minerva Riverthorn was summoned. Considering the hour and the propensity of the woman being none too gentle whenever she saw members of the kingdom’s clergy, she did not seem at all happy to see not one, but a group of the priests from her mortal enemies. She sent them flying, yelling that they were not welcome and to never come back.

 

And Penelope was none the wiser of any of these happenings.

Standing on a stool while she made breakfast on the stove, the girl was blissfully unaware of what had transpired thanks to her indirect involvement. The only part that she had been partially involved in was when someone knocked at the door early in the morning and she saw a guardsman asking her kindly to go get Minerva. Penelope had done as asked, fetching the mage who looked unhappy to be woken up ‘during a time where only worms and birds mingled’. The girl had gone back to preparing breakfast, barely registering any words exchanged before hearing the door close. Time passed peacefully within the shop as food was being cooked and the rest of the residents began to slowly pull themselves from sleep.

It was only after plating everything for everyone, Yule coming down and Cynthia crawling to her seat with a canine yawn, did Minerva return. 

She looked rightfully bedraggled and harangued, her hair in disarray as she had not had the time to brush it out and put it up.

As the mage sat down at her spot next to her partner, Penelope came over with a mug of heavily steeped tea; two sugars and a drop of milk. Just how the older woman liked it. Seeing it, Minerva  let out a small cry and threw her arms around Penelope, surprising her with how passionately she embraced the girl.

“You’re such a good girl!” Minerva cooed, almost sounding like she wanted to weep. ”Moments like this make everything worth it.”

“Ah, there, there?” Penelope said, unsure what else to say. She awkwardly patted the woman’s back, too. Sounded like she needed it. Must have been rough, whatever the guardsmen asked her to do this morning. She added, “I got some eggs, so I made you an omelette.”

“You really are the best, Penelope. Never leave me.”

“Hey, hey, what are you saying with your partner nearby, huh?” Yule remarked as he was mid-chew of his food.

Cynthia ignored what was going on, knowing it was just the beginning of another bickering session.

Minerva gave her nephew a dirty look while still hanging onto Penelope. “You will never be able to appreciate a girl as cute as Penelope is. Never.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Boys will never understand!”

Slipping out of the mage’s arms, Penelope settled in for her own breakfast, shaking her head as the aunt and nephew duo settled in for their daily dose of arguing.

 

It was pouring outside, dashing Penelope’s idea to go exploring the town. There was a rumble of thunder and the occasional flash outside. When she woke up that morning, she had seen a bit of a drizzle, but who knew it would turn into a full on storm. Most likely foot traffic to the shop would lessen, with only those who had orders to pick up to make a break in the peace. She made plans to do some drawing, if there was not much to do in the shop.

As Penelope was finishing up cleaning the dishes after breakfast, with Yule helping by drying them, she heard another knock at the door. Minerva, who was enjoying her second cup of tea that morning, groused about inconsiderate people visiting before shop hours.

“Goodness, so early in the morning...Penelope, dear, could you get the door?” the mage asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Nodding, Penelope passed off the rest of the dishwashing to Yule and went to answer the door. There came a second, more insistent knock.

“Coming!” she called out, hurrying over to the door. Grabbing the doorknob, she swung open the door to welcome in their guest and froze.

A flash of lightning illuminated the world beyond the door, creating a menacing silhouette of a wide bodied man in heavy armor, staring down at her in shadows. The only thing visible in that one moment were his eyes, which seemed to glow unnaturally in the lightning. Rain battered him, yet he remained unflinching as his whole body became soaked, just silently standing there while Penelope gaped up at him.

She slammed the door shut in her shock. The noise caught the attention of everyone from the kitchen; Minerva poked her head from the back to see what was wrong.

“Is something the matter, Penelope, dear?” the older woman asked.

“S-scary armor man!” Penelope yelped, unable to properly form a sentence. The knocking began again, this time a loud and aggressive banging.

On alert, Minerva went to answer the door in place of her charge, gesturing for her to get behind her. Squaring her shoulders, the older woman opened the door to see who could be on the other side.

“Minerva Riverthorn,” the man growled menacingly, just in time for another strike of lightning to crash in the sky. Penelope yelped from behind Minerva.

Minerva, looking unimpressed, returned with a dry, “Tristan Raubannes. To what do I owe the pleasure of having you darken my door?”

“I have come for Ulysses,” Tristan answered simply. His voice rumbled and his dark eyes never wavered from the mage’s face. Meanwhile, the artist was wondering who this Ulysses was?

“Took you a while. Just what were you doing this whole time that had you leaving my nephew–” Penelope perked up at this. “– by himself to make it to me?” 

Minerva spoke critically and firmly, standing tall when addressing this hulk of a man who seemed to be looking for Yule – Ulysses? She supposed Yule was simply just a nickname, or maybe just a fake name altogether. But why give her that when they met? Why keep it up? Penelope knew there was a lot of trouble going on in the capital, where Yule had originally come from, but what required him to have to hide his actual first name from her?

The man shifted a little, looking over Minerva’s shoulder and saw Penelope just barely peeking at him. There was recognition in his eyes, but he said nothing about her for the moment, choosing to continue to speak with Minerva.

“Do you normally leave guests outside in the rain like this?” Tristan asked, frowning at the mage.

Minerva waited a moment, giving the man who was a good head taller than her a hard stare. Testing his patience? But she eventually moved aside, letting him lumber into the main room of the shop to get out of the rain.

As Minerva moved to lead them into the back, Penelope came into view. The two of them met each other’s gazes, his expression blank and dark, while her own was nervous and wide eyed. The artist could feel herself shrinking, arms drawing themselves in and hunching just a little. She could only guess what was in his mind – surely he had to be upset about what happened when he chased her all around Ceralde.

“U-um…” She tried to speak up, but nothing came out. Just what could she say?

He moved again and she flinched, preparing to get yelled at (or worse), but he just slowly, slowly, got down on one knee in front of her. The creaking of his armor was some of the worst she had ever heard, comparable to old gears moving against each other.

His gauntlet covered hand was offered out to her and he calmly said, “My apologies for scaring you. My name is Tristan Raubannes. Do not fear me. I am not a bad guy.”

The way he said it, seemed to be practiced, as if he had to explain himself a million times in the past. And the words he chose were simple and easy to convey with little misunderstanding, even if the air he gave off was definitely that of a ‘bad guy’. A fierce looking man like this definitely scared more than a few children in his life, probably a few adults, too.

Gingerly, she put her hand into his and he was surprisingly gentle as he placed the other on top.

“I’m…Penelope,” she supplied, feeling shy. “Penelope Snowflower.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. “Well met, Penelope.”

He let go of her hand and stood up to his full height once again, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. 

The artist stood there a little awkwardly though, not quite comfortable with him just yet.

There was a question on her lips…

“Um, how do you know Yule? Er…Ulysses?”

“I am his personal guard. We…unfortunately, we had to part ways for the sake of safety, but I have come to fulfill my duties to his family.”

“I see…” Penelope had never been told specifically, but she had an inkling he was not some normal kid. A noble’s child would have a guard, too, right? It fit her mental image of Yule’s true identity and why he had to leave. She supposed this was why he had to use a pseudonym. She had no idea where his family fell on the political scale and neither did he for her, so only fake names would be the safest bet for him, if he was on the run.

“Let’s go, I’m sure Yule will be waiting.”

 

Tristan, Minerva and Yule were given some privacy to discuss things and this meant Cynthia and Penelope could not take part. Considering how rainy it was, neither wanted to be outside, so they went to their rooms while the others had their discussion.

Penelope was intensely curious about what was going on in their talks, though.

Now that Tristan, a trusted guard, was here, would they now be accommodating another person in their group? Or did this mean that Yule would be leaving them all? It only made sense that he should go back with those he belonged with originally. Penelope had no idea what was going on currently in the capital – perhaps the knight was coming to bring him home because things calmed down?

That thought made her chest hurt, but what could she do? She did wish he could stay, if it turned out Tristan was going to bring him home. Yule was her first real friend in forever and they were starting to get a little closer, however, being that she was truly not an actual ten year old child, Penelope understood what she wanted was not the same as what was good for her friend. She knew better than to be selfish and also to get too attached.

Her mind went to her internet penpal from ages ago who stopped talking to her, who had once been there to let her vent and for them to vent back to…to lose someone dear like that was hard.

Yes, she had to remind herself that she was here at the graces of strangers with no real connection to her. No one had mentioned what would happen when Yule’s stay with his aunt would end (not if, when), so now that it might be coming sooner rather than later, Penelope needed to figure out her own situation.

Was the amount she had enough to live off on for a few years until she was old enough to work properly? She had around a thousand Draks at the moment and from what she knew of daily life, if she was very stingy with her living expenses, it wouldn’t last a full year.

There was a lot for her to consider. Even if Yule did not leave and she could be allowed to stay, Penelope really shouldn’t be relying on them so much. Everyone had been so kind, but she should begin standing on her own feet soon. She would have to discuss about her future with Minerva, considering she was the one who graciously allowed her to stay.

There’s also the reward money for all the missing girls. It’s been over a week, so I guess we can check to see if they finished processing all of that paperwork Cynthia and I did.

Depending on what she received after paying a percentage to her guardians, she may be able to launch herself into independence soon enough. This time she would not panic about it and face this head on. Being more clear headed about it, she had been given a chance in a new world. She should not be stagnating in place again, right? What would be the point if she just remained in one place.

The idea of also leaving was scary, as she was comfortable here, surrounded by patient and kind people willing to explain things to her. However, she musn’t be so timid. That was how she wound up facing so many hardships.

Sitting in her shared room with Yule, she pulled out a piece of used paper and began making her life plan going forward.

What had she missed out on in her old life?

Dating for one, she thought, but that would be considered a bottom priority considering her physical age. It was still written into her life plan, but further at the bottom.

She never moved out of her old home, so home ownership was important. However, to own a home, she needed a job. And to get a job, she needed marketable skills and right now she was good at domestic work and drawing. Seeing how her artistry made money but in random spurts, she figured cooking and cleaning will have to be her bread and butter once she was able to. Getting a membership into the Adventurer’s Guild to be able to do odd jobs wouldn’t hurt either, to get that little extra income.

In the end, Penelope’s life plan looked like this:

1. Find cheap rental.
2. Live frugally until 13.
3. Get membership at the Adventurer’s Guild to create references.
4. Get permanent job.
5. Save up for home.
6. Date someone.
7. Enjoy life.

It didn’t look like much, but it was a solid plan for her. Simple was best, after all. The plan had to be vague and flexible enough to account for anything that might turn up that could send everything in another direction. Things like ‘have kids’ and ‘get married’ were just part of the catch all of ‘enjoy life’, in case it was just not in the cards for her.

“Penelope!” It was Minerva. Her voice sounded far, so she must be calling from the kitchen. “Could you come down to the kitchen, we need to talk to you.”

That last part made her heart skip uncomfortably. Letting out a breath she thought ‘Here we go’ and put away her life plan, tucking it quickly under her pillow.

“Penelope!” Minerva called again.

“Coming!” the girl sounded back, now making her way quickly to meet with the others.