“So how did you get here?” Joan asked while she tried not to fidget or wiggle around. She was laying on top of a bedroll, the pair of chosen and the demon sitting over by the small campfire they had made while Bauteut sat next to her. Searle had made a small glimmering ball of light to hover over the pair so the healer could do her work, illuminating them.

“With great difficulty,” Bauteut said while she traced a finger over Joan’s body. Where the finger moved she could feel little bursts of gentle, soothing warmth flow out, aches and pains fading slightly. “You were right, though.”

“I usually am, about which thing?” Joan asked.

“Stop fidgeting. When we arrived at the castle, we were starved. Searle was furious at himself. I think he would have charged back to get you if he could have,” Bauteut said with a soft sigh. “Apparently he’d met with some fairy queen and spent days being fawned over as, well…”

“The Chosen of the Shield?” Joan asked.

“Yeah,” Bauteut said with a light chuckle. She then leaned in. “I think he blames himself for enjoying it and not trying to find us.”

“It’s not his fault,” Joan said. “He was just--”

“JOAN!” Bauteut shrieked, the finger now over her left hand. “What is this? Did they put th--”

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Searle asked, quickly standing up and starting to move towards the pair.

“What is this in your arm?” Bauteut asked, her face pale. “It’s… it’s…”

“The key,” Joan said sheepishly. “Maybe I should have warned you. Sorry.”

“Sorry?” Bauteut asked. “What IS that? It was, it felt, it was like, it just… it! I knew those marks were weird, but that’s not, that should NOT be inside anyone!”

“It’s the key,” Joan said and, unfortunately, that answer just made the healer look more confused. Searle looked just as worried, torn between trying to step in and protect them versus trying to fight something. She really didn’t think he could do either to her arm.

“Is it dangerous?” Bauteut asked.

“Ehhhh. Kinda,” Joan said with a shrug. “Maybe? I mean, you’re the one who messed with it. Does it feel dangerous?”

“I don’t know what it felt like. Other than strange. Why is that inside you?” Bauteut asked.

“The Nameless One. His idea of a joke, but it’s okay. It just makes the hand kind of numb,” Joan said before holding up her left hand and clenching it. “It was a valuable tool needed to unlock the first lock of…” She trailed off for a moment when she realized how intently Bauteut and Searle were staring at her. “It’s needed to save the world. It opens the first lock.”

“Uh huh,” Bauteut said. “And how many locks are there?”

“Three,” Joan said quickly. “The other two the chosen need to open. At least, if they want to open them quickly. They’ll also open when, well…”

“Inferno God?” Searle asked.

“Inferno God,” Joan said before giving another soft sigh. “It’s okay. It’s powerful, I know. But it’s pretty useful. If I can figure out how to properly use it then--”

“Then you’ll likely blow your arm off or have it wilt away,” Bauteut said before shaking her head. “I didn’t even touch that thing and I feel icky just having my magic over it. It felt like it was trying to suck all of my magic away. How can you be so calm about having it inside you?”

“Eh,” Joan said with a shrug. “It’s hardly the first powerful ancient artifact I’ve had lodged inside my body.”

“Anyone wanna fill me in on why we’re apparently jamming magical objects into small children?” Isla asked, making Joan jump. She hadn’t even noticed the demon and Andreas getting up to join them. She gave a sigh and just let herself drop back onto the bedroll.

“I’m fine,” Joan said. “Also I’m not really a child.”

“That part is debatable,” Bauteut said.

“Before any of that, would anyone mind telling me who Isla is?” Joan asked.

“I thought you knew everything,” Andreas said.

“She just thinks she does,” Bauteut said. “Though, in this case I’m surprised you don’t know.”

“How would I know?” Joan asked. “Is she connected to the chosen?”

“You know, I am right here. You could ask me,” Isla said. “Honestly, I’d like to know who you are as well.”

Joan paused and glanced between the chosen, Bauteut and the demon for a moment. “About that. I’d really rather not at this point. I--”

Isla gave an exasperated sigh before rolling her eyes. “Andreas?”

“I’m still not certain who she is,” Andreas said. “The fact she doesn’t know who you are is the most confusing if all she said is true. Especially if Korgron is one of the chosen.”

“She better be,” Bauteut said. “If we return to the queen after taking the spear and crown without two chosen to go with it, she might not be able to hang Searle but I’m pretty sure she can hang me.”

Joan sighed and turned to look at Isla. “Okay, fine. Isla, is it? Can YOU please tell me who you are? How are you connected to Korgron and Andreas?”

Isla gave a light chuckle before crossing her arms. “Ah, right. Proper introductions, then?” she asked before bowing. “I am Isla, princess of the Kazora. Korgron’s elder sister and fiance of Andreas. I suppose that is now fiance of the Chosen of the Spear?”

Joan blinked a few times. Princess of the Kazora. “That’s impossible.”

“Ehhh,” Isla said with a shrug. “It’s not as impressive as it sounds when your kingdom amounts to one small city. Andreas may not be much, but he is mine.”

“Hey!” Andreas said, standing up a little straighter.

“You can’t be the princess of the Kazora. Korgron is princess of the Kazora. She doesn’t have a sister,” Joan said.

“That’d be a bit of a shock to her, to be honest,” Isla said. “Considering I practically raised her.”

Joan blinked a few times and stared at the woman. Impossible. Korgron didn’t HAVE a sister. Older or younger. “But she doesn’t have a sister.”

“She definitely does,” Isla said.

Joan looked between Andreas and Isla. This had to be a trick. Or something else. “Adopted?”

“No,” Isla said.

“Were you missing until a few years ago?” Joan asked.

“No?” Isla said, though now she just sounded confused. “Uhhhh, what’s with her? You?”

“But you don’t exist,” Joan said. “You can’t exist.”

“But I do,” Isla said.

“If I can interject for a moment here?” Bauteut said.

“What?” Joan asked, looking to the healer while scrambling to come up with a logical explanation. How in the world did she exist? The woman was older than her, older than the Hero would have been. She would have had to be born before the hero, otherwise how could the Hero not existing have altered her existence?

“You mentioned…” Bauteut trailed off for a moment. “Hey, remember when we were talking before? In the fae wilds?”

“We talked a lot,” Joan said.

“Right. But remember Korgron?” Bauteut asked.

“Yeah?” Joan asked.

“You said it was impossible that she joined the Demon Lord, remember? Why was that?”

Joan gave a soft sigh before shaking her head. “Is that really relevant right now?”

“Humor me,” Bauteut said. “Please? What were the reasons Korgron wouldn’t join him?”

Joan gave another exasperated sigh, but decided to go along with the healer. “Fine. The reasons are obvious. First, she hates this war. She found the entire battle between the demons and humans to be a waste of time and energy, especially since the former are often descended from the latter. Her kingdom has already been torn to shambles and she didn’t want to have it fall apart even more and lose what little they had due to him. Then there were all the demons he’d captured and killed, like her sister, then there was when she started to rebel against--” The words died in her throat.

“The sister that doesn’t exist?” Bauteut asked.

“Uhhhh, I’m not dead,” Isla said. “And I do exist. This is getting a little creepy.”

------

The Hero felt nothing but unease when he pushed open the door to Korgron’s temporary room. A part of him was terrified she wouldn’t be there. He couldn’t imagine what this moment had to be like for her.

When the door finished opening and he looked inside for a moment he thought his fears would be realized. The room smelled of ash and the musty scent of a dozen cleansing spells. The stone walls and floor were scorched and in the corner rested a large knapsack.

“Hero?” a voice called and he turned towards it. The room had a balcony with two doors, though one of them were missing and the other was open and missing large chunks. He could barely believe only a few hundred years ago these decayed ruins had once been another grand city of the Kazora Dynasty.

“Korgron?” the Hero asked before walking into the room. She was standing on the balcony, leaning out against the stony parapet. “That can’t be safe.”

Korgron gave a shrug, but didn’t pull back from it. While he couldn’t be certain, he swore he saw an almost hint of playfulness in those green eyes of hers. “If I fall, I fall.”

“And if you die?” the Hero asked.

“If I die for such a short distance, then the crown chose poorly,” Korgron said before gesturing out towards the horizon. “I think there are far greater concerns.”

The Hero nodded and walked over besides her. Despite the night, he could make out almost everything in the distance. The campfires of the Demon Lord’s army made sure of that. They didn’t even need them, demons like them saw just fine in the dark. It was all just to intimidate them, to frighten them. Were he anyone but the Hero, he would have been terrified. But what were a thousand or so demons when five of the chosen and he were together? “Are you going to be okay?”

Korgron shrugged. “It is a battle. I pray to survive, but if I do not, then it merely means fate was not on my side.”

“That wasn’t what I meant,” the Hero said. “Will you be okay fighting them?”

He couldn’t help but notice the way her tail jerked when he asked that. “What do you mean?”

“They are demons. This can’t be easy for you.”

“They serve a foul, vile lord,” Korgron said coldly, her voice filled with such hate it shocked even him. “A cruel master of deceit and cruelty. I thank the gods that I have been granted the gift of being instrumental in his coming demise.”

The Hero crossed his arms and looked out over the armies. “He’s not out there.”

“Who?” Korgron asked.

“The Demon Lord. He would never enter the fray besides them. He is a conniving, monstrous coward, but he is no fool. He knows if he were to join in this battle, we could get our hands on him and kill him once and for all,” the Hero said.

“No. I knew that,” Korgron said. “But here or not, they fight in his name. They will deserve the deaths they gain.”

The Hero paused for a moment before glancing over at her. “You hate them, don’t you?”

“Do you not?” Korgron asked, looking back towards him with a surprised look. “If anyone would hate the Demon Lord, I would imagine it was you.”

“I hate him,” the Hero said. “But they’re not my…”

“Kin?” Korgron asked. “How many of them were once human and performed the rites to become a demon? How many elves? How many dwarfs? Do you pity those ones? Do you feel remorse when you cut them down?”

The Hero shook his head. “No, they have forsaken all they held, they--”

“Then you have your answer,” Korgron said before turning back towards the army. “They pursue a cruel path. How many times has our world collapsed? How many kingdoms have fallen? How much blood has been spilled? The plagues that slaughtered the elves, the great worms that tore the dwarves to pieces. We still tell tales of the first demon, the first one to become like us. She didn’t crave destruction. Extinction.” She clenched her hand, the fist shaking with rage. “What we have is supposed to be a gift. A way for us to fight back and protect ourselves against the horrors that reside in the darkest corners of our world. Instead of focusing on fighting them back, instead they push deeper and deeper into other lands. Burning them to cinders, when we should be building. They’re all nothing but fools. If they cannot see that, then they will perish.”

“This war has been going on for centuries,” the Hero said. “It cannot be so easily undone.”

“Why?” Korgron asked. “Even now our world is on the verge of destruction. Instead they shove it closer to the brink. For what purpose? To prove they are superior? For more ruins like these?” Korgron asked before pulling back from the parapet and then kicking it, the stone shattering and flying off into the courtyard below. “This is not what our world should be. This is not what any world should be. I hate it.”

The Hero was silent for a long while, his gaze focused on the distance. When he turned back to her, however, he couldn’t help but see the tears flowing down her cheeks. “Korgron? What’s wrong?”

Korgron blinked a few times and then reached a finger up to rub away some of the tears. “I don’t… know…”

------

Korgron blinked a few times and then reached a finger up to rub away some of the tears. “I don’t… know…”

------

Korgron blinked a few times and then reached a finger up to rub away some of the tears. “I don’t… know…”

------

Korgron blinked a few times and then reached a finger up to rub away some of the tears. “She should be here, if that bastard hadn’t used her to try and control me…”

------

Korgron blinked a few times and then reached a finger up to rub away some of the tears. “I don’t… know…”

------

Korgron blinked a few times and then reached a finger up to rub away some of the tears. “She should be here, if that bastard hadn’t used her to try and control me…”

------

“JOAN!” Bauteut’s voice shook Joan from her thoughts.

Joan yelped and looked around, only to realize that she was on her back once more, her head on Bauteut’s lap. The healer looked exhausted, sweat dripping off her and her hands on either side of Joan’s head. “What happened?”

“Can you not feel that?” Bauteut asked.

“What?” Joan asked.

“Your head. Doesn’t it hurt?” Bauteut asked.

“No? Should it?” Joan asked.

“Considering what seems to be happening in your head? Yes,” Bauteut said. “We need to get this taken care of.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Isla asked.

“It’s nothing,” Joan said quickly.

“It’s very much something,” Bauteut said, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t know what you were doing there, but the damage only seems to be accelerating. We need to fix this. As soon as we can.”

Joan opened her mouth to object. “It doesn’t hurt, though. It--”

“It should hurt,” Bauteut said. “I’m surprised you can even walk. Frankly, the fact it doesn’t hurt should be more concerning than anything.”

“It’s just a bit of a headache at worst. Why would--”

“JUST a headache?” Bauteut asked. “You’re going to end up--”

“You said I had five years or so, right?” Joan asked. “We’ll get it--”

“HAD five years,” Bauteut said. “I’m not an expert on these things. We need someone talented in it.”

“What’s wrong?” Searle asked.

“It’s nothing,” Joan said before glancing towards him. She instantly felt a small pang of regret when she saw the hurt look on his face.

“Something is interfering with her mind,” Bauteut said. “I can’t say for certain what it is or even the extent of the damage. It’s far, far beyond my capabilities. But she needs--”

“I’m FINE!” Joan said, struggling to keep the frustration out of her voice. “I--” The words were cut off by a sudden sharp pain through her skull, so intense she actually saw blinding lights for a moment. She collapsed back into Bauteut’s lap.

“Found out why you’re not feeling it,” Bauteut said. “How’d you manage a spell like that?”

“Spell?” Joan asked. “Oh. I think I asked the fae to get rid of my headache.”

Bauteut blinked a few times, staring at her. “Did she say the fae?” Isla asked.

“Wait, really?” Andreas asked. “You had them get rid of your headache? The fae who, apparently, dropped her off in the middle of our camp?”

“It really hurt at the time,” Joan said sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Bauteut gave a soft sigh before gently patting her head. “Oh Joan, what are we going to do with you? We need to get you seen by someone who can really fix this.”

“That would require all of the chosen,” Joan said.

“What?” Bauteut asked.

“I asked the Nameless One about this. He said it was over the world, not just me. Breaking it won’t be easy. So if we’re going to try and fix this, we’ll need them. In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt so that should be enough.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Searle asked.

“I don’t think so,” Bauteut said.

“Would someone please just take a moment to explain to me what’s going on?” Isla asked.

“It’s a really long story,” Joan said. “Oh, on the up side, it looks like you kind of existed. I think. Maybe. I’m not really sure. Sometimes Korgron seemed to remember you, sometimes she didn’t?”

“Well, that just clarifies everything, doesn’t it?” Isla asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Joan laid back and closed her eyes. “I’m hurt, I need my rest. Andreas, Searle, can you explain things to her?”

“Wait, really?” Searle asked. “You don’t want us to keep it a secret?”

“If she’s Korgron’s big sister she’s going to get it out of me one way or another. I’d rather just have to answer questions in the end,” Joan said.

“As much as I am cautious of encouraging a child to be lazy and shove her work off on others,” Bauteut said. “This is progress in some ways when it comes to Joan.” She pulled back a little, removing her lap from Joan to rest on. Alas, the ground was harder, but it still felt oddly soft as tired as she was. “It is best if she gets some rest now. Especially if we have a long trip ahead of us.”

Joan nodded, though to be honest she did wonder if she was being a bit too easy going towards this. She only had one chance to fix all this in the end, what if Isla couldn’t be trusted?

On the other hand, getting Isla on their side before they met up with Korgron could really help. She still shuddered at the memories of the ‘challenges’ that outsiders had to face in order to get an audience with Korgron. If she could bypass those she’d be happy. It wasn’t like Korgron was going to just appear in front of her and let them walk into the city without some proper gift. Hopefully a big sister was suitable.

MelodyAvant

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