There she stood, having all their attention and awe. Her arrival couldn’t have made a better impact unless she appeared in Esudein size. Yet, with her foolish question, Idleaf ruined it all. What an idiot.

Seriously, I almost facepalm myself when my brain processed what she asked me with all sincerity and innocence, confused as she was by the guards’ remarks.

They, too, were baffled, and not just them. Her unusual question took even those who have had the pleasure of knowing her by surprise, and it was no wonder. When it came to the World Tree, decades or centuries old, they expected someone wise, not a young-looking creature who didn’t know what different variations and uses of the word ‘fuck’ meant.

Trying not to show the awkwardness of it, I smiled at her. “They don’t want to mate with you, Idleaf.” At least, that’s what I wanted to believe. For all I knew, someone could have a thing for...let’s say, exotic girls. “They were trying to express their shock at your sudden appearance.”

“Are you sure? It sounded to me like...”

“Humans use those words in many ways, one of them as a swear word,” I cut in and stopped her before she could start talking again about how they wanted to have sex with her. Was that even possible? She was just a spirit and even though I could feel her touch...ah, stop it, bad brain.

“That’s silly,” Idleaf noted, thinking about it some more. “Confusing.”

She meant no offense. Anyone could see that. 

“We use many words like that in our language,” Lord Wigram added in an attempt to help me, amused by the situation himself. Did I have a problem with the native speaker taking over the explaining? Considering I’ve only just started learning Eleaden Standard, absolutely not.

“Words can have many meanings, you know?” The Imperial Chief Healer continued, piquing Idleaf’s curiosity.

“Really? What other words do you use for swearing? Do they mean mating too?”

“I think we can discuss this later,” I said, after clearing my throat to get her attention. “There are many here who want to meet you, and you haven’t introduced yourself to them yet.”

The fact dawned on her with horror, and she rushed to correct her oversight. Straightening up, she puffed out her naked chest and looked around the room. “I am Idleaf, and Idleaf is who I am.”

Not wanting to surprise the city guards with her, introducing herself one by one with the words: ‘Hi, I’m Idleaf. Who are you?’ I sidled up to Rayden and took the reins of the situation. “This is the Captain of the City Guards. That’s what people call the guardians of their... dwellings. Captain means she commands them.” I know, a little rough explanation and not the correct title. However, I wanted Idleaf to understand. And she did. So when she approached the woman who was on guard against her, she did so with more earnestness than she had shown so far.

“Hi, I’m Idleaf.”

It would be better with an offered hand, something I didn’t teach her yet. On the other hand, given the situation, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate. Would you willingly touch a creature of supposedly immense power you know nothing about? It didn’t sound safe.

To her credit, Rayden didn’t hesitate too long and returned the introduction. “Sanysia Rayden, Castiana City Guards Captain. Good to meet you.”

As awkward as I found it, Idleaf was delighted. “You carry strong names, worthy of Guardian you are. It is a very important role.”

“It is,” Rayden nodded, unsure how to respond to her sincere regard and admiration. 

“I, too, have Guardians. Korra’leigh is one of them, very important to me.”

I didn’t think she intended it that way, but it did sound a bit like a warning, something along the lines: don’t mess with her or bear my wrath. 

“I see. Well, Castiana is the one very important to me. I’ll be glad if you can refrain from harming it and its residents.”

“Why would I hurt them?” Idleaf asked, puzzled, her thoughts quickly veering off in another direction. “Is Castiana the one you’re protecting? Can I meet her?”

Now it was Rayden’s turn to be confused, so I rushed to her aid. “Castiana is the name of this...dwelling. Humans name their dwellings.”

“Humans are different,” remarked Idleaf, and looked around. “Quite a small dwelling. It looked bigger from afar.”

“There’s a lot more outside.”

“Ah...” Idleaf beamed as realization flashed through her eyes. But instead of asking if we could go look, as I expected she would ask, she shifted to Marcus before I had a chance to react. “Hi, I’m Idleaf. Who are you?”

Giving Rayden an apologetic look, I let the cheerful spirit do her thing, quite enjoying the fact that she sort of ignored the City Lord at the expense of the lieutenants and master guards of the Castiana City Guards. He boiled with rage but dared not utter a sound.

As much as I’d like to, Idleaf didn’t avoid him on purpose. It was simply due to the fact that he was sitting on the other side of the room from Rayden. She even got to say hello to one of his assistants first, oblivious to the bald man next to the woman in question. At that moment, I thought the City Lord would not be able to take it anymore and break out in a heap of profanity. He didn’t. By some miracle, most likely as some self-preservation instinct of his kicked in, he kept himself in check.

“Hi, I’m Idleaf. Who are you?” Idleaf asked with an eagerness I wouldn’t be able to express towards him right now.

“Baron Egerton, the City Lord of Castiana.”

“What a peculiar name. One is meaningless, the other strong,” she noted on his noble title and family name. And his first name? He clearly saw no reason to tell her. Why? Was it some big secret? Maybe an embarrassing name? Well, thinking about it, his upbringing was most likely to blame. He was just used to introducing himself that way. Either way, the truth was, I didn’t know his first name either, and actually...I didn’t give a shit what it was.

“Hmm...City Lord of Castiana? What does it mean?” Idleaf asked, hearing yet one more title.

“It means that anything you want to do in my city, you have to do with my permission,” Baron said, taking the chance to make himself more prominent than he was, even overlooking the fact that she called his title worthless.

“Is that true?” Idleaf turned to me, looking to me for confirmation. Seeing me struggle to find the right words to explain it to her, mercifully, Lord Wigram took it upon himself to explain.

“Let me put it more broadly, Miss Idleaf. Humans, like beasts, have their rulers. However, too many people live on these lands for one ruler to make decisions about every individual. And so, the human ruler of these lands has entrusted this city and its residents to Baron Egerton’s care. His task is to ensure the prosperity of this place and the well-being of the people who live here. For that, he was granted permission to make decisions about the citizens of the city entrusted to his care and its visitors. So unless the ruler, or someone of a higher status than Baron Egerton here, decides otherwise, he has the right to make decisions concerning you.”

Idleaf thought for a moment, considering what she had just heard. “What if I don’t like his decision?”

“Then you’ll most likely be confronted by the city guards.”

“Oh, I don’t mean to be rude to the Guardians, much less fight them,” she said, glancing at Rayden, who appreciated the notion.

“Then you should follow my ruling,” spoke the City Lord, again trying to flaunt his authority in front of Idleaf; show her who she should be dealing with here. “So, I ask. What do you want to do in my city?”

For a moment there, I expected the Imperial Chief Healer to correct him on who had the highest authority here and would be the one to decide on Idleaf’s stay in Castiana. But then the City Lord asked a rather reasonable question to which he was not the only one eager to know the answer. At least Rayden was all ears.

Despite his forceful tone, Idleaf smiled widely, mischief flashing in their eyes. “I came to see, to explore, to visit...I want to understand where my Guardian lives and find out what is in that terrible old thing deep beneath your dwelling.”

“Fallens Cry, she means the labyrinth,” I clarified for the others. “Her roots can’t penetrate it. So, she’s curious about what’s inside.”

“I’m not sure if that’s possible for someone like her, though,” Rayden chimed in, quickly noting my and Idleaf’s stares. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I am not really against it. But I know the beast masters are having a hard time getting their beasts in.”

“There’s a tool for that,” Deckard added. Given his laid-back attitude, it didn’t sound as complicated as Rayden made it sound. “Quite an expensive one, may I add. The question is whether it will work on her?”

That was an excellent question. Could Idleaf wear and use tools? Or better yet, could she wear clothes? A plain shirt would do. That naked chest of hers is certainly going to draw a lot of attention on the streets of Castiana. I mean, when people get over her spirit form.

“She is no beast,” Lord Wigram spoke out his thoughts, to which Idleaf nodded readily. “I am not. I am me, Idleaf.”

Her simple way of seeing things made him chuckle. “Yes, you are. What I meant was that you are.. a projection of your core, the tree you are. Or am I mistaken?”

“You’re right, Edwin,” she nodded, shocking everyone when she addressed the Imperial Chief Healer by his first name. Not even the imperial soldiers were sure how to react to the insolence. Me? I lowered my ears, hoping Lord Wigram wouldn’t take her transgression too badly. 

It wasn’t Idleaf’s fault, just her quirks when she only took seriously the names that held some power. If anything, this awkward moment was his fault for introducing himself as Edwin Alistair Wigram back there under her flower-adorned crown. 

Thrown off himself, Lord Wigram quickly recovered his composure and continued with his thought as if nothing had happened. “Since you, Idleaf, are simply a projection, the same labyrinth restrictions may not apply to you.”

“So, what you’re saying is that she’ll be able to look inside without any restrictions, or at all,” I summarized, making sure I understood correctly. Even though I knew it would be annoying, I preferred the first option. A disappointed Idleaf would be even more irritating.

“Exactly, Miss Grey,” Lord Wigram nodded, raising an eyebrow at Idleaf’s excited squeal that followed.

“This is amazing, Korra’leigh. So many views, so many different voices...”

“If you like this, you’ll love Labyrinth Square, any market, really.” Unlike me, though. Those places were torture to my ears.

“What are those?” Not unexpectedly, the mention of squares and markets piqued her curiosity.

“Places that are more crowded and busier.”

“Where? Can we see them?”

With a loud clearing of his throat, the City Lord made himself known again. “I mean no offense, but may I remind you we still haven’t settled the question of whether to let her into the city, let alone the labyrinth?”

True, however, I got the feeling that everyone was kind of in favor of it, or at least they didn’t mind. Everyone but him, as it seemed. I thought Rayden, and especially the Imperial Chief Healer, had explained to him not to fuck things up. Hell, unless I misheard them, if things go well, he might even win the Emperor’s favor. So what the heck was his problem, right?

In fact, I found his calm and measured tone quite unnerving. That was not the City Lord I knew, and I couldn’t help but suspect he was up to something. He even dared to stop Lord Wigram, who was about to remind him who held the higher position here. “I know, Imperial Chief Healer. It is in the Empire’s interest to maintain good relations here with Idleaf and her...” He looked at me, disgust in his eyes. “...Guardian. However, I must consider the safety of the citizens under my care.”

All the members of the Castiana City Guards present looked at him as if he had hit his head, the same question on their minds: Since when the fuck did he care about the safety of the citizens? If he did, the city would not be in the state it was in.

“Who better to judge the threat Idleaf could pose than the Castiana City Guards Captain, right Rayden?”

Ah, now it was much clearer. 

He was still pissed. Furious that he didn’t get his way, that he couldn’t do what he wanted in the city he ruled. He just managed to hide his true thoughts and put up the mask of a kind and wise ruler before Idleaf while he rudely cut off the Imperial Chief Healer and basically put the burden of the decision on Rayden.

And Captain’s reaction? While she shot him a murderous look, she didn’t seem to mind it that much. If she were an ordinary captain of the city guards, she would surely be sweating her ass off right now under everyone’s gaze, especially Idleaf’s pleading eyes. For a tree, she could be very human-ish. However, Rayden was a former general of the Imperial Army and, as such, must surely have made a much more severe decision than this. I could imagine those decisions held the fate of an entire empire in their hands. After all, one lost battle could have turned the tide of the whole war.

Unsurprisingly, Rayden took her time, weighing all the pros and cons again before coming to a close conclusion. Or close to it. “Idleaf, let me ask you a question. How far from Korra can you form your spirit?”

“Not far,” she slumped her shoulders. “Korra’leigh is not as strong as the others. I couldn’t place more powerful runes on her.”

Call me what you will, but I couldn’t help but look at the glowing guardian markings on my body, pondering how much weaker they were than the Esudeins. I found no shame in it, though; if anything, motivation driven by the pride of my beast part. One day... one day, the same runes will adorn my body.

“How far is it then?” 

“Ten of my lengths,” Idleaf told her after a moment’s thought, to which Rayden nodded, sizing her up. “...and your length is what? Two meters? So...let’s say about twenty-meter range...okay.”

“How is that relevant, Rayden?” the City Lord grumbled, his calm mask slipping away for a moment.

“So we know where to find her,” she told him, tired of dealing with him. It basically meant that they didn’t have to search all over the city for Idleaf, if needed. All they had to do was find me. “...and since Sah is on her tail while she’s in the city, we’ll know where she is most of the time,” Rayden finished, making Idleaf stare at Sage swaying from side to side, weary behind me.

“What’s that supposed to be on your tail, Korra’leigh?”

Explaining to her that it was just an expression while thinking how great it would be if human speech also carried intentions, I found Sah among the people in the room. He was in the corner with a stoic expression on his face, but the glee in his eyes said it all. The job that was supposed to be a punishment for him turned into an exciting one. Bastard, he must have been the only one enjoying this. Well, except for Idleaf.

Rayden cleared a few more things with the spirit of the World Tree. Like the fact that she could interact with her surroundings, touch things and stuff, but her abilities were limited to me. Then, once she was sure who she was dealing with, she made her decision.

“I don’t really see why we should prevent Idleaf from entering the city. Many seekers pose a greater threat than her, and before anyone asks, I mean in terms of security. Their strength may be far from hers, but their numbers are great and their loyalty uncertain. And it’s not just the seekers that are the issue. Thousands of people enter and leave the city every day...” Captain Rayden hinted at agents of other countries while trailing off before refocusing back at expectant spirit. “What I want to say is, welcome to Castiana, Idleaf. I hope you like it here.”

With that, the spirit beamed with delight. No, really. She actually did shine a brighter light for a brief moment before she grabbed my hands and turned me around. “Let’s go!”

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. Baron Egerton had yet to have his say, which basically meant giving Idleaf his permission based on Rayden’s opinion. In all seriousness, the Captain suggested limiting the range of our movement to the barracks first to see how people would react before hitting the city streets.

With everything seemingly resolved, an even more crucial question popped up. The question of where to start what looked like it was going to be a very grueling day? Did I mention how tired I was? Dead tired. It’s been over a day since I last slept. But the bed was out of the question right now.

“Is there a tower here in the barracks, a high place where we can look down on Castiana?” I asked after thinking it over. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of such a place in barracks, at least not a tower rising above the roofs.

Rayden didn’t even have to think about it. “It’s not exactly a tower, but it overlooks the whole city. The north building, above the mess hall.”

“I know the place. I’ll take you there,” Deckard offered, for which I was grateful. From Rayden’s description, I’d have a hard time finding the place.

All settled, with Deckard as a guide and Idleaf bouncing happily around me; I was about to exit the room when Rayden stopped me. “One more thing, you two. I’m planning on sending Squad Four to Fallens Cry tomorrow. That includes you, Grey. Is that okay, Deckard?”

He shrugged. “I’m okay with that. Little Beast here needs to get used to her new power, anyway. I’m more surprised you’re okay with sending the newbies in there with her.”

“Shit! Idleaf,” she cursed as she realized. “Well, I guess they’ll be quite surprised.”

Yeah, they surely will.