In the late afternoon the next day, Freyja made her way to the guest room where she found Martel scrunched over a desk as he looked over several pieces of parchment. With his lack of response, he did not seem to have heard her come in. She made her way up next to him as he seemed to remain unaware of her presence. 

She reached out and touched his shoulder as she began to speak. “Mar-hiii!” In a flash, he grabbed her arm and knocked her off balance. As she fell, she could see he noticed it was her and he caught her with his legs, so she fell on his lap instead of on the floor.

“Sorry Freyja, you startled me.”

“Well, then you repaid the favor as you scared me quite a bit back,” She quipped while she steadied her breathing. “Are you always so high strung?”

“No, last night I weighed the possibility of my assassination, so I’m a bit on edge.”

To his words, Freyja couldn’t help but give him a puzzled look. “Why would anyone want to assassinate you?”

“I’m sure someone would have some gain with my death. Although I think the most likely reason would be due to anyone who saw us in this situation.”

It took a second for Freyja to understand what he meant. She was seated on his lap; on a MAN’s lap. Her mind went blank as she started to panic while blood rushed to her face. After a couple of long seconds, Freyja finally managed to get up. “A-at any rate. We are ready to see you now.”

“Oh,  you came to get me yourself?  I was expecting an assistant to come and get me.”

“We have to treat our guests well. Besides we can’t have you doing -ahem- that to the staff.”

At her words, Martel appeared to ponder something. He then tilted his head and made a small smirk. “Then it means it’s okay if it’s you?”

“W-w-w-w-w-what?!?! I never said anything like that!” Freyja retorted in a fluster.

“Haha, sorry. My joke went a little too far. Shall we go?”

“Fine,” she said with a bit of a pout. [Huh? When did I start acting a bit childish?]

Together, while making small talk, the two of them made their way to the meeting spot.

...

“We have arrived, Mother, Father,” Freyja said when they entered a room made for privacy. 

“Are you feeling alright, Freyja?” Her mother asked. “You look red.”

“I- it must be your imagination,” she said as she quickly sat down.

Her mother turned to face Martel. “So, what reason do you require an audience of me?”

“It has to do with you asking me if I was the Hero. To start, I would like to hear your thoughts given what has occurred, as I am sure you have heard.” Martel replied with a smile to Freyja.

“I believe you are.”

Surprise appeared on Martel’s face for a split second before it disappeared. “I was not expecting such a concise answer. Tell me, why do you think so?”

“There is an old legend about a man who defeated the Darkness the first time it appeared. His name was Arthur. The general conciseness is that he was the first, and, until now, the only person to ever have the full affinity in both Ki and Magic. You are practically an embodiment of what we would define as a Hero.”

“I see. Then I will state again that I can neither confirm nor deny that I am this Hero. However, I should very much like to find out if it is the case. Therefore, I believe it to be appropriate for all of us present, including myself, to operate under the assumption that I am. Is this acceptable?”

“It is.”

“Very well, then some things that must be done. Firstly, according to the information Freyja provided, it seems that Camelot is not in a diplomatically stable position.”

The Queen had paused for a few seconds before she gave her answer. “I will not lie to you. We have good relations with Roxburghshire, neutral with the Merchant Republic, poor relations with Celliwig and even weaker ties with Carlisle. What of it?”

“If you come out and claim that the Hero is among you, it will give you political power. Other kingdoms will not look upon this favorably, which increases the likelihood of my assassination.”

[So that’s what you meant.] Freyja thought as the scene in the guest room flashed through her mind. 

“On top of this, you would most likely receive pressure from your allies, the Kingdom of Roxburghshire. I do not know how big the war effort is, but if you had the Hero, it could bring enmity from them as I would be a potentially extremely beneficial war asset. As such, my first request is that you both officially and unofficially recognize my independence as a separate entity from the kingdom. Then you will publically state that you are assisting me to the fullest of your capabilities.”

[You put some serious thought into this. I am quite surprised you took the information I gave you and spun it in a way for your benefit. Given your position, it’s not like my mother can say no to you, but you are still acting like she has a choice. Are you testing her?] Freyja looked at her mother with that thought in mind. She could tell her mother was at a disadvantage. Growing up, the Queen had loved the Hero’s Prophecy, and she reiterated it to Freyja quite often.

“Very well, I see your points, and they are valid. We shall do so.”

“Good, then the next matter of business is to establish my base of operations. I will require a large building, of which you will grant to me and put under my complete jurisdiction in keeping with recognizing me as a separate entity.”

“I understand, we will find you a suitable building.”

“There is no need as there is only one building that I have found suitable. That would be Morgan’s home.”

“What!?!?!” Morgan shouted. Freyja’s jaw dropped for a moment, Duran held back a chuckle, and the king was wide-eyed. The Queen was the only person who seemed to be unphased.

“Are you trying to harass me!?!?” Morgan continued.

“Be quiet Morgan.” The Queen replied harshly without changing face. “For her sake, please explain the reasons why.”

“Quite simply, it is of a suitable size, contains the Magic that transported me here, and is within the palace grounds so both you and I won’t have to worry about security.”

“Indeed, I think it’s a good idea as well.”

“Mother! That’s my--”

“Silence Morgan! Leave us.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright,” Martel says. 

The Queen looked at Martel with a little surprise. “Her presence would only hinder us.”

“Once again, it’s fine. So long as she takes a different room, I won’t object to her staying in it.”

“What? It’s my home and who would want to--”

“I’ll allow it. No, that’s an order, Morgan.”

“Wha???” Morgan is at a loss for words.

[I don’t think I’ve ever heard mother give an order Morgan before. Is… Is she playing both sides?] Freyja couldn’t help but wonder with surprise.

“Anything else?”

“I require specialized staff. For a start, I will need a diplomat, military adviser, and spymaster.

“I can understand the diplomat and spymaster, but why a military adviser?”

“It is important to have someone who can explain troop movements so I can better understand the military actions and strategies employed by various countries. While I do not know what this ‘darkness’ is, I doubt that I will be able to take it on alone. It would be helpful if I increase my knowledge regarding military operations. Additionally, it would also be quite convenient if this person were well-versed in fighting to train me in weapons.”

For the first time, the king spoke up. “Then may I recommend Duran for this position. While not at master-level, he should be more than suitable to train you for quite some time.”

“I will willingly accept the position should you choose so. I believe it will be an enlightening experience to help me find glory on the battlefield one day.” Duran added.

Martel’s expression turned dark for an unnoticeable moment at Duran’s words. “Very well.” 

“Then how about Freyja for your diplomat?” The Queen asked, which did not surprise Freyja. 

Martel gave a complex look towards Freyja. “I believe having the next queen of Camelot as my diplomatic representative won’t be looked upon kindly by others.”

“You don’t seem to be having any trouble with diplomacy anyway,” Freyja retorted in a pouting tone under her breath. 

The Queen gave her a sharp glance before she turned back to Martel. “I believe most will speculate that the person chosen would be our puppet regardless. If we claim it was solely your choice, which it is, I think it will not matter who we choose.”

“I see, Freyja, your thoughts on the matter?”

“If you ask it of me…”

“Very well. Next, I will require someone who can train me in Magic.”

“Leave that to Morgan and I,” Grandma replied. 

“What?” Morgan says in surprise.

“Think of it as payment for staying in his home.”

Morgan had a shocked and defeated expression on her face.

“That will work. Although Grandma, I’ll probably be requesting you do Magical research.”

“Oh? That’s not much different than now.”

“As I want someone well versed it is only natural. Next is a writing translator, literary researcher, and miscellaneous staff as I need them.”

“Understood. One of Freyja’s assistants can read and write efficiently, can she not?” The Queen asked Freyja.

“She can.”

“Then, for now, she is directly under Martel.”

“... I understand. I shall tell her when I next see her.”

“As for the rest, I believe I can leave that to Freyja as you need them.”

“Understood, for the moment that is all. Thank you for your time and generosity.”

“Not at all, I thank you for being so well prepared and thoughtful. I can rest a little easier then.”

“Oh, I don’t think you should.”

“Why is that?”

“The prophecy says that both ‘He’ and the ‘Darkness’ will come. However, it does not state which shall precede the other.”

“So you are saying the worst may be yet to come… Insightful… I shall take your counsel, Martel. Is there anything else?”

“No, although I will require both Grandma and Freyja to go to Morgan’s old bedroom at their earliest convenience.”

“We can both go at once,” Grandma says. I make a small sigh and nod my head.

“Very well, let’s go.”

...

A short time later, Freyja, Martel, and Grandma conjugated in the main bedroom where Martel first came into this world. 

“Freyja, can I trust you?” Martel asked.

“What do you mean?”

“That you will tell no one about what we’re going to talk about.”

Freyja was a bit taken aback but nodded her head.

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I can be trusted?” Grandma asks.

“I don’t have a choice in that manner as I need your assistance.”

“I see. So, what do you need?”

“I want to know if it is possible to use transfer Magic to send things to and from my world.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. We can only transfer to the places you can see or to areas you have marked. Blind transportation is unreliable at best.”

“Can you explain how you mark the location?”

“It’s a bit of an advanced technique. It’s a fusion of Ki and Magic. You mainly use it as a marker for the Magic.”

“Are there any other functions of this marker?”

“Yes, they are also used as surveillance devices. They can be made to give desired information on their location or attached target.”

“I see... Then is it possible for you to blindly transfer through the focal point of the Magic to get things to the other side.”

“It might be possible, though I believe the Magic is only powerful enough in your immediate presence. On top of this, it will not be possible for me to send back anything as I cannot see or sense it.”

“Then is it possible for you to send through something that contains a mark. Then, transfer anything within a certain radius or that touches said mark.”

“That... That is possible. I never considered it. I am not sure I can send anything through as this Magic was made especially for you.”

“Then can you use my blood as a catalyst?”

Grandma’s eyes widened. “That... That’s genius!”

“The way I see it, you should be able to create something like two large tables. Both of which you place a mark using my blood as a catalyst to link them through the Magic. Once we send one of the tables through with the blind transfer, would it possible to simultaneously switch the contents on them if we do this?”

Grandma’s hair became messy as she nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, yes. Though it needs some testing, it is possible. May I start right away?”

Martel nodded his head to affirm. At a speed which denied her apparent age, Grandma grabbed his arm, placed a bowl below it, grabbed a knife, and quickly slit his wrist.

“Grandma!” Freyja shouted as her face went slightly pale. 

“It’s fine it’s fine, I’ll fix it in a second,” Grandma replied as she made a slight gesture with her hand. After a couple of seconds, the wound completely healed.

Martel wiggled his wrist. “That’s quite impressive. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t... Felt it.”

“As if you could expect anything less of me,” Grandma replied with a smile. “I’m not omnipotent though. I can only heal about four wounds of that level, so don’t think you can get injured without consequence. Now, there is much work to be done. Both of you, please leave me so I can concentrate.”

“Understood, let me know as you progress.”

“Of course, of course,” Grandma replied as Martel and Freyja left the room.

After they had left the room, Freyja spoke up. “So, what was the purpose of me being there? I didn’t see any reason for it.”

“Given that you’re going to be my representative, I think it only right that I trust you if only a little.”

“I hardly believe you’ve known me long enough to trust me.”

“And I agree.”

“Then why do you?”

“... Because I want to trust you. Is that so wrong?”

“No... Although you might get hurt if you blindly trust someone.”

A delicate expression flashed across Martel’s face as memories appeared in his mind. “Once you trust someone, you can get hurt regardless of whether it is blindly or earned.”

“I guess that is true… Is there anything else?”

“Just make sure you prepare yourself. I imagine you’re going to be quite busy from now on. I’ll apologize in advance as you seemed to be against this.”

“No such thing. It will be a good experience for me.” Freyja replied with a bow. “If you’ll excuse me.”

With that, they parted for the day.

End of Day -322