Freyja excitedly ran to Alaric the moment she saw him in one piece. Three days passed and Alaric returned safely, much to her relief "How was it?"
"Glad you're doing well. I heard that Kirin and Kristril were bullying you." Alaric glared at the silver haired young man behind Freyja.
"Yes! They sure did!" Freyja grinned.
"HEY!" Kirin pulled her away from Alaric by the collar. "It's a surprise that you didn't encounter a single enemy. But I doubt my father is still unaware of our presence here." Kirin said, being his usual careful self. "And I don't trust Kristril's silence either. She must have sold our location already. And there's Keon too."
"Keon won't do that!" Freyja protested. "You're too trusting, Freyja!"
"Well," Alaric took his cloak off before sitting next to Freyja. "You might be right about that. But for now I have great news." Alaric looked at Freyja with an unusually serious expression on his face. "A Celestial Guardian might be under the Aethelmaer clan already."
"HUH!? What do you mean by that?" She asked, feeling a tingling sensation of excitement run through her spine. "Uh huh." Alaric nodded. "No one will suspect it, but, if we will base the signs on Aria and Astrid's cases, I'm sure that a celestial guardian is somewhere in this continent. Those slaves sent by the towns are most likely used as test subjects for their experiments. But where do you think they get so much aura source for all that? Only celestial guardians are capable of releasing that tremendous amount of aura."
"If that is so, then I have to get the celestial guardian from them as soon as possible!" Not realizing that she's underestimating the enemy, Freyja impulsively decided to head to their manor right away! "Even If it's not a celestial guardian, it's definitely worth knowing what that power source is. At least it's better than doing nothing." Alaric agreed. Kirin on the other hand, fell silent. Kirin stood up, turned his back and walked away. He didn't object, nor agreed. But his expression shows how uneasy he was with their plan.
Night came and Kirin is still locked inside his room. Since their enthusiastic plan, Kirin hasn't come out of his room. Freyja was overwhelmed with guilt because of that, especially after hearing Keon's stories about his childhood. "His eyes were like when we first met. I wonder if we said something that hurt him." She thought, rolling on the bed, "I am scared... I want to go to Kirin, but I am scared that he might get angrier!" After a couple of minutes, Freyja finally made a decision and jumped out of the bed while slapping her face. "Alright Freyja! Be BRAVE! Face your fears!"
Freyja quietly walked out of her room and headed to Kirin's. She was hesitant at first, but she managed to muster enough courage and knocked on the door. "Kirin... Are you awake?"
Kirin opened the door silently. "Freyja... what's the matter?" As expected, he still looked troubled.
Freyja entered the room before Kirin locked it again. "You see..." She stuttered. "I... I am sorry for being insensitive Kirin."
"..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't consider your feelings about the Aethelmaer family. I... I know that you didn't like your life there, and... and that you don't want to return."
"..." Kirin just looked at her,
"And," She continued, "And I think we have to leave this place as soon as possible too. We have to." In truth, Freyja wanted to search for the celestial guardian in the Aethelmaer manor. However, if it means hurting Kirin, she's willing to postpone it. She decided. "So Kirin let's—"
Freyja was cut off when Kirin suddenly embraced her, still without a word. It was so sudden that they ended up falling on top of his bed. "Yes, I want to leave. I hate it here..." Kirin mumbled, "I'm sorry Freyja, but believe me, now is not the time to fight my father. He wants you dead first thing, and he will do anything to do so, I know it. Also, with our current power, we might just end up being dead for nothing." She squeezed her tighter. "I can't protect you like this."
"Kirin..." She felt him tremble. For the first time, she is seeing Kirin act like a terrified little boy. She immediately regretted suggesting the attack plan. Freyja wrapped her arms around him, caressing his back.
"When I was little," He continued, "I had a dream. It was a bright place, a place far different from where I usually was."
"Hello there!"
"There was someone there, a child smiling and... and it was very warm. That child, called me happily. That voice, everything... it feels so strange and light. But... that person seemed so far away. No matter how I try to reach that child with my hands, I couldn't."
Freyja quietly listened,
"It would have been better if I hadn't seen that dream. I would have never realized how miserable I was."
"But, you want to go there still, right?" Freyja managed to suppress her tears from falling. Kirin's emotions got through her. In fact, Kirin is not the type of person to show vulnerability. Seeing him like this shattered her heart
"Kirin, don't worry, we're going to leave. We'll get out of this place and fast!" She tried to share her usual energy. Kirin tightened his embrace. And like a child he curled up and closed his eyes. He wrapped his arms tightly around Freyja, he pressed his face into her chest. Freyja held his cold hands tight. "This is the first time Kirin acted like this. He looks... scared." She thought, closing her eyes. "My dad once said that when you sleep while holding hands, you will share the same dream. So, Kirin, if anything goes wrong, I will... fight... the...m..." Not for long, the girl fell asleep.
The blinding rays of the sun awakened Freyja from a deep, dreamless sleep. The morning was so refreshing that she almost forgot what happened last night. She rubbed her eyes before looking around. "You're awake..." Kirin, who was lying beside her, greeted. "Why am I here!?" She freaked out, but quickly remembered the why. Looking at Kirin acting like his usual self though, relieved her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I fell asleep here again."
"Where's Frey—"Alaric, all of a sudden, slammed the door open, and ended up petrified in shock. "Wh- Wh..." He stuttered, extremely surprised of finding her under the blankets with Kirin.
"Morning Alaric!" She greeted as usual. Alaric pulled her away from Kirin right away. "Freyja, it's not really proper to share a room with a man..." Alaric scolded the girl with his arms crossed.
"But it's Kirin. It's okay." She said, matter of factly.
"How old are you Freyja?" Alaric continued with crossed arms,
"Thirteen..." She pouted,
"See, you are already thirteen. That's the age where people start to misunderstand things."
"Misunderstand?"
"Anyway," Alaric sighed, "A girl shouldn't be sleeping in a man's bed so easily... ESPECIALLY WITH SOMEONE LIKE THAT." Alaric shouted, pointing straight at Kirin who threw his shoe at Alaric as a response.
The morning was unusually loud and cheerful, considering they're at the heart of the enemy base. Everyone in Kristril's mansion could not believe that the coldhearted Kirin they once knew can smile, get angry, get flustered. He looked like a completely different person. And this infuriated her.
Kristril felt completely out of place. Kirin was smiling, laughing heartily. He's arguing with an exiled runemaster and teasing a little girl. Kristril has always been madly in love with Kirin ever since she met him, she couldn't help but feel her heart ache whenever she sees Kirin smile because of other people. All these time she thought she knew Kirin more than anyone.
Unlike her usual perky self, Kristril quietly finished her meal and headed back to her room without a word. Kirin noticed her unusual behavior. He's sure that she's at her limit. And it's not good for them.
"Lord Ahrin..." Locked inside her room, Kristril phoned the eldest of the Aethelmaer siblings. "Kristril... why the sudden call?" The eldest Aethelmaer asked from the other line.
"Lord Kirin... Lord Kirin and that girl... the Lenfiare. She's right here in my mansion."
Although she couldn't see him, she could tell the kind of face Ahrin is making. "Alright," He said, "You are a good girl Kristril, don't worry, I'll get her immediately. Stay quiet."
"I understand, please hurry."
Kristril hung up with a sigh of relief, a smile on her face.
~ o 0 o ~