Unedited
Chapter 61:
Recurrent Feelings
The sound of horse hooves clicking under foot on the dirt pathways of the Faelfier Kingdom were drowned out by the sound of rain as Silas and Holland traveled side by side in the front of the carriage, their heads covered by heavy cloaks to keep out the persistent rain. Even the cloth cover of the caravan was unable to protect them as they braved the rain, leading the horses through the foliage. The horse's hooves trailed through puddles as they continued forward, ignoring the poor weather as they hurried towards their first mission. The night sky provided no light, leaving them to wander on the dimly lit path.
"It's three hours to dawn. We should have more than enough time to reach Aramoor by then." Holland stated, his usual jovial demeanor shrouded by the poor weather. His hair had long been tucked inside the back of the hood, but his face was wet with drops of rain, making him look fatigued. Silas reached into his waist bag and pulled out a small piece of fruit, a purple plum, and passed it to Holland with an open palm. Holland looked at Silas's hand before he accepted the fruit with a tired smile, taking a bite of the sour fruit to wake himself.
Seeing the pair's poor pallor, Saoirse stuck her head outside the inside of the carriage and asked, "How are you two? Neema and I can switch out whenever you two are ready." She said, using a hand to cover her head from the rain.
Looking over his shoulder, Silas shook his head. "We're almost there. Holland and I can hold out until then." He smiled, thanking them with a nod. Holland nodded in response, looking relieved to be so close to the end. It was only a matter of time before they would reach the outskirts of town.
Soon, the south-eastern town of Aramoor was within their view. The stars in the sky were hidden by the looming dark rain clouds, pouring down rain as the pair hurried under the cover of the town gates, entering swiftly with the flash of their citizenship tokens. After dropping off their caravan with the stable hand next to the inn, Silas hurried behind Holland, Eva, and Neema and Saoirse. Holding an umbrella over Eva, Holland motioned on ahead towards the local inn near the city center. Running in the rain, Neema and Saoirse shared an umbrella as Silas braved the rain, soaking himself head to toe, leaving the tips of his hair dripping with water as the small group stepped through the ornate wooden doorway of the large inn.
"Welcome." An older woman with braided hair answered with a large smile as the group walked inside, her tone subdued by the time of day.
Holland lowered his hood as Silas unbuttoned the front of his jacket in the warm inn, heated by the blazing wood stove in the front. Eva stood nearby, placing the wet umbrella near the wood stove as Neema and Saoirse quickly followed suit. "Hello. We have a reservation under a group for Sir Mahel." Holland answered, approaching the desk as Silas stood by the doorway, allowing the water on his rain jacket to drop on the rug below his wet boots. Wiping his boots, he tried to swipe off as much mud as he could. Eva shot him a look out of the side of her eye before she returned her gaze to Holland and the desk attendant.
The woman at the counter smiled and responded, "Of course. One of your guests has already arrived in room three." She bent below the counter for a moment before she retrieved a key and placed it on the counter. "If you could, please be quiet while returning to your room. There are other guests asleep, and I would hate to have them wake up."
Retrieving the small key, Holland smiled and mouthed "we will, thank you" before he nodded his head to the group and trailed up the stairs. Eva followed closely behind, followed by Silas and the twins. The stairs were well maintained compared to the small inn Silas had met Eva at earlier. The warmth of the fire bit off the late-autumn chill in the air and returned some color to Silas's cheeks. Following closely behind Holland, the group stopped shortly down the hall, in front of an occupied room. Lifting his fist, Holland tapped his finger on the wood of the door three times, looking at the front of the door before he paused and looked down to the knob.
"He's been expecting us. Let's go in." Eva stated coolly. Silas solemnly nodded his head and entered the room quickly behind Eva, who had already pushed open the door. The small group was greeted by a dimly lit room, lit only by the light of two tall candles on the table near the window. As Silas stepped through the doorway, he waited for the rest of the group to enter before he closed and locked the door, leaving Eva to walk further in the small room towards the sitting figure at the table.
"Why is it so dark in here?" Eva asked with a crinkled frown, her lips twisted down in displeasure.
Hearing that, the figure at the table chuckled lightly, and then the lights in the room were brightened by the power of mana, bringing the entirety of the room into view. Turning around, Silas was greeted by the warm smile of the sitting figure. Under the previous light of the candle, he had to squint to better see. Once the light had been brightened, Silas's eyes widened, and he found himself speaking before he could contain himself. "M-Meredith?" Silas stuttered, looking inside the room at the tall, blue-haired figure sitting at the table. A steaming cup of warm tea rested in front of them as the figure looked up at Silas's voice and smiled, looking bright as he stood up and greeted Silas with a hug.
"It's good to see you safe." After a brief hug, Meredith pulled back, wiping off some of the dirt on Silas's rain jacket from his hands onto his handkerchief. Silas apologized with an embarrassed smile, dusting off some of the mud with the back of his hand.
Holland, watching the lovely reunion, laughed and looked at Meredith and asked in a joking tone, "Where's my hug?" His eyes narrowed as he smiled to himself.
Ignoring Holland's banter, Meredith motioned for the group to situate themselves in the room. Eva took to the bed and sat down, her back tall and straight on the end of the bed, while Neema and Saoirse stood not far to the side of her, seemingly comfortable to stand. Holland and Silas joined Meredith near the table, sitting together so that they were able to all speak directly in the moderately-sized room.
Eva was the first to speak, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she said, "Our next mission is crucial to the future of the Yursinean throne." Her words carried a heavy bite as she looked to the table and said, "The Yursinean King's nephew, Duke Malcolm Godfreed will be returning from his short vacation in the Khymal Empire in two weeks. Before then, he will be attending an large cultural event hosted by the Kyhmalian King in one week's time in the capital city." She paused, "I will be performing at this event. Saoirse, you will lead Holland through the event as civilians to find out more information. While you two will cover the northern district, Neema will lead Silas and Meredith as needed."
"Understood, Lady Eva." Neema said, bowing her head slightly.
"It's been awhile since I've worked with you, Holland." Saoirse laughed.
Holland winked as Eva directed her gaze towards Meredith and Silas and said, "Meredith and Silas, you two will be assuming special identities. Take a look at the paperwork here." Reaching into her jacket, Eva retrieved a thick roll of parchment. Unfurling the papers, she took two of the papers in her hands and stood up, walking across the floor in her heeled boots, clicking against the surface of the hardwood floor dully.
When she stopped in front of the desk, she handed each paper to their respective owners before she took the largest piece of parchment and rolled it out on the surface of the table. Meredith quickly lifted his tea cup and saucer, leaving Eva to shoot him a look as she stood back and looked over the detailed map drawn on the beige paper. "This paper here shows the map of Neela, the capital of the Khymal Empire." Eva's gloved fingers traced over the hand written notes on the page, directing their attention to a variety of markings and hastily-written notes.
Neema and Saoirse joined the group at the table, viewing the map of the city they were quite familiar with. After another glance, they stepped back and nodded their heads, saying to Eva, "The map is correct, Lady Eva. Though we are not familiar with the hidden passages, the side trails will not be a problem." Saoirse stated confidently.
Neema nodded, "The only portion of the city that may be a problem may be the main street of the city here." She pointed her finger to the wide, large path cut through the middle of the map. "With the amount of nobles coming, they will most likely block off the main street here for Lady Eva's performance, making it difficult to travel through here until it finishes, which will be disadvantageous to us."
Holland hummed to himself in thought, "So that means we'll have to travel between the back trails and the stalls."
Eva tapped the paper, "The border will be another potential problem."
"The border between the Khymal Empire and the Yursear Kingdom is just half a mile south of here. The imperial knights will most likely block this part off entirely for the duration of the duke's visit." Neema's brows knotted.
Silas and Meredith listened carefully, ignoring the papers in his hands as he scanned over the map, memorizing the information written as Meredith looked over the map with a careful eye. With a flicker of his eyes, Meredith added, "Duke Godfreed has always made a production of being generous and kind to the common people. It is very likely he will come to see your performance, Eva."
Hearing Meredith speak, Eva tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before she responded, "That Duke thinks acting generous will earn him the favor of the public. This is nothing but a performance for him." Crossing her arms across her chest, Eva added, "Don't let your guard down around him."
"Nothing's scarier than you, Eva." Holland smiled, winking from his chair with a laugh. With a turn of her head, the smile on Holland's face froze and Eva's expression returned to it's icy state of indifference, leading Silas and Meredith to turn their attention to the papers they had received earlier from Eva as their special assignment.
Holding the papers in his hand, Silas read over the information quickly but efficiently. It was not until he reached the information on his individual role and identity that he froze, finding his light smile stuck on his face with a light twitch. Not this again. He thought to himself exasperatedly.
On the provided papers was the identity of a young adult, a young lady. The woman's name was Valia Reed, a young Kyhmalian performer. Traveling alongside the famous Lady Ivana with her older sister, Delilah, the pair would perform road shows in order to earn money. Though it was the simple identity of two orphans, it would be important for them to maintain their image while keeping a close distance between themselves and the performance with Eva.
Silas had already been warned, one more mistake, and he will never see his family again. Though Eva had already promised to allow him to see his family, there was the chance that he would lose that privilege. He had already asked Eva why he would be included in the mission. Her disdain for him was unhidden, after all, but her response was the only clue he was given. "This mission will allow you to see your family again. Have some trust in me." She said to him, sipping a glass of steaming tea, her eyes piercing into his figure with a cool air. He could not refute her words.
Silas's eye's faded in color as his face paled another degree. The thought of disguising himself as a woman was unsettling, and he worried about being caught in disguise, but with the crystal it would not be something to worry about. Staring at his paper, Meredith looked unperturbed, but when he saw Silas's face he could not help but say, "Don't worry, Silas. You and I will be in disguise together." Though Meredith smiled comfortingly, Silas could not feel comforted in the least.
Hearing Silas's displeasure, Holland could not help but look over Silas's hands at the paper in his hand. The more he read, the larger the smile on his face grew until he could not stand it any longer and burst out into laughter. Hearing Holland's boisterous laughter, Silas's face darkened as he snapped in response, "You'd be angry too if you had to do this again, Holland."
Holland's boisterous laughter stopped as he asked immediately, "Again? What do you mean again?"
Realizing his error, Silas fell silent, his face flushed red as Meredith showed a rare smile and even laughed, lightning the stiff atmosphere in the room by a large degree. Neema and Saoirse let out a giggle, laughing along with the group. The only one that did not laugh was Eva, but there was a small, unmistakable smile on her face, surprising Silas.
"With your past experience, you should be able to complete this mission without any errors." She said, the icy smile frozen still on her rouged lips as her eyes fixed on Silas's hunched figure at the table. Feeling her gaze, Silas could only straighten his back, resigning himself to cross dressing once again with Meredith. At least this time, he would not be fighting for his life. Rather, he would be fighting for his family's lives.
Holding the papers tightly in his hands, crinkling the parchment, Silas responded seriously, "I will do what is required of me, Lady Eva. I can promise you I will not fail you." His green eyes were full of determination, lacking the past trepidation he had had taking on his first mission from Eva. The stakes were even higher now, and there was no room for failure.
Hearing his words, Eva smiled in response, standing in front of the table as she responded, "Don't lower my expectations of you."
After wrapping up the map, Eva placed it back inside her jacket and prepared the group to leave. Neema and Saoirse gathered the last of their belongings as Meredith and Silas placed away their new identities deep inside their jackets, securing the fake citizenship tokens procured by Eva within them. While Neema and Saoirse discussed the mission with Eva, Holland gathered the carriage and drew it in front of the inn, allowing everyone to enter the carriage and continue their travels without getting wet from the continuous rain.
Meredith lifted out his hand and helped the others into the carriage. When Eva stepped to the side of the carriage, Meredith helped Eva with a delicate lift of his hand as he used his other hand to hold the umbrella over their heads. There was a light smile on her lips as she thanked him, stepping into the carriage without a drop of water in her hair. Once everyone had been situated, they discussed the carriage arrangements.
"Holland, Silas, you two rest in the carriage. Neema and I will take care of the driving." The dark circles under Holland's eyes only darkened as time passed, leaving him to feel more and more fatigued as they prepared the mission. Happily, he accepted and moved to the back of the carriage to rest on the bench while Silas, feeling Eva's heavy gaze on the back of his head, asked if they needed any more help before he was hastily turned down and shoved to the back of the carriage by Meredith.
Patting his back after the wet jacket had been removed, Meredith said, "Silas, you're of no use exhausted. Get some sleep. We'll wake you up when we need you."
Silas smiled in response, his head heavy with exhaustion, "Thanks, Meredith. I will." His voice was low as he gathered his bag and moved to the bench on the other side of Holland, resting his head against the wooden beam as he sat back comfortably, quietly shutting his eyes as he began to rest.
As Silas's breath's became even, and Holland's light snores filled the carriage, Meredith sighed as he sat across from Eva, his expression flat as he looked to Eva, sitting with her arms crossed across her chest, and said quietly, "Silas is capable, Eva. Don't be too hard on him." His tone was heavier than usual, but the chill around him was lightened when facing Eva directly.
Eva sighed, her eyes lifted as she stared at Meredith's steady expression, "You know how important this mission is, Meredith. There is no room for error, nor room for mistakes." The air around the two was chilly, but there was a trace of familiar warmth when the two spoke to each other. "Silas has the capability to succeed, but he is too mentally fragile to handle setbacks. When problems occur, he falls apart rather than thinking those problems though. Maybe if he strengthens his resolve, he'll surprise me." She hummed, her gloved fingers resting against the crooks of her arms.
Meredith smiled, "I think you're underestimating him, Eva."
With the heavy sound of thunder trailing in the distance, the journey to Neela began.
In the Yursinean Kingdom, the various candidates prepared themselves, using their maids to dress them in intricate clothing from their respective kingdoms and districts as the first selection event was prepared, overshadowing the previous poisoning of Prince Clarence.
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Finally up! I got a job offer finally, and I finished touring my on-site apartment yesterday ;u; I'm pretty hyped! Paperwork too me longer than I thought today, so that's on me..... Unedited because Hunny isn't feeling up to it, and I mostly mained this chapter as I've been skimping out lately myself (sorry, Hunny ;; ) Any stiffness/ grammatical errors are mine! Also, I noticed an error from last chapter. It's Faelfier, not Falfier, so disregard that. Sorry. Apparently spelling isn't something we do well hahaha
Huge thanks to you all for checking out the teaser projects! If I have time from work, I plan to either take up webtooning again or continue working on side projects while pursuing my masters degree. The Nights we Shared is the most popular so far, but if I rewrite Death's Disciples, Hunny will be mainly helping with that. If I pursue The Nights we Shared, I'll probably recruit another editor when the time comes ♥
Thanks again for all your support, and please keep that feedback coming! I'm a masochist for good constructive criticism (LOL). Again, thanks for all of your lovely comments! Let us know what you think of Silas and Malcolm's impending meeting~~~ (✧ω✧)