"For now we return to the palace, you will officially embark on your journey to the east in the coming days", Silvia said with a smile.
Nodding, I took another sip of my tea, though was it imagination, or was it significantly colder now?
Not only my tea, but the entire room seemed to drop a few degrees. I could even see my own breath.
Looking at Silvia, I notice her expression.
She was tense, her usual smile gone, her face completely bereft of emotion. She gazed towards the entrance, as though she could see through the thick fabric.
Frowning, she looked at me.
"Forgive me your highness, but I must step outside momentarily, please remain seated", she said before hastily moving towards the entrance and disappearing beyond the entrance before I could even respond.
Frowning I lean back in the chair.
I'm curious as to what's happening, obviously, but considering she said remain seated...
I decided to stay for a minute and see what happens.
I can't say I'm particularly worried, Cephi would probably warn me if anything major was going to happen, like when I ran into this roadblock in the first place.
Though that begs the question, how did they even know it would be there in the first place?
Though, that also begs another question, how do they even see? I've never seen their face before, let alone their eyes.
Do they even have any?
Losing myself in thought for a moment, a sound rouses me.
It sounded as though someone was walking across a frozen lake in high heels.
Drawn to sound coming ever closer, I exhale lightly.
It was even colder than before, to the point where even under all these enchantments I was starting to shiver.
Then, as if it was all an illusion. the temperature suddenly stabilized.
At the same time, A figure stepped through the entrance.
It was not Silvia, but instead a completely different figure.
Strangely, I could not make out any specifics about their appearance, it was though they were entirely shrouded by a misty haze, a cloud of smoke and numerous sparkling crystals.
I could tell they were looking at me however, I could feel their gaze wash over me briefly before shifting to the rest of the room.
I decide to simply sit still for the moment, though my hands make their way to the hilts of my daggers as a precaution.
The figure simply stands there for a moment, before i see a shift in the haze, as though they were moving, as though they were raising their hand.
Deciding not to chance it I immediately send two daggers flying, one after the other.
My aim wasn't the best with thrown weapons, but at this distance it didn't matter, I wasn't aiming for anything difficult to hit either, just their torso.
Yet, before my very eyes, the daggers simply slowed to a crawl mid air, before stopping completely.
The hair on my body stood as my blood rushed throughout my body.
I stood immediately and began slowly circling the room.
My eyes never leave the figure, yet in my peripheral vision I can still see the daggers.
They were just stopped in mid air, suspended by some intangible force, covered in a layer of silvery-blue frost.
I blankly stared at the scene, internally counting down the seconds before the daggers were supposed to return, yet they did not.
Even as 30 seconds pass, they remain frozen, simply floating there.
"Interesting...", I mutter under my breath.
It was strange. Even as fear slowly crept up my spine, making my hands shake ever so slightly, I couldn't help but feel my curiosity burn even brighter.
Quickly passing my gaze over the figure again, I can't help but pose a question.
"Are you a ghost?", I ask monotonously.
I hear what sounds like a faint snicker that echoes slightly from the figure, as though they were in a vast frozen cavern, and after a second, they respond.
"A ghost? Perhaps. What made you think that?"
I think for a bit before replying.
"Well, the sudden drop in temperature, the mysterious hazy figure, the unexplainable happenings," I say while pointing to the frozen daggers.
"Need I go on?"
The hazy figure remains silent for a moment, before laughing slightly.
"I suppose that train of thought makes sense. But no, child, I am no ghost."
They take a step towards me, which I respond to by hurling another dagger at the figure, which obviously doesn't work.
Quickly raking my brain I try to figure out a solution.
There was an entire procession of Imperial Guardsmen outside, maybe making a scene would alert them?
But, the figure came from outside. They would have noticed them already. Not to mention that Silvia stepped out just moments before.
This implies whomever or whatever the figure is, pacified them all, without even alerting me.
Frowning at the thought, I feel a sense of dissonance, as my hands stop shaking and my curiousity grow, but I quickly focus as the figure suddenly threw something to me.
Catching it and hastily identifying it to know whether or not I've just caught an explosive, I see a plain white envelope, sealed with a wax engraving bearing a crest.
The Imperial Family's crest.
Confused I raise my head towards the figure, but they're gone, and the biting cold that had once retreated had returned again, though with less intensity.
The daggers that had been frozen, mid air, had simply returned to their sheathes.
"Not a ghost my ass" I mutter as I step out of the tent.
As I do, I hear a distinct crunch under my boot.
Looking down, I see the ground covered entirely by a layer of frost and snow.
Raising my head, I see the surrounding scenery was completely different from when I entered, everything was now covered in snow and ice.
The Guardsmen had completely surrounded the tent, their halberds at the ready to defend against any attack.
Silvia stood just a few steps away, gazing at the scenery with deep scrutiny, though she seemed to sense my presence as I step onto the snow covered dirt.
Turning around with widened eyes, she said,
"Your Highness! Please return inside at once!" Silvia said with some urgency as she glanced around at the environment now covered in snow, before she ushered me into the tent.
Some Guardsmen turned at her voice, but another voice, an older man, probably another commander, quickly admonished them for not keeping their eyes forward.
As we stepped into the tent I handed the letter to Silvia, her eyes widening briefly before narrowing.
As her finger brushed past the seal gently, an expression I'd never seen before crossed her face briefly.
"What's...where did you get this?"
Before I could respond someone called out from beyond the tent.
"Eric Alsbringer greets His Imperial Highness"
"You may enter", I say the way I've been taught.
As Eric enters he quickly removes his helmet before saluting, which I wave off.
Eric stood, and glancing to Silvia he gives a slight bow, which she returns.
I return to my seat and stretch a bit as I feel a wave of fatigue come over me.
Eric and Silvia stand at my flanks, conversing, but honestly I'm too tired to hear their conversation and drift off to sleep a few seconds later.
----------
"You engaged with the Princess?!"
"You're too loud Silv, you'll wake Prince Adam..."
Looking to the sleeping prince, Silvia sighed lightly.
"This entire operation has gone awry from the start, he was only supposed to be targeted by those Southern Alliance idiots hiding in the capital, not her", Silvia said while staring at the letter intensely.
"I'll let one of my men inform Her Majesty's unit--"
As Elric spoke a sudden presence appeared behind prince Adam.
In a split second Elric had drawn his sword, swinging it towards the figure, while Silvia had already conjured a series of spells, one of which formed a barrier of shimmering golden light around Adam.
However the figure, simply grabbed Elric's sword by the blade, and raised another hand.
As his eyes widened from the ease at which his weapon was stopped, and yet, almost completely by instinct, he reached for his secondary weapon, a short dagger on the his belt, yet before he could even grab it...
"Halt."
In an instant both Elric and Silvia became unable to move, the torrent of mana around Silvia instantly dissipating, as a heavy an oppressive aura brought everything around them to a standstill.
As shock and fear begin to take a hold of them both, they recognised the figure and sigh in relief.
"My apologies for the abrupt entrance--I should have announced myself" Cephiros, the Archangel spoke.
Now able to move, they both bowed deeply in apology to the angel, but were simply waved off, the Archangel simply placing the blame on itself.
Elric, with his blade returned to him, stepped outside to send off one of his men.
"I didn't hold back with that blow, yet they easily stopped it, as though I were merely a child..."
Rattled, and eternally thankful for Cephiros being Adam's guardian, Eric stepped towards Salvador.
With Cephiros simply standing behind Adam silently, Silvia returned her attention to the letter, sighing heavily.