The rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky. Golden fingers of sunlight lit up the scene.
The white horse and brown horse parked near campsite are neighing.
Ieza wakes up and leaving the tent. He gazes on Felicia staring on the sunrise.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah. The only thing gave me hope and energy to live."
Ieza walks to the side of where Felicia is sitting right now.
"We should be ready. Let's pack things up."
"Before that." Felicia seems concerned. "Are you sure you're going to do this without your brother?"
Ieza sit beside Felicia. He merges both of his hands together.
"That would be the best idea." Ieza smiled. Their eyes gaze the sunrise together.
Felicia turned around toward Ieza. She is about to say something, but stopped on a moment she gazes on his facial expressions.
"What's wrong, Felicia?"
"Oh, it is nothing. You seemed sad, Ieza."
Ieza stands up between two feet. He smiles and waves his right hand, signaling Felicia to get things ready and go.
Felicia nodded and follows Ieza. They packed up the things and dismantled their tents.
They walked their horse with belongings toward their destination. Kingdom of Akgardia.
Several moments later, Ieza and Felicia finally reaches the Kingdom of Akgardia. They approach the guard nearby and Felicia introduce themselves as the envoys from Kartika Village.
A guard notice something familiar about Ieza's face features.
"Welcome back, Mister Gerrard."
Ieza and Felicia passes with ease. Their face expressions remain calm, but Ieza thinks something amiss.
Felicia whispers to Ieza.
"Is this part of the plan?"
"Just stay aware, Felicia. Anything outside the plan can't be the luck." he replies while keeping his vision straight ahead the road.
As their horses walk away from entrance checkpoint, the other guard raises his suspicion toward Ieza from far away.
"Hey, are you sure it's him?"
"Are you blind? He is definitely Gerrard. I'm pretty sure of it!"
"Says the one who drunk all night. I will confirm this matter to the captain."
The guard walks away from the post. He seems disgruntled about what his coworker did.
The shadow passes by, quickly from above, as if the crow flies away.
The guard seems alerted. He gazes on the rooftop of surrounding building nearby.
But he saw nothing, only winds and leaves on an empty rooftop.
"I must be tired."
As he continues walking through the street, the man in black robe appeared from rooftop.
The man gazes on the right side, the street where Felicia and Ieza just walked through. Then he sends his messenger bird and disappears behind the wind blows – that seemingly covered with leaves.
---
In the empty Council meeting room. Olford sits in the front row. He closes his eyes, as if he's meditating.
Behind him, those are opened windows, letting the sunshine passing through, brighten the room.
A shadowy flying object appears in the middle of a window. It's the messenger bird that passes through the window and landed on Olford's shoulder.
He gazes on the tiny letter tied on the bird's leg. He takes the letter, opens it and reads the content.
He's smiling, then he decides to stand up and leave the room.
In front of Olford, there are two men standing near the door.
"Gentlemen." Olford calls those men.
"We will proceed the second phase, Mister Herga and Mister Farrell."
Those men bowing toward Olford, with their right hand tapping their own left shoulders.
Olford passes them by and exiting the room. Those men following him afterward.
---
In the plaza of Akgardia, Ieza and Felicia parked their horses on the stable near the inn. They are walking inside the inn and approaches the receptionist.
"One room for three nights, please." Ieza and Felicia saying that together.
"Okay, is this your first time? You both such a perfect couple."
"No. We are just friends."
Ieza and Felicia said the same thing again. Their face blushing red.
The female receptionist giggled as she watches their facial expressions.
"It's okay, we often received a lot lovers to stay here. After all this is the best inn in Akgardia. Here's your key for room 88, and I hope you both enjoy the stay!"
Ieza takes the key and walks upstairs with Felicia.
They do not say a word until they reached the room 88.
"Felicia, you are staying inside for the time being. I will get ourselves some supply."
"Be careful, Ieza. The guards might notice you at any moment."
Ieza hand over the key to Felicia, and leaves to the downstairs, then reaches the front door.
While exiting, he bumps onto a man with white suit.
"Ah, sorry. My bad" Ieza waves his right hand while saying that.
The man did not reply, he just walks himself approaching the receptionist.
Ieza pays no mind and walks away. He gazes on a black carriage in front of the inn entrance.
He walks himself to the market, buying breads and fruits. He gazes on a man reading newspaper on the bench. Beside that man, a teenager shouting to the public about the headline of the newspaper.
"An impersonator of Gerrard Horgan just entered the Akgardia. Stay safe everyone!"
He's shocked. Without second thought he just throws his coin purse to the bread seller, and walks away from the market.
The bread seller checked the coin purse and yells back toward Ieza from his bakery stand.
"Hey, Sir! You paid me less. Come back here!"
Ieza increases his walking speed, as he passing through the busy street of the plaza, going back toward the inn he rented just now. He finally reaches the inn and rushes straight upstairs to his room.
He finds out the room he rented is just opened. No sign of Felicia forcefully kidnapped.
He checked the entire room, the bathroom, the closet. and finally, the window. Nothing forcefully opened
"It can't be that man just now!"
He rushes back downstairs and asked the receptionist if she saw Felicia.
"Do you see my female friend walking outside
Suddenly the guards coming in to the inn and holding their tip of their spear toward Ieza.
Ieza was about to turns his body facing the soldiers, instead he's apprehended and grabbed both of his hands as their squad leader says something on him.
"You are being arrested for impersonating the important citizen of Akgardia!"
The soldiers are forcefully pushing Ieza walking inside the carriage as the people nearby are watching him. The carriage pulled by a horse moving away from location to the Plaza area.
Ieza notices someone from the carriage window. He gazes on Felicia walking besides the man with white suit he encountered back then. They are spotted walking passes the bridge toward the gate of the Council.
He jumped on the seemingly locked carriage window, The window crashes and the carriage shaking for a moment. He tries his best to stick out his head through the window and yelling her name multiple times. The guards are trying hard to pull Ieza back to his seat and decide to smack his head. Ieza falls unconscious
Felicia notices someone calling her name from far away. She gazes on her backs for a brief moment. When the man said something on her.
"Your majesty expects you in his chamber. Rest assured you will be safe here, Lady Felicia."
Felicia nodded with empty gazes.
Then, they are walking inside the Council building, followed with additional guards behind them.
---
Several moments later, on the entrance zone. Gerrard approaching the gate and greeted with the guard. He notices the guard facial expression as if he's being doubtful of him.
"Something happened?"
Then the guard relieves. He approaches Gerrard and asking some questions.
"Not really, we have detained someone impersonating as yourself. He has similar face features yet wearing different clothes and different horse from yours."
"I see. Then excuse me."
The guard open the gate and letting Gerrard inside.
"Someone that impersonates me by the looks, hmm. Intriguing." Gerrard is murmuring to himself while rubbing his chin, wondering whom might be.
He whips the bridle and gallops away, passing the bridge to the Council district.
He greets the guard nearby and open the magic gate, letting Gerrard entering the Council. Inside the building lobby, he approaches and greets Farrell Stevan.
"Hello, Farrell! Fancy to meet you here!"
"Hey, welcome back to Akgardia, Gerrard. What do you find in your study there in Enkarsia Republic?"
"So, I've found that they have problem with the out-of-date manual labor. While it is good to utilize the large population, it doesn't necessarily improve their production. In short terms, it's the stamina issue they've encountered. I think I can develop some magic devices to increase their output efficiency of their cattle production and farms."
"Which the more they will rely on us as the master craftsman of those magical devices. Well done, Gerrard!"
"Precisely. Anyway, I have to go. I have something to do."
"Looking for your assistant, I suppose?"
"Of course, Farrell. If possible, someone that looks like me. I'm really tired doing things alone."
"Well, Gerrard. Usually, I'd call you're either drunk or joking too hard. But recently we've detained someone similar to yours. We also investigated everything about him and I can tell that he's not a magic user so he posed no danger and probably facing just several days in prison before he is banished from the Kingdom. Not sure about his intelligence matches yours too, if you're keen enough to take him as your disciple. Apparently, he's sighted with Felicia going to an inn."
Gerrard shocked after hearing his story matches the report of those guards earlier.
"Felicia as the rumored King Borealis VII's daughter? What is she doing here?" Gerrard asked to Farrell.
"Not sure but apparently the King is happy seeing her back to family. Anyway, there's only a man that looks like you. Your window is short so you better hurry. I'll help manage the document related to it if you like."
"Alright, I'll take your idea then."
Gerrard walks away from Farrell, waving his right hand.
Farrell gazes on the tree in the middle of the Council's Garden. He murmurs himself.
"Be careful, Gerrard."
---
In a prison of Akgardia. Ieza sat there in a jail cell alone. The door banged hard for a brief moment. Then, someone slip a letter under the door. Ieza grabs the letter and reads it.
Ieza,
I'm sorry for not to tell you sooner about me.
I'm coming back to where I belong, in this Kingdom of Akgardia.
For years I've running away from the Kingdom just because the family does not love me at all, and here I am. Staying in the real home but yet do not feel like a home to me.
I must be pathetic princess you've seen.
On the bright side, you don't have to worry about me. You should be focusing on your journey ahead.
Best Regards,
Felicia von Borealis VII
...
Ieza put down the letter, he sits and gazes on the door with his hands clamped on his chin. Wondering what should he does for the next move.
Another door knocks can be heard. Then the door is being opened by the guard.
"Ieza, you are bailed from now. Leave the cell."
He gazes on the guard, then stands up and leaves the cell, while accompanied by guard.
They walked to the prison entrance, and the guard leaves after escorting him.
Ieza notices the familiar figure, standing in front of the prison entrance.
"I can't believe it." He said that with a tear dropping from his eye.
A spitting image of himself reappeared in his life.
"Walk with me, although I'm pretty surprised myself. Ieza is your name, isn't it?"
Chapter 6 - End