Saga's sleep grew thin enough to catch the muffled creak of the front door opening and the faint sound of laughter drifting up from downstairs. She snapped awake.
Her eyes opened, and she pushed herself up quickly, frowning at the thought that she'd managed to doze off while the sun was still up. Or was it?
If the sun was still out, a dim glow should be seeping through the cracks of her window. So why was her room so dark? She pushed open the window by her bedside, staring at the sky spattered with the colors of the setting sun.
"I slept through the afternoon like an old lady!" she whispered to herself, dismayed.
"Saga! Are you home, dear?" came Aunty Yrsa's muffled voice from downstairs.
"Heh, probably passed out, the lazy bum!" Siren's snickering followed.
Saga slid out of bed, her cheeks warming with embarrassment. She never slept like this. What on earth had gotten into her lately?
She headed downstairs, hoping to greet Aunty without dealing with Siren. As she reached the kitchen, she caught the tail end of Aunty's voice, tinged with alarm.
"Saga! Didn't you eat the lunch I left for you?"
"I'm sorry, Aunty. I just... wasn't feeling that great," Saga mumbled, feeling awkward at her half-hearted excuse.
Aunty's plump face softened with concern. "But, sweetheart, you're a growing girl. You need to eat well and not skip meals!"
"It's fine, Aunty, I promise." Saga tried to smile. "What about you two? Did you come home together?"
"Oh, yes! We had lunch at my office today. Siren came to help me out at the shop, she's been such a good girl lately," Aunty said with a fond smile at Siren.
Good girl? Saga shot Siren a pointed grimace, hoping to signal that she wasn't fooled. She knew Siren's game; buttering up Aunty now only meant she'd later spin tales about Saga with all the charm of a "concerned sister." Yet, for some reason, Siren seemed preoccupied, hardly noticing Saga's glare as she quietly sat down to clean her sword and breastplate from the day's use.
"Alright, everyone!" Aunty clapped her hands. "Go freshen up while I whip up a fabulous dinner for us. It's been a long day for all of us, and we could all use some unwinding. Chop-chop!"
"Where's Uncle?" Saga asked. "Isn't he joining us for dinner?"
"I'm afraid not, dear," Aunty replied. "Some emissaries arrived from Mancrest earlier. He's meeting with them tonight, along with the chronali."
"Human emissaries?" Saga's brows shot up. "What do they want with us?"
"Perhaps to discuss an official alliance," Aunty speculated. "Why else would they lend us one of their renowned knights and offer help against the bandit threats? They're likely trying to show us their goodwill."
"Why bother?" Siren muttered sullenly, not looking up as she meticulously polished her sword. "What use could we be to them from here?"
"Siren, I've told you, there's still plenty that can be done here," Aunty replied gently. "Mancrest is powerful, yes, but they also understand and respect the value of the navians and Serenvale. That's why they came to us. We didn't go to them, remember? Be patient. Change doesn't happen overnight. Have some faith."
Siren grumbled, then got up with her sword and breastplate and disappeared into her gym room. Aunty shook her head before heading upstairs to freshen up as well.
Saga stood there, puzzled. What were they talking about?
Later, Aunty prepared a delicious dinner for the three of them. It wasn't the feast they'd had yesterday, but it was still fabulous, with a couple of pork dishes and leftover turkey. As they ate, Aunty and Siren began recounting the day's events.
"You have no idea what we went through today, Saga!" Aunty said, raising her voice over her pork stew.
"Why? What happened?" Saga asked, intrigued.
Aunty grinned, leaning back in her chair. "Alright, so I'd just finished working on Anders's boy. Poor kid fell from a tree and broke his leg, right shinbone snapped clean in two, with pieces poking through the skin. Blood everywhere. The poor thing was white with pain and screaming my ears off—"
Saga winced, wondering if such grisly details were necessary at the dinner table. She put down her spoon.
"Anyway, I was completely swamped with him, and then Siren showed up! I was so relieved! My other assistant was on leave for her newborn baby, so we were really stretched thin. I set Siren to make a few basic healing potions, simple stuff, anyone could follow the instructions. But that wasn't the real problem. The problem was those three merchants!"
"Merchants?" Saga tilted her head.
"Yes," Aunty said, slapping the table for emphasis. "Those dreadful merchants! I knew they were trouble the moment they walked in! Dressed in all black, dark circles under their eyes, with brutish accents and a filthy smell! I've never seen the likes of them around here before. Narld only knows what gutter they crawled out of! And do you want to know what they had the nerve to ask me for?" Aunty's voice rose in indignation. "Poisons!"
"What?" Saga gasped.
"I know! Like I would make poison!" Aunty exclaimed. "I'm a healer, not a killer! But did that stop them? No! They just kept pestering me to brew them some poison! And firewater—"
"The extremely flammable solution made from flemdian herb extract?" Saga interjected, her knowledge of herbology and healing kicking in.
Aunty Yrsa nodded, smiling. Feeling her gaze on Saga, she knew that her aunty desperately hoped that Saga would one day begin her healer's apprenticeship.
"Yes, that's right," Aunty continued excitedly. "I thought, how could they even ask me that? I don't know the first thing about making those dangerous things! Never tried, never will! You rat bastards, just leave me alone! And even if I did know, like hell I'd sell them to creeps like you!"
"I tried to kick them out, but I couldn't really intimidate them without risking violence," Siren added, rubbing her neck. "It's not like I could start swinging my sword around in Aunty's shop. All those valuable medicines in there…"
"Well, thank Narld Sir Boris showed up," Aunty said dreamily. "Now there's a powerful man. A true Knight of Mancrest. He had those merchants shaking in no time. They slinked out with their tails between their legs, but not before one of them shouted," Aunty shook her fist dramatically as she mimicked the merchant's voice, "'THIS IS NOT OVER!'"
The three of them burst into laughter.
Through her giggles, Aurora added, "Then Sir Boris drew his sword and thundered, 'Was that a threat? I'll execute the lot of you right now!'" She paused, laughing harder. "Oh, you should've seen the way those cowards ran!"
"I can only imagine," Saga laughed. "What happened after that?"
"Boris reassured me that the merchants will be blacklisted so they'll never bother us again," Aunty replied. "In fact, they won't be setting foot in Serenvale at all. If they do, they'll be arrested."
Saga found it a bit odd how her Aunty addressed Sir Boris so casually.
Aunty sighed, lost in thought. "Ah, Boris is a good karnal. And so tall… What a shame. Any woman would be lucky to warm his bed."
"Aunty!" Saga exclaimed, incredulous. "You're a married woman!"
Siren shut her eyes, muttering, "I did not need to hear that. Really, really did not need to hear that…"
Aunty giggled, rising from her chair. "Oh, please. In a few years, you two will be bedding people left and right. You'll get married, have ankle-biters crawling all over. You'll see—"
Saga gagged, and Siren turned bright red. Aunty laughed at their reactions as she headed upstairs to her bedroom.
The two sisters ate in silence for a while. Oddly, despite their constant bickering, there was no awkwardness between them.
After a moment, Siren took a sip of her wine and broke the quiet. "Saga, you've been out of it lately. Don't think I haven't noticed. Wanna talk about it?"
"So you can tattle to Aunty?" Saga replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt!" Siren sighed, setting down her food. She met Saga's eyes. "I know why you go into that forest. Mom used to take you there. I remember, you were always so excited to go." She paused. "Look, if going into that forest really means that much to you, fine. Live your life as you wish, Saga. I won't get in your way."
A smile spread across Saga's face. Coming from Siren, the words meant a lot, even though Saga wasn't sure she'd ever go back into that forest again.
"Thanks, Ren."
Siren nodded and lifted her mug, giving it a shake with a smile. "Want some?"
Saga hesitated. "I've never tried it. Booze really isn't my thing…"
Siren waved a dismissive hand. "You go hunting alone in the deep woods. You'll be fine. Trust me."
As Saga grinned, Siren grabbed the bottle Uncle had brought over yesterday, pouring until Saga's glass was full. It was already half-filled with water.
"Raw would be too strong for your first time." Siren winked. "Give it a mix before you drink."
Saga stirred the drink, then took a tentative sip. The liquid warmed her mouth and jolted her senses as it went down. It was still strong! How did Siren drink this without diluting it?
She took a deep breath, then braved another sip. The drink was amber in color, tasting sweet, toasty, and a little like caramel on her tongue.
"How's it feel?" Siren asked, eyebrows raised, eyes sparkling.
"Awesome!" Saga replied, feeling warmth bloom through her chest and her head grow lighter.
"There you go!" Siren chuckled, raising her own mug to her lips.
Just then, Aunty came down the stairs wearing her healer's uniform, a mix of white and brown, with white representing the noble profession of healing and brown helping to mask any bloodstains. She'd put on makeup, a touch of perfume, and styled her hair.
"Alright, I'm off to the healing station. I've got the night shift," Aunty announced. "You two go straight to bed when you're done with dinner, understand?"
Saga and Siren both nodded.
"We'll clean up the dishes, Aunty," Saga assured her. "Don't worry."
"That's my good girl!"
"Want any help at the shop?" Siren offered. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"Oh, not many people buy medicine at night. And you've had quite a day, you should focus on resting up. Besides, you've got your Protector orientation tomorrow. You're not planning to miss it, are you?"
After a brief pause, Siren replied, "No."
"Then make sure you get some sleep tonight. Carin and I will manage just fine."
Aunty bade them good night and left the house.
They stared at the door after she left. Finally, Saga spoke up. "Don't you think it's a bit suspicious? That she didn't want you to go with her? And what's with all that makeup? Does she really have a night shift?"
Siren blushed and muttered, looking away, "I didn't need to hear that. Why'd you have to say that, Saga? I really didn't need to hear that…"
Saga burst into laughter. "But seriously, do you think she's cheating on Uncle Vor?"
Siren quickly raised her mug to her lips, avoiding the question.
After they finished dinner, Saga and Siren cleared the dishes. Siren went straight to bed, claiming she was dead tired.
Saga didn't want to stay up either. The toll of the day weighed on her, and fatigue was pulling her toward sleep. She snuggled into bed, her mind drifting back to the blue elf, Sill, who kept appearing in her fading thoughts. She wondered if Sill ever got in touch with Sir Boris.
As she drifted off, Saga decided that tomorrow, she would stop by Siren's school to ask Sir Boris about the blue elf.