Aeneas woke up after six hours. He could only remember glimpses of what happened. Like how he felt immense pain while he was in his training ground south of their manor. The boy sat up and noticed the orange light from the setting sun shining through his window and to the table where the young girl sat with her face resting on it.
"You awake?" Aeneas said with a soft voice. As he heard no response, he concluded that Tiriara must've been asleep. He stood from his bed and approached her.
When he peeked to see her face, he saw a book drenched with her saliva. Aeneas moved to the side to see which book it was. After many failed attempts, he pulled it from the sleeping girl so he could check. He stood there shaking as he read the title of the book.
Aeneas let out a scream of anger.
Tiriara jumped. She looked at her surroundings to see Aeneas beside her, "Wha—what's going on?" she asked while wiping her eyes.
"You, what did you do to this—"
The girl tackled him to the ground before he could finish his sentence. She gripped his shirt tight.
Confused, "What are you doing?" Aeneas asked. Lying on the ground with Tiriara on top of him.
Tiriara began crying aloud, resting her head on Aeneas's chest, "You're alive!" she said.
At that point, Aeneas remembered Tiriara's worried voice and breathing as she carried him back to his home calling for help. His anger vanished. It didn't matter that the girl showered and ruined his favorite book with her drool. She just saved his life.
Aeneas sighed. Then with a smile, "Thank you," he said.
Tiriara looked at him, her tears falling from her eyes and snot peeking out of her nose.
"Okay, get away from me now," Aeneas said. He was afraid that the snot would drop on him. It was a short-lived fear since Tiriara decided to blow it to his shirt anyway.
Aeneas pushed Tiriara's head away from him. He asked the girl to sit back and turn around so he could change his clothes. Tiriara agreed. She returned to her seat, humming and swaying her feet as she waited for the boy to finish changing. It was a familiar melody to Aeneas.
"Is that perhaps 'Zeal of Power' you are humming?" Aeneas asked.
Tiriara turned, "You know that song?"
Aeneas sneered, "Who doesn't?" he said. It is a timeless song that existed for more than a thousand years. A song made in the age of insanity to boost the morale of all that was fighting against the calamity of chaos. The song has many verses speaking about the Gods. More so, the public term, 'Let the Zeal of his/ her power glow,' came from it.
The girl smiled, "Do you want me to sing it?" she asked. Aeneas thought that the girl might be a good singer based on the way she hummed the song. But, he shook his head, "I bet you would sound like a beardoose," he said.
"Beardoose?" Tiriara imagined the creature. A goose close to the size of a harion that has long feathers around its beak. They vary in color and could be seen in most of the lands of Nusterra for they travel around with a small group. These geese are known for the sound they make, a quack with a deep and slow voice. Sounding almost like the ghost of an old man that mimics a duck. Researchers said that it's the creature's way of scaring out potential predators and communicating with each other, they do so by manipulating the air around them to change their voice.
Tiriara glared at Aeneas, "Did you just tell me that I'm bad at singing?" she said, "You wanna fight?" The girl paused, she remembered what happened just hours ago, "Forget it," she continued.
"Fine, let's have a match on the morrow," Aeneas replied.
"But…"
"I won, right? My sickness wasn't your fault, you couldn't even hit me."
Although Tiriara was always competitive, she held back this time and decided to ask Aeneas about his sickness.
"I also don't know."
The door opened in the middle of the two children's conversation. It was Arsen. He heard them and decided to check on his younger brother.
"You're awake."
Aeneas nods, while Tiriara greets the lord of the manor with the female version of the Panteran bow. Arsen bowed to her as well with a smile, "Thank you for saving my brother, young lady," he said.
Embarrassed, Tiriara scratched her head, and with a weird smile, "I did nothing," she said, stuttering between her words.
Behind Arsen followed someone Aeneas didn't know. But he knew that it was a knight even though he didn't wear armor as he saw the bronze scabbard resting on his left hip. The man has brown faded hair, hazel eyes, and fair skin.
"Konon? What are you doing here?" Tiriara asked.
Konon is a commander of a hundred men. He is under Chiliarch Chronis and has always dreamt of serving under him. The Chiliarch asked him to watch over his daughter, which he accepted with full loyalty, always making sure that he was doing his job well.
"I've come to fetch you, young lady. We must head home," Konon said.
"No, I don't want to."
"Please, young lady. I've sworn to the proud Lion that I'll take you home."
Tiriara's nose and forehead scrunched up. Her right eyebrow raised a bit higher, "You don't even have the Lion's Zeal," she said.
The helpless knight explained to the stubborn girl that he was still a Panteran knight and under the guidance of the proud Lion even though he bears the Zeal of the Savage Goat.
"But, won't the Savage Goat feel betrayed?" Tiriara asked.
Even Aeneas thought about what the girl said. Although it was out of a whim, her question was a good one.
Arsen chuckled, "I think the Gods wouldn't care with such trivial things," he said. His response seems to be enough for Tiriara. But, she still didn't want to head home.
"Tell father I will stay here. If he does not agree, I will run away from home," she said.
Konon pleaded once again, yet his young lady wouldn't budge. Aeneas stared at his brother, he knew it wasn't his place to say anything. However, he also wanted the girl to leave his room and go home.
Defeated, the knight looked at Arsen, "Lord, would you please watch over the young lady." Konon asked him whether it would be alright if his young lady would stay the night. When Arsen agreed, Konon said that he would leave first to inform the Chiliarch and would be back after minutes.
***
Aeneas and Tiriara joined the others in dinner. The dining room of the Caspius was much livelier than that of the Chronis. Although both dine with their servants and knights, the Caspius halls are filled with stories and laughter. People talk about their day. Even Aeneas jokes about what happened to him only hours ago.
Showered with compliments and thanks, Tiriara has never felt as happy and embarrassed as she was while eating her food. She felt like she had been a part of the manor for a long time.
After dining. Aeneas asked to be excused. He planned to read some of the new books he had in his room. Tiriara followed him. Although he tried to tell the girl to stay in one of the unoccupied guest's rooms, she didn't listen and also went to his room. Aeneas picked a new book. It was a book about magic. Tiriara copied him and picked a random one out of his shelves.
"Can you even read?" Aeneas asked.
Tiriara gasped, "You calling me stupid? Don't you know my father?" she said.
"Yes, the Chiliarch. Did he teach you?"
"No."
"He hired someone?"
Tiriara shook her head, "Nuh-uh."
Aeneas sighed, he didn't continue the discussion and walked toward his table. The girl followed him with a smile on her face. When Aeneas sat down, Tiriara stood beside him, "Where should I sit?" she asked.
"I don't know, go sit on the ground or the bed."
The girl asked him if he could move a little bit so she could scoot over, but Aeneas disagreed and asked her to read downstairs where there are a lot of seats.
"I'll just read on the floor."
Tiriara lay on her stomach. She was swinging both of her legs as she flipped page after page. On the other hand, Aeneas was hooked on the book he was reading.
"Hey, Aenie~," said Tiriara.
"Don't call me that."
"Why? They were calling you Aenie."
Aeneas sighed, "I don't like it when you say it," he said.
Tiriara chuckled, "Then you can call me Tiri."
"I do not want to do that as well."
"If you don't do it, I will call you… Ae-ni-ass," the girl said before laughing. "What are you reading, Ae-ni-ass."
The boy felt like it was the hundredth time he sighed because of Tiriara. He agreed to her terms since he knew that the childish girl would do what she said if he didn't.
After a while, the room fell silent but was broken when the girl started humming. Aeneas ignored her and focused on the book he was enjoying. Then, Tiriara's hum turned up in volume, and after a few seconds, she decided to sing.
"O hear the proud Lion's roar.
To the lands to the skies as it soars.
For the might of his light,
Bring his foes to a fright.
Let the Zeal of his power glow~"
Her soothing voice calmed the young Caspius. Aeneas thought she would repeat it just like how other people who sing the same verse of the song do. He waited as he wanted to hear her sing again. And after a short pause, the girl continued.
"O hear the great Wolf's howl.
Under the moonlight as he prowls.
For his light, o so bright,
Could make day at midnight.
Let the Zeal of his power glow~
Let the Zeal of their power glow~
Let the Zeal of their power glow."
Aeneas turned to her, it was his first time hearing the second verse the girl sang. All the other verses that were written in any form of literature were about the Zodiac Gods and none of them was depicted as a wolf. Hearing Tiriara's unknown verse piqued the young man's curiosity, "The Great Wolf?" he asked.