The Red Glaive

“Meet me under our bridge after our lessons.” Adelaide had said. She was a lady, and she wasn’t exactly asking. So Walther was in no position to object. That’s what he told himself each and every time.

Walther walked through the empty halls of the Baron’s stone mansion. It was ancient, and from what Walther had heard the Baron had moved in when it was abandoned and made it his home. The way it had been built, perhaps it had been a fortress a long time ago. Despite living in it for nearly three decades the baron had added very little decor outside his daughters’ rooms.

Laughter echoed off the halls as Madame Salver taught the Baron’s daughters to dance in the library. As Walther walked further away, he could hear muffled voices though the wooden doors of the dining hall in as the Baron and his Counts argued on how best to weather the Frost this year. It was the same discussion every year and it always lasted days, but it gave an excuse for Walther and his brothers to spend the night in the mansion’s many rooms.

This allowed Walther and Adelaide to be together without being so discrete. Adelaide had sworn him to secrecy, not even Owe knew. He still pursued her regardless. If only he knew. . .

Walther stepped outside and the white barked cypress trees stared back him under the darkening sky. As far as he knew this was the only place he had seen them grow. The Baron refused to clear any of them despite the growing number of people growing into his lands. They built their homes into the tree line and remained indoors after dark.

He crossed the small courtyard towards the tree line where, just beyond, the creek curved by before emptying into the lake. It wasn’t too far, just a few-

A small golden shoe stuck out from behind a tree. Surprised, Walther reached for a sword that wasn’t there. He had left it back in his room. It was late, but still to early for devils. Still, his hands grew clammy as he neared the hollowed out tree.

“Aeria?” he said finding the small girl tucked inside the hollowed out tree. “It’s getting dark you should go back insdi-” the girl looked up and Walther nearly jumped. Even in the shadows of a hollowed out tree the red of her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness. She sat in the leaf covered floor, her legs pulled up to her chest. It looked like she had been crying. “What’s wrong little Lady?” Aeria sniffed.

Walther sighed before he took a seat outside the hollow and Aeria moved closer to the entrance his legs stuck out into the trail awkwardly. Adelaide would have to wait. “Why aren’t you at the dancing lesson with your sisters?”

“Alita and Aget keep making fun of me.” she said. “They say I dace as if my feet don’t fit my body, that a devil came in the night and switched them when I was sleeping and Adelaide just keeps egging them on and Aget keeps telling me I need to defend myself and Madame Salver-”

“That,” Walther said cutting in. He could see her blush, they always blushed around him. Adelaide especially had learned to weaponize that blush. “Seems like a lot.” He wasn’t sure what to tell her. Out of all the Baron’s daughters she always seemed a little different. Not just because of her eyes. Sometimes when he spoke to her her gaze was wrong as if she looking at something beyond him. “I’m glad I have brothers.” He finally said. As the eldest, none of his younger brothers dared step to him. Though lately Owe seemed more defiant.

“I wish I had brothers instead.” Little Aeria said. “I don’t understand why we need to learn how to dance, it’s not even practical!” she waved her hands in the air making Walther smile.

“Actually, it’s very practical.” he said and Aeria looked back at him. He stood offering her a hand. Her hand felt tiny in his and Walther easily pulled her up. “Come with me.”

He back towards the library were Madame Salver’s bad harp playing could be heard through the windows. Walther then handed her a stick and picked up a similar sized one himself. Aeria’s eyes widened. Maybe she had expected Videl to keep quiet, but Walther had wrestled the truth out of him when he had caught his little brother running off with the little lady.

“Do you know any stances?” he asked. Though technically still a squire, Walther had completed his training under Sir Gradin who had left to petition Walther’s admittance into his knightly order. He had trained Walther well, he knew his stances.

Aeria hesitated, but only for a second. She fell into a sloppy stonewall stance, her body at an angle and sword above her head pointed down and towards him. “Alright them,” Walther waited, listening to the beat of repetitive music wafting out of the library. “Ready?” Walther asked and a determined Aeria nodded.

Walther stepped forward swimming his stick sword deliberately slow, she saw it and stepped away. Walther filled the space but stepping again and Aeria stepped back as she parried. Walther stepped back and Aeria stepped forward to meet him. Walther caught her stick with his hand.

“I don’t understand.” she said.

“We’re going to do that again, but this time count your steps.” he said and Aeria fell into her stance again. Listening, Walther waited for the rhythm of the harp.

“One. . . two. . .three. .four.” Aeria counted as they repeated their steps. “I don’t get it.”

“You’ll see. Again.” Walther instructed as the beat came again this time accompanied by a flute. The twins had started their music lesson. “Now without the sticks.” Walther said snatching her stick.

“Huh?”

“One.” Walter said repeating the steps a bit faster. “Two, three, four.” Aeria kept up. “Now instead of us doing this at sword distance, repeat it with me right. . . here.” he said standing right in front of her. She gulped when Walther offered her his hands, but she took them anyway. “One,” he started slowly again, but Aeria followed.

He didn’t stop. Even when he stopped counting out loud Aeria kept up. “You said dancing wasn’t practical, but any knight worth a damn knows how to dance. Every battle and every spar is nothing but a deadly dance with your opponent.” Walther explained as Sir Gradin had to him when he had dismissed dancing. Of course dancing with Lady Aeria was much less awkward than dancing with Sir Gradin.

“There has to be respect between dancing partners just as there has to be respect between rivals in a duel. Though the end won’t result in death when you’re dancing in a ballroom.” Walther pushed her away as he stepped back then he twirled her once and caught her again. “The principle is the same, understood?”

Aeria gulped then nodded. “I’ll learn everything I can!” Aeria said before running off to find Videl probably.

“Don’t you go skipping anymore lessons!” Walther shouted but she had already vanished into the darkening woods. Walther shook his head. Someone needed to put more fear of the night into that girl. He stood there silent in the rapidly darkening sky. Maybe he should go get her. . .



Aeria awoke tired, and yet she felt like she had slept for days. Heavy eyelids begged for her to lay back down, but she knew if she did she’d just fall back asleep and back to that place with the flowers. With impossible effort, Aeria forced herself out of the bed. Outside the sky shone with the sun’s dying light.

No one had come to wake her despite the late hour? She had slept that long? Finding a simple green dress in place of her adept’s uniform, Aeria quickly slipped it on.

On a nearby sofa, Sanya was utterly engrossed in reading book by candle light in Aeria’s darkened room. She didn’t even notice Aeria approach her. “Sanya.” Aeria said making the young girl jump and shut her book, her cheeks crimson.

“m, my lady!” she exclaimed startled.

The house was surprisingly quiet. Usually she could hear laughter coming from the dining hall or the sound of clanging metal outside that she had grown accustomed to. “Where is everybody?” Aeria said with a deep yawn.

“Out!” she exclaimed nervously. Aeria raised an eyebrow. “I, I mean it’s Lover’s Day so they all paired off and left. Except the Duchess Adelaide but I don’t think she wants to be disturbed today. She’s with the Duke you see. . .”

Aeria raised a hand to stop her. “What room?” Aeria asked knowingly.

“The office today.” Sanya said and Aeria nodded, before exiting the room. “Wait, my lady! Would you like a bath?” Sanya called.

The hallways seemed so lonely without the sound of people contained within. Aeria purposefully avoided the whole ward that housed the office as she walked about the mansion unsure of where or what to do. Sanya followed at a distance.

Adelaide’s paintings and tapestries hung on every wall. Different ones than the ones from when Aeria arrived. Adelaide updated them constantly but the vast majority still featured Adelaide in provocative poses. It was far to early to prepare for the pageant and way too late to try and find Videl, Caius, Telfer and Niko. Though Niko was probably doing something with Elyon. . .

Aeria’s mind wandering to Valor. Valerian really, though that name seemed so foreign to her. What was he doing on this day? Spending it with the Intoner no doubt, her and her creepy lion. She wanted so badly to be in her place. It all felt so silly, but she wanted nothing more than walk the cobblestone streets of the Argent District by his side. No disguises for either of them. Just them. . .

Aeria found herself in the stables. It was a massive building that rivaled the Shrine’s infirmary in size filled with horses of every color. A full set of six to match each and every one of Adelaide’s carriages. In a stall, surrounded by other dun coated horses, she found fable happily munching away on his feed. He perked up when he saw her, but continued eating.

“Hey boy,” Aeria said entering his stall and patting his neck. His breathing was irregular still, just ever so slightly. Aeria had broken him and now he couldn’t be over exerted. “You haven’t found any nice mares out on pasture for lover’s day have you?”

The gelding snorted and Aeria smiled.

“I guess it’s just you and me today.” she said as she started brushing the loose hay off his black mane. “Not that I could spend today with Valor anyway. Do you think he still thinks of me? Now that all these other ladies have come?” Fable continued to eat. “I hope so too, you’d be surprised at what some of these look like Fable.” His ears twitched at the sound of his name. “One of them looks like the princess in every story I imagined as a child. I bet if you met her you’d let her ride you.”

Aeria itched to ride him. Would it hurt him, if she took him for a short trot? “I’m still sorry, you know.” she said burying her face into his neck. He distinctly smelled like horse. Aeria smiled. All hay, sweat dirt. This close she could hear his irregular breathing, like his lungs couldn’t quite fill up with air. She couldn’t heal that kind of damage.

Something wooden clanged on the ground outside the stable followed by a pained yelp. Aeria turned to Sanya. “I thought everyone was gone?”

“Another servant maybe?” she said.

Aeria walked around to the back of the stables to where the armory for Adelaide’s guards stood in the back of the property. A small courtyard separated it from the stables. Off to the side, near the water barrel, a shirtless Caius stood.

Sanya gasped. “What?” Aeria asked.

“Are you blind? Just look at him!” Sanya said staring to where Caius was running water over his hand. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was supposed to be looking? It was just Caius. She had seen him in all degrees of nudity during their time together. Though she did notice he was more cautious since finding her out.

“He’s so gorgeous.” Sanya said with a sigh.

He was?

Caius spotted them and Sanya audibly held her breath. Aeria walked over with Sanya trailing behind her. “What are you doing?” Aeria asked eyeing the guard’s halberd at Caius’ feet.

“Trying to learn something different.” Caius said then rose a bloody hand. “And failing miserably at it.”

“What happened there?” Aeria said taking his hand in hers. Beside his, hers looked so dainty. Aeria poured more water over his hand to reveal a jagged cut cutting horizontally under the pinky. She might not be able to fix Fable, but this, this she could heal.

“I caught the wrong end when I tossed it in the air.” he said

“and here?” Aeria said tapping his forehead where blood oozed out of his hairline above the temple. Confused, Caius reached up to touch his head with his unwounded hand. He cursed. He’d trained with all manner of swords but had never truly practiced with long weapons.

“I must’ve hit it harder than I thought.” he said.

“Doing what?!” Aeria said.

“I tried spinning it like-“ Caius caught himself and looked away sheepishly.

“Like that mystery knight in the melee?” Aeria said amused. The one that returned her patch and who fought like a devil with the spear. He had made no big reveal at the feast.

“He made it look so easy.” he said as Aeria put her hand over his bleeding hand allowing her healing light to flow from it. It was a deep wound, cutting nearly to the pinky bone. As her light filled into the wound the severed muscles slowly began to reknit themselves. Tiny ligaments fused together as the skin slowly closed over the healed flesh.

It took a few minutes to completely heal, thought the ache would remain for a couple days. “All-“ Aeria nearly jumped when she looked up. The green of Caius’ eyes bore down on her dangerously close to her own face. Had he been watching it heal as closely as she was? Aeria gulped, he wasn’t pulling away. Almost like. . .

The head wound!

“Come here stupid.” She said pinching some of his hair and pulling his head down lower.

“Ow!” Caius yelped as he gripped Aeria’s arm for balance.

“Deep laceration to hand and this you complain about.” She said digging through his hair finding where the upmost layer of skin had been pulled back about an inch. It wasn’t a serious wound, but shallow wounds sometimes bled profusely at first before calming. It took less than a minute to heal the small abrasion.

“You’re set.” Aeria said releasing his head but he still didn’t let of her arm. “Caius?”

“M, my lady?” Sanya said cutting in. Caius blinked and let go, looking away. “Perhaps you should start getting ready for the pageant?”

“Yes.” she said finally breaking contact from Caius to look at wide eyed Sanya.

“I’ll go find Fides.”

“I’ll be her escort tonight.” Caius said. Aeria cocked her head confused. He then shrugged. “I don't have anything better to do.”

She nodded and allowed Sanya to lead her away. When they were far enough away Sanya exhaled loudly as if she had held her breath the whole time. “How do your knees not melt when he looks at you like that? I feel like mine are still shaking.” she said.

“He looks at everyone like that.” Aeria said.

“No, no he doesn’t.” Sanya said. “Ugh, he was practically smoldering! I felt like my legs were melting!”

She was right. A pained expression, like he was resisting telling her grave secret. At first she thought maybe it was because he was hurt, but even after the healing it didn’t go away until Sanya had cut in. What was he thinking? Was he about to tell her before Sanya interrupted?

Aeria looked back at Caius but he was already being ushered away by some of the other servants to be primmed and pampered for a night at the castle.