<~> Chapter 87"My name is Sera Faelyn Morrister, I'm the daughter of Baron Norrin Morrister. ...My father is dead."

  Ah shit. That sounds like a problem. I scratch the base of my horn. "...Do you happen to know who murdered him, or why?"

  She shook her head. "I don't know. They seemed well prepared... ahough. They had matg equipment so I don't think they were hired meraries. They weren't padins so I don't think it was the Tamin church."

  I raised an eyebroould the Tamin church be on the list of people who may have killed your father?"

  She g the colr around Torien's neck before looking back at me. "My father was one of the main people anizing a svery abolitionist fa." She was gaging my rea, Silva had stopped moving, prepared to jump in if I did something.

  I looked at Silva's colr. "If that's the case, why the colr on yuard here?"

  She was silent for a moment, sidering her answer. "She's a crime sve, charged with murdering a noble. By all rights she should have beeed for it. Instead my father saved her and had her ensved instead." She g Torien's cain before tinuing. "You are hardly in a position to judge me, you have two sves here yourself."

  "...I swear by Sorsette I would have them freed if I could. They are Pantherians."

  She g Torien and tilted her head in i. "I see..." She turned bae. "At any rate. I would like to know what you io do with this information. I trust that you won't kill us the momeurn our backs on you but I don't know about the rest of this caravan."

  I crossed my arms and sighed. "Tarklin Silvergrove is affiliated with Morkinnen. Do you know their stan svery?"

  Just then Tarklin sighed and turhe er. "The followers of Morkinnen generally dislike it, though it be necessary at times," he said with a g Silva. Suddenly I felt the familiar sensation of a [Zone of Silenbsp;close around roup, the sound past the small courtyard we were in suddenly ceased. I felt my chest tighten in ay but I took a breath ahe sensation flow through me and dissipate. I wasn't in any daarklin was my friend...

  Uurbed by the casual use of magic the young dy looked Tarklin up and down. "...You are a Silvergrove? Truly?"

  "Yes," he answered, not further eborating on it.

  She held her hand out and to everyone's surprise, summoned an item from a dimensional ste. In her hand she held a sheathed silver dagger with a crest etched into the gleamial.

  Tarklin's brow furrowed. He sloroached, took the dagger and studied the crest closely before handing it back to her and stepping away.

  "Fuck," was all he said in reply.

  "The queen of the elven Northern Greens gifted this to my father in friendship. It is supposed to entitle me to prote from the elves of the Northern Greens."

  He groaned and rubbed his face. "That it does... What would you wish of me?"

  "...I wish to be escorted by someone capable to the Northern Greens."

  I could hear Tarklin speak under his breath. "I fug hate elven politics, this is going to be a nightmare." He straightened up and looked her in the eye. "As a member of the eight great elven houses, I promise to personally escort you to the Northern Greens and be received by the queen."

  The young dy's shoulders almost imperceptibly dipped in relief. "That is encing to hear."

  "Unfortunately, there is a problem," Tarklin added.

  There always is. I thought to myself.

  "I am currently headed for the Capital. Our iion was to stop in your father's nds on the way there. I unfortunately am under obligation to lead this caravan and I do not feel it would be wise nor justified to abandon my duty here."

  There ause, I could see the human girl weighing her options before she looked back up at him. "I will apany you then. It is probably best if my identity... remains hidden however. As I said before, I do not know wheted me and my family."

  He hen turo me. "Until we get to the capital I'll put you uhe prote of Lilith here then. She's rather capable, I've seen her fight personally. Until we know more about the situation I believe it is best not to let others know of our e."

  "Of course," she said turning to me.

  "Why are you looking at me? You're hardly giving me a much of a choice here," I said.

  Tarklin smiled. "Of course you have a choice, I'm the leader of the people proteg this caravan but this is a matter... outside of that scope. It sounds like you're ameowards this from the choice of your words though."

  I nodded. "I wouldn't feel fortable abandoning someone in a position like this since I have the ability to help. What about you? You said you were worried about what kind of trouble her status would bring."

  He frowned. "That's true but I'm no longer in a position to refuse, even if I wao."

  The [Zone of Silenbsp;faded as quickly as it had snapped up and Tarklin cpped, back to his normal cheerful self. "Alright everyone, sounds good. Lilith, you're in charge of this runaway noble. Keep her out of harms way but if she wants to escape her dreary life and live as a ohes to be treated like one, no special treatment. As far as I'm ed, you two are of the same status. Si was your idea t her with us, you're in charge of her." He walked away without a word, speaking loud enough that everyone in the immediate area would hear the cover story he just set up.

  I was holy happier for it, I hadn't even sidered up till that point that she might expect to be treated as a noble. If that bothered the young dy she didn't let it show. She smiled and walked over troup. Silva who had been quiet up till that point joined us as well.

  Now that she was standing closer to me I realized just how tall she was. She was almost a head and a half taller than me, and signifitly taller than the rest of my party. The young dy was about a foot shorter than Bel, makihe shortest among roup.

  "So..." I said scratg my horn. "What should we call you then?"

  "...Please call me Fae for now."

  I looked down at her dress, it was nearly destroyed, ripped in several pces and barely holding together. We should get her a ge of clothes, otherwise they were going to fall apart.

  "Bel, do you have some spare work clothes for Fae to ge into? That dress doesn't look fortable in its current state."

  Bel hesitated, "I'm sure I have something that would fit her but it would be in my trunk..."

  Ah... right, the trunk Mimi is holding onto.

  "Alright, I'm going to go with Bel to look for her trunk. Will you two keep Fae pany for a minute please?"

  "Sure thing!"

  "No problem!"

  The twins answered in unison and spoke over each other but it just made me smile.

  "We'll be right back."

  The two of us walked behind one of the carriages and Mimi took Bel's crate out for us to dig through. I'm not sure why but something about the cute and feminine Bel being this disanized made me smile. A small thing you might not expect but just made her all the cuter to me.

  She untangled a pair of pants from the pile of her clothes. "I'm not sure if they'll fit, we might need a belt but I don't think I have anything that would be small enough and I don't want to ruin my ow by pung extra holes in it."

  "Why don't y these clothes back to her and I'll go see if I buy something from the merts."

  I spent the few mialking to some of the merts before ving one of them to sell me a long strip of leather and a buckle that would make a det, if not ideal, belt for the young noble. By the time I had returned she had already ged and Man was looking over the torn dress. I handed over the makeshift belt and Fae started adjusting it while I walked over tan.

  She was examining the dress pretty closely. "What are you up to?" I asked her.

  "Mmm... I think I could repair most of this if I had a sewing kit. I didn't think to ask for one when we were still in Traehall."

  "You sew?"

  Man nodded. "Yeah, just a bit. Mostly for small repairs and stuff. We thought it would be a good thing for one of us to know so I lear in exge for not having to learn dismantling," she said with a ugh. "You'd think I won out there but it was actually Torien who had begged me for the deal."

  I smiled. "That makes me wonder if she did that to make you feel better or if she really hates sewing that much."

  Man sat up in shobsp;"I never sidered that."

  "It's the tter!" Torien called out from the other side of the little area we were w in. "I hate sewing." The four of us ughed while our two guests looked at the four of us curiously.

  Mahe dress up to the light and I could see the pretty obvious hole in the front where the knife had stabbed into the her.

  "Burn it," Fae said.

  Man turo look at her. "Are you sure? I think I could fix it up. Maybe not good as new but—"

  "I got stabbed and watched my father get murdered in that dress. I don't want it."

  "...Right, sorry." Man began to fold it up, presumably to be burer.

  Fae sighed. "I know you were only trying to help... We've been running for days now and I haven't gotten much sleep. I apologize."

  She went back to adjusting her clothes and an awkward silence hung over roup until she was finished. She stood up with her arms out. The clothes looked a little big on her but the pant legs were rolled up and covered the sturdy looking riding boots she wore uhem. Her shirt was a bit loose but ulled in and tucked into her pants, they were held in pce by the makeshift belt I had given her. Her blond hair was a bit dirty, making her look mostly like a ohe only thing that really gave it away was her forced looking posture.

  Tarklin walked back over calling out to make sure she was finished ging.

  "Dinner is just about prepared. Once you're finished with that we're going to talk about sleep rotations before we assign rooms for the night." Tarklin g the noble and owards her. "Naturally yuest won't be on watch, she better get some sleep now that she has more people to guard her back at night. That goes for you too," he said nodding towards the rabbitkin.

  "Thank you sir," Silva gave a short clumsy bow. Clearly uo the formality of it.

  "Lilith..."

  "Yes?" I turo see Fae trying to talk to me.

  "Would you mind if I slept near you tonight? I... don't know who to trust here."

  I felt fused. "Sure, I don't mind. What about..." I saw some tension in her expression so I decided not to finish my sentence. "No problem."

  She turo the rabbitkin. "You know the rules Silva. Try to get some sleep. ...I order you not to hurt anyone except in self defense." Silva's clowed with blue runes as she smiled back sadly.

  The moment was awkward and I didn't know what to make of it. It was clear the two didn't trust each other despite the rabbitkin likely having saved the woman's life on more than one occasion. At least ohat we know of.

  We got our portions of stew that was made for the caravan and found out about ht watch assigs. I was on sed watch with Bel tonight and because of the way things rotated, the twins didn't have to be on watch this time. After that we headed to our assigned rooms in the small fort.

  Sihey were all sidered servants, Torien and Ma with Silva in one room while Bel, Fae and I went together towards the other. I was a bit hesitant for us to be separated like this but the twins assured me it was alright. I wasn't fully on board but it would give me a ce to talk with Fae so I relutly agreed.

  Before we split up I took off my belt and handed Mimi and her sheath to Torien. "Hold on to her for me tonight." Torien nodded knowingly.

  -- "Mimi, tell me if the girls are in danger and protect them if you . I'll rush over no matter the time of night." --

  -- "I will." -- Through our link, more meaning was veyed than just the simple words she passed along. Though she wasn't as close to the twins as she was to Bel, she already saw them as her family too. There was something charming about her na?ve innoce that trasted with how observant and smart she was.

  I refocused on our two guests after handing Mimi over. Something about this situation was uo me and I wao hear more about what the issue she had with Silva was. It was ing to me that Fae didn't trust her and I wao know if I should be worried about it too or if this is a personal thing.

  The three of us quietly ate the stew in our assigned room. All of us were aware that there would probably be another difficult versation after this.

  Saine

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