I had some difficulty sleeping later that night, but I awoke feeling fine the next morning. I didn’t feel any strain or pain in my muscles and my exhaustion was gone. Despite that, I still didn’t feel quite right. I felt like I could move normally, but I also felt somewhat sluggish. After moving about my room for a bit, I finally realized what was up; that extra bit of power I used to wake up with was gone now. Fearing that the problem ran deeper than just that, I focused and ran a bolt through my body. It worked just fine. To be sure, I charged up a second one and that worked out too. On the third bolt, I felt my body begin to heat up and sweat was already starting to drip off my forehead. I charged a fourth bolt and it felt like getting stabbed in the sides, causing me to keel over. I brought out my hands to break my fall but my right hand was still a fist. I ended up smashing it against the floor, scraping some flesh off my knuckles. I tried to maintain my power for a little longer, but it started to feel suffocating after about twenty seconds. I ended the use of the bolts and slowly made my way back to the bed to lie down on it. After a few deep breaths, I got back up and looked around for something to bandage my hand.

  Before I could find bandages, I ran into Flora instead. She healed my hand and asked me what happened. I told her it was just an accident and there was nothing to worry about. I was the only one who needed to worry about this, I reasoned internally. Given the recent development, though, I was beginning to think my decision to quickly head off to the Dridam Plains was a reckless one. I reasoned that it would be a good idea to at least rest for another few days, but I had no intention of changing my destination. In the meantime, I guess I could head out to do some shopping. I was still yet to buy a new pair of gloves after all. After eating breakfast in the palace, I was ready to head out. The king offered to loan me a few guards as escorts but I turned him down. I told him I could take care of myself and I didn’t want to stand out. I wondered if Tasha or Flora wanted to join me, but I didn’t ask either of them. Flora came with me anyway, though, as she found me right as I was getting ready to leave the palace. I decided not to ask her if she knew why Tasha wasn’t also with her.

  It felt nice stepping out of the gates all geared up in my hide armour with my sword at my hip. I didn’t find a good time to ask for all my equipment back yesterday so I just dealt with that nagging feeling of defenselessness. Today, though, I felt I should be feeling even better than usual. The king had my equipment maintained so now my armour was looking nice and polished. My sword was also sharpened and it looked even sleeker than when Jack Free still had it. Oh, remembering that, though, I wonder if it’s a bad thing to have forgotten the former owner of this weapon. I ignored those worries in the end after sheathing the sword. The one who owned this sword has done far worse things than I have, so I should think of that as a good point. As we neared the marketplace, I realized another concern. This shopping trip was probably going to get awkward quickly. I wanted to restock on traveling supplies, but Flora…when would be a good time to mention that talk I had with the king?

  “So, how have you been enjoying your time in the palace so far?” I asked, deciding to not bring up my decision quite yet. It would be a good idea to bring it up sooner than later, but I wanted to gradually ease into it first.

  “It’s great. The people are nice and it’s peaceful. Well, excluding the first day…”

  “Just think of it as a very rare exception.”

  “Mmm,” she muttered in approval.

  “Is there anything you are looking to buy?”

  “Um, nothing really.”

  “That so?”

  “Yes, I just thought I should come and help pay for things. That is what my grandfather left me those funds for…” Flora’s quiet voice trailed off as she clearly began to worry about his situation. Given my own situation though, I wasn’t sure whether to address her concerns over her grandfather or money first.

  “Cheer up, Flora,” I said brightly, disregarding any preamble. My directness did seem to surprise Flora and her brooding expression lifted.

  “Thanks,” she said, as if I dispensed legitimate advice. We went to a tailor’s shop and browsed around for some leather gloves to fit me; a true custom fit was unnecessary. Before trying on the first pair, I noted the thin scar on my left palm, a reminder of my fight with Truth. If it hasn’t disappeared after all this time, it was probably never going to fully heal. It wasn’t something that really bothered me, but I must have spent too long looking at it as I noticed Flora staring at it as well. In the end, I decided to not bring it up and just finish doing what I came to do. I bought two pairs of leather gloves in case I needed a spare and then went to buy some more traveling rations. I was about to stock up for about a month’s worth for me and Tasha, but decided I could not hold this off any longer. I left the shop and brought Flora to an empty alleyway to talk privately.

  “Flora, there’s something I need to say.” I could tell from her eyes that she was thinking hard about what it could be. At the very least, she didn’t seem to think it would be anything good. “Do you remember why your grandfather left you with me?” She did not reply. That’s fine, it was more or less rhetorical. “He wanted me to take you somewhere safe. That was clearly an initial failure on my part. Our journey so far has clearly been nothing if not dangerous.”

  “That’s fine, Mr. Braith, I don’t think any of those problems were your fault.” I only mostly agreed with her on that. “It’s been hard to change, but I really think I can be more useful in the future. I can be more helpful so things aren’t always so dangerous.” Her words held a mix of both determination and apprehension.

  “In my opinion, it’s not something you should have been concerned with from the beginning. You never wanted to set out like this into unknown lands. Getting into situations where your life is on the line…that’s just not something you should have ever had to deal with.”

  “W- what are you trying to say, Mr. Braith?” Flora already seemed to be picking up on something in my tone.

  “Traveling together with us is too dangerous. You are going to remain here in Brennan. I’ve already spoken to the king about this and he’s agreed to let you live in the palace.” She looked at me as if I was abandoning her. “This is for your own good, Flora.” I didn’t think I’d end up using such a cliché line.

  “Is it because I’ve only been getting in the way, Mr. Braith?” she asked with a needlessly guilty expression.

  “No, you don’t understand. This is for your own safety.”

  “But what about you?” she now asked with concern.

  “What about me?” I was genuinely puzzled by what she meant.

  “Don’t you want help?” That response was such a good reflection of what she was like. It reminded me of one of our first talks with each other.

  “You don’t need to worry about me, Flora. I’ll be just fine.”

  “No,” she said flatly, her eyes lit up, not quite as much as Tasha’s, but it was a significant difference from usual.

  “Excuse me?” I had little idea on how to react to such a response from her.

  “Even if you say you don’t want help, I still want to help you. I’m not staying here; I’m coming with you.” I blew out a puff of air.

  “Flora,” I began with a bit of a lecturing tone, “You shouldn’t be making such reckless decisions. Bear in mind the words of your grandfather. He wanted you to get somewhere safe and I have basically been a danger magnet.” I know it was a bit low to use that argument, but this wasn’t something that should even be debated. However, Flora was undeterred.

  “Can we even say if this place is safer?” she argued, retorting with an unusual level of energy.

  “That attack was clearly a rare occurrence. There are even more guards now so it is perfectly safe now!”

  “If multiple people like Tarras came by again, could you guarantee this place would still be safe?”

  “Yes,” I lied. A group of people each as fast and strong as Tarras could possibly eliminate a target in the palace, especially if they got lucky in moving between weaker areas of defense. However, this was only a small possibility, and what were the odds that a pack of people like him would just attack this place? Unfortunately, my slight doubt must have shown on my face.

  “Mr. Braith, what would you do if something did happen to me?” That was the kind of question I never would have expected her to ask. Almost without exception, she has always acted by placing others before herself.

  “I…” I don’t know why I even bothered trying to start a sentence. I had no clear idea how to answer her. I had simply never thought that far before.

  “If you really want to do as my grandfather said, you have a responsibility to keep me safe.” She looked full of confidence and uncharacteristically seemed to even be smirking at me. I wonder who she was taking after?

  “You’re right about that, Flora. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” She nodded in agreement, assured of her victory. “And that’s why you have to stay here.” Flabbergasted. Not a word I would normally ever use, but it was an apt description of Flora’s face.

  “I don’t understand…”

  “I cannot perfectly guarantee your safety no matter what, I am no god or invincible hero. What I can say for sure though is that the guards and knights will do a much better job protecting you then I could while traveling across the land.” Flora’s unexpected arguments had thrown me off for a bit, but it was hardly something to even be debated. If it comes down to who would be a better bodyguard, the answer was obvious. I took her extended silence for reluctant agreement and motioned for her to leave the alley with me. “That’s just how it is, Flora. Come on, let’s finish what we came here for and head back to the palace.”

  “Mr. Braith…” she began, still rooted in place, but her eyes now looking down at the ground, “How do you see me?” I froze for a second before responding.

  “What do you mean?”

  “From when we first met, and up until now, what kind of person do you see me as?” she asked, her voice somewhat shaky. Maybe it would have been better to go with a generic, positive appraisal, but I felt the obligation to give a proper answer.

  “When I first met you, well…I don’t quite remember it too well since I was poisoned and all…but a few words do come to mind. Panicky, clumsy, and strange.” Her body gave no reaction. “I’d say that’s mostly down to the circumstances, though. I didn’t expect to run into someone else also in the midst of fleeing from a bunch of guards. At the very least, not someone with the kind of reactions you had. Well, you were just a child…still a child, so I did not think about you too seriously.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Is that still the way you see me?” she asked, still keeping her eyes to the ground.

  “No, my impressions changed pretty quickly. At the very least, I didn’t think you were clumsy after seeing you with the bow. The other two still kind of stuck, though, but not necessarily in a bad way. If anything, part of me was hoping you’d be even more panicky, cowardly even. In that case, you wouldn’t have had the guts to head off to Eden because of some prophetic dream. Although, if you weren’t so strange, maybe that option would have never come up to begin with.”

  “Do you…regret it?”

  “Regret what?”

  “Meeting me?” I contemplated just how deep that question really was. If I wanted to be cheeky, I would have said I didn’t regret it because otherwise I would have had no way to cure my poison.

  “I don’t.” She lifted her gaze a bit, but just before our eyes met, she looked down again. “I mean it. We have been through a lot of trouble together, and I’m guessing you ask that question because you blame yourself. Well, to some degree it was your fault.” I had intended for that prelude to get more of a reaction from her but she did not move at all. “But, it’s not like I could entirely blame you for any one thing nor could I say you had ever intended for it to turn out like that. Given the circumstances, I’d say you have been a big help.” I walked closer to her, closing in so there was only a foot of space between us, but she still did not look at me. “Come to think of it, I haven’t thanked you for healing me after that battle in the dining room.” Still no movement. “Thank you for that…and everything else.” Finally, she began to noticeably tremble and she looked up again.

  “Why, Mr. Braith…why?” Her voice was shaking more than earlier. “If you really think that way then why are you just going on ahead without me?”

  “Flora, just why are you so intent on this? Why are you so invested in coming along?” I already thought that she was taking the news worse than expected, but it had now gotten to the point that I had to ask.

  “I have to come with you! I must!” Her voice was hardly at the level of a shout, but by her standards, she may as well be screaming hysterically. She gesticulated madly and shuffled about almost drunkenly. “If I don’t come along, then what was the point of it all?! What about that dream I had that guided me to the guardian tree?!

  “Sometimes dreams are just dreams, Flora.”

  “I made a contract with the guardian spirit of the Nature Clan!”

  “Could have been just a coincidence.” Okay, even I didn’t really believe that.

  “And then, giving up that power and leaving my home behind!” she continued, probably ignoring my words for a little bit now. “Did all of that happen just so I could run off to Brennan!” She took in several quick breaths and then leaned forward against a wall. So, this timid, little girl had all of that bottled up inside of her this whole time. I stood behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to look at me, her eyes on the verge of tears.

  “Flora…” Well, now what? I already started so do I just say the first things that come to mind? “Sometimes…” you just have a lot of bad luck, it’s something that, “I feel quite often…” If there needs to be a purpose to things and things still turn out poorly, then I say, “we should just forget about purpose, or fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it.” All that you should care about is just doing what you want to do. “Don’t become obsessed with what you think you have to do.” Just…live freely. Accept the things that have happened and carry on however you want. “Your life is yours to live,” don’t make it dependent on others. Wow, that came out so awkward. “I really didn’t say that very well.” I probably should have at least kept that last bit to myself. She stared at me with a distressed and confused look. I did not think my words could have ever failed this much.

  “B- Mr. Braith…” she wiped her eyes with one hand and leaned her back against the wall, letting out an exhausted sigh as she did. “I think I understand what you mean.” Really? Thank goodness, I could use some clarification myself. “You think it’s wrong to live while being shackled by the past or to live without placing great importance on yourself.” Sounds good so far. “But I just can’t agree with that. I want to help people. That’s just the way I’ve felt since…since I was young.” Well, I think you are still young. “But, grandpa was just too amazing. I tried learning all sorts of skills, but in the end, he never needed my help with anything. He was wiser than I could ever hope to be and was a master at making potions. Even though I was good at archery, I couldn’t hunt, so I was no help there either. I also tried to help with gardening, but without Farseer magic, there was no way I could do nearly as good of a job as he could. There was nothing I could do for him, so I wanted to help others, but I never really had the opportunity. Not until…”

  “Not until we met?” Flora nodded, a bit shamefully. “You know how poorly my first attempt at getting into Eden went. But, I believed in the meaning behind my dream so I was prepared to go again, even if I thought I would fail. I didn’t want to just give up. That’s why…I was very happy when you and Tasha wanted to help. Well…I suppose it was mostly Tasha who wanted to help…”

  “Regardless of that, we did help you, but it was a bust in the end, wasn’t it? There was a chaotic battle at the end there, but no world-changing event occurred.”

  “No, I think that’s wrong. That day really did change my life.”

  “I mean, yeah, but only because we had to go on the run. I don’t think becoming fugitives should count as a turning point in the world. Anyone can become an outlaw at any time.

  “By itself, it might not seem like anything, but to me, it was a new beginning.” Flora’s eyes were almost trance-like while speaking her words.

  “Okay, I get why you think it’s so important now. It personally affected you more than anything else, and to be honest, it’s right up there for major events in my life as well. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it was just causing a problem and then running away from it.”

  “But, think about what came next. It has been less than two months, but the things you have done have impacted so many people! It started with just those two children, but then we went up against the True-Bloods! Imagine how many people were saved by getting in their way? And then, here in Brennan? You protected the royal family! The consequences of your actions are enormous and I played a part in all of that by healing you.” Her eyes were lit up as she finished her ecstatic rant. “You are a true hero that will change the world, Mr. Braith!” I resisted the urge to grimace.

  “I already told you that I’m not a hero. These things just seem to happen when I’m around and I can’t help but get involved sometimes.”

  “Yes, I know you’ve said that, but you must see how amazing your actions have been, right?”

  “Yes, it has been a rather absurd and spectacular series of coincidences. But, do you also realize the number of times I almost died?”

  “But, you made it through each time. And whenever you needed me to, I healed you. That’s something I can keep doing for you. No matter what, when you need me, I will be there for you. I think I’m also getting better with my bow.”

  “It’s not necessarily a good thing that you are getting better at shooting.” Flora put on a conflicted expression. “Yeah, I know I wanted you to get better at it to help in fights, but those should have been exceptional cases. It seems that we’ll be in life or death fights at least every other week at this rate.”

  “And I’ll be there to help! I promise I will keep trying to be more useful! I won’t let you down!” she pleaded with me energetically. Another callback to her safety was clearly going to be a useless argument. At the moment, that only left me with two options:

  giving up on arguments completely and just refusing; or convincing her that she would be of no help. I knew they were both terrible options.

  “Flora, I appreciate everything you’ve done so far and your willingness to change yourself for my benefit.” I let out a sigh. “However, you are too much of a liability. You can say you will improve yourself, but there just isn’t that much time to waste. What are we going to do if you ever get separated or attacked on your own?”

  “I’ll stick by you as much as I can, and if I ever need to keep some distance, I will. It’ll work out, I won’t be a burden!”

  “Words only mean so much, Flora. As it stands, without the ability to strengthen your body, you are just a child. An ordinary adult could easily overpower you, and there may be many opportunities for that to happen. If you cannot even handle yourself in such a simple situation now, then you know that you’re just going to drag us down.” I may not have done a good job up to this point, but I really was trying to spare her feelings. However, my decision was made and I had to make Flora give up.

  “If it’s just one adult, even I can handle myself. I have my bow, they won’t even get close!” Her spirit was far from broken.

  “What if you run out of arrows? What if you get surrounded and one of them manages to close the distance? What if you get ambushed? There are a lot of situations where they can come in close, and as I said, it only needs to be one. If you can’t even handle one by yourself in that situation, you would just be dead weight.” Flora didn’t falter in the slightest. In fact, she seemed to be even more determined.

  “Trust me, I can handle it on my own if that ever happens. Other than that, we’ll be together and I can help you as much as possible. You’d be able to keep fighting to the best of your abilities, that way, too.”

  “You are awfully confident about close-quarters combat, especially for someone who has difficulty making eye contact with strangers for the first time.”

  “I- I’ve gotten better at that. When you were unconscious, I talked to Princess Leonora and the palace maids a lot!” That was a bit surprising. I knew Flora wouldn’t blatantly lie to me just to prove a point. Alright, that’s it. It’s time to take this to the final step.

  “Alright, Flora, that sounds good, and I really do want to trust in you, but I need proof.”

  “Proof?”

  “A test. I’ll give you a test, Flora. If you pass, then I won’t doubt you on this point anymore. I won’t argue against you coming along anymore.”

  “D- do you mean it?” she said excitedly, with a bit of surprise mixed in.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it! What do I have to do?”

  “First off, take your arms and put one wrist over the other like so.” I crossed my wrists over each other and Flora did as I instructed. “Raise them just a bit more, so that they are level with your eyes.

  “Like this?” she asked, clearly confused over what this was meant to accomplish. I then put my hand under her wrists, my palm lightly pressing against the bottom wrist. I stared into her eyes for a moment and watched as she gradually started blushing. “Um, w- what comes next?” She looked away for just a second after asking the question. Right at that moment, I pushed against her wrists and forced them against the wall, still crossed over each other. I forced them far enough above her head that she was nearly on tip toes. Her expression instantly shifted to a panicked one.

  “I have two things to say right now,” I began calmly. “One, you should learn to not trust people so easily.” She tried to wrestle her arms free but the difference in strength was evident. “Two, this is your test. Break free from this and I’ll believe that I won’t have to always protect you.” She kept trying to free her arms to no avail, but as she parsed through what I had to say, her fear dissipated.

  “T- this isn’t fair, Mr. Braith! You have the power of a guardian spirit!”

  “Things aren’t always fair, Flora.” She tried to muster up some strength in her arms futilely again before using her right leg to try and kick me. She had more fight than I expected but I managed to catch her leg with my free hand. “But, I wouldn’t want you to think I gave you an impossible test. Right now, I am not using my powers at all.” That could be a bit dangerous for me given my current state anyways. “So, if you can force me to use them, I will consider that a pass as well.” She now tried to free her caught leg but that wasn’t going any better than her arms were earlier. I said the test wasn’t impossible, but part of the reason I said so was actually a trick. After struggling for a little longer, she should realize she can never overpower me. Even without using my powers, that is just the natural difference between an adult male and a fourteen-year-old girl. If she was Battle-Hardened, or could enhance her body like some other Nature Clan Farseers could, this may not have been much of an issue, and I’m hoping she sees that soon as well. She just doesn’t have the right kind of body to be traveling this continent. Although, this realization isn’t part of the trick. If she stubbornly refuses to give up, then I know her other option would be to call for help. I never said she couldn’t do that, but that would be an immediate fail. The whole point of this test is to prove she could handle herself alone. Now, what will you do, Flora? Will you graciously or shamelessly acknowledge your weakness?

  Flora stopped struggling. She took a moment to stabilize her breathing after exerting all that energy and looked at me. However, it was not an expression I expected. It was not one of defeat nor one that showed the realization of some sly triumph she was about to achieve. It was such an unexpected expression, that I think that I must be mistaken about it. There was simply no way she would be looking at me right now with gratitude. I don’t understand…no, wait, I know now. She’s trying to fake me out! Make me let my guard down!

  I tightened my hold against her wrists and her leg as much as I could without accidentally using my powers. I didn’t want to hurt you, but you are being just too stubborn about this. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She opened her eyes and stared directly at me. This time, though, she didn’t show an ounce of embarrassment. She breathed out and raised her other leg as quickly and as high as she could. I was so intent in not loosening my grip on her wrists that I made no attempt to move my arm as her foot got over my arm and then pressed down on it. Very quickly, she tried to wrap her leg around my arm as much as she could. It was squeezing tight enough that I almost charged a bolt by mistake. In that instant where I had to mentally stop myself from doing so, my hold on her other leg loosened and she wasted no time in freeing it. I wanted to catch it again right away, but with that leg free now, I was essentially holding up her entire body against the wall with just one arm. I instinctively prioritized keeping my balance while still making an effort to not use my powers. Next, though, Flora used her free leg and kicked the side of my head.

  Wow, I didn’t think she had it in her. My hold against her wrists finally broke and in my unstable position, I fell over backwards. I hit the ground with Flora on top of me and thankfully, I managed to charge a bolt in time through my arm so that I could put it behind my head to prevent my head from smashing against a wall. I lay on the ground for a moment, looking up at the cloudy sky above me, at the time completely oblivious to what others would think if they stumbled upon this scene in the middle of an alley.

  “S- so…did I pass?” Flora gasped out, her hat askew, but otherwise unharmed from the fall, having my body act as her cushion. I blinked a couple times as the cloud moved out of the way and the sun shone down brightly. I smiled for a second and laughed.

  “Yeah, you pass.” I guess I didn’t know Flora nearly as well as I thought I did. I thought I said that a bit too happily so I tried to sober up my tone as I continued. “It might be even harder than this for you. I really can’t always be around.”

  “I understand, Mr. Braith, but that’s the kind of a risk I am willing…it’s the kind of risk I must take. Absolutely!”

  “Alright, then we’ll leave it at that for now. In any case, do you mind getting off me now?”

  “O-oh! S-sorry! Right away!” She got back up in a panic and I suppressed a chuckle. Guess she couldn’t maintain her confident demeanor for long. I got up as well and touched the side of my head, as there was still a bit of a stinging pain from where Flora kicked me. I winced slightly as I did and saw drops of blood on my glove.

  “Not bad,” I muttered to myself as Flora readjusted her hat. The number of people who’ve made me bleed in Midgard, well, there haven’t been all too many.

  “Oh no, are you all right?!” Flora said frantically. “I really didn’t mean to hurt you!”

  “Hey now, that was sort of the point of all that,” I said, somewhat laughing it off. “Besides, you are going to have to do worse than that to others.” It took a second for me to realize just how grim that really sounded. I stood in awkward silence as I tried to think of something else to get over that statement.

  “Here, lean towards me a bit so I can heal it,” Flora finally said. Good, good, it’s just better to ignore what I said…for now. She recited her chant and healed my cut in just a few seconds. I probably would sorely miss such a convenient ability now that I really think about it. Oh, especially since I learned from the Thousand Bolts that she can more than just heal me as well. Or at least, this is the way I’m going to have to think to justify having her traveling along. Well, either that or start getting a lot more optimistic. Surely, the worst has already come and gone? All these useless thoughts…

  “Alright, Flora, let’s finish our shopping and head back to the palace.” Never thought I’d ever say that in my life.