"I thought it was better to write a letter for you like for all the others. It's to invite you to meet my wife and maybe be one of her ladies-in-waiting if you both feel like it." The already imposing young man answered her.

She picked up the letter and examined it carefully. It was neatly folded and sealed with wax marked by the family seal. She smiled at the sight, that was a very Muracier thing to do. Anyone else would have just asked her since she was this close.

A few days had already pa.s.sed since the new year and she was now back in the yard with her lords, old and new. The one standing in front of her wore a heavy ornamented armor radiating an intimidating air. However, his helm clearly showed which house he belonged too making it hard to believe that almost no one found out who he was yet. Plus, she knew that the man under that armor was just like his grandfather, she had not a shred of wariness towards him.

She had an overwhelming respect for the old man, to a point were she usually called him grandfather in private. She was thankful for what he did for her disabled father. The old man had acknowledged his loyalty and strength and gave him the position of head guard even if he lost both of his legs to the forest.

Her father had given his legs for the greater good and Aminui never forgot it. The old man housed her father, her mother and herself once she was born. She didn't know exactly what her father did because it seemed to be a painful memory for him but the old man had promised to make sure she would do well. He trained her and raised her like one of his own, endeavoring to create a bright future for her, all to appease the worries of her father.

She was happy enough like that, Highsteel had been her home, a safe heaven, and she hoped it would always be the case. Her grandfather had grown nervous however over the years because he knew he was getting old. He'd sit on his throne and stare at his missing finger for hours on end. His sons were both gone and he didn't know what would happen after he left too. He wanted to make sure that whatever happened, she'd be safe and cared for just like he promised her father.

She didn't really feel like she needed to be cared for, she was a warrior too after all, but she understood the concerns of her father and Aminui. She could stand on her own but the future would remain uncertain as long as they didn't control who sat next on top of Highsteel. What if Graube got in and decided that her talent was better used on the front line? She'd follow the orders and would be satisfied to be recognized as talented but her father would worry for her safety to no end and Aminui's roots would shrivel feeling his promise being broken.

For them, there was only one absolute way to insure her the brightest of futures. They had to tie her to the next great general, whoever that man would be. Because of that, she had been made to visit Graube frequently as he was the only logical guess on who would sit next at the very top.

She didn't feel much for the man who was twice her age but she accepted her fate as a just return on all that she had been given. If that union could bring peace to her grandfather and her parents then she would accept it like she would any other duty.

However, a second contender came out of absolutely nowhere. Her grandfather was so happy about it too, he left the fortress right away just in case the rumor might be true, bringing her with him. In the end, it was true, a new Muracier from the main branch, in flesh and blood, around her age and a mindset like his grandfather.

She took an instant liking to him. If she had to choose between Graube and Emp as husband, she'd rather have the one that was her age. It had nothing to do with love though, it was just about doing as she was told. How could she have felt anything for a guy she just met? He didn't even prove himself in any way yet, for now, he was just a name and a kind face. It was a great start already but it was just that, a start.

In the end though, she wasn't even the one making the choice.

Since that was the case, she didn't know what to do with that invitation. Would it make it seem as if she was favoring Emp over Graube if she accepted?

For now, she broke the seal and read the letter. It was pretty well written and kindly asked her to come meet his wife Calla in Dark-glint.

She still felt surprised that this guy already had a wife and a half. Graube too had a 'few' wives already but that was expected of a man his age. Whoever she ended up with, she'd just be an extra. That was very disappointing and rather saddening but she understood that there was a price to pay for the great life she had lived up to now and the one she was promised for later.

If the price was to share that life with the family of her benefactor, insuring in the same way that her own sprouts would enjoy the same benefits, it was a truly small thing to pay. In comparison, everything else was just either a bonus or a minor disappointment. She was ready to not be loved back, to be the background character protecting the others from the sidelines. She was willing to be a rose handed over, a bouquet of unfaltering petals, protecting groves unbound with her thorns. She had made up her mind on that years ago, that way she couldn't possibly be disappointed with whatever happened.

Even if everything went wrong, she was strong on her own, she could just leave. She would do her best to honor her father and benefactor and keep on holding to her duty as much as possible, all for the purpose of peace for everyone but in the worst case scenario she wouldn't let herself be abused. She doubted it would happen however. Emp looked inoffensive enough and even though Graube wasn't that good of a man, he wasn't that bad either.

With all that said, she still didn't know what to do with that invitation. She turned towards her grandfather and left the decision to him. Taking decisions wasn't really her thing, she liked clear tasks she could focus on better. In a way, she was like the Muraciers back when the Empire was established. Like them, she didn't care about any decision, she just wanted to improve herself and keep her family safe.

She wasn't a puppet however, if she disagreed with anything, she'd say it right away and confront whoever was mistaken. It was just that she had a complete trust in her grandfather, he'd never do anything that could do her wrong.

"Of course you should agree to go. You need to meet that wife of his and protect her. Familiarize yourself with her and take your decision. Your opinion really matter to me, who of the two should be the one according to you? Send me a letter once you know for sure."

Kaisla felt extremely pleased by his words. She almost cried because of them. Her grandfather really cared for her, he was willing to let her help him judge who should take the t.i.tle of great general next. It was again a reminder that he just wanted what was best for her. He didn't want to force a man she didn't respect on her, he wanted her to make the choice.

Since she already knew Graube's side very well, it was only fair to give the same chance to this one. Marriage was all about the sisterhood after all, she had to know this Calla he loved so much to understand him properly and decide what would be best for the empire and herself. It would be easier to learn what he was made of if he understood those he kept at the center of his heart.

She had already made her opinion about Mable, she was childish and foolish. Lord Emp liked her because of her antics similar to those of a court jester. She was less than impressed about this but the other, hidden, side of the girl was impressive. Like a coin, there was two ways to see her, the foolish girl or the ruthless figure.

There was a thing in her that enabled her to fearlessly stand against anyone, she wouldn't back down, impose herself over everyone else and force her opinion down everyone's throat with no thoughts for the consequences. Lord Emp also liked her for her fearless att.i.tude and commanding presence, even if that side of her rarely pierced through the childish side.

This told her that lord Emp might be a bit similar to Graube, valuing the act of moving onward more than how to move efficiently. Or maybe it meant that he liked to surround himself with women of opposing values to better weight his future course of action. If that was the case then accepting a fragile girl as first wife might make more sense. Finally, it might just mean that he liked girls with bubbly personalities regardless of their strength of will or physical condition. Mostly, it meant she wasn't really his type.

Maybe meeting Calla would change her viewpoint.

"Understood my lord, I will pack my things and leave on the morrow."

"It's not an order though, I'd understand if you'd rather stay here with my grandfather than go visit a woman you don't know." The young lord added.

He did not mention anything about the choice his grandfather was asking her to do, choosing to ignore it in favor of consideration for her.

"No worry, it will be my pleasure to meet her." She confirmed.

She trained with them one last time that day and was reminded by her grandfather to not slack in her training while she was away from him. She promised that she would not and packed her things quickly. She didn't have much with her to begin with, only a few personal items fitting in a light bag, some clothes and her equipment.

At the first light of dawn, she was ready to leave. She took some time to eat properly and do her morning routine, sent her regards to her grandfather and the duke ruling over the school and walked to the gate.

She would have said goodbye to the young lord Emp too but when she knocked on his door earlier in the day, she was told that he was still sleeping. That wasn't surprising, she had come to know that this was a habit of his to sleep for too long and according to Aminui, his second son was the same.

She asked the cursed-blood slave to tell him she said goodbye once he woke up and left to finish her preparations. That slave, she was much more impressive than she first let on. The small woman was clever, intelligent and way stronger than she should. It seemed that her poor balance was her only weakness and even that was, from what she could tell, a ruse.

Kaisla suspected that she kept stumbling only so that the young lord would keep carrying her around. She knew that her balance should be hard to regain after the loss of such large limbs but by now, there was no way she could still be this distressed with the ability she demonstrated.

That slave was also more resilient and physically stronger than what her specie should be able to attain according to her grandfather. Him and Kaisla suspected that the young lord Emp gave her some fortifying brew just like he did for the two students in his group. The slave was still not strong enough to wield any sort of useful melee weapons but she was able to crank a crossbow by using her whole body and she was apparently adept at it. Emp said he thought her the basics but she must have trained a lot on her own while he trained on other things. Kaisla had even seen the girl recharge and shoot from his shoulders as if it was natural like a talented horse rider shooting with a bow.

The young lord said that he hoped she'd become good enough to follow him everywhere and fight from his shoulders alongside him. He intended to use her as some ranged support it seemed. They were well underway to manage that and planned to train this way today as well she seemed to remember. As long as the cursed-blood kept the young lord safe this way, she was all for her improving her crossbow skills. Anyone supporting the family were deserving of her praise and support.

By the time she reached the gate, the sun had been fully awakened and the city on the other side of it was already bustling. Just in front of said gate, there was a large group of huntresses equipped with crossbows and all sorts of weapon, there were a bit over twenty of them.

They were arguing with the knights stationed at the gate. They wanted to be let inside the school and kept arguing even if the knight told them the school was on lockdown. While they were insisting on their nonsense, Kaisla moved to another knight to present her pa.s.s.

She knew that man well enough since he came in with them from Highsteel and her papers were in order, signed by both the duke and her grandfather. She was let trough without problems.

With that out of the way, she should have been ready to leave the city and start the journey towards the village she was interrupted right away.

The huntresses stepped in her way right as she pa.s.sed the gates, they looked desperate.

"Please miss! You can go in and out so help us." Their leader asked in the common tongue.

She was a tall steel-grey eyed woman with short blond hairs, a long spear strapped to her back along a crossbow and a scale armor. Behind her to her left and right were two other women, one in grey mage robes, and another with an axe and a long braid of hair.

Kaisla felt like they were wasting her time and got annoyed right away, what didn't they understand in "no one gets in"?

"I'm leaving for an important mission now, haven't my colleague been clear enough? You're not getting in, give up."

"But we can't leave now, we've walked all over the kingdom to reach this place, we're just a hair's breath away from our goal! Listen, we're looking for a cursed-blood girl that was sold as a slave here. It's a long story but we need to talk to her, we need to make sure she is well. Guilt made us track her all over the kingdom and we had to speak to a whole chain of slavers to finally learn she was sold to the school here to serve one of the students. We just want to speak to that student and make sure she is fine, maybe buy her back from him. The last slaver we saw told us that she was alive and well still but there is no way we can be satisfied with just that."

Kaisla could only sigh at the persistence of the group blocking her way. She hesitated on whether to push them aside and go on with her task or try to help them a bit. In the end, she chose to help, she wouldn't loose that much time and that group of women seemed very pa.s.sionate about the subject, it might be a matter of life or death.

"Alright, there can't be that many in the school, what sort of cursed-blood is she?"

The leader and the mage seemed extremely pleased by her answer and hurried to tell her.

"She was a sky witch. It's a bird without wings."

A bird without wings? Could there be such a coincidence? Her brows twitched against her will when she heard the words. Celtine was no sky witch however, she didn't have the voice to bend the elements to her will, she was mute.

"Do you know her?" The leader insisted with hope when she saw her reaction.

"I think I might know who you're talking about. Please wait a moment." She turned over to the knight she knew. "Grey, could you go get the lord and his grandson, those are here to see them I think."

*-*-*-*

Emp was woken up early by Celtine who told her that Kaisla had left not too long ago. Apparently, she came to say goodbye but he was still sleeping. That was a kind attention but she was going to see him again soon so it wasn't that important.

He might have missed her but now that he was up however, he decided that it might be a good time to train.

He took the time to eat a good breakfast lovingly made by Harriett and headed outside with Celtine on his shoulders. Recently, she had gotten better with her crossbow and Emp had her practice shooting while he moved. Because of his unnatural way to move through s.p.a.ce, it was hard for her to adjust her aim to it but she was improving gradually.

He joined his grandfather in the field and started going through the usual exercises when he got interrupted by a knight. The man saluted his grandfather and explained what he came for right away.

"My lord sir, there are some people at the gate requesting to see you and the young lord about a slave. Lady Kaisla sent me to notify you."

Emp stopped his exercises and shared a look with the old man, they both agreed to go see what this was about with that silent exchange. He got along pretty well with his grandfather. He saw him often since he arrived and found that he was pretty much like Chinui. It was easy to get along with him whenever he wasn't complaining about the deal he had with Mable or about who he should try to get as future wives. Emp now felt he should probably tell him about how he came to be. He just didn't know how to break the news to him quite yet.

In any case, he now trusted that the old man wouldn't destroy him the instant he learned about it. Even if he cared for his family more than anything else, he believed that what he was hiding from him wasn't a reason to be overly upset, at least not for someone like the two of them.

He still was unsure about whether or not he had any right to call himself a Muracier but Celtine was right when she first said they were more alike then he thought. He felt a connection with him like he had felt with Chinui, their thoughts just worked in the same way and it felt great to share a conversation with him.

The only problem he had with him up until now was when he asked him for details about his two souls for hours. He obviously knew that Emp was trying to hide something from him and the old man found it upsetting but he couldn't possibly tell him that the soul of his son was trapped in a crystal resting on his fireplace.

Going back to their current situation, they understood each other enough to agree instantly on that sort of simple things. They followed the knight back to the gate while still wearing their armors and equipment for the training. Even Celtine had her crossbow strapped to her lower back. Emp felt it was a waste of time to store it back in the bag just for a brief time.

From a distance, Emp saw that there were a lot of people waiting for them at the gate. Before he managed to see who they all were properly, the knight announced them officially.

"The Muracier elder and his grandson are here."

Right away once they all heard who it was that Kaisla had called over, they only glanced at the two armored figures and all fell to their knees, lowering their head in the process. They didn't dare take a proper look at the two figures that came to meet them. Emp and Aminui didn't like that sort of reaction but it was to be expected as any other n.o.bles would have been upset of the opposite.

Getting closer to them, Emp smiled under his helm as he recognized who they were. Those were Connie's huntresses, they helped him with the unnameable of chaos. He was about to greet them properly when he felt something was wrong, not with himself or them but with Celtine instead.

She had turned rigid on his shoulders. Even with the armor between them, he could feel her muscles tense followed by her hands releasing their holds on his helm. He sent the helm into the bag to turn his head upward and look at her, she was s.h.i.+vering and all her hair was standing on end. Emp didn't know how to describe the expression she was making, distraught, scared, enraged, surprised, definitely shocked and maybe at a loss. Her jaw was slightly shaking and her eyes were turning moist very quickly.

"Celtine?"

Obviously, those women had a really strong effect on her but Emp wasn't quite sure of why this was so. She quickly reached to her back and brought up the loaded crossbow over his head, pointing it straight at Tacey. Emp was taken by surprise and barely had the time to pull the crossbow downward before she pulled the trigger.

The bolt shot out and pierced the ground just in front of the huntress thanks to Emp's intervention.

The huntresses saw nothing more then the bolt landing at Tacey's feet and collectively s.h.i.+vered. They were not sure of what was happening but were too afraid to look or speak of their worries out loud. The only sound heard from them was a few gulps.

Emp was sure that Connie must be dying to apologize and explain her presence but they all knew that it was very disrespectful to raise their heads or speak before someone like Aminui.

His grandfather looked meaningfully towards him, asking for an explanation for the actions of Celtine. He didn't look pleased.

"I'm sorry grandfather, I don't know why she reacted this way."

Celtine let go of the now useless crossbow and wrote in a hurry. Her words were distorted by her speed and state of mind, jagged and slanted. They were barely readable at all, completely different from her usual writing style.

< demon,="" taker="" of="" wings.="">

That message was bare-bones but it was more than clear and very upsetting for him. Said like that, everything made sense, even though he wished that wasn't the case. He had mixed feelings about what was happening, even if everything was now clear, he was at a loss on what to do. He chose to explain the situation to his grandfather first so that they could all think about this properly.

"Grandfather, this group of women are huntresses led by Connie. At her side there's Tacey and Jaska, I met them in Dark-glint where they helped me kill an unnameable of chaos. I'd have died if not for them."

His words caused a ripple through the huntresses because even if they didn't recognize his voice, they would never be able to forget that hunt. Their thoughts were thrown into chaos while they tried to figure out how it was possible for a Muracier to recognize them.

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Celtine jerked back and her face crumbled completely, a reflection of her inner turmoil. She had not expected her master to not only know them but be thankful towards them.

The three leaders gasped as they made the link between Marcy who Connie admired and her son Emp. It wasn't quite right but Emp wasn't done speaking either.

"They are apparently also the girls who took Celtine's wings. I didn't know that last part until just now. If I guessed right, they are looking for redemption for what they did. She told me that they had been plagued by misfortune since the daughter of Tacey died. They wanted to take back their luck by finding the cursed-blood they encountered back then and ask for forgiveness."

"I see, well, for now, could you all get back to your feet. Neither me or my grandson are keen on that sort of reverence." Aminui told them.

Everyone rose more or less quickly and stared at the two Muracier and the cursed-blood on his shoulders. Emp recognized most of them because he had a good memory for that sort of thing but there were also a lot of new faces. Connie must have been recruiting since they last met more than a year ago.

"Emp, it really is you! I can't believe my eyes!" Connie exclaimed.

"Can there really be such a coincidence? I don't think there could be a better case than this one." Jaska said in an equal mix of relief, awe and surprise.

"He doesn't look all that happy to see us though." Tacey pointed out.

"I'm sorry, I'm just feeling conflicted." Emp said as he was trying to comfort Celtine with his hands.

He raised one in the air to the side of his head and Celtine placed hers into it. He enclosed her hand into his own to express his support and expressed his thoughts to the huntresses and Aminui.

"You have helped me save Dark-glint and sacrificed a lot of your own for it. You were all rewarded with money and priceless elixirs for it because I truly was thankful, I do not think you are bad people."

Emp felt Celtine cramp over his shoulders. Feint smiles appeared on the faces of the huntresses.

"However, I can feel Celtine radiating hate and disgust towards you. She calls you demons, devils, monsters, she still can't walk straight because of what you took from her. She's very dear to me, she became one of my closest friends, I'd do almost anything to give her back what was stolen from her and I will eventually. I... Might not have been quite myself when I said it but I told her that if I ever met those responsible for her situation, I would crush them under my hammer."

The eyes of the old man narrowed. The expression of the huntresses all sank and Connie stepped a bit closer to express herself.

"We know what we did was terrible, we shouldn't have done it. We've walked all over the kingdom trying to find her back to send her home. We wanted to apologize and try to make up for it in some way."

"You wanted your luck back." Corrected Emp, mildly disappointed by the way Connie put it. He could tell what she was wasn't quite the truth.

The air around them all felt heavy. Connie shook her head in a nervous way and quickly explained herself again.

"No, this isn't about taking back our luck, Noey's dead, she's never coming back, we buried her with the wings. This is about making our own luck, like you said we should. We came here hoping to see her, speak with her and save her. We came prepared to buy her back even if it cost us all we have and wanted to bring her back to her people."

Both Emp and Celtine cramped at those words. Neither wanted that to happen.

"I'm never selling Celtine to anyone." He said flatly.

Right away, he felt the warmth of Celtine enveloping his head in thanks. The expressions of everyone else sank.

"Please, let us atone at least." Jaska asked, she had not expected to be denied this cleanly by someone they were friendly with.

"The words of a Muracier are binding." Aminui cut in, darkening the faces of the huntresses further.

They all looked at each other trying to figure out what should be said next but Aminui's next words froze all of them in place.

"Emp, get your hammer out."

Everyone wondered what he meant for a short moment until the answer dawned on them. "...if I ever met those responsible for her situation, I would crush them under my hammer." Panic spread through the huntresses faster than a wild fire but all of them found their feet frozen in place. Cold sweat ran over their back in seconds. Even Kaisla clenched her jaw, she had not expected that to happen when she had them called over.

Emp felt terrible now, when his soul was split, he had said that in a burst of anger and came back on his words the next instant thinking he had been excessive. He had never expected that those people he appreciated would be the same as those who took Celtine's wings. He didn't quite know what the right thing to do was but he was pretty sure that hammering them to a pulp wasn't it.

He still obeyed his grandfather and got his hammer out from his bag, further freezing the air around it with its magic. He felt its weight in his hand, trying to find a way out for himself. He didn't want to simply say he wouldn't do it because obviously, the truth and honesty were more than sacred for the Muraciers. He said he'd do it, now he had to.

"I was also told that we're not supposed to leave the school grounds and they aren't allowed to come in."

The gate was protecting the huntresses. It was a very bad excuse because with his blessing, he could probably just reach over there and beat them up with his hammer. It was the only thing he could come up with though.

Many huntresses sighed in relief but panicked again when Connie started walking towards Emp, stopping right at the entrance to the school grounds, just in front of him. Emp didn't understand what she was thinking. The others called out to her, some even squealed while Tacey flatly called her crazy and ordered her to come back.

Connie ignored the reactions of everyone and placed a knee to the ground in arms reach of Emp. She looked straight into his eyes, resolve and calm were the only things he saw in hers.

"We came all the way here seeking atonement. The answer is right there in front of us, there's no way I'm leaving now. If this is the price we have to pay for everyone's bad luck to end then do it. Kill me now but let the others go, free us from our curse, I'll take all the blame."

Everyone behind her panicked, they all started complaining and urging her to stop this madness. They did not understand, Emp didn't understand either. He felt his arms shaking inside his armor.

"But it wasn't even you who cut her wings, it was me!" Tacey complained with an insulted shout. "Let me do it instead! I'm way older too and I've got nothing else to lose, if someone has to die then let it be me."

Emp would really prefer if none of them died.

Tacey tried to get closer and take her place but Connie ordered the others to stop her right away. She turned her head towards her distraught subordinates and explained herself again in a soft voice.

"I didn't do it but I sure as h.e.l.l didn't stop you either. All of us just looked away, we're all just as guilty." She looked back towards Emp with her eyes moist. "I'm fine with that end."

No lie.

"But... What about your dreams? What about your friends?" Emp asked with difficulty.

"They'll be just fine without a stupid leader like me." She said with some sort of smile.

He couldn't help but feel that smile was more to rea.s.sure him than herself.

"Are you happy at least? With him?" She asked Celtine.

Emp didn't dare look up at her right now with the face he was making. He didn't look at her answer.

"Could you say it aloud for me?" Connie asked further.

"She can't, the slavers took her voice too." Emp answered for her.

Connie closed her eyes to stop her own tears and spoke again after a pained sigh.

"I'm sorry for that too then. The only things I ever heard out of her were wails of pain and anger. I made nightmares filled with them to be honest, I hoped to hear something else for once."

Many behind her nodded to echo her words, it seemed that this nightmare was a widespread thing.

Emp couldn't help but notice that they hadn't even tried to ask Celtine for forgiveness. Did they feel it was something so far out of their reach it wasn't even worth trying?

Connie took another deep breath and lowered her head again.

"Okay, I'm ready."