The Author's Will

12 | Little Sprout

　　 "Papa, are you sure that this is alright?" Irene asked, as her father swiped her little body off the ground, and gently placed her into the large, grand carriage parked outside the Cherliann manor. "You've been really busy... Is it okay for you to be coming out with me like this?"

"Yes, it's fine, don't worry," Rudien told her with a small smile, his gloved hand stroking her hair. "I promised that I'd spend a day with you, remember? I made sure to put everything aside for today, so we'll go wherever you want."

Today, Rudien was taking his daughter out to town, for her to go shopping and exploring the main Capital of Laydel. The town square, their destination for the day, was only one of the many magnificent sites that the empire of Laydel had to offer, and Duke Cherliann was sure that it would be a good experience for his young daughter.

Albeit nervous, Irene was looking forward to today. It was her first time going out and experiencing the wonders of Laydel, despite always dreaming of walking through its streets.

However — that wasn't the only reason she had agreed to this excursion. There was something she needed to find, a very important artifact that would come to benefit her greatly over the course of her life.

The duke soon entered the carriage and took a seat at the plush cushioned seat, as a knight fixed the door of the luxurious cart shut. Irene smiled, as she wedged her tiny self into Rudien's lap.

"I'm really excited to be spending time with you, Papa!" She beamed, hugging him. And truthfully, she had been for a while. Irene missed the days her father would spend as much time with her as he could. But with the oncoming flags of war, it was difficult for him to even see his family.

Rudien sighed softly, smiling. Although he was usually aloof and emotionless, he couldn't resist the radiance of his daughter. "So have I, let's enjoy ourselves a lot today."

The carriage rolled down the cobblestone road toward the capital city with a smooth, silent pace, it's windows letting in the clear, silky rays of the Laydel sky. Irene smiled, as she tightened her little fingers around her father's thumb.

If I can get "that" on my side, I'll be able to make sure everyone I care about is safe... She thought, smiling.

When writing her story as Hanna, she remembered a rather significant aspect of her novel. In one of the chapters, Isabella was out with her mother - Duchess Einfred, browsing clothes for an important event. At that point in the novel, she was thirteen, and had taken up an interest in magical devices and tinkering.

It was while they were exploring the town square, that she had stumbled across a rather run-down antique shop, which had been there for years. People rarely went there, but the store seemed to be curiously intriguing, as if it was waiting for the right person to enter and discover something magnificent.

Isabella then walked in, after her mother had made sure a certain number of guards were nearby. And as she made her way through the shop - there - situated in a glass case, was a peculiar bracelet. It's chains were rusted and cheap, but the colourless stone embedded into it's center was completely intact, and emitting a small amount of mana.

Isabella ended up buying that bracelet, and having the stone fixed into a new bracelet, with sleek and smooth metal chains and links.

Then, as if by complete coincidence, Isabella accidentally happened to cause a reaction to happen within the stone. It started to emit a bright light, before a grand beast emerged from its core, taking on the form of a majestic bear in front of her eyes.