The Maid and Her Princess

Journey to Gladeban (Interlude 3)

III.

Madoka tensed up from the researcher's question, gripping her sword beneath her robe but felt a hand stop her. Audrey sighed and she sensed the princess was about to lie, but luckily Kanys and Eraziror sat down by them. The giant of a man she nicknamed "Armor" rested a small distance away from them. She wondered if whoever beneath the plates was sleeping.

The murkiness beneath Kanys shifted, and from its darkness the form of the Cherish-man Night Operator rose. The man, named Shadow, simply nodded with a smile and held some things in his hands. The smell of meat came with him, making Madoka's stomach grow. He silently cooked above the fire pit, handing each of the members food. Audrey tried to refuse, but in the end his insistence won.

His gentle eyes held snatches of time within their glimmer, and despite his odd bond with the Sovos girl he seemed to have a much longer history in the world. Audrey perked up at the sight of him. Madoka noticed that Audrey seemed to have a fascination with the Cherish people as a whole, but did not press her for any more information on that subject.

"Hey, lore-man," Audrey addressed him informally. "Give us some more stories!"

Madoka wanted to scold Audrey, but the man simply stroked his beard in thought with a slight smile tugging at his fangs. The common folk, herself included, were always drawn to the princess's innocence and charisma, no matter how rude her manners were. He shook his head, however, and cleared his throat.

"I do not have much more stories to give," he admitted. "But do not be sad, Lady, I have heard news in the tavern on some rumors from Fiara."

"F-Fiara?" Audrey asked, her tone becoming mixed with curiosity and a sudden dark tone in her interest.

"It goes back to the Red Strings, I believe," he leaned back. The many talismans hanging from his cloak jingled as they dangled, clinking together in a calming ensemble. "Monsters, like those goblins, arising from the labyrinths have been seen more often from an evil disturbance. Yet hope is not lost, we adventurers have a lot of work to do and another good sign is showing itself according to several people at the inn."

Hope? That sensation of elation, that perhaps the great risking of their lives for small coins and profit has made an impact upon the world. Did it matter to them, the commoners, while she was still a slave? If she were to be set free, how would her own aura change to those around her? Would she have hope in anyone else besides Audrey?

"Like the great evil that threatens to grow from Fiara, so marks the beginning of the next prophecy," Shadow continued his explaination by leaning closer. The Sovos pair had fallen asleep after eating, so he must have been respecting them by speaking lower. "A Hero from Fiara shall emerge to vanquish it."

The implication left a dry and unsteady spot in Madoka's throat, but she restrained from gulping. If it was someone else's duty to defeat whatever evil from there, then who could it be? Audrey looked amazed and before she could draw closer to the Cherish-man, Madoka stayed her with her hand.

"A Hero, huh?" Audrey seemed to be interested in that rumor. Did she not remember that the gods have spoken to her through those precious talismans? Madoka was afraid to admit it, but given the princess's extraordinary circumstances and otherworldly knowledge, she could be the Hero that returns to destroy the great evil. Madoka noticed that her face twisted in disbelief as she scoffed and changed her mind about the tale. "Poppycock! Hmph! A hero from that place?"

"Yup!" Arudite spoke up. "That's written in the Mansion Wing of the Truth Guild. A fancy hero, rising up to take out the evil lord growing in the center of the land. High ya!"

"It's spoken in the Guild, but it is rumored that an odd, yet powerful adventurer hailing from Fiara is attending Esmeralda's Sword Tournament later this spring."