The Reunion of Loved Ones

2. Caught

Ivana stood in front of her painting, giving it a thorough inspection. It looked reasonably good, she thought, but it still needed some finishing touches. The colors blended smoothly, yet something was missing. The city on her canvas didn't quite capture the essence of Porta as she remembered it. The feeling of being awe-struck, bewildered by the city's beauty, was absent. The warmth that the city always evoked in her memory, even when they first encountered Porta amidst a prolonged siege, was missing. Above all, the sense of coming home was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, she had to paint one of the reasons why Porta became her new home: Danion Bikior, her pillar of support, best friend, and romantic partner. Ivana had fallen for this boy almost from day one. She had been in love before, but her feelings for Danion were different—more intimate, stronger, and, above all, reciprocated. Even before reaching Aquameria, Danion had asked her to be his girlfriend, and she had immediately agreed. She missed him terribly, and she dreaded the moment she had to portray him in her painting. She feared that their time apart would blur her memory, leaving only a feeble representation on the canvas, which Danion didn't deserve. He had to be painted as perfectly as he was. She had no idea how she would convey this on canvas, but she loved a challenge. She could do this. However, the details of how she would achieve it were concerns for the next day. After all, it was already past sunset, and Ivana had lost track of time. She had lived on the canvas all day, forgetting the basic necessities like food and drink. She was quite hungry now.

She took off her apron, packed her belongings, neatly stored them, and let her hair down. Twilight had settled outside as Ivana left her studio. She locked up and hurried home. The only drawback of her studio was its location on the north side of the village, while her house was on the south side. Sutarebil wasn't huge, but in the dark, it felt like an eternity to get home.

Humming, Ivana walked through the streets. The goddess of inspiration, Zariel, had surged through her today, and she had completed an entire painting. She had depicted Aquameria in detail: the dragon plateau, the massive city wall with a small harbour on the west side, and the inn where they had stayed. It was mostly a still life, but there was a person on the canvas. Their friend Agnes floated above the city with her dragon Kira, claiming the city as her rightful own. Ivana saw Agnes as a powerful princess, deserving of rule if given the chance. Her painting expressed that wish, and she was sure Lana would love it when she saw Ivana's work. Painting had turned out to be somewhat therapeutic, and Ivana couldn't help but shed a few tears while portraying Agnes and her loyal friend Kira. She vividly remembered how Dana and she had always given Agnes a cold look, despite the young princess not deserving it. Granted, Agnes had made reckless decisions that had put them in danger multiple times, but in the end, it meant nothing. Agnes had sacrificed herself with her dragon to save the trio. That's what a heroine was. Heroes weren't always one hundred percent good. Making mistakes was human. Agnes had saved them, making the ultimate sacrifice. Ivana could never tell her how sorry she was for her behaviour. She could never apologise. All she could do was remember Agnes in every way possible.

Ivana snapped out of her thoughts when she suddenly heard two women's voices from the next narrow alley. It escalated from bad to worse as the women began to angrily shout at each other. Initially, Ivana thought about walking away — she had learned not to meddle in other people's affairs — but when she heard Dana's name mentioned, she stopped and peered into the alley where the commotion was coming from. To her shock, she saw Sheila Ridel and her mother. And if Sheila was talking about Dana, something must have happened during Dana's lessons.

Ivana briefly considered running home to check if everything was okay with her sister. Still, she also had a feeling that something important would be discussed in this conversation — something that would explain why Sheila, of all people, was participating in Dana's combat lessons. So, Ivana stayed around the corner, eavesdropping. As if they sensed someone listening, Sheila and Chelsaya suddenly lowered their voices to a venomous hiss and continued their conversation in a whisper. Ivana cursed softly and cast an invisibility spell. When it was complete, she stealthily entered the alley until she could clearly hear the Ridel women.