She Meets the Captain

"General Keith? What is going on? Why have you treated my men like this?"

Keith sighed.

"I told you, I'm retired. I am no longer a general, Captain Toby." He replied. "While we were visiting, we were decided to test the level of response we could expect from your soldiers."

"By injuring them to the point where every one of them is in need of a high heal? Do you want to bankrupt the soldiers barracks?"

The captain argued fiercely. "And no matter if you are retired or not, you will always be General Keith to me. You know that."

Keith sighed again, and waved his hand. "All expenses will be paid for by the kingdom. Come to your office. I have something important to tell you."

While Keith took the captain to the office, Christian quickly took down the soldiers who had arrived with the captain.

Robin sat in the office, with a personal steaming cup of tea in her hands. While the captain seemed surprised, Keith was not.

Before the captain could draw his sword, he was stopped by Keith.

"Don't. He's the main witness to what I have to tell you."

Then Keith turned to Robin. "So, is he clear?" Robin, after observing the captain closely, nodded the affirmative.

And so, Keith and Robin explained what had happened earlier that day. It began from the time Robin went out for a walk to the time the captain arrived. With each new revelation, the captain's face grew paler and paler, until he reached deep into a drawer and drew out the strongest liquor he owned. Drinking straight from the flask, he managed to keep himself from a mental breakdown.

"Have you sent word to the capitol?" he asked.

"Done as soon as we knew." Robin replied. "The messenger is trustworthy, as well."

"I suppose I should be thanking you for the carnage outside. Now we can make sure that everyone is cleared of the Trader's magic." The captain sighed. "Have you sent word to the other towns?"

Christian walked into the room at that point, and answered.

"No. If, by chance, an affected captain were to get ahold of the information, our defensive plans would be revealed to the Trader. We can't take the risk."

Keith shook his head in agreement. "That's why it's better to have such things come from the capitol instead. Send out messengers who can use high heal, and use them upon the captains first, before slowly moving down through the subordinates."

"You're right. But, wouldn't the man begin to catch on when his subordinates begin disappearing?" Captain Toby asked.

Robin yawned. It had been a full day, and she was beginning to feel tired. Glancing out of the window, the big round moon was already high in the sky.

"No. After tearing out the implanted spirit, it imploded upon itself. I don't think its last moments were clear enough for any information about my methods could leak back to the original." She waved a hand dismissively. "Concentrating more upon his spirit's last moments would only amplify the damage feedback to the original. Due to his cautious nature, the Trader would not risk ruining the health of the original for a mere external spy of his."

Captain Toby looked at Robin for a moment, then said. "Pardon me, but I don't believe I managed to catch your name?"

Robin smirked. "Aye, and that was on purposd. I can't have the Trader finding out who I am because of a blinking paper trail that even a tortoise could follow. You can call me 'you', 'hey', 'lad' or something. But my name I keep quiet."

"Fair enough." Captain Toby stood up and shook hands with Keith.

"I hope you catch the blaggard, this time."

----------------

Robin opened her eyes, finding herself in her old room. Sitting up, she saw her favorite childhood toys sitting on their shelves, and on her bookcase. The sound of children playing outside meant that it was the first day of summer vacation. She was ten years old today.

Robin got out of bed and pattered down the long hallway that seemed much longer today, and down the wooden staircase. She was going to see her big brother.

Her big brother's room was as she remembered it. It was on the ground floor, and filled with sword replicas and posters of famous blade fighters, whether real or fictional. Her brother was practicing his sword swings as she came in through the door.

"Big Brother! Guess what today is!?" Robin asked excitedly.

"Ho? Oh, Robin! Down from your ivory tower early today, I see!" Her big brother paused his practice and grabbed a towel. "What day is it today?" He muttered to himself, as if pondering something. "Now have I forgotten anything... Ah! It's the first day of summer vacation, right?"

"Not that! Try again!" Robin giggled. Her brother always played this guessing game with her every birthday. It had become a family tradition, by now.

"Hmmm.... It's Friday?" Her big bro said, glancing at the calendar on the wall.

"Noooope, that's still not it." Robin chuckled, trying not to blurt out the answer.

"Try again! Last chance!" she laughed. She knew that he already understood what she wanted him to guess. If he didn't guess this time, he would recieve a penalty forehead flick. Those were painful.

"...Ah! Is it your birthday!?" Her brother asked.

"Yes! You got it!"

Robin jumped in a circle as she did a small happy dance. Her big brother smiled brilliantly.

"Happy Birthday, Little Sister." He chuckled as he ruffled her hair before giving her a large box-shaped present, wrapped in sky-blue paper.

"Here! Now I can say that my present is the very first one!" He beamed a dazzling smile.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Robin looked at that sky blue package, when, all of as sudden, something felt wrong. This had happened before. What came next after this was...

The doorbell rang. The hair on the back of Robin's neck stood up as she began to recall the part that she had almost forgotten. Today was not a happy day....today was the day when-

"Hmm? I wonder who that is?" Her big brother chuckled as he strode out into the hallway, unsuspecting what would happen next. "Do you think it's mom and dad with your birthday cake?"

Robin found her arms and legs became as heavy as lead. She felt herself moving slower than a man stuck in molasses. Her tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth. But still, she struggled to go after her brother, to catch up to him.

The present slipped down from her hands, forgotten, as she ran after him in slow motion. She had to warn him!

'No! Don't open that door! It isn't mom and dad! It's them! They're gonna say that mommy and daddy are....are...' She entered the hallway just in time to watch in horror as her brother reached out to open the door.

The present touched the ground with a soft thud, which echoed out like the sound of a gun.

"Don't!" Robin cried out as she bolted awake, sitting up and panting as her heart raced in her chest. Looking around, it took her a moment to realize that it was all just a dream. She was in the single room at the inn, in Ekkinshire kingdom.

Her hand clenched the cotton blanket as she tried to calm herself.

"If only...that day were truly just a simple dream." Robin looked up to the ceiling, to prevent the tears from falling. Dreaming about the day her parents died was like tearing open the wound and pouring salt all over it.

It hurt.

It hurt a lot.

While she was struggling with her emotions, Robin heard a knock at the door.

"Robin? Are you awake yet? It's almost time to leave." It was Christian at the door.

Robin loosened the lump in her throat before responding.

"Almost. I'll be out in ten minutes!" She replied as she jumped out of bed, and grabbed the water pitcher. She needed to cool her eyes before they became puffy.

"Okay then! We'll be waiting!" Christian replied. Robin listened as the tamp of his boots retreated down the hallway.

Robin glanced down at the water basin. Today was turning out to be a most horrible birthday. And it had only just begun.