12 Trusting one's instincts

[AURORA WRIGHT. Town of Friendship, Southern Vales, Avalon Sanctuary. Yellow Day, 13th Week of Winter, Year 5008 of the Avalon Calendar.]

Aurora rubbed her eyes and scanned the large room she was in. She needed to know that she hadn't suddenly woken up from a fantastical dream.

Oversized canopied bed, check!

Oversized oak mirror, check!

Oversized large window with brown satin curtains, check!

Intricately carved agarwood closet and two intricately carved agarwood drawers filled with medievalesque clothing, check!

Writing desk and chair made of something called elven wood, check!

Those silver things that light and heat the room using some weird magic I don't understand, check!

Tan skinned, slim, athletic man, with shoulder length sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes, check!

Wait! Aurora's brain blurted out. That hot guy wasn't there last night when I fell asleep!

"Gabriel!" Aurora exclaimed. "Is that really you?"

"No," said Gabriel. "I'm a figment of your half-asleep imagination."

"Really?" said Aurora beginning to doubt herself.

She rubbed her eyes again and sure enough, Gabriel had vanished when she re-opened them.

"Wow," Aurora laughed to herself. "I really have been too fixated on Gabriel. Then again, he did save me from those assassins. Plus, he's definitely handsome."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Gabriel laughed as he seemingly materialised from thin air. "Don't be concerned. I was just using an invisibility spell to play around with you. I am actually here and not a figment of your imagination. I sneaked in earlier when you were still asleep and decided to watch and wait till you woke up."

"You were watching me sleep?" Aurora frowned.

"Did you know you talk when you sleep?" Gabriel deflected her question with one of her own.

"Did you know that guys who watch sleeping girls are creepy?" Aurora continued with the asking questions instead of giving answers game.

"I had always been told it was charming," replied Gabriel as he sat right beside her on the bed.

Aurora felt as if he were being a bit forward. Yet she found it difficult to ask him to stop being so close.

"I have stinky breath in the morning," Aurora blurted out, unable to find a better excuse to pull away from Gabriel.

"Are you really that afraid me?" Gabriel frowned. "I guess it's because you know my true self. Although I act the care-free fool, in truth, I am a dark and brooding man. Coldly calculating every move like a master playing chess. I can understand why no woman would wish to be with such as man."

"You're not like that," laughed Aurora. "There's no way that the real Gabriel is some kind of broody mastermind type."

"Yes, I am," retorted Gabriel. "Think back on what happened yesterday. Did you know that I spotted suspicious men tailing us the moment we left Tristan's manor? That's why I walked all the way to the markets instead of hiring a coach. I needed to make sure that we were indeed being followed. Also, I needed to avoid the chance that the men would try to kidnap us by pretending to be coach drivers.

Later, I played the fool, letting you run away with my coin purse. This was to see if the men had targeted us for robbery. Though I of course made sure that you were never out of my sight. Maintaining a high vantage position to keep an eye on you and the nearby alley ways.

When you weren't robbed, I deduced that they either wanted to abduct or kill you. Also, the fact that they didn't try to do so when you were in that alley, meant that they were patient enough to wait for the best opportunity. Remembering back to a story one of the maids told me about young prince Tristan rescuing a girl, I realised that those men had tried to make a move on you before. Thus I immediately decided to set up an ambush. To make sure that those men were dealt with once and for all.

I had previously sent a message to Lucas, via one of my agents who had posed as a spectator listening to my morning story. Ordering Lucas to meet us at lunch time with a packed picnic basket and instructions on where to take us. The place I chose was a perfect ambush site. Even accounting for the possibility that our stalkers had Water-type Mystic Beasts, and therefore would not attack without a nearby source of water.

Now does that really sound like something a care-free fool would do? Or something that a master tactician would do?"

Aurora inwardly smiled. Everything that Gabriel had said did make sense. He actually reminded her of costumed comic book heroes like Batman or the Green Hornet. However, there was something which didn't add up. The lead assassin had easily identified Gabriel as a famed underworld tactician and Gabriel had done nothing to deny it. Aurora couldn't imagine Batman, the Green Hornet or anyone else with a secret identity, being so casual about letting their secret slip. This told her that Gabriel actively spread the fame of his mastermind identity. Using it to hide his true self.

Aurora's previous occupation was as a student of Anthropology and Archaeology, and she was very good at it. Both required an observant eye and ability to make inferences from limited information. In other words, to trust one's instincts. As such, her instincts were usually correct. Aurora didn't know exactly what Gabriel's true self was, but she had a gut feeling that it wasn't too far from the care-free and charming persona which Gabriel had displayed the other day. A personality whom she would really like to get closer to.

"You're being rather silent," stated Gabriel.

"You don't have to pretend when you're with me," said Aurora before passionately kissing Gabriel, and silencing his attempts at a reply.

Aurora lost herself in that kiss and only returned to her senses when Gabriel finally withdrew.

"Thank you," sighed Gabriel, before returning to his usual teasing. "Shame you have such bad breath."

"Jerk!" Aurora pouted as she playfully shoved him away.

"So, you were able to see through everything yesterday?" asked Gabriel in amazement.

"I think you're over-estimating me," Aurora laughed. "I was in a bit of daze yesterday, because of my amnesia. I actually didn't figure you out until last night when I finally had some time alone to think. As for being followed and the ambush you set… I managed to figure some of it out. But I hadn't realised we were being tracked as soon as we'd left Tristan's manor."

"I'm glad to hear that," smiled Gabriel. "I wouldn't want to be a man without any mystery to him. That'd make me boring."

"You still have a lot of mysteries I want to unravel," said Aurora biting her bottom lip.

"How about your mysteries?" asked Gabriel. "Did your memories all return?"

"I still have amnesia," Aurora lied. "But I've been told that I'm Aurora Wright, the first heir of the Wright family. Plus, I'm a Beast Master who has come here for the Summoning Day and am expected to take part in the next Beast Master Championship."

"Do you know much about the tournament?" queried Gabriel.

"No," Aurora admitted. "I spent last night being told about my family. How we own a third of all fishing rights to the Lake of Tranquilly, which makes us one of the wealthiest families in the Kingdom of Helm. I also had to listen to Theo; my bodyguard, apologise for losing me. Even though it was my fault for running away in order to explore the city. It seems I'm known for being strong willed and occasionally irresponsible."

"Even I figured that out," Gabriel laughed.

"Well Theo doesn't strike me as anywhere near as smart as you," said Aurora.

"Theo is the man who killed those adventurers at the Adventurers' Guild?" asked Gabriel.

"Yes," said Aurora. "I told him it was too extreme for him to send his Mystical Beast… a living mercury beast it's called…. Anyway, I said it was too extreme to kill people simply because they caused offense. He said that he couldn't stand having the first heir of the Wright family being insulted in such a way. He's really intense and scary."

"Remember when I said to be careful about offending people?" Gabriel reminded Aurora of their previous conversation on why she had to address Tristan as Prince Tristan. "That's the reason why. Often the dignity of a noble is more important than the life of a commoner."

"I remember," replied Aurora. "I guess it was just a shock. I've never seen people killed before. Or at least I don't remember seeing people killed before."

"I should get going before we're found together like this," Gabriel sighed as he withdrew from Aurora's embrace.

"When will we meet again?" asked Aurora.

"I'm leaving town for a few days," said Gabriel. "However, since I'm also taking part in the Beast Master Championships, I'll be at the gala held after the Summoning Day. I'll definitely find you."

"Promise?" Aurora bit her bottom lip as she asked.

"But of course, my beautiful rose," Gabriel smiled and kissed her once more.

Aurora closed her eyes to savour the sensation. She opened her eyes as soon as he pulled away and was disappointed that the roguishly handsome lord had once more vanished from sight.

Suddenly she frowned, realising that she had forgotten to press Gabriel on how he had managed to use magic. Oh well, she consoled herself, I'll ask him next time. With that thought in mind, she slid close the window before quickly readying herself for breakfast.