Last Thoughts (I)

A new day dawned after the big banquet and the Louvarossy party found themselves already preparing for their departure scheduled for the next day.

With there being newly promoted officers, a big shift in the structure of the hierarchy was expected, and they had to be part of organising that structure.

Having almost two hundred people under him and now it would something closer to a thousand or more was an entirely unexplored concept for Sorin and for the first time he wondered if he was ready for such a thing.

Was such a thing even worth the trouble? Would it be too late if he decided to give up the position and live life as a wanderer again? "Ah, the water's ready," said Altair as he walked towards the kettle.

Sorin sat up as Altair came back with the water. There was a light knock at the door, and they turned to look at each other.

It couldn't have been any of the other soldiers as they would not have knocked that way. Altair placed the kettle on the wooden slab and cautiously went to the door.

"Who is it?" he asked before opening.

"It's Manager Kade, Officer."

Altair recognised the voice and cautiously opened the door.

The nervous manager took a step back upon seeing the imposing Altair and bowed to the soldier before stating his business.

"Officer, there's a Lord upstairs who is requesting young Master Ulfric."

"Did he state his identity or business?"

The manager hurriedly shook his head at the question.

Sorin, who could hear the conversation from his seat wondered who would be calling. He barely knew anyone in the capital and hadn't made any connections at the banquet besides a few random conversations.

None of the people would have been encouraged to pay him a visit though.

This person had even asked for him to be addressed as young Master, tracked down where he was staying and knew that he had not left to see she sights with the others. Whoever it was, they were not ordinary.

"He booked a private room and said to give the young Master this invitation card should there be any doubt."

The manager produced a small, sealed letter from the pocket of his robe. The stamp on the sealing wax was blank. Altair turned to Sorin, waiting for an answer to which he nodded.

The visitor seemed quite mysterious, so Altair opened the mini letter away from the prying eyes of the manager and found a singular card inside.

It didn't contain words, just a very familiar insignia in distinct red and gold ink. Altair immediately straightened up.

"We'll be out in a minute."

He then thanked the manager before closing the door. Sorin didn't even have time to ask what was happening when Altair ran into his room to grab something else for him to wear.

"What was that all about?"

"Young Master, I'm afraid that if we don't hurry, we'll find ourselves getting charged with treason."

"Why would anyone get charged with treason for not being in a hurry?" asked Sorin as Altair helped him with putting on an outer.

He looked at the young master's hair but gave up on doing anything with it. It took another minute before he was fully dressed in another pair of boots and ready to go.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about?"

Without a word, Altair handed him the small card they had received. Sorin looked at the other young man with surprise, but neither could have an explanation of this meant.

They timeously joined the manager who was waiting to show them to the private reception room on the fourth floor. These were the costliest and most luxurious suites which offered the utmost privacy.

Manager Kade showed them the door and bowed before leaving them to their business. After knocking a rather authoritative voice from inside bid them to enter.

****

Mahalia was busy looking at herself in the reflection of the pond. Something about the way she had tied the hairstyle didn't seem quite right.

The reflection was distorted by a stone plopping into the water. She looked up across the pond with slight annoyance but changed when seeing the person waving on the other side.

"What are you up to all by yourself?" asked the host while playfully poking at the hair which came undone in an instant and tumbled down her back.

Mahalia had completely forgotten about the messy attempt and thought she likely looked ridiculous.

How could she explain that she was trying to imitate some of the hairstyles she had seen the previous night without her looking or sounding like a bumpkin.

"Your Highness…"

The helpless tone almost made the princess laugh and left the two attendants equally amused.

From the moment she received an invitation to the palace that morning, her mind had run in all directions trying to figure just who she had offended. Even if the invitation had been accompanied by a note, she still couldn't believe that she was invited for a good purpose.

Knowing a bit of Kamaria's character, Sorin had also assured her that it was likely nothing terrible. Now with the princess standing in front of her while she made a fool of herself, it finally sunk in that she had somehow entered the palace again with a personal invitation.

"Come, let's go take a seat. I've brought some foods I like for you try. I don't know about you, but I'm starving," said the princess while walking ahead and then she paused and turned.

"Also, my name is Kamaria, not your Highness."

Mahalia was a bit slow in reacting and followed only after a few moments of being stunned. They walked for a short while before coming to a pavilion where a few maids were already setting up an assortment of food for them.

"What could… Lady Kamaria want with this humble subject?"

Kamaria seemed to be thinking about it with a finger lightly rubbing her chin. It was funny that Mahalia now remembered to be a shy and humble subject.

"Want? And if I said I wanted you?"

Mahalia's heart stopped for a few moments until Lili brought down an expert hand chop on Kamaria's shoulder. Lili kept her neutral expression as Kamaria made a face as if this a routine situation.

"Apologies Officer Ilao, please don't mind my Lady's obscure sense of humour. It's partly the reason why she has so few friends."

"Tie me to a horse and drag me, why don't you?" murmured Kamaria on the side while rubbing her shoulder.

"My Lady's a bit odd but she usually doesn't bite. I can't say much for that one over there though," said Lili while gesturing to Raisa.

"What? Princess, see Lili is bullying me again."

Suddenly Mahalia just laughed, making the three of them turn their attention to her. The nervousness at meeting them had decreased considerably due to their antics.

At the end of the day, despite the differences in titles and birth statuses, they were still just young women who had sparked a cheerful conversation.

There was no reason why they couldn't at least be acquaintances. So, with that thought in mind, Mahalia sat down at the table.