Visitors

The sun shines brightly as the rays of sunlight begin creeping their way into the bedroom through the cracks of the curtain. The curtains are shut, blocking out most of the light. They lay in each other's arms and just enjoy the warmth radiating off each other. Silvana is curled up in Hector's arms and his fingers run through her hair rhythmically.

The morning light filters in through the curtains. It hits Hector in the eye and forces him to open it. He groans in protest, wanting to return to sleep, but instead, he gets up reluctantly and stretches his arms. She stirs next to him and sits up. Once she sees the sunlight streaming through the windows, she immediately gets out of bed and heads for the window to look outside. Hector stands up and slowly approaches her from behind. He stops behind her and watches how she observes the beauty of nature outside.

A few birds fly in the air, flitting around in circles above the trees below. A breeze sweeps through the forest causing small leaves to fall from the bushes on the ground. The breeze makes Silvana's hair dance in the air.

"It's gorgeous out there," Hector states, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Yes, it is," Silvana agrees, smiling. "I haven't seen the sky like this since last winter. The sun never dared to shine through all this time."

"I'm glad it's finally shining through." He says leaning forward and placing a kiss on her temple.

"Me too."

Silvana closes her eyes and enjoys the feeling of his arms around her for a couple of minutes. When she opens her eyes again, she notices that Hector has stopped breathing. Her eyes widen as she realizes why he hasn't spoken.

"Hector, are you okay?" she asks. She turns her head around so she can see him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asks concerned.

"Nothing." His voice sounds shaky.

Silvana frowns. "Don't lie to me." She grabs his face between her hands.

"It hurts again, right?" she whispers, looking at him worriedly.

He nods slightly. "Yes..."

Silvana places her hands on his shoulders and rubs them soothingly. She feels a wave of pain shoots through his back. She tightens her grip as she continues rubbing his shoulders.

It happened many years ago when Hector was out hunting in the woods. But he never returned, and Ironna, his childhood friend, decided to look for him in the woods. Then, Ironna discovered him unconscious in the woods. She was afraid he'd die and panicked at first, but when she checked on his wound, she noticed a magical presence in his body.

Ironna brought him back to the house and Silvana tended to his wounds with her healing magic. However, there are times when her healing magic fails and the injuries heal slowly. Those moments are quite painful for her, and she often spends hours trying to figure out how to save his life. It wasn't long before she was able to heal him, but once she did, there was a part of her that didn't feel completely relieved. She knew he was suffering from a curse that only those who possess strong bloodlines can defeat. She tried asking Ironna about it, hoping that maybe she could help her find some information regarding it, but she couldn't find anything. There was very little known about it except that the curse gives a person a mana boost and enables them to use magic, which is also how humans can summon demons using them. They decide that it would be better to keep his secret hidden from Hector.

"I'm sorry," he whispers hoarsely.

"What for?" Silvana asks, tilting her head slightly.

"For making you worry so much..." he sighs deeply.

"You don't need to apologize. I'm your wife, and I have to worry about you." She turns around, giving him a reassuring smile.

Suddenly, a knocking sound interrupts them and they both freeze. They stare at each other nervously.

"Who's there?" Silvana asks, holding tightly onto Hector's arm.

"It's me." a familiar voice calls out.

Silvana releases a breath of relief. "Ironna?"

Ironna comes walking into the room. She seems surprised to see them standing together in the middle of the bedroom.

"Sorry to interrupt you two," she apologizes. "Silvana, you've visitors." She gestures towards the front door.

They both frown in confusion.

"Visitors?" Silvana repeats confused.

"Yeah, they said they wanted to talk to you, Silvana" Ironna explains. "Can I let them in?"

Silvana glances at Hector and then shrugs. "Yes, please."

Ironna nods and leaves the room. Silvana turns back to her husband.

"Are they your people?" Hector asks her.

She smiles sadly. "Probably."

He takes her face in his hands. "Do you want me to stay here while you talk with them?"

She nods. "Yes, please. You need to rest."

He kisses her forehead. "Alright, I'll be right here."

After she comes out of the bedroom, she hears Ironna talking to someone in the hallway, and she guesses that it must be one of her friends who came to visit. She doesn't recognize the voice; the voice is deep and rumbling, and she wonders who could be. She walks into the living room where the visitor is waiting.

The visitor is tall and has dark brown hair and brown eyes. He appears to be about the same age as Hector. As he looks at her, he has a solemn expression on his face.

"You must be Silvana," he says in a deep voice.

Silvana nods. "Yes, that's me."

She senses magic surrounding the stranger. It's very faint, but she recognises it as a type of illusion magic. She can barely feel its presence. But she knows what kind of magic it is. It's the same type of magic that her parents used to cast on her and on themselves to hide their elvish looks and appeared more human. But who is this man? Why is he wearing a disguise? What is his purpose?

There another man stands beside him with a stern expression. However, his aura is different from that of the other man. It's much stronger, and it makes him appear dangerous. On top of that, he's also using an illusion spell. It would be impossible to tell if this is his real appearance or if he's an illusion. Either way, she can still sense his powerful aura.

Silvana stares at the two men before her and furrows her eyebrows. She's beginning to feel suspicious and unsure about everything.

The man in the cloak speaks. "Your father sent us."

Silvana raises her eyebrow and narrows her eyes. She knows her dad well enough to know that he wouldn't send people here without a reason. And he wouldn't send these two men either. Something is not right.

"My father?" she asks cautiously, staring intensely at the two strangers.

The man in the cloak nods. "He asked us to come and check on you."

Silvana shakes her head in disbelief. "Why?"

"He wants to make sure you're safe."

"Safe?" she echoes sceptically. She isn't in any danger.

The man in the cloak doesn't respond and simply stands there silently.

Silvana hesitates. Her father might be an excellent warrior and a good leader and she respects him immensely, but he's also very protective over her. Even though she's older and she knows her powers, she still relies on him for things like training and guiding her in magic. Sometimes, however, it can become a little frustrating.

She can easily defend herself from most situations and most people think that she's a skilled fighter, but her father always insists that her skills will only bring her danger when fighting. He's always telling her to learn to protect herself before others do. So she does what he tells her to do. In this case, he's most likely sent the two mysterious strangers to keep an eye on her because its wartime and things can get nasty quickly.

"I'm fine," she finally answers.

The first man nods. "Good." He then turns and leaves the room with the other man in the black cloak following him closely behind.

Silvana's eyebrows furrow as she watches the two of them leave. Something inside of her tells her that something isn't right, but she chooses to ignore it. After all, she knows for a fact that her father wouldn't send anyone suspicious like them. If she were to believe whatever they told her, then she shouldn't worry too much. So she decides to put her worries aside for now and concentrate on Hector.

Ironna enters the room, "everything alright?" she asks with a frown on her face.

"Everything's fine," Silvana replies quietly.

She nods understandingly. "So, who are they?" she asks curiously.

"Just a bunch of strangers. They were sent by my father," Silvana explains.

"And did something happen?" she asks worriedly.

"No, I only spoke with them briefly. They said they're here to check on me."

Ironna nods. "That's normal. Your father is a good person and cares about you."

"Thank you," Silvana murmurs.

Ironna nods. "Anyway, I need to go to the council meeting, so if you'll excuse me," she bows slightly and leaves the room.

Once she disappears through the door, Silvana returns to the bedroom where Hector is lying on the bed, overseeing her.

"How are you feeling?" She asks gently.

"Much better. Thanks to you," he replies.

Silvana sits down next to him and pulls him closer to her so that she can hug him. Hector wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly. For a few minutes, they sit in silence, enjoying the feeling of being together and enjoying each other's company. Eventually, he begins to speak again.

"Can I go to the woods today?" He asks her.

After what he has been through this morning, Silvana thinks he shouldn't leave the house until he's completely recovered, at least for a while.

"You don't have to go there today. Instead, you need to take your time and unwind here." She suggests.

Hector nods. "All right."

Silvana pulls away from him and gets up.

"Where are you going?" He asks.

"I'm going to the capital with Ironna," she replies smiling.

It's a lie. The truth is, there are some things she needs to clear up between her and the two strangers. She needs to make sure that they won't be bothering anyone anymore and she needs to find out who they are.

"Okay." Hector nods.

"I'll see you later," she whispers, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

He hums happily, wrapping his arms around her once more.

After getting dressed up, she walks out of the house and is ready to head to the capital.

***

As soon as she arrives at the capital, she starts searching for Ironna. She has no idea how long she'll spend looking for her. There's only so much space in the city to search for her. However, after searching the market and other areas of the capital for some time, she is unable to find her. She eventually finds herself wandering the streets of the capital. She sees a small cafe, and as she approaches it, she suddenly stops and frowns. Someone sitting inside the café catches her eye. She seems to be reading a book, but she's not focused on what he's reading, which tells Silvana that she isn't interested in the book. She walks into the cafe and approaches her.

"Hello, Vienna?" She greets her.

Vienna quickly looks up and looks confused when she sees who she is. "Silvana?!" She gasps.

Silvana nods. "Sorry, did I startle you?"

Vienna shakes her head rapidly. "No, no, it's just that you never come here," she says nervously.

Silvana chuckles, amused by how flustered Vienna is acting. "Well, I didn't want to bother you while you're reading your book. But I thought I'd stop by anyway."

Vienna blushes deeply. "Oh... yes… um…"

"Are you okay? You look a little flushed," Silvana comments with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine," Vienna says quickly. Then she clears her throat. "Um, anyway, I was wondering why you came to the Capital. Are you looking for someone?" Vienna wonders.

"I am," Silvana reveals calmly.

"Are you looking for Ironna by any chance?" Vienna asks quietly.

Silvana nods. "Yes. Have you seen her?"

"Well, she's currently talking to another guest in the King's castle. She should be finished soon, though," Vienna informs her.

"Who?" Silvana asks curiously.

"Some knights, I think," Vienna tells her.

"How many are they?"

"Umm… Not sure, sorry."

"It's fine, you don't have to apologise."

"According to Ironna, the war has recently worsened and has been putting a strain on our side," Silvana continues.

"That appears to be the case," Vienna responds with a sigh.

Silvana starts to doubt whether or not the king is truly capable of leading such a large army against the enemy. That would be a difficult task to complete. However, it doesn't surprise her since he's a lot weaker than he had been in the past. He'd been weakened when his son had died.

"I heard the Great Witch had started attacking other cities as well." Vienna makes a light grimace as she recalls the news she heard a few days ago. "She is trying to bring the entire kingdom to its knees." Vienna continues, shrugging her shoulders.

Silvana gives a nod. She recalls hearing the news. During the previous war, however, the Great Witch was defeated by the king's son. The Great Witch attempted to rule over the entire kingdom but was defeated in battle. Many kingdoms had fallen under her control at the time. She is now attempting to take vengeance on her former adversaries by destroying cities.

"By any chance, have you seen any of the Knights of Flower lately?" Vienna asks.

Silvana shakes her head. "Not lately. Why?"

"Because they've recently been patrolling the area near the woods. It's probably close to where you, Hector, and Ironna live."

Silvana raises an eyebrow. "I didn't know about this. What happened?"

"Several villages have reported seeing a monster moving around and killing people inside the woods. At first, everyone thought it was just a big bear and tried to avoid the place. Later, it became obvious that the monsters were all targeting villagers. No one knew where the monsters were coming from." Vienna explains.

Silvana's eyes widen. As far as she knows, there was never a monster in the woods. She, Hector, and Ironna grew up hunting and foraging in the woods, never once encountering anything larger or scarier than a bear.

"They're saying that the monster may still be lurking in the woods somewhere. It could try to attack the villagers again," she continues.

"Do you know where the monsters are coming from?" Silvana asks.

"No, but we are hoping to find out soon. We're working on gathering more information about the monster."

"Wait, you? Working on something this dangerous? With the Knight of Flower?"

Vienna frowns slightly in response to that remark. "Hey! Of course, I am. I'm strong enough to fight bigger creatures now."

"Sorry," Silvana apologizes.

Silvana had no idea Vienna would be a part of the Knight of Flower. And, while it's difficult to imagine Silvana as a soldier, she knows how serious she is, especially when it comes to fighting. Training allows even the weakest soldiers to become strong warriors. As a result, she understands how dedicated and hardworking she must be. Silvana is pleased and proud of her.

Silvana recalls meeting Vienna for the first time while she was training under Ironna's tutelage. She was always strict about training and treated Vienna harshly as a result. However, she has gradually grown close to Vienna, making her feel included in their circle of friends.

"Anyway, I'll let you finish reading now," Silvana says standing up. "Take care."

"W-Wait!" Vienna calls out suddenly, causing Silvana to turn around with curious eyes.

"What is it?" She asks.

"Can I join you?" Vienna asks nervously.

"Hmm? Sure. if you want to," Silvana responds with a slight smile.

Vienna grins widely as she gets up from her seat and quickly runs over to Silvana.

"Great! Thank you, Silvana," she says happily as she gives her a tight hug.

Silvana hugs her back. She can already tell how excited she is. Although they haven't spoken for a while now, she remembers how Vienna used to talk about everything. She loves spending time with her and Ironna. Whenever they're together, the three of them end up doing absolutely anything together.

Once she realizes that Vienna wants to accompany her, she decides not to object to her joining them.

"Let's go then," she says, smiling.

"Where do you want to go?" Vienna asks.

"Let's find Ironna first. After that, we can decide."

"Alright," Vienna agrees. "Lead the way!"

Silvana smiles and turns around. Before heading off, however, she shoots her a glance before walking off.