Talking About Diva

After having decided where Dylan would be living, the two sat down to eat. Sherry had fried some bacon and eggs and served them on buttered toast. She poured orange juice for Dylan who couldn't drink the coffee and finally, they both started to eat.

"It's delicious." Dylan took a bite and complimented.

"Thank you." Sherry smiled with a blush. She continued with a slightly serious tone of voice as if she had just remembered something. "Did, did the peace talks go through? It's one of my regrets."

Dylan paused and hesitated. "After your disappearance, peace talks fell because His Majesty believed that Grenty sent assassins after you and they believed that we were hiding you because we wanted to control you. And so the fighting escalated."

"Oh no, that's terrible." Sherry looked sorrowful. Her stay in Diva had allowed her to witness many things including the devastating battlefields. Foot soldiers marched in their leather armour and followed all orders unconditionally. They were always so easily wiped out by the enemy mages. Fighting alongside them were the knights. They wore metal armour with better defences and were more skilled in the arts of swordsmanship and magic, increasing their survival rates. This didn't change the fact that a moment of carelessness was enough to doom a man though.

The battlefield was full of bloodshed and damage caused by the bombardment of magic. Fathers, brothers, sons died in every battle, the cycle of hate and revenge would continue on, never to be broken. This was why she pushed so much for peace, she didn't want innocent people to suffer anymore.

A frightening thought flashed through her mind. Sherry's face was drained of its colour and it distorted into fear. Dylan was Frin's best knight, His Majesty would have definitely sent him to the war if things have escalated to such a degree. "Did you...participate in the war? Is that the cause of..."

Dylan smiled and shook his head. "Unfortunately I was not given the opportunity."

"Unfortunately? How is it unfortunate? To be able to avoid senseless killing and slaughter is a wonderful thing!" Sherry reprimanded. Her gaze was sharp and determined.

Dylan was silent. He was aware of Sherry's disdain of war unlike the glorified view he had of it. Dylan believed that it was honourable to die in battle, common in many knights and soldiers. As a child, he grew up watching the war ravage lands and villages but he had also seen brave men charging headfirst into enemy territory to protect their loved ones. Each and every man was disciplined in the military way, they fought with everything they had and never gave up. They were men among men, forever respected and honoured even in death.

That wasn't the only reason why he had desired war. The war would have been a perfect distraction from the despair of Sherry's death. It would have allowed him to vent his anger and frustrations on his enemy, he would have never had to find out the truth. But he didn't join the war and in the end, he died under his best friends dagger.

Dylan flashed a practised smile. "The war ended half a year later anyway. The third prince of Grenty had overthrown his father. Apparently he said his father and brothers were corrupt and did not care about their people and therefore did not deserve the throne. After he had taken over, he ended the war and changed how things were run."

"He sounds like a nice person." Sherry praised. Grenty was known for their bountiful harvests and beautiful scenery. Their only downfall was their cruel attitudes towards their citizens. The nobles were corrupt while the people suffered. They had a belief that nobles were superior to the common people and the common people only existed to serve the nobles. If the third prince were to change this deeply ingrained thought process, then Grenty would truly become a wonderful place.

"I spoke to him once after the war. I suspect that he came from Earth just like you." Dylan casually stated.

"What? Earth? The third prince?" Sherry repeated in broken phrases.

Dylan nodded. "As far as I know, the third prince had always been strange ever since he was young. He spoke a strange language and only learnt how to speak Divian when he was three. But his knowledge in maths and science far surpassed peers his age. He was also known for inventing many strange things. The most popular being his recipes, the ones that you have praised on multiple occasions. When I met him, I was able to confirm this when he accidentally dropped his book in front of me. They were written in your language. I recognise it because you showed them to me once"

Sherry was overwhelmed by this information. She did find that many dishes had a faint taste of nostalgia and there were also many familiar tools that popped up every now and then. To think that a fellow otherworld traveller had invented them. "That's a shame. If I had made it to the party, then we would have gotten along with each other quite well."

Silence fell on Dylan. He was downcast and sorrowful. "I'm sorry. I should've been there to protect you."

Sherry shook her head with a kind smile. "No, its good that you weren't. I...It's fortunate that you didn't have to see it."

"You know who killed you don't you? You don't have to worry about my feelings. I can handle it." Dylan's voice was full of hatred and anger but he tried to suppress it and make his voice sound as gentle as possible to no avail. He desired confirmation so that he could finally come to terms with the truth.

Sherry hesitated. She didn't know what Dylan knew and only what she knew. However, what she knew could break his heart and she didn't want to be the one to do it. Tears welled up in her eyes and drip down her chin. She shook her head, "No, I, I don't know." She lied.