Cottage

|Alistair|

As we rode towards Grandma Rinia's cottage, I couldn't help but sigh in awe at the picturesque spring morning. It was one of those scenes that begged to be appreciated. The air was still cool and crisp, with bright morning dew glittering on the moss-covered rocks lining the road. The sun's rays peeked through the old trees towering above us, painting everything in a golden hue.

The carriage we were riding in moved smoothly on the even, marble-like paths smoothed from centuries of use. Sylvie was a bundle of excitement, trying to jump out of the carriage to chase butterflies and birds. Arthur had to grab her tail a couple of times to keep her from doing so.

"Arthur, I have to say that your bond continues to intrigue me," Alduin Eralith remarked, raising an amused brow as Sylvie promptly shot out and grabbed a passing bird with her jaws.

"Now now, leave the boy and his pet alone. In such a vast and mysterious land as ours, you can't be so surprised at things like this," Virion chided his son with a wagging finger.

"I'd have to agree with you, Grandfather. But Arthur's bond is unique compared to all the other mana beasts I've seen. Even though she's an infant, her gaze twinkles with intelligence," Merial chimed in, leaning in closer to Sylvie, who was still chewing on the bird she took down.

'Of course, that's the case. She's an asura like me, after all,' I thought.

"Don't forget that Sylvie is super cute too!" Tess exclaimed as she picked up Sylvie and hugged her.

"Bahaha! I can't help but worry that my granddaughter will one day choose her precious bond not by its strength but by its appearance!" Virion laughed heartily, making everyone except for the princess snicker in agreement.

The journey to Grandma Rinia's secluded cottage was a lengthy one, even with the aid of a trusty mana beast pulling the carriage. Tess drifted off to sleep, her head resting against her mother's shoulder, while Merial dozed off beside her daughter, her head leaning on Tess'.

As the carriage rumbled along, Virion leaned forward and addressed Arthur and me in a hushed tone, "I've already informed my son, but I must emphasize that where we're headed is not a typical cottage. Rinia has isolated herself near the edge of the kingdom and has taken great pains to secure her abode. Last time I made an unannounced visit, I nearly lost my life to the traps and defenses she had set up."

I furrowed my brow, intrigued by Virion's grave tone. "Why would Elder Rinia need to take such extreme measures to protect herself?"

"I cannot say for certain, but my best guess is that there are individuals out there who pose a threat to her safety. I've informed Rinia that we'll be visiting this time, so it should be safe, but I urge you both to keep your wits about you and be vigilant for any signs of intrusion."

My mind immediately jumped to Rinia's unique abilities as a deviant that worked on the principle of aether, which only a select few trusted individuals should be aware of. But who else could possibly know about her secret talents?

"I understand," I replied, my voice steady.

With that, Gramps and Arthur dozed off, their arms crossed and heads nodding with the motion of the carriage. The only ones still awake were Sylvie, the carriage driver, Tess' father, and myself. Sylvie had her front paws pressed against the window, her tail wagging excitedly as she scanned the passing scenery for potential prey.

Alduin's aged face looked relaxed as he gazed vacantly at the moving scenery outside the carriage. Each wrinkle and crease on his face spoke of the burden of being a king and now a leading figure of the continent.

"I feel like I've never had the chance to properly thank you," he said, his eyes still focused outside the carriage.

"For what, sir?" I replied.

"For taking such good care of my daughter. Tessia has been in some dangerous situations, and from what she and my father have told me, you were instrumental in helping her out of them."

"It's nothing, sir. Tessia has helped me in many ways as well," I said, feeling grateful for the opportunity to repay the kindness shown to me by the royal family.

"Oh? Like how?" He tilted his head.

I had to think to for a second before responding. "Showing me what it means to truly care about somebody."

"I have faith in you, Alistair. I am confident that you will be able to protect my daughter in my and my father's stead."

I looked at Alduin, my mind racing with the implications of his words. Before I could say anything, he chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Just an overprotective father's thoughts running wild. Don't mind me, Alistair... but say, have you truly thought of marrying Tess?"

I felt my face flush with embarrassment at the question that came out of the blue. We were engaged, but I hadn't given marriage much thought.

"I mean, sure, she's a bit rough around the edges, and Merial and I may have spoiled her a bit, but she's a good girl! I bet she'll be quite the looker given a few years."

I nodded my head slightly, feeling the weight of the recent revelations on my mind. I loved Tess more than anything, to the point where I couldn't imagine my life without her. However, the weight of our recent discoveries made me hesitate to answer Alduin's question too carelessly.

Locking gazes with Tessia's father, I replied, "I still think of myself as being too young to worry about marriage. But I love her, with my entire being."

"Good answer," the king nodded thoughtfully. "You have your head in the right place, despite your youth."

"More so than you when you were his age," a soft voice chimed from beside Alduin.

"You were awake, dear?" the king asked with an expression as if he'd been caught sneaking into the desserts cabinet.

"Just for the last bit of your little 'man talk'," she smiled.

I turned to the queen, afraid that Tess might've heard as well, but fortunately it seemed that unlike her mother, Tessia was a rather heavy sleeper.

|Tessia|

What does he mean by he's not sure about marrying me? Oh well, at least he loves me and we are still engaged!

I was so happy that I woke up when I did. I wasn't going to pretend to be asleep at first, but I got scared when I heard Father talking about me.

He's so cruel... how can he say that I'm rough around the edges...

...and that I'm spoiled! I'm not spoiled!

It would be embarrassing to wake up just then, so I kept my eyes closed, but who would've thought that my father would ask if Alistair would want to marry me... and that Alistair would respond like that!

"We're here, Tess. Come on, now, wake up." My father's voice saved me as he gently shook my shoulder.

"Mmm... We're here already?" I made my voice more wispy, trying to sound like I had just woken up.

I couldn't look at Alistair in the eye when he turned his gaze to me so I quickly got out of the carriage and stretched.

"Ahhh! That was a good nap!" I said a little more loudly than I needed to.

Sylvie hopped out of the carriage after me and stretched as well, opening her mouth in an audible yawn before darting her head, taking in her new surroundings.

I looked around too, but I was confused when I didn't see a cottage, or any sort of sign that a person lived here. All that surrounded us were trees and grass, with thick bushes that blocked any sort of path there might've been.

"Umm, Grandpa, are you sure we're in the right place?" I asked as I continued searching for anything remotely close to a house.

"We have to walk a bit further, but it's near here. Let's go." Grandpa took the lead with my father and Arthur following close behind, while Mother ushered me forward as well.

Sylvie scampered alongside me, her head darting back and forth in different directions, as if it sensed something, making me a bit nervous.

As we made our way deeper into the forest, the number of branches we had to manoeuver around and curtains of vines we had to push aside increased. I wanted to ask if we were really going in the right direction but the determined and serious look on everyone's faces made me swallow my complaints.

"Honey? Is something wrong? The atmosphere is a bit chilly..." Mother's voice trailed off as she hesitantly followed behind Father and Grandpa next to me.

Alistair was looking around in wonder as he stated, "The defences here are incredible."

Grandpa silently nodded his head.

He then pointed towards a curtain of vines towards our right and said, "Grandma Rinia is coming from there!"

Finally, her figure stepped out onto light, revealing an all too familiar figure.

"Grandma Rinia!" I couldn't help but exclaim in excitement.

|Arthur|

Supposedly, Grandma Rinia's cottage wasn't too much farther from where we were. After our brief greetings and a firm hug from the aged elf that I had come to appreciate, we made our way to her dwelling place.

"You've grown into quite the handsome young lads, Arthur, Alistair. If I was just a hundred years younger, I might've snatched you two up for myself," Rinia teased.

It was disturbing to say the least to hear this from a woman who was several decades older than me, but since it came from her, I just grinned back.

"Well, I'd have to see how you looked when you were a hundred years younger."

"Hmph! Ask Virion how stunning I was! Men would swarm over me as soon as I was in their sights!" Rinia placed one hand on her hip and used her other to flip her braided hair.

"It's true. My mother would tell me how all of the girls her age would be jealous of Aunt Rinia," Tess' mother giggled.

"Bah! She was above average at best!" Virion waved off.

"Well, of course there was only one girl to have ever caught Virion's eye..." Rinia's voice trailed off and by the look on her face, she seemed to have regretted bringing it up.

I looked around, completely lost. The gloomy forest we were treading through seemed all the more dismal by the sudden change in the air. I glanced at Tess and she seemed uncomfortable, but more so confused than depressed like everyone else.

"...I'm sorry, Virion. I was a bit insensitive." Rinia placed a hand on Virion's sunken shoulder.

"It's... It's fine. I should be the one who's sorry. I know how you felt as well," he dismissed.

We continued on with only the crunching of fallen leaves and the snapping of twigs filling the silence. My gaze was focused on Sylvie, who was having a blast looking for lifeforms underneath the moss-covered rocks and logs.

As her tail wagged furiously in excitement, I couldn't help but let out a small smile in content, despite the sullen atmosphere.

Sneaking a quick peek at Gramps, my mind started itching with questions that I knew I shouldn't ask. Rinia, who apparently saw this, gently placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a strained smile.

As we stepped into a small clearing, the roaring sound of running water filled our ears. It was as if the trees surrounding this area had acted as a barrier, blocking off all the sound. In view, we could now see a wide waterfall cascading down a marble white cliff into a small pool of water about six meters in diameter.

"Wow, I didn't know a place like this existed," Tess gaped in awe.

"Father, wasn't this the place you used to take me to when I was a child?" Alduin asked while he looked around.

"I see you still remember. Yes, you used to love coming to this place." Virion let out a small smile as he reminisced.

"It's beautiful..." Merial breathed.

It was beautiful, indeed.

There wasn't much sunlight that was able to reach this small clearing, making the area seem more surreal. The thin rays of light that were able to peek through the thick tree tops created spotlights that made the moss, grass, and all of the plant life glimmer. The waterfall streamed down the white cliff without any intrusion, making it a clear curtain of water.

"We're here." Rinia stated as she stepped up.

Wordlessly, we all followed her as I half-expected her to conjure a cottage from the ground.

It wasn't as fancy as that, though. Instead Rinia let out a few inaudible chants with her hands raised, lifting roots from underneath the pond into a makeshift bridge leading into the waterfall.

Carefully stepping onto the grimy roots, Rinia took the lead with us following close behind. With a wave of her arm, she swept the waterfall to the side. However, before doing anything else, she looked around, as if to make sure no one was spying on us.

After letting out a sharp breath, Rinia placed her hand on the cliff behind the waterfall, which now started to glow with unrecognisable runes.

Alistair's eyes widened in shock as he put his hand over his mouth, his eyes scanning the runes. He had never reacted like this, even when he saw the runes on the portals

Just like that, the white marble cliff opened up like a sliding door to reveal a passage deeper inside.

"Don't conjure up any light. We'll make our way through the dark," instructed Rinia, as if directly referring to me.

I lost track of how many turns we made, relying only on Rinia's voice and Alistair as our guide.

"Left."

"Right."

"Right."

"Left."

Finally we could see a flickering light at the end of the umpteenth leg of the tunnel.

"Welcome to my little cottage."