The Last of Fae

Aesther took a deep gulp of the ale.

Her fingers were numb, her mind lost and her thoughts still lingering over that knight. But she refused to gaze outside anymore.

She was not entirely sure about him. Nevertheless, too many things had happened. Too much time had passed.

If it was indeed Ahzure…

Aesther was not sure how she would be able to hold back her emotions.

She soon finished her meal, and left the tavern.

Outside, the crowd had grown even more. The people were watching the quarrel with anticipation and excitement.

Aesther ignored the knight, and noticed that the burly men had surrounded a young boy with blonde hair. He was fallen on the ground, looking scared and shaken.

The knight probably came to the rescue.

But he didn't even fight, not even when he was shoved back by one his opponents.

Aesther subconsciously paused.

The knight only spoke in a polite voice, "We don't need to do this. I am only here to talk."

An awkward silence filled the onlookers before some of those laughed mockingly. There was clearly no room for conversations.

Aesther clicked her tongue in disappointment.

The man clearly appeared to be a knight if not a warrior. He carried the symbol of Alkazar on his sleeve. How can he think about maintaining peace in such a situation?

His opponents all carried a bitter rage as they glared back at him.

The knight only sighed in response.

But even the distant sound of his voice was enough to make Aesther unable to move. She refused to look his way, but her whole body became numb and heavy.

If it really was him…

Aesther raised her eyes, and a cold shiver went down her spine as she saw a giant man lunge at the knight from behind. His hands carried a long iron rod.

"Ahzure!"

She shouted as she rushed through the crowd, making some people stagger and curse. Hearing her voice the man clad in black robes turned. His golden eyes slightly widened. But the surprise in them didn't cause his focus to waver.

His gaze remained on her as he stopped the rod with one hand.

Aesther slowed down, realizing and hating the fact that she couldn't have helped him even if she wanted. Her body was too weak now.

He looked at her for a moment, but then, a sheepish smile curled over his lips.

Ahzure sighed to himself, lowering his eyes before he twisted the attacker's arm at a painful angle. He brutally shoved him against the hard cobblestone, causing a pained cry of agony.

The knight did this all in one swift moment, making the rest of the goons freeze in an instant.

It was obvious that they stood in whole different leagues.

They didn't dare move, but a man in a red shirt glanced at the small bag in his hand and tried to sneak away. He took one step before Ahzure's dagger landed right next to his feet, barely dodging it.

The bag was dropped and soon the guards arrived as well.

Aesther relaxed as she fixed her scarf.

She faintly recalled this evening.

Being a knight, Ahzure was tasked with escorting a lord from the Lumine Clan. However, when he reached outside the tavern, he witnessed some of the Lumine Clan members bullying an innocent boy.

Ahzure seldom chose the path of violence but he was forced to fight those men to protect the innocent. Soon, the lord arrived there as well. It was a young boy who was furious to see his men beaten up.

He challenged Ahzure.

The result was not good.

On the flip side, it was not taken lightly when the knight who was supposed to protect a lord, ended up beating him up.

Ahzure accepted the punishment of a hundred lashes.

The winds pushed his hood back, revealing his short slightly messy black hair. Ahzure gave her a concerned look before noticing the bullied boy who sulked at his small wounds.

Aesther glanced at the tavern gates where the lord had just arrived. She could see the shock and rage in his eyes. She muttered a curse under her breath and used the crowd as a cover to rush toward Ahzure.

He was helping the bullied boy and returning the small bag to him.

"Oi! You―!" the young lord shouted.

Ahzure had barely turned when Aesther stood in front of him.

"We need to return," she said urgently, "Right now."

He didn't ask any questions even though the confusion was clear in his eyes.

She heard some distant shouts and gestured to the young boy to hurry up before taking Ahzure's hand as they all hurried inside a dark alley.

It took only a short while before they evaded the chasing men.

Aesther was overwhelmed with countless emotions. But her lips grinned widely as she held Ahzure's hand and managed to save him from the painful punishment.

Her heart was warm and cold at the same time, softly drowning under the weight of her unspoken words, buried feelings, and the tragic fate of Ahzure.

She had always admired him.

And he was a person worthy of all the beautiful things. Someone who should have lived a fruitful life, and not get brutally murdered by his most trusted friend.

Ezrahl.

The memories once again left Aesther feeling empty and bitter. But in the sea of her scars, there was a small warmth of hope.

She forced a smile as they all finally slowed down.

Aesther glanced at the boy, he looked to be only a few years younger than her with unkempt blonde hair and curious blue eyes.

He grinned when the shouts faded and abruptly stopped, "We can't go far without them catching up."

Aesther agreed.

"I can bring Heather back," Ahzure offered in regards to his horse.

"Nah, there's no need," the blond boy gestured at a parked carriage, "We will use that!"

The black carriage has a crest of the shining moon over a howling wolf.

"It's from the Lumine Clan," Ahzure shook his head, "And we are not going to steal."

Aesther added, "Indeed stealing keys will take too much time."

Ahzure frowned a little but couldn't say anything to that when the blonde boy pulled out a pair of keys from his small bag. The red baf itself carried the same crest as the Lumine clan.

It didn't belong to him.

He brightly smiled as Ahzure was left speechless.

His face was a look of pure horror as he realised how big mistake he had just made. But seeing this situation, Aesther couldn't help but laugh heartily.

The soft sound was tinged with an inexplicable grief.

But no one could see that.