As Blanc was foraging in the Golden Forest below, survival was the least of the thoughts of those who remained inside the cave. Not the same kind of survival, at least.
"Let's eat," called out Celine to those present, placing some of the fruits from their supplies, wanting to finish them soon, before they rot.
Miyanna was already seated when she called, lost in thought, watching the plates full of fruit coming one after the other.
She was distraught, to say the least, at her core.
There were people in the cave she had taken refuge in after the Warden, who was ordered to escort her, left halfway. He hadn't been worried about what she might do, but more about the Iron Line that was on the move at the time… and about his own family.
That offered Miyanna the option to go into hiding, where nobody would look for or find her. And what better place than the Golden Forest? The so-called second-largest forest of the Empire. The jewel and backbone of Blood Denegis?
A splendid plan, one that can not fail. Or so she thought at that time.
What a fucking fool I was, she cursed herself, as the twins arrived at the table, unworried about the slightest thing in the world. Or so she thought.
"Sister Celine," spoke Lune as she grabbed a pear from a wooden plate and began nibbling at it, "When will Blanc return?"
"I'm not sure, but soon anyway. The sun will set in a few hours. He will be back before that." Celine replied.
"And what if he does not return? What if he leaves us?" Kael asked.
Celine giggled at his question, "What makes you think he would do that?"
"He would not be the first to throw us away," Kael muttered.
"Hey now," began Celine, "This and that are completely different matters. You know he would not do that. He would not abandon any of us. Believe me."
"What makes you have such confidence in him?" Kael asked, "You barely know each other."
"Kael, do not be rude to sister Celine!" Lune hissed, forgetting how she, herself, blamed Celine for the wounds Blanc received during the battle with the vanguard of the Iron Line.
"I am not rude to her, Lune, I asked her a question," muttered Kael.
"I do not find it rude, Kael. I believe him because I know him. You might ask how that's possible, we barely got engaged not so long ago. Yet I feel as if I have known him all my life," explained Celine, her sapphire colored eyes showing the honesty and truth in her words as she spoke.
"But how? I've known him since I was born, yet he feels like a challenge to truly understand," muttered Kael, biting on an apple.
"That's the problem," Celine pointed out, "One cannot truly understand a person with just their eyes and ears. A person is so much more than what we simply perceive with our senses."
"Just like fighting, yes?" asked Lune.
"Yes, Lune," she nodded, "Fighting isn't as simple as kill or be killed. Saying that would be like saying a person is nothing more than skin and bones. It's not the whole truth. Someone can swing a sword and hope for the best, and that raw attitude might work once or twice, but it will fail eventually. And when it fails, they die. People are the same. You can judge someone by their looks or their words, and you might be right a few times. But eventually, you'll be wrong. And when that mistake is made against the wrong person… pray it wasn't your enemy you misjudged. Because that mistake can cost your life just as surely as swinging a sword blindly."
"Wow…" Kael muttered, letting Celine's words of wisdom sink deeper into his soul.
Lune, however, blinked at her words, not understanding them. "That is not what I meant."
Making Celine burst out into laughter, which in turn made Lune more confused, before she gave up understanding and turned back to her pear.
Miyanna watched their conversation with unshown interest, even though she listened carefully to every word they muttered.
Her attempts at understanding who these new, unwanted neighbors of hers were went well.
She was of the Iron Line after all, before losing the battle as vanguard, she was an actual commander, but was captured and gave information to Blood Denegis, making her a traitor to their cause, in exchange for her life. She was named a Tainted.
A shame greater than death for some warriors. But not for her. Death is the end of all ends.
While shame… Shame? Shame didn't matter. It couldn't fill a stomach or keep food from it. It didn't break bones or shelter the weak. She could live with shame.
But this new danger, masked as four people of great importance, brought her unease.
From the beginning, she'd had her suspicions. Gray eyes and silver gray hair.
A rare combination, possessed by only one Noble Blood in the entire Senvia Empire.
That alone gave them away. Blanc and Kael both bore the traits. While Lune, only the hair.
All unmistakable.
It made sense to her.
If the Noble Blood had recently been attacked by the Iron Line and feared defeat, they would have sent their children away. Hidden them. Protected them. If she were a mother, she would have done the same.
The final sign was the way they spoke. That pure, taught way they all spoke.
They spoke the same language, yet it felt like an insult to Miyanna's common lineage.
It felt as if stepping on her way of speaking, as yet another thing the Noble Bloods were better at than the common person.
She found herself worried and full of hatred. But her hatred somehow dwindled as the day passed. She was confused about why that was.
She was threatened, yes. But it was nothing new. Her whole life, living in a small border village, her teenage years, or during her time in the Iron Line, was just the same.
She was threatened with either rape or death. Yet none ever came. Because she was stronger. Better.
So Blanc's words did not faze her. She knew when to give up or bide her time. Yet she was also defended by the same people who threatened her. A first for her.
She was not old, quite young, actually, at twenty years of age. But she lived long enough to know it was odd.
They threatened, showed mercy, made her a hostage, then released her, took her food, and then offered her some. All that in less than a day. Who does that?
If it had been her, she would have killed them without hesitation. The danger of an unknown person was always greater than that of any beast.
Yet… she was glad they didn't share her convictions.
If she could, she would've left already. But where would she go? Do what? In times like these, danger lived in every corner of this damn Empire. Nowhere was safe.
And these people, dangerous and important as they might be, had shown her mercy. More than that. They were teaching her. Though she hated admitting it. Especially to that smug, weepy bastard.
By the Vita, how she hated his guts. And yet… she didn't. Not really.
He was arrogant. Prideful. With one of those handsome faces, you just wanted to slap him on principle.
But she had seen his weakness. Heard his cries. Witnessed the strength he clung to even in his lowest moments. He had a will. A kindness. And, most infuriating of all, a heart that protected the ones he loved.
And deep in her gut. In that sick, squirming place she didn't want to look too closely at, she hoped that someday, he might care for her too.
So she'd stay. As long as they'd let her.
"The color of your face changed," muttered Celine, an hour later, as she watched Miyanna.
"What?" Miyanna replied, taken aback by Celine's sudden remark.
They were alone now, Kael and Lune back to the pool below, watching it. It offered the first opportunity for Celine to have a conversation alone with her.
"You were here, but your thoughts were not. They kept you away for a while. And it seems you have come to a conclusion. Hopefully, one that does not give Blanc the opportunity to kill you." Celine smiled at her.
"How can you say such mystic shit full of wisdom, then end it on a threat?" Miyanna asked, watching her closely.
"I guessed correctly then," Celine said, pouring herself a cup of tea from their supplies. "Do you want some?"
"No, thanks," said Miyanna, getting to her feet, "And please, leave me be."
"Does that mean you will leave?" asked Celine, with the same warm smile on her face, yet not holding the same warmth.
"Not for now," replied Miyanna, moving towards her room, when a voice from the outside spoke.
"How glad I am to hear that," said Blanc, entering the cave.