The moon had risen high over by the time Fiona and Lily made their way back home.
The evening air was cold, carrying the scent of a wind and cool air bought by the wind across their home.
Unlike Fiona who had a free day tonight, Most of the knights were still at the campfires around the training ground. Even if they had retired for the night, their armor stacked neatly outside their tents, while the patrols roamed the perimeter, their torches flickering in the distance.
Fiona glanced at Lily, who was walking beside her, humming a tune under her breath.
"…You're in a good mood."
Lily smiled. "Today was nice."
Fiona scoffed. "Because you got to turn me into your personal servant?"
Lily grinned. "Obviously."
Fiona rolled her eyes. "Heh, you little brat. Look at what you have done your big sis here."
Lily giggled, nudging her with her elbow.
'It was strange.....', Fiona whispered softly.
She had never thought she'd get attached to someone like this.
At first, Lily had just been another part of her disguise—someone to keep close so she wouldn't raise suspicion.
But at some point, that had changed.
She still didn't know when.
Maybe it had been the first time Lily had stubbornly insisted on calling her "Jeannie."
or "Big Sis".
Maybe it had been when she had first seen Lily cried and realized she was just a kid trying her best to be strong like her sister.
Maybe it had been when she had started waking up with Lily using her as a pillow.
Whatever it was, Fiona cared about her now.
And this feelings kept growing inside of Fiona's heart.
For her, it was dangerous,because attachments led to pain. She knew that better than anyone.
As they reached their home, Lily stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn.
"I'm so tired," she murmured. "I don't think I've walked this much in forever."
Fiona smirked. "Maybe if you trained more, you wouldn't be so weak and keep going to walk for another round."
Lily puffed her cheeks. "Hey! I'm not weak!"
"Sure,sure, little girl." Fiona drawled.
Lily glared. "You're the worst."
"And yet, you still follow me around," Fiona teased.
Lily opened her mouth to retort, then paused.
Her ears twitched.
Fiona's eyes sharpened.
A knocked outside their house, and then a familiar voice occured.
"Jeannie! Are you here?"
It was Marianne who came at their house this late.
Fiona opened the door and saw her with complete armor like a knight who was ready to fight.
She was confused and staring at Marianne suspiciously.
"What happened? It's unsual that you come here this late.."
Marianne, realizing her sudden arrival, showed an apologizes expression, and then she started to spoke.
"There's a problem occured this night. I need you to follow me to the training ground. The remaining knights have gathered there."
Fiona knew something bad happened when she was away.
"Wait for me, i have something to do first."
Fiona turned back inside her home.
Lily turned to her, brow furrowed.
"…Jeannie? What's going on?"
Fiona didn't answer first.
Instead, she patted Lily's head,and then started to talk.
"Lily, I have to go with Marianne this night. I'm really sorry for leaving you again this time, but this matter was important. Just wait for me here, okay?"
Lily, hearing her Big Sis spoke, knew there's something important happened, but she also knew that Jeannie was a knight.
"No need to worry about me, Big Sis! as you said earlier, I'm already 17 this year,right? I Will wait you here, Jeannie...But please.."
Lily suddenly hug her tightly.
"Please come back safely!"
Fiona, back to consciouss was really touched by her. She smiled and answered her.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, i will always come back to you, Little girl"
After saying farewell each other, Fiona met Marianne again outside the house.
"Alright, Let's go and finished this quickly. I need you to tell me what happened after we arrived at the training ground."
Marianne simply nodded and they began to rushed in the middle of the night.
The source of the commotion quickly became clear as they reached the training ground. It was full of noise.
A group of knights were gathered near one of the main tents, murmuring among themselves.
Marianne was at the front, her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face.
Fiona could feel the tension in the air.
She stepped forward.
"So what's going on?"
Marianne turned to her.
Her expression darkened.
"…There's been an attack."
Fiona stilled. "What?"
Marianne gestured to a wounded knight sitting on a nearby crate. His armor was dented, his face covered in bruises, and his breathing was uneven.
Fiona's gaze sharpened.
"…Who did this?"
The knight swallowed.
"…The rogue knights, again" he muttered. "Aldric's men. They're still out there. They attacked one of our outpost,"
Fiona's fingers curled into fists.
So Aldric's men were still moving.
She had hoped that after his defeat, the rogue knights would scatter.
But it seemed they were more stubborn than she expected.
Marianne let out a slow breath. "This is not the biggest problem...."
Fiona stared at her. Marianne started to speak with unreadable expression.
"The worst news is, someone attacked the underground prison, and they release Aldric and his men."
Fiona's mind raced.
The camp was already on edge. If the rogue knights kept up these small-scale attacks, morale would drop fast.
And worse—if they had outside support, things could get worse.
"…What do we do?"
Marianne exhaled.
"We will fight back," she said simply.
Fiona nodded.
"I'll send scouts to track their movements," she said. "We need to know where they're hiding. Sir Alfonso gave me full authoity for this action."
Fiona crossed her arms.
This battle would not be easy.
-------------------------------------------------
That night, Marianne found herself sitting outside her tent, staring up at the stars.
She couldn't sleep.
Too many thoughts were racing through her mind.
Fiona, sensing her mood, had refused to leave her side.
Now, she sat beside her and drank her tea.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then—
"…Marianne?"
She hummed in acknowledgment.
Fiona continued her speaking.
"…You're worried, aren't you?"
Marianne closed her eyes.
"…It's complicated."
Fiona tilted her head. "Because of the rogue knights?"
"…Yeah."
Fiona was silent for a moment.
Then, she moved closer.
Her hand reached for Marianne, gripping them tightly.
Marianne's eyes widened.
"…Now what are you doing here?"
Fiona looked up at her.
Her expression was serious.
"You're not alone here, you know?" she said softly.
Marianne blinked.
Fiona grip tightened.
"You don't have to do everything by yourself, My Friend" she whispered. "You have me. You have people who care about you here."
Marianne felt something in her chest tighten.
For a long moment, she didn't respond.
Then, slowly—she squeezed Fiona's hand back.
"…Yeah, Thank you,Jeannie.." she murmured with a lighter heart than before.