The First Mage

Five hours had passed since the dungeon disappeared. By this point, most of the camp had been dismantled, and many guards were returning to town. This included Garn and Pallo, who had gotten the most rest between the group’s guards. To his dismay, Garn’s suggestion to have a wager decide who would take the next shift fell on deaf ears with Bren and Brie, because it was not their turn anyway.

Yawning, he rubbed his eyes. “If Tomar and the others weren’t going to be here, we might as well have gotten some proper sleep.”

“Hm,” Pallo grunted unhappily in response.

“Although... I guess we are practically protecting the queen right now. The only one in the group who actually needs protection anyway,” Garn snickered.

“Lilly always took a guard with her...” Pallo mumbled.

“Are you still going on about that?” Garn sighed. “You understand we’re just honor guards to them, don’t you? They aren’t Rulers, they don’t actually need guards.”

“And yet, Lilly gladly accepted Bren’s request.”

“I’m not going to argue about that yet again...”

“I’m not arguing, I’m just saying. Nobody died with the actual Lilly around either. And after something happened, she made announcements and didn’t just hang up a piece of paper. But you’re probably right, there’s nothing to discuss here.”

“And he keeps on blabbing...” Garn said, miffed.

“Can you blame me for being frustrated?” Pallo turned towards him, irritated. “How is it possible that I’m the only one who finds this weird? And Bren won’t listen at all!”

“Of course not, because you’re making no sense,” Garn replied calmly. “Lilly and Tomar are equals, he has no reason to kill her. Not to mention that he isn’t the type to do something like that.”

Pallo continued on, his voice growing more fierce, while keeping it down enough for Hayla not to hear them on the other side of the door.

“And the engagement to a Varant right the next day? I suppose that’s not suspicious either!?”

“No, that’s definitely weird. Tomar could do better. But whatever.”

Stunned into silence by Garn’s casual brushing off of his concerns, Pallo stared at his companion. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of a retort.

Garn looked at him with a sideways glance and hoped this would finally shut Pallo up. Ever since they learned about the death of Lilly’s previous host, this conspiracy theory was the only thing on his mind. He was convinced Tomar and the others had gotten rid of Lilly to take full control of the town. However, since people were specifically following the divine messenger, Tomar was supposedly planning to marry Hayla to legitimize himself in the eyes of the citizens and the Rulers. Eventually, he would announce Lilly’s death and then proclaim himself the new king. According to Pallo’s theory, nobody could say what would happen then.

It was complete nonsense in Garn’s mind, but nothing he said seemed to matter. As such, he attempted to ignore Pallo’s yapping as best as he could, figuring that he might see reason once he realized that nothing had really changed.

Still glancing in his general direction, Garn’s expression suddenly shifted, when he saw several people walking down the hallway in their direction, led by a priest. His eyes widened in surprise when he realized who they were.

Seeing his face change, Pallo followed Garn’s look and quickly corrected his posture when he saw three Rulers. There were other rooms on this floor, further down the hallway, but both of them instinctively knew these people’s destination. As expected, they came to a stop right in front of the office. While Garn and Pallo moved to block the door, the priest acting as their guide stepped to the side and waited wordlessly.

Standing face to face with members of the Raha family, considered next in line after the Varants, the guards eyed them somewhat nervously. Rulers rarely left their district in the southwest of town in the first place, but seeing them in the temple was downright bizarre. This could also be observed in their gazes, scanning their surroundings, almost certainly never having been on this floor before.

“We’re here to see Miss Hayla Varant,” Grom said in a commanding voice.

Garn and Pallo’s eyes shifted back and forth between each other and the visitors in a desperate attempt to communicate non-verbally, but they didn’t get very far. This was an unprecedented situation. The guards hadn’t received any specific instructions on what to do when guests arrived while Hayla was alone, and they were still relatively new to this kind of post. As a result, several seconds passed without one of them saying or doing anything, until Grom became impatient.

“What are you idling for? Is she not here?” he said, looking back at the priest, but he just stared at a wall, unmoving.

“Uhm, please wait,” Garn said.

He knocked on the office door, and after getting called in, he briefly disappeared inside, while Pallo waited awkwardly and the Rulers glanced at each other in dissatisfaction.

When the door opened again, Garn whispered to Pallo, “Follow my lead,” before turning to the visitors. “Miss Hayla will receive you.”

The guards stepped into the office first, to either side of the door, while the guests made their way inside. Standing close to the entrance, they waited for the door to close behind them and for Garn and Pallo to walk over to the desk and take post next to their protectee. Only once everyone was in place did the meeting begin.

“Grom, Gustal, Isona. It’s nice to see you,” Hayla said.

“You too, Hayla,” Grom said. “We just learned about your release. How are you?”

“Very good, thank you.”

“That is good to hear,” he said while glancing around the room. “But... May I ask what you’re doing here? I was quite surprised when I was told where to find you.”

“Ever the Ruler aren’t you?” Hayla said, amusement in her voice. “You look deeply uncomfortable at having to step foot in here. Well, I agreed to help my fiance with the administrative duties, and he chose to make this his place of work. It’s a matter of course that I would be here.”

“It’s true then? You’re engaged to Tomar Remor?”

“That’s right, Grom.”

“I see... Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“But if you’ll allow me this question... Why?”

“Do you believe I owe you an explanation for my actions?” Hayla said, raising an eyebrow.

“Please understand, your people are confused. We hear that you were released, that you promised yourself to this boy, and you haven’t even visited your home. We half-expected to find you here bound and gagged.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Grom. As you can see, I’m fine.”

“Hayla, dear,” Isona began, “what about your uncle or the others? Have they been released as well?”

“Not yet, no. They will return to you in time.”

“Have you at least... talked to them? Surely you must be worried about them still being in that horrible place.”

“It’s a prison, dear Isona,” she said, mimicking her, “not a beast-infested forest. I don’t need to talk to them to know that they’re treated well enough.”

“Does that mean Hertar doesn’t know about your plans to marry a commoner?” Grom asked.

Hayla chuckled lightly. “A commoner? Is that still how you see him? Well, I suppose you have a point. But it’s not my uncle’s decision who I wed, and I believe he will be quite pleased with my choice regardless. Trust me on that. This is the best way forward for all of us.”

Garn and Pallo listened to the conversation from the sidelines as per Hayla’s instruction. It was an entirely different sensation to standing next to Lilly or Tomar, who treated them more like a part of the group than armed furniture. Garn could also do without the stuffy speech and overly polite mannerism, and was looking forward to this meeting coming to an end. Pallo meanwhile appeared to be satisfied, as if he was exactly where he wanted to be.

“Is that so...” Grom said, seeming conflicted. “Well, at least we know that you will be a good influence on these young people, who know so little about leading this town. And of course you can call on us anytime if you need our help.”

“I appreciate your offer, Grom, but not your attitude towards Lilly and Tomar. Let me make something clear, I support my future husband, and I’m quite curious about what he set out to accomplish here.”

Pallo’s ears perked up as he kept listening.

“That’s how it should be between partners. Very good, Hayla. I didn’t mean to insinuate anything else. Just that, with you lending a hand, even Lilly’s continued absence surely won’t cause any issues.”

“It won’t,” Hayla declared.

“I’m glad to see you well and that things are in order. Also, forgive my conceitedness, but I am relieved to see a Ruler in this office. You, no less.”

“I understand your concerns, but this leadership deserves to be given a chance. Trust in me, even if you don’t see the promise in them yet.”

Grom nodded and surveyed the room once again, taking in every detail before giving his closing remark. “Of course, we would never doubt the words of your family. We’ll let you get back to it then, as we should get back to our own tasks.”

“Thank you,” Hayla said. “And please forward a greeting to the families, I might come around for a visit soon.”

Bowing, the rulers stepped back, and Hayla gave a signal to Garn, at which point he made his way over to the door, followed by Pallo. Replaying the entrance scene in reverse, they opened the door for the Rulers and escorted them outside.

When the two left the office, the priest had already taken over wordlessly and was leading the Rulers away. Taking their usual positions, Garn sighed in relief and didn’t notice Grom glancing back at them, or how his and Pallo’s eyes met.

“Maybe guarding Rulers is not for me,” Garn said.

“No? I found it quite interesting.”

Puzzled by this comment, he looked at his companion, but when nothing more came out of him, he decided to be content with having some peace and quiet.