Her Soldier, His Warrior

In Plain Sight [Part 4]

"I think your foot is getting much better since you've been keeping off of it. I think by the end of the month you'll be able to walk without much of a problem." Soren comments as he gently flexes Enya's foot. "Now I know I am the one to check and bind your foot, but I'm gonna be gone for the next few days, so no giving Anya any trouble."

"Why would I give her any trouble? You're the one I've been throwing kicks at when you bend my foot too hard." Enya mutters as the soldier grabs a roll of fresh bandages from a nearby stool. "You know, you are wasting bandages when you rewrap my ankle and foot, it's not like I've gotten them dirty and they need to be replaced because I have a nasty cut."

"I just don't like seeing dirty bandages wrapped around your feet, it looks kind of icky."

"How kind of you to care about the state of my feet."

It had been two days since the funeral, and during those two days Soren had been staying a lot longer in the infirmary than usual, helping Enya try to walk again, and today he had come in looking quite upset, and that was very unusual.

"You're brows are furrowed, something's buggin' ya." The assassin says as she reaches forward to poke the human between the brows. "You are making the same face as my uncle when he gets frustrated, so poking him between the brows gets him to relax."

"You certainly have an odd way of getting one to relax." Soren snorts as he batted her hand away. "I'm just...a little nervous about this expedition to find the princes, and my dad has such high expectations for me."

"What sort of expectations, finding the boys unscathed?"

"Uh...something like that. I just...I just can't fail, you know what I mean?"

Unfortunately I do. Enya thinks before shrugging. "Parents do tend to have high standards for their children, it's a bit unfair for them in my honest opinion. But I do believe that you will at the very least complete your mission with no problems."

"I'd hug you for that but I'd like my arms to be in good condition before I leave." Soren laughs as he has an arm up. "Can't have you breaking one like last time."

"Hey you spooked me, you deserved it."

"Soren, we gotta go!" They hear Claudia yell from outside of the infirmary. "I got my horse ready and everything!"

"Well, duty calls." Soren says as he gets up from the cot and stretches. "So...kiss for good luck?"

"You wish!" Enya snorts as the human laughs and walks off. "Try not to die, you hear me?"

"Not making a promise I can't keep!"

---

Once Enya was sure Anya was not going to come back to the infirmary, stating she had to go assist someone giving birth earlier in the day, she immediately packed her things and hobbled right out of the room with the support of the crutch. Thankfully none of the guards said anything as she hurried out of the castle before she managed to slip out of the gates and out of the town without attracting too much attention.

Okay, maybe getting rid of both Soren and Claudia would be easier if their father isn't around to intervene. If I get to them before they find the princes I can just catch up to the Moonshadow elf who apparently took them captive. The assassin thinks as she hobbles through the forest and stops to lean against a tree to catch her breath. Dad mentioned there was a Moonshadow mage hiding somewhere in Katolis, I could ask them to lend me and the other assassin something to disguise us as Soren and Claudia, and we could take the princes back without problem, then I could get rid of Viren. He won't suspect anything and it'll be easier to catch him off guard pretending to be one of his kids. But first...how am I even going to get to that lodge in the first place?

Enya hears something rustling in the bushes and tenses, her hand going to the hunting knife strapped to the back of her belt. Wild animal? Human? Or something else? She then hears a familiar bark before a large dog like creature leaps out of the bushes and rushes right at her, baying joyously.

"Zira! Oh what are you even doing here?!" Enya exclaims as the Moonstrider excitedly runs laps around her before stopping in front of her, wagging her tail eagerly. She was very sure she left her mount at the border, not wanting to risk her getting hurt or caught during the mission, but it seemed like Zira decided to follow anyways despite being told to go home.

Zira gives an excited bark and nudges the elf happily, snapping at the necklace around Enya's neck and licking her face. Enya couldn't help but laugh as she removes her necklace, causing the illusion to fade before dropping the crutch to hug her mount properly. Oh how she missed her dearly!

"Zira, while I am mad at you for disobeying me, I am in need of your assistance." The assassin says as she removes her boot to point at the bandage. "Sniff. Track something that doesn't smell like me."

Zira sniffed the bandage, whining a bit before licking Enya's foot and sniffing it again. The Moonstrider then sniffed the ground, going in circles around her rider before her ears pricked up and barked, tail erect and wagging.

"Good girl! Kneel." Enya instructs as Zira kneels to let her climb onto the saddle. Once she was sure her feet were on the stirrups, Enya tugs at the reins to get Zira onto her feet and holds on tightly as she takes off into the woods. If Zira caught Soren's scent, she could reach him and his sister before they found the human princes, and if she was able to do that, she wouldn't have to worry about failing her mission afterall.

Let's hope my plan goes well.