Cloak and Scalpel

ABERLEEN ARC: Bear Den

"Isn't this wind bracing, Featherdown?"

"Princess, please, we still have time to go back to Swan Castle!"

Odette stood atop the small hill, arms spread out wide as the wind rustled through her hair. She had lowered the hood of her cloak to better feel the wind on her skin. She glanced back at us, a huge grin on her face. She placed a hand over her forehead as she looked back at the city on the edge of the Azure Lake and, beyond that, Swan Castle.

"It seems so small from over here," she mused as she squinted her eyes at her home.

"I take it you haven't been out much, huh?" Lesley asked as she followed after Odette. She was mounted on Stella, a disapproving look on her face as she looked down at the Swan Princess. "Get back on the horse, Your Highness, we have a lot of ground to cover until we reach the port."

"Do you really think Lancelot would be at the port, Your Grace?" Odette asked politely as Lesley helped her get back onto Stella. Featherdown let out a hiss of displeasure as he flew onto Stella's rump, settling himself with a most displeased look on his face.

Aamon nodded as his arms around me tightened on Orion's reins. The hood of his cloak was drawn up, his features covered in shadow, but I had no trouble making out the thoughtful expression on his face. "As per my last intelligence, Lancelot Baroque was seen headed towards the port," Aamon affirmed.

"What would he be doing at a port, of all places," I murmured as the horses began to move down the hill. "I mean if he wanted to explore the Empire and prove himself worthy of Odette's love, wouldn't he be going in the opposite direction?"

"It's anyone's guess as to what Lancelot intends," Aamon murmured.

"Well, if you think about it, ports do serve as a sort of hub," I muttered. "Much like an airport. You see all sorts of people at an airport. I guess it's also a good place to learn about others."

"Airport?" Aamon asked.

"Oh, do you remember I told you about how we fly around in my world?" I asked, glancing behind me. I looked up at him and grinned.

"Airplanes," he replied as he adjusted Orion's reins. "I believe they were called 'airplanes'?"

"Oh, you remembered!" I said, nodding in approval. "Well, airplanes are actually these giant metallic machines. And in order to ride them, we have to go to airports! They're much like seaports, but, you know, for airplanes."

He nodded sagely. "You haven't finished the twenty places you wanted to see in your world," Aamon said after a moment's pause. "You mentioned seven places so far."

I blinked up at him, surprised he even remembered that. "The last place was Edinburgh, I believe," he said thoughtfully.

I smiled at him, even more surprised that he would remember the name of an obscure place from my world. I leaned against his chest, feeling the warm breeze on my face as Orion slowly descended the hill.

"I guess one other place I really want to go to would be Japan," I said thoughtfully. For a moment, I let my mind drift to the world I'd left behind. "Japan is similar to the Cadia Riverlands, I suppose. When I was a little girl, I once saw a picture of cherry blossoms blowing in the wind, their petals scattering about. I was so amazed, I told myself I'd definitely see them in person when I grew up."

I sighed and looked up at Aamon. "I had actually made plans to go there during my next vacation leave," I added with a regretful smile. "Well, of course, the universe had other plans for me."

And instead of a vacation in the Land of the Rising Sun, I'd found myself here, in the Land of Dawn. It was poetically ironic, especially since we were headed towards the Cadia Riverlands next—a place that, in the game lore, was actually based off of Japan, and other Asian countries like China and Korea.