Arranged

Chapter Six: Troll Bogeys

The sun-dappled road stretched before them, winding through verdant hills toward Garreg Mach. Kiera's laughter rang out, echoing off the ancient trees.

"I'm telling you, Claude, your schemes will be the death of us all one day," she teased, green eyes sparkling with mirth.

Claude flashed his trademark roguish grin. "Ah, but what a glorious death it would be, my friend!"

Dimitri chuckled, shaking his head. "I fear I must agree with Kiera on this one. Your plots tend to border on the... outlandish."

"Outlandish? Me?" Claude placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. "I'm wounded, Your Highness."

Edelgard rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips. "Perhaps if you focused more on strategy and less on mischief, Claude..."

Kiera glanced back, catching Dedue's watchful gaze. Her husband's stoic expression softened ever so slightly, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. She winked at him, her heart swelling with affection.

Suddenly, a blood-curdling roar shattered the peaceful atmosphere. Kiera's head snapped forward, her body tensing. In the field ahead, a group of mercenaries fought desperately against a massive, lumbering creature.

"What in the goddess's name is that?" Dimitri breathed, blue eyes wide with shock.

Kiera's blood ran cold. She knew that grotesque form, that impossible strength. "It's a troll," she whispered, memories of another world flooding her mind.

"A what?" Edelgard demanded, her hand instinctively moving to her axe.

"Dimitri," Kiera urged, turning to the prince. "You need to order me to kill it. Now. Before it's too late."

Dimitri hesitated, clearly torn between confusion and the urgency in Kiera's voice. "Order you? I don't understand."

"There's no time!" Kiera interrupted, her voice sharp with fear and frustration. "Trust me. Please."

Dimitri pressed his mouth into a thin line and nodded, his expression hardening into one of resolve. "Kiera, I order you to eliminate that creature."

Relief washed over her. "Thank you," she breathed she waved her wand and her clothes shifted into something armored and dark with a metal mask to protect her face, then summoned her broom and shot off toward the battle, magic crackling from her wand.

Kiera streaked across the sky, her heart pounding as she closed in on the troll. Its massive form towered over the mercenaries, who looked like ants in comparison. She could hear Claude shouting behind her, but his words were lost in the wind.

"Hey, ugly!" she yelled, firing a stunning spell at the troll's head. It roared in anger, swinging its club wildly.

Kiera dove and weaved, avoiding the troll's attacks while casting spells in rapid succession. The mercenaries below gaped in awe, their own weapons seemingly useless against the beast.

As she fought, Kiera's mind raced. How did a troll get here? This world shouldn't have them. The distraction nearly cost her as a tree, ripped from the ground, narrowly missed her broom.

"Kiera!" Dedue's deep voice carried across the field, laced with concern.

She gritted her teeth, leading the troll a safe distance from the mercenaries before she hopped off her broom. She used to hunt these things for fun in her years in Hogwarts. Now that there was no people close enough for them to become collateral damage she could really let lose.

"Time to have some fun."  Kiera's eyes gleamed with determination as she faced the troll head-on. She could hear the knights shouting at her, but because Dimitri had ordered her to kill the beast and he was her prince, she didn't have to listen to them. Kiera raised her wand, channeling her magic into a powerful blast that struck the troll squarely in the chest. The creature stumbled backward, roaring in pain and anger.