ignite

III - B

old friends and a shining sun
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Amelia took the lead as the Fox trailed behind, sharp eyes constantly scanning for potential adversaries lying in wait.

It was fortunate that Amelia had the foresight to wear a nondescript traveling cloak to conceal her formal attire in the poorer part of town.

Without it, it would seem she was just asking to be robbed. For someone to be able to afford shoes like that was a glaring symbol of status.

The Fox kept their head down and signature maroon hood up - they weren't the only one in town to sport that color, even though their mask would have been a dead giveaway. Ah, well - they'd have to be careful.

It wasn't long until they came to a run-down cottage where a young man Amelia's age - twenty - perked up and waved enthusiastically. He looked as if he had been anticipating her arrival for quite a while, and was visibly impatient about it.

His sable black hair was certainly a tamer beast than James's, swept above his forehead and parted at the sides.

As they drew nearer, he swept into a low bow. He recognized the princess at sight despite her cloak and didn't rise until Amelia quickly told him there was no need for such formality. She was a little exasperated - they weren't even at the castle...!

"Will, Will....'tis wonderful to see you again! How have you been? How is your brother's condition?" Amelia bombarded the harried young man with questions, staring intently at his face as if to divine answers from his expression.

She hadn't seen him in nearly a week, after all, as she had been waiting for the opportune time to escape the castle with no small amount of impatience. Will was her closest confidant, her childhood friend. Even if he was servant - supposedly below her status -it was a title she paid no mind on their adventures.

Will was always the more reasonable of the two, being dragged along into her daring escapades ("against your will," she'd laugh in jest.) In the end, though, he couldn't say he didn't enjoy their little adventures - far from it.

Even if he was always a little afraid of the repercussions of her reckless actions - she was supposed to be escorted by her bodyguard at all times and stay in the castle for her own protection - they were always let off with no more than a proverbial slap on the wrist.

William had her father, the king, to thank for that - a far kinder noble than his current wife. But now he had passed away, Amelia didn't have that leniency to do as she pleased.

"Things could be better," he finally answered then sighed once again, the dull edge of fatigue seeping into his voice, "but they could be worse. Alexander's condition is stable, but he is not getting any better. We do not know how much longer he will stay that way, but I do not want to chance it."

Amelia stared straight into his eyes, a mixed palette of charcoal grey and the blue of falling rain: a resolute and unceasing gaze.

Then she held up a finger, signaling him to wait. Amelia crossed her arms and turned to her temporary bodyguard, who had been staring off into the distance while they had conversed.

"I can heal him, if you want," the Fox offered, the carvings on their mask shining in the sunlight for a moment, their scarlet cloak aflutter in a sudden wind, "part ta protectin' ye, I suppose. 'Tis not safe here - especially when the sun goes down. If ye take me to 'im, I...will figure it out. Trust me."

Amelia studied the Fox for a moment - they were shorter than her, yet their presence filled that space, making them seem...more. She didn't have much reason to trust them aside from a secondhand source (James, who she trusted dearly) and this supposed magical contract. And what other choice did she have?