Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Lich King

Interlude II

Sylvia sat under the shade of a gazebo, in a garden filled with lilacs, daffodils, and various other flowers. Sitting before her on a marble table was a soothing cup of chamomile tea.

It was one of her rare breaks. While many of her fellow sorceresses often called her a workaholic, even she needed to rest every once in awhile. During these times when a break was necessary, she would often come out to the flower gardens and just relax under the shade, enjoying the refreshing scent from the many different types of flora.

"My Lady?"

Her hand twitched. D'artagnan rarely spoke unless spoken to. That he was calling out to her meant he had something important to say.

"Yes?"

"May I ask... why you decided to send Caspian and Elincia to Parumé. I know that you wanted to get them out of Casadinia, but would it not have been better to give them a task that was less dangerous?"

Odd...

D'artagnan was not one for nonsensical questions, but Sylvia could not determine the purpose of this one. Was he concerned about Caspian? She supposed that, as a fellow knight, it was an appropriate response, something to do with camaraderie, perchance?

Sylvia could not see D'artagnan's face because he was not sitting with her. He stood outside of the gazebo, keeping watch on their surroundings. That was his way. He never allowed himself to rest when they were together, even when she was not working herself. It was the way a Sorceress's Knight should behave.

Caspian could learn from D'artagnan's example.

"Perhaps it would have been safer to give them another task." Sylvia took a sip of her tea, sighed as the herbal effects soothed her nerves, set it back down, and continued. "As of this moment, Caspian and Elincia are powerful but untested. What's more, Caspian has many emotional scars that he never let heal." She paused, recalling the memories that had receded into her mind with time. "Ever since I rescued Caspian from Parumé, he has done his best to forget about that time. His memories are buried so deeply within him that the only memory remaining is the one memory he can never forget."

"The day Parumé was destroyed by undead?" D'artagnan guessed.

"Correct." Tracing a finger along the lip of her teacup, Sylvia brought up more memories of the young man that she had rescued years ago. "That memory is so powerful that it's been ingrained into his psyche. However, all of the other memories he has are being suppressed."

"And you are hoping that by sending him back to Parumé, he will be forced to confront his past," D'artagnan deduced.

The sound of a songbird made Sylvia look up. Two birds were fluttering overhead, dancing around each other in what she guessed was some form of mating ritual. It wasn't long before the birds set down on the roof and snuggled together.

She frowned at the birds before dismissing them in favor of answering D'artagnan.

"It is just as you say. Caspian is not like you. He is controlled by his emotions, and when they become too much, he runs away from them. I'm hoping that by sending him on this mission, he can overcome what happened in his past and grow stronger. If he can do that, then perhaps he can learn to overcome his other emotional hangups."

Caspian didn't know it, but Sylvia had kept an eye on him during his time at the academy. At her behest, Headmaster Stratello had sent her bi-annual reports on Caspian's progress. She knew everything that had happened to him. The bullying, the isolation, the hatred. Sylvia had not intervened since part of Arcadia's Knight Academy's policies forbade sorceresses from interfering with the students' growth—she had already interfered enough just by letting him attend—and she had also hoped he would become stronger.

Instead he had crawled further into a shell. He had created a shield. When someone picked a fight, he responded with violence. When someone insulted him, he insulted right back. Caspian had become the very thing he hated without even realizing it.

Not even teachers were spared from his actions. Sylvia didn't know if she could blame Caspian—she remembered how he had almost been killed—but she had hoped he would overcome his issues without aid. That he had not done so was disappointing.

"Are you sure it's wise to force this confrontation?" D'artagnan asked. "What if he's not ready?"

"Have you so little faith in the boy?" Sylvia answered with a question of her own. "While he didn't progress much at the academy, Caspian has made many strides since graduating. His mentality, strength, and rationality have improved. I trust that he can overcome this obstacle."

She looked down at the still warm tea. Steam rose from the cup.

She took another sip.

She set the cup back down.

"He'll need to if he wants to overcome the hardships that are likely to befall him and Elincia," she finished. To that, D'artagnan said nothing.

The two songbirds sitting on the roof flapped their wings and took off, flying to parts unknown.

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Here's a little interlude to provide some insight into Caspian's past. Since this arc deals heavily with that, I'll be revealing more and more of his past as time goes on. I hope you're all looking forward to it!

Be sure to vote for this chapter if you liked it. If you want more updates or to learn what I'm working on, you can follow me here on Wattpad. Thanks again for reading. I'll see you all next chapter!

Ja ne! (^-^)