The Healer Of Light And The Prince Of Darkness

32. Too Good For This World

Tasia swallowed as darkness wrapped around her and she began to feel the shadows again, to hear them whispering in her ears, making her lose a great deal of her concentration for a few seconds while adjusting to the new situation.

'Where...'

Just where was she exactly?

As the question crossed her mind she felt something to be handed over to her.

A thing? Oh, there is a thing!

You idiot! That's why Second-hand Master doesn't like us!

No, look! It's a cloak!

A very expensive looking one at that...

"Take this, my lady. Hares may be hotter than Syris but the nights are still very cold here."

Tasia thanked him and took the cloak. She knew it was probably his but she also was aware that he wouldn't accept her refusal anyway. So the girl just smiled.

"You know, at first Noah thought it was a bad idea. The whole thing with the knight's oath for life and all."

As they were stepping further and further into the Silver Garden, as it was the best way they found for them to reach the Main Palace, she thought she couldn't bear with the silence. Tasia wanted to talk and as her knight he had to make her comfortable as much as to bear with her talking with him.

"Weren't he the one to recommend me?"

That was what everyone would think. Tasia didn't answer for a while as she drowned herself in the memories of him. She first met the so called Notorious knight Sir Bresner around the time Cassian left for Hares to become the Crown Prince of the magic nation. It was a few weeks before she secluded herself into the Iris Temple, where she spent a year or so before leaving with the envoy for Hares too.

Back then Tasia was nearing the end of her combat training. Normally people spent years for their skills to be perfected in any possible way but she had only spent less than three years. The only reason the girl had even considered taking such lessons was because there was just no other way for her to become a Master if she wasn't able to fight. Magic and fighting were inseverable whole even if she didn't want to acknowledge that.

Keid was very cocky back then. Now she knew that everyone had their moments and he had his then. He had problems and she lacked the tolerance to understand him. They may have fought. And maybe he had called her an ignorant little girl. She might have called him a peabrain rude bastard (yeah, that time she had already met the Big Three, and especially Dorian and Roy, who were just so excited to teach her a few words for adults).

Tasia shrugged, smiling at the memory of them arguing loudly at knights' training grounds, "Actually I was very interested in you in particular. And you didn't disappoint me even a bit."

"Did you think I will refuse the proposal?"

"I couldn't be sure."

"The Empress herself called me to talk about that."

"Well..."

"The prince also seemed quite interested in your well-being."

"Well..."

"And there was the Emperor, who was already very intrigued by his niece's daughter."

"Oh, for goddess' sake, stop torturing me!"

Tasia could swear she heard him laughing, "Didn't you know?"

"It's the prince's fault. He makes people worry too much for the things he worries about. But again I didn't know it was that serious. When I suggested you being my escort I didn't have the slightest idea in mind that you would perform such a heavy oath."