“Can you make a ten, maybe fifteen minute trip?” Her eyes darted around, as if she was looking at something far beyond my own field of vision.
“Ya. I’ll live,” I managed, stumbling forward and feeling the wooziness creep in. One step through the snow at a time. Left then right.
Then I felt her arm around me, beckoning me to lean on her shoulder. I was all too happy to accept, feeling her soft hair against my face as she pushed ahead for the both of us.
“There, that should be a bit better.” She wasn’t as chipper as before, but she wasn’t hurting either. I could see her face so close—her face told it all. Worried. Scared. Strong.
“You know, a week ago, I would’ve never dared to ask you to do anything like this.” I let out another chuckle as the two of us continued to walk through the snow. “I thought you were some kid back then. Now I’m leaning on you.” I could spot the faint blush on her cheeks, even as she didn’t say anything.
“Shush. No more speeches that sound like you’re about to melodramatically die,” I heard her soft voice drift through the wind, her confidence drowning out the fear in her voice.
The town of Arlond was now coming into view as she dragged me along. She radiated resolve, a solid gleam of light blazing in her silver eyes as our footsteps finally hit the solid gravel of the road.
It was then I realized Aria had been dragging my bag the entire time. I winced a little at the thought of the leather bag scraping across the road, but there was little I could do to protest.
Soon enough we approached a three-spired building, one that I could instantly identify as the local church. Three spires to signal the Trinity, and stained glass that depicted scenes from the Trinity’s tale. Otherwise one would have mistaken it for a large, weirdly-built house. Aria took no pause and knocked on the door.
“I thought it was the church!” I had a little freak-out as she gave me a quiet “Shhhh.” It was one thing I didn’t like about her taking charge. She never told me what her plan was.
As we waited, she let me go, giving me time to adjust to my own full weight. Unfortunately, I felt even worse, the ground beneath me spinning. At least I wasn’t barfing on the doorstep.
The door opened to reveal an older man, greys starting to accumulate on his head. His face wore a confused, but surprised expression. His overdress was a formal coat of white, black and gold, the three colors of a religious garment. The coat itself was one inlaid with dragons in mid-flight, expertly stitched in vibrant thread. Underneath the religious garb was a simple brown tunic.
Behind him was a lady holding a lamp, dressed in a large cyan dress that went from her neck all the way down to her shoes. They looked two sizes too big for her, but she didn’t seem to mind. She also wore a white shawl, trimmed in a rim of black and etched with thin golden threads. The two of them gave each other a glance between throwing open the doors and beckoning the two of us to enter.
“A Pact Mage! Come in!”
There was definitely some panic in the man’s voice, but also a sense of relief. Aria was the first one inside, dragging both of our bags through as if they were little more than annoyances. I promptly followed, looking half-dead already. I had a hand on Caen’s blade, but I must’ve made the most sloppy Caen impression ever. No intimidation factor.
The church had a warm, homey feeling. Lanterns illuminated most of the space and well-worn benches spanned across the massive foyer. Everything had a well-used feel, from the rug underneath my feet to the books packed into the benches. Despite the ruggedness of the building, care had been taken to present the space in the best light.
Pelts were washed and well cared for. Intricate carvings adorned the shrine, yellow and black paint depicting what parts that hadn’t worn away. Small strips of fine cloth tried to imitate the regality that only existed in the Alabaster Church. The soft smell of evening stew and warm bread floated through the air. The only thing missing was my grandmother greeting me.
“Thank you for having us. I wish the situation would allow for more pomp and circumstance, but I must be quick.” Aria looked behind her, checking up on both the door and me as the woman shut the door. “Due to the unfavorable weather for travel, I’ll need shelter for a few days.” Aria spoke with utter confidence. I widened my eyes in surprise. Seeing her talk like that was still jarring, even if I knew she was capable of it.
“Oh absolutely! I was told by the inquisitors that a Pact Mage would be visiting, though not so soon! I hope you weren’t too hampered by the snow, young…” I could see the priest’s face frown at being unsure whether to call Aria a lady or a girl. I could see a slight smile creep up on Aria’s face, suppressing a giggle. Oh, so I embarrass you when I do it but when someone else does it you find it charming.
“It would be poor form to draw conclusions based on one’s age,” Aria shot back, surprising everyone in the room with her snarky smile.
Then she turned around and began to drag the bags deeper into the church. I could see the look of shock spreading through their faces as I followed along. There was something satisfying watching this adorable white-haired tiny person command the room like she owned the place. Or should I be calling her dragon?
“Right, let’s make haste. My guardian here has suffered injuries and I’m running out of time to perform the magic required.”
I raised an eyebrow. She could heal? That had absolutely nothing to do with water, and Aria had spelled out what her magic could do. I could see the room still awaiting her new words, an explanation they were too polite or shaken to voice.
“I shall explain the situation after I am done. Lead the way,” Aria added as the priest nervously went in front to lead us through to the back. He unlocked a pair of smaller wooden doors, before guiding us into the inner sanctum of the church.
The whole place was so much larger than the tiny church we had in my hometown that I couldn’t help but marvel. Dazzling murals depicting the three founding dragons, Cestra, Capricorn, and Chronos. The Trinity. Every mural depicted the sharp yellow streaks of Capricorn against the wispy black of Chronos. All the backdrops were done in the white of Cestra, the mother dragon. If I had grown up in a larger church, then I might have ended up a lot more religious.
The priest leads us to a large room at the end of the hall. With the click of the lock, we were greeted to a single bed, a writing table, and chair. There also appeared to be a modest wooden wardrobe, though I imagined there were only copies of the exact same brown shirt. Manuscripts lied half-complete on the table, quill and ink uncapped.
“I apologize that the room is not clean,” he apologized as Aria threw the bags into the room. I winced as our gear smashed into the table at terminal velocity. That was our tent…
“It’s fine. Formalities ought to be reserved for when time is available to perform them.” This time it was my turn to yell out in surprise as Aria shoved me into bed with a slight push.
While I was sure the priest saw nothing more than an encouraging push, I could feel my entire body direct towards the bed, with no choice to obey. She was not pulling her punches. I landed on the bed with a massive crack, snow boots and all. The appalled look on the priest’s face said it all; this was his bed, and Aria was trashing his room.
“Right, If there’s anything else…” He began before turning around, not wanting to witness any more of his room being destroyed. Aria turned around, glaring in his direction and making him silently gulp.
“There isn’t. Now leave us be.”
As soon as the priest left, Aria’s expression softened. The exhaustion returned to her face almost instantly as she pressed her back against the door.
“Did you have to be that serious?” I added, before looking around at the room. My earlier assessment of this being his room might’ve been wrong. There were no painted dragons looking down at me from the ceiling. In fact, the room was pretty bare.
Aria slowly came to my side. She looked spent too, her normal vibrantly shining eyes losing their luster. “I want to make sure that you’re okay, that you’ll be out of pain as soon as possible.” I felt her soft hand on my forehead as I looked back with concern.
“You don’t have to do that for me,” I whispered back as I started shaking off my boots, trying to keep myself from ruining the bed anymore. The cloak was a lost cause, as taking it off would’ve got my lower layers soaked, but I could still stop the bed from turning into a slurry at my feet. Then in the corner of my ear I heard a faint chuckle.
“You know you can leave your boots on, right?” She had a hand against her lips as she snickered at me.
“I’m trying to not turn this bed into sludge and why is that funny!” I was happy to see Aria’s eyes regain some of their diamond-like shine, but it still stung when it was at my expense.
“If you’re so worried, have someone clean it up in the morning,” She took out a fresh roll of gauze, and began unwrapping the old ones. “You worry too much for someone that already ruined the bed.” She was leaning against me, careful not to move or hurt my arm anymore.
“Good thinking,” I said, watching her slender fingers dance across my wrappings. I couldn’t even feel them, but I could feel my arms breathing again as air seeped into my still-tender wound. She was really close though. So close that I could…hmm…
I leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek. Her fingers suddenly stiffened and started shaking, as she let out a series of embarrassed noises. I grinned, leaning against her with a soft whisper.
