• Solo • Troublemaker

[Lynessa]

Troublemaker

1st Trial of Ymiden, Arc 717

“Are you truly going to abandon our much needed sleep just for some festival?” Leth asked as he yawned for the seventh time. Despite his protests, she could see the slight shine of excitement to his eyes. His armor clanged annoyingly as they traveled down the Pilgrim's Ascent, but the blue cloak billowing behind him certainly gave him a gallant look.

Lyn glanced up and raised an eyebrow at her companion. “It has been nearly two arcs since we went home. Do you not miss the debauchery of Rharne?”

“We still live the debauching life outside Rharne,” he pointed out. “Besides, I fear I might fall asleep standing up.”

The young woman could not blame her partner for complaining. After all, she had insisted that they travel faster and ride harder simply to arrive before the first trial of Ymiden. They had just arrived earlier that night and nearly passed out from exhaustion. But it had been far too long since she received the chance to return to her home city. Before this, every time she nearly finished her mission, another letter would come, detailing another assignment. It was infuriating sometimes, but Lyn admitted that there were some benefits by getting more missions.

As it was a city event, Lyn was also dressed in her official attire as a Priestess. The long, deep purple robes were never her favorite. It was rather difficult to move freely in and it was no surprise when she accidentally stepped on it and stumbled. She would’ve fallen headlong into a painful fall down the stairs if Leth had not grabbed her arm.

“This is the hundredth time I have saved your life. How will you survive without me?” teased the young man with a smirk. As he let her go, Leth took the moment to scan her up and down. “It seems like forever since I saw you in robes. You look good.”

She winked at him. “I always look good.”

It was still early and the parade had yet to start, yet the citizens of Rharne had already busied themselves outside. Streamers were hung between buildings, flags were flapping in the wind. Admittedly, the uniforms gave them quite the advantage. Despite the packed streets, people stopped their festivities for a moment to greet and make way for them. Their eyes were filled with respect when they regarded her. Lyn reflexively smiled and thanked them, yet she could not help remembering the disgust on people’s faces back when she was still no one.

Shaking away the thought, the young woman hurried her steps down the stairs and towards the docks. “Come on! We don’t want to be late for the parade – well, at least, I don’t.”

[Lynessa]

They didn’t talk much as they sped through the city. Lyn paid little attention to their surroundings, knowing that they will get the chance when they were walking with the parade. Still, it was difficult not to notice how much effort the city had put into readying for the Ymiden’s Rise. The city’s color was everywhere, purple in every shade she could imagine. A young girl even stopped her and gave her a beautiful flower crown, sewn with white and purple flowers that she could not name.

As much as she wanted to enjoy the day, Leth kept eyeing her with concern as she placed the flowers on her head. Sure he said nothing, but the weight of his gaze on her was getting too much to bear. The young woman had a pretty good idea what he was thinking about, but she finally raised her eyebrow and asked, “What?”

“I know you hate it when I fuss over you,” he started. Lyn could already hear the steel in his voice as he seemed to make up his mind. “But you shouldn’t be walking around the streets right now. Your wounds still hadn’t fully healed. The healers said you should rest.”

It was charming really, how he worried about her. The priestess had still remembered how vexing she thought he was during the first few seasons since they were assigned together – he was still obnoxious, but at least now it was almost endearing. “The healers told me not to strain myself. I am not straining myself. In fact, I am enjoying myself immensely.” Still, even as she spoke, Lyn started to feel the stinging pain at the side of her stomach. It was as if the mere mention of the wound had made it worse. “I will be fine. And I want to be here. I am in charge, remember?”

The knight rolled his eyes. “How can I forget? You never fail to remind me.” She knew how it always bugged him whenever she brought it up. “At the first sign of trouble, I am dragging you back to the Cathedral.”

“Always the hero, aren’t you?” the young woman teased. Leth was not all wrong, however. The knife cut she had from their scuffle with bandits outside the city hadn’t been severe, but painful nonetheless. She could feel its stitches tensing as with her every move. But she had worse injuries before and she would not let this little thing ruin her plan to enjoy the city.

Before they knew it, the pair was already walking pass the gates of Rharne. An unwelcome wave of familiarity immediately swept over her and stole the lightness from her steps. Lyn had avoided thinking about her old home when they left – one of the few good things about her assignments. Now that she was here, the memories came flooding back.

Unfortunately, Leth had known her well enough to notice something was wrong. “Lyn…”

“I want to see my old home,” the priestess exclaimed abruptly. She couldn’t explain why, but a part of her needed to.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

She waved away his concern and smiled easily. “I will be fine. I am just curious about how it looks like now.”

[Lynessa]

While the rest of the city was covered with bright colors, the Dust Quarters looked as somber as ever. The decrepit buildings still sagged against each other, looking like they might topple at any moment. Just as it was names, dust and dirt seemed to cover every surface she could see. The only change from the Dust Quarters she knew was that more people seemed to be out on the streets. Children ran across the street, running and giggling at each other.

Lyn remembered how excited she used to be when her father brought her to watch the parade. There were so many people trying to see and he would let her sit on his shoulders so she could see the knights and priestesses marching. They had seemed like something out of a fairytale. Brave, handsome warriors sitting on massive horses. Elegant priestesses in their pretty dresses handing flowers to young girls.

The children stopped playing once they saw the pair, openly looking at them with awe. Lyn smiled and waved at them, making them grin even wider. While the young ones were happy enough to see her, she could not ignore the open dislike shown on the faces of some adults. The residents of the Dust Quarters always had mixed feelings about their orders. Neither the knights nor the priestesses spent an abundant amount of resources there. Crime ran rampant in the streets without the city guard to keep watch.

Unsurprisingly, Leth made sure that he was walking closer to her now. His hand was already resting around the hilt of his sword. “We shouldn’t linger.”

With a nod, the young woman sped up her steps. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her to finally spot the rundown shack that she used to call home. Every time she came here, all she could think was how it was smaller than she remembered it. The wooden roof was sagging inward, threatening to collapse at any time. The door hung partly open and Lyn approached slowly, trying to hear if there was anyone inside. When she was sure she could hear nothing, she pushed it open slowly.

It wasn’t at all surprising to find the house empty. Usually, any empty homes would be filled quickly – everyone was desperate for a roof over their heads, after all. But Lyn had made sure that was not the case for her old home. She had taken the time to painstakingly spread a rumor that the place was haunted and cursed. It wasn’t difficult considering that its previous resident died a painful death. Some desperate souls still occasionally take refuge there, but other than that, the shack remain relatively unoccupied.

Perhaps it was a stupid and pointless thing to do, but this house was the only thing left of her father.