The moon gleamed over Kingsford hazy sky. A peaceful night surrounded the town and most of the residents. However, that wasn’t the case for Aileen and Gideon. Just like several nights before, they couldn’t rest well. A potential conflict was likely to occur soon. Aileen felt they should not interfere and return to Portos instead. However, Gideon thought otherwise. Since Agra was his old friend, he considered it was his duty to inform the king of the danger threatening his daughter. Doing otherwise could be considered a betrayal.

After a nightlong consideration, Gideon decided to tell Agra everything he knew. As soon as the sun rose, he met the king in a small room. Sunlight brightened the dusty room through a window.

Gideon sat in front of the king, separated by a long table. He took a long pause before telling the king about Isabel. “Karl, the gerpa, arrests your daughter.” Gideon made it simple and clear.

“How dare he! I am the one permitting him to spread his teachings here for years.” said the King. As expected, the king was furious at hearing the news. His face turned red and his palm tightly clenched. “I will order the troops to storm the temple!”

“Hold on, My King. He has your daughter. Attacking recklessly will only endanger Isabel’s life,” said Gideon. “Besides, attacking the temple could cause the relationship between the capital and the north region to be strained. It could cause unnecessary political turmoil. We’d better talk to him before the trial.”

Because of Gideon’s advice, the king canceled his plan for sending troops. He took Gideon and several soldiers to the temple to meet Karl. After waiting for some time, a young gerpa invited Agra and Gideon into a room next to the temple. It was a simple room with some chairs and a small round table used to receive guests. A statue of the tree-shaped god was hanging on one side of the white wall.

Karl was standing there, waiting.

“It is an honor. The King is willing to visit our modest temple.” Karl bowed and then told the young gerpa to stay outside and not let anyone in.

“Just be frank, what do you mean by imprisoning my daughter?!” asked Agra. He expressed his dislike with no hesitation.

“With all due respect, I was just carrying out Herod’s law. I am pretty sure that you knew about it. Outside of marriage, male and female are prohibited to be in one room. It is violating God’s law.”

“But she is my daughter. You must make an exception for her,” said the king as he raised his voice. “What exactly are you asking for?!”

“No, Your Majesty. I am only doing what is my duty. The law is for anyone, regardless of their status.”

“You insolent!” king Agra got up from his seat and hit the table in front of him. His face was flushed with anger. The room was then silenced with a tense atmosphere. Agra stared intently at Karl, who stayed calm. Meanwhile, Gideon tried to cool the condition by bringing a proposal.

“I think the king wants to see her daughter,” said Gideon.

“Very well.” Karl approved soon. He then ordered the young gerpa—who had been on guard—to show the way. The King followed him while Karl and Gideon trailed behind.

“He can give you money as much as you want,” said Gideon, as he tried persuading the gerpa to give an exception for Isabel.

“It’s not money that I want, but justice for everyone. Law must be fair to all,” said Karl, explaining his idealism.

“That’s a good thought, but I think the implementation is too hasty. It will take longer to change a long-running system.” Gideon tried to soften Karl’s stance. However, the old man was stubborn. He remains firm to carry out his duties indiscriminately.

They then walked down the stairs to the underground. Along the dark alley, there were cells for criminals. It was dark, damp, and dusty there. Some prisoners looked at the guests coming with eyes open wide, while the others just ignore it.

After walking for a distance, they arrived at the end of the alley. Isabel was there, sitting languidly in one corner of the small prison. Meanwhile, Bram seemed to be imprisoned in a cell across Isabel’s.

“Please let him go,” said Bram begging for Isabel’s freedom. However, Karl ignored him.

The young gerpa opened Isabel’s cell door, letting Agra come in. The king then hurried to approach his daughter.

“Father?” Isabel was surprised to see her father’s presence. “I’m sorry….” She then hugged her father while sobbing.

“Don’t worry, my dear… I’ll take care of all this.” Agra tried to calm his daughter down. “At the time of the trial, just say that you didn’t know if your doing was wrong. Your ignorance might lighten the sentence.”

Isabel nodded slowly at the message from her father.

“Did they hurt you or mistreated you?” asked Agra.

Isabel replied with a soft shake of the head. “No, Father, they didn’t hurt me. I-I’m just scared.”

Agra wiped Isabel’s tears that were falling down her cheeks and hugged her. The two of them were silent for a moment.

After spending some time in the cell, Agra kissed Isabel’s forehead while stroking the top of her head. He then moved out of prison to return to the castle. Before parting ways, Karl advised that Isabel’s trial would be held in three days.

Agra, Gideon, and some of the king’s guards then got on their horses and left the temple.

“Huh… those gerpas are getting bolder by the time,” grumbled the king along the way.

“It looks like the northern regions are not giving up their power for nothing. They are trying to increase their influence through religious teachings.” Gideon responded.

The two of them were silent and lost in their thoughts. At first, the northern region was an independent kingdom. Agra’s grandfather, who ruled over Ethardos was tempted by the wealth of the north and ordered his troops to attack. The ruler of the north—knowing that his strength was incomparable to Ethardos’ army—submitted to surrender on the condition that Herod’s teachings may be spread in the capital. Out of respect for the lives of the commoners in the north, the king finally agreed to the terms.

Now, years have passed, and Herod’s teachings had spread in the capital and its values have also been adopted as positive laws in Kingsford. Although the kingdom’s prosperity increased through taxes and various goods produced from the north, Agra felt uncomfortable. His power was getting disturbed ever since. However, an alliance that has been formed for so long cannot be broken without a good reason. The consequences are not light.

“It looks like I have to ask him for help,” said Agra, atop of his horse.

“Him? Do you mean Ronald? The mage?” guessed Gideon. Agra answered with a nod of his head.

Gideon was silent for a moment before replying, “Yeah, I guess he’s our only hope right now. He can save the princess without causing unnecessary casualties.”

Agra and Gideon then separated themselves from the guards heading to the castle. The two galloped out of the city.

After leaving the gate, they moved towards the south side of the forest. It was silent there. All the noise from the city was gone, replaced by the green vegetation and the pleasant chirping of birds, calming down Agra’s anger.

“Sometimes I feel that living in the forest like this is quite comfortable,” said Agra to Gideon from atop his slowly walking horse.

“You’re right, sometimes I also want to be alone without having to think about all the needs of the people.”

“You really are a good leader,” said Agra with a smile. They were then silent while enjoying the freshness of the forest air.

After riding for quite some time, there was a delicious aroma of roasted meat wafting up to greet their nostrils. “We must be close,” concluded the king. He knew the man he was looking for loves grilled meat.

As predicted, a modest wooden hut was seen among the trees. Agra and Gideon got down from their horse and tethered them to a tree nearby. They then walked closer to the hut.

A bald man was sitting in the yard next to the fire, waiting for the roast to be cooked. His beard was white, and he wore a modest brown robe.

“Ronald Alane!” The King called the name of his old friend.

“Agra Alderman and Gideon Fernier!” The bald man got up and hugged his two guests. “Sit down, we’ll enjoy this roast together,” he said while holding out a piece of freshly cooked meat.

After some greetings, the king then expressed his intention of seeing the mage. “We need your help to save my daughter.”

“What happened to Isabel?” Ronald stopped eating to pay more attention.

“The gerpas have her imprisoned,” said Gideon in response to Ronald’s question.

“How dare they do such a heinous act? They really don’t know how to be grateful! She’s just an innocent girl.” Ronald stared at Agra seriously.

“The trial will take place in three days,” said Gideon.

“I’ll be there.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Agra smiled as he felt relieved. He and Ronald have been close for a long time. Ronald Alane was a mage who swore allegiance to the king. He became the main defender of Agra when there was a mage rebellion sixteen years ago. He defeated Stevan Alderman, the leader of the rebel, as well as Agra’s younger brother.

Because of the rebellion, trust between humans and mages was broken. Agra then issued an order forbidding mages to live in the city to avoid horizontal conflicts. Some of the remaining mages end up living in the woods, including Ronald himself. Although Agra wanted Ronald to live in the castle with him, the queen did not agree. So, to avoid conflict and maintain a sense of justice in society, Ronald eventually lived alone in the jungle.

***

Meanwhile, Eric’s condition has improved after several days of being treated by Egelina. He fills his daily life by following the activities of the Peteonia villagers, most of whom are farmers. In the morning, he would follow Egelina out into the fields and help her grow corn. In the evening, they will sit on the terrace of the house to enjoy hot tea while watching the beauty of the sunset. A peaceful life that had only existed in Eric’s dreams. As a knight, his life is more often filled with war after war.

One day, Eric was working with Egelina in the fields when the sunny sky turned grey. Dark clouds came and shortly after, rain poured down the earth. Egelina called Eric to immediately return home for shelter. They trotted out of the fields.

Along the way, Eric was careless. He slipped and fell as he stepped on the muddy ground. Egelina reached out a hand to help him up. However, since Eric was bigger, Egelina couldn’t stand the man. She also slipped and fell down the mounded ground.

“Oh, no….” said Egelina while looking at her dirty clothes.

“Don’t worry, let me do your laundry this time.” Eric looked into Egelina’s eyes with a friendly smile. A warm feeling welled up in their hearts, making Egelina blush.

Eric then stood up and helped Egelina out of the mud puddle.

At that very moment, Eric realized that his heart had been tied to Egelina. Her cheerfulness and enthusiasm always made him smile.

However, the longer he stayed in Peteonia Village, the more guilt he felt. He has left a responsibility to save Ramos and Gladys ever since. In the end, he was determined that all of this had to end immediately, or he wouldn’t have any strength left to leave that beautiful little village.

That night, Elise prepared steamed corn for the three of them. Its delicious aroma wafts through the house and arouses their appetite. Elise, Egelina, and Eric sat around the dining table and enjoyed the dish.

“Thanks for helping me earlier.” Egelina smiled, showing a corn kernel tucked between her teeth.

“No problem. I should be the one thanking you for your kindness,” said Eric. “I’m fine now. I think tomorrow I’ll start continuing my journey to the capital.”

Eric’s words suddenly made Elise and Egelina silent for a moment. They stared at each other as if communicating telepathically.

As they turned back to Eric, Elise said, “Why not just stay here with us? You have no horse or weapon.” A statement that confused Eric even more.

“I know you two love each other. I will marry you both.” Elise just made Egelina’s face turn red with embarrassment.

Eric was silent while pretending to look at his meal. He couldn’t decide what to do. He loved Egelina and the friendliness of the villagers, but he still has a serious responsibility to save Ramos and Gladys. The situation turned awkward as none of them said a word.

Just then, someone screamed for help from outside the house.

Eric, Elise, and Egelina rushed outside to see what was going on. Five people dressed in black with masks on their faces were making trouble by taking people’s belongings. The robbers were now brave enough to enter the village. Eric could recognize a horse being ridden and the bandit’s sword was his.

Seeing the chaos, Eric did not stay still. He took a sickle that is usually used for cutting grass, then threw it on the back of a robber who was riding his horse. The bandit fell to the ground in an instant.

Seeing their leader had fallen, the other bandits ran away from the village.

A moment later, an old man ran up to Eric and knelt before him. “Thank you, sir,” he said as he was the one screaming. The bandits invaded his house a moment ago.

“There is no need to thank me. This is all I can do as an expression of gratitude to all of you who have helped me when I was injured.” Eric then helped the old man in front of him to get up.

But at the same moment, Elise pulled Egelina’s hand as they knelt. “Please, stay here with us. Those bandits will come back if you leave.” Elise reaffirmed her will to restrain the knight’s departure.

Knowing Eric’s intention to leave the village, the old man returned to his knees, pleading with him.

“Please stay with us,” said the old man. He had the same fear of the bandits’ return. This made Eric even more confused. He got his horse and sword back, but the safety of the villagers was in jeopardy if he left.

After a moment of silence, Eric finally said, “Alright then. I won’t leave this village, at least until I train you guys on how to use weapons.” Eric felt that this decision was the best thing he could offer now.

“Thank You.” The old man stood up and returned to his house while Elise smiled as she headed back into her house. Egelina glanced at Eric and followed her mother shortly after.

Arriving at home, Eric prefers to spend time on the terrace. He sat down with a deep breath and looked up at the stars scattered in the sky. His gaze was blank, while his heart was uncertain.

Have I made the right decision? He asked himself. Ramos and Gladys may have been in danger, but he delayed his departure instead. However, leaving immediately would also endanger the lives of the villagers who had saved him. He tightened his grip and snorted. The night breeze blew as if trying to calm the knight, but to no avail.

“So, what do you say about my mother’s proposal?” Egelina’s soft voice instantly broke through Eric’s thoughts. “I mean… the marriage thing.”

There was a brief pause before the knight answered. “I’m sorry for not being able to promise that.” The knight held Egelina’s hand gently. Deep down in his heart, he wished he could come up with another answer. But he was still bound to the responsibility of saving Fernier’s youngsters.

Egelina was silent for a moment before responding, “I’ll just try to do my best during your stay.” The girl forced her smile. Her eyes were watery since she wasn’t getting the expected answer.

“I’m sorry.” Eric embraced Egelina gently. Both of them were immersed in the irony of feeling that rises bitterly from the bottom of the heart. Eric promised himself that he would come back when his job was done.