“Please be well, my lady,” said Garrow.
Lady Calypse smiled at the squires and climbed into the carriage. The twenty knights in the escort party, including Hebaron and Ursuline as her personal guards, mounted their horses in unison.
Hebaron stationed himself next to the carriage while Ursuline took the lead. After passing a sharp eye over the knights’ formation, Ursuline signaled their departure. The castle gates opened wide, and the drawbridge began to lower.
Surrounding the carriage on all sides, the knights slowly crossed the bridge and descended the hill. Down in the village, people flocked to the main road to catch a glimpse of the Remdragon Knights.
As they silently rode through the crowd, Hebaron peeked into the carriage window. Through the half-open curtain, hecould see Lady Calypse’s slender shoulders drooping in her seat. Her long hair, tied in a single braid, seemed too heavy for her delicate neck. A feeling close to guilt grated at him. He had been the one who asked her to testify after revealing the commander’s plight.
Hebaron rubbed his throbbing temples as he recalled Riftan’s rage. He wished that the commander would just unleash his anger as he had back then. Now Riftan seemed to be trying to repress all of his emotions. Hebaron had never seen him look so vulnerable.
Lady Calypse had somehow managed to convince the commander to let her go, but it was clear that it had not been an amicable agreement. It was not unusual to overhear the servants in the great hall expressing their concerns for the lord and lady.
Still, I didn’t think he would refuse to see her off….
Hebaron felt regretful. Perhaps he should have dragged the commander with them. Then again, who in their right mind would dare to mention her name with the way he was now? He was nothing but a stone statue devoid of all emotions.
Ever since they had found out Lady Calypse was leaving for the Mage Tower, the knights had spoken as little as possible whenever they were in Riftan’s presence. Everyone knew what she meant to him.
“I hear singing….”
Hebaron turned his head toward the unexpected voice. Lady Calypse was staring out the window, into the distance.
They had passed the square and were now on the outskirts of the city. To the right of the wide road was a gentlehill. Sheep dotted the wide, grassy expanse that seemed to stretch on for eternity. A faint tune from a vielle carried over to them.
“They must be practicing for the Spring Festival,” Ruth chimed in. The sorcerer had ridden up to the carriage without Hebaron noticing. “They’re putting in significant effort now that there are more visitors than ever. There’s singing all over the village these days.”
“I-I see,” Lady Calypse replied after a pause.
Her smile was bitter, and her eyes seemed to cloud over. After gazing at the hill, tinged green with new life, she looked down once more. They rode past the ramparts in heavy silence. Soon the vast road that had caused them so much trouble throughout last year stretched before them.
They sped down it for about an hour and a half before the sea appeared on the horizon, beyond a gentle slope. Massive ships lined the extensive pier, and several sizable merchant buildings stood tall along the dock.
Princess Agnes was standing on the pier. As soon as she spotted the Anatolian party, she cut through the bustling group of workers transporting cargo.
“You’re finally here! I was worried that you’d changed your mind.”
Ursuline deftly jumped off his horse and bowed to the princess. “Apologies for keeping you waiting, Your Highness. The preparations took longer than we expected.”
“It’s fine. We were busy loading the cargo,” the princess said, pointing to one of the ships along the pier.
The massive vessel bore the royal crest of Wedon. The royal knights and mages who had come as the princess’s escort were gathered on the boardwalk in front.
“We’ve just finished all the preparations,” Princess Agnes said. “You can go ahead and board now.”
Hebaron dismounted and helped Lady Calypse out of the carriage. Her lucid gray eyes slowly took in the ship’s huge hull.
Standing next to Lady Calypse, the princess said gently, “Only those with permission from Nornui may enter. Hence the royal knights will escort you from here on. I will accompany you as well, of course. I’ve decided to stay on the island for about a month to help you settle in.”
A look of relief flashed across Lady Calypse’s face. Only then did Hebaron realize just how distressing it must be for her to head into the unknown all by herself.
“I-I would…appreciate that very much,” she said softly.
“There’s no need to worry. The Mage Tower is the safest, most exciting place for a mage to be. You’ll fit right in,” the princess said cheerfully, then motioned to the crew.
While the deckhands loaded all the luggage in the carriage onto the ship, Lady Calypse said her farewells to the knights.
“I-I want to thank you…for everything. You must all look after yourselves.”
