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The dummy rolled away from her, it’s sewn on face frowning up at her sadly in an almost comedic way as it went. Gem panted and stood straight, rolling her shoulders to release some of the tension that had collected in her muscles.

Her ears were met with a round of enthusiastic applause, and she turned to smile at the group of young knights and squires who had gathered at the edge of the training grounds to observe her sword play. She gave an elegant, somewhat exaggerated and playful bow before turning to look up at the sky.  She shielded her eyes from the shining rays as she checked the sun’s position. It was just about noon by this point, if not nearing it. She should be on her way, lest she be late.

“That will be all from me, I’m afraid. I’m in danger of being late and receiving a verbal lashing from Sir Impulse if I’m not on my way as soon as possible.” She joked to the trainees with an apologetic smile.

“Do you really have to go so soon?” One of the younger squires whined, shoulders slumping.

“You just got here!” Another chimed in hopefully.

“I’m afraid I really must go,” She said. When she was met with a series of groans and protests, she raised her voice to be heard over them as she continued, “It’s a very important day today, and my presence cannot be missed. Why don’t you lot work on what I just showed you until you are called to join us in town, and then you can show me your improvement another day?”

There was another chorus of disappointed vocalisations, but they quieted down pretty quickly after a stern look was thrown their way.

She skipped over to the fallen dummy and took a moment to stand it upright so that it was ready for the next person to use. She then jogged over to where she had abandoned her water skin at the edge of the training ring, expertly tossing the practice sword she had borrowed into the designated barrel behind the dummies as she went.

She took a few greedy gulps of the sweet, crisp water before wiping away the sweat that had accumulated on her brow with the hem of her sleeve and tugging on her collar to try and cool down a little. Her stuffy ceremonial clothes were damp and sticking to her skin in a most unpleasant way, but where she was heading would be just as hot, if not more so, and therefore she knew there was no use being bothered about it now. Besides, she had worked up this sweat of her own volition, there was no helping it.

She really should not have let herself be roped into showing off to the kingdom’s young talent, but how could she ever say no to those pleading faces? She simply could not resist their charms, she had no choice but to say yes when they came to her on her way out, begging that she show them a few basic forms.

They reminded Gem far too much of her younger self, she supposed. Bright eyed and full of admiration. There had been someone once to give in to her pleas and show her everything they knew, she only thought it fair that she be the same kind of role model in these kids' lives. If that meant she ends up a little late every now and then? So be it.

She hooked the water skin to her belt and bid the young ones an enthusiastic farewell, which they returned with varying degrees of equal cheerfulness and disappointment, and she was off. She darted through the servant's entrance and into the kitchen, where she quickly snagged a bread roll out of a basket on one of the counters, giggling at the indigent shout of “Commander!” from one of the cooks as she did so. She waved goodbye to them, and they rolled their eyes at her in return, arms crossed over their chests.

Gem weaved her way through the halls with the roll secured safely in her bite, the loud clanking of her upper body armor bouncing off of the high walls. As she ran, she took the opportunity to fix her hair, which had gotten rather messy during her little showing off session. She tucked loose strands back where they belonged and tightened the binding holding the bun together before winding her long braid around it. It probably still looked a right mess, but at least it was a little more presentable. With her hair out of her face, she took a large bite out of the roll, groaning at the sweet, buttery taste of it.

Gem haphazardly shoved the rest of the roll into her mouth and chewed as fast as she could. She licked the flakey crumbs from her fingers and wiped the rest of the mess off on the skirt of her ceremonial dress. Not the most polite or proper methods of cleaning her hands, and her mama would definitely scold her for doing it, but she had not the time to worry about manners. She was going to be late; later than she probably already was.

She waved to the on duty guard at the main door and he yelled for her to have a good time just as she exited earshot. She lifted up the hem of her dress as she hurried down the front steps, trying to avoid tripping over the expanse of fabric. Gem really did hate wearing skirts outside of balls, but it was tradition and it was rather pretty, so she made due. She stumbled a little on the final step, pinwheeling her arms in order to steady herself before carrying on her way.

Gem squinted against the sun in her eyes and slowed her pace to a light jog, a smile coming onto her face as she caught sight of her friends and the small group of guards waiting at the front gate for her. Impulse and Scott looked up as she skidded to a stop in front of them. She put her hands on her hips and bent at the waist as she tried to catch her breath.

“Worry not, for I am here!” She declared loudly  as she straightened her stance, arms spread wide with her chin held proud and high.

“Here and late.” Scott scoffed from where he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed with one foot propped against the stone behind him.

Scott’s long hair was pulled over his shoulder into a braid, a stray stand of the blue locks tucked behind a finned ear to show off his amused face. His lips were pulled into a grin, his sharp teeth on full display. Impulse beside him stood more casually with his clawed, black tipped thumbs tucked into the scabbard around his waist. He stifled a laugh at her expense as he itched the base of the small, nubby horns that sat at the edge of his hairline.

The two of them were hybrids; Individuals who, in another world, might have held the flow of magic in their veins, passed down to them through ancestors who had performed the sacred rituals of joining souls with their Familiar.

In this world, they were simply her right and left hand, her best friends.

“I will have you know that I am barely late. It is hardly even noon yet!” Gem defended, crossing her arms and turning her nose up at him in a playfully disdainful manner.

“Late is late, Commander,” Scott laughed. Gem opened her mouth to continue the friendly argument, but was halted by Impulse’s hand’s clamping down on either of their shoulders.

“We’ll never hear the end of this if I let you two get started. Let's be on our way before our absence is noticed.” Impulse said. Despite being lower in rank than her, Impulse was the oldest out of them, and one of her best friends, so Gem took no offense when he gave her a light shove in the direction of the town.

The journey didn’t take them very long - a journey that they could have made shorter had the capital not been too crowded to bring horses on a day like this -  and in the blink of an eye they were entering the crowded town square.

Stands and carts littered the usually empty streets, filled to the brim with rare goods and flooded by customers eager to get their hands on whatever was being offered. The decadent smell of sizzling meats and fresh spices filled Gem's nose and caused her mouth to water. There was a faint hint of baked goods and rich perfumes lingering just under the surface.

Lively music filled the air, as did laughter and conversation. Over the heads of many a passersby she could see a stage set up in the center of the square, where a band was playing the jolly tune that blessed their ears.

If one was to look even further, they would also catch sight of even more booths and carts, designated entirely to games and things of the like. There were even places set up for trading livestock and furniture. Buildings were lined with decorations that were vibrant in colour and extravagant in design.

The event wasn’t to officially begin for another quarter of an hour, but it appeared things were already in full swing.

This was The Festival of Good Tides; a yearly occurrence in Wintertide that was first established several years back, after a truce had been called to end the decade long war between the kingdom and its neighbouring land, the ocean side kingdom of Coral Crest.

What was originally created as a way of boosting post war morale had become somewhat of a national holiday that the people looked forward to with great anticipation. Its popularity was also helped by the fact that the many activities hosted and the wares sold brought in a large increase in income to anyone lucky enough to have their stall seen, something that many now relied on for the coming winter season, where food and warmth was more hard to come by without a bit of extra coin.

Though the festivities only lasted one day, the most was always made of it. Events and trading started at noon and extended into the evening until the sun had set and the stars had risen, from which point the king would make his appearance, give a speech and his blessing for the coming winter, and then the feast would begin. This grand dinner would go throughout the night and into the early morning, with more than enough food and alcohol to satisfy the masses provided by the castle.

Though it had only been a few years since the tradition had begun, its rise in popularity had been swift and widespread. People would come from all over the land just to partake in the joyous occasion, and get a piece of the financial opportunities that it brought.

During this time, Inns would become so crowded that people even took the opportunity to rent out rooms in their own homes to travelers. It was even common for travelers to camp out with their carts and stalls in the surrounding woods during the week leading up to the festival, so common that there were designated areas marked and prepped for them weeks in advance.

Gem never really got to enjoy the festival as the celebration that it was, preferring to act more as security so as to ensure that things didn’t get too out of hand, but it was still something that she looked forward to every year. It was one of many highlights that came from living in the capital over the small mountain village that she hailed from. It reminded her of who she was here for, who she spent every day of her life training and fighting to protect.

It wasn’t too long ago that this land would have been rife with paranoia and poverty, the war having taken its toll on the people and the land itself. Gem basked in every second of the happiness that she could, while also remaining vigilant that nothing disturbed it. She would do anything to ensure that this time of peace lasted.

“I’m going to split off here,” Scott said, jabbing his thumb over to the left of the path they were walking, “I think Jimmy’s stall is somewhere over there. I’m going to go see if I can haggle him out of some of that high quality leather he sells before it’s all snatched up. Assuming it hasn’t been already…”

“Alright, we’ll see you at the feast, then.” Impulse said, giving him a rough pat on the shoulder as a farewell. He returned it in kind with a clap on Impulse’s back.

“Don’t forget to actually do your job while you’re scamming Jimmy out of all his goods.” Gem teased, punching him in the shoulder.

Gem then motioned for two of the other knights in their entourage to break off from the group and go with Scott, further direction two others to go in the opposite direction, where she knew more knights were already patrolling. She didn’t want them to be too split up in the event that something were to happen and they need numbers, but it is never a bad idea to have eyes in as many places as they could afford them.

“You know me, I’ve always got an eye out,” Scott replied, pointedly ignoring her jab.

“Oh, do I know it. In any case, give my regards to Tango!” Gem cheerfully told him as he began to walk away, only to pause in order to throw a grimace her way over his shoulder. Gem laughed at the expression. She knew that Scott’s relationship with his best friend's partner was strained and awkward at best, hostile and antagonistic at worst. It was too much fun to tease him about it.

“I think I’m going to head over to my parents' cart. Would you like to come with me?” Impulse asked, looking around the crowded area to try and spot them over the masses.

“I think I am going to hang around the stage. A vast majority of fights always seem to break out in or around this area, so it is best I stay here for now.” Gem said, crossing her arms and scanning the crowd for anyone, or anything, that might appear out of place.

Because of how large and popular The Festival of Good Tides was, there was a tendency for the crowds to get a little rowdy. The abundance of alcohol served during the events, mixed in with the large quantity of people all crammed together on the cobbled streets meant that it was only natural some might not get along, or might become too handsy in more ways than one. This, of course, led to fighting.

It was also not unlikely to find a merchant fighting with a patron over the price of their wares, or someone trying to steal expensive products when no one is looking. It was up to Gem and her knights to put a stop to the inevitable violence before it spiraled out of control.

"You aren't even going to go stop by B's to see Pearl? I'm sure she'd appreciate the friendly face in all of this chaos." Impulse tried once more to get her to lighten up. "You could even snag yourself some of their special goodies. I know Pearl will give you a discount, if not hand them over to you for free."

"And I'm sure that Pearl will understand that I couldn't drop in on her." Gem replied. Impulse let out a hearty sigh, his shoulder slumping. He seemed to be under the impression she was overworking herself on a near constant basis; Gem would like to politely disagree.

“Look, I know we’re here to keep an eye on things, but do try to have a little bit of fun, alright? This is, after all, a celebration!” Impulse insisted, gesturing towards the festivities with a broad sweep of his arms.

“I will do as I please. Give your mother my greetings, alright?” Gem asked, shooing him away and sending an extra knight after him with a gesture of her hand. "And Pearl, too, if you see her."

“Will do!” He gave her a two fingered salute before jogging away, disappearing into the crowd.

Gem would not lie and say she had not been tempted to go see Impulse’s parents with him. They were lovely people who adored her and always “snuck” handfuls of candy into the pockets of her clothes when she wasn’t looking. They claimed she was like the daughter that they never had. An evening with them surely meant an evening of fun, and of warmth. However, Gem couldn’t afford to step away, not when she had so much responsibility to do right by all of these people, by her people.

Despite this devotion to her duties, Gem did make a pit stop over to one of the meat carts to buy herself and the remaining knights with her a rabbit and potato kebab from one of the stands a little ways away from the center of the festival. It was a divine bit of food, and she would be a fool to not have her share of it before it all sold out. The bread roll she took from the kitchen had done little to satiate her hunger, and it would be foolish to work on an empty stomach. This was what she told herself as she thumbed coins over to the vendor and was handed a couple of skewers in return, her mouth watering at the smell.

She distributed the skewers among her remaining knights, ignoring their insistence that she didn’t need to go to the trouble of buying them food, and then took a big bite out of the hearty meat as she led the way back towards the stage.

They were just in time to catch the start of the next performance.

A stout young woman in a short sleeved, rose pink dress made her way up onto the stage with a bright smile on her face. A man followed behind her with a staff in his hand, and Gem grew giddy with childlike excitement as she realized where this performance may be going. The man went down onto one knee and offered the woman the staff with a bowed head, which she accepted with a deep bow before he rushed off the stage.

The young woman raised the staff - made of wood that was both old and brittle, with a glittering jewel entrapped in its spiraled tip - up towards the sky, and the crowd waited with baited breath. She whispered something under her breath, so quiet that it was sure not a soul in the crowd had heard her, but Gem watched her lips form the words, and she knew what was coming next.

For a moment nothing happened, and then light burst forth from the tip of the staff up into the sky in a coil of glittering gold. The strings of light rippled through the air before forming the image of a bird big and grand, which spread its large wings and flew over the crowd with a brilliant wooshing sound. The crowd screamed with delight and laughter as the bird of light let out a tremendous caw. It rose high into the sky before turning abruptly and diving straight for the stage floor. It exploded as it made contact with the ground at the young woman’s feet. The impact sent out glittering shimmers of light, almost like millions of miniature stars, all across the wooden planks.

The crowd erupted into raucous cheers, which Gem joined in on, holding the now bare wooden skew between her teeth in order to do so. The young woman, her smiling face now red and shiny with sweat, bowed once more, holding her staff out to the side of her as she did so. She took a moment to wave to the crowd before rushing off stage to make way for the next performer.

What a brilliant performance, Gem thought to herself. Magic in this day and age was a rare sight to see, so even simple spells like that were enough to leave most in awe.

Gem couldn’t even imagine what it had been like back in the day, when magic was rampant and widespread across the lands, when things like this were commonplace and about as impressive as someone lacing up their boots. There were very little records of that time long past; only a few books here, the odd fairytale there. And even still, there was barely even enough to tell the people of today that there even was a period of time where magic once ruled the lands.

No one even knew where it went, or why it suddenly disappeared.

As it was, there were very few left with any sort of magic inclination about them at all, and those who did had so little of it that they were barely able to do simple illusion spells like the one Gem just saw without being left utterly exhausted by their efforts. All that magic was nowadays was flashy fun with no purpose other than to entertain.

Gem watched several more performances after this. They ranged from a man who juggled an armful of colourful balls, a woman who balanced herself on the tip of a tall, slim poll, a woman who sang a beautiful song accompanied by her husband’s lute, a person who did a magic trick involving balls of fire, and more.

The next performer was just about to come up onto the stage when Gem caught something out of the corner of her eye. A swish of red fabric that was all too familiar to her; one of the reasons she always preferred to stay on her toes, why she always chose to stick close to the center of the event.

She inhaled sharply through her nose and grit her teeth so tight her jaw ached, sparks of anger already kindling in her chest as she whipped around to ensure that it was who she thought it was and that she wasn't just jumping into conclusions.

Without a doubt, it was him. There he was, standing there so close to the stage, eyeing the performer with an almost bored expression. Even with what little anonymity that stupid hood of his offered him, she would recognize him anywhere.

She marched towards him with a burning purpose in each stride, her hand moving towards her sword despite knowing she could not, and would not, use it in such a crowded space. Not when so many innocent lives were at risk of getting caught in the crossfire.

He straightened up and his head snapped towards her, as if sensing the pure loathing she was leaking from every one of her pores. His inky black eyes went from wide and alert to lighting up with amusement as he spotted her, a smirk spreading rapidly across his bird-like face. He - mockingly, infuriatingly - gave her a fluttery fingered wave before turning away and taking off into the crowd, quick as the wind.

Gem gave chase without a second thought.

He weaved through the crowd faster and faster, seamlessly avoiding bumping into anyone as he moved in a way not too dissimilar to a snake in the grass. She shouldered past people, yelling quick apologies to those who shouted in protest as she tried to keep up with the smaller man, his distinctive red cloak being the only thing that allowed her to keep sight of him through the tightly packed crowd.

He led her all the way towards the bustling merchant’s area, the part of the festival that was full of richly coloured fabrics folded neatly onto stands and where rare articles of clothing hung from racks in tidy rows, the air thick with perfumes and the smell of dye. He threw her a devious smile over his shoulder as he ducked under a rack of brightly coloured scarves, which she darted around, knowing she would not make it under without knocking over the whole thing.

She wasn’t a fool, she knew this was a game to him, and she wasn’t going to let him keep playing it.

The crowd was beginning to thin the further they got away from bustling city square, giving her the opportunity to increase her speed. Gem’s armor rattled as she pushed herself to catch up to the nimble man, her stupid ceremonial skirt tripping her up around the ankles even after she knotted it at the waist to pick up some of the drag. Her blood was rushing through her ears, her heart racing loudly.

He attempted to duck into an alleyway, but she followed after before he could escape, turning sharply on her heels. Gem grabbed the back of his cloak in a white knuckled grip, pulling him backwards and his hood down.

Gem ducked as a set of razor sharp talons ripped towards her unguarded face, messy pieces of her hair whipping past her eyes as she grabbed the man’s wrist, bringing her palm up swiftly into his gut. He gasped as the air was knocked out of his small body. She took the opportunity to swing around into a kick, and her boot would have connected with his neck had he not ripped his wrist from her grasp and raised his arms up into a protective position in order to block the blow in the last moment. It was still enough to send him to the ground, however, and he hit the cobble with a bounce that sent him rolling.

He used the momentum to flip himself up into a crouching position, blood running down his chin from where he presumably had bit his tongue. His expression was still somewhat playful, but now had a much more serious glint to it. He kept his talons at the ready to counter Gem’s next attack, his body tense with anticipation. His sharp, black eyes were taunting her, the tilt of his head making it clear that he was waiting for her to make the next move.

“Grian.” She said, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment.

“Commander” He said in turn, tilting his head unnaturally far to the side, much like the owl he shared his attributes with.

With the hood down, his inhuman features were on display; the pitch-black eyes like inky pits, the feathers that tipped his ears and lined his cheekbones, the monstrous talons he called hands and feet posed and ready to attack. Gem had never once seen his wings, but she knew he must have them.

Though he had non-human characteristics like Gem’s best friends, he was not to be confused with a hybrid. He was an avian, a true creature born of magic entirely separate from humans. There wasn’t anything human about him.

“What are you doing here?” Gem asked, looking down her nose at him, her thumb inching her sword out of the sheath with a low metallic sound. “I thought I made it clear that you aren’t welcome in the capital, especially not on today of all days.”

“Is it a crime to enjoy a national holiday like everyone else in the kingdom?” Grian questioned mockingly.

“Enough of your games! It is no mere coincidence that you would show up today after months of silence.” Gem snapped, her shoulders rising in turn with the bubbling anger in her heart.

Grian was a slippery, troublemaking avian that she had been butting heads with on a near regular basis ever since she was a bright-eyed squire fresh off of the snowy mountains that she called home, eager to prove herself in her search for glory.  

He had made his entrance into her life in a flashy and grand fashion; an explosion in the castle's courtyard. It had been small, only enough to take out a tiny portion of the wall, but after years of war it had been enough to cause a blind panic that only Gem had been level headed enough to power her way through at the time.

It was her quick wit that allowed her to act swiftly in the face of potential danger, and her friendly and outgoing personality that let her realize she’d never seen his face around the castle before, clueing her into the fact that he was an intruder. She’d taken him down before he was able to make it very far, but he’d still managed to escape in the end before they even knew what his end goal had been that day.

Along with an increase in security and guards stationed on the outer walls, the royal army gained another knight that day in the form of Gem. Ironic that it would be the man who would come to torment her any chance he could in the near future that would see to it that she was promoted early in her career.

They met many times after that first initial encounter, and with each one it became obvious that his goal from the very beginning was to tear down the Wintertide royal bloodline at any cost, and destroy the already fragile peace she tried so hard to protect in the process.

Grian sought to create chaos and disorder within the kingdom, and he would stop at nothing to see these goals met. Alternately, Gem sought to nurture peace and prosperity within the kingdom, and she would stop at nothing to see these goals met. It was only natural that the two of them would become rivals, enemies that would be at constant odds with each other until the end of all things.

Time and time again he would make his move against the royal family, and she was always there to put an end to it. It was an endless dance that they seemed to be trapped in, for better or for worse.  Grian was aiming for the king’s neck, and Gem was the only thing standing in the way of his poised talons.

As the years passed, he shifted his focus from the castle and the king to something else, something more attainable. He would commonly be found in the streets, yelling about injustices and impending doom to anyone who would give him an ear.  At first, no one would pay him any mind. He was young, and a non-human, so his voice was barely a drop of rain in the ocean. No one cared what he had to say. Not only that, but he would always make a break for it the second Gem showed up to put a stop to his civil unrest. He was nothing more than an annoyance.

But then there was a shift.

Over time, taxes were raised to cover the costs of damages done to the land and economy by the war, and tensions between their neighbouring kingdom rose yet again. Not only that, but tensions began to rise within their own kingdom as well. Slowly, people actually began to listen when the avian spoke. People were moved by his words - which had grown drastically in confidence. They were rallied by a shared hatred for a monarch they felt provided them very little protection or surety in their time of unrest.

Suddenly he wasn’t a single person acting alone anymore; he was the leader of a group they had no way of knowing the scope of.

They had tried to take him and his mysterious group of rebels down for years now, but by some feat of the gods they had managed to avoid detection, as well as capture, the entire time all while doing everything in their power to sabotage the crown. Interrupted weapon shipments and hijacked food shipments that disappeared, never to be seen again. Defacements to royal imagery, making a mockery of the king. Knights, Gem’s knights, beaten and left bloody and unconscious to be found in the streets. Immeasurable amounts of property damage.

They made the streets unsafe, and therefore they were Gem’s problem.

It is unknown even now just how large his resistance is, and they had no way of knowing even the names of those who operate within it. Grian was the only member who wore his face loud and proud in the open; he was their figurehead, their leader, and he was still every bit as untraceable as the rest of his people.

Every tip and clue Gem got her hands on over the years had only led to empty houses and cellars with nothing but clearly fake plans and documents poorly hidden within them. Every trail they followed only led them right back to where they had started; with nothing at all.

All of this to say that he and his group were dangerous, effective people who should not be taken lightly, and his presence at The Festival of Good Tides bore nothing but ill tidings.

The avian sighed in an overly dramatic, fake manner, no doubt playing it up to get a rise out of her. She was ashamed to admit that it worked.

“Fine~” He relented, his face once again breaking into a wide smile, “I was looking for you, actually. I knew if I showed up to the festival you would find me within seconds and follow me until you had me in your grasp. You never do know when to stop, after all.”

“And, why, in god's name, were you seeking to put yourself right into my hands? A bit of a foolish thing to do, if you ask me. You know as well as I do that you are no match for me, birdy.” She taunted. “Have you finally decided to turn yourself in for your crimes against the crown?”

She swiftly pulled her sword from its sheath and put the tip of the blade to his unprotected neck. It was just long enough for her to close the distance between them without taking so much as a step closer. His expression remained unbothered and playful, despite the obvious threats to his life. He even let out a warbling sound that was close to a laugh.

“I wanted to give you a fair warning,” He replied cryptically.

“What in the hell does that mean?” She questioned, hackles once again rising.

“Something big is coming, Commander.” He answered. His eyes were wide and excited, almost manic even. She had never seen him like this before in all her years knowing him.

“Something big?” She asked, unease settling in her stomach like a heavy stone. “ What in the blazes are you talking about?”

“You would do well to prepare yourself while you can.” He said instead of giving her a real answer, “For all our back and forth, for all of your shortcomings, I do not hate you. If there is anyone in this blasted kingdom who cares for its citizens as much as I do, it’s you. It would be such a shame if something were to happen to you that could have been avoided.”

“Your mad rambles make no sense. Explain yourself before I have your head!” She threatened, pushing the tip of the sword further against his throat.

“Your precious king’s head will roll before the year is over, and the true evil of this country will finally show itself before all of us.” Grian said. It was the surety in his voice, the sharp and dangerous glint in his eyes, that gave her real pause.

Grian took advantage of her brief hesitation to sweep his leg out faster than she could react. The hard, scaly part of his taloned foot grabbed a hold of her sword’s blade and wrenched the weapon out of her hands, sending it to the ground with a metallic clatter. Gem shouted in alarm and leaped towards the fallen sword in an attempt to regain control of the situation, but before she could even get close, Grian pulled a bottle out from somewhere within his cloak and smashed it against the ground at their feet.

There was a bright flash of blue and a popping noise following the shattering of the glass, and thick smoke billowed out around them, obscuring her vision and filling her nose with the overbearing smell of sulfur. Her eyes burned, watering fiercely as she coughed, trying to clear her lungs of the smoke.

She waved the air in front of her, searching frantically for the avian but finding not a single sign of him. There wasn’t so much as a feather on the ground, nor were there any footprints in the grime showing where he’d taken off to. All there was in the now vacant cobble alley was her sword, flat against the ground where it had fallen. The metallic surface reflected her own troubled face back at her.

“Gem!” She heard someone call out from behind her.

Gem turned to find Impulse rushing towards her. He looked frantic, out of breath. A few other knights trailed behind him, visibly on edge as they looked around the smokey alley. Her old friend hurried to her side, grabbing her face and brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes as he turned her side to side to check for injuries.

She pulled away from him, wordlessly moving over to her abandoned sword and picking it up from the ground. She examined the blade before turning her eyes up to the sky, where the smoke was still spiraling up towards the clear blue expanse.

“The men that were stationed with you came to me in a frenzy and said you took off in a rush. They seemed to think it was serious.” Impulse said from behind her. “What happened?

“It was Grian.” Gem said, turning towards him. Then, as an afterthought, she tacked on, “And I didn’t need any help. You know me.”

“It hardly matters to me how strong you are, I will always worry for you regardless. It is in my nature.” He said with a smile, which dropped into a more serious look, “But, Grian, you say? Has he not been off the radar for months now? What’s he doing back in the capital on today of all days?”

She sheathed her sword, taking a moment to wonder if she should share the cryptic warning that the avian had given her. Her eyes flickered over to the nervous knights standing behind her friend. They were clearly new, fresh out of being squires most likely. She even recognized some faces from her morning show-off session. It was highly probable that they would panic upon hearing information such as this. It wasn’t worth it.

Besides, Gem would prefer to inform the king of the news as well, and it was almost nightfall anyway so his arrival to the festival site was fast approaching. It was best she not have to repeat herself when handling such delicate information.

“I think it would be wiser if I don’t share this with so many ears around. This is information better shared to a smaller group.” She informed him in a low tone. Impulse glanced back at the soldiers behind him and nodded.

“I understand.” He muttered back.

“Let us return to the festival, this time with eyes and ears that are more focused.” Gem declared.

She turned on her heels and deftly made her way back towards the crowded square. She held her head high, posture straight and professional, but underneath the facade was a twisting feeling of unease that she couldn’t seem to be rid of.

Her mind was racing, her chest was tight. That had not been a threat of violence, it had been the promise of it. Whatever it was that Grian had in store for the kingdom of Wintertide and its ruler, he was so incredibly certain of its success that he was willing to seek Gem out to personally to tell her of its existence.

Either he was a fool, or there was something to truly worry about, and something told her it was the latter. She had never known Grian to be a stupid man. Bold, reckless, and a danger to everyone including himself, but never stupid.

In fact, he was quite the opposite.

A stupid person could not gain the following and influence that he had over people in such a short time as he had. Even when the people above her had thought of him as little more than a fly buzzing in their ear, she had always taken him seriously. She always knew that he would one day grow into the threat that he was today and look at him now. He was a dangerous individual, and what was worse, he was a dangerous individual with a plan.

She was only surprised that it had taken so long for him to make his move. With the reach and numbers he seemed to have within the capital it was a wonder something “big” had yet to happen. Why now of all times? What game was he playing now?

She looked over her shoulder at the abandoned alley one last time, her expression hardening into a determined glare. Even with her worry, she knew one thing for certain; whatever it may be that he was planning, she would put an end to it.

He would not succeed.

“Was it necessary to toy with her like that?” His hooded companion asked from beside him, tone high and amused.

Grian stood upon the roof, the smoke bomb having given him just enough time to escape out of view. His cloak fluttered in the wind, his hands clenched into fists, his talons digging into his palms. His expression was blank, his black eyes watching as the commander of the royal army grew smaller the further she got from them, silhouette eventually blurring in with the throes of people crowding the capital streets.

She had almost seen him when she glanced back. Almost, but not quiet.

“Not that I am complaining,” His companion pushed further upon not receiving a response, “It is rather funny when you push her buttons, I must admit.”

“I’m not toying with her,” Grian stated, not daring to take his eyes off of the commander until she was well out of view, “I was causing the requested distraction. She seemed pretty damn distracted, wouldn't you say? Besides, it was a real warning. I meant what I said. If only she wasn’t so deluded by her king, she might be useful to us. She's one hell of a fighter.”

The scars he gained over the years were a testament to that fact.

“That, my dear, is even worse,” Was the reply, which was then followed by a hearty laugh, “She’s as stubborn and smart as they come, and you know it. There will be no convincing her. Now she’ll be more wary, more prepared than she would have been had you said nothing at all. I have to agree with the Commander on this one, Grian, this seems an odd move to make so early into the plan. Are you not worried she could put an end to it before it has even begun?”