Music played all around me. People were dancing all around the ballroom. It's nice because everyone is wearing a mask. Yet the royal family stay sitting on their thrones. All were tending the mad king making sure he does not speak. The queen and her son stay so close to him. Until the son, the crown prince comes up to me.

“Lady Jessica would do me an honor of having a dance with me,” he bows, offering his hand for me to take.

“If that is what you wish, your royal highness, then I shall dance with you,” I take his hand.

He leads me to the dance floor. 

The crown prince has always unnerved me, but he is royalty, and I cannot define him. Acers are meant to serve the royal family and all of Corak, even if it means that I have to take orders from this prick.

We began dancing, it was nice until he spoke up only to whisper in my ear. “Jessica, why have you still said no to me? You could have so much power if you joined me. You could be a god.” He leads me to the dance floor.

“I will not join you or your mother, Javier. My duty is to the public and your father. So until then, I will not be your executioner,” I whisper back as I break away from him after the music ends.

He garbs my arm, “It is only a matter of time until you ladder of bodies crumble to the ground Jessica, things will catch up to you,” Javier smiles at me one more time before letting out a disturbing laugh and letting go of my arm.

As I was leaving the ballroom, one of the guards tried to block me from exiting. But before I could say anything, the man in black put a hand on my shoulder. He did not look at me, but at the guards. The guard looked terrified, and he backed off. The man in black leads me to a long and dark hall. To which the end of it stood the woman in white, covered in blood and looking mournful. When I looked back, the man in black was now also covered in blood. 

The woman in white holds out her hand for me to take as she opens a door. I curious, took her hand and went with her, the man in black followed us.

We were transported to the woods. The very same woods Helena died. Helen’s body was in sight. All that was left was a rotting and torn apart corpse. The woman had gone up to her and began speaking. 

“A corpse should be left alone. But no creature follow this rule,” she says.

“Not even Acers,” the man in black replies.

“No, not even them,” she repeats, now looking up at me.

I now feel uneasy because of them. Her eyes are much angrier at me than his. Like she feels territorial over the dead. Yet the man stays behind me, almost shielding me from her. Just as I thought he was on my side, I felt the cold pain of his sword. They stabbed me… Again…

This time the transition from dreaming to waking up was easier than when she stabs me. His is quiet and cold while she, despite her appearance, her scythe very hot and painful. The weapons are old and rusted with their edges rigged. 

Sadly I do not have all day to wonder just who these people are. It is already daybreak, pretty convenient for me to start my day. I turn to my side and see little Shiv, who had jumped awake with me. She immediately cuddles up to me for a few seconds, then hops off the bed, only to return with my dagger in her little mouth. I think she wants me to get dressed for the day first because she knows it takes me the longest. This is a really smart observation coming from a baby dragon. So I do as she says and gets dressed. I put on my underclothes and then my leather gear, and lastly, my weapons. I only attach my dagger because I know the boys won't do anything to hurt me. They practically idolize me to a certain point. 

As I am pulling my hair into a loose ponytail, I hear a not of noise in my kitchen. I rush down the hall into my kitchen to see what in the hells was making all the noise, and at this point, in my knowing them, I see two hungover dumbasses in the form of Beckham and Dante. When they notice my presents, they completely stop in their places and just stare at me like children who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

“What in the hells are you boys doing here? And this early in the morning?” I grumbled at them.

“Umm, I got really drunk last night, and your place was much closer than Beckhams’ new place,” Dante answered while also more dazed than Beckham.

“Yeah, and hey why are you dressed like that? You got a date with a monster of something,” Beckham chimes in from under the table.

I think he was sleeping there…

“If you must know, I got my job back,” I say while looking in the mirror in the hall, making sure everything is in the right place.

“You got your job back?!” he shouted while getting up too fast and hitting his head on the bottom of the table. “Ouch!”

“Oh well, that means you did something good enough for them. Would you like some breakfast?” Dante chimes in. “While this man was sleeping, I made some food for all three of us, and don't worry, hangover on demons wear off really fast.”

“Aw, thank you for being helpful, Dante. What would Beckham do without you?” I said to him and gave Beckham a playful smile.

“Probably dead in a ditch,” Dante says with a big smile. “But here's a plate of some eggs and toast, and some tea is on the pot.”

“Thank you Dante,” I sit down with my plate of food and kick Beckham from under the table. 

He winces in pain, like a little wolf, and I explain to him that he wouldn’t get kicked if he wasn’t under my table. 

Dante laughs at him and joins me, Beckham gets up a little later. I end up spending my morning with Dante and Beckham. We all eat breakfast and talk about what's been going on with our lives. As expected, they ask me where I'm going and why I am out of retirement. We talked for a bit longer than I took at the time and gathered my things to get going on my mission. The boys thankfully take this as a sign to leave, and we all leave the tavern together. 

I make my way to the south end of the graveyards. Maybe this time I could right some wrongs starting with the “assignment” but for now, this is a friendly chat between old friends.