Seltia Glade
“Did you receive my gift for the child?” Said, my father. I didn’t dare look at him as I kept my head low.
“Indeed, I did. I’m sure he will love it once he becomes of age.” I replied and bowed even further down.
“Wonderful. Now, your report, Seltia.” Said Father, unusually interested.
He was so interested in the child that it bordered on obsession. I, however, could never voice such thoughts easily, ever.
“He is growing well. It has been half a year since I have become his nanny, but I have deduced that he reacts perfectly normally to everything and that he shows no signs of distress. Everyone has also been properly treating him.” I said.
With my father, brevity is key in reports.
“Good. I expect you to keep me updated bi-weekly from now on. Also, if any sort of issue arises, kill the one who caused it, disregarding the intentions with which it occurred. If I need anything, I shall contact you.” He said, and then the light relic turned off and his image disappeared.
However, I remained in a position for a minute longer before finally sighing and standing up.
I walked over to the sleeping child, changed his now-soiled clothes, and left the room to prepare milk for him. He remained asleep the entire time. In fact, it was odd how calm he was. He rarely, if ever, cries, and even then, it’s a simple tear or too and maybe even a faint sound. He doesn’t display any real, childlike behavior, which is actually worrying.
I mentioned this to my father, and he said not to mind his actions, but the actions of others toward the child. He didn’t say anything further, so I dropped it.
“Lady Seltia, how is the child?” Asked one of my half-siblings, Auver. He was accompanied by Henry as well.
“Lord Tristan is doing quite well. Thank you for asking.” I said quickly and then I promptly left. I need only tend to my young master.
I made it back in time to watch him start stretching lightly as he awoke from his 4th mid-day nap. I approached him and then we remained motionless as we eyed each other, before he started reaching his hands out and making weird sounds.
I believe he has become accustomed to his own sporadic schedule since that was pretty much my cue to feed him once again, and so I did. He remained completely motionless as he slowly drank the milk.
He finished the bottle within the expected amount of time, so I immediately cleaned his face and set him down on the ground to play about.
I heard knocking on the door, followed by the movement of the handle.
“Sorry, we don’t mean to intrude.” Said Auver, as he entered. Henry waited outside, then looked at me, and I nodded. He entered as well.
“Is there anything you would like, Lord Auver?” I asked. He shook his head, sat on one of the main sofas in this room, and then watched the rolling child.
“ Is he progressing to the head’s satisfaction?” Asked Henry, and I nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief.
They looked at the child for a minute before the child lost interest in them, and went back to attempting to roll once again.
“Good. The four of us are tied to him by fate. What happens to him, happens to us.” Said Auver as he walked up to the child and set him on his back.
‘Four’?
They clearly noticed my look of confusion.
“ The head ordered that we release the captured prisoner- I mean the old man, Ashen, after they had their talk…. Now, he will be joining the three of us in raising this boy.” Said Auver.
Not even a second after this news was announced, did I hear knocking at the door. It was clearly the type of banging done by an irritated person.
I didn’t even need to ask who it was, since it became all too obvious now.
“You may come in, Lord Ashen,” I said, and the door gently opened to reveal the bulking old man, all cleaned up and in similar clothing to Auver. He was clearly in recovery, given the light bruises he was nursing, but he looked to be fine overall.
He looked at me and Henry, and then he bowed once, so we returned it lightly. He looked at Auver, flipped him off, and then proceed to sit on one of the empty sofas in Lord Tristan’s room.
Auver naturally returned the gesture with a broad smile.
“Please do forgive my intrusion, Lady Seltia. That thing wants to keep me alive, but he hasn’t told me why yet. I have been ‘granted’ the duty of watching over this child’s growth alongside the three of you, so you will have to bear with me for some time.” Said Lord Ashen, albeit reluctantly. I waved it off, Henry bowed once, Auver flipped him off once more and smiled as he then waved at him, and Lord Tristan simply tried to roll once again.
“I, too, received my orders and all, but I couldn’t help but wonder, what’s so special about this little guy? All he does is sleep, eat, shit, and then he repeats that. What makes him different from other children?” Asked Auver, and Henry looked annoyed before he sighed and looked at Lord Ashen, who just looked at me.
“His existence is enough,” I replied curtly. I had once asked my father, and this was how he replied. I didn’t ask him to elaborate any further since he didn’t.
Ashen nodded and resumed staring at the child, just like Henry did. Auver sighed dramatically and then stood up.
“Well, we won’t take up any more of your time. Enjoy babysitting, Lady Seltia.” Said Auver as he quickly got up and left. Henry bowed once more at the three of us, and then he left behind him.
“Thank you for your visit, my lords,” I said as I got up, bowed, and then closed the door behind them.
Only Lord Ashen remained, fixated completely on the child.
The child remained motionless as he watched the two of us. I got closer and sat beside the rolling baby, and then we remained in that same position as we stared at each other in silence.
“He threatened you, did he not?” I said. He looked at me once, then shrugged and nodded.
“He located my ‘supposed companion’, so now I must dedicate my life to him in order to protect a life. He called it an equal trade.” He said, his eyes darkening and veins bulging across his hand and neck.
“I see,” I said, not betraying any emotion. He then calmed down and faced me.
“Did he do the same to yo-”
“No, I am one of his daughters. I was chosen for this position based on my qualifications. However, any servant can easily be replaced.” I replied, and then he looked at me once more before nodding.
“I see.” He replied briefly. I handed him the notes I had taken on the child. I also handed them to Auver and Henry a while ago, in the event of an emergency. He took them and read through them.
An hour passed as we watched the child play about in silence.
Not long after he finished playing about, he spoiled his clothes, like usual. I already had a spare prepared, and I quickly took care of the situation.
“Forgive me, but Lord Tristan operates on his own unique schedule, so we will have to follow it alongside him,” I said, and Lord Ashen waved it off as he got up to help me care for the child.
I handed him to Lord Ashen, and I brought out a splendid concoction that I made for Lord Tristan and tea and sweets I made for myself. I poured another cup and added even more sweets to the neatly organized pile, just for the unexpected addition to our family.
I moved out of Lord Tristan’s room, with Lord Ashen following me, into Lord Tristan’s private living room. It was equipped with a comfy fur carpet, a variety of sofas and cushions, and a chimney. I was about to light it, when Lord Ashen shot a fire spell of some sort at it, completely lighting the fireplace.
I thanked him and set the place up. The three of us then sat down near the warm chimney.
I set Lord Tristan upright, and on my lap, as I handed him his bottle. I then gave Lord Ashen a cup of tea, and some sweets to eat as he sat facing me. I took my own cup and sweets.
We sat in silence, enjoying our food for a few minutes or so before I judged it was time to begin our little tea session.
“You won’t believe what the other maids have been saying lately, Lord Tristan,” I said as we all took a sip at the same time, well, Lord Tristan was technically drinking from his bottle, but it was the same thing in our eyes.
“ A labyrinth was discovered right here, in Dains! I mean, can you believe it?” I said, and he practically shook his head in disbelief, or at least I thought he did. Lord Ashen also looked surprised.
“Really? This far out and at this time? Surely that’s impossible.” He said, denying it, but I nodded my head to confirm it.
“Honestly, I can’t believe such a rumor. It makes no sense for a structure as surreal as a Labyrinth to be just hidden in plain sight and then found out of nowhere as well. I mean, how did the previous people of Dains miss such a thing?” He said and Lord Tristan seemed to be invested, so we kept talking.
“Just in case you did not previously know, a Labyrinth is a place of magic. It is said that any wish you have can be granted, if, and only if, you clear a Labyrinth! I have never been to one before, but I have always dreamt of going there once! Although, the risks far outweigh the rewards if you are not prepared.” I explained, and he nodded knowingly.
“I understand your emotions regarding it, but a labyrinth is simply far too great a place not to go unnoticed. If I had to take a wild guess, I would say that it was most likely hidden at the discretion of the previous monarchs. You see, the moment you enter a Labyrinth, there are only three ways to get out. The first one is the most obvious: you conquer it, then you get to leave. The second is through death since nothing will tie you down to the labyrinth you get killed in. The third is to get forcibly kicked out of one.” He explained, and I nodded in understanding. I had never heard of the third one before.
“ Therefore, any would-be adventurer would simply try their hand, and god knows how many of those there are. Now, just imagine if tens of thousands of strangers came rushing into your kingdom, all armed, just to abuse your authority based on a treasure hunt. I would have hidden it as well. Additionally, the third method I mentioned is just a rumor though. Some people claim to have gone through such a thing, while others, like myself, don’t really believe it in general. No one who has ever gone through has ever spoken about it,” He added. I quite liked his take on it, since I had a similar belief when I first heard this rumor.
“That is certainly true, but I must add one more thing. As I was saying earlier, the labyrinth was only discovered recently by Lord Auver. Apparently, at the behest of my father, Lord Auver sent a small task force inside about 1 week ago. They came out of it unharmed. They said all they did was just walked straight forward. My brother, Auver, even went inside the place himself and nothing happened. Well, he said he felt something or someone there, and then he looked all over the place, but he couldn’t sense anything. Later, they informed the head, and he just told them to stay put and that it was no place for the likes of them.” I finished, watching the two of them stare at me inquisitively as if to tell me to go on further.
“Have you ever been inside a Labyrinth before, Lord Ashen?” I asked, shifting the conversation to him.
“Ashen is just fine, and no, I have not. However, the friend I told you about earlier has gone through one. Honestly, he never clarified if it was one or more, all I know is that his blade was found inside of a labyrinth and that he was ‘enlightened’ or whatever he called it, and ended up creating a spell. He had a hypothesis that a Labyrinth was like a training place for the worthy.” He said, stroking his beard as he spoke.
“We share a similar belief. Lord Auver and many in our association have been inside of a few labyrinths themselves, and they sort of propelled our understanding of these structures. The domains boast the most knowledge and talent, but they are lacking in comparison to us.” I said and he scoffed.
“ The domains certainly don’t go around killing anyone remotely associated with your group.” He said, and I was taken aback for a moment.
“Our group now, and we have a saying that ‘the brighter something shines, the darker its shadow is’,” I said, and he eyed me for a minute before smiling.
“ Well, this has been a rather eventful conversation. I will be looking forward to working with you from now on, Lady Seltia, and Tris- Lord Tristan.” He said, before placing his cup down, standing up, bowing, and leaving.
I’m quite glad that he corrected himself.
I bowed back, out of politeness, cleaned the area up, and put Lord Tristan to sleep. The addition of Lord Ashen could prove to be quite paramount to Lord Tristan’s development from now on.
Additionally, he exudes a knowledgeable, and rather amiable air despite his rough personality. I shall factor this into my report for the next meeting with my father.
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