That night, Frei couldn’t stop thinking about the stories the other slaves had told. He couldn’t help but imagine the wonder of the outside world, the Holy Knights, Fort Latana, Beastmen, fireflies. He wants to see them all. Frei spent the night flipping around trying to get these thoughts off of him but it just wouldn’t leave his mind. After flipping around a few more times, he stopped and laid down on the hay, staring blankly at the ceiling and listened to the sounds of the night.

Then he had a thought.

To get out of this stable and explore. He was hesitant. What if he gets in trouble? What if Berg had to protect him again? But Frei wanted it. He wanted to explore, so badly.  As he continued to stare at the ceiling trying to make up a decision, he made up his mind. To explore. 

He went out of the stables, slowly and quietly, trying to not wake the others up. He opened the gate and out he went. The moment he got out, he saw the dark blue sky, the shadows of trees, an almost shadow-like field and the bewitching bright moon. The cold melodious wind, it was like it was singing a song, blowing, the sounds of crickets almost like it’s an accompaniment  for the song and the sound of the grass and leaves blowing was harmonic. Frei couldn’t help but smile, everything was the same yet it was so…so different. It felt different, almost like the iron chains had fallen off and Frei was free.

Frei had a bright smile on his face while admiring everything around him, then he saw a light in the corner of his peripheral vision. The light came from a lantern, dangling off a tree and below it sat a woman reading a book. It’s “Gloria”, she got her book on one of the legs crossing over the other extended leg and the light from the lantern illuminating the whole entire tree. Her expression is melancholic and lamenting on something. She heard the footsteps of Frei getting closer and immediately got on high alert. She hid the book below her instinctively just to see it’s just Frei.

Nothing to worry about, she thought.

“What are you doing?”

“Just reading a book, Frei. Can’t sleep?” She asked with a gentle smile on her face.

“A book? Like Johnny’s?”

She nodded and showed him the cover of the book.

‘The Holy Empire’

She looked down at the book and said “It’s a book about the Holy Empire, the great heroes that were born and traveled there to obtain God's blessings! The place with only peace and love, the city made by God’s own hands! Hey Frei, come here!” She said cheerfully as she pats her laps.

“Too bad, I..I can’t really share it with other people, about this. As we are imperian, but! I want to see it one day, with my own two eyes! The beauty and sheer size of the Holy empire. I heard it was magnificently huge. L-like the mountains are too tiny to even compare to it. Its history too! Heroes like Ludwig, or even the whole Lannister family! Capable of demolishing armies and mountains with just one blow!” She said enthusiastically while moving around her hands to let Frei understand the scale of it better.

”Then there even are the Holy Knights, the purest form of human there is, one who is closest to the Father and god himself. They have muscles so big that they even popped off their armor. They even carry weapons half their size. Like these are stories I only ever heard in novels and …” she began to doubt whether or not the stories are real.

“Yeah, maybe they are overexaggerated or something. Maybe I won't achieve my dreams of going there…. ” As she stopped, a tear slid down her cheeks.

Frei looked at her sad face from below and on her lap and wiped away her tears with his rough hands.

“I think you will go there one day. The Holi empire.” Frei said innocently, and with his eyes on her like a son.

“Mhm.. Thanks Frei” she said with a big wide smile on her face.

Then she continued on with the stories of the Holy Knights and the empire. In a gentler tone, she talked about the efforts that went into building the place and the events that took place. How perfect life is there, with every one of its citizens having bright smiles on their faces everyday. With the way she described it, it was practically no different than heaven and her face gleaming while she was talking which is something Frei had never seen before. Frei felt very happy.

“What about the magic you used 2 weeks ago? While you were washing the dishes?”

“Oh, You saw that? Haha” she chuckled

“I learnt it from my mother. She was a talented magician, extremely talented. But she rarely comes home, so we don’t really meet her that often. However everytime she came back we hugged her and told her how much we missed her. She would do the same and teach us magic, for each of the elements she knew. But as talented as she was, she was only able to produce… I think.. like one type of the element.”

“I don’t really remember as I wasn’t the one who cared about magic that much. But I’d still listen every time, but I aren’t any good at it though, only understanding the basics. She however was…”

A wind blew in their direction swaying “Gloria”’s hair all over the place and the pages of the book flipping everywhere. She chuckled.

“Hahahahha” she laughed gently, like a maiden.

She removed Frei’s head off her lap and stood up and stretched both her arms and while the moon was shining in their direction. She softly exclaimed “This is the freest i have ever felt! Hahaha!” The sadness she had then is gone and now only joy is shown on her face. She looked at Frei with a hint of blush on her face and smiled widely. She then looked back into the dark blue sky and closed her eyes to experience the wind passing through her arms and clothes. It was like she was in the sky flying like the birds. 

“Let me tell you a secret, Frei! A secret you must never tell no one! I am part imperian and part of the Holy Empire! Well at least I think.”