Faris swung his new arm around and sliced through the foliage with ease. After the fairy blessed him with new power, she vanished in a whirl of darkness with the wildlings following right behind her. 

A path opened up for him to walk on, its cobble stones littered with rose petals and bioluminescent mushrooms. Faris was suspicious at first, but she did say he passed her trial and he trusted her to not lead him into a trap, especially when she took her time to give him a new arm. 

Even though it was her fault he lost his own to begin with.

He might have a fancy new arm that can slice through boulders with ease, but he lost his ability to wield a sword. It was a skill he worked tirelessly every night and day to master, swinging the weapon a thousand times until it felt like it was another part of him. Losing his sword arm made him feel bitter.

There’s nothing to be done now. Perhaps he should train how to use his left arm instead. 

One more trial and then he can go home. 

People said the Rose Garden will vanish when the princess awakens and Faris prays with all his might that was the case. This was the first time anything like the garden appeared. A forest made of thorns and darkness that lured people in with fame and glory.

If it hadn’t been for the prince, he wouldn’t have stepped in the deadly forest at all. His father was already mourning the loss of two sons. Faris hated the view of his father’s sagging shoulders and lowered head as he said goodbye to him. Prince Mikhail had told him countless times it was alright for him to stay home with his father, but he was stubborn and prideful.

Now he was here in the Rose Garden, alive and well with the possibility of survival on the horizon. He would like to retrieve his brothers’ corpses and lay them down in the family graveyard. Even if he could not find their bones, any armor or weapon they have left would be enough. Their bodies may be lost, but at least their spirits will be home.

Apropos corpses, there seems to be one crawling right in front of him.

Faris carefully approached the lump of body and realized it was a person struggling with a walking stick. The blue cloak was tattered at the edges with blood stains here and there, but there was no mistaking the person.

“Mage Cian?” He said cautiously.

The lump stopped and looked behind him and Faris tried not to recoil in shock. Mage Cian looked worse for wear. His face was pale with cuts and blood, but what shocked Faris the most was the third eye on his forehead peering at him. The man looked slightly confused. There was no recognition in his normal human eyes.

“It’s Faris,” he said slowly, wondering what happened.

“Oh, Sir Faris,” Mage Cian said, clarity returned to his human eyes. “How do you do?”

“Certainly better than you,” Faris said as he approached the mage and helped him straighten up. Mage Cian gave a grateful smile.

Faris had never really cared about the royal mage. Magic was not his forte and he kept to his side of the palace where he rarely crossed paths with any of the mages employed by the royal family. The training ground and barracks were far away from the library where most mages spent their time tinkering with magic.

Mage Cian had seemed like a nice affable man during their time together at the camp. He took his job seriously and cared for the hurt soldiers with potions and magic. Faris only knew of the mage from what his friend Prince Mikhail told him. 

To Mikhail, Mage Cian was a very shrewd man who did everything his queen mother asked of him. He was spineless and a sleaze and was often the talk of nobilities for his love of brothels. Mikhail planned to replace him the moment he was crowned king.

“But is he not your family?” Faris asked the prince once on a sunny day. They were taking a break from sparring in the summer heat. The sweat dripped down their neck and soaked their shirts as the cicadas screamed in the background.

“He is, but I’d rather he be as far away from the palace as possible. I can give him land in the south where he can be useful with his magic, but I do not want him anywhere near my mother or Jabril,” Mikhail said.

“What do you mean? I thought they were close to each other.”

“Yes, and I think he’d like to be far closer with them than normal.”

Faris blinked at him in confusion.

“Ah, Sir Faris, you’re as oblivious as always,” Prince Mikhail said. “I’m saying that Mage Cian covets my mother and brother. He’s rather obvious about it too, even my mother knows and tries her best to never be alone with the man. Why do you think Jabril has several attendants with him and is never alone with that creep?”

“If the mage makes the queen uncomfortable, why has he not been fired yet? Surely your father would have the mage beheaded in an instant should he know about this.”

“Father knows,” Mikhail said. “But mother begged him to spare the mage, to preserve the childhood memories she shared with the man. So far he hasn’t done anything to warrant his head on a spike yet either, so father can’t have him executed without reason. And you know how my father is. He’s a very righteous man and frowns down on assassinations and other backdoor dealings.”

Faris did not want to doubt his friend, but when he met the mage for the first time himself, he couldn’t help but think he was a nice but misunderstood man. A man who shared honey and cookies with the tired soldiers and told mysterious stories from a far away land at camp fires. This was before the bard took over to regale them of whimsical lands where magic was abundant and people flew on swords.

“Let me help you up,” Faris said as he hoisted the man up and put an arm over his shoulder. Together they slowly walked down the path. “What happened to you? You have a third eye on your forehead.”

Mage Cian laughed. “Indeed I have. This is the ultimate magic one can cast in dire need. I had to fight a fairy to survive, but I will be alright. I just need a little bit of rest before we fight the dragon. What happened to you, Sir Faris? You had a normal arm the last time I saw you.”

“Oh, the fairy I fought blessed me with this arm when she said I passed the trial. Well, she was the reason why I lost it in the first place… But well, you know, at least I have another arm.”

“The fairy said you passed the trial?”

“Yes?”

“Where is she now?” the mage asked.

“I don’t know, she vanished after saying that her sister was slain.”

Faris eyed the mage suspiciously, “Did you slay the fairy?”

“Goodness no, it must have been the prince who did it. I barely managed to escape. Like you, the fairy said I passed the trial, but she did not give me a parting gift before leaving to find her slain sister.”

Faris nodded, “That makes sense.”

Mage Cian smiled as he let Faris practically carry him. He’s been wandering for god knows how long and thankfully found a corpse clutching on to a normal stick. The body must have been a farmer who was dragged into the garden and died of hunger. He did not seem to be attacked by any wildlings nor did the corpse have the tell tale sign of thorn poisoning.

He’s been wandering around the path for a while. It twisted and turned in various ways, confusing him and exhausting him until his legs buckled and he couldn’t stand. He laid there and wondered if this was how he would die. Alone in the woods with the red roses as his only company.

At least the last thing he’ll see was the same red color that had been hidden in his heart. If only he could be as powerful and rich as his majesty the king, then perhaps Bethany would look at him with more than just familiar affection. If he was a king himself, he could have Bethany as his wife. They were cousins, yes, but they were so far removed from the family tree, they might as well be strangers who met by chance.

Cian had all but lost hope if it weren’t for Sir Faris stumbling upon him.

Kind and righteous Sir Faris who was knighted the moment he turned twenty, did not hesitate to help him up. The understanding knight, who acted far more mature than his age to keep up the appearance of an experienced fighter, greeted him kindly as if he wasn’t some lowly bastard. 

Kind and righteous Sir Faris who passed the trial without having to stain his hands with murder, smiled at him easily, as if his mind hadn't been poisoned by the prince who hated his guts and only begrudgingly allowed him to join the campaign.

Kind and righteous Sir Faris who lost an arm fighting a fairy, but was blessed with a far more mystical one. A knight who was worthy to save the princess and fight the dragon, with a possibility to become a king in his own right. He was a knight with a bright future ahead of him, a future full of love and happy endings.

It was a future Cian wanted.