“Brendina only resides with unarmed and normal civilians; you have already made a good call.”

“Why would Father attack the north?” Kaldor is in between a rock and a hard place, anxious about whether he should help. Protect the north or attack it from the inside and help his father.

“Please make sure Azura is in danger and do not send her to the frontlines.”

“That is hard to do. Azura is hell-bent on protecting the north as its guardian knight.”

“I don’t care, Rizontie. My 10-year-old daughter is not fighting in this war. When she is old enough, I will let her.” The duke storms off.

“So, your majesty, any idea why the black dragon is destroying our home?” Dune sneers as she prepares to interrogate Kaldor.

“I have no idea. Maybe I should go. With you and ask him to stop.”

“You are still a child by Quica laws; only at 16 are you allowed to fight in a war.”

“But Azura is fighting monsters out there.”

“But she is not on the front line of the war. Zura has been fighting monsters since she was six, to the duke’s dismay. On her first hunt, she came back with the head of the globin monster that had destroyed her mother’s flower garden as a consolation to her mother,” Rizontie explains.

“So?” Kaldor argued.

“You have never fought for a life or Death battle, Your majesty. That is why I feel like Azura is more suitable to go to battle than you, because she has been putting herself on the line since she was six to protect her home.”

“Just because she is strong doesn’t mean she needs to risk her life, Father. I know you get disappointed when Azura doesn’t get the opportunity to fight for the north, but she is still young and will have chances to protect the north later.”

“I think right now we should take Kaldor to confront his father, and this might save lives rather than taking Zura to the battlefield,” Dune said, before taking Kaldor with her to talk about how they would manage this.

Though Rizontie understood the protection over Azura, he still felt hurt and disappointed because of the scene of a seven-year-old bruised Azura who had sneaked out to fight monsters for the umpteenth time.

“Uncle Rizontie, I managed to get the big lizard that has been terrorizing the town. I think I am strong enough. to protect mom now.” A little exhausted, Azura said.

“Zura, your father told you to stop doing that. Look at the bruises you have.”

“But he treats me so delicately, I will not be able to fight for myself if I follow his rules. I do not want to see Mom go to war and come back as hurt as last year.”

“They are knights who will protect your mother. I will also put my life on the line to protect her. You do not have to go out of your way to protect her.”

“But I want my own strength, uncle. Please, if you think I am not strong enough, teach me how to be strong enough. I will stop hunting monsters until you permit me.”

Perhaps it was her sparkling gray eyes that made her adorable, that made Rizontie yield, or her sheer determination to get stronger. 

There are so many excuses Rizontie can give as to why he took Azura in as his only student, but deep down, he knew that he just saw himself in her. He saw the little 8-year-old Rizontie, who failed to protect his mother’s heart from being devoured by his father in search of eternal youth. 

He had hoped that by training her, she would be able to protect what she loves, unlike him, who failed to.