"HALT!" A knight approached them, his gaze sceptical as he noticed the two. "Identify yourselves, and why are you leaving Diraka?" he said as he stared at Lysander. With all the calmness that he could muster up, he spoke, "My name is Andy, I am sixteen years old, and beside me is my younger sister, Liv. She's fifteen, and we wish to go to Wallens in search of education." Liviana handed him their forged identification papers while Lysander explained their wish. 

The knight scanned both the papers, his gaze shifting from the siblings to the documentation that they had shown. "Where did you reside before coming to Noar City?" the knight asked, still sceptical of the two; he was sure that they looked familiar, but where had he seen them? He couldn't recognise them. 

"We lived outside the capital, Nalem," Liviana responded. Nalem was the farthest province from the capital. It had only land best suited for agriculture, and its population was small. Farmers and cattle herders were the only people in the village. 

"What are your legal names?" He asked, his eyes rising as they landed on the twins. A moment passed before either responded. Liv could feel her chest tighten up as she stood still, her head in a disarray, as she recalled what name she had written on the fake documents. "Livielle Jacob Drew.." she spoke, her voice as strong as she could make it. "Andrew Earten Drew.." Andy responded, his voice stiff. 

"You claim to be siblings. Why is your middle name that of a man, Andrew?" He froze. For a moment, he had forgotten that the men in Diraka had their mother's first name as their middle name. The documentation they had gotten had not matched the rule.

'That incompetent bastard,' Andy thought as he took a moment to answer. 

 "Our grandparents signed the birth certificate with the wish that their daughter would take the role of the son", he forced the lie through, "and her name has been Earten since." his hands were slick with sweat as he hoped the knight wouldn't see through his lies. Cynthia had her eye on the two; her gaze fixated upon Liviana. 

"Quite the abnormal family." He muttered before returning one of the documents to Andy.

The guard's gaze flipped to Liviana as he bent down to be at eye level with Liviana, who stood still. "Say, have I seen you around before?" He asked, inching his face closer to hers as his brows furrowed. Liv gulped and opened her mouth only for the guard to cut her off "Ah! I remember now!" He stated, his gaze fixating on her. Liv's hands grasped at the back of her dress, her grip tightening. 

"You look like the girl at the travelling theatre!" He announced, his face drawn into a wide grin. "Yeah! I get that a lot." She forced a smile; the knight squinted at her. His gaze did not leave her.

"Jeremy! Get over here!" A voice called out, to which the knight turned. "Yes, Sir!" He shouted back. 

"Move along." He handed the other document to Andy. The two immediately turned to where Cynthia stood, the knight's gaze still lingering upon them.

Cynthia remained silent as she watched the two, a bottle of beer still in her hand as she took a swing. 'Smart,' she thought to herself as she waited for the twins to turn towards her. For the first time in a while, she had found such interesting individuals. "So much potential," she mumbled under her breath, low enough that no one heard her.

The twins turned around to where she stood, as if asking, 'Which way?' She let out a breath before she gestured them to follow her. The three walked in complete silence, neither saying a word; the two-minute walk felt as if it was two hours long. 

Once they approached the ship, Liv noticed the markings made around it, runes drawn around the ship, each more intricate than the other; wisps of white and blue circled the ship. It looked ordinary and plain from a distance, but the closer they got, the more evident the enchantment system was.

The floorboards creaked under their footsteps as they made their way upon the ship; Andy's gaze darted across the dimly lit deck, and the smell of fish and wine assaulted his senses. The crewmen rushed around the deck, some still hauling up barrels while the others organised and arranged. Cynthia stood in the centre of the deck, the twins directly behind her. 

"Silas! Where did you get lost to!" Cynthia called as soon as she had made it on the deck of the ship, her hand on her hip as the rest of the crew looked away instantly, as if they were terrified of what might befall them next. The man had rushed out the moment he heard her, his hair a dishevelled mess, his collar button undone, his posture straight, and he shoved a hand through his hair.

 "Yes, captain?" he responded. Despite his demeanour, his voice was straight even if his collar wasn't. The woman raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling to the top button before she shrugged. The twins stood in silence, neither understanding the meaning of those questioning glances, but they knew it was best to not ask. After all, they knew each other for less than ten minutes.

"Show the children to one of the bigger rooms on the ship. Bring them hot water and a few towels," she ordered with a wave of her hand, and had walked away to the great cabin behind which she had slammed the door shut. The rest of the crew members had visibly relaxed at the captain's departure; even Silas, who was holding his breath, had let it out. 

"Hello, I'm Silas, the second in command after the captain on this ship. I'll take you to your rooms. We will set sail in ten minutes," he said, his voice relaxed as he led them to the cabins on the far end of the ship.

"Mister Silas, what time will we reach Wallens? And which harbour are we going to reach?" Liv asked as she followed him to the cabin. The passageway was dim, so neither could see the other properly. There wasn't much to see in the ship, in all honesty. The place just smelled like wine. And wood, but mostly wine. 

"We reach Wallens in two nights; as for the harbour, it's probably Marghen; it is in the capital after all." Silas had responded. Liviana had relaxed that they were heading to the capital. A place where the king of Diraka could not reach them. A place where they would be able to live in peace and regain their energy. Lysander was just glad to be leaving the wretched country; after all, it's not like he had any good memories left. 

"Shouldn't it take us a week at least?" Andy doubted. "Typically, yes. A week to nine days, but our Captain uses assorted enchanting raels, gems and powered mechanisms on this ship. If I were to go into detail on the types of enchantments this ship has on it, it would take me a whole day." He laughed as he guided them through the narrow passage.

"Mister Silas, are you from Wallens?" Liv asked, staring at the man. As soon as the question was asked, the man turned around with a giant grin on his face. 

"Yep! We have amazing food, some of the best bars and liquor stores, beautiful streets. It's quite the sight!" He sighed wistfully; the Liv raised an eyebrow, clearly questioning where his priorities were. "I mean it! Everyone who visits insists that life hasn't been lived unless you've experienced the simplicities of the country!" He continued rambling about the food, the women, the men, the liquor stores on the streets. He wasn't stopping. 

Liv turned to Andy. Their gazes met. They needn't have said anything. 'Why did I even ask?' they thought.

"Here's your room. A crew member should bring you water and a few towels soon. If you're hungry, you can let them know, and they will get you dinner as well. Breakfast is at ten in the morning, a bit late, but people here like sleeping in." Silas smiled and left them on their own. The two walked into the room and closed the door behind them. It was finally happening. They were finally leaving Diraka; after two weeks of surviving in the country, they were finally leaving. 

The two sat in silence on the wooden floor, the smell of the ocean easing their nerves as they remained seated. The weight of the situation dawned upon them. Liviana remained silent, stretching her back while a bittersweet smile grazed her lips.

Lysander said nothing; he felt nothing; he could do nothing. The creak of the floorboards reminded him of the disaster. The scaffold. The shrieks. The blade which glistened under the sun.

And then he was there. 

In the very centre of Bridham's square, a scaffold stood surrounded by the people of Bridham. "Witness! The enemy of the state! George Beckett!" The executioner stated as a guard dragged the man to the scaffold, with his hands tied before him; the disgraced noble didn't speak, yet stood in silence, his eyes blazing with fire as he faced the crowd, eyes of rebellion, eyes which cried silently for him, while they shouted against the king. 

"SILENCE!" The executioner repeated while two of the king's guards shoved the disgraced noble to his knees; the man refused to bow his head, instead staring at the faces before him, a gentle smile on his face. 

The executioner's hand trembled as the guards shoved the man's head down "Let there be peace—" before the man could finish his words, his head rolled down. His face carried a smile while blood spilt across the scaffold; his kneeling body fell to the side, as loud sobs echoed through the crowd. 

"The king declares that anyone who acts against the crown will face a similar fate. You have been warned." A royal guard announced as the decapitated head was placed upon a stake. A face that looked oddly at peace even in death. A face which chose to speak instead of remaining silent. 

Three hours had passed since; the crowd had dispersed, not a soul in sight. Lysander and Liviana, both the only heirs to the marquisate, had approached the scaffold, tears streaming down their faces as Liv trembled to touch their father's face, her body wrecked in sobs as she fell to her knees. Andy's eyes were tear-stricken as he closed his father's eyes before he pulled his sister up.

"Andy?" Liv's voice broke him out of the flashback.

His surroundings were the wooden room, the small window, and the humidity engulfed them. Liv reached towards his face, wiping away tears under his eyes. He whipped his head away, drying his eyes on his own despite his sister's worry-stricken face.

Knock. Knock.

"I have water and towels," the voice from behind the door spoke, causing the two to snap out of their trance. With a straight face, Liviana was the one to open the door. She smiled politely before accepting the towels and water. She dragged the bucket towards the tiny restroom, while the crew member placed the towels inside their room, closing the door as he left.

"We should unpack the food and check if we have everything..." Andy spoke while he unpacked and checked through their carpetbag and the satchel which Liv carried on her. 

In one, they had their valuables: the family's great seal, signet rings, the land deed, their father's will, the real identity documents, and a few commercial gems. In the other, they had food, which was mostly bread, a couple of fruits, water, and edible gems, which Lysander had collected for emergencies.

"Liv, you should take one of the gems. Your erine reserve might be empty soon." Lysander reminded her while he tossed her a purple gem, and Liv shrugged as she tossed the gem back to her brother. The only satchel left was the one that was given to them by the elderly woman at the inn. 

The two realised they had forgotten something. Something they were aware of. Something which would demand their attention. 

"The animal," Liv mumbled under her breath.

"I think it's going to be dead." Andy shrugged.