The caravans stopped. “Here we are,” one of the horsemen shouted to Blade. Blade looked at the two and nodded. Topaz grabbed Abaddon’s hand and the two jumped out of the wagon. She stretched her legs and let out a sigh.

“Whoo, doesn’t it feel good to get out of there!” she said in glee. She gave the little monster and her leader a huge smile. “I can’t wait to finally explore the place. But… how long are we going to set up?”

Blade laughed at the girl and her little burst of excitement. “T, I think you’re too excited about this. We still have to plan and all that.”

She waved at him. “Don’t worry about it,” she told him, “I can manage.” The girl nodded and felt herself fall into sleep.

Abaddon and Blade looked at each other and rushed towards the girl. Topaz accidentally tripped on a tree root and was close to falling, but luckily she managed to stop herself before she landed into their arms. The two had an expression of concern.

Topaz shook it off and ran towards the other vehicles. “I’ll get the other people out!” she cried out happily. She quickly ran towards the other wagons and peeked under the covers. She then called out the people from the wagons and hopped to the next one. Topaz continued this process until she was finally finished and returned to the two boys.

“I’ll set up a meeting,” said Blade to her as he placed his hand on your shoulder. “We’ll be continuing our missions from here. But we’ll have to set up extra precautions.”

“Yes sir!” she said with enthusiasm and turned away from the crowd, preparing to hop away from the young man. His grip tightened and she stopped to face him.

He cleared his throat and continued with a mischievous smile on his face. “Of course, you’re going to be there with me.” The girl frowned at his statement and looked out into the wilderness with a longing look. He sighed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one looking out for me to ensure that I don’t do anything stupid?” he asked her. She knew then what he was trying to pull.

“Oh come on, please don’t pull out that card, Blade,” she groaned at him. She knew that he would use what his father said against her. “Fine. But you owe me. And… I’m still allowed to go out on missions, right?”

He smiled. “Of course. And I know that you’ll do great out there.” Blade grabbed her hand. “Now, let’s go back, okay sweetie?”

She blushed at the sudden contact with his hand, but shook off her confused thoughts and left with him towards the crowd of people. They were a little confused, but nothing he couldn’t be able to manage, right?

Blade clapped his hands and the crowd looked up to face him. How, Topaz may never know, but she was sure that he pretty much got the whole leader thing down. Like father, like son. He cleared his throat and began to speak. “Well, as you know, my father will not be with us for the time being. Unfortunately, he was captured by the king’s army and will be taken back to the city.”

He turned to Topaz. “So, temporarily, until my father returns, I will take over, is that clear?” The crowd cheered unanimously, and the boy shushed them down. “Now, first, we must set up camp, and then we will go back to our usual routine.”

Topaz rolled her eyes, and still couldn’t believe that he had dragged her into his mess. He didn’t notice, thank goodness.

After a little revealing of his plans, he pulled Topaz over to his side. The crowd gasped. “And of course, this girl will be my second-in-command,” he said. “Do you have any questions?”

The crowd murmured at his decision, and a few sweat drops appeared on Topaz’s face. His second-in-command? That would mean that she would be his…

No. She wouldn’t allow it. The last thing she wanted was to stay restricted in a place all day long by his side, only standing there as he had his discussions. She didn’t want to feel even more isolated than she was before. Being friends with the rebel leader’s son was already weird enough, and considering her past, it was something to be looked down upon.

A hand raised in the air. “I do.” Everyone turned to the one bold voice that pierced the weary silence of murmurs.

“State your name,” Blade ordered coldly, but he knew who it was.

“Abaddon, sir. And my question. Why is she going to be your second-in-command? After all, her past isn’t the best, compared to the others here, and there are plenty of people that are more eligible to be next to you.”

“Such as?”

“Such as myself, sir.”

There was a wave of unrest. More people began to raise their hands, asking why they shouldn’t take the position. Blade looked over at Topaz, who frowned at the sudden reactions from the people. She knew of her status here, but was it really that bad?

She suddenly wanted to return to the shadows.

“Look, it’s been decided. My father had approved of this decision, and so you will respect it as well. Would you go against your leader?”

They went silent afterwards. He nodded. “Alright then, let’s get to work!”

The people dispersed, leaving only Blade, Abaddon and Topaz to themselves. Topaz wanted to turn and leave and help the people, but she wasn’t sure if she could. She knew how Abaddon felt, and she knew of his feelings towards getting the position.

“Look, I’m sorry but—”

She only gave him a look, and from there she knew he understood. She was angry, she was shocked, she was heartbroken. She felt like she was trapped here once again.

Abaddon stomped up to the two of them and glared both at Blade and Topaz. He looked as if he wanted to punch somebody. Blade looked at him. “Abaddon, just calm down, please.”

“Calm down? Calm down? No, you promised me. He promised me!” He turned to her. “And you! Why are you so frozen stiff? I thought you would be the first to question his decision! Topaz!”

“I’m tired,” she said quietly. “I’m going to go. Please, no more surprises Blade,” she said softly before she turned away once again. She took a step out of his reach, and could feel his arm trying to grasp her, but she swiftly dodged it and jumped away.

She took a couple of steps forward before completely disappearing. The words stayed there at the back of her mind, and she knew then what the crowd really thought of her. She was only a stranger to them, an outsider. She couldn’t help but feel lonely.

Topaz huffed at a nearby tree where she sat and listened to the wind’s voices. Ah, the conversation, the possibilities, all will be at the palm of her hand. That is, if she would actually explore the place.

“Topaz,” a voice called out. “We need you right now!” Topaz snapped up and turned towards the small girl that yelled for her. She jogged her way back to camp. If she couldn’t be able to do anything now, at least she would be able to some things later.

The girl huffed as she continued to do as she was told, and more and more people asked for her aid. She knew that they did it to exhaust her, but might as well expel all of her thoughts and get herself distracted for a while. Right?