Chapter Text
At the end of the day, when the sun was sinking in the horizon, its last rays bathed the Bonesborough market in a warm glow. The city was still crowded with inhabitants from all the surrounding lands and merchants posted at their stands trying to attract the public's attention; offering a demonstration of their products which they claimed to be exclusive. Various amounts of goods were laid out on the tables: Bags of magic powders in glimmering colors, bins of animal skins or magical necklaces and bracelets that were hung from racks.
The Golden Guard couldn't remember the last time he had been to this part of the town as he navigated the streets, but remembered the reason as he passed near a bunch of people shouting at an auction. He disliked the crowd and even more the unnecessary noises as he always was the quiet type. Before being promoted to his current rank, his training as a soldier required him to be stealthy and quiet. Unfortunately, he would have to investigate every corner of this place until he could find a clue that would allow him to complete an important mission. It had recently been given to him solely by the ruler of the isle; finding and bringing someone safe and sound back to him.
He slipped an old black-and-white polaroid out of his pocket to have another look at the portrait of a short-haired little girl, looking joyful as she seemed to be playing with a toy that was cropped out of the frame. Maybe once she was found, he would manage to figure out who she was and why. During this whole time, he had never heard of her; which seemed quite strange. Raising his gaze from the photograph, he decided to go next to the night market. It was another area he had not yet had the chance to explore during his mission.
This place was similar to the previous one, it was the perfect spot to find rare or priceless relics. Many of the merchants were itinerant and sold only during certain days before leaving to stock up on their inventory at the other side of the world. It was also an excellent opportunity for any shady customer to get their greedy hands on anything illegal and difficult to access - as long as they knew who to talk to for a good price. Of course, the coven gets plenty of complaints regarding the businesses running here, because of how many poor souls got scammed and robbed. But, as it is an important part of the Boiling Isles economy; they couldn’t close the place down or control it as much as they’d like to.
In his opinion, he didn't like this place because of its lack of ethics but admitted that it had given him an advantage for various missions in the past; only when he had no other solutions at hand. Now that he had been tracking this mysterious child for a few days, it was time to find some clues from one of his best informants.
Slipping between two stalls, he faced an open tent where a handful of monsters were chugging from their mugs. Not far from them, a snake-headed man leaned against a pillar, silently studying the people around him. His pupils dilated when he noticed details that piqued his interest before being distracted by the golden boy’s arrival; a delighted smile crawled across his lipless mouth.
"Pleasure to see you. I missed your glistening armor and the deep pockets that come with it…" He said in a low hiss, tongue flickering, before adding: “How can you help me today?”
The guard whipped out the polaroid and asked, "Do you know where I can find her, Tez?"
Tez squinted as his smile grew, recognizing the face, "This must be old, she's no longer a child..."
He reached out a hand and slowly wiggled his fingers, waiting to be paid. Without hesitation, the boy placed a small bag of snails in his hand. The serpent peered inside and nodded in approval. “I saw her for the first time a week ago. She has been shopping for curse elixirs around here since the market is out of stock.” He tilted his head towards the booth as he mentioned it, "She usually comes Tuesday and Friday around this time to stock up, no idea if it’s for herself or someone else."
The Golden Guard then turned around to take his leave, as he realized he might see her today. He heard Tez call out to him.
“It’s always good to do business with you.”
On his way to the booth, a crowd along with a carriage abruptly stopped him in his tracks. He looked around them desperately trying to keep an eye on it. Through the bodies, he spotted a hooded stranger with a mask holding a clumped satchel, and recognized the orange glow of the elixir gleaming from it as they closed it. The boy groaned in frustration. As soon as the way cleared, he decided to catch up before completely losing sight of them. Too determined to give up, he hastily mounted his staff and flew to the sky. He sailed through the air and circled the area. He recognized the figure as they were leaving the city, taking a path towards the forest; their form engulfed by the tops of the trees. His fists clenched in excitement as he carefully followed his target over the canopy. Once the way cleared enough, he quickly landed a few feet away in front of the stranger,
“Halt traveler!” He exclaimed as he raised a hand towards them.
Now that he could have a closer look, he started observing who was standing before him. They wore a blue cloak that draped down to the knees. The hood partially covered their face as it was already concealed by a white mask resembling a bird, leaving their mouth slightly uncovered with its pointed beak. When the wind lifted the stranger's cape, it was possible to see that they were wearing tight black pants with a belt and white shirt, covered by a leather corset hugging their waist.
Not seeming to see much of a reaction, the boy kept talking: “You are carrying a large quantity of the same merchandise that might suggest you are planning to resell. That is illegal.” As he beckoned them to get closer, adding, “Please remove your mask so I can inspect you.” The masked figure took a step back and slid the satchel behind them with a gloved hand, protecting their belongings, which prompted the guard to take a more stern tone, “I am the Golden Guard, any refusal to cooperate will be held against you and you’ll be sent straight to the conformatorium.”
Suddenly, the stranger lifted their arm and bent their hand inward while the boy felt the ground shaking as he noticed a shadow covering his figure; a wall four meters high had risen behind him from the ground. They clenched their fist and trapped him inside a dome.
The stone cracked with each muffled thud, arcs of crimson lights shooting through before shattering into pieces as he kicked through. A red aura was surrounding him, seemingly given off by the power of his staff as he raised his head to look around; he noticed that his target had started to flee from the corner of his eye. The Golden Guard immediately teleported after them, leaving scarlet streaks in his wake.
Just when he thought it was going to be easy, vines began to grow and new stone pillars stood in his way. Surely, someone was helping them escape since they were too far ahead and didn't seem to have been using magic. But even after giving a quick look around him during his hunt, he did not see the shadow of an opponent; their benefactors had to be using an illusion to hide. He wished that they would regret getting in the way of his duty. Suddenly, he leapt into the air and climbed into the trees, jumping from branch to branch as he freed his way and launched red lightning from his staff in their direction. It hit them head-on and they slumped to the ground with a painful groan, their satchel sliding away until it hit a tree trunk.
"Well, tell me where your friend is so I can arrest you both." The Golden Guard said as he jumped down the tree and approached his target trying to get up.
"I'm alone." They replied. Their soft, high-pitched voice suggested to the guard that his prey might be a girl. Vines sprouted quickly around him and made him drop his staff.
“There’s no way!” He exclaimed as she stood back up and reached a hand towards his only weapon, making it fly towards her as he blinked rapidly under his mask: “This entire time, you were using magic without drawing any circles? How is this possible?”
She answered in a calm tone, “Yes, it was me,” while looking curiously at the staff, ignoring the Golden Guard trying to fight back.
“You are going to face harsh consequences for this,” he said furiously, struggling to break free until she faced him close enough for the smell of lilac to fill his senses.
“You are in no position to threaten me, Goldie,” she said with a soft laugh, looking him up and down which caused him to get even more furious.
“And now you are giving me a nickname?” he asked.
“Mhm, since I don’t know your name, I thought this would suit you,” the girl answered as she stepped back. She threw the staff at his feet before turning her heels and leaning forward to grab her satchel. “Anyway, I would recommend you to leave me be, it would be quite humiliating if you end up in this situation again.”
"Oh don't worry, there won’t be a second time," the boy said as he succeeded in breaking free from the vines after using a tiny knife he hid inside his glove, then jumping forward to grab his staff.
She turned back to face him in surprise but he teleported right behind her, sending a blast of magic hurtling her way. It hit her square in the chest, sending her flying into a tree.
“Now, let’s see who you are…” the Golden Guard said as he walked forward and lifted her by the collar. He pushed away her hood and removed the mask, revealing her identity. Half conscious and blinking slowly, the girl’s eyes were a cold, icy blue as she looked up at him. Her pale face was framed by beautiful long braided white hair that fell down her back. He also recognized the beauty mark from the corner of her left eye in the polaroid.
“You are the girl Emperor Belos is looking for!” he exclaimed in surprise. He had not expected she would be around the same age as himself. With a huff, he puts her carefully back on the ground. “If I knew this sooner, I wouldn’t have hurt you, are you alright?...” he said, his voice sounding a bit shaky after what he had done to her. “He’s worried sick about you and asked me personally to bring you back to the castle.”
She said something so faintly making it hard for him to understand. He then asked politely, “Excuse me miss, what is it?”
“NO!” She exclaimed, pushing him away as she struggled to stand back up. “I am not going back! If you really want me to follow you… then you’ll need to fight me.”
He shook his head and shrugged, “I can’t do that, he said that he doesn’t want you to be hurt and… I can’t let you go either now that I’ve found you.”
She jumped towards him to throw a punch, which he dodged effortlessly. In a frustrated groan, she lifted both hands in a sharp motion which made ice spikes rise from the ground, building a dangerous trail towards the boy. He jumped on his staff to levitate above the ground, barely avoiding the attack. The girl waved her hands and raised pillars at her sides. She thrust each arm forward in the direction of the Golden Guard, with every movement she hurled a new chunk from the column to become a projectile as they ignited with a blue flame.
Turning his gaze, he saw at the last moment what awaited him and took the full brunt of the attack, falling from his staff and crashing onto the ground with a painful cry. He slid a hand to his right flank, guessing something must have broken as his opponent exclaimed while approaching, “I-I’m sorry-... I got carried away.” He looked up at her as she sat down on her knees beside him, looking ashamed while adding, "...listen, maybe we can find a compromise.”
The young man squeezed out a mocking laugh as he haughtily retorted, "I don't think it's possible in this situation."
She shook her head and reached into a bag attached to her belt, “I’m going to buy us some time…” He raised an eyebrow under his mask as she took a little flask out, “You can drink this once I leave, you’ll be able to heal up enough to go back to the castle."
He was about to deny her solution even though he was in no position to talk. She pulled a silver necklace out of her shirt and ripped it off, placing it in his hand with the potion. “Tell him you found me, but that I gave you a hard time and you are on the right track to get me back.”
The Golden Guard remained silent, surprised that she would help him before looking back and forth between her face and the pendant.
“If we meet again, I promise you that I’m not going to go easy on you,” she added, “and you should think about leaving the coven. He’s not what he appears to be.” With her other hand, she made him close his grip on the items and stood back up. The young girl took her mask from the ground and placed it on her face again as she summoned a thick mist. Her silhouette disappeared as she stepped away.
He flew through the sky at dusk towards the castle, the Golden Guard couldn’t stop thinking about his encounter. Now that he finally saw the girl for the first time, he realized how different she looked from Lord Belos, which refuted his idea about them being related. He also wondered how he never met her back at the castle if she had been living there this whole time. The fact that she could also manipulate magic to her liking without having to draw a circle was incredible. This raised more questions regarding her origins and what the ruler of the Boiling Isles wanted from her. He opened his hand to gaze thoughtfully at the necklace that was in the shape of a wing before finally arriving at his destination.
He presented himself at the throne room, where he was impatiently awaited by Lord Belos. He knelt down out of respect while offering him his report with his head down, “I have great news uncle, I have encountered her, not far from Bonesborough.” He then stood up, facing the man who approached him gently, “I didn't expect her to know advanced magic, especially at her age.” The Golden Guard then showed him the necklace by opening his fist to dangle the pendant from the chain. “I almost got her. But your order to not hurt her made the task more difficult than expected. She escaped. I’m sorry."
Lord Belos grabbed the necklace and examined it before offering a nod, apparently satisfied to finally hear news. “She isn't supposed to know how to use magic, so she met someone who taught her…”
The boy took a few steps closer to his uncle, one hand on his chest as he said with confidence, “I’ll find her and this time she won't escape.”
Belos turned and put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him, “Do what you have to do to catch her, Hunter. If she ends up injured… oh well. She must not be influenced by wild magic. I would not want her to take the wrong path. She is far too important to the Titan’s will.”
The Golden Guard wanted to ask so many questions, but he knew Lord Belos wouldn’t allow his indiscretion. He had to trust him blindly. He had saved his life in the past when he was just a toddler and owed him that much. He nodded, "You can count on me."