"It's just a game."

The room was lit with the glow of a single candle, a lone man with his head down on an arm slept at a table, softly snoring.

The light of the candle wavered at the soft breeze of the door opening, and once more as it closed softly. The orange light could not reach very far, but it did reach as far as some books on the middle shelves close by the table.

The woman looked down at the man, unsure of what to do, that is until she saw something just under his free arm. He still held a slim chunk of hard charcoal, as he often complained about his lack of skill with a quill.

For a man who claimed he could read and write he was about as bad as a child.

It didn’t take much to remove the book to take a look. She knelt down near the candle to read and began to slowly turn the pages.

There was a mix of both his language and hers. She tilted the front cover and let the pages flip to the beginning where she began to once more flip through. The first few pages were in his language, the marks felt similar to what she knew of hers, but overly simplified.

She could also see that he had taken time to write out sentences as if practicing, phrases she didn’t understand but could read.

It wasn’t until a good number of pages that the mix of the two languages seemed to balance out.

Day whatever,

I know I’ve been here for over a month, but I’ve had to focus on constantly moving about trying to find a place stable enough. I can’t even begin to figure where to start, my mind feels jumbled by everything.

I know, when I first came here I couldn’t remember much of anything. I moved without really having control, like I was compelled by something. The feeling didn’t last long, and I was also able to remember things. The problem has been like I’ve been assailed with a wave of things.

I find myself with headaches from time to time, and easily disoriented. I find myself dependent in a way on a child who is native to this place, this world. I at first thought to just help her find someplace where she could get help, but the culture and living of the people here seem to be like renaissance or maybe a bit before? I can’t really tell.

So, finding a place for her isn’t really very possible. Something about the people here I don’t feel any kind of connection or trust to.

For now, I suppose I just have to act like I am her father, as that has been the lie that has worked so far.

I suppose it’s good practice.

Right. I do need to keep in mind no matter what happens, I have to find my way home, or preferably, back to the world I was supposed to go to. I have to get back to Sonata, Aria, and Adagio. One of the last things was meeting with this teenager outside of a high school in the middle of the night. She had promised us safety since the Sirens had lost their powers and were not seen as a threat.

That in of itself is a long story and my head is beginning to hurt just trying to think about it.

I’ll have to wait until the headache has passed and try to write more-

The woman looked up, seeing the candle flame beginning to flicker. The candle was low and had built up enough liquid wax that it was threatening to go out. She reached over and tilted it slightly to pour out some of the wax into it’s holder.

“Getting a good read in, Whisper?”

“A thief caught red handed. I am ashamed of myself.” Closing the book, Whisper set it down on the table and slid it over to Max.

Max wiped his eyes before looking down at the book and leaned back in his chair.

“If you were curious, you could have just asked.”

“Funny, I have asked about your past. I thought you were making a joke when you said you weren’t from this world. Then after that you just refused to say anymore.” Whisper looked up at Max, and waited.

“Yeah, it was enough proof that I didn’t need to say anymore. So, what, you read my diary and suddenly you believe me?”

Whisper sucked her bottom lip and idly nibbled on it. “Well, I don’t know about that. There is certainly more to you than I thought. I’m still curious as to why you adamantly refuse to kill. Something tells me you know the feeling.”

Max seemed to refuse to meet her gaze.

“You’re going to hide it now? Fine with me,” She said with a smile, “I’ll see it as a game and go looking for it.” Whisper said with a devious smile as she eyed the book.

“Please don’t.” Max said simply as he stood up. “What time is it?”

“Night time. The sun will be up at some point, probably soon.”

Max stretched out as best as he could before turning back to Whisper, “Any work?”

“For the guild or the docks?”

“What do you think? I’m asking about both.” Max was beginning to get annoyed.

Whisper frowned, she enjoyed teasing people, but Max was one she couldn’t get to, not without putting him on edge. There was something in his book about it, and she wanted to know more.

“If you want a day off, you have it. This whole weekend there is some sort of last minute festival, the king will be addressing the whole town throughout the weekend. He has halted all work, even trade coming and going. I’m starting to wonder what’s going on.”

“Doesn’t sound like a day off to me.” Max returned.

“No, I only need to get some information. I can take care of that, even if I needed help, we have more than enough people.”

“I’ll see you then. Thank you.” Max left the room, quietly closing the door.

Whisper looked around the room as the candle once more began to flicker. The room was small, the table was set off to the side of the center of the room. It was positioned close to the bookshelves, but still with enough room to move the only two chairs around the table. The bookshelves were not very thick, but reached from floor to ceiling in a ‘L’ shape in one corner of the room. On the other side of the room was a portrait of a young girl sitting next to an slightly older woman in a dress. Beside the portrait was the only window with a small chest beneath it.

Shuddering suddenly, whisper stood and approached the window. Beyond she could see nothing but dark shapes of buildings in the distance.

As if subconsciously, Whisper reached a hand up and began to play with the end of some of her hair. Twisting and twirling the blonde locks around a finger. Her eyes flashed with memories of her past, of the last time she was with her mother, and the last time her father was sane.

Max opened the door to the library before moving to shut and lock the door. He turned to the small table where a small lone candle sat. He took a minute to spark a light before picking up the candle and walking to the back of the library.

There he opened a gate to restricted books, closed and locked it as well and made his way further back. The smell of age old knowledge no longer touched filled the air. The air felt oppressive, but Max was used to it. Finally at the back of the area he turned left to a small bust.

He pressed a finger under the chin and opened a hidden passage. The light of the candle revealed a set of stairs going down. With only the slightest hesitation, and one hand against the circular wall surrounding the stairs going down, Max made his way into the depths of the building.

After a couple of minutes of walking, Max reached the bottom of the stairs where he faced a small alcove with a wooden door, one of fine material and well kept.

Opening the door, Max was faced with light almost as bright as the sun Before him was a field of flowers and grass. Brick and stone structures were scattered about.

A single cobbled path lead from the door straight ahead to a fountain where it circled and split into three additional paths. Max blew the flame of the candle out before setting the candle down just on the other side of the door before setting forward on the path.

Max walked past the fountain and headed down the nearest path to his left and continued on past a row of yellow flowers and up to a building.

Max sighed as he continued on inside and down a hallway of doors.

Passing through the area the mages set up was annoying to him as it seemed like he walked so far for a simple bed. Though, one thing Max did not want to do was to let them know how fascinated he was with what they could do.

Since he was a child he was always fascinated with all things that was a part of the worlds of fantasy. He always adored characters who could use magic, yet after a long time he began to no longer see magic the same.

Once he came to see everything here among the mages, he could almost feel that old feeling again. The only problem was a lone voice in his mind that kept telling him it couldn’t be real. All of this had to be some sort of dream or fantasy he had made up himself. Because of this, Max kept as quiet as he could.

Before he went to his room he stopped one door away and quietly opened it and peered inside. There in the bed he could make out a small lump. He knew it was Tamrie, sleeping, but he stepped inside and looked over her sleeping form to make sure everything was well with her.

Max didn’t even realize the change that came over him as he peered down at Tamrie. The tension reflected in his face that he felt throughout his whole body eased, the months of confusion and anger that hung like a dark storm in his mind cleared, and in truth he appeared happy, almost, fatherly as he looked after this child he was beginning to feel was like his very own.

Max smiled as he laid a hand on her shoulder, he was happy to have some time of to spend with Tamrie. He had a few things planned out, he felt Tamrie would be overjoyed with the next day.

Helping, protecting someone, it was a strange feeling, and it wasn’t often he experienced it, but it felt good, it felt right.

“So, where are we going?” Tamrie asked once again, “Are we going to study more?”

“No, I was planning on us taking a break. You’ve been doing very well with your schooling, at least the librarians say so.”

“Okay, but what are we going to do?” Tamrie asked, her mind seemingly insatiably curious.

“You will see.”

“That’s not an answer!~” She sung out.

Max laughed as he turned a corner and came up to double doors.

Sandra made her way through the hallway, her lips moving as she breathlessly grumbled. There was someone in her kitchen. Max had said he was going to cook something and be done. But she had not seen him in well over an hour.

As she turned a corner she could hear laughter and noises, and what sounded like a little girl screaming. As she approached the doors to her kitchen she saw a small opening between the doors and a cloud of something flowing out.

Furiously throwing open the doors, she could see clouds of flour scattered about and Max and Tamrie covered in white flour as well. A bowl overturned and dishes piled in the sink. A lump of slowly rising dough on the counter was about to spill over the edge.

“What in the Hell is going on to my kitchen!?”

Max and Tamrie froze, lumps of flour sifting through their fingers as they turned as one to face the woman at the entrance.

Max did his best to hide his caught red handed grin. A feat Tamrie was failing at completely.

Though seeing the woman there for the few seconds as she slowly turned her head from one side of the room to the other, he could see the twitching of one of her eyes.

“Get out.” She whispered.

“Sandra, right? Uh, look, I’m sorry about all of this. I can clean, er, WE can clean-”

“Get out or I will kill you.”

“Right.” Max turned and scooped Tamrie up in his arms, and headed for the door.

Tamrie couldn’t help but to squeal with laughter. Max didn’t have the energy or time to try and quiet her, he just did his best to rush out of the kitchen without them getting attacked by Sandra on the way out.

After they had left, Sandra simply fell to her knees, her lips quivering as tears began to leak from her eyes. The only sound that broke the silence aside from her fighting her throaty cries was the sickening slap of the still wet dough as gravity finally won.

From the window of the second story house, Whisper watched the crowd gathering in the square down below. There was still several hours before the King would appear and give his speech.

She had been there since mid morning. She had gotten some sleep after her talk with Max before making her way around giving her instructions to those she wanted to gather what she wanted to know. Her attention turned to a group of birds sitting across the way on another roof when she heard a knock.

“Come in.” She called out clearly.

The door opened and in came a young man in tattered and dirty garb, his hair was cut short, but looked like it was growing out and looked like spikes. His eyes were a dark brown, many said looked black, his face was unshaven and his body was lean and thin.

At a simple glimpse he looked like any other beggar on the streets, but he was much more.

“Eclipse, I wasn’t expecting a report from you, but please, go ahead.” Whisper turned her head to appear as if she was paying attention to the crowd once more.

“Well, we all got about the same answer, and it’s not something the King is exactly hiding. What took so long was trying to make sure the information was authentic.” Eclipse scratched at his head, his brow furrowing in frustration as he thought things over.

“Go on.”

“The King is setting up more than just a festival, his announcement will be at dusk. There is another country across the ocean that has been over run by dark magic and corruption. There is also word of magic and treasure waiting to be plucked. The King is giving an open invitation to anyone that wants to go.”

“And what does our good King want in return?” Whisper asked to get Eclipse to the point.

“Any treasure brought back will have taxes added to it. The King will promise it won’t be much, but…”

“But that can change at any point in time. Anything else?”

“The reason the Docks have been taken up, we will be busy over the next month building ships. The king plans on sending a group of soldiers and supplies to a safe area to build a port town. Construction workers are already being called in to begin planning and preparation. Word is, you and your father will also be getting called in shortly.”

“Of course, because of our majority ownership of the docks and business there. Well, he certainly is getting our attention since he made all of our businesses close down for the whole time. He wants us to understand how prosperous this endeavor will be if we agree. Looks like I will need to call in a few people for help.” Whsiper went silent as she quickly began to work out what she could do to prepare for this task. “Get the veterans together, I need an updated list of everything we have currently, an estimation of what we might need based on what we know. Let’s see if we can get first dibs on shipwrights, carpenters, and others. I don’t care if we have to call in a few favors.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“There is more going on here, and things are changing. I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to stay on top of this.” Whisper said to herself once she was alone.