* The Training Courtyard, Dawn*
The spear sliced through the air with a clean whistle, its steel tip tracing a perfect arc in the pale morning light. Avery chained the movements with mechanical precision, her feet sliding over the sand of the courtyard. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but it did not spoil her beauty at all, her long violet hair and her piercing ruby red eyes...
[ Mission failed. Your fiancé cheated on you! ]
The crystalline voice of the system echoed in her mind, sharply breaking her concentration. Her spear wavered, almost slipped from her hands.
"What?!"
The cry escaped her.
She stood frozen, her knuckles white around the wood of the spear. A few days... It had only been a few days since she had started considering meeting this so-called Kylian... And that dickhead had already cheated on her?
A low rumble rose in her chest. Anger quickly replaced the shock.
"Your Majesty, you seem angry? Is something bothering you?"
Krion had approached without a sound, as always. His hand rested on the pommel of his sword, his gray eyes scrutinizing the princess's face with concern.
Avery clicked her tongue in a dismissive manner. "Tsk. Nothing you need to worry about." She planted the spear in the ground with a force that made the shaft tremble. "It's the son of Count Hansen, that bastard..."
[ Ding! You have a new mission. ]
The notification imposed itself in her mind, luminous and implacable.
[ After multiple reconsideration, you obtain a final mission with the same reward! ]
[ Make your fiancé fall in love with you. ]
Avery stared into space for a moment, the system's words dancing before her eyes. A seduction mission? Her? Princess Avery of the Hades lineage? She was mostly known for her talent and had no, but absolutely no experience in these things.
She turned her head toward Krion, staring at him for long seconds. Her personal bodyguard, her faithful shadow for years.
"That failure disrespected you?!" he finally asked. "I can go kill him immediately!"
Avery raised a hand to stop him, without a word. She kept looking at him, weighing her request. Then, in a low voice, she asked the question burning on her lips:
"Krion. Do you know where one can procure the Heartthorn potion?"
A genetic silence followed...
Krion's eyes widened, his professional mask cracking for an instant to reveal pure astonishment.
'Has His Majesty already met that good-for-nothing? Why would she want to buy such a powerful enchantment potion?'
"Well, princess..." he began, his voice cautious. "I am sure you can find some by buying from that witch. But it is—"
"I know it's illegal, Krion." Avery's voice was sharp as a blade. "But I don't care."
A long sigh escaped Krion's chest. He lowered his head, his thoughts swirling behind his worried brow.
'Would our Princess be in love with this mortal without lineage? He shook his head slightly. "Anyway, bad boys always make a strong impression..."
But when he raised his eyes again, a determined, almost dark glint shone in his gaze. 'I won't let that bastard take advantage of her naivety...'
"Fine," he said simply.
Avery nodded. She picked up her spear, spinning it in her hand with ease.
"Let's resume," she ordered.
...
Meanwhile, in the snowy mountains of the north, two silhouettes galloped on horseback. The icy wind whipped their faces, and the snow kicked up by the hooves formed a white cloud behind them.
The flakes were falling thickly, reducing visibility to a few dozen meters, and the cold bit at the exposed skin of the two travelers.
"This dungeon has not yet been discovered," Kylian said to himself, tightening the reins. "So there should not be any problems."
He squinted to scan the misty horizon, then added aloud, turning to his companion:
"If I remember correctly, it should not be too far."
Lyra nodded without answering, her hood pulled down over her forehead to protect herself from the wind. While Kylian was lost in thought, a whistle tore through the air.
A javelin split the mist and nearly pierced him through. He owed his salvation only to a sudden swerve of his horse, which neighed in fright and slipped on the packed snow. The sharp tip of the projectile planted itself in a frozen tree trunk behind him.
"Shit, this was not planned!" Kylian exclaimed, pulling on the reins to steady his mount.
Silhouettes emerged from the snowy rocks lining the path.
There were about a dozen of them, bundled in coarse furs, armed with axes, swords and spears. Their faces were masked by cloths, but their eyes betrayed a clear intention: they wanted loot, and they did not plan to let the two travelers leave alive.
Kylian jumped from his saddle and seized his bow in a fluid motion. He drew a first arrow while assessing the situation.
'There are about a dozen of them. If I kill about half, we can escape.'
"Lyra! Take cover!" he shouted.
She did not obey immediately. Instead, she dismounted with surprising calm, her gaze sweeping over the attackers as if she were sizing them up one by one. Kylian did not have time to worry about it further, because the bandits were already charging with shouts.
He released his first arrow. It flew through the mist and lodged in the shoulder of a man who was howling while brandishing an axe. The bandit stumbled but did not fall.
Kylian nocked a second arrow, aimed carefully and shot. This time, the projectile missed its target narrowly because of a gust of wind that diverted its trajectory. He swore between his teeth and adjusted his shot.
A third bandit was approaching dangerously, a spear raised above his head. Kylian stepped back, drew his bow in a quick motion and shot at point-blank range.
The arrow went through the man's chest, and he collapsed into the snow screaming. But two others were already taking his place, and Kylian understood that he would not be able to stop them all at a distance.