The Great Hero is a Schoolteacher

Princess Nigella nodded.

“Thank you, Chess. I suggest you three pack for the trip and meet tonight at the upstream port. Miss Robi, do you know what you need for a few days’ journey?”

Catalin looked at her feet.

“I’m afraid not, Your Majesty. Most humans expect Zimeons to be travelers, but I was born and raised in Carastra.”

“You should ask Chess, then. Great Hero Al, please follow me.”

We went back inside the palace while my two companions left the courtyard. Princess Nigella brought me to her antechamber and rummaged in her desk.

“I shall give you a letter bearing my personal seal. I must attend a play tonight.”

I narrowed my eyes. “A play?”

She sighed. “King Esthar decided we would go despite the current situation, as to avoid alarming the whole city. My duty is to stand by my father while you go and save us. You were supposed to show up at the theater too, and for our mission’s sake, I have every intention of pretending not to know why you are missing.”

She’d found paper and her seal. She dipped her pen in ink and began writing, in an elegant handwriting quite fitting for a princess.

“What can you tell me about your friend?” I asked.

She smiled, but she didn’t look up from her desk.

“The Sapps have been merchants for generations, trading between Merumo, Carastra and Zerta. They hardly ever venture out at sea, but they know the river Rekario by heart. Kuoto Sapp is a supplier of the court. Taiki is his youngest son, and he will probably not take over like his older siblings.”

“Why not?”

Princess Nigella blew on her letter and took her seal.

“Taiki Sapp is used to getting away with improper behaviors, like telling jokes to the crown princess under improper circumstances, just because he thinks she looks sad.”

She sealed the letter and handed it to me.

“Here you are. My father will be furious when he finds out.”

I nodded. “Of course. I can live with it, but can you?”

“I have been through worse. Moreover, no matter how angry he gets, I know he will not disown me.”

Her smile didn’t fool me: for all her courage, Princess Nigella was a teenager disobeying the most powerful person in the kingdom, who was both her king and her dad. Fear and sadness shone in her blue eyes. She gave me a purse with some money.

“Now go, Al.”

“Thank you, Princess. I won’t disappoint you.”

I walked through the main building, back to the west wing and into my room. I found a bag and stuffed it with clothes and a blanket. There was a knife on the antechamber table. I took it and added it to my luggage, along with the princess’s letter.

And then I walked downstairs unnoticed, or so I thought.

“Great Hero Al!”

I turned on my heels and saw a dark-haired maid.

“Yes… Olga, isn’t it?”

She blushed and smiled. “Great Hero Al, King Esthar would like you to be in the courtyard tonight at half past seven. A carriage will take you to the theater.”

I looked at the massive clock in the hall. “That’s soon. Thanks for telling me.”

Olga nodded. “Also, the first strategic meeting will take place tomorrow at eight, at the Royal Sword Academy.”

“Why not in the council room?”

“It will be unavailable until the windows are repaired.”

It makes sense. The dragon Kossi considerably damaged that beautiful stained-glass scene.

Olga didn’t ask whether I intended to see the play. Apparently, Brealian common sense dictated that no one could refuse an invitation from the king. Well, Esthar was about to find out that said common sense didn’t apply to the complete foreigner that I was. I had better things to do and I couldn’t afford to lose hours because he wanted, not so much to let me enjoy a play, as to display me next to him at a local theater.

“Thank you for everything, Olga. Have a good evening.”

“You too, Great Hero Al!”

I walked out of the palace, then through the courtyard. Grooms were busy in the stables, possibly taking care of the horses that would draw the king’s carriage later that night. I sped up a little. I had to be out of sight before anyone noticed I’d never be back in time for the play. Or for anything.

My heart raced as I set foot on the other side of the bridge, but no one tried to stop me.

It seems I simply walked out of Mordor.

I followed one of the main streets out of the remnants of the city walls, which had long been swallowed by its growth. It was my first time out without an escort, and night had fallen, so I kept looking around. Would anyone recognize me? Or not recognize me and decide to rob me? But nothing happened. I was of average height and build, after all. I didn’t stand out and nobody seemed to pay attention, so I located the river Rekario, and following it upstream, I reached the port safely.

Chess and Catalin were standing on a quay, chatting in low voices. My fiancée had changed out of her student robes and into brown and orange clothes that fit her thin figure closely. Her mid-calf pants were tight, and watching her from a distance, I noticed the tail that moved with every word she said. Her previous outfit had kept it hidden.

She wasn’t just born with rat ears, it seems.

I stayed in the shadows for a short while, enjoying how the two of them got to know each other. If we were to work as a team, they’d need to know and trust each other, so their conversation was precious.

“Good evening, friends!” I finally said, stepping onto the quay.

Catalin’s ears twitched. She left her bag at Chess’s feet and ran to me, thrusting her arms around my neck. For a split second, I thought she was going to kiss me, but it was only a hug.

What’s in her mind? People around us don’t know we’re technically engaged!

I gasped and she released her embrace.

“Great Hero Al?”

I breathed hard. “Just Al, please. I’m getting tired of all that hero decorum.”

“Al. All right. Is something wrong?”

“No, I mean… You don’t need to display affection here. Or anywhere, if you don’t want to.”

She put her hands on her hips. “But what if I do?”

I shook my head. “Do you? Really?”

Catalin coughed. “Of course I do. Why don’t you trust me?”

“Because I have a hard time believing you have true feelings for me after meeting me this afternoon.”

Chess cleared their throat.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but we shouldn’t linger here. The Sapp family’s ships are over there.” They were pointing at boats further upstream.

I scratched my nape. “Yes, Chess, you’re right. Sorry. Let’s go.”

We walked past a couple of boats, observed by a handful of sailors who were probably on night watch.

There’s no way we can go unnoticed. One of these guys will remember us and spill the beans.

We had to be quick. King Esthar would find out we’d set sail from this port, so we needed to be one step ahead of his army.

The two-masted trading ship was not as big as I expected, being used to gigantic cargo ships from my native world, but it made sense. She was designed to sail on a river, not across oceans. And she certainly couldn’t block a whole channel by getting stuck in a bank.

Next to the trading ship was a smaller, narrower one that looked like the fast boat Princess Nigella had told me about. I approached, looking for a sign of presence, but there was no sound or movement.

“Hello?” I tried.

No answer. I came closer on the pier, in an effort to see the inside of the cabin. Chess and Catalin both followed me two steps behind. Nothing seemed to move.

If the man is having a drink somewhere in town, I won’t be able to ask him anything and the king may find us in the morning. What can I do?

I could almost touch the hull now. I turned to my right, where the boat was, and reached out.

A shadow jumped from the deck, over my head, and landed right behind me. Twin blades crossed against my throat. I could hardly see them, but they felt cold and sharp. Chess drew their sword at lightning speed, but they couldn’t attack the stranger without hurting me in the process.

“No, you don’t,” said a youthful but ferocious voice in my ear.

Fear threatened to make me forget what I’d come for. I swallowed with difficulty.

“Taiki Sapp?”

“What do you want from him?”

My heart raced. I could be dead in a second. What if that man wasn’t Taiki Sapp? Or if he was and he decided to act more improperly than usual?

Alicia, think, and act fast!

“There’s a letter in my bag, if you want to read it,” I muttered.

“If it’s a trap, then let me tell you… Ouch! What’s that?”

I got splashed with a few drops of icy water. Catalin was standing next to Chess, her arm extended towards us, a fierce expression on her face.

“This woman is the Great Hero Al and my fiancée!” she said. A coughing fit interrupted her, but she lifted her hand again. “Will you look at her letter? Or should I refresh you once more?”

The man shook his head, spreading more droplets around him. “Did you throw cold water at me? And did you just say she was your fiancée?”

“Yes, I did, and yes, I did.”

“The Great Hero Al got engaged to a Zimeon girl?”

He let go of me and let me turn around to face him.

Taiki Sapp was undoubtedly a young Tibun man, about eighteen years old, with pointy cat ears and a furry tail the same color as his thick grayish hair. In the light from the quay, it didn’t look like a mix of brown and gray, like King Esthar’s regal curls, but more like a very ashy light brown. He wore a blue wide-sleeved jacket with a standing collar. The design looked oriental to me, but I was beginning to understand my fashion references were irrelevant in this world.

The water Catalin had summoned to stop Taiki was still dripping from the top of his head. A scar went across his straight wide nose and his right cheek. Whatever had happened, he’d narrowly escaped disfiguration on that day.

“You look quite ordinary for a hero,” he said in a sulky tone. “Stop staring at me and show me that letter.”

I opened my bag and handed him the sealed paper. As soon as he saw Princess Nigella’s seal, his face changed. “Oh, that’s serious! Come inside.”

He lit a lantern. The cabin was small, probably designed to accommodate one person. We gathered along the two wooden benches that filled one corner of the room. From the cushions and blankets, I guessed it was where Taiki slept. He broke the seal and read the letter, his tail curling like a curious cat’s. Then he looked up at me.

“A matter of life and death, really? Whose life is it about?”

It felt too early to mention Kossi, but I didn’t want to flat out lie to my companions, so I decided to draw the line at not totally accurate.

“Possibly hundreds of people. Someone’s threatening the whole kingdom. I can’t tell you who right now, but if they get what they want… Well, even if they don’t get it, both ways, there will be terrible consequences. I’m trying to prevent that.”

Taiki wrinkled his nose.

“This is quite vague, you know. I’m not sailing all night without a good reason.”

“But this is…”

“Princess Nigella? I know. She’s my friend, but I’m not giving up a good night’s sleep for her gratitude. I need to know why we can’t wait here and set sail in the morning like civilized people.”

I sighed. How could I explain without giving away too much detail?

Chess talked before I had a chance to devise an answer.

“We’re acting on Princess Nigella’s behalf, but King Esthar doesn’t know about our mission. To be honest, we’re in direct contravention of his orders.”

Taiki’s eyes sparkled and he came closer to the cadet.

“Really? This is getting interesting.”

Chess blushed and pulled at a strand of their black hair.

“I don’t think we should…”

Taiki put an arm around their shoulders.

“Come on, you can tell me! Nigella setting up a secret operation under her father’s nose is funny enough on its own, but I want to know more.”

I looked at him, then at Chess, and finally at Catalin who was sitting close to me. Should I tell them? If I want to solve the mystery, I need Chess to watch my back, Catalin to handle magic, and Taiki to get me to Lake Mera! I can’t lose any of them!

“Please, Al,” Catalin insisted. “I’ll follow you no matter what.”

Yes, and that’s another problem. You should be working on your final assignment, not putting your life in danger for my sake. But we’ll sort this out later. I guess I must spill the beans now.

I cleared my throat. “What do you think of the dragon Kossi?”

My companions looked at one another, possibly waiting for someone else to speak up. Finally, Taiki scratched his ears.

“Dunno. I always reckoned he was nice, being a Gold Dragon and all, but either he went evil or he went mad.”

He wasn’t jumping around, swearing he’d kill the dragon if he could. I decided it was encouraging.

“What if I told you Kossi is under a powerful spell that forces him to obey an enemy of Brealia?”

They all looked thoughtful for a moment. I could hear a pin drop in the boat.

“It would make sense,” Catalin commented after a while. “No change of heart, but a strong coercion.” Her ears twitched and she pointed at me. “Is it why you’re looking for a glyph? To counter that spell?”

I nodded. “It might be painful to you, given what he did to the city, but Princess Nigella sent me on a mission to save Kossi.”

“But why?”

“Because the enemy who cast the spell on him will cause a war if we don’t.”

“Oh…” Catalin bit her lips. “I stand by what I said. I’ll help you.”

Chess pushed their black hair away from their face. “The Gold Dragon’s a powerful ally. We want him with us, rather than against us.”

Taiki stood up and crossed his arms. He didn’t look as enthusiastic as I hoped. His face even showed worry. Would he kick us out of his boat?

He looked us down for a long couple of seconds.

“Count me in,” he finally said.