Marian eyed the late morning sun spitefully. She hated sleeping in. She made it a point to get up before sunrise when she could help it. But when her brain was distracted trying to force itself to learn magic, her body usually snuck in a couple extra hours' sleep. She allowed herself an exaggerated groan as she realized she'd be feeling fatigued for the rest of the day.
A hollow "clunk!" sounded in the hall outside her study. It was a little sound, perpetuated by the acoustic echo in the corridor. It was also all Marian needed to know what was going on around her.
"Not again..." Quickly as she could, she hopped up and shuffled out of her study.
---
"...alright, miss, are you ready?"
"I've been ready this whole time! Like, you're the one who's been taking for-ever!"
"Preparation takes time, miss. You can't rush out on an adventure. Think of how silly you'd feel if we were half-way there and you realized you'd forgotten your favorite knifes."
"As if! I'd never leave home without-"
The conversation cut out abruptly at the sound of Marian's approach. The leather soles of her loose-fitting slippers squeaked as they rubbed against the smooth stone floor of the castle's foyer.
A soft baritone addressed her as she entered the chamber with gentle rebuke. "Fell asleep studying again, Marian?"
Marian looked much as she always did after a late night session of study: her long brown hair disheveled, her eyebrows frazzled from where her head was resting on her hands, her puddle-green eyes full of sleep, and an awkward lurch to her step as she slowly regained sensation in her right leg. She'd fallen asleep at her books often enough that she at least knew to dress for the occasion. She wore a comfortable sea green nightgown a bit too large for her and leather slippers with warm, fuzzy interiors. She missed the warmth of her big wool blanket, but she'd had enough sense to leave it behind in the study while she spoke with her companions to maintain some sense of dignity.
Marian wasn't keen on seeing her companions here, but she replied with good humor. With a dry smirk, she asked, "Is it that obvious, Gordon?"
The group that surrounded her was not exactly the same as the one from her dream. Blinking away the sleep in her eyes, she studied the expression of the man who'd addressed her. Gordon had always had a terrible poker face, and his smile this morning was suspect. It was outwardly polite and friendly, as always, but the twitch at the corner of his mouth and the way he drummed his toes in his sandals told Marian he was probably hiding something.
Marian suddenly realized that while she'd been staring, she'd missed one of Gordon's lectures on the merits of proper sleeping habits. The hand that gripped his gnarled oak staff squeezed in nervous energy as he finished, "...you must take care of yourself, Marian. You know how these late-night study sessions interfere with your sleep schedule."
Before Marian could press Gordon about what he was hiding, a shrill voice butted in. "Ah, if the little sleepyhead wants to stay up all night with her books, let her! Just as long as she's doing her own thing? Away from everyone else? I mean, who cares, right?"
"Good morning to you, too, Sandra," Marian murmured. The roguish woman - dressed in a thin but opaque cloak over tight-fitting brown leather armor, long brown boots, and enough daggers to pin down a chimera - always managed to test Marian's loose definition of "companion" to the breaking point.
Sandra made a show of studying her red nails with rapt concentration. "Yah, morning, Mary. Can we go, now?"
Gordon's mortified expression told Marian that this was likely what he'd been hiding. For his benefit, she feigned surprise. "You're going somewhere? I couldn't tell."
"Yah, well, maybe if you actually did something besides read? You'd know what's going on around here for once? For reals," Sandra drawled. Her fingernails continued to be more interesting than the person she was talking to.
"That's enough, Sandra," Gordon chided.
Sandra scoffed and looked away. "Whatever."
Marian faced the last of her three companions. Though several years had passed, the Wyvern Hunter still looked much as he always did - heavy armor, ornate weaponry, youthful face, neutral expression. He was looking at Marian, waiting for her to say something.
"What's going on, sir?" She asked. "Some work come up?"
"If you must know? Yeah, we got some work. I guess Redcrest Abbey's totally full of monsters? All over the place."
Marian glared at Sandra, who was back to examining her nails. "But there's always monsters in the Redcrest Abbey Ruins."
"That's what I said! But apparently these monsters are, like, suuuuper scary oh my goddess."
Gordon flashed Sandra a disapproving look.
"Whaaaat? I'm just the messenger, here!"
He shook his head but kept his mouth shut. Marian mentally thanked his restraint; she was not eager for another lecture about using the Divine Lady's name in vain.
"A-ny-way. They said that the boss had to come right away, so. Now we're going?"
Marian nodded. "I'll need about twenty minutes to change into my traveling clothes, then I'll-"
"Whoa, settle your horses, Mary! You're not invited? So, don't worry your pretty little head about it, mmkay? We're good."
And there it was. Marian had played the part of sincerity just in case she was mistaken, but now the game was up. She sighed.
"Like, it's not my call! Really. But the boss said that this is a job for toughies, and, like, you're no toughie? No offense," Sandra said in a tone that very much made it sound like she wanted to give offense.
Marian cocked an eyebrow. "He said that?"
"Well, it's what he meant, anyway. You know how he is."
The last thing Marian wanted right now was endure more Sandra than she had to. She looked at their leader, her eyes heavily lidded with exhaustion that had nothing to do with the amount of sleep she got. "Hey, can we talk? Just the two of us?"
The Wyvern Hunter appraised Marian. After a few long seconds, he turned to Sandra and Gordon, standing on either side of him. He tilted his head and motioned his eyes towards the open door, leading out to the sunny courtyard.
Sandra threw up her manicured hands in protest. "Well. I know when I'm not wanted. I guess I'll just go wait by the wagon? Go keep Vanguard company, or whatever."
"You're bringing the dog?!"
"Byyyyye, Mary!" Sandra gave an over-exaggerated wave as she turned and bounded out of the room, giggling.
To his credit, Gordon had the courtesy to look apologetic. "Maybe next time." He worked his mouth for a moment, apparently searching for something to add, but eventually gave up and started shuffling away. His departure was punctuated by the familiar thumping of his staff on the stone floor.
Marian watched as Sandra and Gordon made their way out to the wagon. Even from this distance, she could see the head of a large, sand-colored wolf peer out from the edge. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as Vanguard let Sandra scratch his head. Even the dumb dog loved to play favorites.
Marian turned back to her boss. A raised eyebrow from the Wyvern Hunter told Marian that he was waiting for her response. She let the silence hang as she contemplated her approach. After a minute, she spoke in a low tone. "Am I really stuck housekeeping again?"
He tilted his head at a slight angle, staring at her.
"Come on, this is hardly the first time you've left me behind on one of these adventures."
He nodded his head, conceding the point. It infuriated Marian that he was treating this like he'd just been corrected on a piece of trivia.
Marian's eyes drifted away. "Look. I know that you don't like going out with too big of a party. I can only imagine how hard it is to keep track of us all, and yourself, and the monsters, and everything else. I get it."
She looked back up at her boss, a pleading expression in her eyes. "But it's been so long since I've had the chance to get out there! You always manage to find time to team up with some old friend you haven't seen in ages. Why not me?"
Over the years, Marian had learned to read the subtle shifts in the Wyvern Hunter's expressions to gauge his mood. Even though his face was as blank as always, she knew he was thinking about something by the way his neutral expression softened, ever so slightly.
"Is it like what Sandra said? Do you think I'm not strong enough to help out?" A nervous lump formed in her throat at this thought.
Her boss didn't confirm her fears, but he didn't deny them, either. Marian had to swallow her emotions before she could continue.
"I know I'm not the strongest fighter. I know I'm not the smartest tactician. But we're still supposed to be fighting together. When we- when I started travelling with you years ago, I was supposed to be learning all kinds of new things and getting tougher with you guys. You remember when I first started travelling with you, don't you?"
The slight shift of the Wyvern Hunter's features as he fixed his blank expression into a disapproving frown told Marian that he was thinking about an entirely different event.
All momentum in her argument stopped as she suddenly remembered that day. She couldn't believe she had managed to forget. How audacious she must appear, to be making such demands! She could only assume she had been more tired than she realized, and that her judgement was clouded by nostalgia.
"I know. You're right, sir." Marian looked down. "I messed up. Big time. I'm sorry."
The frown faded. Marian risked looking back up at her boss, who was back to carefully appraising her.
The conversation had just ended. She knew pressing forward was a bad idea. But since she had come this far, she decided to try her luck. "Even so, sir. Hasn't it been long enough? Isn't it time you let me try again?"
His expression started to turn again, so Marian quickly added, "You were going to give me another chance! Just after some time had passed. Don't you remember?"
He tilted his head and looked away, considering. He nodded, once more conceding the point.
"I've been wondering if enough time has passed for-" She balked when the number of years came to mind. "-for a long while, sir. I was sure that things would be different after we set up base here. But you keep coming back from your adventures with all sorts of new people! You spend more and more time with them, and I feel less and less important! I've been around for longer than that stuck-up-!"
Marian caught herself, then squeezed her eyes shut. She took in a deep breath, counted backwards from ten, then let it out. Her emotions hadn't stabilized, but she thought she could at least continue without casting insults.
She looked again at her leader, who still eyed her with a cool expression. She knew that look, though - he was waiting for her to get to the point. She bowed her head, her eyes looking at his greaves. In a quieter voice, she asked, "Do you not want me around anymore, sir? Is that it?"
The Wyvern Hunter said nothing.
After a minute, Marian couldn't stand his silence any longer. In desperation, she clamped her eyes and fists shut as she shouted at his feet. "Say something to me! You owe me that much, sir! Just say something!"
With a grunt, he lifted his shield, turned, and was on his way out the door.
"Wait! Wait, darn it! Wait!" She rushed to the open doorway to try and stop him, but she was too slow. By the time she'd gotten to the door, he was climbing onto the wagon cart. The others were waiting in the wagon, having already loaded their supplies and hitched up the horses.
The thought of continuing this conversation with the others present brought Marian to a dead stop. The young woman couldn't bear the idea of further debasing herself before Sandra. Instead, she watched hopelessly as her leader goaded the horses into a steady canter. The cart bounced along the dirt road, soon cresting the edge of the hill. As the horses and cart descended the gentle slope, the party slowly disappeared. It wasn't long before the sounds of the cart faded away, leaving only the breeze rustling through the grass to break the silence of the morning.
Marian stood there for a few minutes while she took in the day. She thought about how it would be a perfect day for her companions' travel. The sunny sky was broken by a few scattered clouds, and the cooling breeze would keep the summer heat mild. Marian could practically see herself in the cart alongside her allies. The dusty, uneven dirt road traced a lazy curve down the side of the hill upon which their fortress sat. It would wend through the nearby town of Bluebell Fields, guiding her companions through the open market, where they'd be tempted into picking up some apples or freshly baked bread to share together. Eventually, the town would end, and the road would continue, weaving around the open farmlands on the outskirts of town. From there, beyond the corners of modest civilization, lay the wondrous, sprawling world of Sidhegaard. Full to the brim was it with manifold secrets waiting to be uncovered, evil doers waiting to be thwarted, everymen to be saved, treasure to be amassed, and magic to be mastered.
...and Marian was stuck here, tending Cobblestone Keep once again.
"Well, he didn't stay completely silent this time. That's something." There was no comfort in these words, but saying them out loud helped her pretend.
She turned around and shuffled back into the castle. The familiar squeak-squeak of her slippers soon filled the empty fortress. Her dream was over, and reality had set in once again. It was time for Marian to earn her keep as a loyal companion of the legendary Wyvern Hunter.