Banished Pt. 03

"Holy shit. Did you get everyone?" Cameron exclaimed, as she rushed towards us, enthusiastically.

"Not quite," I said, shooting Francesca a quick look, and she nodded, a little sad expression on her face.

Cameron greeted everyone, but as she got to me, we paused and shared an awkward 'how do we behave in front of everyone' kind of moment.

She smiled, then hugged me, though a little more reservedly than she probably wanted to.

"You're safe," she said, and I nodded.

She bit her lip, but as we lingered in our own little world for just a moment longer than we probably should have, Nolan cleared his throat, and as Cameron quickly went over to his side, his eyes remained on me, studying me quite intently.

"This place is neat," Francesca noted.

As she looked around, however, the smile faded a little.

"Do you really think Vince will be fine?" she asked.

Ultimately, we decided it would be too risky to go back to the town, or the guild hall for that matter.

"Who knows?" I replied. "There's good to be found everywhere, and if someone from the town took him in... then he'd be safer there than he is with us."

As I cast a glance over at Cameron, and caught her eyes also on me, Francesca studied me with a smile.

"Hnn~. So, you two did get some bonding done," she teased, and I looked away, trying to act as nonchalant as I could.

"It's fine. We're in strange place; our lives constantly at stake. I figured you two would probably get closer when you went off. Just... don't count me out yet," she said, and I followed her with my gaze as she sauntered off to check on Casey.

I was about to sit down, and take a rest, when Gisela's voice suddenly caught my attention.

She seemed to be arguing with one of the Kobalt who stood outside of the town, and I went over to see what was up.

"What's wrong?" I asked, and she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Wisenmanner Versammlung; the council is convened for special deliberation, but despite my place on the council, I am not being allowed admittance. It is not the custom," she said, her annoyance quite evident, and I pondered the development.

Miriam, I thought, summoning the image of the princess in my mind, and as the shadowy form appeared, I could see that she was standing in place, her posture exuding a feeling of pride and firmness.

The magnetic pull indicating her location told me that she was somewhere in the direction of where I believed the council's tree to be, so it was reasonable to assume that she was at the meeting.

I relayed this information to Gisela, and she furrowed her brow, as her eyes began to glint with concern.

"This meeting... is it unusual?" I asked, and Gisela nodded.

"Reserved only for matters of upmost import," she replied.

I took a seat, cross-legged, on the forest floor, then concentrated my vision on the princess.

She seemed to remain in that same position, but as I continued my observation, she finally began to move. She walked, slowly, almost as if in procession, down from the hall where the council met, and eventually out of the tree... and as I followed her movement, it occurred to me that she was nearing our own position.

I relayed this information to Gisela, who tilted her head in confusion.

"No. That can't be right. The princess is to never leave her realm... unless-"

Her eyes went wide, and as I studied the reaction with interest, another Kobalt, this time a girl like Gisela, dressed in that toga that seemed to indicate one's affiliation with the council, came running to us.

She spoke to Gisela, and as she finished speaking, Gisela fell to her knees.

"What is it?" I asked, and Gisela merely shook her head, her hand over her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.

"It is news of princess, Auslander. Wisenmanner Versammlung has concluded; for the act of sending the Auslander forth from our land with the sacred apparatus of our immortal savior, Matron Lucilla has decreed that the princess be stripped of title, and henceforth, exiled from Palancar."

Fucking hell, I thought, as I ran my hands through my hair, and plopped down, exhaustedly, to the floor.