After a few silent minutes pa.s.sed to look at the road, Agnes gives Alex a side glance before voicing her thoughts."So, how do you found us that easily?"
He takes out a map from a pocket, showing her the emplacement circled in red ink.
"Did you came on foot?"
"Yes, I don"t know how to ride a horse and I am faster on my own anyway so it was better, plus I don"t have to follow the road, I cut straight from the academy to your position."
Agnes said nothing, thinking at the fact that someone was able to run faster than a horse was ridiculous to her, but it does matter, he had been here to protect the princess, as long as he wasn"t a threat she was willing to let slide a few lies, not knowing that it was indeed the truth.
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Being slower than him, they need two hours to return to school. Before they could be here the carriage had been spotted and a crowd already forming.
While more than one was thanking as to why he was with the carriage, the instant the princess exit, they all kneels, before rising on the order of Henrietta.
Before Osman could greet the princess, a certain blond pompously speak.
"Princess Henrietta, you shouldn"t stay near that fiend, he killed Count Mott, who knows what he could be plotting!"
All looks alternate between a smirking Guiche and an expressionless Alex.
"Don"t worry, for I Guiche de Gramont shall..."
Is inspired tirade was cut short when a dark cloud for rapidly above them all, Raising their head, all look with horror as it wasn"t clouds but the shadow of hundred owls. The frozen silence was broken when they all dive at the blond in a twister motion.
"What you think your doing, your b.l.o.o.d.y bird!" Start him arrogantly before it soon turns into anguish sound. "Wait that my wand! Give it ... Ahhhh, my fingers! What have you done to... That my noise! Please stop! Not my face! Mother help me! Ahhhhhh!"
All look in horror and with a morbid fascination at the faint glimpse of Guiche seen between the rare hole in the flock formation.
It didn"t last more than two minutes, and the owls vanish as soon as they appear, but were Guiche previously stood was now a b.l.o.o.d.y heap on the ground, his clothes ripped, his body covert by claws and beak wounds, his fingers mangled, hid wand, standing broken at his side.
The face he was so proud before was now missing a chunk of his nose, ears torn off or badly damaged, a large part of his scalp was bleeding for the torn apart hairs, and his very face marred with crisscrossing deep open wounds.
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It was only because he was near here, that Alex hears it. It was faint but he easily catches it when he hears the sound of splitting flesh. Immediately, the odor or blood a.s.saulted his nose. The next second, he was at Henrietta"s side, his steel grip falling on the hand of Louise familiar, who was stabbing the princess in the kidneys.
The weak wrist immediately shatters in a loud snap as he rams his forearm harshly his head, bursting it open like a watermelon.
"Heu?"
Still, under the shock that she was just stabbed, Henrietta let out a confused squeak before a thin trail of blood roll down her chin. Alex immediately prevents her to retrieve the blade while conjuring screen all around them, closed with a strong privacy charm.
He soon made her a bed and made her sit on it. At the same time, she starts to register what had happened and start to panic. Before she lost herself, she feels cold lips on her own, making her blank for a second.
"Calmed?" She could only nod dumbly at his question, before putting her finger on her lips. "Good, because I need you to calm down for a moment." Say him before a sheet of paper on a wooden board appears out of nowhere along with a quill and a levitating inkwell. With a wave of his hand, she feels something invading her and flooding her body for a second before it vanishes.
On the side, the quill suddenly starts to move and write on the paper, only to stop after ten seconds on glide in the metal clip on it, followed by the inkwell.
Taking the board in his hand, he rapidly goes through it before frowning. With another wave, Henrietta was put into stasis. It was also at this moment that the curtain shakes under an explosion, being blown apart. On the other side, was a p.i.s.sed of Louise that stride to him.
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"How dare you attack and kill my familiar! I..."
Her angry shout was shut by the resounding slap she receives, making her fall on her rear and unconsciously put her hand on her red cheek. The silence would be deafening, if not for the moan of anguish from Guiche.
When she raised her eyes to look at Alex, fear grip her heart under the cold glare he was giving her.
"You better shut up, b.i.t.c.h! Your Familiar just attempts to kill the princess of Tristain and heir to the throne, do you think you could b.i.t.c.h around after this?! Agnes, as her majesty knight, I ask you to put Miss Valliere under arrest for a.s.sociate attempts of murder on her majesty the princess as well sedition against the crown!"
More than one shriek at those words and the faces of the knights harden. Without her needing to say something, two knights take Louise away while also making sure to take her wand. Agnes immediately approaches the princess, seeing the blade still lodged in her body.
She lost all her color at the sight, she knows that such a wound would be fatal as they hadn"t access to the needed potion that could save her life. With a trembling voice, she asks.
"Is she..."
"No, I put her under stasis, all her body functions are frozen and she feeds off my magic to stay alive. As long as she is under it, the poison won"t spread as fast but it still does and let us a very short time before killing her. It is shutting down everything it contaminates."
Agnes" shoulders sag in relief at this, while the headmaster was flabbergasted that such magic exists. If it was the truth, they would have a chance to save the princess as long as he can support her, but hearing about the poison, he shudders.
Gathering his wits, he advanced to the two.
"Is she safe to be transported?" He receives a nod for Alex." Then, follow me, miss Longueville immediately sends a pigeon..."
Osmand was cut short when a large white owl glides down and stood on the bed head. He also hears the scratching of a quill on parchment, only to see Alex seal a rectangular sheet of parchment.
"Chione, I need you to deliver this letter to the royal palace of Tristain, directly to the king, alright?" Say him as he fixes the letter to her paw. She bobs her head before taking flight, rapidly vanishing on the horizon.
Seeing the confused gaze of everyone, he added. " She, like the other, is mail owls, magically raised one in order to deliver post, their magic allows them to found their target and always deliver it post, it should take her a few hours to reach them."
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The headmaster only nods, before leading him in the tower"s medical bay. He put her slowly on the bed, before shooting a deep blue beam at each window and the door.
"What was that?!" Scream Agnes has she unconsciously draw her blade, standing in front of the downed Princess.
"Unbreakable charms, it will strengthen the hit structure and confer them relative protection until the magic powering them is exhausted."
She releases her grip slightly, still warry, but when she strikes the nearest window with all her strength she was astonished to not even see a crack on the frail gla.s.s. Nodding, being satisfied at the added security, she sheath her blade.
"My excuse, I..."
"... Was only doing your duty, there nothing to apologize for, Chevalier Agnes, I know that the Princess was, is, and will always be your priority, seeking her security isn"t and shouldn"t be something you have to apologies for."
On the side, the headmaster nod happily at the care Alex bear as of the security of the Princess, and Agnes let out a small smile and a thankful nod before her expression turns grim and turns to the origin of her worries.
"Can one of you do something?" Ask her at Osmand.
"I fear that the school doesn"t have the means to carter as of the princess health, if I were to know the origin of the poison, then I could save some time for her majesty" healer, but I am regretfully far forming an expert in this field.
"At least he isn"t like Dumbles who would have wanted to play hero, only to kill her because of a misjudged pride."
"I can remove the knife and knit back the damaged organs and flesh, but I will be unable to do something against the poison for a few days."
This made the two make volt-face at him.
"You can cure the poison?" ASk Agnes hopefully.
"No, but I could study it, if I have a sample of the potion, I could try to found a cure, If I can"t until the healer arrives, I would at least be able to give them some hint as of his nature and how he reacts."
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When she heard him, it was more than she can hope, not only he already save the princess"s life twice, he had the means to help for her recovery. This was more than enough for her, so she gives him authorization.
Under her gaze and the old man, she sees him make the fabric surrounding the knife to vanish. She winces at the appearing black veiny patterns surrounding the wound. Slowly the knife was pulled down as his hand rest on the bare skin above. She was quite put out that the Princess bare body was touched, and had a reservation as of it need.
When she sees the blade completely out, and the skin knit back, only to leave a faint red line, she didn"t say a thing, clearly witnessing that he had, in fact, keep to his words.
The wound hadn"t bleed more than blacken blood she suspects been around the blade, but nothing else. Relived that they had one less problem to fix she exit the room, she had two suspects to interrogate.
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After leaving two knights to guard the door of the bay, Osmand had lead Alex to Madam Chevreuse, the potion expert of the school to give him a sample of potion for him to study, along with the rest of the poison still present on the blade.
On her side, Agnes had grilled Louise and Guiche on their possible implication in the, for now, attempts of murder. While Guiche was found clean, other than his still untreated wounds, it wasn"t the same for Louise, as the letter had been found hidden under her mattress.
Those weren"t equivocal, it was plainly written how the knife had made it way in the hand of the Familiar and the order to the murder of Henrietta.
Even if she had nothing to do with this, as the master of her Familiar, it was her responsibility to keep him out of harm, be it on his person or the others surrounding him. The last two knights were immediately told to take Louise in their custody, it would fall on the king to statue on the fate of the third daughter of the duke Valliere.
All know that I would have heavy repercussions on the family"s social standing in the Kingdom if they weren"t put to death.
No one sees Alex the entire day, and the rumor that he was actively researching a cure for the poison, rapidly spread.
Far away, at the time for lunch, an unusual sight appears in the royal palace. While they were eating, the King sees a beautiful white owl land on his armrest, before it tends it leg, sporting a letter bearing his t.i.tle.
Carefully extracting the letter, he read it, immediately losing color in his face. He suddenly raises and screams at the nearest guard.
"Go immediately fetch the healer and tell them that they are to depart to Tristain school of magic! I want them there yesterday!"
The poor guard immediately bolts away, knowing that his caring king would never scream at anyone if it wasn"t a vital affair.
Twenty minutes later, a carriage could be seen exiting the palace at breakneck speed, soon followed by a carriage surrounded in the air by the griffin corps and twenty-five soldiers on horses.
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Late in the night, Tristain school was receiving the royal healers, rapidly lead to the medical bay by the headmaster while Agnes sends one of the two guarding knights fetch Alex. Since he only gives the headmaster, Agnes and himself the authorization to enter the room, one of the three would need to open the door.
They have already started to install their wears around when Alex arrives.
"Mr. Evans, have you progressed?" Ask the headmaster when he enters, gathering the attention of the five wisens men also present.
"I have." Was all he said before giving the sheet of paper in his hand to one of them.
As Osmand had told them that he was the one responsible for the survival of the Princess until then, none of them dismiss his work when he presents it to them. As the other gather around the first to have a glimpse of what he had found, they were astonished at the number of mixed potions he transcribed to counter-act the poison.
He also describes in length the components of the poison and its effect. Having their work greatly cut, one of them bring Alex to their larger stock of potion and ask him to work with them.
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Three hours later, the screech of griffin averts everyone still awake of the arrival of the royal family. Leaving them work, the Headmaster rapidly makes his way outside the room to receive and lead them.
"Osmand, where is my daughter!"
"This way please." The old man leads the highly stressed king and the frantic queen in the hall of the medical bay. Before he could rashly open the door, Agnes stood in front of her king.
"I will ask you to calm down, my king. Mr. Evans had asked the greatest calm inside the room to allow them to work efficiently. I will not risk the health of the Princess on a rash decision!"
This was what he needs to cool off enough to see that she was right.
"Mr. Evans? Who is he?"
Leading the king, queen, headmaster, and the marshal that had followed them, others in a room on the side, Agnes start to relate what happens at dawn. The planned attempts he found raiding Mott house after his death, the attack and him saving the Princess life once, the peaceful return to the academy, only for the pathetic attempts of Guiche that allow a second attempt on the princess life, only to be stopped by Alex once more. How he put the princess into stasis to allow the healer enough time to arrive and save her life, the letter, the murder of Louise familiar, as well as the strike down. Him effectively retrieving the blade and healing the wound, leaving only the poison as a risk for the princess life, the security measures he put forth to ensure her safety while restricting the number of people able to enter, and finally his study on the poison to found a cure or at least reduce the work of the healer for the time they arrive.
Needlessly to say, the four were flabbergasted at this. If they are able to found a cure, he would have saved the princess"s life three times in a very short amount of time, as well as the crown for the doc.u.ment on Reconquista he retrieves from Mott and gives to Agnes.
Those same doc.u.ments were soon given to the king for him to reviews. The amount of planning and infiltration was staggering. Seeing that the initial attempts were firstly planned on the day of the familiar exhibition, that Henrietta would have attended, tell them that the familiar my have been planted as a spy from the start, it also signifies that Alex my also be the initially intended to summon to Louise.
"They aren"t another choice before I deliver my judgment, I would need to know if he was made to be miss Valliere familiar." Says the king while pinching his brows."
"Would that be truly wise?"
"What do you mean Osmand?"
"Mr.Evans had shown that he was able to use magic, he also affirmative that he possess the land, and had saved the princess life two times already if you were true, then he will become nothing more than a Familiar, without even human right. Not only would that it reflect poorly on us, but we also may start a war with another nation by enslaving one of their n.o.bility."
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Those words didn"t sit well with all of them, being ungrateful is one thing, starting a war was another. A part of the solution came from the queen.
" Why not start by making so that sentient and intelligent Familiar are to be at least given the same basic right as a commoner? If Mr. Evans was to turn into miss Valliere familiar, he would be still seen as human. By being here, he would gain Tristain citizenship, and would be able to be recompensed for all he had already done for us? Even if he was to be miss Valliere familiar, then, he can still be offer citizenship and additional reward for his deeds?"
This greatly eases her husband and the rest of the a.s.sembly than a peaceful solution could be found.
"I will still need to warn Duke Valliere as of the last event, he would want to be here, should his daughter bond with Mr. Evans."