A Lead

The inside of Castle Oklaind wasn't nearly as active or packed as Annabelle had initially imagined it. With the death of Earl, she had fully expected it to be crawling with Knights and foot soldiers under the rule of House Birend and House Valerz, the two territories encompassing Castle Oklaind.

However, the only Knights spread throughout the buildings outer courtyard and deeper innards were Knights under the direction of the Church Of Yggdrem, distinguishable by their brightly colored emblems embedded into their armors. These Knights had already taken it upon themselves to begin a thorough investigation, using a variety of Crest Abilities and standard sleuthing to identify what had transpired during the castle raid. Though a bit annoyed by the presence of the Church, Annabelle shrugged it off. Lodging a complaint now would merely fall on deaf ears.

If anything, it would make it a bit easier for her and her own subordinates to gather the intel she desired.

"Halt. This Castle is under the jurisdiction of.....oh Lady Hresgeld!!" The objecting Church Knight immediately got down on one knee the moment he recognized the approaching figure. "Apologies. I knew not of your arrival."

"Think nothing of it." Annabelle didn't even give it a second thought, not the least bit worried about such formalities. "More importantly, what has become of this castle? I was informed that Earl Oklaind had expired during the attack but I wasn't given much detail. Am I correct in assuming the present Church Knights have already gathered all they can?"

The man swiftly rose back onto his feet as the princess posed her question, standing at attention. Upon hearing what she had to say, he gave her a small nod.

"Putting the matter of Lord Oklaind aside, the Knights have managed to secure the testimonies of everyone here as well as analyze the extent of the castle grounds." The young Knight pulled out a small crystal from a pouch attached to his balcony hip. "Would you care to hear what we have gathered?"

"Please. Proceed."

The man immediately delved into the topic, showcasing the past actions and remarks obtained from the ones who had survived. Surprisingly, all the testimonials seemed to fall in line with one another, filling in the gaps.

It started around midnight, that was when the first guard, the one overlooking the north wings lookout tower, was rendered unconscious. There was no warning or signs, just a quick blow to the temple. From there, everything went downhill rather quickly as more and more guards, and even Knights, were summarily subdued. No one got a good glimpse of the attackers due to them wearing colored masks identical to each other, but it was clear they were highly trained. Just one of them had managed to run through three Knights without so much as pausing.

Based on the witnesses, there were only around 5 to 7 attackers within the castle. Against a squad of highly trained individuals this feat alone made the enemy that much more dangerous. Either the assailants were that much stronger or they were just that much smarter. Both outcomes were unsavory to say the least.

The concept of an insider operation was almost a guaranteed.

There were other things the Knight started to explain but Annabelle found herself sidetracked, her gaze wandering around her surroundings. The burned and ravaged wall, the nearby Church Knights, the befuddled guards who still had yet to collect themselves despite how much time had passed. Eventually, her gaze landed upon a figure leaning against the far side of the castle, hunched over with face tucked into his own arms. Even from the distance she was at, she recognized him as a member of the Yggdrem Church, an Air Knight by the looks of it. Despite the fact that her informant hadn't finished speaking, she departed the area and made her way towards the unknown entity.

Emerald green hair, an indication of a Crest Users attribute to wind. 175 centimeters tall, a bit taller than the princess herself was. Smooth, clear skin and colored eyes that matched the hair, eyes that were currently sunken and bloodshot. Though obviously broken down and crushed beneath a intangible storm of negative emotions, Annabelle had to admit that the man looked rather capable. Above all else though, the collapsed Knight had information worth its weight in gold. Even more so than the informant she had just walked away from.

"Excuse me-"

"Be gone with you miscre....oh. Forgive me. I concluded you were a member of the Church." Yeager frowned, pushing himself off the ground and onto his feet. "Apologies, Lady Hresgeld. To what do I owe the honor?"

"Are you not a fellow member of the Yggdrem Church?"

The man shook his head. "Not from this branch. Like the other transfers, I hail from a separate region towards the north end of Yggsenol, in the Empire of Frunctot."

Alice frowned slightly. "The other transfers?"

Yeager didn't give a reply to the inquiry. "Is there something I can help you with princess?"

Annabelle waited a few seconds before holding out her hand. "My name is Annabelle Valentina Hresgeld. First princess of the royal House Hresgeld. Please feel free to use it. Might I have yours as well?"

Yeager hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating his next words wisely. He slowly grasped her hand in his own. "I am Yeager Estero. No Affiliation. A commoner from a region within the Frunctot Empire."

(("Interesting. He handles himself well, yet he claims to be a commoner. Doesn't seem fazed by my royal status either. Above all else, he has an exceedingly strong Crest.")) Annabelle tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes observing Yeager with mild interest. "May I ask from what region?"

"You may not," Yeager answered without even a pause.

"Very well. I didn't approach to cause you any grief." The royal didn't give it a second thought, having anticipated the response. "Though I would very much like to pose a few questions, if you would be so kind."

"I won't turn you away." Yeager readjusted himself before agreeing, fixing the rapier attached to his waist. "As long as you're okay with my refusal depending on the scope of the question."

Annabelle glanced around until she saw what she wanted. Without a word, she gestured for the young Knight to follow, moving closer to the edge of the courtyard, along the outer rim of the thick wall separating the castle from the outside world.

Castle Oklaind was divided into three parts.

The shell, or the wall, was the main line of defense. Made with a mixture of stone, mithril, and a solid chunk of steel, it was almost impossible to bring down with conventional means, Crest Ability, magic, or otherwise. With enormous crossbows mounted at key points on the walls apex, a drawbridge only accessible from the inside, and a deep moat filled to the brim with a deadly variant of Zercox Eels, the shell deterred the vast majority of would be attackers from invasion. Combined with the location and the Oklaind's RockLer affiliates, it was one of the safest places to be.

Then there was the courtyard, the section where Annabelle, Yeager, and other Church Members were currently wandering through. It was a veritable maze, that was perhaps the simplest way to put it. Designed and sculpted by top architects and florists, it was not only a beauty with all of its hedges and various walkways, but it was also deadly.

During the night, just after the sun had fully set, the flowers making up the Maze, known as Fools Gamble, would release a heavy cloud of poison. This cloud would dissipate before the morning sun had fully risen, leaving behind a sweet yet thick scent of honey.

It was in this maze of highly deadly foilage that Annabelle and Yeager were wandering through, setting an aim for deeper into the Castle.

"So. Yeager Estero was it?" Annabelle glanced back slightly, blue hues eyeing the male individual curiously. "You said you transfered out here? What made you choose this location?"

Yeager, once again, didn't reply right away. Unlike most of the people Annabelle had conversed with in the last month, this particular one seemed to constantly contemplate his own answers before responding. He didn't seem to be slow or hard of hearing, but rather it seemed to the princess as if he was gauging just how much should be said and what should be kept close to the chest. Closely guarded. Secretive. Private. Cautious.

"Every person is always the same at their core. Deducing their personality and possible actions accordingly is the mark of any great strategist."

An old quote from long ago briefly reared its head, bringing some memories along with it. The smell of books and the fresh aroma of oak and snickerdoodle. The sight of a small group sitting before a fire, listening intently to a young man with black hair. The sound of crackling wood and the comforting voice of the youth as he addressed his observers. The feeling of warmth and comfort offered by the environment and the ones she cared about.

The princess freely crushed the mental images without a second thought, sending it right back where it came from.

"Lady Hresgeld?"

Annabelle shook her head, dispelling all traces of the distant past. "Apologies. Can you repeat?"

Yeager frowned slightly but didn't comment further on the royals dazed look. "I chose this place for its safety and its easy work. Nothing grandiose. Alice and Robin also had the same idea."

Annabelle halted where she was, partly turning around. "Alice and Robin?"

Yeager nodded his head. "Robin Fitztooth. Alice Wonder. She was a part of the Yggrem Church in Frunctot for nearly two years. She transfered here with myself, Robin and some other new trainees 3 months ago. She wields a longsword and has a red hood, doesnt talk about her past much. As for Robin, he's an archer from Litezo. A commoner from what I know. They call him Robin Hood based off of the green hood he wears on his outfits."

(("Nearly two years. Around the same time as...")) The Princess clenched her hand around one of her swords. "Can you describe them further?"

"Alice has pure red hair, typical of a Flame Crest. Probably the strongest Striker Class I've ever seen." Yeager calmly walked past Annabelle, continuing the voyage into the castle's innards. "She's bubbly, talkative, energetic, stubborn, and probably the most straightforward person of all the transfers in Castle Oklaind. They called her Wonder Hood at first but it didn't sound appealing so they switched to Red Riding Hood. Robin is the exact opposite. He's a well built guy with skin the color of a darker caramel, hard to miss. He has a weaker Crest of the Recon Class but he uses its ability so effectively its scary. Probably the best archer to exist...anywhere really. I don't think I've ever seen him miss-"

"That's enough," Annabelle said, cutting the Knight off, catching up with the man. "I didn't need to know all of that."

"You said descriptive. Unless our definition of 'describe' is vastly-"

"Forget it." The Princess scowled, a feeling of irritation rising from within. "Where are these two transfers now?"

"Missing. After the attack, a number of Knights were found dead and around 4 others went missing. Robin and Alice were among them. I believe they were taken as hostages." Yeager touched his chin. "I heard some of the guards know something about the ones who attacked but they've been tight-lipped since I awoke. They won't even tell the Church about it."

That bit of information peaked Annabelle's interest as the two of them began a slow trek up a set of marble stairs, stairs that led up to yet another part of the maze.

It was highly unlikely that the ones who had up and vanished were naught but simple hostages. In reality, it was close to guaranteed that those who had disappeared after the attacks conclusion were the insiders that had leaked the castle's security information. Guard routes, traps, points of entry, weaknesses. With the help of those four individuals, the infiltration was kept relatively quick and quiet, shutting everyone down before they were aware of what hit them.

But this then raised the real question.

What were they after? What was ALICE after? Why was she with them? If it truly was Annabelle's flesh and blood, why hadn't she come home? What was she up to? What had really happened to her those dual years after the Dungeon incident? Why go into hiding?

A mountain of questions. However, it was more of a lead than the young royal had had in the total of two long arduous years.

Alice Wonder. Robin Fitztooth.

If she wanted some answers, she would first need to locate their whereabouts.

"These guards that you mentioned. Take me to them." Annabelle tapped Yeager in the small of his back. "I'll make it worth your while."

"As you wish. I have no quarry with you." The emerald-haired Knight waved a hand, moving a bit faster. "May you have better luck than I did."

(("Just wait for me a bit longer Alice."))