Reborn From the Cosmos
Arc 8-44 (Robert)

Robert took his own advice and didn’t think of the mysterious convoy throughout the day. It wasn’t hard, as the intense physical and emotional demands of cleaning up the shattered remains of thousands of lives held his mind in the present. After the first attack by the rebels, the crews had become much more security conscious, posting standing guards all around the designated area. Armed guards, though their implements were makeshift. In the wake of the violence, they didn’t lack for volunteers but everyone attending had wanted something to protect themselves, even if it was just a sharp rock.

In the end, their preparations were unneeded. There was no more violence. It would be foolish to forego security altogether, but they’d scaled back the number of guards. Robert used to be a guard but as the days passed without conflict, he returned to the work. The refugees praised him as an acolyte willing to work hard for their future, but the truth was that he couldn’t stand still. Having nothing to do but contemplate his memories was horrifying. Robert would shovel shit if it meant avoiding such a fate, let alone helping people in need.

By the time they returned, Robert was pleasantly exhausted. Too tired to think. Just what he wanted to be before taking a watch shift. The four hours where his mind would drift was the closest he got to peaceful rest.

He’d have forgotten all about the suspicious convoy if the gleaming golden armor of a royal knight didn’t catch his attention. Two of them, specifically. As Sir Reed accompanied the prince, at least one of the figures had to be a new addition. Whoever had come to Quest, they were being escorted by the kingdom’s elite, those who were only meant to act in protection of the crown.

It stoked his curiosity enough to overwhelm his body’s desire to eat a satisfying meal and stop moving. After saying goodbye to the crew, he made his way toward the Command Tent; as the camp expanded, so did the number of people needed to run it effectively, to the point it became unfeasible for them to congregate outside of Instructor Filagree’s tent. The name wasn’t accurate; the Command Tent wasn’t a structure. Rather, it was a field with tables and chairs to facilitate meetings, marked by a tall pole with a plain red flag at the top, easily seen anywhere in the camp.

When Robert arrived, he found several older acolytes hanging about, mostly working at the tables but also taking a moment to themselves. At one table, four men were seated around a half-empty bottle, laughing as they talked. Including the man he was looking for.

Robert walked over to the table, waiting patiently for Lane to notice him. It didn’t take long; the man was quite considerate and turned to the young hero moments after he stopped.

“Excuse me for interrupting your gathering,” Robert said carefully, inclining his head toward the others. “I just had a question for Lane, if you could spare a few moments.”

“Well, ah…” The older man looked between his friends and the unfinished bottle. Then he stood with a sigh. “Sure, I’ve got a moment.” He waved for Robert to follow him as he moved a few steps away, close enough to  hear the others resume their conversation. “What’s this about?”

“Do you know anything about a convoy that came today?” The answer was yes. Robert could tell from the way the man stiffened. “I’ll take anything you can tell me. It has the refugees worried. As it is, things are finally peaceful. I’d hate for something simple to cause problems.”

“I wish it were simple.” Lane eyed him then shrugged. “Saints, why not? It’s not really a secret and I’ve actually heard your name tossed around a few times. Guess it wouldn’t be wrong to give you a heads up. Thing is, crown got off its ass and sent someone to take charge of this mess.”

The reveal should have been comforting but Robert felt nothing but dread blossoming in his guts. “Do I know who it is?”

“Depends on what kind of nobles you dealt with, though her name reaches pretty far. Ever heard of the Butterfly?”

Robert frowned. The way Lane said the name, he knew it was someone influential but the name meant nothing to him. “No.”

“Really?” The young hero shook his head. “Huh. Little surprised about that. Normally, I’d say you’re better off but we’re all going to get to know that madwoman soon enough.”

“You know her?”

“Never met her but I've been hearing stories since she arrived. Lot of acolytes are from noble families and they were eager to share. Let me tell you, if half of what I heard is true, things are going to get messy.”

Robert’s eyes narrowed. “Should we be evacuating the camp?”

“Hah! Not that kind of messy. Don’t misunderstand. In all the stories I’ve heard, this Butterfly hasn’t failed to resolve a crisis, ever. Thing is, she doesn’t take any pains to make people happy. Anyone. See, she doesn’t care about everyone’s problems, only the problems affecting the crown. As long as it serves the kingdom’s interest, she won’t just step on toes, she’ll grind them under her heel.”

It didn’t sound like someone Robert would entrust the future to.

“And to make things interesting, she showed up with eight royal knights. Eight master casters. A saints damned pocket army. Makes you wonder if she came to save the city or finish leveling it.”

“...eight men doesn’t account for six carriages.”

“Pretty good information network you got there. But yeah, none of those were carrying people, before you get the idea she’s sneaking people into the city. And this is where my sharing stops. Not that I can share anything else. I’m number two here but at the end of the day, I’m no one important.” Lane sighed. “Anyway, I suggest you prepare yourself. Feels like you’re about to get dragged into this thing.”

“Thank you.” 

Lane waved off his words. “I didn’t tell you anything you couldn’t have learned if you hung around here for a few minutes. Now, I'm gonna finish drinking. I’m already pushing off a few things and I doubt there’s going to be time for breaks anytime soon.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night,” Robert said but Lane had already started walking away and he didn’t want to draw the attention of the rest of the table by yelling. Shrugging, he went back to his business, wondering about the mysterious Butterfly and what her presence meant for the city, but he was too exhausted to theorize for long. He received his assignment at the field and within half an hour of standing guard, his mind went to the special place where he was aware but at rest. Exhaustion weighed on his shoulders but each deep exhale eased a fraction of the burden, keeping it bearable.

Until raised voices interrupted the quiet night, drawing his attention. His hand reflexively went to the sword on his waist  as his body tensed, waiting for the cause of the commotion to come closer. A stride away from him, another acolyte was similarly tense, a whistle held against his lips to call for reinforcements.

Something that proved unnecessary. Robert relaxed as he saw the golden armor of two royal knights, reflecting the light of the standing torches nearby. He briefly scanned their appearances for faults but the armor was lustrous and uniform, an unmistakable visage.

The woman between them was not only a stranger, she was strange. For one, her clothing didn’t match the camp. The dress’ sheer material, billowing sleeves, and white underskirt were perfectly suitable for the coming spring but completely at odds with the drab, practical clothing that dominated the camp. It was a dirty, utilitarian place. Robert couldn’t remember anyone wearing anything brighter than a faded red, let alone bright blue and pink flowers.

Her demeanor was also wrong. She walked forward with sure steps but her gaze moved everywhere, not focusing on one thing for long. She seemed to be trying to take in everything in the world. Despite her wandering attention, she spoke to the knights accompanying her, never looking at either as she conversed with both at the same time.

What made it truly strange was her age. She was an older woman, with deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and frown lines at the corners of her eyes. Her brown hair, braided behind her back, was generously streaked with grey. It was the appearance of an elder but she had the excitable demeanor of a child.

He hoped that they would pass him by but logic said there was nothing out here beside himself and his watch partner. As expected, the trio made their way over to them, the royal knights stopping just behind the woman. From the corner of his eye, Robert saw the other man standing watch drop his whistle and slowly retreat. He wished he could do the same.

“This is the one?” the woman asked, while looking at nothing.

“Yes, madam. This is Robert Quintana,” one of the knights answered.

“Nice to me—” Robert’s greeting was cut off by the woman grabbing him by the jaw. His hand twitched as he suppressed the urge to defend himself, his nose flaring as he breathed deeply to control his surprise.

“Hm.” The woman turned to him and Robert startled. Her eyes…she didn’t have eyes. He didn’t know what purpose the two golden orbs taking their place served, aside from unnerving any who looked into them. “Four affinities. Well, look at you. How’d you escape the breeding house, stud? He ugly or something?”

One of the knights cleared his throat. “Sir Quintana determined that he has talent as a fighter and so any talk of marriage was put on hold.”

“Old boy probably used his connection to the king to get his way. Sloppy, sloppy. At the very least I would have made an agreement to make him sire a child once a year. Can you imagine the waste if we lost such a powerful bloodline?”

Robert spit to the side as the woman removed her hand. His frown spoke to his anger but one look at the knights reminded him to mind his temper. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“Me? I’m the one who takes the sloppy, messy things, bundles them in a nice shell, and hatches something beautiful. For that, the kingdom named me the Butterfly. Used to hate it but it stuck so what can you do? Better than using my given name. This kind of work makes a lot of enemies.” Her head tilted backward, pointing her strange gaze at the sky. “But that’s enough about me. Not very important at the end of the day. This is about you.”

She snapped her fingers and one of the knights produced a large golden envelope. Robert took it when it was held out to him, noting it was sealed with the royal crest.

“Rejoice! You’ve been called on to serve the crown by serving me. Not that you’ll be much use but I like to have all the variables close. Now, let’s go find this Alyssa Filagree and we can move on.”