Page 3 of Is It Wrong to Escape My Fate? (Dealing With Fate #1)
This manor was enormous. So much so that I only met my pseudo parents once since my unfortunate demise, during one family dinner when they were not busy with the estate.
Today was my second time meeting them as they said their farewells and well wishes before we start our travel to the Magic Academy of Aerahelm.
“They grow up so fast,” my mother, Ellen, sobbed as she dabbed a handkerchief to her eyes. “First, Alec, now my baby Bea.”
“It’s not like I’ll be gone for a long while,” I smiled, holding her hand. “We’ll be here during breaks.”
She lifted her eyes to my face. I had hoped to lighten the mood, but I saw something darker lurking within her gaze before it quickly vanished. What was that?
“Yes, but you must remember the reason you’re studying magic in the first place.” She said this with an attempt at a neutral tone, but the sadness mixed with fear in her voice was obvious.
The reason — to fight against the Demon Lord.
Of course, in every typical medieval fantasy story, there must be some evil entity causing disasters and conflicts to keep the story engaging, or for the main character to have something to defeat: the Big Bad. The Final Boss.
The war against the Demon Lord had been going on for centuries. While notable events were usually small skirmishes or encounters against groups of monsters, every decade, without fail, the Kingdom faced an epic battle between humans and monsters. Neither side ever wins. Only losses on both.
Regrouping, rebuilding the army, regathering of resources all repeated in a loop until the next epic battle reoccurred. Tension was high in the Kingdom recently because the last major attack was around nine years ago.
I understood my mother’s apprehension. “Alec and I will be safe. The school is one of the safest places in the Kingdom, just on the account of the number of high-ranking mages and fighters residing there. Besides, we can always run back here should anything happen.”
Well, the travel time from Aerahelm to Baybluff would probably take a few days, but our barony was the safest place to be next to Aerahelm. Our land might be on the rural edge of the Kingdom, and might also be one of the poorest, but we were at the furthest point away from the major battles.
“My lady, we promise to lay our lives to protect your daughter,” Reuben spoke up from beside me, bowing down as he held a fist over my insignia on his chest. Robin copied him, but with a smile on his face, watching me instead.
My pseudo mother wiped her eyes clear of her tears before she glanced between my twin knights. “You are such good boys. It’s one of our best decisions to take you in. Take care of my Bea, please? To the best of your abilities.”
“In however form she wants it, we swear to you,” Robin smirked as he winked at me. The heat crept up to my cheeks at the innuendo he dropped, or was that just my imagination?
When Reuben gave me the same heated look in his eyes, I realized I did understand his comment correctly. They had it bad for this girl!
It wasn’t like that at all! We had never done anything together in that context. They watched over me and guarded me for the past nine years. Surely, they must only see me like as a little girl, or a little sister, or someone weak who needed protection?
I was so in denial, it wasn’t even funny.
My father had arrived and held my mother in his arms before she kissed him on the cheek. He turned to me next, and I couldn’t help but give him a hug too, as he pressed his lips to my head.
Jenson might be a very busy man, and I could hardly see him sometimes, but he loved his family.
He always found the time for us with important events, even if it could impact the work that needed to be done with the barony.
He was loyal to his people, but he was loyal to his family first, and for that I was grateful.
“You don’t have to stand out, Bea,” he advised as we released each other from the hug. “In fact, it will be best to stay as average as possible.”
I gaped at him, while my mother, my knights, and Mia did too. What?
My father brushed my hair to the side, looking fondly at me.
“Consider this: if you’re at the top of your class, the chances are high they’ll accelerate your learning so you can head to conscription as soon as possible.
The army always needs a highly competent mage.
On the other hand, if you’re terrible with magic, it’s the front lines for you with the other combat-focused fighters. Both situations are awful.”
Mia paled at my father’s hypothetical scenarios while my mother sobbed again, after I had just managed to calmed her mood.
Good job, pseudo dad. Ugh.
He laughed, placing a hand on my mother’s shoulder to placate her. “If all goes well, we only need to worry about that in five years.”
This seemed to have a positive effect on her, until she burst into tears again. “Oh, but this is Alec’s final year! Soon he needs to fulfill his duty to the Kingdom.”
“We’ll have this conversation some other time, love,” pseudo dad assured pseudo mom, patting her hair and kissing it lovingly. It was very cute, and I was a tiny bit envious of their obvious affection for one another.
A few more goodbyes and farewells later, with Mia and her family too, I rode the carriage — yes, we rode on carriages, how freaking charming was that?
Mia sat across from me, while Robin sat outside with Micah, Mia’s brother and our coachman.
Reuben rode on horseback following us. We had a caravan of carriages with our possessions plus the other guards.
Aerahelm was about a week of travel at regular speed, if my brief study of the country map was accurate. We would pass by at least five towns and one city before we arrived. Reuben informed me of a route that would get us an inn by nightfall every day, so I didn’t have to camp in the wilderness.
I looked out the window of the carriage, following Reuben with my eyes, as he trotted alongside us with his gaze focused on the road ahead. These men definitely looked otherworldly; Reuben had long, silver hair, tied in a low ponytail, while Robin had his silver hair cut short.
Their hair was how everyone could tell them apart, but I had a few different tells.
Robin smiled wider, but when Reuben did smile, the corners of his eyes crinkled too.
Robin’s green eyes were a bit bluer compared to Reuben’s.
Robin’s skin was slightly darker because he trained with the sword under the sun, while Reuben liked to practice his bow while sitting on a tree branch.
Yes, I was totally not ogling them every time.
As if Reuben felt me watching him, he turned his head and gave me a smile that surprised me.
Oh, so his eyes really did crinkle. That was so fucking adorable. I smiled back, and he was caught off-guard that he almost fell off his horse. A laugh was ready to come out of me, but it wasn’t very ladylike, and at the very least I had to pretend to be one.
I was a lady though, and honestly, I could do whatever I wanted.
But there would be no risks until I could learn more about this world. First, no internet meant I couldn’t look up information easily. But magic existed, so maybe there was a magic wiki somewhere? And if there was, then it would probably be at the only magic school of the Kingdom.
Second, remembering precisely how I arrived here was vital; it might help me on my quest to return to my world. The memories just wouldn’t come. Maybe there was a spell for restoring memories?
Third, people still practiced religion despite the existence of magic.
Our barony was secular and, as expected, there were no religious buildings as we exited our estate.
Using my video game knowledge though, unusual circumstances like mine were usually believed to be a miracle or some other form of divinity.
That could be worthwhile to research too.
Considering all this, I should be careful about letting the truth come out.
Mia napped as our caravan made headway to a town for our first stop on our journey.
My carriage would stop at the inn while the rest of our entourage would camp outside of town.
While we could afford to bring some security as we travel, we tried to save on expenses as much as we could.
I had argued about it in the past — that I could also camp out with my guards — but my parents wouldn’t have it.
I tried to do it once. My knights had to carry me back to my bed, while also reminding me the room was already paid for, so it was a futile effort.
They were adorable even then.
Now that memory was at the forefront of my mind, we were on the way to this same town … or was it the next? I had wanted to visit a friend. It was also the last time I went out of our estate. Until now.
When we arrived at the town’s inn, Robin opened the door to my carriage and helped me out of the vehicle. I was about to thank him when someone interrupted me.
“Bea?” A man’s voice put my knights on alert, turning to the source before they visibly relaxed, but kept their hands on their weapons regardless. My eyes followed their gaze, and I guessed right — this was the right town in my memory.
My childhood friend, Elias, stood in the distance.