The future is so uncertain
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 118698
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Sighing, the girl slipped out of her bed and the room, hoping that, if nothing else, a walk would help clear her head. Of course, with what she was dealing with, it did precisely the opposite. She first passed by a squire walking down a hallway, who stopped short, seemingly astounded by the sight of her. She blushed, smiling brightly, and he said in awe, "My apologies, miss, I... You're beautiful." He bowed deeply. "My name is Lon of Penwood. What is your name?" She knew this squire. He'd been a page when she'd departed for her quest several years ago. She should have foreseen the question, but she didn't. The silence after the question became almost uncomfortable as she forgot every single girl name she knew, but at last she coughed lightly, and said simply, "Cornelia." "Cornelia," he repeated, holding out his hand. She gave him hers without even thinking, and was immediately shocked at how naturally the gesture came to her as he kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What brings you to the castle?" "Um..." How on earth was she to respond to that? "I... It-it's a bit personal." He accepted this easily enough, and his gentlemanly response was, "Of course, I didn't mean to overstep. May I ask if you will be here much longer?" Her head was spinning. "I... I'm not sure." He nodded, though he looked a bit disappointed by the lack of information. "Well, I must be off - I've just been sent by my knight, Sir Ivan Modius, to polish his armor. But I hope to see you again, Miss Cornelia." She smiled. "A-and I you." He was off then, with one last glance back at her, and once he was out of sight, she leaned against the nearest wall. She felt... She felt like a girl. Like she somehow was exactly what she appeared to be. She knew she had sworn an oath to fulfill a quest for her king, and she couldn't abandon it, but... but if unfamiliar emotions were enough to make her swoon, what hope did she have to carry it out? She spent the next hour walking around, experimentally trying to life heavy things when no one was looking, and trying to keep her emotions under control. She found that she was morbidly weak and entirely too excitable by the attention of young men. She moved instinctively with grace and poise and enjoyed the way her dress fluttered behind her. It was all completely unfamiliar but so natural at the same time. At last she found a quiet place in the gardens to sit alone and think. If she was stuck like this - if Arahim wouldn't help her - then she was still obligated to pursue her quest, wasn't she? No one would know if she abandoned it, of course... and... and no one would connect her success to the knight who had taken the oath if she somehow, impossibly, did fulfill it... and... Maybe it was a more reasonable choice to abandon it than she thought. It wasn't as if a tiny, simple girl like her - for, like it or not, that's what it looked like she had become - had any hope of slaying the dragon that many brave warriors had fallen to. She thought for a very long time, about what she really wanted, what was really feasible, and what honour demanded of her. When she had grown rather tired, she returned at last to Arahim's workshop, and he greeted her with a wry smile: "Hello, Cornelia." She swallowed. "I'm so glad you've remembered your true name! That's a marvelous step in the right direction. Come, sit." She approached him at his worktable and took a dainty seat in the chair next to him. "Cornelia," he said seriously, "King Embron has shown great mercy to you, on the basis that you were not in your right mind when you killed Belboz. We're glad you're beginning to recover, but I'm afraid you're not out of the woods yet. Before you are released...
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2/19/2022 8:02:01 PM
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