Several carriages had to be packed full of things to move everything in the house. The knights, servants, and family made short work of everything, however, making it look easy. Marabell didn’t complain once, no matter how heavy the furniture was or how tall a stack of boxes were.

  By the time it was all done and they were standing outside the abode, Blas with a mournful but softly happy look on his face, it was twilight. The sky was dimming shades of purple and the moons danced with the horizon, looking far bigger than usual. He smiled, “I don’t know how much this place has helped… but I don’t regret coming here.”

  Marabell patted him on the shoulder, glancing from the house to the kids that were arguing about something by the carriage that was waiting for them, “It’s a good chapter to put behind you. Your kid’s so much healthier and happier. The future seems a little tense but we’re in a good position. We will be okay. You, me, our family. We will be okay. And most of all… you’re allowed to be happy.” She patted him again, more firmly this time, making him stumble.

  Blas chuckled, smiling at her like he was ten years younger for a moment, “My brother’s really lucky to have you keeping him sane.”

  “Hah! I know, right? I’m great!” she grinned a wild, cheeky grin as she turned and ushered Blas to stop staring at the building, “Come on now, let’s get going. Long ride and all that.”

  Because of the fact that Marabell, Blas, Olana, Harriet, and Alister together barely left room for anyone else, Wisteria had to ride with her mother. Or, more accurately, as soon as it was brought up as an issue, Wisteria assured everyone that she didn’t mind riding with the servants if it meant going with her mom. It was sweet that the two of them were so attached, but it did mean that Alister didn’t get to escape riding with his cousins.

  Sir Alexys came too, he rode with the knights, of course, but he said he was tied to no particular land, so he was happy to go where the woman he was courting went. He was a proper gentleman, he just always struck Alister as a little odd. His social skills were awkward, and he always gave either too much eye contact or none at all, and he never seemed to know what to do with his hands when they were idle. Wisteria seemed to relax about him, which was nice to see. She spoke to him before getting into their carriage and was smiling at something he said.

  Alister stared out the window of his carriage, seated beside his father, and had his face smushed up by his hand, forehead pressed against the wood. He felt like he was… lonely. He wasn’t alone, though, so the feeling was particularly bothersome. He wanted to have his privacy, to be away from his annoying cousins, to have space for himself and to read and research… but it felt so lonely. Olana and Harriet were nice - boisterous and chaotic, but nice. He just didn’t feel like he knew them very well yet. He didn’t feel close to them. His dad and aunt were wonderful people… his aunt was a little too concerned about his food intake… but they were adults. And as much as he wanted in his little prideful heart to be an adult, he missed Wisteria. She didn’t get to go with for the ride to the border, and now she was in a separate carriage for the ride back to Rythwith. He had spent so much time with her for at least a year now that it felt wrong to be away from her.

  But… he knew he’d have to get used to that. She had responsibilities thrust on her and at some point that would become relevant, no doubt. Plus she had actual work now, something she’d get paid for alongside her mother. Not to mention the fact that in a few years, he’d be going to the academy… Olana and Harriet would probably be starting two years earlier than he would… and Wisteria wouldn’t be able to go at all. She’d be too old - the age to start is 13, or 12 if you’re particularly impressive with their tests. Wisteria was 13 now. She’d be… what? 17 by the time he went into the academy?

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  He sighed. Olana stared at him moping and cleared her throat, looking to her mother, “Mom when we get to Rythwith is Alister going to get a familiar?”

  Marabell gave a distracted ‘hm’ of confusion, but her real target Blas had a smile grow on his face, “Right! We should plan for that. Alister. What sort of familiar do you want? I can see if we can pick anything up along the way. Or we could wait until Rythwith to figure it out? But I can get started on a list right away if you tell me what you’d like in a familiar. No reason for just one, either, remember. The-”

  Marabell kicked his foot, “Let the boy talk if you’re gonna ask him questions! You haven’t given a pause at all.”

  “I- ah, right. You’re right. Alister just try to tell me what you might want in a familiar, and I promise you I can handle the rest. Okay?”

  Alister gave the rest of the people in the cabin a blank-eyed stare of confusion as he was brought out of his thoughts, “The… what?” He sat up straighter, no longer leaning against the window, “Uh… I mean, I don’t know. I still don’t entirely understand the actual purpose of a familiar. I understand from how Wisteria described it before that it is some sort of a catalyst, but that could mean so many things. For all I know, they are just like fancier pets.”

  “Oh, right I suppose that should be the first thing,” Blas cleared his throat, sheepish, “A familiar is not quite a pet. They are closer to the companions that beastmasters like me have and are typically more intelligent and stronger than a normal beast of their kind once a bond has been made. They are imbued with magic through the bond of a familiar, which is a whole thing to be recognized by the system as a familiar, and once they are recognized, they give boons. As far as the system is concerned, they buff magic power, usually give a type buff, and serve as a secondary pool of mana that you can draw from. Outside of just the boons that the system gives, they are still a wonderful companion and can help in combat or research or sometimes even crafts depending on what they are. Most mages will only have one familiar if they can afford it, as it gets more difficult to make a new bond with each existing bond. There are many that have several, however, especially if they have connections with beastmasters or tamers or the sort. As much as I will go on and on about the virtues of a familiar, you do have to train them for them to be of any use. An untrained beast is just asking for chaos. They have their own skills, their own system, their own thoughts and opinions. It is a massive responsibility and if you use them in combat you have to understand that they are risking their wellbeing as much if not more than you are. Most of my creatures do not have a familiar bond with me - I have too many of them, and for the most part I would like to keep them less tied to me than that. Familiars rely too much on their master, they share a bond of blood and lifeforce, and outside of specific circumstances, they will die when their master does. They also, unless they are a very strong-willed species, follow orders strictly and don’t really make their own choices as much. For me, that can outweigh the benefits since I have a lot of skills related to beasts. For you, or most mages for that matter, it makes sense to get one for the benefits. A mage doesn’t need a companion to go and randomly make their own choices, in fact, that could even make things worse. And the lifespan thing is… unfortunate… but again really not a big problem if you aren’t intending to die. I just don’t like the idea of making something so reliant on me.”

  Alister nodded along, fascinated, but also slowly losing his attention span as he continued to go on about them, “...So… they rely on me but they help my magic and if I choose carefully they can make up for my weaknesses. Am I getting that right?”

  Blas nodded, and Harriet chimed in, “I don’t want to have to take care of an animal. They’re cute and pretty to look at, but that sounds like a lot of responsibility for something.”

  “It’d be a pain to worry about the stealth of something else at the same time as me,” Olana muttered.

  “Ohh yeah that too,” Harriet nodded, “I think I’d take one if I had like… something like a fire ferret for a forgehand?”

  Marabell patted her head, “I don’t think I trust either of you two with a pet yet.”

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