/// pov: Freya September 16, 1087 Village of Mangeal

  As the sun's rays pierced through the shop's windows. Freya slowly opened her eyes to the familiar ceiling of the sitting room, wrapped tightly in a blanket, keeping her warm. Her nose stung from the chilly autumn air that slipped its way inside. Hearing noises, and unable to unbind herself, she immediately turned her head to see Charlotte holding two cups that were steaming with a liquid. She smiled back at her and walked swiftly over.

  “Good Morning, did you sleep ok?” she asked, stepping over Freya to sit on the couch above her.

  Freya moved her head upright again to look at Charlotte; “Um, kinda, I just don’t know how I got back home? The last time I recall being awake was in the forest. Did you carry me?” She asked, glancing away from her shyness.

  “To be honest,” Charlotte laughed, putting the cups on an end table, “I fell asleep too, waiting for you to wake up, and I had a strange dream. Besides that, your brother Nicholas woke me up a while after. He helped me push you home on an ice wagon, then put you to bed upstairs.”

  Charlotte glanced at the door and folded her arms. “When your father woke me up, you were here on the floor, cuddling your staff, and the front door was open. Nicholas is missing.”

  Freya felt a shock run through her body, her eyes constricting as she focused on the ceiling. “No, how? The last time he went missing. The witch? Is she here?” She whispered, responding to her thoughts, “Witch.”

  Charlotte reached over for her cup. “Witch?” she glanced to see a panicked Freya; “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

  Freya sat up; her warm prison collapsed around her hip. She could feel the chill in the air and immediately wrapped herself in it again. Charlotte grabbed the other cup and handed it over to Freya, who stared down at it. The liquid inside was yellow.

  “Before you ask, this is not my doing. Even I can feel this chill, but it can’t be just because of the door being open all night.” Charlotte said, sipping, “Oh, the tea is honeydosing. I found it yesterday at a stall in the market, and I thought this was perfect timing.

  Freya sipped the tea immediately, feeling its warmth. Picking herself up from the hard floor, she could feel how stiff her body was. Charlotte sat still, looking down at her cup of tea; “Your father and I talked, and I was wondering-”

  Freya stood up, leaving Akrelus on the floor, and walked towards the entrance of the sitting room. “Could you excuse me for a moment? I need to check on something.”

  “Of course, take all the time you need.”, Charlotte stuttered. Watching her walk around the corner up the stairs made her feel a pit in her stomach.

  Freya, clenching the cup's bottom, kept her from overreacting. The way it scalded was comforting. As she made it to the top of the stairs, she felt their presence looming in the very halls. She started running towards her room. The door was wide open, which alarmed her. Spilling some tea on her way, and stopping at an open door, she analyzed the area from a distance, then she noticed the journal was open. She paced quietly towards the desk and saw bold writing across the pages: I REMEMBER. Freya, horrified, dropped the cup, and glass shards scattered across the hard oak flooring.

  She picked up the book and started flipping through the pages; “No, no, no! How? Did he? Did he read the past entries?” Freya walked back and stepped on a glass shard and bit down on her lip to muffle herself. Blood dripped from her bottom lip as a familiar voice started laughing at her once again.

  That familiar voice echoed in her head, “Are you having fun, Arrow? Because I sure am.”

  Freya pressed one of her hands to her forehead; “Witch! How did you corrupt him this time?” She mumbled, hunching forward.

  “Oh my sweet Freya, you may not be the knight you once were, but that doesn’t mean all things will surely change. I mean, isn’t there a certain bird sitting on your couch this very second?” The witch taunted as a shadowed figure formed on the wall.

  Freya looked up to see the same familiar orange eyes within the shadows. She tried standing up straight and reached down to her hip, only to have a realization. Akrelus was not with her.

  The shadow swirled from the enjoyment of seeing her struggle; “Oh my fiery knight, are we having trouble, or should I call you a fiery sorceress?”

  Freya pissed off, threw her journal at the wall. With some pages falling out from her actions. She immediately got on her knees, the glass-covered floor pierced through her skin, while trying to gather the fallen pages.

  “You still have the pages from the last few journals, huh?” the voice asked softly, only for a smile to form on the wall. “I never touched your brother. Arrow, did you think that this was a fresh start for only you? Do you even remember that far back, because of you he-”

  “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up,” Freya whispered.

  The shadow continued, “Do you even remember the first time you met your dove?” It mockingly whispered.

  Freya screamed, covering her ears. “Shut the fuck up!”

  She began panting, hanging her head to the floor. The room temperature was rising, and the glass, once lodged in her knees, liquified underneath her. The witch, knowing well what she was doing, as the shadow grew horns.

  “Let's stop the show now, daughter of Akrelus, and form the new world. After all, you are my key now.” The shadow slithered off the wall and formed into an arm with a hand reaching out for Freya.

  As the hand moved closer, the room suddenly got colder, and colder until the molten glass in the room froze over into ice. Frost then covered the walls, the bed, and even the shadowed hand. Bright blue particles emanated from its surface as it sat still, placed in time.

  “Charlotte?” Freya whispered, turning her head to see The White-haired knight pointing her swords towards the enemy with her left hand, and holding Akrelus in her right.

  Before Charlotte could take a step closer, the hand immediately shattered into shards and evaporated without a trace. Freya stayed hunched on the floor and turned her head back down, looking at the loose papers of past journals, of past lives. She felt her hand gently place itself on her back. Something Freya would do to tell Charlotte she was always there.

  “Freya.” She said coldly, “I don’t know what the hell is going on, and I don’t know your story. I don’t know why you are holding onto those old brown pages like it means that your world will end here, but I will tell you that you are coming with me.”

  “How did you know what was happening?” Freya responded.

  Charlotte put Akrelus beside Freya and got down on her knees as well, trying to comfort her; “When a temperature in a freezing house suddenly goes up by eighty degrees, something is wrong. Not to mention if it's raining molten liquid inside, something is then definitely wrong.”

  Freya chuckled, “You always knew how to make the mood brighter.”

  “Thanks! It’s my special talent.” Charlotte laughed along; “Let's get out of here, and talk to your dad unless there are things here you need to pack.”

  “To Kazfel, right?” Freya asked.

  Charlotte answered with a whisper, “Where else, my dear Phoenix.”

  The girls stood up, even if Freya had to struggle a bit, breaking off the ice that from underneath her. Charlotte walked over towards the journal and picked it up with the few loose papers that fell out of it, and Freya went into the closet, taking out her old and new knight's cloaks, resting them on her arm. As she was picking up Akrelus, Charlotte handed over the journal and its papers. They both stared at each other, holding the book on opposite sides, until the front door opened and disturbed them.

  Freya's father hollered up the stairs, “What the hell happened in here? Freya!”

  Freya immediately walked out of the room with her journal without saying a word to Charlotte, who slowly tagged along behind her and closed the door. Icicles covered the shop opening, and frost covered the stair railings and main foyer. Charlotte, embarrassed, slunk behind Freya, who moved to the side so Charlotte could take some of the blame.

  “So, miss head knight, uh, care to explain why my home looks like a snow globe?” he questioned.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Charlotte poked out behind Freya; “I, uh, sneezed? Don’t worry, the capital will pay for all damages to your property. I promise.”

  The man sighed and glanced at Freya, who was still looking down at her journal. “So, Freya, have you chosen your next step?”

  Freya nodded, “I will go to the capital and join the knights of Kazfel, not only because of Charlotte, but also for myself.”

  “That's what I wanted to hear. You can’t run from your fate, so take this gift,” her father said, presenting a brand-new satchel with a smile, walking up a few steps up the stairs.

  He walked over and placed it around her neck. Freya paused for a second. She remembered the last gift he ever gave her was Akrelus on her eighteenth birthday. Putting her things in the bag, tears welled up in her eyes, and she hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go, for she knew in that moment that if she walked out that door, this would be the last time she would ever see him.

  He rubbed her back, comforting her while Charlotte glanced away, “Your mother would be proud of you, Freya, I know I am. So no matter where you want to be placed, I am by your side on every decision, from the end to the start.” Her father pulled away and descended, moving out of the girl's way.

  Freya walked down towards the shelves, grabbing a few potions of Everbreeze and putting them in the Satchel. Charlotte walked towards the door, heading outside. Mr. Guistiza walked behind the counter and helped Freya by reaching for a mana potion at the top.

  As he handed her the bottle, she asked a question, “Hey Dad, is what I’m doing right?”

  The man smiled with the little context he had and answered, “That depends on your actions, whether it is for others or yourself. As long as you believe in your heart, there is justice for it.”

  Freya slightly nodded and accepted the mana potion and started walking towards the door. Before she placed her hand on the doorknob, she turned around and looked at her father.

  His smile brightened up the frosted room. “And don’t worry about your brother. You know him; he's probably in the forest working on something again.”

  Freya, wanting to walk back to him, not leaving his side again, suddenly felt a familiar icy touch. Charlotte was now behind her. Looking back, she saw that her pale blue eyes were glistering in the light.

  “Are you ready to go, Freya? Our adventure awaits.” She asked with a subtle hint of urgency in her tone.

  Freya nodded, and before turning around, she faintly said, “I love you,” to her father.

  “I love you to my shining star.”, he smiled and waved while whipping the snow off the counter.

  Freya followed Charlotte out the door, knowing she would never see her father alive again. She gripped onto Akrelus, trying to hold back any emotions so she wouldn't see her cry.

  /// pov: Charlotte September 16, 1087 Village of Mangeal

  Walking down the road to the stables and, looking up to the sky, snow fell on Charlotte's face. The first kiss of winter was always a joyful moment for her, but right now, she didn’t feel that joy. She could tell Freya wasn’t ok, the day had just started, and she’s been through too much. She turned her head to see the snow gently falling on top of Freya's head and evaporating on touch. Charlotte slowed down to wait for the sluggish Freya, who was lost in thought, looking down at the ground. Once the two were standing beside each other, Charlotte started walking at the same pace.

  She broke the silence. “I’m sorry.”

  Freya looked up from the ground. “Why are you apologizing? This is how the story goes, after all.”

  “Story?” Charlotte asked, looking back up.

  Freya also looked up at the sky, seeing the snowflakes dance, and it cheered her up. “Charlotte, if you faced a decision that could ruin everyone's future so that you could be happy with an outcome, would you do it?” She asked, feeling some weight come off her chest.

  Charlotte moved beside her closer, letting the people on the street pass by them, “Are you thinking about the story of Akrelus and Equila?” She paused, looking back at Freya, who was holding Akrelus up to her chest, “I have never been selfish to the point of Akrelus, so no, I would allow everyone to have their lives be brighter, while mine gets buried in the snow. No offense, of course.”

  Freya looked back at her, “You have the same glow as Equila.”

  Charlotte blushed and sped up her walking, but Freya was still beside her, keeping up. Charlotte, surprised by this, wrapped her arms around hers and began running to the stables beside her. Looking at a smile creep up on Freya's face, made the upcoming threats to their kingdom fade from her thoughts. She even made some ice paths that they would slide across, as if they were flying across the road.

  As they ran up to the stables, a knight was standing in front with a stern face. Charlotte happily ran up to them with Freya still latched onto their arm, but the smile on her face made them frown even more.

  “Hey Fredrick, what's with the stern look? Did they not like the potions I sent back?” She jested at him, but Fredrick's face didn’t change.

  “Charlotte-”, he responded, only to get cut off.

  Charlotte kept making jokes, “Or let me guess, old man Mike missed me for last night's dinner? I will eat extra tonight with our newest recruit.” She pointed at Freya, whose smile started to fade.

  Frederick reached out for Charlotte's shoulders, making her pay attention. She chuckled, then asked concerningly, “What’s up?”

  The air stiffened, and Freya glanced down, only to unlatch herself from Charlotte, walking away into the stables.

  Frederick stared at Charlotte, grasping her shoulders, “The Kingdom was under attack. There was this monster, no, I can’t even call it that.”

  Charlotte began shaking, “Are the Civilians alright? Oh god is the King, please tell me he’s fine, Fredrick.”

  He couldn't look her in the eyes. “Charlotte, I know he was like a father to you, and I tried, but that thing crawled through the shadows, and...”

  She grabbed his face and made him look at her. “He’s in critical condition. I hid him with the frozen cavalry.” He responded

  Fredrick felt his hands burn from the sheer cold Charlotte was emanating. He let go of her, and she walked past him, not saying a word. Freya was petting a horse named Sunny through their pen, and looked behind her to see Charlotte upset. Without a second wasted, Freya went up to her and hugged her, which made Charlotte calm down; her freezing temperature stabilized, and she hugged her back.

  “Feel better?” She asked in a monotone voice.

  Charlotte nodded while screaming on the inside.

  “Good, let's get going,” Freya said, letting go.

  Charlotte, confused, reached out for her as she walked towards Sunny's pen. "(No, wait! I want a longer hug; she's so warm and comforting.) So, are you renting that one?” she asked, stuttering her words.

  Freya unlocked the pen and prepared Sunny for riding. “What do you mean? Sunny is my horse.” There was a sign beside the pen that said in bold letters; Sunny Guistiza.

  Embarrassed, Charlotte averted her gaze and walked to a lasso-filled hanger and walked out of the stables. Frederick was sitting on a barrel, hunched over and clasping his hands together.

  “I’m going to fix this.” She told him as she was preparing a summoning circle.

  “What about your prophecy? What about Akrelus?” he mumbled.

  As a majestic horse made of ice formed from the circle, she sighed, “Kazfel is more important than the Divination Orb.”

  Freya walked out of the stable, guiding Sunny to stand beside Charlotte's horse. She lassoed the two together and then hopped on. Frederick looked at her staff and recognized the stone, his eyes widening.

  Charlotte also got on top of her horse, “Don’t worry about it, Fredrick, the sun and the moon always found a way before, and they can do it again.”, she said before the two trotted away.

  The snow stopped once they left Mangeal behind them, and as Charlotte glanced over to Freya, she saw her writing in her journal. She smiled, “Writing about this morning?” she asked.

  Freya, without taking her eyes off the page, nodded in response. “The sun and moon can do it again, huh?” she said mockingly.

  Charlotte pouted in annoyance; “Well, isn’t that how the story went? Akrelus and Equila stopped a damnation by emanating light for the rest of their days, protecting all living things from the darkness.”

  “I guess you're half right, but in return for that, Equila suffered because she wasn’t as bright, and Akrelus would kill her slowly by being near her, absorbing her light,” Freya stated while continuing to write.

  Charlotte felt a longing in her sword as if Equila was crying, “What if she didn’t mind because if anyone was going to snuff her out, she wanted it to be Akrelus?”

  Charlotte watched Freya stop writing and looked straight at her in shock, her hand holding onto the reins, trembled.

  Turning her head away and looking straight, Freya whispered, “Akrelus wouldn’t allow that to happen. He would want her to stay alive as long as possible so that he could have her. Even if it meant sacrificing mortal blood for her.”

  Charlotte focused her eyes on Freya more, and how her red hair blended in well with the autumn leaves.

  Freya then glanced down at the old journal, “Maybe that's why in the end he thought the only way to save them both from withering, was putting them in these stones in our weapons that only disciples from two bloodlines could wield. So that way they are together when needed.”

  Charlotte turned her head and looked at the road while Freya gripped onto her reins tighter, “Your father told me that my mother, the late head knight of Kazfel, was friends with him. He left the battlefield shortly after you were born and gifted you the staff when you were ready.”

  “You know more about me than I do,” Freya whispered, without getting Charlotte's attention.

  The two rode in silence until Freya finally spoke up: “I don’t think Akrelus was in the wrong.”

  “How did you get your sword?”, Freaky asked.

  Charlotte responded, looking down at her horse, “My mother gifted it to me on my nineteenth birthday, before a big war broke out. It was the last thing she gave me.

  Freya glanced at her, “I’m sorry, I know that burden of everything was rough, but you don't have to do it alone anymore.”

  Charlotte smiled, “Thank you, Freya, (I wonder if that means I will get more hugs in the future.)

  As the two continued to chatter, you could hear, laughing, their smiles never leaving. Freya was smiling as she was writing in her journal. Charlotte tried not to peek at it to give her privacy.

  Journal Entry 81:

  Yesterday and the start of today were a wild rollercoaster. So I guess I will start from the beginning;

  I saw Charlotte in town yesterday after finding out that the Freya of this timeline is the Sorceress, and Akrelus does remember me, even if his form has changed. And my once timid Dove is a strong sword summoner. We both dueled in the forest, and I had difficulties learning how to cast spells, but after the first, it seemed like second nature. I even destroyed a great ice python. But I fainted shortly after and was out cold for the rest of the day, but I felt a presence in my sleep, a familiar one, and I was right.

  In the morning, Charlotte was sleeping in the shop. I was lying beside her on the floor. As for that familiar feeling, it was Nicholas. Turns out he remembers everything, maybe even more than I do. He wrote it in the journal, so that's my proof, and the witch got to him because she was in that shop. Leaving was my only option, even though I didn’t want to. I will miss my father and that moment of peace with Nicholas. Right now, I'm on horseback with Charlotte, and she is talking to me about the story of Akrelus and Equila. I can hear Akrelus in my head telling me he was right for trying to save them both, and I agree because I feel the same way about her.

  And if I'm right about what's happening in Kazfel, I need to hurry if I want to save her. (Also, I hugged her, I couldn’t help it, I will have to be more careful. I think just in that moment we both just needed one.)

  /// Pov: ??????????????????????????

  Ah, so you are back. Do you have anything you wish to discuss, Outsider? What happened to Nicholas? I can’t do that, it’s spoiling. What made Freya “crash out”? That is not in my place to say either. Akrelus and Equila; now that is something I can comply with.

  Before the Creation of the Divination Orb, Akrelus and Equila were the gods of the sun and moon. Akrelus had many followers who would sacrifice their goods to him for better fortune. While Equilas' followers never gave her anything but they would always receive a blessing of wellness. The two, being opposite with greed and charity, still had feelings for each other. Akrelus was in love with how she cared for them, while Equila loved his perseverance against the odds, always closing rifts whenever he could, and never giving up, even if his odds were low, he would always prevail.

  Yet this time of peace would not last for these two. A rift so giant took up both of their domains, casting them in endless darkness. Neither of them could summon the sun or moon to cast light upon the land, so they both ascended, turning them into beaming forces of light that pierced through the rift, closing it. However, the sun was too bright for the moon, and he would even unintentionally steal her light. This caused her to slowly wither; the more time he spent with her, the worse she got. She never told Akrelus, and before he knew it, Equila was fading, so in a desperate attempt, he made both of their followers sacrifice themselves until there were only two families left from opposite sides. Using the blood of the fallen mortals, he formed a stone that he was going to put both of their souls into that the families would protect. This way, he thought they would be together until the rifts win and swallow the world whole. That was until the Ancient One stole them and split the stones in two, separating them and stealing the majority of their powers to help form the Divination Orb. The Ancient One then gave the head of each family a stone separating the two for eternity.

  Just like those two, it seems we both have to part ways again. But don’t you think it’s funny that history always repeats itself? See you soon, Outsider.