204 The Only One

After a night at camp with the Mothyleks, it was time for Vy and Lycster to head over to the Kingdom of Papillion to meet with the King. It was chilly in the morning as Vy and Lycster left the tent the Mothyleks' had prepared for them with their belongings packed. 

Hallvard was close by as Vy and Lycster exited their tent. 

"I trust you've both had a good night's sleep?" he asked them with his arms crossed. 

Not wanting to be rude, Vy replied, "Yes, we have. Can I please meet with Leader Atlas before we leave for Papillion?"

As they were about to walk towards the tent where Anja was in, Hallvard blocked their way. When Vy tried to walk around him, he blocked their way yet again. From the corner of their eyes, the siblings could see that some of the warriors had begun to gather around them with their weapons in their hands. 

Vy was ready for a fight at any moment, but this was a diplomatic mission. If she could, she would like to remain as civil as possible. 

"That wouldn't be necessary," Hallvard replied, "I will send word to our leader on your behalf. We look forward to your return with good news, Miss Blackfire."

-They plan to keep Lycster here?- Aether hissed in Vy's mind. 

From behind, someone caught hold of Lycster. But the boy was not going to let anyone get hold of him so easily either! In a split second, Lycster took to his sky form and flew into the open sky. He easily evaded capture. 

Vy grinned, she did not expect anything less from her brother. But she knew Hallvard's motives. If it would make them feel any better, she would do her best. Vy walked up to Hallvard. He was almost a head taller than her, so she needed to look up in order to meet his eyes. 

"If you're worried that I might betray you, my brother Lycster will stay here with your people. That way, if I make any mistakes, you have collateral," Vy said to him. 

Lycster swooped down and pecked Vy on the head angrily. 

"Oww! What was that for?!" Vy exclaimed as she felt the intense pain from where her brother had pecked. 

Lycster, still in his owl form, landed on Vy's head and replied, "Why am I the bargaining chip! That's not fair."

"What is going on here?!" a voice boomed from the side, shocking everyone. 

It was Leader Atlas, but she was wearing a moth feather mask that covered the upper half of her face. She was also wearing a long cloak that covered her body. As soon as everyone saw her, all of them immediately raised their right hand to their chest as they bowed respectfully to her. Hallvard, having been caught in the act, was not about to back down. 

Upon hearing what he had intended to do, Leader Altas furrowed her eyebrows as she shook her head. She turned over to Vyrena and apologised. 

"I'm sorry, Miss Blackfire, it was never my intention to threaten you,"

Vy turned to address everyone around her, "I know I am but a stranger to all of you. Nothing I ever will likely make you trust me completely."

She placed her hand on her heart as she continued, "But I give you my word, that I will uphold both sides' interests equally. I cannot favour anyone, but I will strive to negotiate for what is fair."

Vyrena's words were true. A sentence simply could not win them over, but at the very least they could give her a chance. Leader Atlas smiled as she nodded in agreement. 

With that commotion over, Vy and Lycster finally left the Republic of Mothylek behind them. With only two days to make everyone come to an agreement, they did not have time to waste! Lycster was still pouting over what had happened. 

He cannot believe that his sister was ready to use him as collateral just like that! No matter how much Vy apologised for making him feel that way, Lycster refused to listen. Aether watched the siblings as he shook his head. 

He knew Vy's true intentions of wanting to leave Lycster with the Mothyleks. They had little to no clue of what to expect in Papillion. For all they know, it could be a dangerous place. Regardless, all they could do now was move forward. 

According to the information Vy had, the associate from Future Eye would be meeting them when they arrived at the Castle. Now, they were at the gates to the Kingdom of Papillon. Just to get through the gates proved difficult enough as there was a long line of travellers waiting to get in. 

The line had stretched out past a field of berry bushes! They were simply not going to have enough time to wait for their turn. As such, Vy and Lycster decided to skip the line. They opted to fly in instead. 

Lucky for them, there were no barriers set up so they gained access easily. Once on the inside, they took to their human forms once more and roamed the streets. When Anja mentioned to Vy about the 'Full Papillion Experience', she wondered what the leader had meant. 

As such, Vy made sure to take notes of the interaction between the citizens of Papillion. Lycster, on the other hand, looked around the buildings that lined the streets they walked on. He quickly realised that their attire had attracted some attention. 

In particular, they were looking at Vyrena. Lycster quickly tugged on Vy's sleeve to get her attention. 

-What is it?- Vy asked through telepathy. 

-I think everyone is looking at you.- he replied. 

She looked all around them and noticed that Lycster was right. But what were they staring about? Was something wrong with Vy's clothes? Seeing a full-length mirror nearby, Vy looked into it to give herself a quick assessment. 

She was wearing her usual leather jacket and regular outfit. Nothing was out of the ordinary. But when she compared her outfit to what most of the other women around her were wearing, Vy immediately saw the problem. 

She was the only woman wearing pants.