The dark sky was full of bright shining stars and an Enchanting light of the moon to guide their path. The cold breeze of the wind didn't bother Fern at all, because she knew a person more cold than the wind that's pacing through her skin.
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She silently extended her hand upwards to get the apple from the tree that she spotted and ate it while walking. She took three, actually. He gave one to Caspian which gradually thanked her for her generosity.
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Fern and Caspian was walking in the front and eating apples while Logan was behind them glaring at them from time to time.
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"Why can't we use that crystal stone to advanced in that Aeneas tower?" Fern asked, still chomping on the apple.
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Caspian chomped on the apple before he said, "I seal an incantation around the Aeneas tower to protect it that has a very powerful energy around it, her Majesty. I'm afraid the crystal stone might broke we've turn into danger because of the impact of it and the energy of the incantation. Both mana will merge and it's dangerous..."
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"Oh," Fern seemed amaze. "That's splendid,"
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Caspian blushed and look down. "N-not really,"
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Logan spoke behind them that has a hoarse voice. "Caspian." He called him.
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Caspian flinched as they stopped. "W...Why, your majesty?"
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"If you have something to say that's contrary to what you and the empress was talking about, say it now as I said that we don't came here out of such conversation but in pivotal affairs to be dealing with."
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Caspian cleared his throat. "R-Right, I apologize, your majesty...but that affair must be converse in the Aeneas," He bowed his head slightly. "And his Majesty said that's it's a pivotal affair to be dealing with...so that can't be speak rashly here. We can't be sure if we're really the only ones here..."
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Fern's eyes narrowed for a moment before she realized. That's right, in Caspian's letter that has been sent to them, it includes the information to be careful at the 'watcher' they didn't know who and was about. They've just been told to be careful and stay alerted while they're on their journey.
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Logan only snorted as they continued walking.
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Caspian smiled at the empress. "Her Majesty can continue what she wants to talk about, I'll be glad to tell what I know,"
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Fern hesitated for a while before she took a glimpse behind her and see the emperor clicking his tongue. She sighed before she took out a piece of apple that she's holding.
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"Your majesty, catch!" She threw the apple and that Logan successfully catched. She laughed. "If you're still hungry,"
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Logan glared at her. "Nonsense!"
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Fern only smiled and goes on to walk beside Caspian. Caspian can't help but to felt more charmed for the empress. She's jolly and cheerful, she asked what she's curious for, and above all, she deserved her title.
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"Do you have any pet in the Aeneas Tower?" Fern asked, she just finished chomping on her apple and they're now crossing a long bridge that's the path to another dark forest. Underneath the bridge, it's like an endless dimness. But that didn't mind them.
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The moonlight beam shone on Fern's light ash blonde's wavy hair that's been braided around her head and the silver leaf diadem with jade features she's wore on her head sparkled. The strands of hair that falls over her forehead was being blown by the wind from time to time, and she's also fixing it from time to time.
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Caspian responded with a smile, "I bet her Majesty will be glad to know that I tamed almost a thousand animals in my life that they're now surrounding my tower like I'm kind of their old man."
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Fern laughed, her shoulders was shaking. "I think that's an achievement. I only tamed three, most of the time I'd get wounded because I failed...Hahahahahaha!"
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Caspian didn't know whether to laugh or to felt emphatetic, and said, "Her Majesty is awesome."
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Logan's face, hearing what she just babbled, twisted. How can she laughed with that kind of thing? She's really mad. Then he snorted.
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As they entered the other side and successfully crossed the bridge, they heard the crickets of the owls and the insects' buzzes, and the sound of their footsteps was crunching over twigs as they entered the dark forest, or known to be as called, 'The Fallen Almighty's' forest.
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It was said that a thousand years ago, there's a demi-god that descended from the heaven. No one knows why he got banished, the humans was creating a speculation that from the moment that he fall, everything around him too. That he lost his powers and everything. No one had a knowledge what, how, why, but everyone knows that the moment he was exiled, he fell from above and his body was founded here in this forest, full of dark red blood from head to toe.
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He was saved by a hunter and the moment he woke up, he knew he became a human. He managed to live, but rumors says that he had an incurable illness years later, and maybe he's now dead and his soul is already in the underworld.
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And this forest was named after him.
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Fern's eyes paced through the forest and feeling a bit cold and dimmed. The moonlight's beam wasn't enough to light their way due to the overlapping leaves of the tall tress that's above them and taking it. She look behind and says to Logan, "Your majesty, can your flames light up our way?"
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Logan, having the thought of it just now, clicked his tongue out of annoyance, he didn't respond but did what she asked. He walked past them and now they're behind him.
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Caspian's eyes narrowed. He whispered to Fern out of curiousity, "Your majesty, is there a piece of memory on your mind that his Majesty became a nice person to you?"
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Fern's both eyebrows raised and chuckled. "In my dreams, if I'm being true."
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For a second time, Caspian felt bothered. He didn't say anything more until they reached the Aeneas tower. It's a sky-high tower and everything around it outside was full of sleeping animals from birds, lions, foxes and more to boars. It's like they're the ones who's guarding the tower. Fern's jaw dropped.
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"They...they wouldn't bite...O-once they sleep, they wouldn't woke up until morning..." Caspian scratched his scalp and awkwardly smiled.
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Logan ignored his words like he's not interested at all, while Fern was mesmerized by the number of wild animals around the tower.
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"Fe..." Logan was taken aback when he almost called her in her name. He snorted and said, "If the empress can't stop looking at such wild animals then she should stay here."
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"No---I'm sorry, wait!"
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Caspian opened the tall wooden door of the Aeneas tower. Just as he light up a torch, Logan and Fern followed him. Inside, there's a spiral staircase that if you looked above, there seemed to be an endless staircase.
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Around them was just a circled wall and darkness. Caspian look behind him where they are and said, "Please follow me, your majesty," The torch light up the way up the staircase while they're stepping their feet. Fern eagerly followed behind Caspian, while Logan behind her.
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Fern held the railings and smiled while looking up. Seemed really endless, she thought. She then peeked at Logan whose behind her.
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A swift eye contact occured between them as Fern's eyes flickered, while Logan's glistered for a moment. He breathed for a moment.
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"Huh? Your majesty, are you tired already?" Fern concerned. Logan got lost for a moment before he realized what just happened and uneasily turned his eyes away. Before he could say anything, Fern grabbed his hand. "I'll just provide you help," Fern concerningly said.
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Fern didn't wait for his respond but instead she tend to ignore his words. She paced through the staircase to catch Caspian's steps.
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"You---"
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Fern gazed behind him and smiled. "No need to thank me,"
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You're so stubborn!!!!
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Fern gripped his warm hand. Logan paced out and his eyebrows knitted. Her hands are cold. He clicked his tongue as the warmth of his hand joined her's. He felt her hands warm too the next moment.
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When they reached the wooden door after several minutes from the bottom of the spiral staircase, Fern and Logan we're catching breaths.
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That's hell of a stairs.
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Caspian took a key from his robe and placed it on the knob to open the door. He held the doorknob and half-opened the door as he gaze behind him, only to see that both the people were holding hands.
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"Uhm..."
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Logan, having to realize it, quickly pull his hands from her. Just as she felt her hands are feeling chilly again.
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As they came in, Caspian heat the hearth that light up the room.
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Fern's eyes sweeps his place. In the middle of the room, there's a pair of chesterfield across each other. At the left side, there's a table that has a scroll that the half rolls to the floor, a strange book with a skeleton's hands in the cover page, small potion bottles, lamps, brown papers and quill. It was all unorganized.
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The shelves on the right side was filled with golds and jewelry boxes, maps, crystal stones, masks and a crystal ball, also unorganized.
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And on the floor, many gems and golds were strayed too. Fern caught sight of a sparkling diamond and bend her body to take it when she felt a sudden grip on her left wrist.
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It was Logan.
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"Do not just touch anything, this is not your place to do stubborn things."
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"...But it's sparkly..."
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Logan restrained himself and widened his eyes on her. "There's diamonds in the palace that's yours and that is not!"
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Caspian, having to heard them, rushed to pick up the diamond and put it in the empress' hands. "It's okay, your majesty, I'm not using it at all."
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Logan seemed to ignore it, strangely staring at the hands of his on the top of her palm. "Don't just touch anyone as you choose."
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"Oh,---i-i apologized to her Majesty for such rudeness!"
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"..." Fern also slowly took her wrist away from Logan's grip. Logan give his gaze into his hand that's being remove and gritted his teeth. "Can we now talk about...the reason why were here?" Fern awkwardly smiled.
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Caspian quickly nodded his head and invite them to sit at chesterfield opposite to him. He cleared his throat, mouth's opening and closing, couldn't find words to start the discussion.
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Logan's arm were crossed and stomped his feet out of annoyance. "Just say it."
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"An omen! I dreamt about bad omen. It's...more like a destruction...of everything, anything. That there will be downfall---restlessness and disturbance! An overwhelming havoc. I dreamt of it, and I wanted to discuss it in her and his Majesty for it involves everything in this world," Caspian breathed, having to released it that he's trying to keep up himself with.
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Fern gasped. Logan's eyes flickered with rage as his face becoming more and more twisted and strange. "A prophecy."
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Caspian nodded super aggressively. Fern couldn't find words to express because of astonishment.
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"I don't know if I can prevent it from happening, but I swore to myself to try to and get help. I can't do everything alone so I called for his and her Majesty."
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Logan's fist clenched as he said, "It was the prophecy I heard from the female priest a month ago when she informed me. And I'm going to discuss it with you as I thought you didn't know but it turns out you already seen it in your dreams."
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Fern's eyes widened, turning her head to him, "His Majesty knows about this? And you didn't tell me??? A month ago???"
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Logan glared at her. "I was used to dealing with everything alone that wouldn't include your stubbornness. But now you're here so you know."
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In all times that Fern dodge the used of her insensitivity in his words, it was the first time she felt disappointed about it. "But I deserve to know earlier as you know! You should've stated from the very start a month ago! It includes everyone and everything! It includes me---i am also the ruler, your majesty!"
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"And I have no knowledge to be informed about your ignorance in serious things like this as you know." Logan was hard as stone.
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Fern bit her lower lips, trying to calm himself from quarreling to him. Just why can't he trust her? Just for this once that is a pivotal matter to be dealing with? Does he really thinks himself superior more than anyone including her?
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Her insides were shaking, but Fern silently gulped and restrained herself and solemnly responded, "I should've been more cautious in my own traits for you to tell me, I apologized. It was my fault. I will prevent myself from acting recklessly around his Majesty from now on. So you could tell me about important things for us to deal with." It wasn't sarcastic, but it felt like there's a hint somehow.
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Logan felt agitated in his emotions, having a slight feeling that he's done wronged her. Caspian Infront of them couldn't help to felt pity for the empress once again, and felt a little displeasure by Logan's opinion of her.
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Soon enough, Caspian was the one to flipped the argument. "We...we need to plan something, I need her and his majesty's help."
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"Say your plan."
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Caspian sighed. "It's to...to find who's behind of what would occur. I could find clues, I could investigate anywhere. But I called his and her Majesty here to request an assistance of my plans."
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But how?
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"My first phase is to find the root of the prophecy," Logan said. Caspian and Fern's eyebrows knitted. "The reason why it will occur in the future."
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Fern looked at him and asked, "First phase, then supposed his Majesty have a second phase?"
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Logan glimpse at her, "If it is an occurrence, we'll stop that to happen. If she...or he is a person, or whatever creatures there is. Slaughter. Him. or her."
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Fern and Caspian's face twisted. "That's...can we talk about other things beside the killing, your majesty?"
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"Then what do you want us to do?"
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Caspian sighed, starting to explain, "I saw in my dream a rebellion. An uprising control of someone from the Eastwell empire, there will be...war." Fern and Logan's mouth fell slightly open, listening attentively. "I want his and her Majesty to take care of that, because that's the first occurrence I've come to perceived in my dreams. Maybe someone in the empire is taking an action from the years passed, or starting now, I don't know. But observance is a matter of necessity. We need to prevent it. His and her Majesty needs to cooperate with each other in this one. I know his Majesty is fine with the solitude of his, but his Majesty needed the empress in this moment and the future that would occur."
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Logan didn't reply. Fern too. But both of them came to a conclusion.
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A rebel in the empire. or maybe a traitor. or maybe a deceiver. That's the kind of person that has a power to overthrow an empire.
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"This is a matter of time, and we needed to move swiftly. Our...our actions were limited."
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Logan snorted. "In that omen you dreamed, do you perceived what year...or just time, or day, that would start?"
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Caspian felt something struck in his throat and cleared it. His heart beats fast as he replied, "In...One...one and half year. That's...I'm not sure. Or maybe even earlier than that, forgive me, your majesty. It's the first time in my three hundred years of life that I've felt so unsure and agitated, I'll admit."
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Fern's gaze fell on the small rectangle-d table Infront of them, her fingertips are tapping on her laps as she took a deep breath. "That's seemed absurd. One and half year." Fern closed her eyes.
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She doubted herself if that was enough, all the possible thoughts of the prophecy was sending a shiver on her spine as she felt all rattled.
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"There's no use of the uneasiness, empress. What we now needed to do is to do our mission. Throw your worry when we go back, it has a use of doubting everyone inside the empire and go undercover in the deepest depths of their secrets. That's when we'll know who among all of us is one of the prophecy's root."
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Fern sat up straight and gazed at him. "Yeah, I'll do my best to worry." She beamed---not really a smile, but a force sarcastically.
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Logan snorted. Just when before Logan could forgot it, he throw his question on Caspian about the ghouls.
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"About the ghouls that's covered in blood on our way here, I was certain that you meet them before us. And the watcher you were saying in the letter, tell us all you know."
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Caspian agressively nodded. "Yes, yes, about the ghouls and the watcher."
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Caspian told them about the ghouls, that he's still investigating about it and always failing to the scattered traces of the culprit. He's certain that it's also a part of the omen, but that doesn't make sense since he doesn't seen it in his dreams. And the watcher, he's the one who wasn't known by everyone by face nor name. They're just starting calling him a watcher. Known as an onlooker to everything. Once he has come to know a secret, it will spread like a wildfire.
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Previously, the count of Solime at the west side of the Eastwell empire has a big news. That he has a lover that was thirty years younger than him and they're seeing each other behind the countess' back for more than three years. Truly shocking. No one knows who discovered it, but they're confident it was from the watcher who's spreading information or news like wildfire and alerting people. Even if it was fake or truth, right or wrong, honest or deceitful. That watcher destroyed many lives and thrives in making one's life a tragedy.
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And if that watcher heard their discussion about the prophecy, it will surely create an earlier panic in every corner of the empire, or even the world. It could only be discussed in secluded area like this tower.
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"I wonder if he's getting paid enough for minding other people's affair." Fern blankly thought as the words comes out of her mouth, just after she realized it, Caspian and Logan was already staring at her at a bizarre pace.
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"This is a serious discussion." Logan hissed, enraged.
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"I was just saying...what's on my mind."
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Logan glared, "Nonsense." He snorted.
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Just right that, having an instinct of having the same thought, Caspian and Logan's eyes widened.
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"Her Majesty...can you repeat it?"
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"Yeah???"
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"Repeat what you just said about the watcher." Logan gripped her shoulder, making her feel threatened.
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"I said...I wonder if he's getting paid enough for minding other's people affair." Fern look straight in his glistening eyes.
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Caspian sighed and look at Logan. "I guess, we need to find the watcher, your majesty?"
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Logan's lips slowly curved into a scary smirked. "I think so too."
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Fern felt confused and asked. "What??? Why finding him?"
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"The empress' excellence must have been going beneath her brain," Logan remove his hand from her shoulder.
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It took Fern a moment to realize it as she blurted an, "Ah!"
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That watcher, he can help them to search for the deepest depths of the empire's people's secrets. And of course, without them mentioning anything about the prophecy. They can reward that person to work for them, or maybe, a threat from his Majesty is enough. They can put him(or her) a wizardy!
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Fern chuckled on her mind. That would be epic!
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"We have to take an action right after the sun rise." Logan's eyes paced through outside the tower's window where the stars and the moon was seemed to peeking through at them.
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Their mission was set.
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