Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

The sky roared as lightning came crashing down on the training yard, the bolts of electricity struck the protruding ice stalagmites that were in Amelia’s way, blasting in all directions hundreds of shards of ice and cluster bolts all over the place. With the ones going past the confines of the yard being destroyed by the barriers that Sister Mary had placed. 

As the lightning and ice filled the air, Amelia did her absolute best to dodge the projectiles, her highly tuned senses allowing her to dodge everything, even if they were as small as a grain of sand. At least that’s what it looked like to the children watching, in reality, Amelia was desperately doing her best to try and dodge as many of the projectiles as possible, with small pieces of sharp ice grazing her and nicking her, causing slight cuts to her outfit and skin. 

Rolling to the right she barely dodged a lightning bolt and was surprised when she could no longer read the stats of her Mama and her Mother

‘When did these two get so strong?’ she wondered as she desperately tried to close in on her opponent

“Ah, Ah, Ah, not so fast little Amelia” Mother Felice stated as she casted more ice stalagmites to burst forth from the ground and forced her daughter to make evasive maneuvers. 

Moving in between the maze of stalagmites, Amelia finally made her way out and lunged forward at her Mama, swinging her blades at her form,

{!}

But to her surprise, the swipes impacted a dummy before it shrunk and shriveled into the shadows 

“Hahahaha! Don’t tell me you forgot about my expertise when it comes to creating illusions and body doubles now did you?” Her Mama taunted her as her voice came from all sides

A feeling of fear and uncertainty crept up Amelia’s spine, something that she hadn’t felt since her days of training, a smirk on her face as she kept glancing around, trying to get a sense of where her opponent was. 

“Good, good. Always keep your focus up, and keep searching for the enemy. Never give them a moment to strike!” She continued as she suddenly came into view and her staff clashed with Amelia’s daggers, 

“Good! Keep this up” At those words, several other copies of her came into view and all of them swung at Amelia

SCHWING! SCHWING! SCHWING!

CLANG! CLANG! CLING!

The next few minutes were filled with Amelia constantly whirling around and blocking the numerous and endless stream of strikes from the multiple clones of Mother Felice, her eyes darting around and shining gold as she used every single ounce of her experience and training to predict and react to the incoming strikes, blocking one that was aimed to her knee, bending a bit back to dodged another aimed at her face, striking another before it could make contact with her shoulder,  it went on and on for what seemed like hours to her. 

Meanwhile, the children were in awe at just how fast they were going, with many cheering them on as they enjoyed the spectacle, their big sister, all of them knew was an experienced adventurer facing off against their Mama, someone who had been protecting them for as long as they could remember. 

Ducking from another thrust of a stave, Amelia quickly shifted to the right as she saw another come down on her from up high, thrusting forward her daggers, she destroyed one of the clones and managed to escape the encirclement. Breathing heavily as she could feel her muscles ache and her heart rate rising. 

“Good to see that you still have it in you, your body is still in tip-top shape. I like it. But I need to test your Holy Magic, hit me with it” Mother Felice commended her daughter as she caused her clones to dissipate and now she stood alone before her

With a nod Amelia coated the daggers in golden light and clang them together, sending a shockwave of golden light in every direction, forcing Mother Felice, Sister Mary, and the children to stagger back a bit despite the latter’s barriers in place. 

“Hohoho. I like that, come on then, show me what you got!” She happily shouted as she flourished her stave and conjured up her mace and charged at Amelia 

Amelia’s eyes tracked her Mama’s movements and she met her first few strikes with her own, the clanging of steel and wood filled the air as the two of them went back and forth, her Holy Magic and blessings kicking in, giving her back the edge that she should have had earlier in the fight. Making her go on the offensive as she parried a blow from her Mama’s mace, before swinging with her left dagger that was able to nick her in the shoulder, causing Mother Felice to stagger back as she felt the force of the blow and the stinging sensation that followed after.

Mother Felice had a smile on her face as she leaped back and immediately fired off several ice and lightning spells in quick succession, throwing out large icicle projectiles and bringing down more lighting bolts to strike her opponent, she then manifested several copies of herself and all of them ran around the outskirts of the training yard, firing off their own ice and lightning spells, trapping Amelia in a kill box. But as the lightning and ice struck the center of the yard, creating plumes of cold air charged with electricity, Amelia had dodged out of the way, using her teleportation to quickly strike each clone, downing them with singular strokes to the neck that caused them to poof out of existence. 

The display of ice and lighting stunned the kids watching, with some of them trying to see what was happening as the clouds wrapped the training yard in a very dense and cold mist. 

Mother Felice was also scanning the area as she tried to sense where her daughter was within the cloud, vigilantly scanning the darkness before her. 

{!} 

Her senses fire off with a warning as she turned to raise her weapons to block a perceived attack but instead, she saw nothing. 

PAMP

“Looks like I win Mama” Amelia’s voice came from behind as she felt cold steel on her neck

“Haa. Yes you have my darling daughter” Mother Felice replied as she lowered her weapons and turned to her, a smile on her face as she stepped forward and hugged her

“You have gotten so strong. I am so proud of you” she stated as she tightened her hug

“Thank you, Mama, I did the best I could for you and Mother. I always thought of you guys when I was there at the academy” Amelia replied as she dropped her daggers and fully embraced her Mama

The air around them then cleared and the skies above had returned to their natural blue, the grey clouds dissipating instantly, the sounds of the children cheering filled the air as both of them looked up at the kids who were happily clapping their hands and cheering, very happy with the sight before them, even Sister Mary was applauding the two of them. 

Walking up the steps back to them, Mother Felice looked at the kids

“Is breakfast ready Amara?” she asked one of the older kids

“Mhmm! It is Mother!” the young girl replied 

“Ok good! Let's all go inside and enjoy it then, c’mon now!” Mother Felice added as she gestured for them to head back inside the house, turning back to face Sister Mary who gave her a slight nod, making her smile and making her turn back to follow the kids. 

Sister Mary meanwhile walked down to Amelia who was still in the training yard, picking up her daggers from the ground and dusting them off, a smile on her face when she saw her Mother approaching

“You did well Amelia” she stated as she clasped her hands in hers 

“Thank you Mother” Amelia softly replied with a smile as she hugged her 

“How are you feeling now?” 

“Relieved. I don’t know how else to explain it” Amelia answered with a smile

“That’s good to hear. Enjoy yourself while you're here, because soon we are heading to the capital” 

“Yes Mother”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A few days later, after spending all of her time in the orphanage, Sister Mary, Mother Felice, Amelia, and Percy were inside a carriage rolling along to the capital. 

“Glad to see you again Percy” Amelia told the kitsune maid with a smile as she looked at her

“The feeling is mutual Miss Amelia, I apologize I could not meet you when you arrived a few days ago, the entire preparation process has been tiring, doubly so for me as I have to manage most of it” Percy replied with a smile of her own

“I don’t doubt that” the young girl added

“Thank you” the kitsune maid nodded 

As the carriage rolled away from the main road and onto a hidden side road, Amelia’s eyebrows raised in confusion

“I thought we were heading to the capital?” she asked the three adults 

“Ohe we are, but we won’t be using the main route, I received word from a Varangian Guard that someone in the wizard tower along with an elf has hired several bounty hunters to ambush us on the main road out of the duchy to capture you” Percy answered her 

“Emilio and Roimir” Amelia growled as her eyes narrowed and her fists tightened 

“So that’s their names. And yes, they hired several A-Rank bounty hunters to assist them in capturing you, I was told by the Varangian that they were to swoop in and “rescue” you before they would use a certain device that Emilio developed to restrain you and take you back to the magic tower for “experiments”” Percy finished with a look of disdain

“I want to kill them now” Amelia replied, her eyes that held curiosity now burned with a fiery hate

“You can save it for later. The Varangian also told me that they were ordered by that bastard of a crown prince Visnet and the successor to the Pope, Jacon, looks like they’re using those who want to court you for their own gain” 

Amelia closed her eyes and nodded as she did her best to quell the storm of unbridled rage and anger blowing inside her as she heard those two names, her hands clasped together and trembling slightly. 

“But there is also another reason we are taking this other route” Sister Mary then chimed in

“What do you mean mother?” 

“We are going to meet some of your Mama’s friends who are going to help us get into the capital, someone important wishes to speak to you specifically my dear” 

“Me? Who?” Amelia asked, her curiosity becoming bigger

“Fufufu, you will see when we meet them” Sister Mary simply giggled as she turned away from her daughter 

A few minutes later, they reached a small clearing in the dense forest. Stepping out of the carriage, Amelia was met with the sight of several heavily armored and armed paladins in the clearing, all of them clad in silvery plate armor that had very thick plates, with a white cloth covering up some of the armor. Her battle senses then began flaring up as she saw some of them reach for their weapons

“Stop” A mature and soothing feminine voice called out from the center of the clearing, prompting the paladins to move their hands away from the hilts of their swords

Amelia’s gaze then shifted to the center of the clearing, seeing an oak-colored palanquin with a white cloth covering the seat where the inhabitant should be. 

“Who are you?” Amelia asked as she still unsheathed her two daggers, her eyes shifting between the palanquin and the armored guards, her <Appraisal> skill telling her that the inhabitant of the palanquin being a power that of an A-Rank while the paladins were similarly A-Rank 

“You can put those away my little Amelia, they won’t harm us” Mother Felice then chimed in, pushing her daughter's daggers down

“Is that really how you wish to make a first impression my friend?” She added as she stepped forward and crossed her arms, her words directed at the occupant of the palanquin and her expression being that of a disappointed sibling

A few moments of silence followed as Amelia moved forward with Percy and Sister Mary, all of them reaching where Mother Felice was standing,

“I thought it would add some mystique OK? Stop judging me” The feminine voice replied, but this time the air of maturity disappeared 

“You did, it's just that your fellow squadmates failed to get the memo” Mother Felice replied as she glanced at the paladins, each of them looking down at the ground, visibly disappointed 

“It seems you lot have forgotten how to not jump on unassuming civilians” she added as she pinched her forehead

“Dang it. I really thought they understood my orders. Captain Berkshire, I thought you told me you understood the assignment” The feminine voice called out 

“I…I am sorry commander, we saw a pair of daggers holstered on that lady’s waist and our instincts kicked in” The paladin directly left of the palanquin answered as he turned to the small transport and got on his knees, his deep voice filled with regret 

“They were even holstered…what the hell guys?!” the feminine voice shouted as she finally exited the palanquin, her face filled with disappointment as she looked at the armored paladins 

 It was a tall elf clad in a similarly thick set of plate armor with a similar white cloth covering up parts of it and acting as a cloak. The elf’s brunette-colored hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, she had piercing green eyes and the lower half of her face had an armored mask with a large scar protruding out and going over her left cheek. 

Walking forward and stopping right before Mother Felice, the elf knelt on both knees and bowed her head 

“Paladin Commander Alistair greets the Holy Commander” Alistair greeted as she continued to kneel before her

“I don’t go by that title anymore Alistair, you of all people know why. I left the order for a reason” Mother Felice replied as she grabbed Alistair by the arm and helped her up 

“Sorry, it’s just that, I can’t think of any other way to address you…Holy Commander” Alistair replied as she poked her two fingers together 

“‘Sigh’ Felice is fine, and thank you for helping me” Mother Felice added as she had a smile on her face 

“Anything for you Ho-Felice, I owe you my life after all” The elf answered as she looked at the rest of the ladies gathered 

“So this is your family?” she asked as she glanced at all of them 

“Some of them, yes, but we aren’t really here for formalities at the moment, is everything ready?” Mother Felice asked 

“Oh! Right, right. Yes, I have everything prepared. The portal should take you straight to the Cathedral. You can leave those bounty hunter bastards to us” Alistair answered with a smile 

“No, you will be coming with us. I will need all of you to be present during the briefing” Mother Felice stated 

“Understood, shall we get going then?”

“Yep, take us out” 

“Alrighty, Berkshire! Open the portal!” The elven paladin ordered as she turned to her subordinate 

“Right away commander!” Berkshire answered as he began chanting a spell, the entire clearing beginning to glow a subtle blue as a large spiral portal appeared near the palanquin 

“Wait if we are heading to the cathedral in the capital then that means-”

“Yes, I know it will be dangerous considering Jacon is there but the person who wishes to see you is the pope. Let’s not keep her waiting” Mother Felice cut her daughter off as they all stepped into the portal 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, along the road where Amelia was supposedly going to pass through, a disgruntled and impatient blue-haired wizard and elf are currently shouting at one another while the bounty hunters they hired all stand to the side away from them as it had been quite a while since the supposed time their prey would show up and both of them were at each other's throats

“You were played like a fool Emilio! You honestly believed that the bastard Visnet and that manipulative fuck Jacon would give us actual concrete information” Roimir the elf shouted as he looked down at the short wizard

“Shut the fuck up you stupid elf! You were also duped! And I paid for the backup!” Emilio retorted 

“I told you we should have just gone into the duchy and nabbed her while she was still there!” the elf continued 

“And get fucking annihilated by the Imperial Guard stationed there?! I am a powerful wizard but I know I can’t take on a fucking fully-fledged veteran of the Imperial Army!” 

“Then you are useless as a wizard prodigy!” 

“Fuck you! All you do is throw twigs at people or run at them and swing blindly and hope for the best, you are absolutely useless in a fight!” 

“At least I can try to fight! The moment someone taller than you gets close when you have no magic energy left you are nothing but a fucking child!” 

“Fuck you!” Emilio shouted as he walked off, fuming

His gaze turned to the group of five bounty hunters, each of them clad in different types of armor but all of them human and all of them of different height and gender. 

“Are you still willing to stick around despite not having the action you were promised?” Emilio asked them

“Of course, you're the client, you hired us to help you capture uhh what’s her name uhh Amena? Sophina?” The old grizzled looking man in a leather armor set spoke up as he stepped out of the shade of the tree, one hand on the hilt of his sword

“Boss, it’s Amelia” The bulky guy in plate armor to his right added 

“Right, right Amelia. We won’t leave your service until we help you finish the job we signed up for” the old man added as he tipped his stetson 

“Plus, the pay is good, 50 gold up front and another 75 when finished. We ain’t too stupid to pass this up” the only female in the group added as she stood next to the old man, adjusting the strap to the quiver on her back  

“Alright, that's one problem solved. Roimir, despite your complete and utter uselessness, can you track her down? I know for a fact Jacon can given that he told us about the tracking spell he placed on her” 

“I cannot, for some reason the spirits of the forests are silent at the moment” 

“Fucking wonderful, might as well head back to the capital for now. Rethink our plan and even get some more information from that manipulative bastard” 

“Fine. but you’re going to bring us there” 

“I know, because you can’t do fuck all” 

At the small mutter of a chant, a large portal to the capital opened and all of them walked through it, not knowing that they were about to have a chance encounter with their target.