John stood beside Sara staring at a big painting hanging on the wall before them, it had something lit on fire, same flame that covered the houses behind, upon it stood the current king with the crowd watching in shock
"You know, this is the treasure of this nation, a piece of art that is called The Phoenix," said Sara
"Hmm really? and why is it called by that?" replied John
"Well, the Pheonix if you know is a mythical bird that dies and reappears from his own ashes in a much healthier and better shape than he ever was," said Sara
"Then are you saying that by burning the past king along side the foundation he built, we became a much healthier society," said John
"I, am not that deep into political history or what ever it is called so—" said Sara Before they heard the uneven sound of dragging feet following firm footsteps.
They looked to their side to see Thomas pushing Henry forward
When the two boys reached them, John asked
"Why is…?" john said looking at the scene
Henry stopped the force with ease as he talked to John, while Thomas still doing his best to push him
"He said he wants to spare with me"
"I am paying back what I suffered the other, day!" said Thomas pushing with his hardest, just for Henry to move to the side letting him fall flat on his face
Henry noticed the painting behind them, "Isn't that the Phoenix? I heard William say something about the history behind it"
"Okay, you can go now" said John not wanting him to lead the conversation as he pushed him
"Wow!" said John "Now, can we continue with something else?"
"Yeh sure, why don't we go up—" said Sara before a sound from behind startled both of them
"What are you guys doing" Isabel told them with an innocent smile on her face
Holding the hand of William who seemed to try his best in escaping, his hand gripped in Her's, all his strength couldn't budge her an inch, his physic was way too weak compared to the rest
They stared at them, confused, their faces painted with questions. Isabel realising that she said
"Oh, we are just going to read him some books", she looked to her sides and continued "But I can't seem to find the library"
William finally broke free and hid behind John
"Lier!!!, look at her hand she is going to burn it all and blame me!!" he said sacred for his life
She stared at them and then the torch in her hand still having the same smile, before hiding it slowly behind her and giving a confused look, an attempt at gaslighting
"Pls save me— wait is that the Phoenix" said William staring back
"Oh, yeh it is, Henry told us you knew about it," said Sara
"I know all, about it, I know about its history, how it—" said Henry before John pushed him back
"You betrayed me!!" said William while being dragged away keeping eye contact with john
"Why don't we go see another now?" said John walking alongside Sara
"Do you think those two will be okay?" said Sara as she looked back
Isabel was talking to William
"Oh come on, don't be such a boy,"
"You are intending to burn the library!" said William
"Don't lie like that" she said checking if anyone heard them, her hand that is holding the torch stretching all the way to the back
"Only enough books to cook bread" she said
"But we just ate!" William replied
"Well, it never hurts to get mor—" said Isabel before he cut her screaming
"The painting!!"
"Wha—"surprised they she dropped the fire down and took the painting off the wall trying to put it off alongside William
In the meantime, the flame lit the carpet two
"They are going to be fine don't worry" said John as he took Sra's hand
"Now let's go check the museum" as he dragged her downstairs
In the training grounds, both Henry and Thomas stood face to face, Henry holding a sword and a shield, his face focused, and so is Thomas's, although he had an axe and a shield instead
"So? When do we—" said Henry
"Go!" said Thomas slashing sideways
Henry managed to stop it with his shield, "Cheater..." he said slashing with his sword downwards
Covering his head and defending himself from the attack Thomas said "Don't care, will you be saying that on the battle field "before pushing the sword upwards and kicking Henry
But the kick was shallow, he managed to move away
They traded strikes, Thomas having the lead, one strike after another, he felt he was winning, but. why is Henry's face still calm? did he accept defeat? Or is that... a trap!
Indeed, it was, behind henry the wall stood sturdy, Thomas slash downwards just for his weapon to hit the wall, a punch came flying towards his stomach
Falling to his knees Thomas said "Couldn't you, have gone a little easier with that one?"
"Will you be saying that on the battle field, By the way it Is 3-0, so we should rest for now" said Henry offering his hand
"Battlefield you say" said Thomas getting the help to stand up
"We are certainly not made to be guards, nor lords or ladies," said Henry as they both walked to the side
"Gasp, what if… our purpose is to become Sigel knights" said Thomas, in his eyes it was obvious he liked the idea
"If that is so, some of us won't" replied Henry
"Oh..." said Thomas, the realisation broke apart the dream he had
"I never heard of a Book Sigel knight, nor a bow one," said Thomas
"Maybe William will rain fire with his books somehow," said Henry
"How? Like lit the paper on fire and throw it, that would be called the fire knight," said Thomas
"Maybe, or he might use the content somehow to his advantage," said Henry
"What ever it might be, I feel the plans of the masked man are no good," said Thomas
In the library William was tied to a chair with his mouth closed by another rope
"MMMf, MMMMF" he said
"Don't be such a baby" said Isabel, "it will be quick" as she picked some books that looked the most expensive, behind one she took a sack that she seemed to be the one that hid it
Dragging the chair William was tied to, she got to a door of metal bars, a lock was holding it closed
She put everything she held and took a candelabrum, cracking the look into pieces as William screamed more in shock and fear
They went in as she freed him once they got deeper into the dark parts of the library
"What are you ding!" he whispered angry
"Burning Expensive stuff obviously" said Isabel in a normal voice as he closed her mouth checking the sides
"This is not the normal part of the library, I don't know why we haven't seen any guards up until now, but this place is the most expensive in the capital," said William
"Good, then I will take even more expansive stuff, and burn it," said Isabel dropping what she had and roaming the library as she checked each row
"We can't be here, if we are caught, we will be doomed" William whispered in annoyed voice
"Don't live too safe of a life, "Isabel said as she pushed a book to his chest forcing him to hold it "you better know by now that the way we were raised, we never know when will we die, so live to the fullest, before you join our friends" as she continued to walk forward
"That does not mean to end your life this early" he continued to speak trying to get some sense into her
"You think they will kill us over some books? Pfft grow up" Isabel said Handing him more
"What—, this is a one copy book, of course they would be mad if it burns" William said showing her the book she just gave him
"Good, then take it" she said after looking at it for a moment
"What?!!" he replied
"I am going to burn many anyways, so you taking that one wont matter for they won't distinguish the stolen from the destroyed" Isabel replied walking and checking more of them
"Why burn them in the first place" replied William following after her as she handed him more
"I want to cook bread, that is one of my dreams coming to the capital" she replied
"What! Why is it your dream in the first place? why not use coal or some fire wood or something" he said
"At first it was to taste the most expansive piece of bread, or the tastiest, but I happen not to find them sadly, I don't know what the future is hiding for me anymore" she said picking more
"I thought coming here I would just get married and live a life of luxury, in wish I will be able to achieve it" as she dropped them down taking the torch she had and getting ready
"But sadly, that is nothing but an achievable dream" she said lilting it all on fire
"Then why not cook anything else? "William asked
"I don't know how to cook anything else" she said
"And why burn books of all things," said William
"You are the reason" Isabel replied
"What??"
"You used to set by the corner when we were young, reading all by yourself in our free time while the rest of us either trained to played around" Isabel said unwrapping the piece on uncooked bread
"At first I wanted to burn your books so you would play, but I knew you would cry, so I said, why not burn other ones you have no authority over" Isabel said as she put the piece of bread on spike and cooked it slowly over the flames
"That is just stupid," William said
"Don't care, give me those" she replied taking the books and putting one of them each time the fire was almost off
"I have already started burning them so why not go roam around and take whatever you would like" she said
He looked to his side hesitant
"Go before the guards catch us" she said as he ran off checking the rows
He looked at them some were covered and gold, other in weirdly shaped gems, he walked until he got deeper and deeper,
He went into the dark holding a troche as his only source of light, a book fell behind him as he got startled
The cover had many disordered parts of a human body alongside animals of weirdly shape legs and heads
A finger sprouting out of another, a leg with too many fingers, and so on each body part had a disorder, centring them all an eyeball, its pupil ripping itself a part creating 2 of it self
The tittle was, Madness
He smiled trying to control his laughter, he knew it was talking about the plague , he hid it inside his clothes and walked back
Isabel still cooking the bread said in boredom
"Where is her? it won't be completed if he doesn't witness it" throwing in more books
He was running towards her
"Here you are" he said
"Yeh, now set down and let me continue" she said as they heard footsteps, in the dark they saw a light moving
"Oh no you will not" he took her as they ran off, but no matter what they did the light was always in front of them
William running noticed that the light was always on their right, and that the shelves were the same ones they walked by every time
"Are we running in a circle?" he said hitting his head into a hard object
The butler stood before them, holding a candle of light staring down,
"What are you kids doing here?" he said
"Just so you know, I can't pay back the books because I'm broke, and there is nothing you can do about it" Isabel said
"Isabel!!" William yelled
"What??" looking beside her they were not standing by the fire
The butler laughed as he said "Don't blame her, I already saw and smelled the flame"
Both of them nervous
"What will the punishment be this time?" William asked in a worried voice as Isabel helped him stand up
"Punishment? Did I ever threaten you with a such a thing?" the butler thought and saying to himself
He glanced at them and moved out the way "Go straight and you will find the exit, but don't speak of anything that happened here, not, a, thing" he gave them a serious look in that last part
William dragged Isabel staring at the butler as they walked by, juts to run of
"Heheheeh, my threats worked" said Isabel, her voice loud enough to be heard by the butler
"Shut up!" William hit her as they dissapered
The butler's eyes got cold again as he walked to towards the smell of fire, it was long since have gone off,
"I will be needing to clean this before there are any problems"
"So?" said Isabel to William "you just went awa taking nothing, even though it was obvious he would have let it slip"
He took out the book with a bright smile
She stared at how excited he was about the book before saying "You rat"
He looked at her and said "Whatever, at least it wasn't wasted"
Before a piece of bread closed his mouth, Isabel split Her's in half letting him taste some
"Is it good?" she asked as he munched on it
"Pretty good!" with a full mouth he replied
She tasted her half and said "Nah, not good enough, maybe one day I will find the best piece"
"I still don't understand your obsession with bread" William said
"Who knows" Isabel replied, as they left the bright part of the library, leaving everything behind as the door closed behind them