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RM A Ch2 preview
"Ria, if you don't mind, a word, in private." said the man to his young red-haired apprentice. He beckoned here toward the light and began walking down the street.
Ria flushed a little, and tucked her head down into her chest, "Thanks for taking me here, Your Highness."
"No trouble at all." said the prince. Ria nodded and jogged toward her master, and they walked briskly down the decrepit cobbled road.
"Honestly, I give you a half-day's worth of free time, and you go and get yourself thrown into prison AND execute a jailbreak?" said the man.
"Riumus!" Ria's mouth flew open in outrage, "Why do you always assume that I go out and LOOK for trouble?"
"Because you keep telling people that you're the Runaway Mage without really realizing that you're telling them?" Riumus flashed a smile as the two passed through a spot of light. He stopped to let Asmadaius take off once more into the night and they watched the bird fly back toward the Guild entrance, where they spotted Valcied still waiting.
"Asmadaius seems to have taken a liking to your boyfriend over there." Riumus teased.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Ria rolled her eyes at Riumus' comment. "He just happened to think what happened to me in the court was absolutely unfair. I wasn't even charged with an actual crime."
"Except for existing."
"That has nothing to do with it."
"It has plenty to do with it." Riumus grinned again. "You see, Ria, many people live on fear. Fears that aren't well founded, and they mostly fear what they don't understand. Lots of people fear magic users like you and myself, because they don't understand the ways of magic. Fear is a powerful tool, the King himself is a very fearful man, and he takes his fears and pushes them onto his people, then presents a facade that he is doing something to quell the people's fears. He plays a tricky game, Ria, and I'm ashamed that you fell for such a thing."
"Well, what was I supposed to do?"
"I'm sure that breaking out of the dungeon wasn't the answer." Riumus paused in thought trying to suppress the grin exploding on his face.
"Nor making threats of a coup, breaking the lead shackles, or setting the tapestries on fire would have helped either, huh?"
"No, not exactly" Riumus paused, then grinned wickedly "...but, to be honest with you, I think that little runt deserved a blow to his reputation like that."
"Why?" Ria's curiosity was getting the best of her.
"Why not? Nobody is or ever will be perfect." Riumus sighed and resigned to a thoughtful silence, as they turned back toward the waiting prince.
"Oh, before you say goodbye to your boyfriend, over there..." Riumus interrupted the silence. "I'll offer you this: Don't get in too deep, unless you can handle the water." Riumus tapped his nose and went inside the guild's compound.
What the hell did he mean by that? Ria shook her head and walked to the waiting prince.
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