Book 13 Chapters 7-9 "The Ride to Elcadan"

[Argent]

Chapter Seven:

“Then what happened?” Maggie inquired.

“I picked up the narration of what transpired with the Guardians,” Lady Argent explained. “Filling in the gaps between where Jallarzi had left off and where things were at that moment. It took some time as I had a lot to cover.”

“I thought I had some interesting adventures and discovered unique magic items in the things I did,” Argent noted in a disappointed voice. “I must admit that as I sat there and listened to all the things that she had done it made my achievements seem insignificant at best. I had, what would be in the grand scheme of things, minor adventures, but she was involved in historical events. It was easy to see just why she had been given a noble title. I was jealous and envious at the same time.”

“I never knew that,” Lady Argent said in mild surprise. “And of course I was rubbing it in too, trying to get under your skin. I'm really sorry. I never realized just what I was doing to you.”

“It's in the past,” Argent answered with a dismissive wave. “Don't worry about it. Besides, I did the exact same thing back to you. We were both very petty to each other at first. In time, I came to realize that if you had it in you to do all those impressive deeds, that I had it in me as well. After all, we are the same person. That sort of led me to do the things I did on my own after the Civil War.”

“That's a good perspective to have,” Maggie agreed. “When I came along, I had both of your long line of deeds to contend with. It was daunting, to say the least. So much so that I focused my efforts on the family business instead of really trying to adventure. Plus, with my long captivity, my mage skills were lagging far behind.”

“You were essentially stuck at where we all had been right after the accident,” Lady Argent observed. “But thankfully for you, we were much better behaved by the time we first met. You were spared much of the vitriol that passed between Argent and I.”

“We were much nicer to you than we ever were to each other initially,” Argent added.

“I wish I could say that I was a driving force in the things the Guardians did while I was a member, but I was not,“ Lady Argent explained, coming back to her time in the Guardians of Light. “At times it felt like we were on a runaway horse and just hanging on for dear life. I did grow immensely as a person and as a mage. I forged many friendships that are still strong today.”

“While I was not around them as much as you were,” Argent indicated Lady Argent, “They seemed to me like a much better, well-rounded group when compared to the Company.”

“Very much so,” Lady Argent agreed. “Perhaps in time the Company of the Sword could have become as good as the Guardians of Light.”

“We'll never know” Maggie added. “Especially after they merged with the Seekers, the Company, as we knew it, was gone.”

“Pretty much,” Argent remarked. “I blame that insufferable elf!”

“Back to our story,” Lady Argent stated. “Jallarzi had finished with us, and we were walking back to our room to change into our adventuring gear. Then we were to join her in the carriage out front for the ride into Elcadan. But there was an interruption along the way.”


“Well, well, well if it isn't the terrible twins!” A raspy voice squeaked out. What looked like a tiny red dragon flew down the hallway towards us. The creature slowed and hovered before us on its beating wings. It was about the size of a large cat. We were quite familiar with the dragonet as it was Jallarzi's familiar Edwina. “Cause any trouble today?”

“The day is young, Mistress Edwina,” Argent responded to the Pseudodragon. Edwina was quite outspoken and a bit of a troublemaker herself. The Pseudodragon was more a force of nature, not something one could control or contain. Once Argent had figured that out, she was much easier to deal with. Edwina took great pleasure in pestering Jallarzi's apprentices. “Who knows what kind of trouble we will be in by day's end?”

“Well, if you were to spend the day in the kitchen making me tarts, then there would be no chance of you getting into trouble,” Edwina reasoned with glee. “It's a good outcome for all involved.”

“As much as we would love to make pastries for you, we simply cannot today, I'm afraid, Mistress Edwina,” Lady Argent countered. “We already have our marching orders, and we'll be far away from the kitchen. We're going into town with Jallarzi as soon as we change. Orders are orders.”

“Oh, she did, did she?” Edwina squeaked in annoyance. “We'll just see about that!” With that announcement, Edwina flew off once more in the direction of Jallarzi's private chambers and was soon out of sight.

“That will annoy Jallarzi,” Argent noted as we continued to walk.

“Probably,” Lady Argent agreed. “But it was fun.”

“That it was. I can't believe that Kylie actually kisses that flying lizard.”

“I know,” Lady Argent said in agreement. “That is so gross!”


“Yeah, really,” Maggie noted. “Fortunately, Find Familiar is a spell barred to us, so we couldn't summon one even if we wanted to.”

“Familiars are such a chancy proposition even if we could summon one,” Lady Argent stated. “Too much randomness for my tastes. You have no idea what you are going to end up with.”

“However, those who have them seem to like them well enough,” Argent noted. “In spite of all the trouble Edwina causes, I have heard Jallarzi say she can't imagine her life without that winged troublemaker.”

“That is true,” Lady Argent agreed. “The Songstress Lyonessa has an owl for a familiar and Dusk was a good and useful companion. We even started to put Stoneskin on Dusk for protection.”

“And then, on the other hand, Zynara has a snake,” Argent countered. “All slimy and creepy!”

“But Zynara is very fond of Sheba,” Lady Argent noted. “Although I have no idea how she is able to walk with a ten-foot long python draped around her shoulders! I wouldn't be able to move!”

“I can't believe that you both forgot about Ashes,” Maggie interrupted. “That was so heartbreaking!”

Ashes was the feline familiar for Mastiff, one of the mages from back in the Company of the Sword days. An enemy mage killed the cat, nearly killing Mastiff in the process.

“You're right,” Argent agreed. “What happened was so horrible that I tried to forget about it.”

“How could you not feel for Mastiff walking around carrying Ashe's lifeless body?” Lady Argent added. “At least he got his revenge.”

“Clearly, familiars are definitely a mixed bag,” Maggie concluded. “Their summoners love them, but otherwise it's the luck of the draw.”

“After our encounter with Edwina,” Lady Argent continued to narrate, “we returned to our room and started to change for our trip into town. I quickly put on my adventuring gear I had worn the night before while peeling potatoes.”

“I got to sit and critic her fashion sense,” Argent added.


Lady Argent slipped behind the changing screen and quickly donned her clothes from the night before. She wore a black blouse, black riding trousers, and the green fuzzy boots. There was a cloak that was dark purple in color with gold trim on it on her shoulders and an elaborate golden necklace hung down from her neck. Lady Argent also wore a silver locket engraved with a rose in bloom around her neck.

“The fuzzy boots are still tacky,” Argent noted as she took in her doppelganger’s new appearance. All in all, it wasn't too far from her own attire. Clearly, they had the same fashion ideas and both had come to realize that wearing dresses on adventures was a poor choice.

“Yeah, I'm beginning to see your point,” Lady Argent slowly agreed. “I'll have to dye them black. I was wearing the green dress when I got them, so I made them that color. I'll have to change them to match the current color scheme.”

“A wise choice,” Argent agreed. “Any other magic items?”

“Several,” Lady Argent explained. “The necklace is a Necklace of Adaption, the cape is a Cloak of Displacement and while you cannot see them, I am wearing Anklets of Sure Footing. I also have a Staff of Power in the Bag of Holding, but I really haven't done much with it yet.”

“Wow,” Argent mouthed. “That's quite a haul, but given all the things you've done, it's not a surprise. What about the locket?”

“It was a gift from Chareos,” Lady Argent said as she held it up for closer inspection. “It came as a complete surprise when he gave it to me. I was very touched.”

“It's nice,” Argent noted as she inspected the gift. “Sounds like this Chareos is a keeper.”

“I hope so,” Lady Argent stated. “We work well together. I can see us being partners for a long time.”

“Okay, my turn.”

“Yes, now I get to criticize your choices,” Lady Argent laughed as she took a seat in a nearby chair.”

When Argent emerged from the changing screen, her attire was similar but had noticeable differences. Argent's blouse was white instead of black and over it she wore a black leather vest. Her trousers were also leather and brown in color. On Argent's feet were a pair of fancy black leather boots. Clearly, they were crafted by a master cobbler and could not have come cheap. They were something a noble woman would wear.

“Okay, I will agree that your boots are much nicer looking than mine,” Lady Argent noted enviously. “Are they magical as well or just a strong fashion statement?”

Argent allowed herself a satisfied grin. Finally, she had earned something that was coveted by her double!

“We raided the Ruins of Demara's Castle,” Argent explained. “Deep below in her hidden labs, we discovered that Demara was a master enchanter and had left behind numerous leather garments. These boots, the pants and the vest were my prizes. The boots are magical in a fashion, but they are not really a magic item. They don't give me any special abilities such as yours.”

“Then what do they do?” Lady Argent wondered.

Instead of answering, Argent simply showed her counterpart. At Argent's mental direction, the height of the boot changed, as did the height of the heels. The footwear changed from being small ankle boots to ones that went over the knees. Likewise, the heels could be reduced to flats or made higher.

“I like it,” Lady Argent nodded approvingly. “Basically one pair of boots for any occasion.”

“They are also very comfortable,” Argent said. “I have yet to clean them, even after the trip into that horrible swamp. I can move a little bit faster in them too. We called them Demara's Boot of Comfort.”

“Very nice!” Lady Argent agreed. “I want a pair for myself!”

“Everyone has been telling me how nice they are, and I just love showing them off” Argent agreed, adjusting her boots to be just below her knees and with a modest heel. That way she'd be taller than her counterpart.

“I bet you do,” Lady Argent muttered under her breath. “What do the pants and the vest do?”

“We called the vest Demara's Vest of Protection,” Argent explained. “I am told it functions like a Protection from Normal Missiles spell, but that is not a magic I am familiar with.”

“I have Protection from Normal Missiles in my spell books,” Lady Argent spoke up. “I know what it does. Basically, you can't be hurt by normal arrows and thrown weapons like spears, axes and daggers. Magical versions can hurt you, but at a reduced rate. Very useful when arrows are fired at you.”

“That's pretty handy, not that I try to stand still when someone is hurtling weapons at me. In addition, it has the effect that sort of mimics what your tiara does,” Argent continued. “It will absorb Magic Missiles fired at me and when that happens I can fire my Magic Missiles back without losing the spell from memory. But it has to be done within a few minutes or that benefit is lost.”

“Naturally you fire back your Magic Missile immediately at the offending party?”

“Oh, naturally,” Argent agreed with a satisfied grin.

“That just leaves the trousers,” Lady Argent noted.

“They are useful for storage,” Argent explained. “There are ten hidden pockets in the pants and each pocket functions similar to a very small Bag of Holding.”

“Handy to carry things,” Lady Argent agreed. “Kylie has a vest that does something similar.”

“Each pocket can hold about ten pounds of items,” Argent concluded. “Both the pants and vest are very comfortable to wear and remain clean at all times. Shall we join Jallarzi out front?”

“Let's get going,” Lady Argent said as she stood up. The fact that her double was now slightly taller was not wasted on her. She grabbed her staff and moved towards the door. “Time for you to meet the Guardians of Light.”

“After you, your Ladyship.” Argent said sarcastically while she faked a bow and then grabbed her large furry coat to protect her from the elements. Lady Argent went without a coat. With her magical boots, she was always warm, even in the cold. Argent also had a different staff in her possession.

[Argent]

Chapter Eight:


“As more time passed you added even more magical weapons and items,” Maggie noted. “Even passing them on to your sisters.”

“When we acquired a better magic item over what we were using, we'd pass it on to another member of the group who would benefit from it,” Lady Argent explained. “After we became comfortable with each other, it just made sense to do the same with all of us.”

“Besides, we'd feel horrible if we hogged a magic item that could have saved someone's life,” Argent added.

“So, you both were on your way to join Jallarzi on the ride into town,” Maggie stated.


We emerged from the front entrance to the Sallavarian Estate and found Jallarzi's family carriage waiting for them. Several guards on horseback were ahead of and behind the carriage, including the follower of Helm who was guarding Jallarzi earlier.

“I guess you weren't joking about the heightened security,” Argent noted.

“Dangerous, but exciting times,” Lady Argent answered as she opened the door and stepped inside the carriage. She took the seat opposite of Jallarzi, as did Argent. They had been in this carriage before. Jallarzi used it as her Lyra persona when taking her apprentices into town to celebrate various milestones in their training.

“Wow!” Argent said, realizing that Jallarzi was not wearing one of her usual dresses. “I don't think I've ever seen you without a dress on!”

Like the Argents, Jallarzi had changed into her version of adventuring gear. The Archmage wore a frilly white top and black riding britches. She wore a pair of soft boots and a cloak, both of elven manufacture. Unique bracers were worn on her wrists that were made from a reddish lizard-like hide bound with platinum filigree and set with bloodstones.

Almost all her unnecessary jewelry had been removed, and only two rings appeared on her fingers. Slung around her shoulder on a strap was a small carrying case holding several wands. A worn staff sat nearby. A warm winter coat finished off the ensemble.

“I had you dress for trouble,” Jallarzi noted. “Did you not think it would apply to me as well?”

“Well, it makes sense when you put it that way,” Argent answered. “Still very stylish.”

“At least you've both started to get serious about what you wear when adventuring,” Jallarzi stated. “Dresses and dungeons do not mix.”

“I learned that the hard way,” Lady Argent lamented.

“We both did,” Argent agreed.

The carriage started to move forward with a lurch. The sounds of the horses' hoofs hitting the cobblestone road filled the air. The ride into Elcadan would take about forty-five minutes as the horses kept a steady trot, but were not racing.

Lady Argent cast a cantrip to change the color of her furry boots. Once completed she became to rub her hands all around each boot, changing it to black in color. “Much better,” Lady Argent intoned satisfied with her results.

“I've been wondering when you were going to do that,” Jallarzi observed. “That green was really tacky.”

“See?” Argent called out. “Even Jallarzi knew that they were a fashion disaster!”

“So much has been happening,” Lady Argent meekly countered, “that I hadn't really noticed.”

“I will happily point out all of your flaws from now on,” Argent merrily volunteered.

“That cuts both ways,” Lady Argent angrily responded. “I--”

“And that's enough of that,” Jallarzi interrupted before their squabbling could go any further.

“What are we getting ourselves into?” Argent wondered as she changed the subject. “What are we going into town for?”

“With Castle Elcadan reclaimed, the King and the Duke are moving their base of operations there instead of my estate,” Jallarzi explained. “It's a better defensive position and also why my staff is being moved there.”

“We didn't see anyone on the way down from our room,” Lady Argent added. “It was very unusual. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to memorize any spells yet. Hopefully, there won't be too much excitement today.”

“That is unfortunate, but maybe you'll have time to study later this afternoon,” Jallarzi continued. “Yesterday Duke Relon put out word for all available adventurers to come to the castle. The army from Athenos is only days away, and we won't be able to field an army in that short time.”

“But a slew of adventurers can offset that disadvantage,” Lady Argent deduced.

“Precisely,” Jallarzi agreed. “I keep tabs on the adventurers in Elcadan, and Argent here knows several of them personally. We're going to help weed out who is trustworthy and who is not.”

“Looks like I get to introduce you to some of my friends as well,” Argent smugly told Lady Argent.

“I wonder how many of them are going to be freaked out seeing the two of us?”

“A few already knew,” Jallarzi added. “But I don't think any of them ever saw both of you at the same time. This should be interesting. You're going to be in the presence of the King, so do not make a spectacle of yourselves.”

“Yes ma'am,” Argent said, while Lady Argent remained silent.

“See? I can break that habit,” Lady Argent said with a wide smile to her counterpart.

Argent started to say something, but thought better of it. Best behavior in front of Jallarzi and all that.

“Regardless, we're probably going to be making some apologies,” Lady Argent noted with a sigh.

“What makes you say that?” Argent wondered.

“You know as well as I do how fast gossip travels at the Sallavarian Estate,” Lady Argent noted. “By this time everyone knows what we did.”


“Everyone probably knew the same evening!” Maggie added with a laugh.

“I wouldn't be surprised by that,” Argent said with a sigh.


“I love the boots, Argent,” Jallarzi stated a bit further into the journey as she eyed the footwear. “The craftsmanship is impeccable. Who made them?

“Demara the Enchantress,” Argent explained as she showed her footwear off. “They were part of my spoils from our expedition to the ruins of her castle.”

“Very nice, and too bad at the same time,” Jallarzi noted. “I had hoped to get a pair for myself, but alas, they are a unique creation. Have you acquired any other magic items?

Lady Argent just sighed and rolled her eyes as her counterpart told the story of each of her magic items made by Demara. Just how many more times was she going to hear the story about those wonderful boots?


“Probably too many times,” Maggie noted with a laugh. “But then again, we've all had our claims to fame that we lorded over everyone else. Your title, your boots and so on.”

“And she doesn't even share them!” Lady Argent lamented.

“Get back to me when a pair of boots would have saved your life, dear,” Argent countered sarcastically.


“Jallarzi, have you any news concerning Kylie and Kharyna?” Argent asked after riding in silence for a while. “I haven't seen either of them in ages.”

“Not a lot to tell,” Jallarzi answered. “Kylie is still with Sherwood on their elf quest. I did see Kharyna and her friends a few days after we came back from the Beleme Swamp. She was having some difficulties in her explorations at Gaz's Towers and asked me if I could recommend a dwarf who could assist them. I pointed them in the direction of Zera Brighthammer.”

“I heard that they had problems with dwarves before, so that must have gone over well,” Lady Argent noted.

“Zera fit into their group well enough, so I don't believe it was an issue,” Jallarzi explained. “They spent the evening at the estate and after breakfast the next morning they were gone. I haven't seen them since.”

“That sounds ominous,” Argent stated.

“It's not unusual to not see Kharyna for weeks, if not months at a time.” Jallarzi continued. “With all that's been going on, I've been away frequently myself, so it is possible that I just missed them.”


“We started to run into Kylie more frequently after she found me up north,” Maggie noted. “We didn't see much of Kharyna until later on.”

“Yes,” Lady Argent agreed. “We saw Kylie after she brought you to Karn's Keep.”

“And I ran into her by myself after that,” Argent spoke up. “When Lord Sharadin was planning on returning to Baltron's Beacon. That was fun as I got to see the sunken Elder City and the other one far to the north. And no, the Teacher didn't call me either. However, going back to Baltron's Beacon didn't thrill me. Too many bad memories of that place.”

“Kylie and Talen showed up at the family store a few days later,” Maggie added. “She wanted to check up on me. We spent the evening at the Blushing Maiden catching up.”

“That was nice of her,” Lady Argent nodded approvingly.


“It almost slipped my mind,” Jallarzi said a bit further along in the trip. “But I have a mission for you two while in town. Edwina is expecting you both to bring her back some tarts from the Tristolan's Treats. I'm sure you won't disappoint her.”

Tristolan's Treats was the best sweet shop in Elcadan when it came to pastries, cakes and other desserts and treats. A halfling couple were the owners and bakers. Almost everything in the shop was mouthwatering.

“Yes ma'am,” Lady Argent mouthed with a sigh.

“See, I can break the habit too,” Argent said with a laugh. “You're not as smart as you think you are. Jallarzi saw right through what you tried to do.”

“She said both of us,” Lady Argent corrected. “You’re not off the hook either.”

“Well fudge!” Argent cursed after a moment's thought.


“Did you really think you would out clever Jallarzi?” Maggie asked.

“It was a vain hope,” Lady Argent admitted. “I guess I was testing just how far Mystra's Boon had pushed my intellect.”

“Obviously not far enough to outwit Jallarzi,” Argent added with a laugh.

“Obviously,” Lady Argent grumbled.

[Argent]

Chapter Nine:


“You were still riding in the carriage with Jallarzi towards Elcadan,” Maggie noted.

“It's a long ride when you are not in a hurry,” Lady Argent answered. “Plus, we were still catching up on things.

“By now the carriage was approaching the outskirts of the city,” Argent reported. “We were nearing the end of our journey and some of the truths about ourselves were going to be revealed.”


New Town was the first portion of Elcadan to be reached, and the carriage turned on to the High Road. The High Road Inn was the first building to be seen. Both Argents had been there many times before, as Jallarzi was secretly one of the owners.

“I desperately need to do some shopping on one of these trips into town,” Lady Argent lamented with a sigh. “My wardrobe is horrible.”

“Your wardrobe is my wardrobe,” Argent noted. “I think it's just fine.”

“Fine for an adventurer,” Lady Argent corrected. “Compared to the likes of Jallarzi or Lady Allonica, I look like a peasant.”

“Hey!” Argent objected. “I'm a peasant and I look just fine!”

“But lacking for a noble such as myself,” Lady Argent corrected arrogantly.

“Was she really given a title by the King?” Argent asked of Jallarzi. “I still find it hard to believe.”

“I was there,” Jallarzi explained. “It's all true.”

“And I have the paperwork to prove it!” Lady Argent added excitedly.

“You haven't been a noble for even a month yet,” Jallarzi pointed out. “Lady Allonica and I have both been nobles for all our lives. It's not an apt comparison. Given the circumstances, your wardrobe should be inferior to ours. But going forward, it will improve. Both of you will need to dress better if you are going to be around nobility and royalty in social situations. The same goes for your gentlemen companions.”

“But I'm not a noble,” Argent objected.

“Right now, you're not,” Jallarzi answered. “What will the kingdom look like once this is all over with? Who knows what the future holds?”

“That's right,” Argent agreed as she glanced at her double. “Someday we might be on equal footing again.”

Lady Argent let out another sigh. It was not a day to which she was looking forward. She liked having something to hold over her counterpart.

“Looks like we both need to do some shopping,” Argent happily noted.

“We're going to need to loot a treasure vault to get all the gold we're going to need,” Lady Argent lamented. “Style costs gold, and I do so want to be stylish.”

“But of course,” Argent smugly agreed.

“Since you can both fit into each other's clothes, you could always just share,” Jallarzi noted.

“Absolutely not!” both Argents said at the same time.

“In less than one minute I'm going to change both of your minds,” Jallarzi stated in an annoyed voice. “Let's say that you both go into town and acquire five dresses each. What do you think the chances are that several of these dresses are going to be similar to each other, if not close copies?”

“Probably pretty high,” Argent said. “If we're really the same person just duplicated, we have the exact same tastes and standards.”

“At lunch you both had the exact same meal with nearly identical proportions,” Jallarzi noted. “I'd say that you are exact copies of each other. Therefore, your tastes match, so the dresses you would pick out would be similar. Then you two would argue about how the other was trying to copy your style, which would get you nowhere.”

“Probably,” Lady Argent replied as she glanced at her copy. It was like Jallarzi could see right through them. Were they really that transparent to her?

“The logical thing to do in this case is jointly buy ten dresses that are all different and share them,” Jallarzi continued. “That way you both have a wider selection and fewer duplicates.”

“But what about--,” Argent started to say, but Jallarzi cut her off.

“As for who picks first each day, either take turns or flip a coin,” Jallarzi stated. “You are both supposed to be adults, so figure it out.”

“I can't find any faults in your deductions,” Lady Argent hesitantly agreed after a time. “You're probably right.”

“Sadly, yes,” Argent was forced to agree with a sigh.

“You became my apprentice almost two years ago,” Jallarzi explained. “For the majority of that time you stayed at my estate. We've had some really fun times together and, as my Aunt said, I've become fond of both of you. All of my apprentices for that matter. I consider all of you to be my close friends and I really hate seeing you be so petty with each other. Aunt Lysandra is right. You have a unique chance to help not only yourselves, but your family as well. Now you literally can be in two places at the same time. I may not have any siblings, but you both have a brother and sister already. Why is it so hard not to treat each other like sisters?”

“We were six years old when Jared was born,” Argent explained. “We were big sisters to him when he was a little kid.”

“Madge is only half our age, we were eleven when she came into the picture,” Lady Argent added. “She is our sister, but we were not children together, so we spent more time looking after her, helping raise her than we did with Jared as we were much older.”

“You were not contemporaries with your younger sister,” Jallarzi rationalized. “So the relationship was different.”

“Madge was still a child when we were becoming women,” Argent said. “Our interests changed. We were more involved in running the store than playing games with our little sister.”

“As for why we needle each other,” Lady Argent tried to put into words, “we've only really been together for less than a day. There is a level of distrust still, even though we know logically there shouldn't be.”

“Unless you've lived through this, it's probably hard to understand our reactions,” Argent added. “It just feels wrong to be around her. All my senses are screaming about that. I'm sure she feels the same way.”

Lady Argent nodded in agreement.

“Interesting,” Jallarzi said. “But that does tie into something Lord Sharadin was sharing with me a while back. In one of the spell books taken from Ember's Lair was a spell called Clone. We believe Ember used this spell to have spare copies of himself should he be killed.”

“That sounds neat and horrible at the same time,” Lady Argent noted. “It's almost like what we are dealing with here.”

“That's what I was getting to,” Jallarzi continued. “The spell notes say that should the original and a clone exist at the same time, there will be great enmity between them. Neither can tolerate the other and will actually seek to kill them. I dearly hope this is not what we are dealing with here.”

“That's gruesome,” Argent slowly stated. “I admit that I don't like the idea of her.”

“I'm not exactly fond of you either,” Lady Argent tartly added.

“But I don't want to kill her,” Argent continued. “But by the gods there are moments when I am tempted!”

“Besides, having to explain if that did happen to our family, to our parents and even to you would be horrible,” Lady Argent explained. “I could not bear that. We survived sleeping together in the same bed when either one of us could have easily done the deed in question. We didn't, so I think we're not interested in homicide.”

“I really didn't think anything was going to happen when I forced you to spend the night together,” Jallarzi explained with a smile. “You love yourselves too much to harm anyone who looks like you.”

Both Argents looked surprised and shared a glance with each other. “I don't think we can argue with that,” Lady Argent finally admitted with a laugh. “You might know us better than we know ourselves at this point. But let's face the facts. We are absolutely adorable. Just look at her face. It's so kissable!”

“I think our 'pettiness' is our coping mechanism for what we are dealing with,” Argent explained further desperately trying to ignore what Lady Argent had just said. “It allows us to blow off some steam for this situation that we are stuck in and can't seem to do anything about.”

“To just let it build up inside could be disastrous and lead to a bloody outcome,” Lady Argent surmised.

“Relieving tension is a good thing,” Jallarzi agreed with an enlightened grin. “I can see that now. Very well, just behave when you must behave, and we'll take this one day at a time.”

“It's all we can do,” Lady Argent shrugged.

“There's something I want to say and I think I speak for both of us when I say this,” Argent said, “Jallarzi, we adore you and would never want to disappoint you. You are our teacher, our friend, and what we strive to be, but will never achieve.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lady Argent countered. “I'm a bit closer than you are, but regardless, I too share the same sentiment.”

Jallarzi beamed with pride. “You've both come a long way from where you started. But you've got a long way to go yet. It'll be interesting to see what you two become down the road. Pay attention to what the Duchess does. I learned all that I know from her and my late mother. They made me what I am today.”

“I will be paying very close attention to Her Grace,” Lady Argent stated. “I do want to improve myself.”

“See? We can get along just fine,” Argent smiled. “When it suits our purpose.”

The carriage slowed and then lurched to a halt. “Ah, we've arrived,” Jallarzi stated. “Time to face all your friends and remember to behave.”

“Yes ma'am,” the two Argents responded.

“I guess you haven't broken that habit after all,” Jallarzi laughed.

“Fudge!” both Argents proclaimed.