Three full minutes passed.
People walked by.
Carts rolled.
Voices rose and faded.
And through all of it—
Ivaline never once stopped looking at him.
She didn’t move closer.
Didn’t hide.
Didn’t avert her gaze.
Just… observed.
The brave stood there, stiff as a statue, eyes unfocused, thoughts completely derailed.
Why did he say he needed to talk—
And then say nothing?
Ivaline tilted her head slightly.
She wanted to ask Chronicle.
But too many eyes were on them.
So she waited.
Finally—
“Ah—!”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Ray jolted as if waking from a dream.
“Ah! I-it’s you, Ivaline!”
“Yes. It’s me.”
Her answer was calm, factual.
She glanced down at herself, briefly checking.
Arms—normal.
Legs—normal.
No wings.
No tail.
“…?”
Chronicle chuckled softly in her mind.
Spin once.
She didn’t understand why.
But she complied.
One small turn.
Dress swayed.
Fabric caught the light.
Ray inhaled sharply.
Gasp.
The world realigned—badly.
“Ahem—! Err—!”
He straightened, cleared his throat, then did it again.
“…Why—”
Words leaked out of his head like water from a cracked basin.
“Why… erm…”
“…Why what?”
Her voice was neutral.
Patient.
Ray squeezed his eyes shut for half a second, then forced the sentence out.
“Why… did you follow me?”
Ivaline blinked once.
Then answered.
“To look at you?”
“….”
Silence fell.
A dangerous kind.
Ray’s mind detonated.
Images flooded in:
- Her watching him since dawn
- The inn window
- The bakery
- The dye shop
- Her eyes, always on him
Saved by him.
Protected by him.
Following him.
His heart skipped.
…Did she—
No.
Wait.
…Did she fall for him?
A classic tale.
Brave saves girl.
Girl clings to brave.
It made sense.
Too much sense.
A misunderstanding born from missing context, innocent intent, and one extremely unfortunate sentence.
Ray stood there, completely frozen.
Ivaline, meanwhile, just kept looking at him.
Studying.
Learning.
Unaware that, in that moment—
The brave had reached the most dangerous enemy of all.
His own imagination.
Author: Chronicle… that twirl might give him a heart attack.
Chronicle: I know. It was the most efficient outcome.
Author: You did it on purpose.
Chronicle: Of course. Observation requires reaction. His was… informative.
Author: Yes. I like it.
Ray: YOU TWOOOO—!!!
Subject: The Brave
Condition: Alive. Confused. Emotionally compromised.