Date #Five

"What's the situation?"

"I'm about to go over all the details, but first, thank you for getting Captain Yami here in a timely manner today," Julius said, addressing the room. In the back, Yami grumbled, his arm securely around Charlotte's waist.

"We were still five minutes late," Charlotte corrected, tucking a strand of stubborn hair behind her ear.

Sapphire eyes fixated on the magic display screen in front of them, she tried to recall the name of the small town shown in the northeastern mountains. Eyebrows furrowing, she felt an uneasy pull in her gut. An emergency meeting with the Wizard King wasn't a good sign, and she wanted him to get to the point.

Why do men have no sense of urgency to them? Enough with the small talk.

The last time she and Yami were the only two captains called to a meeting, it had sparked the flame that was now their relationship. Something about today felt different, but important all the same.

"Yes, this is the town of Almeir, a small village nestled in the coldest mountain range in the Clover Kingdom." Julius waved his hand, changing the image to a family of four: father, mother, a son, and a daughter.

Their physical appearance was striking. All had pitch black hair, and eyes that were white as snow. Their skin was light, but dark bags hung under their eyes, even the children looked stressed beyond their years.

"This is the Damant family, a week ago their youngest child, Elle, age 16, suddenly went missing. Despite attempts by the village search parties, no trace of her has been found."

Next on the screen appeared a family of three: father, mother, and one daughter. The exact opposite could be said of this family's appearance. All had skin that looked kissed by the sun, golden hair, and sky blue eyes that looked youthful and radiant.

"The Clarise family. Their daughter also went missing yesterday, age 15, which brought alarm to the situation. The village chief contacted the Capital this morning asking for assistance."

Charlotte carefully studied the photos, committing all the details to memory.

"So we gotta find these girls?" Yami spoke up, "Why the two of us? For a village as small as Almeir, one squad should be enough."

Julius nodded. "You're right. But in this case, the situation could escalate quickly and we have no idea what you may be up against. It could turn out to be as simple as two girls that ran away from home. Or..."

Charlotte frowned, that didn't seem right. Those two looked like they had nothing in common. While one's lips were turned down, the other's could be the mirror image, just flipped up. It was hard to believe they had even existed in the same small village.

"Or it could also be a bigger threat," Charlotte voiced aloud. "You'd think the villagers would have found some hint or tracks from Elle, seeing as the area is covered in snow."

"And if someone is targeting young girls from the village, more people could be in danger. The lack of evidence means an adversary is could be more skilled than we anticipate," Yami added.

"Exactly. And, since I hear you two have- exceptional- team work, I've assigned this mission to your squads. Feel free to take as many of your knights as you feel you'll need. Our people are the Clover Kingdom's most valuable asset. Even with their knowledge of the mountain's environment, we can't leave these girls out in the cold mountains much longer. You leave tonight."

Both Yami and Charlotte nodded in unison. The weight of the two girls' lives, and the hopes of their families, rested on their shoulders.

"Just one thing, Julius," Yami asked, "You said we could take as many members of our squads as we need, but will their be enough room to accommodate a large number of them?"

"Ah, well as luck would have it, recently they built a mountain lodge resort in Almeir to attract more tourism. I have paid for the food and and room services for up to twenty knights, their maximum capacity."

"You really didn't need-" Charlotte began, quickly counting how much that would add up to, but was interrupted by Yami.

"Great! Appreciate it Wizard King. That includes drinks, right?"