You sat in Kate's old office with the others as you all looked over a map.
"So, they haven't been back since?" You questioned. Rosy shook her head.
"No, but we do still see them from time to time. They haven't bothered us, but they do occasionally ride past the orphanage on horses." Rosy told. You frowned.
"So, they're still on the loose. What are they usually doing?" You questioned. Rosy sighed.
"I'm not too sure." Astro looked at you.
"Hey, maybe we should stake out here and wait for the bandits to come." Astro suggested. You nodded.
"Yeah, that seems like the best solution." Ajeero glanced at Astro.
"Hey, Astro, won't you have to go back to the castle?" Ajeero questioned. Astro smiled.
"I'm sure that the guards can handle themselves without my presence for a few days." You smiled slightly at this. Kennedy hummed in thought.
"Hey, instead of waiting for them, why don't we just use bait?" Kennedy suggested. Your eyes widened.
"Bait?" Kennedy nodded.
"Yeah! You can go into the forest and act like a helpless little girl and draw the bandits out! When the bandits come out for you, Astro will swoop in and save the day!" Kennedy exclaimed. Reno nodded.
"Yeah, then in the end the two of you will live happily ever after and get married." You blushed at Reno's statement and threw a pencil at his head.
"No, and no! I'm not being used as bait!" You shouted. Astro pouted.
"Aw, I kind of liked that plan." Astro muttered. You raised your eyebrow at him. Rosy then took a step forwards.
"I agree with the plan." Astro's eyes widened.
"That Y/N and I should get married?" Astro questioned. Rosy shook her head.
"No, with the bait. I'll be the bait, they'd more likely go after a full grown woman rather than a little girl." Astro raised his eyebrow at Rosy. His eyes then widened in realisation.
"Oh! It's because you're....yeah." You frowned.
"Hey, I'm not a little girl! I'm fourteen!" You told. Abercrombie rolled his eyes.
"No offence, but you are kinda short." You frowned at Abercrombie. Rosy looked at you and smiled.
"Y/N, I don't want to put you in any danger. I want to protect you." Your eyes widened. Rosy then hugged you. You smiled and hugged her back.
"Rosy, I'm now a knight. It's my job to protect the outcast lands from people like those bandits." Rosy nodded.
"I know, but please let me do this for you, sweetie." You sniffled and nodded. Sabrina watched and sighed.
"They look just like mother and daughter, don't they?" Sabrina whispered. Astro nodded.
"Yeah, that's why we have to work hard to play our part!" Astro exclaimed. Everyone nodded.
Later that night, you sat in your old room and sighed. You then thought back to the times that Kate would yell at you for running away. You then smiled as a tear rolled down your cheek. You already missed her. You then heard a knock on your door and you wiped your tears away as Rosy walked in. Rosy smiled and sat on your bed.
"It's been three years since you left home, it's amazing how fast time flies." Rosy told. You nodded.
"Yeah, it is." Rosy then rested her hand over yours.
"I'm so proud of you, and I know that Kate is too." You sniffled and nodded. You then hugged Rosy.
"I missed you so much!" You cried. Tears pricked at the corner of Rosy's eyes as she hugged you back.
"I missed you too. We all did." Rosy then leaned back and held out an envelope. "Here, Kate was waiting for your sixteenth birthday, but you might as well have it now. This was Kate's last and final wish." You looked at the white envelope and took it. You then opened it and read it.
Dear Y/N,
By the time you read this letter, I'm sure that you have become a great knight. I wrote this letter to you because I wanted to express all of my feelings to you. When I first met you, you were the most brattiest kid that I've had the displeasure of meeting. The only reason I kept you protected under my wing was because of a promise that I had made to your mother. The promise that I made to her was to protect you from Tobio. Yes, I know about your role as the guardian of the onyx pendant. I knew all along who you were. I am so proud of you, Y/N. Every time I'd watch you run around the grassy fields, I would smile. You always brought a smile to my face, you were the one who filled me with so much life! I'm getting old now, and soon enough my time will come. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop. I know that things will get tough from time to time, but that doesn't mean that you should give up. Y/N, don't ever stray from the path that's right. Remember, I love you very much. You will always be like a daughter to me. Happy birthday, Y/N.
Love, the old wise bat, Kate.
P.S, your mother is still alive.
Tears poured down your cheeks as you clenched the letter in your hands. Tears then dripped onto the handwriting as you gritted your teeth. Rosy wrapped her arms around you in a comforting manner and rubbed your back with her hand. You cried into her chest as loud as you could. Astro and the rest of your friends were outside your room when they heard your wails. They then sniffled and smiled at each other. You sighed as you looked at the letter. Your mother...she was alive...? You clenched the letter in your hands and cried some more. You ended up crying yourself to sleep. Rosy smiled at you and laid you down. She then put the envelope on your bedside table and left the room. Astro looked up at Rosy.
"Um, is she okay?" Rosy smiled and nodded.
"Yes, she'll be just fine. She just finished reading Kate's letter to her." Kennedy sniffled and wiped his nose.
"T-that's so sad! Now I want to see my mom." Abercrombie and Ajeero nodded.
"Y-yeah." The two of them agreed. Astro chuckled and wiped a tear away.
"It's great to have a family." Rosy nodded.
"It's getting late, why don't you all turn in for the night?" Rosy suggested. Everyone nodded and retired to their rooms for the night. Rosy then made her way towards the lights and turned them off. She then walked into her room.
The next day, Rosy walked through the forest while you, Sabrina and Kennedy followed her with Astro flying in the air. Rosy glanced around nervously. She then breathed in and out.
"My it sure is a nice day today, everything is so peaceful and calm. I should go flower picking." Rosy said really loud. You shook your head. There was no way this was going to work. Suddenly, you heard movement in the distance. You turned and your eyes widened as a group of humans riding horses gallop towards Rosy. You growled and went to move when you felt Sabrina's hand hold you back.
"Not yet." Sabrina whispered. You tsked. The bandits saw Rosy and surrounded her. Rosy stood still as she looked around nervously. The bandits started chuckling as they eyed her with a look of lust in their eyes. The largest man there then chuckled and got off his horse. One of the smaller bandits glanced at him.
"Hey boss, isn't she the chick who was at that orphanage a while back?" The boss nodded.
"Yeah." He then walked towards Rosy. "Hey missy, how come you're all alone out here? Get tired of those shitty kids?" You growled and clenched your fists. Now you REALLY wanted to kick this guy's ass! Rosy frowned.
"How dare you call my kids that!" Rosy shouted. The boss laughed.
"Well, considering that old lady let me kill her, I think I was doing her a favour actually by ending her miserable life." The boss then grabbed Rosy's hand and pulled her towards him. "So, how would you like to play with us for a while?" That was it, you snapped. You clicked your fingers and chains appeared around the bandits. The group of bandits gasped and struggled to break out of your hold. You all jumped down from the tree and landed on the ground. The boss growled. "Who the f*ck are you!?" You growled at him as your eyes turned red.
"Your worst nightmare." You growled out. The boss's eyes widened as you summoned a scythe and your friends took out their weapons. The boss growled and struggled to escape the chains. You went to knock him out when someone swung their sword down on you. Your eyes widened as Kennedy blocked the blow. He then kicked the bandit away from you.
"Don't let your guard down yet!" Kennedy told. The boss had escaped your hold and grabbed Rosy. He then held a knife up to her neck. You gasped.
"Take another step closer and the girl gets it!" You and your friends growled at this. The boss chuckled. "Now, release my men." You gritted your teeth as you released them. The boss smirked. "Good, now drop your weapons." You glared at the boss and threw your scythe down on the ground. The grass on the ground burned as the scythe disappeared. The boss started to sweat nervously but nodded. "Good. Boys, tie em up." You grunted as you were pushed to the ground and the bandits tied you up with a rope. Damn it. You then saw the boss grin and lick Rosy's cheek. Your eyes widened. Okay, now you were pissed! You didn't care if this prick died or not, you were gonna kill him! You went to summon a chain but Astro had beaten you to the punch. Astro flew down and drop kicked the boss in the face, causing him to release Rosy. Rosy turned around and slapped the boss. You grinned and used the chains to pierce the ropes. You then summoned your scythe and used the blunt end to wack the boss's lower region. Kennedy winced as the boss cried out and lost consciousness.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Kennedy muttered as Astro and Sabrina took out the other bandits. Astro then raised an eyebrow at him.
"I don't get it, how does it hurt?" Astro questioned. Kennedy sighed.
"I'll explain it to you later." You walked over to the boss and kicked him again. You were furious! You then went to kick him again when Rosy pulled you back.
"Y/N, that's enough!" You growled. You then sighed.
"Sorry Rosy, it's just that this guy needs to get his ass whooped!" You shouted. Astro walked over to the boss after tying up the other bandits.
"And he already has. Come on, we need to take these guys back to the capital." You sighed and nodded. Rosy's eyes widened.
"The capital? You're already going back?" You nodded and smiled at her.
"I'm sorry Rosy, but we came here without getting permission from the king. Could you say goodbye to the others for us?" Rosy frowned but nodded. She then hugged you.
"Oh how you've grown up. I'm so proud." You chuckled and hugged her back. Rosy then handed you Kate's letter. "I'm sure that you'd want to keep this with you." You smiled and nodded. You then walked towards the others who had the bandits rounded up.
"Let's head back to the capital." Everyone nodded as you teleported them back. When you landed on the ground, you glanced at the bandits and glared at them. "You guys won't be seeing the light for a VERY long time." You growled. Sabrina looked around.
"Hey, what about Ajeero, Reno and Abercrombie?" Sabrina questioned. You and Astro froze. You then looked at each other with wide eyes.
"Uh, you did get them, right?" You questioned. Astro pointed to you.
"I thought you got them!" You and Astro stared at each other with wide eyes. You both then tsked.
"Shit."