"Just what kinda weird spells do you have?" Charlie quipped in curiosity, looking down at the world below in novel satisfaction.
"Trade secret." I replied with a smug grin, leading to her groaning,"This again with the trade secret bull! When do I get to know trade secrets?"
"When I feel the time is right." I gave a very vague statement, knowing that if I ever gave an actual date, she would most definitely remember it as if her life depended on it.
"You sound like those old magisters in novels who know everything but die before they reveal anything at all."
"I suppose you're cursing me to die then?"
"N-No! God dammit Artemis, stop twisting my words!" She hit my arms like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum.
"Careful you don't hit too much. I might drop you. Lord knows what happens then." I remarked in a half menacing teasing half tone.
She grumbled in discontent, muttering to herself,"Is this how youngsters are supposed to treat their elders? Is this how girlfriends treat each other? Where has basic courtesy gone? Is chivalry dead?"
"Yes. Yes. Courtesy is reserved for those who are deserving of such. I'm female," I fired back at her immediately,"Oh? Is that the place we're heading?"
Finally, having flown for over half an hour, I spotted a vague city before me just after the large bits of farmland,"Ah! Yes! That's the one!" Charlie nodded vigorously, kicking her legs in excitement, making me wince,"Careful woman! I'm fragile luggage."
"Fragile my ass! C'mon! Hurry!" She slapped my arms, as if willing me to speed up.
With a exasperated sigh at her childish attitude that persevered through the years, I sent more mana into my wings, quickening my pace.
Houses like little bricks stacked atop each other to build tall buildings, small orangey-yellow lights glowing in each small window. As we cleared the rural area and got to a more urbanised portion, the buildings were more and more condensed, densely packed together, several oddly shaped edifices standing out from the tall crowd that was packed to the brim like sardines in a can.
And at the middle of it all, on what seemed to be an artificially heightened hill, rested a proper castle. A pure white exterior and pointed blue roofs, a canopy of vibrant green trees seemingly grown to accent and bring out a contrast of colours but not to the point where it would overpower and dull the castle.
(A/N: Neuschwanstein Castle, the best one I could think of to represent the actual place. Though it's surrounded by buildings than rather than greenery in the IRL castle I used to depict.)
"Here we are. The Monarch Alcazar, my childhood home." Charlie spoke softly, heavy reminiscence lacing her tone.
Just as I was about to land, I heard a loud voice boom,"Outsiders! I do not know why you have invaded my, Rhode Empire's territory but leave now or you will face the full wrath of my, Kaiser Rhode's army!"
I floated there awkwardly a little unsure of what to do,"Uhh, Charlie?"
She groaned and sighed,"Let me handle this one," Sucking in a deep breath, she screamed at the top of her lungs, making me wince,"DAAAAAAAAAAAD!"
"A little softer next time please." I wanted to rub my poor ears to make sure they were okay but doing so would drop her.
"Oh hush."
"C-Charlotte? Is that you Charlotte?"
"Wait, Charlotte?" I muttered in confusion,"Who the hell's this Charlotte?"
"That's my actual name. I prefer if you call me C or Charlie though." She answered casually as if it were a normal thing.
"Nearly three years together and you never thought to mention your actual name?"
"Nearly three years together and you never thought to mention oh I don't know, that you could turn into an angel?"
"Touché, Charlie, touché."
"I see my old man at the front gate. Land there!" She pointed at the large square just before the garden where a large fountain stood.
Descending from the skies, I finally caught sight of this man, Charlie's father, Kaiser Rhode.
Darkened, wrinkled skin and eyes wizened and filled with knowledge from the years of experience, a full beard of white signifying his age and kingly status.
His robust physical body and fully plate armour embellished with bits of gold, a decorative cape adorned, falling over his left side showed youth and regality a monarch was respected for.
A sword forged of unknown metal, gleamed in the dying embers of the setting sun, enigmatic sigils full of detail intricately carved upon the worn blade which had clearly gone through numerous reforging processes to maintain its sharpness displayed a sort of knightly aura showing he had earned his spot as king rightfully and not through bloodline alone.
To the side of him, a large labradoodle with white fur quietly sitting upright, a red collar with a medallion made of silvery metal around its neck.
The moment our feet touched the ground, Charlie ran forward and hugged the old man,"Dad!"
The man was still a little stunned, body stiff but his rigid expression quickly softened as he embraced her,"Daughter, you've returned."
"Mm. I'm home." After they let go of each other, the man turned to me,"I suppose you are my Charlotte's soulmate?"
"Sorry, give me a moment. Human form," I felt my wings disappear from me back as I stretched my sore body,"Ahh, that's better."
"Dad, meet Artemis. Arty, meet my dad, Kaiser Rhode." Charlie introduced us to each other. While I normally wouldn't show much respect to others, seeing that her father wasn't just a royal stuck-up asshole, I made a conscious effort to not appear like one either since I really didn't want to start trouble with him. I bowed slightly, to which he nodded, before shooting me a weird look,"Are you human or angel?"
"Complicated. I'm a human. But—I can change into quite a few forms. It's a spell unique to me."
"I see...Then perhaps we should talk in a more private area. Cornelius, tell the chef to serve dinner for today earlier. Three portions.
"Yes, your majesty."
"Argo, let's—Haah," The man was rather mild mannered, not as sprightly as Charlie probably due to his age. He shook his head like a defeated man looking at the dog.
Charlie had long turned her attention to the dog who I assumed was named Argo, scratching its ears and body, turning it from fiercely loyal and stoic to a mess of huffs and woofs at the mercy of her hands.
I knew what it was like, those hands. The things she could accomplish with them were aplenty and once they found a target, they would not stop till she was satisfied.
Slapping my cheeks slightly, I cleared my head of these nonsensical thoughts.
"You're thinking of something lewd, aren't you?" Charlie accused with a coy grin.
"No I'm not."
"Liar liar."