The Familiers

Unfamiliar Familiar

Marcerios smiled. "That's fine. Why 'mare' though? Doesn't that mean horse?"

"Well," Ylina said. "Your first name means extremely happy, Mare is part of your name, and you helped me today. Like the trusty stead of knight in shining armor."

"Oh," Mare said. "I guess I was heroic today. Why the stead though?"

"I don't know you well enough to make you a knight yet," Ylina said. "I hope you like your nickname though."

"I've never had a nickname. Other than what my parents called me."

"What did they call you?"

Mare looked at the fire with wide eyes. "... Ri-ri."

Ylina smiled. "Ri-ri isn't that weird of a name... It's just not traditional for a man," she hesitated. "I kind of like it. I prefer to call you Mare though." She looked back at the fire. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one. You?"

"Twenty-three," Ylina said.

Mare's eyes widened. "Really? You look so much younger. Maybe nineteen."

Ylina laughed as she shook her head. "I get that a lot."

"Why aren't you married," Mare asked.

Ylina shrugged. "I was in love with someone, but he moved away. Now... well, I'm not sure how I would feel or how he would feel if we saw each other. Besides, not too many people caught my interest. Something wasn't right."

"I understand that," Mare said. "I haven't put too much thought into that part of my life. Right now... I'm too lost to think about that."

"Lost," Ylina asked.

"Yes," Mare said. He lied back on his blanket. "I've never found anything I truly loved doing. I joined the military because it made my parents happy and I had nothing better to do. I excelled in physical combat. However, I hated it. I..."

Ylina waited a moment. She knew he didn't want to open up. Mare didn't fully trust her. "My grandfather was killed by someone in the military. He had the Wolf familiar just like you. The man said that he was sent to kill my grandfather because my grandfather had deserted. I was about six years old when I heard it happen."

"Heard it," Mare asked. He looked at the stars in the sky.

"Yes," Ylina said with a low voice. Her familiar appeared in his red cloak in a palm-sized version of himself. He looked at her with vibrant red sad eyes. She smiled at him. "I was upstairs because my mother took me up the stairs. I heard the fight. I heard his final scream. My father said that he cursed at the Fenota Knight as his last words. My brother killed the man with The Wolf familiar."

Mare turned to look at Ylina. "I'm not related to that man."

"I believe you," Ylina said. "You don't seem like the violent type, and you saved me from the military this morning. Thank you so much."

Mare looked at Ylina's eyes. "You're welcome." He lied to look at the fire.

Ylina stared at him as he watched the fire. "So... you were in the military?"

"Yes," Mare said. "I'm not anymore though."

"Is that why you know where to run from them," Ylina asked.

"No," Mare replied. "I just know which squads to avoid."

Ylina nodded. "That's still useful."