Zaya looked at the man sitting at the table. He had blue eyes like Sienna, but his hair was a golden blond.
Sienna looked at the man with disgust, "What are you doing here, Inigo. I thought the last time we meet I warned you that if you every approached me again I would kill you."
Inigo stood up, "Wow, wow, calm down now. What's this violent talk between family", he said with a smirk on his face.
Sienna let out a sarcastic laugh, "I didn't know bastards were considered family, especially those that prey on those weaker then themselves."
Inigo's face went red with rage, "You dare! W…wa..ait until father's hears about this", he said, while stuttering in his anger.
Sienna's smirked, "And there you go again, hiding like the coward you are. Can't face me head on so now you have to get behind that man's back."
Inigo went to grab his sword from its hilt, "Stop, young master", a calm but stern voice said from the shadows.
"But did you not hear what she said to me", Inigo said, like a small little brat that was about to throw a tantrum for not getting what they wanted.
"It doesn't matter. You can't do anything to her anyway. Isn't that right young lady", the voice said, as a man emerged from the shadows.
He was an older man, covered in armour and with a sword on his side. He had a grey beard and short grey hair on his head, that was receding back.
"Sir Durand", Sienna said, "I see your back on babysitting duty. Such a shame for such a great and noble knight like yourself."
Inigo tried to lunge forward and say something but Sir Durand put his arm out to stop him in his tracks.
"I am only fulfilling my duties as a knight to your household and heeding the command of my lord. Whatever that duty may entail is up to his discretion", Sir Durand said.
"His discretion huh, more like his whim. Whatever that bastard feels will benefit his idiot son, he will do", Sienna said.
Sir Durand went for his sword, "I can't let you disrespect my lord, even if you are his child and the daughter of the late countess."
Sienna raised her wand and exerted a pressure onto Sir Durand and Inigo. They both feel to the ground, on their knees.
Sir Durand was able to keep his head up and still look at the enraged Sienna, but all Inigo could see the ground, that he was almost kissing.
"Don't you even think of raising a sword in my home, can't you see there is a child present", Sienna said, with venom in her voice.
Zaya, who had been hiding behind Sienna the whole time as she didn't want to cause trouble, peaked her head out so Sir Durand and Inigo could see her.
Sir Durand released his hand from his hilt and Sienna released the force holding the two of them down.
"I apologise, milady", Sir Durand said, "If I had known there was a child with you, I would have tried to contain myself."
"So, if she wasn't here, you would have continued. You're pathetic Sir Durand", Sienna said with a look of disgust on her face.
"Come Zaya, let's go to your room." Sienna led Zaya to her room. "Stay in here for a while, while I sort out those people outside."
Sienna had the gentle smile that Zaya had become accustomed to back on her face. "Okay", Zaya said and nodded her head.
Zaya went to lie on the bed and Sienna left, closing the door behind her. Zaya just looked at the ceiling while lying there.
The fatigue from the day she had just had, started to take over and her eyelids felt heavy. She tried to resist a little, but she fell asleep straight away.
Sienna walked back to where Inigo and Sir Durand were wanting, "You didn't tell me you had a little girl", Inigo said with a lecherous smirk on his face.
Sienna exerted the pressure back on Inigo but increased the force so much that his head smashed into the floor, splintering the wooden floor.
"Young master", Sir Durand said, while trying to see if Inigo was okay. Inigo didn't move as the impact with the ground had knocked him unconscious.
Sir Durand looked up at Sienna, who had her wand pointed at him, "I'm giving you this one warning and one warning only. If I see that bastard near that little girl or her name comes out his lips, I will kill him on the spot. Do you understand", Sienna said, with a cold and heartless tone.
Sir Durand nodded his head, "I understand. I will ensure it myself that he never approaches or learns anything about her. I swear it on my honour as a knight."
"Honour. I wonder how much you have left after hanging around with this bastard", Sienna said. "Now, what is the real reason you are here, I don't presume it was to give your greetings because you were in the area."
"No milady. We are here, because your father sent us to summon you", Sir Durand said. He reached out to Sienna with a parchment, with a seal on it.
"Summon, huh." Sienna opened the parchment and read it. "Ignesco." The parchment lit on fire and burnt to ashes. Sienna started laughing hysterically.
Sir Durand watched as his lord's words went up in smoke. "Milady, you can't burn that. That's an official document with the count's seal."
Sienna looked at him, "Official. There is nothing official on that piece of scrap paper. I would rather die then accept his warped sense of reality."
Sir Durand was confused by Sienna being upset after reading the document. "May I be so rude as to ask what my lord wants, milady."
"Of course, your stupid lord wants to sell his only daughter off in a political marriage. He thinks that he can control my life, after all I've done", Sienna screamed.
"Oh", Sir Durand said. Sienna had grown up in a modest family. They were neither rich nor poor, but once Sienna became a mage that changed everything.
A mage was a rare being and a highly sort after individual. Kingdoms would fight over who the mage belonged to, and many mages betrayed their nations for more money.
Sienna had also been a sort after mage, but she decided to stay in the land that raised her. She earned a hefty sum from the royal family but that wasn't enough for her father.
After seeing all the money, he became greedy. He used Sienna's name to control people and businesses. He used her to gain political power and eventually become the count of her childhood home.
Sienna was unaware of all of this as she had been traveling the kingdom helping people in need. When she returned home, she found out what her father had been doing.
He abandoned her mother and married a younger and prettier woman as he said he deserved better than her.
Sienna's mother ended up dying from a sickness she had had for years. With no one to care for her, she was left rot in her bed.
Sienna had left home after burying her mother. She took all the money she had made but her father already had connections and was earning money so it didn't affect him as much as she had hoped it would.
"Listen here, Sir Durand. You go to my father and tell him that I have nothing to do with him and any deals he makes, must be with his name, not mine", Sienna said.
"I understand, milady", said Sir Durand.
"And don't forget the trash next to you on your way out." Sienna released the pressure on Inigo and Sir Durand hoisted him over his shoulder before leaving.