Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

Maria laid back on the comfortable back of her wyvern, legs crossed as she stared at the sky. If Bellamy was here, he'd have words about safety with her but who cared about him? He just loved being strict for nothing.

And so her thoughts drifted as the wyvern flew in a slow circle around the top of the Green Tree.

She exhaled, blowing a breath as she sat up. "I'm so bored." She yawned.

Her wyvern, an intelligent creature with deep blue scales, snorted, a soft, deep rumble emerging from its throat.

"You too?" She smiled, patting it on the neck. "I feel your pain."

She looked up, looking around her. The mid morning sun painted the clouds gold and orange, and spread around her was the wild beauty of her homeland. The wind whipped her braid behind her, making it flap like a banner.

Speaking of banners, she turned her head towards the south, staring at it for the hundredth time since they'd settled there.

In the distance was the temporary Albion camp, their tents arranged in neat rows, guards patrolling every inch, and of course, banners fluttering in the breeze. They'd set up their camp away from the tribe's settlement. A show of respect, her father had called it.

But Maria wasn't interested in the soldiers or the banners.

Her eyes roved over the camp and when she couldn't see what she was looking for, she moved beyond the camp, to the edge of the glade, where a boy sat under the shade of a crooked old tree.

Her heart leapt.

It was him.

Abram.

While Lord Ross had come back for more negotiations, and was currently at the Chief's longhouse, he hadn't brought Abram with him since that day. She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed about it but here he was, looking healthy.

She grinned as she guided her wyvern towards the glade and into a gentle descent, landing several paces away so she wouldn't startle him. The beast rumbled softly as it settled, its claws sinking into the earth.

Abram was on his feet in an instant, his eyes snapping towards her and the wyvern.

Maria slid down, brushing stray hairs from her face. She took a breath before walking toward him. "Hi."

Abram said nothing, still staring at her wyvern.

"She's safe." Maria said, keeping her tone light. "Gentle as a lamb, unless you touch her horns. Then, well... maybe not."

He glanced at her, then back at the wyvern.

"Would you like to pet her?"

He hesitated. She watched him carefully, waiting for a reaction. Anything. After a few long seconds of waiting, he nodded.

"Come." Maria beckoned him forward with a smile, leading the wyvern forward. When both were close enough and eyeing each other, she spoke again. "Move slowly. Start here. She likes being scratched behind the jaw."

Abram stared at her flatly for a second, before following her instruction. He raised a hand slowly, cautiously.

When he touched the beast, she gave a soft huff but didn't move. He started stroking her scales, and for a moment, Maria thought he might actually smile.

There—just for a second—there was a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Then it was gone.

"You remember me?" She asked him softly.

"Yes."

"And the Tree?"

He stopped stroking the wyvern. "Yes."

She looked down, biting her lip. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. About what happened."

He turned to face her, eyes blank. "Why?"

She blinked.

"You didn't do anything wrong, did you?"

"No. But what happened was wrong and I'm sorry." Maria said. "Because no one should have to go through that just to prove a point."

Abram blinked. "It was an order."

"That doesn't make it right."

He tilted his head slightly. "It doesn't make it wrong either."

Maria frowned. "Do you always think like that?"

"Like what?"

"That orders are the only thing that matters."

"They are the foundation of structure. Without them, there is chaos."

"And what about compassion? Empathy? Did you feel anything when you were on the ground, in pain?"

He stared at her, confused. "I felt pain. I endured. That was what was expected."

She stared at him. "Expected by who?"

"My father."

"And if he told you to die?"

"Then I would die."

Her breath caught. "That's not normal, Abram."

"Normal?" He tilted his head again. "This is normal."

"No, it's not." Maria stepped closer. "Choosing your own path. Feeling things. Wanting more. Caring about people because you care, not because someone tells you to. That's normal."

He was silent for a few seconds, deliberating on her words in confusion. Then he asked, "Is that... allowed?"

She blinked. "Of course it is."

"But how do you know what is correct if there is no one to give you orders?"

"You decide. Your heart decides."

"My heart?" He looked down at his chest, before looking up at Maria in confusion. "What if my heart is wrong?"

"Then you make mistakes and you learn from them."

He was quiet again. "Mistakes... I was taught not to make them."

Maria softened. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's what makes us human."

"That seems inefficient."

"It is." She said, chuckling. "But it's real."

He looked up, meeting her gaze. "I don't understand."

"I know." She said gently. "But I'll show you."

He didn't say anything, just staring at her.

"Don't worry." Maria took a step back, her wyvern also stepping back with her. "You deserve more than this, Abram. More than orders and pain. More than being a tool for a father who couldn't care less."

He looked at her, eyes confused but searching. She could see that even though he couldn't understand what she was saying, he wanted to.

"One day, you'll see it." She said. "And I'll be there when you do."

She gave him one last smile before climbing into the saddle of her wyvern.

"You deserve more, Abram. Never forget that."

And with that, she took to the sky.