Prologue) Year 394
Corona
Two young children happily reading and talking by the fire… they talk of Mila and Duma and how they will always be together… but then the scene changes. It changes to the girl, now a young woman, sitting alone in a bed, gasping from a nightmare as moonlight streams through a window. It changes to the boy, now a young man dressed in blue armor, standing in front of an army with blue flags flapping proudly in the wind. It changes back to the girl, still alone in bed, sobbing over something.
Then the scene changes entirely, to a young man and woman, a loving couple, dancing to some music only they could hear. The young man, dressed in black, smiles fondly at the woman with white flower pins in her light blue hair, and then they spin away from each other. The scene then returns to the battlefield with the boy in blue armor, rallying the troops and the troops cheering back.
The scene jumps to a woman of unearthly beauty, her face twisted into a mad snarl, her pupils turning into slits as she prepares a spell. An older man, gold crown glittering against white hair, face lined with sorrow and resolution, brings up a sword shimmering with quiet light, as if the sword alone was enough protection. Light fills the entire room...
Then the scene returns to the boy in blue armor, charging forward with the soldiers. On the other side, there is the young man in black, astride a horse, with a young man in green next to him. He yells something to his own soldiers and they charge as well, all of the soldiers meeting in a brutal, bloody assault. The scene jumps to an empty graveyard, with graves as far as the eye can see, the ground parched and cracking, unable to support the dying, gnarled trees. The boy in blue armor is there, staring at it all in horror.
Then the boy in blue armor is fighting again, in a castle covered with snow, against the man with the gold crown. They fight brutally, the man dominating and preparing a final strike… but then the scene abruptly shifts to the girl, now in white armor and dress, jumping excitedly in a room with sunlight instead of crying in a room with moonlight. She rushes up a staircase, so quickly she almost falls, with a bright smile on her face, a smile that says as she reaches a balcony lit up by the setting sun, with a figure against the railing.
Then it's back to night, and a knight rides alone across a road. Masked, but wearing white like the girl and sharing the same hair color. He rides to the edge of the path and looks out over a city in the distance, candlelight making it sparkle. But then the peaceful scene shifts to the young men in black and green as they charge forward with their weapons, back to the battle. It jumps back to the unearthly mad beauty preparing her spell again, and to the man with the gold crown who stabs the stone ground hard enough to crack it. It shifts to a man with purple skin and demonic eyes, laughing and praising something…
Too many flashes. Too many scenes. A crying girl wreathed in flames, reaching out… the girl in white screaming in despair… the man in black and the man in green staring at something… two figures with their swords through each other's guts… the boy in blue holding a hilt shining gold… gold light swirling above a fossilized creature's head… the boy in blue screaming as he cradles the girl in white… the boy in black laughing-mad as he cradles the girl with white flower pins while a black and purple flame burns around him… the girl in white standing calmly before jerking up and moving about like a puppet on a madman's strings and drawing blade… the boy in blue and the girl in white hugging each other on the balcony at sunset, sitting against a box… The girl in white praying to an idol with a smile before walking off determinedly… A sword of stone lit by a sourceless light, almost sparkling as it waits… waits… waits… waiting in its sheathe, the head of some creature…
And then it all settles on one scene. On two people. The boy in blue and the girl in white. The two figures from earlier, who had run each other through… the blood dripping down as they both collapsed… dead or dying… With the focus came the realization. I know these two. They are older, but I know them. Alm and Celica… dead by each other's hands...
I woke with a gasp, shooting up and coughing as I desperately tried to get air into my lungs. Tears pricked my eyes and my back ached, like something had ripped itself out of my skin. Then there was the panic of not recognizing where I was or even what was real and what wasn't. But slowly, slowly, ration clawed through the remains of the Vision and slowly, the panic and aches faded away. I never could decide what was worse with the Visions. The actual Visions, knowing the future, or the pain such Visions brought on my body.
"You're awake." There was only one person I knew who understood such things. Serafina, who was crouched by my bed, watching me like a forlorn kitty. Her name was pretty, and I often wondered if there was a meaning behind it. Halcyon had dubbed me 'Corona' because of the red-gold hair and brown-gold eyes. 'Like the sun,' he had said. It was better than the 'little one' that Mama always called me. 'Corona' was actually a name. Of course, that didn't mean Mama hadn't loved me. She'd just known she'd have to leave me far too soon. She'd Seen it. So, she thought someone else should name me instead. "Corona."
"Sorry," I mumbled, shaking my head. Ration might've helped remind me what was real and what wasn't, but it always took a while to get thoughts together. "Still…"
"You had one, didn't you?" Her voice was monotone. "A Vision of the future."
"Yeah." I smiled bitterly. "A pretty far off one too." And we all knew what that meant. No way to change it. Nothing to do but await the inevitable end. The involuntary ones were impossible to change. And I knew it was Alm and Celica in the Vision, meaning that they'd die. Just great. Two of the few people who liked me, and they were fated to die. Mila really was a witch-with-a-b. "Fun, fun."
"I'll make you some tea." Serafina slowly stood up, carefully smoothed out her skirts, and went to the kitchen. To make me a 'proper' tea. A lot about her was 'proper', even now. She was a former noble, once pretty high ranked, though I was sure her family fell on hard times afterwards for the 'sin' of birthing a demonic child with Foresight. When she was in a particularly good mood, she'd talk of her two little sisters. Though the reminder that she had little sisters made me focus on her hair. After a moment, I decided it was the same shade of blue that the girl with flower pins had, in the Vision. Though, Serafina's eyes were green, not blue like the girl's. "What kind?"
"Any." I wasn't picky. The short time I had with Halcyon was nice, but he hadn't exactly been rich enough to be choosy on what he ate. I wondered if he survived or not. Probably not. I'd Seen him bleeding out, after all. "Thankees." I looked around the room I shared with Celica, finally noticing something. "Where's Grandpapa?"
"He went outside the village!" There were random bangs from down the hall. Serafina was climbing up on things again. "He said something troubled him."
"Oh. Great." That wasn't good. Grandpapa didn't have Foresight, but he did have a keen intuition. "Can we have extra sugar in the tea?"
I ended up having to sneak the extra sugar in the tea, because Serafina refused. 'Two spoonfuls is enough,' she always said. Always sounded like she was repeating something she was told. But she was bad at noticing when I was sneaky, so I got four or five spoonfuls instead without her knowing~! However, as we drank our tea, I heard Faye calling for Alm, with Gray, Tobin, and Kliff grumbling about something. Probably how much time Alm spent with Celica. That wasn't fun. Them complaining, I mean.
"Celica had a nightmare and woke up early, so Alm took her out to the meadow," Serafina explained, sipping her tea. She held the teacup weirdly, holding the handle pinched between her fingers with her pinky raised slightly, instead of looping her fingers through the handle or resting it in her palm. Celica did the same, which told me Celica was a noble girl, no matter how much she tried to hide it. "It was a bad one."
"Feel bad I didn't wake up then," I replied, taking a big gulp of my own tea. Normally, I did wake up when she had nightmares, but Visions took over everything. I hated them. "So, let's go find them in the meadows."
"Are you sure?"
"Look, if Faye and the others are too awkward to run over and join, that's their problem." We did it all the time, really. At this point, there were just complaining to be complaining. Or something. "And I don't feel like hearing them complaining and whine like babies."
"You can be so mean sometimes." Serafina looked at me disapprovingly. I just rolled my eyes. "But very well. We can head to the meadow, when you're done with your tea."
"Okay!" I took another big gulp and finished it off. And I grinned when she continued to look mildly disapproving. It was fun annoying her, mostly because she'd finally recovered enough to get annoyed. "Let's go, go, go!"
It didn't take long to reach the meadow. It was just on the outskirts of the village, still well within sight of everything. And, sure enough, there were Alm and Celica. Alm had a flower crown on his head, for some reason, and the two were comparing hands, also for some reason. They looked like they were having a serious discussion, and that was no fun. Since I knew they were destined to die super young, I wanted them to have fun. Besides, Serafina and I were unofficially Alm's annoying sisters, and I took that job very seriously. Very. Seriously.
"Alm! Celica!" I called, laughing and waving. Both squawked funnily and jumped apart. "Hey!"
"Ah! Corona! Serafina!" Celica replied, smiling sweetly. Alm scowled, no doubt because we interrupted him trying to be serious about something. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, it's you two always running off on your own!" I grinned to let her know we weren't really mad. "Serafina was sulking."
"I-I was not!" Serafina protested, shaking her head. She looked around worriedly, as she always did when we took one step away from the village. "Though, Faye was."
"Ooo, look at that, Alm! You've four girls all looking for you!" I teased, giggling. Alm's expression blanked, having no idea what I was referring to. He didn't really have an interest in romance and the like. Not like Gray, who had taken to 'flirting'. The adults found it cute. I found it nauseating. "Lucky you~!"
"Corona, remember that you're ten years old like the rest of us."
"Bleh." I stuck my tongue out. "Whatever. I'm just repeating what Kliff's mom says!"
Alm rolled his eyes while Serafina sighed. Celica giggled and started plucking flowers to make more flower crowns. I ignored Alm and Serafina's squawking and focused on her, smiling slightly. Though nightmares remained, Celica really had recovered a lot from her Mysterious Dark And Troubled Past. When she arrived a couple of years ago, she'd just insult us at the best of times, or run with the worst of assumptions. Grandpapa said it was because she was hurting a lot. He had a habit of saving kids from certain death. He did it with Serafina and me too, three years ago. And he hadn't even cared we had Foresight. He was the best, really. All of Ram was. Made me think something back was going to happen. Good things rarely lasted long.
And I was soon proven right. Celica had just completed one more flower crown when we heard a scream. Confused, we ran towards it, though Serafina trailed behind. It took a bit to figure out where the scream came from, but eventually, we found the road out of the village and raced down it. Soon, we came upon a crying Kliff, a scared Gray, a guilty Tobin, and a terrified Faye. I almost called out, but then we saw just why they were all… well, not having fun. There was a group of knights, in fancy armor and on fancier horses, on the road for some no doubt stupid reason. Because knights. Right now, though, they were harassing our friends. One even had a sword drawn and aimed it right at Faye's neck…
"Back off!" Alm snapped, throwing a rock at the knight. It missed completely, but it had been enough to draw the knight's attention. "Get away from them!" Alm glared defiantly. Serafina hid behind a tree, carefully peeking out. Celica stared, ashen faced, completely frozen. I tried to think of why Alm thought this was a smart idea. "You're not stepping one foot in our village!"
"Yeah, they're going to ride instead," I deadpanned as the knight grumbled and growled something. Zofian knights were nothing like Rigel's. Rigel's were disciplined. Zofians did whatever the heck they wanted. "Stupid! They have weapons. Weapons kill people. And now you really made them mad! Stupid! Dummy!"
"Stop with the name-calling!" Alm glared at me. "They're the ones wrong!"
"And they have power. We're stupid kids." And that meant we were dead. Or worse. There was always worse. "Dummy."
"Someone has clearly neglected to teach these mangy pups some manners," the knight in charge growled, making sense now. He glared at each of us, and then his eyes sharpened suddenly. "You, girl." At first, I thought he was talking to me, but then I turned and saw he was staring at Celica. "Let me see your face." I threw myself in front of Celica to block him, but the knight simply cackled, amused. "By the gods, it is her…!" He dismounted and walked towards us. I wrapped my arms around Celica protectively, and felt her tremble. This was bad. "What a lovely prize for…"
"Stay away!" Alm, however, decided to continue being a stupid boy. And punch the knight. Right in the balls. "You're not laying one hand on any of them!" he snapped. Because he was stupid and thought little kids could stop knights. "You-!"
"You will stave off your death sentences no longer!" The knight backhanded Alm, hard enough to actually knock out one of his baby teeth. "The Mother can't save you now, boy!"
Someone screamed. I thought it was Celica. It could've been any of the others. I wasn't sure. All I knew, for a split-second, was that the knight swung his sword at Alm, clearly intending to kill him. But then there was a loud 'clang' and it took a couple of blinks to realize Grandpapa was finally back and he'd blocked the sword with his lance. He'd returned, out of nowhere, just in time… just in time…!
"Mycen!" the knight breathed. "What are you…?" But then he smirked. "Ah, but I think I know." His eyes darted over to Celica and me before returning to Grandpapa. "Well, now we can finish up what we started in the flames, old man."
"Slayde, the day you finish anything without running is the day the sea turns purple," Mycen replied calmly. He was just so incredibly calm. I wanted to cry because… because... "Children, run to the cemetery. Stay there until I come get you."
"You think they can get aw-ACK!" The knight jumped back to avoid being skewered. Grandpapa was fast and took no prisoners. "You…!"
"Run! Now!" And Grandpapa said it in the 'do as I say or else' tone, so all of us ran. We ran and ran and ran. Of course, that didn't stop some of us from talking.
"Is Mycen serious?" Tobin groaned, holding onto Kliff's hand. I held onto Celica's, and kept a worried eye on Serafina. The two were easily our slowest. "The graveyard?"
"Mycen is always serious," Gray grumbled. Still, he helped Faye when she tripped. "It's just he's also crazy. Hiding with a bunch of dead things."
"I know, right?" Tobin groaned. "How are a bunch of children supposed to outrun horses?"
"Might've been better if someone didn't punch a knight!" Gray glared at Alm, but gave Alm some handkerchief to get the blood off his chin. "I can't believe you did that!"
"He was going after Celica and Corona!" Alm protested. Blood dribbled down his cheek as he talked. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Oh, just shut up already," I snapped, annoyed now. Though I was more annoyed because of the panic flooding me. "If we're not quiet, we'll add more bodies to the graves!" Running, running, running… have to run fast because if you were caught, you were worse than dead… that flight from Fear Mountain… I didn't even have to look to know Serafina was remembering the same. "So, find a place to hide! Why were you even near knights? They're all big stupid jerks!" I shook my head. "Someone help Kliff stop crying! They'll find us!"
Someone tried to justify why they were there. Someone else tried to defend Kliff. I was sure. But panic closed my ears to everything but the sounds around us, so I didn't hear any of it. We made it to the graveyard and hid behind some of the larger graves. And then waited. And waited. And waited. And then nearly got killed because Kliff's crying told them where we were, just as I knew it would. So then we were running again, with the knights chasing us. Running over graves, tripping and scraping our legs on the tombstones… all with the knights slowly closing in…!
"R-right!" Serafina suddenly gasped. Her eyes briefly glowed green, a sign that she had actively hunted for the future. The involuntary ones made our eyes glow gold. "We need to head right! Now!" We did so, and just barely avoided some knights who threw javelins at us. "Um… Um…!"
Knowing what she was trying to do, and knowing her panic was making it hard, I reached for that little flutter of power in my heart and let it out just enough to See a split-second ahead. The world was edged in green as I saw knights on our… "Right again!" I ordered, vision clearing from the Vision. They were on our left, so… "We need to head right again!"
Back and forth. Back and forth and back and forth. Serafina and I forced ourselves to see a little bit in the future, wincing as the blood slowly trickled down from using such power. Power always required something in exchange. Often, it was blood. But if blood was enough to keep us safe, to make sure we could keep having fun, then it was an easy price to pay. And at least it was my choice, unlike what life was like with the Faithful.
"There you are, children." Eventually in our running, we ran straight into Grandpapa. He had some blood on him, but he seemed more relieved than hurt, especially when he knelt down to hug us. "More than I expected," he murmured, carefully reassuring us. "You all were very brave, dealing with that."
Kliff burst into tears, again. So did Faye and Serafina. Gray and Tobin stubbornly held back tears, while Alm seemed to just focus on the positives. But everything still blocked my ears, so I looked to Celica, who looked at us so, so sadly. I knew that look. It was the look of someone who had to leave. I saw it on Mama's face before she left me with Halcyon. So, Celica would be leaving again. That was sad. And the others learned soon after I figured it out, based on how wide everyone's eyes went.
Alm argued. He always argued. I focused on wiping Kliff's tears and cheering up Faye while Gray and Tobin argued and Serafina covered her ears to try and ignore all the arguing. You couldn't change fate. Why bother trying? Rather have fun instead before it stole everything.
Alm continued arguing even after we got back to the house. He argued and argued, all through dinner, only stopping when Serafina began crying again. Even then, it was more to help cheer Serafina up than because he was actually done arguing. Eventually, Grandpapa ordered us all to go to bed, end of discussion. But then there was some awkwardness. Namely, Celica and I shared a room and she and Grandpapa were having 'Private Discussions' in that room. So, I sat outside the door, trying to pretend I couldn't hear again. But without panic to 'help', I unfortunately heard a lot.
"I thought they'd all die!" Celica sobbed. It was after a ramble that confirmed the knights had been after her, though I didn't really hear why that was. "I thought they'd all die, like Conrad and the others, and it would be all my fault!"
"It wouldn't have been your fault at all, Celica," Grandpapa chided, voice calm and reassuring. And regretful. "It would've been mine, for not being near. It was foolish for me to be so far away. I should have stayed close because of my bad feeling."
"I was so scared…!" Celica wailed and wailed. If Alm were awake, he'd storm inside by now. But he and Serafina were asleep. I already checked. "And now… now…!"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I had hoped Ram would be far enough away. But unless we show you are no longer here, Desaix will send his full force." Grandpapa sighed. "I'm so sorry, little one. I'm sorry you had to be dragged into such things because of other people's greed."
After that, it was more sobbing and comforting. I pulled my knees to my chest and stared at the wall, thinking. That Vision… there had been a lot, more than usual. But I remembered how it ended. Alm and Celica, dead at each other's hands. They hadn't looked all that old in the Vision either. Older than now, of course. But not like… not like Grandpapa old. Not even like Mama old. So, it couldn't be all that far in the future. I had no idea why it would happen, given how well they get along, but maybe there would be a war. The Vision showed lots of fighting, and Celica was leaving. Maybe they end up on opposite sides or something. That was the problem with Visions. You knew it was inevitable, but now how it happened. Which made it even harder to try and change things. Immediate things? Not that bad. Far things? No use fighting. You could use the time having fun instead. You could use the time being happy for however long you had left. And I wanted Celica to be happy before she died. It didn't sound like she would, though. I didn't like that.
So, after a moment, I cautiously poked my head into the room, seeing Celica calming down and Grandpapa wiping away her tears. "Um…" I began. Grandpapa glanced over at me and then caught Celica as she squeaked, jumped, and almost fell off the bed! "So…"
"Ah, I'm sorry, Corona," Grandpapa murmured. He smiled apologetically. "I told you all to go to bed, and then stole the room."
"Nah, it's fine." I pushed myself up and skipped in, hands behind my back. "But I do have a question!"
"Yes?"
"Is the place you're taking Celica safe for someone like me?" That was always a big concern. Because… well… those who saw the future were considered 'heretics', whatever that word actually meant. It was one thing to have a single Vision or something. That was a blessing. That was a sign that the gods favored a person. That they were a 'hero' or some nonsense.
But those with Foresight, those who saw multiple Visions of the future? They were said to be demons who stole the power from the Gods. In Zofia, they were burned at the stake, even the small children, and their ash dusted on the soil to 'return' the power to Mila. In Rigel, if they weren't killed by the citizens for having 'power that was not earned', they were sacrificed to Duma directly, becoming soulless husks that would eventually become Witches. Because even without the soul, a body aged and grew unless Duma's power willed otherwise. Or something. It was weird. And not like 'good' weird, like Foresight.
Well, that was what Halcyon had always said. He had told me Foresight was simply 'unusual', like how someone lefthanded was unusual, but that there was nothing wrong with it. That was the last conversation we had before Jedah's Faithful attacked his sanctuary and I was stolen away among many others with 'great power'. I had clung to the memory in the Tower and in Fear Mountain, lonely and desperate to remember that someone had loved me. Mama had, and that was why she had left me with Halcyon while she ran and was later killed by Rigellians for her own Foresight. Halcyon had, and had tried so desperately to keep me safe when Jedah's forces tore everything apart.
"I… well…" Grandpapa began. I'd surprised him. You could tell because he stumbled over his words. "Why?"
"Well, if it's safe, then I want to go with her!" I explained. Grandpapa didn't even reply; I'd really taken him by surprise. Shame it was for this and not a prank! "She won't know anyone there! She'll be super lonely!" I scowled and stomped my foot. "But if I'm with her, she'll be a little less lonely!"
"I… that is true…" He still hesitated before sighing. "Ah, you're stubborn, though. I could rattle things off, but you'll just insist. Probably try to follow."
"Maybe." I leaned forward a little. "So?"
"And I can't lie because you'll see through it. Yes, of course, Nomah's priory is safe. I wouldn't be friends with anyone who thought someone should die for the crime of being born. That's too big a difference in morality." He smiled sadly at me, and I grinned in triumph. Even if I was a little confused by what he meant. "I imagine Serafina will be sad, though."
"She'll understand. After all, being alone is the worst." I bounced on my toes, giddy. I thought that would take way longer. "Yippee! I win!"
"And we're up early in the morning, so I will leave you behind if you sleep in." Grandpapa stood up and ruffled my hair. "Pack your things and get to sleep."
"Okay! Love you~!" I giggled as he left and then jumped on the bed next to Celica. Who still looked like a stunned kitty. "So, priory, huh? Bit surprised. I didn't think Grandpapa knew any priests."
"You… you're coming with me?" Celica asked slowly. Her voice was very tiny. "Really?"
"Yep!" I replied, giggling. I swung myself around to sit and hugged her. "Because we're friends, silly!"
"I… Corona…" Celica started crying again. "Thank you… thank you… I didn't want… to be alone again…"
"And you won't be ever! I'll stay with you!" Until the very end, I'd be with her. "So, packing. You finished yours? We should get on that. We know how serious Grandpapa is!"
We packed quickly, since we didn't have a lot of things really, and then we both curled up asleep together, holding each other's hands. In the morning, Grandpapa woke us super early, before most of the village was up even, and led us to his horse, set up on the edge of town. Celica and I would ride; Grandpapa would walk. So, we just had to set the packs and away we would go.
"You'll make sure the letters get to everyone, right, Grandpapa?" Celica asked quietly. It had been part of our 'packing' to write letters saying 'goodbye'. "I know that the others don't like their reading lessons…"
"I'm sure Gray will make sure he learns enough to read what you wrote," Grandpapa teased, strapping in the last of the packs. "Ah, would that I could stay with you both and keep you safe." Grandpapa finished up and then knelt down to brush my hair behind my ear and fix Celica's ribbon. "But I can't leave Ram Village. Not yet, at least."
"Oh, Grandpapa, there's no need to apologize." Celica smiled bravely. "The years here were the happiest I ever had! Just… you'll always be my grandpapa, right?"
"Of course." He looked to me. "That goes for you as well, Corona."
"I know," I replied, grinning at him. It was sad leaving him. If not for him, Serafina and I would've died on the road. "You don't get rid of me easily! Well, except I guess so, since I'm leaving." I shrugged and he laughed, amused. "Anyway, we'll be fine! Miss you lots, but fine! So, anyway, how do you get on a horse any-?"
"Celica! Corona!" Alm's voice startled all three of us, because nothing could get him up early. Except apparently us, because he and Serafina rushed down the road towards us, skidding to a stop just before they actually crashed into us. "Made it," Alm panted, wiping some sweat off his face. He then scowled. "Can't believe you were going to leave without saying goodbye!"
"W-well, you were asleep!" Celica protested. Grandpapa just looked amusedly fond at all of us. Or fondly amused. Whichever. "You're never up this early!"
"I wasn't asleep! Serafina and I have been up for hours." He scowled, though it was a little too sleepy-eyed to be particularly effective. It was adorable, though. "Bah, whatever. Listen, I'm going to make a promise." Alm looked serious. Way too serious considering it was him. "When I'm older, stronger, I will find you. No matter how long it takes or where you are. So, no forgetting me, okay?" He looked up at me and then back at Celica. "Both of you."
"Oh, I could never forget you, Alm…" Celica smiled sweetly before clapping her hands. "Ah, I know! Here, Alm." Celica took off her necklace and put it on Alm. "To keep you safe."
"Eh, but this is your good luck charm!" Alm tried to return it, but Celica just giggled. "It's special!"
"It is. Like you. So, it'll keep you safe." She continued giggling. "If you feel that bad, though, you can just borrow it."
"Borrow?"
"Well, you just promised we'd see each other again."
"Oh." Alm grinned. "Then yeah, I'll give it back to you then! Part of the promise."
"Until then, these should hopefully keep you safe," Serafina whispered shyly, passing Celica and me two carefully woven charms. The bags under her eyes furthered proved Alm's statement. That there were two showed that either she had guessed I'd leave or she had Seen it. "They're good luck charms. My mother taught me how to make them." She smiled sweetly. "We'll let the others know that you left very early."
"There's letters on the table," I explained, skipping over to hug her. She hugged me back and her smile turned sad and secretive. She had guessed, then, and also guessed that it was because of my Vision. I winked to reassure her. "So, be good while we're away!" I hugged Alm too, and he clung a little. "Try to not be stupid. At least wait a few years before punching knights."
"I'll make sure I can at least block a sword before I try again," Alm grumbled. Still, he smiled, showing that missing tooth. "We'll miss you. So, let's see each other again soon."
"Yep! Soon!" I turned away and tugged on Grandpapa's sleeve. "So, how do you get on a horse? I don't know how."
Grandpapa got Celica and me up on the horse and after another exchange of goodbyes, he slowly led us down the path. I tried to hide my panic with a smile. I hadn't been on the road since coming to Ram village. I was a little worried, traveling again. But I'd decided to do this, and I was stubborn.
"Hey, Celica, is that necklace really good luck?" I asked her once we were a bit down the road. Still within sight of Ram, but far enough away. "It's pretty, whatever it was."
"Well, it's less good luck and more protection," Celica explained with a small smile. It was sad, though. She really didn't want to leave. "But, supposedly, it has some of Mother Mila's power in it, and it can ward away dark magic and influences. But there's no way Alm would take it if I told him it was protective."
"Huh. True." Though, I doubted that monster could protect anyone. But I wouldn't say that. It made her feel better, after all. "Interesting." I leaned forward and hugged her, resting my chin on her shoulder. "So! Where do you think we're going?"
"I don't know." Celica looked back at the village. Alm and Serafina were on the outskirts still, waving to us with warm and bright smiles. "Do you really think we'll see them again?"
"...Yeah." I thought of that Vision, of seeing her and Alm kill each other. "I'm sure that's what destiny wills."
"Destiny…" Celica looked down at Grandpapa, and he nodded, agreeing. "Right, destiny. So be it." She giggled, comforted by the thought. "But yes, Grandpapa, where are we going? You mentioned a priory, but..."
I hugged her a little more tightly and didn't listen to the conversation. After all, wherever it was, I was determined to make sure she had fun. She should spend her last years as happy as possible before that inevitable end. That's what friends were supposed to do, right?
Author's notes: So, welcome to Shadows of the Branded. Here's the prologue, helping to establish backstory, and our two POV chars: Corona (who is this chapter's POV) and Serafina. So, some explanation for how this story is going to work. During Alm's sections, Serafina is the POV char. During Celica's, Corona's the POV char (I will, of course, label). Due to the way the story is set up, though, there will not be 'alternative POV' chapters like Shadows of the Heirs. Instead, they'll be more of alternating 'chunks'. I.e., all of Act 1 will be Serafina's, all of Act 2 will be Corona's, and during Acts 3 and 4, we will spend a few chapters with Alm and Serafina until there's a good 'pausing point', after which point we'll switch to Celica and Corona (and then back again).
Now, for the chapter. Yes, in know, in game, the kids fight (and even have their own crit quotes!). I don't think even Slayde, however, is that incompetent, hence the children running and hiding instead. Why do Corona and Serafina have Foresight? Well, part of it is the Turnwheel mechanic and part of it is simply thinking it would be an interesting perspective. It also lets me bring in those opening cutscenes. (You do not know how many times I had to stop-start that cutscene to catch all the little flashes after Jedah appeared.) Yes, there are some discrepancies, but part of that is Corona's interpretation and part of it is changes for plot purposes.
As for Celica having been there for at least a couple of years, in game, we know it's seven years between the prologue and the main game. There's also a bit of castle/exploration dialogue at the end of Act 1 that says it's been 'ten years or so' since the villa Celica lived in was set aflame. Now that could be just exaggeration (and the children's dialogue in the prologue would imply it's very recent), but I like the idea of her having been there for a while.
Next Chapter - Zofia's Call (Act 1 begins)
