A/N I have moved all the stories from my previous account to this one, to make things a little easier for myself. I created a second account due to loosing forgetting my original's log-in information for a long time but have figured it out. I deleted the original of this entry and have re-posted it here, and plan to re-edit most of my stories soon.
A/N: Hey everyone! So this is my Rune Factory 4 Margaret x Lest fic. Now, this fic is a re-telling and expansion of the story quest you get in the game with Margaret for the concert at Obsidian Mansion. If you have not done it yet, this WILL contain spoilers so read at your own risk! Of course, I added lots to it so it's not just a re-telling of the game and changed some things as well. I hope you enjoy! Let me know! By the was I'm trying to put a lot more detail into my stories, let me know what you think about it.
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to Rune Factory 4
Finding Love in a Dark Place
The large double doors creaked loudly as Lest pushed them open to reveal the Obsidian Mansion's massive theater. The sudden change in environment was drastic, moving from the sunny and warm air outside into the cold and dark atmosphere only steps into the large open room. Even though the double doors hung open behind the young man and the elf who followed him in it seemed that the light dared not shine into the theater. Not seconds after this thought crossed his mind the doors suddenly slammed shut causing the platinum blonde to jump a little and Margaret seemed to go almost pale as she spun to look at the entrance they had come in through.
"L-Lest! The doors just shut on their own!" She shouted, obviously freaked out by the whole situation. Lest understood that the Mansion was pretty old and creepy but none the less couldn't help chuckle to himself a little as the female elf moved closer, her back now pressed against his own. The people of Selphia were constantly spreading rumors of the mansion even though few of them had ever even crossed the bridge to stand before it.
"Don't worry about it Margaret, the strong winds this time of year often close doors on their own." Lest pulled his gaze away from the rows of red-cloth topped tables that spread in front of him to turn towards his companion whom even with his words was still shaking a little. Lest smiled as he moved a hand to her shoulder, adding "You have nothing to worry about. I'm here with you and Dolce should be here any moment as well." Margaret's blue eyes gazed back into Lest's purple ones as she slowly began to calm down and nodded happily.
Margaret had prepared her bright blonde hair in the same way she did most days, one braid hung at each side over her shoulders with the rest of her hair hanging freely down the elf's back although it was wrapped in elven strings with small flowers attached. She also wore an elven hairband which held her hair back to reveal the main distinction that could identify an elf from a human other than their slightly lighter skin color. Margaret's ears were a little bit longer than a humans and ended in a point, Lest had heard that many elves try to hide their ears but Margaret displayed them proudly every day.
She wore a long decorative blue shirt which covered down to just above her knees, and two belts wrapped around the girl's small waist each with a clip to hold up her white leggings which rose just above her shirt's rim causing a small lift in it. The belts each had flowers pinned all along their exterior and even the girl's sleeves had a flowery lace along her wrists. The elf was certainly dressed for a performance and Lest couldn't wait to hear her play.
Just looking at his female companion caused the platinum blonde to blush a little, for some reason every time he saw the elven girl he would feel this way and even his chest would seem to heat up. Not wanting to stare for too long Lest turned away and began to walk towards the center of the large theater hiding his smile. "Are you excited to perform today Margaret? What song are you going to play?" Asked the young man as he trailed his left hand against one of the table's cloth covers. Each of the many tables in the theater was set for a group of eight even though it was unlikely they would ever be used again.
"Yes, I'm glad that Dolce arranged a performance as it feels like I haven't played anywhere other than the restaurant in forever. Not that I mind playing there, I love it when everyone of my friends gets to hear my harp but I also enjoy playing for audiences I've never met." Lest nodded in response, continuing to look at each detail of the room they stood in. Last time when he was fighting the massive puppet he hadn't exactly had a chance to observe the room's beauty. Large pumpkins hung from the ceiling that acted as lanterns with a soft glow emitting from each.
Margaret continued to speak and Lest happily listened as he turned his focus to the female elf. "When I play in front of strangers I truly feel like I'm at my best. I feel nervous and anxious but that only pushes me to try harder to please the audience. I used to do a lot of traveling actually, before I moved here to Selphia." Lest smiled in response, whenever Margaret spoke of her music and her travels she would almost shine simply with the passion she gave off. But suddenly Lest's eye caught something move behind his companion, instantly reaching for his blade but quickly identified the threat as Dolce.
The young man had no idea where she'd come from but relaxed the hand on his blade's hilt, Margaret however also noticed the presence behind her and squeaked, jumping towards Lest in fear as she spun around and held out her harp as if the harmless instrument were a weapon. "Who goes there!" She shouted but quickly turned red when she saw Dolce standing harmlessly by the doors. "Ah- I apologize, I did not know it was you Dolce." Margaret lowered the harp and moved a hand to cover her face which continued to change shades of red. Lest chuckled a little at this but chose not to bug his companion and smiled to the new addition to the room.
Dolce spoke softly prompting the other two to take a step closer as she asked "Are you ready for the concert? I'm glad that you both made it here unharmed." Lest caught the slight grin that played on the corner of Dolce's lip as she was obviously just teasing however Margaret didn't notice her humor and suddenly began to shake a little once again.
"W-What do you mean by that? Are we in danger by coming here? If so why would you even arrange for the concert to be-"
Pico's giggling cut Margaret's little rant off as the young ghost stepped out from behind Dolce's purple dress. She also wore a purple and white dress but it was a little lighter than Dolce's dark attire, matching the young girl and her Dolce's personalities perfectly. "Oh Margaret! Dolcy's just teasing you there's no need to be afraid! All the other ghosties are hiding in the deeper parts of the mansion there's nobody here to be afraid of." With this Pico pointed towards another set of large double doors at the side of the room which led into the mansion's depths.
This however didn't seem to calm Margaret down as she slowly looked over to the new set of doors still shaking. "G-Ghosts?" She whispered but Lest slid a hand over to the girl's wrist causing her to look up into his eyes instead.
"I told you that there's nothing to worry about, I promise I won't let anything harm you. Just focus on your concert" He said happily, Margaret's cheeks melting into a soft red at the contact on her forearm. The female elf had often offered to help Lest out on his farm or with the monsters he had tamed -especially his woolies as she found them adorable- but wasn't used to how close he had gotten in the past few minutes.
"Ahem-" Dolce snapped the girl out of her trance as she shifted her blue eyes over to the other woman still with a hint of red playing on her cheeks. "Yes, well actually I have some bad news about the concert... I told you I'd provide the sheet music correct?" Lest and Margaret both nodded at this, the young man had still not released the elf's wrist simply because he'd forgotten about it. Then contact however did not go unnoticed by his companion. "Well... I still haven't gotten it. So could you two go fetch it for me?"
Lest smiled at the purple-clad girl's comment not at all surprised at her lack of worry about not having the music. Dolce never really displayed many emotions other than the odd blush which she would always attempt to hide, However it did seem a little weird, she usually wasn't so forgetful. Somehow it seemed as if she had something planned; that she had purposefully not gotten the music. Shaking the thought away Lest replied "Sure we can go get the music. Just let us know where it is?" Looking down the young man noticed that he was still holding his companion's wrist and quickly let go of it with a small blush creeping to his cheeks.
Dolce grinned again at this which caused Lest to lift an eyebrow in suspicion of her ulterior motives. "Well you see, the sheet music had not actually been seen in a very long time. It's quite an old song but it would be perfect considering the audience that you will be playing for Margaret." The two remained silent as they waited for Dolce to continue, she had still not said where the music was. The young woman was obviously playing at something. Pico looked in on it too as the little ghost clung to her master's side happily.
"The sheet music," Dolce took a small pause as if trying to create a moment of suspense. "Is somewhere in the Obsidian Mansion." As she finished Dolce's eyes drifted over to look at the doors Pico had earlier pointed at. The doors that led deeper into the mansion, where all the 'ghosties' were. Lest thought back to when he'd first been in the mansion to save Dolce and recalled that the ghosts weren't exactly friendly either. The boy's hand subconsciously moved to his blade which sat sheathed on his hip.
"It- It's in the mansion?" Shouted Margaret as she began to shake once again. Lest understood that some people were afraid of monsters and ghosts but his elf companion seemed to be especially terrified of them. "B-but there's ghosts in there! And probably all sorts of other creepy creatures!" Dolce simply smiled at Margaret's expressions of fear and turned to face the door which she had supposedly come in through. Neither Lest of Margaret had actually seen the girl enter the theater earlier.
"Well, I suppose I should go and let the clients know that the concert will be canceled then.." With this Dolce began to step towards the door, Pico clinging happily to her master's side. This seemed suspicious to Lest as well; as usually the purple-clad woman would shoo her ghost away when she became so cuddly. Dolce definitely was planning this from the beginning, and based on the look of disappointment that played on Margaret's face he assumed that Dolce had also planned the next few words that left the boy's mouth.
"I'll go get the sheet music" Spoke the platinum blonde, one hand still holding onto his blade's hilt at his side. Lest knew that it may be dangerous and was glad that he'd decided to bring along his weapons and bone shield which was strapped to his forearm. Along with the 'Luck Blade' Short sword that he held the young man also had his 'Corsesca' Spear tied to his back and his poison tipped 'Twin Blades' attached to each of his lower legs. Since he'd landed in Selphia Lest quickly realized that whenever he left the castle he must be equipped and so quickly designed straps to hold multiple different weapons on his person at all times.
At this comment Margaret's eyes widened and even though Lest couldn't see Dolce's face he knew that a wide grin had spread across the young woman's lips. "No! Lest you can't; it's too dangerous!" Margaret reached a hand out to cover the young man's hand that was resting on his blade as if she were trying to keep him from unsheathing it for combat. Dolce however stayed silent, stopped in front of the door and waited for Lest to respond to his elf companion.
"Margaret," Lest spoke quietly causing Dolce to take a few steps back to hear properly. Margaret's blue eyes were full of worry for him but Lest knew that if the concert were to be canceled the elf would be upset for days. Just a little earlier she had spoken of how she loved playing for a audience she had not performed for before. "Don't worry about me. I've already navigated my way through the Obsidian Mansion before so it shouldn't be a problem. I've also grown in strength since I was last here so the ghosts and monsters that inhabit this place should be no threat at all. I'll go find the sheet music and be back before the audience even arrives."
The female elf continued to stare into Lest's purple eyes with a concerned facial expression but when Lest held his air of confidence for the duration of her worried look she gave up, backing away from the boy and looking at the floor instead. She knew that he couldn't be stopped, and so instead took another tactic. Her right hand still held Lest's, her skin was soft and warm to the touch but Lest was pulled away from these thoughts as Margaret whispered to the carpeted floor "Take me with you at least."
Dolce didn't have to hear the elf to know what she'd said, moving to take a seat happily at the back of the theater. Lest looked over to glare at her for a second but the young woman as well as her younger ghost just smiled back. They'd won. Lest turned back to Margaret whom still gazed down at the floor and moved his free hand down under her chin to lift the young elf's gaze up to meet his own. "Margaret, I understand that you want to come to make sure I'm okay but it's too dangerous. I wouldn't know what to do if you got hurt in there and I had to explain it to the rest of the town. You're too important to Selphia, you're too important to me."
The elven girl's cheeks shifted to red once again but she shook away her embarrassment at Lest's words knowing that the boy was simply trying to get her to stay behind. "Lest." She spoke firmly which surprised the platinum blonde. "I'm coming with you. You already stated that the creatures in the mansion are no match for you so you should have no trouble protecting me as well." Margaret's authoritative voice made Lest smile, she sounded like her usual cheery self. When the elf wasn't scared of ghosts she would be quite forward with her thoughts. Of course the girl also had a soft and warm side as well.
"Fair enough." Replied the young man which slightly surprised the blonde in front of him. "You once said your music has healing qualities did you not? If I get hurt I'll count on you to fix me up." With this Lest spun on his heels which separated the companion's hands and began to step towards the doors leading into the mansion. "I only brought my weapons with me today, no potions."
Margaret quickly caught up as Lest placed his hand on the old door's handle which felt like it was almost rotting. The wood felt soft and cold under the boy's fingers. "Wait, did you have potions with you last time? Will you be okay?!" Lest didn't reply as he pushed the door forward, it wouldn't help to let his partner know that last time he was in the mansion the platinum blonde went through almost ten full potions from the clinic.
The two stepped into a long corridor which Lest recognized as the spot he had encountered the large red-clad ghost during his last visit to the mansion. The massive ghost's scythe alone was taller than Lest and the young man got a sinking feeling that he may not have seen the last of his enemy. When the monsters he defeated were sent back to the Forest of Beginnings it doesn't mean that that was the last of them. On multiple visits back to Yokmir Forest Lest had noticed that some of the monsters he'd encounter would look the same as the ones he'd seen before.
Small marks in their shin or scars made Lest believe that he was fighting the same creatures over and over again. Sometimes upon seeing the human the monsters would even back away and let him past as if they remembered being defeated before. This did not happen often however, as Lest assumed there were countless creatures in the Forest of Beginnings.
Much to Lest's relief it looked like the dark corridor was empty; nothing but dim candles and a large chandelier provided light to the corridor and all Lest saw were some old dirty chairs as well as some paintings. There were a few vases as well, with flowers sitting in them that looked perfectly healthy despite not being tended to for probably longer than Lest had been alive.
"Looks clear, let's go" Spoke Lest as he began to walk through the room. The young man removed his hand from the blade at his side but stayed cautious as Margaret followed rather close behind. Lest did not want to look back in fear that he would embarrass the young woman but thought he could feel her soft hand holding onto the back of his shirt beside his Corsesca. Margaret's hand seemed to be trembling, so as the two progressed down the hall Lest softly asked "Are you afraid?"
The female elf made a small squeaking noise as Lest bumped into one of the old chairs proving that his assumption was correct and he stopped to look at his companion. She however shook her head vigorously, speaking firmly "I am not!" Another sound came from the next room over, a loud band as if a piece of furniture had been knocked over causing Margaret to jump backwards. "...Okay, so maybe I'm a little afraid. But I'm okay; we can keep going."
Lest couldn't help but feel his heart pound at the young elf's posture, the usually strong willed girl was curled into herself looking vulnerable and worried. It was kind of cute, even more so as she stepped forward and reached a hand out to hold onto the young man's belt. "Just let me stay close okay?.."
The platinum blonde male nodded as he turned away hoping that Margaret had not seen his face go bright red. The elf moved her hand to hold onto the back of Lest's belt and the two continued down the corridor to the next set of large doors. As Lest reached for the handle it again felt like it was rotting, cold and soft. He pulled back to open the door, but the handle ripped off as the dead wood couldn't handle the pressure. Frowning Lest moved for the other handle but it fell apart as well, although the door itself seemed sturdy enough that it would be pointless to try to break through it.
"There's another door over here" Spoke Margret, and Lest let out a long sigh of disappointment. He already knew there was another door but he was hoping to avoid the room with the creepy stuffed wooly sitting in the corner. Taking the elf's advice anyway Lest turned and reached for the other door's handle and although it felt just as rotten as the others to door pulled open without a problem. The two stepped through, it seemed that the rooms were getting darker and darker as they went. This hallway also had a chandelier but it's candles were all out leaving lighting up to only three dim candles spread around the chamber.
"Hey, wasn't this the room we heard that sound coming fro-" As Margaret attempted to finish her question it happened again, a loud bang filled the room and the elven woman jumped forward to wrap her arms around Lest. The boy understood that she was frightened, but constricting her only source of defense didn't seem like the best idea. Lest scouted the room with his eyes for any sign of danger but couldn't find any enemies or ghosts through the dim light. Only more dusty chairs and paintings. But there, in the far corner, sat the stuffed wooly up in a chair. Wasn't it on the floor last time?.. The plush toy seemed to be looking directly at the pair from it's seat through it's black orbs of eyes.
Lest felt a wave of fear wash over him, the same thing had happened the last time he entered this room but he couldn't explain why. Again a loud bang filled the room but this time Lest caught it's source! As he and Margaret both gazed down to the floor another stuffy fell from the dark ceiling and hit the ground with a rather loud thump. For stuffies, they were falling pretty hard.
Margaret squeezed Lest only harder as she placed her chin on the young man's shoulder, whispering "I-It's only some falling stuffies... I don't even want to think about where they're falling from but let's just keep moving on!" The platinum blonde couldn't agree more, this room was getting creepier and creepier by the second. According to the walls and the previous hallway the room's ceiling shouldn't be too high up and yet Lest couldn't actually see it. Only shadows.
"Margaret you need to let go so I can walk." The young man almost laughed as his female partner instantly let go in embarrassment and hid her face against his back.
"I'm sorry! I just- I- I don't know.. You make me feel safe Lest." To this Lest smiled but again kept himself from turning around to spare both himself and the elf any embarrassment upon seeing each others eyes. He simply nodded and began to walk forward unsurprised when Margaret's small hand took hold of his belt once again.
The two navigated around the increasing number of falling stuffies until they made it to the other side of the room and upon turning around saw that the carpeted floor was clear of stuffed monsters. Not a single one was to be seen even though they had just dodged at least twenty. Although there were numerous red stains here and there. "Creepy..." Lest whispered earning a nod of agreement from Margaret and moved to reach for the next door. But looking down Lest saw the stuffed wooly sitting beside the door looking up at the young man's purple eyes with it's own black orbs.
"Lest.. wasn't that wooly in the chair earlier..." Margaret's voice was shaking ah her grip tightened but Lest didn't even respond. He bent down to take hold of the stuffy, picking it up even through his unconscious thoughts telling him not to. At the base of the creature there was a small tag, so the platinum blonde turned it to take a closer look in a nearby candle's light. He assumed that a name used to be written on the tag which now simply hosted a red smear of some kind. Lest knew exactly what the red stain was but pretended not to as he returned the wooly back to the chair it had been in earlier.
"Let's go" were the only two words that left the young man's mouth as he rushed to the door and opened it, feeling the stuffie's gaze burn into the back of his head. As the two made it into the next room Lest shut the door behind them hoping never to have to go through there again. Something terrible happened in that room, something that should simply be forgotten and never looked upon again.
"Hi! Who're you?" A young woman's voice cut through the creepy silence of the mansion and Lest felt his heart attempt to leap out of his chest, instantly the platinum blonde stepped in front of Margaret and drew his blade taking a defensive position. He'd done it countless times, reacting within a second to prepare for an attack. Margaret let out a short cry as she curled up behind Lest, holding her face against his back again. There in the middle of the new hall stood a woman whom looked to be about the same age as Margaret and Lest however from an entirely different era. The woman's clothes were formal as she wore a tight brown jacket and brown pants which Lest had seen in some of Kiel's history books.
What stood out most about the woman was her bright blue hair which ran just below her shoulders. And after only seconds in his defensive position Lest realized that she was not speaking to them. She wasn't even facing them, her back was all that Lest could see but he quickly noticed a man about their age as well standing only feet before the blue-haired woman. She continued, not even noticing that Lest and Margaret had entered the room. "I'm sorry, did I scare you? Are you alone?"
There was a slight pause, Lest could feel Margaret's arms wrap around his waist and hold tightly although the elf refused to bring her face over his shoulder to look at the two figures before them. Lest moved his free hand over one of hers, trying to calm the young elf but also not wanting to alert the other pair that they were there. The blue-haired woman continued. "I heard someone playing the violin, that was you right? It sounded truly beautiful. My name is Marina, what's yours?"
Lest raised a brow at this, he hadn't heard any sounds of a violin. Had he simply missed it as he was focused on the stuffed monsters in the previous room? But even if that was true, where had these two come from? There was no sign of travel before Lest and Margaret, and the other door leading into this room's handles were broken by Lest himself. The man finally replied, he had light gray-purple hair and wore clothes similar to the woman's. "Um.. Julius." He spoke in a deep yet kind-hearted voice.
And then, suddenly from one second to the next the two figures were just.. gone. Lest wasn't sure if he'd even blinked; they simply vanished into mid-air. "Lest?.." Margaret whispered as if hoping that the other people in the room would not hear her. "Is it okay?.."
Lest rubbed Margaret's hand with his own, replying in his usual voice "Yeah, they're gone now." Margaret's head popped up over his shoulder to look down the hall which was much better lit then the previous couple. The chandelier against the ceiling had all of it's candles' flames burning brightly as well as many candles hung against the walls. There were a few book cases against the walls this time with their shelves lined with old looking books as well as a couple benches and a long red carpet stretching from one end of the room to the other. Although the white rims led Lest to believe that the carpet wasn't always red.
"H-How can they just be gone? I saw her with my own eyes, she had bright blue hair! You saw her too right Lest?" The room was perfectly well lit and yet the two figures were nowhere to be seen. There was no was they could have ducked out that fast even through a secret passage or with magic.
"I think they may have been ghosts" replied the young man; and as if calling for one a ghost drifted into the room through the door on the other side of the hallway. Lest had seen others of it's kind before with their brown cloaks and executioner's cloths covering their heads. Even with the eye sockets in the cloth Lest could never actually make out any eyes. They held large scythes and assuming that this would be hostile as all the others were Lest took a step forward to put some space between himself and Margaret as he pointed the tip of his blade forward.
"G-ghosts? Like that one?" Margaret yelled which caught the attention of the hooded figure at the end of the hall. Instantly it began to move towards the two with murderous intent filling the air around it. Before it could get too close however lest aimed his sword as if it were a bow and shouted "water laser!"
A bright blue beam shot out of the tip of Lest's blade and passed directly through the floating specter. For a second it seemed like the blast had no effect but once it faded away revealing a hold straight through the creature the ghost made a deathly shriek before disappearing in a bright flash of light. "No, the other two looked like humans. I thought for a moment that they were humans."
Margaret grabbed the boy's belt again as the two continued down the hall towards the next door but this time Lest kept his blade ready knowing that on the other side were likely more of the creatures of darkness. The female elf's voice cut through the silence as she commented "well weather they looked evil or not I hate ghosts! They're all here to torment the living and try to drag us down with them."
Lest thought about this, previously he would have agreed with the elf however these two seemed different. They didn't even react to Lest and Margaret, it felt like they were more of a memory than anything else. The platinum blonde ended his thoughts there, not wanting to think of what sorts of memories this mansion held.
The next room resembled that of the earlier rooms the pair had passed through, it was dark and cold with very few candles along the walls to bring in any light. What they could see though were more of the ghosts patrolling the area. Three of them none of which had seemed to notice Lest and Margaret enter. Taking a step forward Lest attempted to be as quiet as possible so that he could strike from the shadows of surprise but the floor seemed to disagree with him.
*SQUEAK* The floorboards bent under Lest's weight instantly alerting each of the three enemies that he had arrived to the room and without a second's thought they rushed him. "Water laser!" Lest pointed his sword forward and managed to pierce one of the specters sending it back to the forest of Beginnings but the other two pressed forward into his area of comfort forcing the young man to melee.
A swinging scythe aimed for the platinum blonde's neck was stopped by his blade, Lest's instincts telling the boy to dive under the creature and attack from below but that would leave Margaret defenseless so he instead reached down to grab one of his twin blades with his free hand. As he did so the other creature's scythe smashed into the bone shield strapped to Lest's arm and he gulped hard knowing that if he hadn't reached for the dual blade that scythe-tip would most likely be inside his leg.
Margaret gave out a shriek of terror as Lest fought, pushing back the creature that had struck his shield and quickly stabbing the other with his Luck Blade. It seemed that the sword truly was lucky as it got a critical hit sending the creature back to where it came from instantly. The flash that consumed the ghost blinded the young man however and without being able to block he could not stop the next blow from the ghost.
Another cry came from behind; and for a second Lest's heart stopped as he feared the worst had happened and his female elf companion had been stuck but he quickly found that to be false as a burning pain shot through his shoulder. The ghastly creature still stood before the platinum blonde, but the curve of it's scythe had sneaked past Lest's vision and over his head cutting into just below his shoulder blade. "ah-" Lest let out a grunt of pain but knew he couldn't give up and so quickly leaned forward; his Corsesca spear which was strapped to his back aimed directly at the ghost's center.
Jumping forward pushed the scythe deeper into his back, but also plunged the Corsesca deep into the creature's center sending it back to the Forest of Beginnings. The gratifying flash of light was all Lest needed to know that Margaret was safe before crashing into the red carpet. The scythe had disappeared with it's owner leaving a hole in Lest's back and the young man began to understand why the carpet was so red as his once white clothes also began to run red along his side.
"LEST!" Screamed Margaret as she rushed to his side. But instead of moving down to try and help her companion the elf drew her harp and instantly began to play. It was like nothing Lest had ever heard, the harp's music filled the stale air with warmth and moisture. The once cold chill turned into a soft glow that surrounded the boy. Earlier when Margaret had said that her music had healing qualities Lest assumed she was just saying that so she could come along on his adventures, but as she continued he felt the wound in his back close slowly.
The music ended, and Lest saw Margaret's golden harp which she never let go of crash to the floor before the elven girl placed her hands on the male's back. "Are you okay?" she yelled, moving to lift his clothes and reveal that the wound had indeed closed into a scar. Without thinking Lest ripped the shirt back down and pushed himself away as he tried to get away from the elf; but looking up into her terrified blue eyes he knew it was too late.
"Th-Those scars.." She whispered quietly. The elf had never seen anything like it in her entire life and her hands began to shake. Her legs began to tremble as well and as the girl tried to stand she simply fell back to the ground beside her harp. "There's so many.."
Lest frowned and curled up against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. "Yeah.." He whispered and after what seemed like minutes finally looked up. "Potions work a lot like elven magic seems to.. They heal but because of the rapid closure of the wound scars begin to form. I have some higher quality potion at home that removes scars overnight but it can only remove so many every time I go to sleep."
At this comment Margaret's eyes grew even wider. "You mean.. that's not all of them?.." The elf slowly rose to her feet and began to step forward, offering a hand to the boy who remained curled up. "Lest, why don't you tell anybody.. Surely someone can help."
Lest reached up and took his companions hand as she pulled him up, and begun to walk around to collect the weapons he had dropped. "Every day Margaret." There was a pause as the young man re-sheathed both short sword and dual blade before turning and beginning to move towards the next set of doors. "Every day I receive many scars like the ones you just saw. Too many to heal over night. But once I've saved Venti this will all be over and I can focus on my farm as well as healing this broken body of mine."
Lest continued towards the doors but was suddenly stopped as Margaret's arms wrapped tightly around him. He couldn't move even though he struggled. Margaret didn't speak for a moment, but through the silence Lest began to hear her cry and attempt to hold back sobbing. The young man didn't know what to do, he desperately wanted to run away and hide the scars like he always had yet something kept him there; something made him want to turn around and hold the woman whom tried so desperately to comfort him.
Finally swallowing hard Lest began to turn in her arms and once facing the elf moved his own arms up around her shoulders. She instantly crumbled into him causing the young man to have to support them both. Margaret's head pushed against his shoulder as she continued to cry quietly and after minutes had past she finally spoke "I can help." The young elf tried to speak between holding back tears and continued "Lest, come to the restaurant every night and let me play for you. Nobody else will know but I'll play healing songs for you all night."
At this comment Lest felt a warm tear slide down his own cheek although he had not expected it. The warm droplet of salty water felt foreign, the young man always tried so hard to keep his pained emotions in check and yet this one slipped through. He squeezed Margaret harder, wanting to feel her warmth more and wishing to feel the warmth of her music over his body once again. "Thank you.." whispered the male and almost instantly the elf's tears ceased.
"What?.." She asked leaning back to look at the young man's face and noticing the lone tear. "You'll let me help you Lest? Please, I want to stay at your side through this and support you in any way I can!"
A smile creeped across Lest's lips and he nodded softly, giving the elven female one last squeeze before stepping back. "Yeah, it'll be our little secret okay? Margaret please continue to support me. I know I must sound self-centered right now but I don't know how much longer I can go on my own."
The blonde-haired girl smiled and stepped back a bit before bowing softly. "I will use my music in any way I can to aide you Lest. If you'll let me I'll stay by your side." Margaret's voice seemed happy once again even though the drying tears on her cheeks told of her feelings only minute prior. "Now, let's get going! We've got to be almost at the sheet music."
The platinum blonde smiled at this and held out his hand for the elf to take. "You said you'd stay at my side, then I want you there instead of behind me. If we bump into danger once more I will stand in front to protect you." The female elf gladly took his hand and the two continued over to the next door. Lest remembered that last time he was in the Obsidian Mansion this door had forced him out and around through the mansion's patio but assumed simply walking through would be quicker and less dangerous.
Pushing through the door revealed an almost identical hallway to the previous except much more well lit with the chandelier once again burning bright. And to the surprise of both Lest and Margaret stood two figures in the center of the room; one with bright blue hair. Margaret moved to hide behind Lest once again but he squeezed her hand and stopped her whispering "I don't believe they mean us any harm. Let's listen to what they say."
Margaret although scared trusted in her companion and nodded slowly before looking back to the two ghosts. "You really do loose track of things when you're working on your music don't you Julius? But, you know.. I'm happy that we can talk so naturally now."
The blue-haired girl's voice sounded much softer now, almost flirty. The man before her smiled happily before replying "Do I really? I hadn't noticed. And I'm glad as well Marina." Without another word the two vanished again. It was the same as before, they were there one second and then gone the next.
Margaret squeezed Lest's hand softly which he assumed meant it was okay to keep going so he continued forward. This room was truly beautiful, paintings all along the walls and glass vases holding many arrangements of colorful flowers. As they walked Lest spoke softly "It seems as if we're seeing memories of the past between those two, the blue-haired girl and the gray-purple haired man." Margaret nodded slowly but seemed a little too frightened to actually reply. She sure seemed scared of ghosts.
As the two neared the end of the hall The mysterious figures suddenly appeared again out of nowhere. It was so sudden that Lest took a small defensive step back and Margaret clung to his arm with both of hers. Her warmth moved against him and although they were in a potentially dangerous situation Lest couldn't help but like the feeling of having her close.
"Hey Julius?" Spoke the blue-haired girl whom Lest now identified as Marina. This time she was wearing a beautiful white summer dress and her counterpart was wearing a black composer's suit. "About this weekend, about my birthday- Julius, are you even listening to me?"
The man seemed to be bent over a small desk and was working away feverishly. Without making eye contact he replied "Yes, I'm listening to you Marina. However I'm writing a score for my newest piece, could you please come back later? I must finish this score on time."
Marina did not seem impressed, her eyes begun to water as if she were about to cry. "Why Julius! Why are you always focusing on your music and not on me!" The man did not reply, he simply kept working on his score as if nothing else mattered. Silence was all that followed, until finally the figures as well as the desk and score vanished.
"I think that she was in love.." Whispered Margaret quietly as the two neared the end of the hall. "She was in love with him yet he paid her no second of thought." Lest pondered this for a moment, that is indeed how it seemed but at the same time he felt like the man was also deeply in love. Reaching for the handle and pushing open the door revealed a very large room with multiple chandeliers and table-top candles. It neared the same size as the theater and as the party stepped in Lest's heart sunk. There' in the middle of the massive room floated Ghost Ray.
The massive ghost stood apart from the others with it's flowing red cloak instead of black and red-tinted hat. The creature also wore a large chain necklace with a skull dangling at it's end, Lest couldn't tell it it was a piece of jewelery or an actual skull. Ghost Ray's scythe was at least one and a halt times as long as the young man was tall and unlike the other ghost's scythes would not simply give him a small wound.
"What is that thing!?" Margaret yelled alerting the large ghost. As it turned Lest felt his heart sing even deeper, the massive specter has a small tear in the cloth above it's right eye. Exactly where Lest had previously sheathed his sword to defeat the beast.
"Margaret stand back. And if you can, begin playing your healing music." Shouted Lest before letting go of the elf's hand and charging forward. He didn't want the fight to happen anywhere near his female companion. As he approached the large ghost Lest leaped into the air, pulling a dual blade with his free hand mid jump and lodging it into what would be the creature chest if it were human. The ghost shrieked and swatted the young man with the bottom end of it's scythe sending Lest crashing into a nearby table.
He knew that at least one of his ribs had broken as well as many cuts now covered his back based on the warm fluid he felt but just seconds after a beautiful melody filled the room's silence. Lest began to feel his wounds close and his rib heal; he knew there would be scars but at least he could still fight. Looking up the platinum blonde saw a glint of metal before the Scythe came crashing down, however he quickly rolled out of the way and charged at Ghost Ray once again. The specter had lodged it's scythe into the ground and was now defenseless as it attempted to pull it's weapon out.
Lest took the opportunity to unsheathe his other dual blade and jump at the creature once again; using the dual blade as a climbing pick in the ghost's chest to push himself up higher and sheathe his Luck blade above the ghost's left eye. Now it would have a matching hole for the one above it's right eye. "Go back to the Forest of Beginnings!" Shouted Lest as a bright light engulfed the creature. Hitting the ground Lest felt his leg crack, most likely a bone splintering but before he even had a chance to scream out in pain the now familiar warm glow engulfed the injury and fixed it.
"Lest!" Margaret shouted, running over and helping the young man up. "Are you oka-" Her voice suddenly shut off and the Selphian followed her gaze over to a figure recognizable as Julius standing beside a small desk. He no longer wore his black composer's coat; just a simple brown coat and pants.
"Finally, I've completed it." Was all the figure said before vanishing. Lest stood to his feet, then hand-in-hand the two moved over to the desk which had nit disappeared. On it lay a small booklet of sheet music labeled "LAFS" Lest smiled happily and turned to his elven companion asking "This is it right Margaret? This is what we came for?"
The female elf nodded slowly and moved to pick up the booklet as if it were a newborn child. The look in her eyes told Lest that this was not just some booklet of sheet music but something that meant a lot to the young woman. "This is... This is the sheet music for the first song that I learn after I left the Elven Kingdom. It's the song that I play all the time around Selphia." the elf took a moment to simply flip through the booklet, then look back at the cover. "This copy is signed by the composer himself Lest.."
A soft smile began to grow across the elf's lips as she continued to look at the music, and for a second it seemed as though tears were beginning to build in her eyes. "The composer must have lived in this house.. Lest, you don't think that Julius could have been.." Her voice drifted off in thought leaving Lest to simply smile.
"I don't know Margaret but I'm glad that it brings back such fond memories." The young man squeezed his companions hand softly, liking how it felt in his own. But he couldn't help thinking about if they would stay this way once they returned to the town? "Let's head back."
With that the two re-traced their steps back towards the large theater, this time with no enemies in their path. From the other side Lest managed to push through the door that he had broken the handle on allowing them to avoid the Stuffed Wolly's room and the entire way he held Margaret's hand tightly. Finally they reached the theater, it's door waiting wide open for them to enter through.
"Ah! You found it?!" Shouted Pico as the two stepped into the light of the theater. The young female ghost was acting as her usual cheerful self. "Great! The audience is already he-" The young girl was silenced as Dolce moved a hand over her mouth obviously unimpressed with the ghost's high level of energy.
"I hope you found everything you were looking for." Dolce spoke as if she were talking about more than just the sheet music, looking down to the couple's hands which were still clasped together.
"Ah-" Margaret instantly removed her hand from Lest's, and began moving towards the stage to the side of the room. "Yes, than you" she spoke with a bright red blush playing across her cheeks causing Lest to smile. The young man turned to look over the room, out of the many empty tables there was only one man sitting in the front row with a hood up over his face.
Margaret seemed a little surprised at this as well having expected many more people but none the less she smiled as she took her seat in the center of the stage. "Ahem-" She began by clearing her throat. "Thank you very much for coming to my performance today, I will be playing a song that is truly dear to my heart. It is a gentle song and yet it has an immensely powerful message. The first time I heard the song I was almost moved to tears, I believe that the song was written for someone very dear to the composer."
After a short pause of tuning her harp Margaret continued, "Sorry for rambling on. Without further delay I will begin the piece. Please lend you ears to 'LAFS'" And with that her fingers began to dance on the harp's strings, Lest lost himself in the music and found himself slowly moving towards the stage beside the other audience member. He got so lost in the music that he hadn't noticed the hooded man remove his hood until Margaret's wide eyes caused him to look over.
There, sitting only several feet away was Julius looking up towards Margaret. She was obviously frightened but continued to play as the man began to talk seemingly to himself. Will you Listen Marina?" He spoke slowly, leaving a pause before continuing "Er.. are you mad at me? If so I'm sorry.
Again there was a long pause, Lest found himself lost in the music and the man's words but another voice cut through the music as well. A voice not belonging to anyone in the room yet he quickly matched it to the blue-haired woman. "It's been a long time since we last spoke." She whispered yet it rang over Margaret's melody. "But it's alright, this isn't the first time that's happened."
The man replied, talking out into the air as if Marina stood before him. "I know, but I have something I want you to listen to. I'm going to be giving a concert soon. It's my own concert, but it's not at the same time.."
Marina's voice flowed in again replying "really? That's wonderful! But what do you mean by it's not your own?"
There was a slight pause before Julius spoke up this time, It was very strange, as if the two from another time were speaking in the present. "It will be on your birthday Marina. This concert will be my present to you. In fact I've written a song just for you." This time there was no reply, as if Marina were in shock. Looking up Lest found that Margaret was also listening in on the conversation and not even looking at the sheet music which she already had memorized.
The elf's eyes caught Lest's and a small blush played across her cheeks as Julius continued "There is a front-row seat reserved for you"
Only seconds later this time Marina replied "Oh my.." She sounded embarrassed and happy. "Are you sure you want to do this Julius?.. For me?.."
"Of course. I couldn't do it for anyone else. I will come and get you on the day of the concert to bring you to the concert hall. Then I'll play for you, and I will tell you something very, very important. So will you wear your best dress for me?" Lest slowly began to piece the puzzle together in his head, the sheet music that Margaret had found was actually written for Marina by Julius.
A bright flash of light startled both Lest and Margaret which came from beside Julius, and once it had faded the blue-haired girl stood beside the other figure. The elven girl slipped up for a second, but quickly recovered and kept playing. Lest quickly looked around the room for Dolce, but the purple-clad woman had disappeared along with Pico.
"This..." Marina spoke softly and Lest quickly noticed that she was holding back tears. "This is the song isn't it Julius?" Looking over to Margaret the platinum blonde saw that she was holding back tears as well. "Why didn't you come pick me up that day? I waited and waited and never forgot about you."
Julius frowned momentarily but stood to his feet before Marina and replied "I tried to get you, I did. But the torrential rains that night caused a mudslide to push me off the road in my carriage.. I'm afraid I didn't make it." Looking closer Lest realized that Marina looked much older than she had in the mansion and yet Julius looked to be the same age. The ages they were when they died..
Margaret seemed to have figured that much out as well and a tear began to roll down her cheek as she continued the music. It seemed like the elf didn't want the ghost's reunion to end. Marina stepped closer, taking hold of Julius' hand and speaking "Oh Julius.. I feared as much. I never forgot about you my love, even into my old age."
At this Julius smiled and spoke "This song she's playing to you right now is an expression of my feelings for you Marina, put into music. But that's enough, let's go now. This isn't where we belong anymore." The blue-haired girl smiled and nodded, leaning in to kiss her composer softly before the two disappeared once again but this time into an orb of light. It was over.
Without a second's pause Margaret's harp fell to the floor with a clang and Lest turned to run over to the elf, catching her before she could fall to the ground. "Margaret! Are you okay?" The young woman had a few tears on her cheeks but she didn't look upset or scared. She looked almost happy.
"That was beautiful. It's so sad what happened to them, but they waited all these years to finally be together." the female elf slowly made her way up to her feet again while her knees kept shaking and Lest kept a hand on the purple sleeve just to be safe. "To put his heart into writing this piece for Marina, Julius must have truly loved her. Lest.." Margaret's gaze shifted to match the platinum blonde's as she smiled softly. "One day I want to write a piece for the one I love. For the one I cherish."
Lest smiled at the comment as he felt it matched Margaret's personality perfectly. She was such a kind girl whom always did her best to make those around her feel happy and at peace. "I'm sure it will be a beautiful song. One that will be passed down just as Julius's song has been."
Margaret avoided eye contact for a moment looking down to the floor where her harp had fallen, and then through a whisper of a voice she spoke "Do you think that.. Maybe I could write that song for you?.." This took the boy by surprise; for a minute he had no idea what to do or how to reply.
Was the elven woman asking him to date? Did she want to be in a relationship with him? Thinking back to the time the two spent together in the mansion Lest felt like maybe that's something that he would like as well, being with Margaret put him at ease and even after seeing the young man's scars and flaws she worked to protect him as he did for her. "I would be honored if you would write that piece for me Margaret." He spoke softly but knew that the elf would hear him in the large silent room.
The theater was created to fit many people however in this moment Lest felt that he and his companion were the only ones who existed. "You know, we have many writing supplies in the castle. If you'd like you could take a spare room by mine so that we can be together more often? I'd like to see you every morning and every night, as well as when I venture off if you would journey with me."
The blonde haired girl slowly looked up to meet Lest's eyes with her own; a huge grin played across the elf's lips. And although she looked happy more tears had begun to roll down her soft pale cheeks, one of which Lest intercepted with his hand to rub the girl's skin softly. "I would be honored to move into the castle with you Lest. And, Uhm.. I-I think.. I think that I might love you just as Marina loved Julius. But I want to stay with you so that we never have to suffer the same fate that those two did."
Lest smiled back at his new girlfriend and realized that he couldn't be happier with anyone else; after taking a few seconds to simply bask in Margaret's happiness he took a small step forward to wrap his arms around the girl's shoulders and whispered "I love you too Margaret. Let's lead an amazing life together." before leaning in slowly and placing a kiss on his elf's soft lips.
So.. Yeah. I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review of what you think and if you have any ideas for future RF4 pairings! thanks!