CITY OF HOENN

11:54pm

"Someone's gonna die tonight."

It was the way in which he said it that had the hair on May's arms standing on end. Harley would never be known for his tact or grace – but tonight, dark eyes reflecting the gaping mouth of the moon, his words carried an ominous warning that sent chills rushing down her spine.

May threw him a sharp look. "I thought that's where we are supposed to come in. Giving up already?"

Harley snorted at that. Slowly he tilted his head to fix the much smaller girl in his cold gaze. "What's even the point of trying? We all know that Vora's destined to die. Aren't we just delaying the inevitable?"

As much as she hated the sour defeat in his voice, May couldn't find the words to argue against him. With a sharp 'hmph' she turned away, chin leaning to rest upon her curled up knees as she watched the festival lights twirling up, up, up into the night sky and beyond.

Her hand reached out as if she could somehow follow them from where she sat.

"'Course, not like I care what happens to this dumb excuse of a kingdom." Harley's obnoxious voice jolted May out of her reverie with a reverberating snap. He picked at his nose and flung snot to the wind as if somehow, he was setting free all his burdens and unrequited dreams with that single flick. "I mean, look how they treat me! I should be among the King's Personal Guards. Instead, I'm stuck here as the underpaid royal babysitter. What joy."

It took all her self-restraint and more to not throw back some sarcastic remark. Pain in the ass, yeah, but he was also her mentor. She'd rather not face another week of cleaning the putrid stables, thank you very much! Instead, she busied herself with looking to the sprawling kingdom beyond, dressed in gold and white in mock celebration of another earnest victory within its grasp.

Of course, it was all a lie. With every passing day, their army grew weaker. With every passing second, their enemies drew nearer. The King's pride would prevent him from ever admitting that defeat was upon the horizon. And so Vora's citizens remained unaware of their encroaching demise. May's knuckles smoldered white as her grip tightened around her tree's branch. Unfair. The people deserved to know what was coming for them.

"Oh, would you look at that. Seems like someone's making a run for it."

Sure enough, a familiar green-haired figure had slipped free of the crowd. May couldn't help grinning as she leaned back against the trunk, throwing Harley a mischievous look. "That's your cue, royal babysitter. Better start running. You know how fast he is."

"Ugh. Seriously? You go. Like hell I'm spending my relaxing watch chasing that snot-nosed brat around the woods."

Relaxing and watch ought never to be paired in the same sentence next to each other; perhaps that was why he'd spent nearly ten years stuck at the bottom of the hierarchy. She swallowed the stinging remark however and pushed herself up to her feet. "Back soon!" With a final bright flash of a smile, she leaped from her perch.

Feet smashed hard into the mossy earth below; rocking back on her heels, May wasted no time in taking off at a sprinting pace. It was times like these she couldn't help but be thankful for the lack of Nox in her blood; whereas others like Harley relied on magic and sorcery as their guide, May would always be dependent on her five senses and the strength interwoven within her bones. Sometimes such authenticity was better than magic. Besides, even Nox could only do so much.

As branches whipped past her flesh and the grass tore at her soles, May attuned her mind to the world streaming out around her; the owls that cooed mournfully amid their luminescent hollows, the foxes that wore the shadows as cloaks around their broad shoulders. She closed her eyes. The wind carried with it the faraway taste of fried meats and steaming pork buns – hints of a festival that might as well serve as a pre-funeral, too.

And then –

"Aha!"

She skirted to the left. A knotted tangle of branches exploded beneath the sudden force of her weight and she emerged on the other side of a wide-open clearing, splintered shards of moonlight slicing into her skin below. She spun to an abrupt halt as a volley of ravens erupted from their trees, their wings painting the night black. Apart from the raucous screeching of a dozen tired birds, there was no sight of Drew to be found.

No way…May frowned. She thought for sure she'd traced the echo of his distinct footsteps to this clearing here. Not to mention it was his favorite hiding place. Unless –

A shadow blotted out the moon.

Her hand yanked for the hilt of her sword.

Silver sparks flew, as metal kissed metal.

May stumbled back, the weight of surprise knocking the air from her lungs as the newcomer regained his balance and sprung forward for another attack.

Twist to the right. His well-aimed kick missed only by an inch. Drop your sword. The weapon clattered to the earth, as May swung up her fists and glared back at her attacker. He copied her actions and took the first swing.

She lurched back and returned with another punch of her own, though it was deftly reflected by his elbow. Oh no, you're not! I'm not getting beaten this time! Whilst his guard was up, she aimed a throw at his stomach and felt her fist connect hard against the soft flesh around his ribs. He staggered back, breath erupting in a torn gasp.

May drew close, shoulders raised for the finishing blow –

And then he was gone. Wait, no, not gone – the realization came too late, as he swung himself up and tackled her to the earth. They tumbled over grass and dirt, fighting for the upper hand with less than elegant kicks and punches, but as they rolled to a stop it became clear who emerged as the victor of this battle.

May spat a strand of grass off her lip. Despite her frustration, a smile had found its way onto her lips.

"You gotta admit. I put up a pretty good fight that time."

"Good doesn't mean anything if you still lose." With a bored sigh, he lifted himself up. May scrambled to her feet.

"So! Where does the great and mighty Drew think he's going? I thought you had a parade that required your attendance." She attempted to mimic the King's flowery choice of words and booming voice, but even her mocking imitation didn't seem to lift the shadows from Drew's countenance. Her smile faltered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why are you here, anyway? I thought it was Harley's job to keep me on a leash."

"Our oh so reliable Harley is off picking his nose in an oak tree. Not that it's unexpected for him."

Drew rolled his eyes at that. Then, with an indignant huff, he stalked past and walked onward.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute, where are you going?"

"Running away."

"Again?"

"Why not?" He stopped in his tracks, tilting his head back to fix her in the sharp green depths of his eyes. "Vora's lost. There's no reason to stick around any longer."

Somehow, his uncharacteristically defeatist attitude fed the embers of May's temper. "Y'know, that isn't how a prince should act," she shot back, determinedly following in his footprints as he continued his merry way. "I thought you're supposed to be for the people. Not against them."

He huffed. "That's what my brothers are for, right? They've got down the whole prince shtick better than I ever will."

That wasn't true, and Drew knew it. May narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure. Sure, he was fifth in line to the throne, and therefore regarded as a 'lesser rank' within his family. But he had the princely act down to a fine art, with the girls constantly crowing over his rogue looks and the blood red roses he'd fancifully throw their way. If only they knew what an arrogant little punk he really is!

She hurried to catch up with him. "Drew, come on! We don't…we don't know if Vora's lost yet. Miracles have happened before." Her words only seemed to quicken his pace. "Okay, it doesn't look good, I agree, but we can't just abandon the kingdom and leave them all to die! That's against our duty…"

Finally, he paused and turned to face her. May stumbled to a halt, breathing sharply as she struggled to catch her breath.

"I know that." Drew's words caught her off guard. Only then did she see the clear frustration scrawled across his face, etched into the arc of his eyebrows and the coil in his lips. "But everyone here is the same. We're all supposed to trust in our shepherd like good little lambs, as he leads us to the slaughter!" May flinched, the fire in his voice smoldering to embers within the canals of her ears. Drew rubbed angrily at his forehead. "I don't want to die yet. There's a whole world out there I've yet to see. So much I still have to do."

"But you'll be an enemy of the state." Her voice emerged as a tender thread lifted by the wind. Drew avoided her gaze by ducking to stare at the ground. "They'll kill you, Drew. They'll kill anyone who carries the blood of Sir Henry in their veins."

His silence could only be taken as acknowledgment.

For a moment, May thought she had won. She reached out her hand, extended her palm in friendship to the boy she'd known for all the short fifteen years of her life. Drew eyed her arm as if it were a viper ready to strike. Her heart sunk as he turned away with a shrug. "Better get good at hiding then, huh?"

He had scarcely taken a few steps before the air exploded into a million fragments around them.

Feathers fell like raindrops from the sky as the birds took from their trees in a flurry of wingbeats; a fox's mottled russet coat sliced through the frothing blue of a river, and it burst between May's legs with a volley of frightened yelps. May spun around, her heart buried deep in the crook of her throat.

Not yet, not here, not now –

Drew was by her side in an instant. "It's happening."

"I thought we had more time…The last report said we had a few more weeks, tops." Panic spread its cold fingers through her chest as an image of her parents flashed across her mind. Fear was no detriment to a knight, however; if anything, it spurred on the flames of determination to do something, anything, to make a difference. "We gotta go back!"

Drew hesitated. Whatever his decision, she couldn't wait. May turned away and, muscles burning under the weight of urgency, she kicked off against the earth in a frantic run back the way she had come. Harley, Max, Dad…Hold on…I'm coming.

Something sharp yanked back at her hand, pulling her to a stop. May tore her arm free, spinning around to face Drew with eyes blazing bright. "I don't have time for this! If you wanna be a coward, go right on ahead, but I've got my family to save!"

"Yeah and charging in like a wounded dragon is really gonna help you there." Before she could protest, Drew hushed her with a finger to her lips. "Think, Maple. If this really is an attack, then we have to go about this carefully."

Her eyebrow arched. "We?"

Drew sighed. With an obnoxious flip of his bangs, he drew himself upright and flashed her his most charming smirk. Whereas other girls would swoon at such a princely gesture, May only groaned. "Well I can't let my lovely pet-"

"Knight!"

"-Charge into battle all alone now, can I?" His expression sobered slightly as he looked over her shoulder, into the distance reverberating with the screams and echoes of terror. "Besides, Max is back there right? We gotta save him. No matter the cost." His lips pulled up into the proud beginnings of a smirk. "There! Was that prince enough for you?"

His suaveness could only last so long. May would've said yes if he hadn't ruined it with that obnoxious afterthought. There wasn't any time for their usual banter, however. "No running away then?" she said hotly.

"No running. Not until all this is over." Even amid the pounding thunder of her heart and the gurgling of her blood, May couldn't help smiling in relief. "But I don't plan on dying today, you hear? Not now. Not like this."

The young knight grinned and tossed him a hearty thumbs up in reply. "That's good because neither do I."

-xxx-

They smelled it first; the sizzle of fire carried upon the whispering back of the breeze, accentuated by stray embers twirling around in a tango with a wind as brittle as the autumn leaves. Goosebumps erupted across May's flesh at the sight of a sprawling city now alight with the reds and silvers of war; sword meeting sword, knife piercing throat, screams meeting murderous howls as the streets were painted crimson. A young boy sobbed among the midst of it all, teddy bear clutched awkwardly within his grimy little hands, and he looked so much like Max that for a heartbeat May nearly jumped into the war zone to protect him.

But then he was swept away in the arms of a civilian. She lurched forward, his name dying on her lips, and it was only Drew's tight grip on her wrist that prevented the knight from bursting out of the shadows.

"Quiet!" he hissed. "That's not Max."

"It could've been though." Hot tears stung at her eyes. What if Max was just like that little boy – somewhere out there, dark hair a diamond mess, sobbing over the disfigured body of dad and waiting for his big sister to come find him –

She shook herself. No. No. Now was not the time to panic. A knight was supposed to be calm in even the most stressful of situations. Harley had told her off time and time again about how easily she'd allow her emotions to take control; she couldn't prove him right in her very first high-stakes test against the odds. Taking a deep breath, May leaned back and yanked her wrist free of Drew's hand. "Alright. Seems your dad was right to be paranoid about spies."

"Yeah, and look where it got him…"

"That's not the point. This isn't some outside attack. Look."

Drew nodded. Instead of enemy soldiers fighting their own, it was peasants against knights; shoddy old weapons and skinny bones against the stocky builds and expensive swords of the King's personal guards. "It's the people." Her breath snagged hard against her throat. "They're rebelling."

Drew's eyes widened in mild surprise. "A revolt. You think they found out about what the King's been hiding from them?"

"I think they're just sick of your father altogether." Drew outwardly cringed at the mention of your father; quickly May shot him a rushed apology, to which he shrugged off with an irritated 'harrumph.' Guilt wedged its icy fingers into her heart as May awkwardly turned back to survey the situation.

"Well…good news – it's not our enemies. Bad news – seems we have some other enemies we didn't know about."

Despite the gruesomeness of the situation sprawling out before her, May couldn't help but relax slightly at the realization that this wasn't some attack by an army without the mercy or patience to leave any survivors. These were the citizens of Vora. Sure, they were revolting, but this wouldn't be the first time such revolutions had occurred, and control was mostly regained after a good few minutes or so. Their target would only be law enforcement. Therefore, Max ought to be safe for now.

"This is all Vora needs." Drew leaned back against the roots of an old tree, his brow furrowed as he watched the devastation unfold. "Dad's already low on guards enough as it is. An attack from within our own ranks?" He laughed. "Now that's gotta hurt. You think Harley's okay?"

"Knowing Harley, he's probably run off until the commotion dies down." Drew made a sound within his throat that echoed his agreement, but despite the nonchalant way in which he rocked back on his heels, May didn't miss the desperate glint in his eyes as he searched the crowd for pink hair and stern, familiar eyes.

Solidad.

"I'm sure she's fine too," May said. "Solidad's way too tough to be brought down in an attack like this. Don't worry so much." Drew shot her an icy look.

"I don't know who you're talking about," he huffed. She couldn't help smiling as he tucked his arms against his chest and bashfully looked away.

Seventeen-year-old Solidad…a girl not only of remarkable fighting prowess but equally sharp wit to match. No doubt she was by the King's side, directing orders and working closely with the other high-ranking officers to resolve this situation. In comparison, her and Drew sitting idly by and watching the uneven battle flow back and forth suddenly seemed rather pathetic. But getting involved would just result in unnecessary injury. Her main job, first and foremost, was to keep Drew out of trouble. This was a situation that didn't require her involvement.

It took around ten minutes for the uproar to die. By then, the fires were under control, and the citizens crowded in a hobbled heap surrounded by the baying of angry war dogs. May had to look away from their tear smudged, dust-stained faces. It was Drew who left the scene first; with the sounds of sobbing and agonized groaning to follow his feet, he walked back into the gloomy depths of the night soaked woods.

May wasted no time in following his footsteps.

-xxx-

Drew was unusually silent as they trekked their way through the forest. Even May couldn't escape the somber atmosphere that hung like a cloud above both their heads. No longer did the sweet smells and sounds of the festival ring out to reverberate against the skies above; now, there was only a deathly silence, and the tang of metallic blood to drift languidly upon the breeze.

Nothing really needed to be said. The words hung soundlessly between them, a gossamer of unspoken sentences that curdled the air sour beneath their weight. King Henry could dress up the truth however he liked, but it would never change the fact that his seeds of corruption had long since sprouted and taken root among the people. They wanted change.

They wanted to live.

And no amount of so-called victory festivals would quench that desire.

"We could still run away, you know," Drew said, stopping still in his tracks to admire the cusp of a yellow blossom in full bloom. With a snap, he plucked the flower from its stem and tossed it in her direction. May caught it, though already the life was flowing outwards from its roots; its petals wilted sadly under the suffocating grip of death.

"You know we can't. We'll never escape this place. Even if we do make it beyond the borders."

"Why? You scared, Maple?"

She poked out her tongue in reply. "As if! Besides…Max and Dad are back there. I can't leave them behind."

"Bring them with us then."

May sighed. "If only it were that easy."

Their conversation was interrupted by a simpering voice that belonged to someone all too familiar. "Say now…is it over?"

Drew rolled his eyes. "Yes, Harley, it's all over. Thank you for your valiant bravery in the eyes of such torment."

He emerged from behind his tree with a fanciful twirl, striking a confident pose before the two as if Drew's sarcastic words held some semblance of truth. "Well, you know how it is! One of the very best and all. It's just a shame the King refuses to recognize what a valuable addition to his forces I am."

The night was empty. The moon was cold. The stars had never been so far away. But for now, even with the threat of death looming on the horizon, even with so many fears and confusing desires and questions to occupy her heart, for now, May couldn't help but laugh. Perhaps that was all she could do in times such as these.

Harley pulled himself upright to give a loathsome sniff. "Yes, because angry revolting citizens and a war that ends in the destruction of Vora really is something to laugh about."

Her finger swept up to brush the gathering tears on her lashes. Maybe they didn't have long left. That much could be true. But whilst they were still alive and breathing, there was hope. Slowly her breathing ebbed back to normal; May pushed back against the trunk of a tree, folding her arms neatly against her chest as she looked up into the wide expanse of inky sky.

"We'll see, I guess. Won't we, Drew?"

He threw her a curious glance. Then, by the tilt of his head, he returned her mischievous nod. "I suppose you're right, Miss Maple. Who knows what the future might bring?"

Harley's eyebrow cracked up a notch, before the splintered workings of a scowl fractured his oh-so-pretty face. "Oh, come on! Again with the scheming? I swear the King will hang me this time if I let you two get away with anything else!"

May and Drew exchanged playful smirks. With a flippant toss of his bangs; "guess you ought to be on your most attentive watch yet then, won't you, my loyal babysitter?"

Vora might be doomed. The war might be lost. But there had to be a way around it; there always was.

For now, at least, she and Drew would spar. For now, at the very least, the present was all that mattered. For now…she could focus on dodging the punches and dealing out hard kicks.

After all, who knew what tomorrow had in store?

CHAPTER ONE

-END-

Hello! Thank you for reading through chapter one of Gossamer! I'm super excited to work on this fanfic, especially since it deals with one of my childhood OTP - contestshipping, of course, will forever and always hold a special place in my heart. I've especially wanted to explore May and Drew's relationship in a medieval setting; more specifically, with a bit of a role reversal, as I've read a ton of fics where May is the princess and Drew is the knight! (Though that dynamic fits well too!) I thought that this could open up some interesting new avenues to adventure down.

I have done my best to keep things purposefully vague in this chapter. Don't worry, I will be expanding upon the politics of Vora, what Nox actually is, and, above all else, the relationship between our two leads!

It's been a while since I've actually written something novelesque, so I do apologize if this starts off rusty. I'll do my best to improve in future! If you enjoyed, I'd love it if you could leave a review! Constructive criticism is always welcome too. It really makes an author's day and inspires us to keep writing. For now, I bid you adieu! Have a wonderfully beautiful day, lovely reader!