AN: This is set post series, not too far after the end. In truth, it was inspired by some crazy troll edit to Wikipedia, which invented a 53rd episode called "Portia's Curse". Well, troll edit or not, it intrigued me when I actually got to thinking about it, so I had to play with it (and borrow the title, I suppose). I had no choice but to take some liberties on Portia's characterization, so that she actually had characterization. I think it's character expansion and not derailment, since she's a flat character with no lines besides "Aqune" and "Brother". It really is a shame most of the spiders could basically be written out of the show and not change much.
Aqune was seated on a rocky ledge, her legs dangling over the ground below. She came out to those cliffs often during the war, during her time as a servant to the Insectors. She never minded the dark skies, or the cold breeze. Well, perhaps they weren't the most pleasant things, but it was rather calming to go out to this high place and chant. She always brought Portia with her. Now was no exception. The spider watched her quietly, but her presence there always served as a support. The spider was her best friend. Sometimes she had felt Portia was her only real friend.
Now, things were different from their past state. Bright sunlight shone over the entire Insector world. The ground she looked down upon was more than barren dirt and rocks. There was grass growing, shrubs and trees, and all sorts of colorful flowers. If she didn't know any better, she might have had trouble believing it was the same country. But it was indeed the Insector empire.
Aqune turned her eyes towards Portia, then to the manacle she wore on her wrist.
'Why am I here?' The sudden question echoed in her head. 'No. Why are we here?' Aqune understood, to an extent, why she was in the Insector world when she was no longer obliged to be. But why Portia? All her spider wanted was to be with her brother, Brutus, again. That's what Aqune thought, anyway. But yet she accompanied Aqune back, without even a protest. Portia never protested, true. But while that might have been an admirable personality trait, it concerned Aqune at the same time.
She could always ask, rather than wonder. Her spider wasn't talkative, usually, but… she still had feelings. She deserved the same consideration as anyone. That Aqune hadn't actually asked once struck her with a feeling of guilt. And she would have asked then, if not for someone calling her name.
"Buguese!" Aqune answered back.
Carefully, she made her way to him. Well, it wasn't too surprising to see him. She'd told him where she was going. But why he came to see her now, she wasn't sure of. Especially because it worried her that Buguese was running around so much with his injuries, on dangerous cliffs or otherwise.
"Is everything aright?" she asked, at the same time studying the man to see if he was hurt.
"Yes, I suppose," Buguese replied. "There were some riots near the castle. Those loyalists of Mantid do not tolerate peace with humans. So I had to make sure you were alright."
Aqune smiled. She could feel her face becoming flushed.
"No one bothered us," she replied. "But thank you… for worrying." Aqune took a breath to maintain her calm. But the truth was plain that she was worried. She couldn't just do nothing. "Do you need any help?"
"No." Buguese reached out and touched her shoulder. For a moment, he simply stood there admiring her. "You should not have to fight ever again." She looked strong now and of course she truly was a powerful force, but Buguese knew Aqune hated to fight. And she never would have had to if not for him. By nature, she was much too gentle. "Just be careful."
"Alright. As long as you'll be careful as well," answered Aqune. She sounded stern for once.
Buguese was a truly important person to Aqune. More and more she was beginning to realize this, after the moment he freed her, and then nearly threw his life away. She knew he was always troubled, and made irrational decisions, even if they were for what he believed to be the greater good. More than anything, she wanted him to know she was there for him, to help and support him. That she could never hate him.
Reflexes in Aqune reacted then and there. Just as soon as she heard the sound of something shooting in her direction, she turned around, and was in front of Buguese, ready to guard. But it was what she saw which caused her to lose that guard immediately. She stood frozen in place. A web launched from the spider at lightning speed, colliding with the section of cliff in front of Aqune. The rock shattered, and both Aqune and Buguese fell along with it.
Ignoring every bit of pain in his arm, Buguese grabbed hold of the stunned girl's wrist. He pulled her body towards him. Even if it wasn't too far to fall, the last thing he wanted was for her to take the brunt of the damage. Even with his injuries, Insector bodies could simply endure more than a human could, or so he was convinced anyway. And so, Buguese willed himself to land on his feet for a moment and fall awkwardly on his butt. It would kill neither of them, but he was going to regret it later.
"Aqune…" he muttered to the girl in his arms, trying to pretend he wasn't in a lot of pain. "Are you alright?" She looked rather dazed, but he wasn't sure if that was from falling, the shock of being attacked by her own spider, or both. He shook her gently. "Snap out of it."
"Uhh…" Aqune turned her head, and quickly noticed they were on the floor. "I… I'm alright. But are you?"
"Fine," he growled, which was obviously a lie, but he didn't really care at the moment.
"Umm… I can heal you…" Aqune spoke, but her mind had already drifted somewhere else. She stared up at the cliff, where Portia still remained.
"Worry about your spider first," Buguese replied, knowing what was on her mind.
"R-right," Aqune stuttered. The girl darted off towards the cliff, without a second thought. Jumping from nearby lower ledges, she propelled herself to the top.
"Portia!" Aqune shouted. "What's wrong?!"
She got no answer, but another web shot in her direction. Aqune gasped, but jumped up to avoid it. At least this time, it didn't cause the cliff to break, but a dent was left in the ground where the collision occurred.
"Stop it!" Aqune cried. Though fully expecting another attack, she ran closer to her spider. Just as webbing fired out once more, Aqune jumped directly onto the spider's back to evade. Taken aback by this, the spider immediately tried to shake her off. Aqune grasped onto one of Portia's legs to keep her balance.
Watching from below, Buguese wondered what, if anything, he could do. Reaching under his cape, he fingered the hilt of his retractable sword. He could make use of it, in order to protect Aqune, but he was sure she would be unhappy if he laid a hand on her spider. How irritating that was.
"Please, Portia! Why are you doing this?!" Aqune continued to cling tightly to her partner. The thought crossed her mind that she could transform, that she could defend herself, but she was upset for even considering that. There had to be a reason for this, and she couldn't hurt her best friend.
Portia jumped suddenly. Startled, Aqune screamed. However, the impact of landing wasn't bad from on Portia's back.
"Aqune!" Buguese called, furious at the spider. This time, he pulled out his blade without a second thought.
"Wait!" yelled Aqune. "If I can't stop Portia, there's at least one more thing I can do." She got off the spider's back, which seemed to be charging in Buguese's direction. "Spider in."
Against her will, Portia was sucked back into manacle space. Aqune dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She covered her eyes with her hands.
"Portia…"
Buguese knelt down behind her, wrapping his arms around the girl tightly, his cape draping over her. He said nothing, and simply held her like that.
Aqune did appreciate his gesture. She always felt comfortable when he held her. She recalled, even when she was being controlled by Mantid through the mask, when Buguese embraced her, she stopped attacking. Yes, otherwise, when she wore that mask, she would attack anyone who stood in her way, whether she wanted to or not. And Portia, who was controlled through her, was also the same. Just like Portia was behaving now. Which brought a thought to Aqune's mind she'd never considered before.
"Hey, Buguese…" she mumbled. The girl started rubbing at her eyes, to dry away the tears.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Back then, how did you control Portia?"
"Hm?" To Buguese, that was an odd question. "Wait. Do you think someone is controlling Portia?"
"I don't know," said Aqune. "But I thought of something. I used to wear a mask, when you controlled me, and when Mantid did. So did Portia. But Portia's mask… in the end, it wasn't real. It appeared when mine did and disappeared when mine was removed."
"Yes, that is true," Buguese had noticed this, but hadn't especially considered it. "But I'm sorry. I don't have the answer to that. Only Mantid would, and he is gone. Mantid was capable of many things beyond reason to us."
"Oh… I see," Aqune said. "I was thinking, right now, Portia is acting just the same as if she was still controlled. But that doesn't make any sense. I'm free thanks to you, and she seemed to be as well. However, Portia and I are not one in the same. I may be her partner, but she has her own mind, her own will, her own feelings, and I think they might be very different from my own. Even though I'm free, now, it's as if…"
"Portia is still somehow being influenced by the spell," Buguese concluded for her. "It sounds absurd, yet it may be the only explanation. Mantid may be gone, your mask may be no more, but whatever Mantid did to your spider has gone unsettled. And something must have triggered this within her."
Aqune gasped. She grasped hold of Buguese's arm, which was still wrapped around her.
'This is my fault,' she thought to herself.
"It may be up to you to solve this problem, my Aqune," Buguese spoke. "You should have a stronger bond with Portia than anyone. Perhaps you can solve this and break the curse."
"You're right." Aqune's eyes brightened. "I have to try. Thank you, Buguese."
"I will help keep her at bay," he assured. "I am at least partly to blame for this, in any case."
"I'm glad," Aqune replied. She let go of Buguese, and rose to her feet. "Portia, spider out!" And just as quickly as she was pulled in before, Portia materialized once again on the ground.
The spider briefly stared both girl and Insector down, before making a move once again.
"Portia!" Aqune didn't move, but waited this time for the spider to approach.
Threads shot out, which Buguese sliced in half with his sword. This did not stop the spider from her direct charge, however.
"Portia, it's me!" This did nothing to stir her, however. Aqune would have been rammed head on, if not for Buguese scooping her up and jumping out of the way. Buguese quickly placed her down, and leapt above the spider with his sword. He wouldn't hurt it, but scaring it was a valid tactic. As soon as she flinched, Buguese retracted his blade, and landed on the other side. Indeed, this got Portia's attention, who proceeded to charge at Buguese, losing interest in Aqune for the moment.
Aqune observed her ally's actions from a distance. This was her chance, and she had to make use of it. Aqune once again mounted her spider.
Portia screeched, but rather than try to remove the Rider immediately, she continued her pursuit of Buguese. A futile one, as the Insector jumped away onto the cliffs, out of her immediate line of sight, but not far.
"Now it's up to you!" Buguese called.
Aqune sighed, relieved that Buguese escaped unharmed. He looked a bit tired to her. She hoped he wasn't straining himself too much, but he liked it that way, and there were bigger things to worry about at the moment.
'I have to save Portia,' she thought to herself. 'Spirit Oracle, please help me reach her.'
Portia started to jump, to shake. Anything to stop the enemy on her back. Aqune could simply do her best to hang on. At least she had the experience of being a Rider for so long.
"P-Portia…" she stuttered. "Listen! We have to talk. I'm sure you can hear me. I-"
Portia propelled herself from the ground, without the slightest bit of delicacy. Aqune slid. She managed to grab hold of one of the spider's back legs. But as the spider hit the ground, Aqune was thrown off in the impact.
Just as the Rider got herself into a keeling position, Portia turned around, already coming towards her with her pincers set to strike.
Buguese was tense, as he watched from above. The only thing preventing him from making a move then and there was faith. He knew how special Aqune was. She would reach her spider. And if not, well, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for leaving her in such danger. But he couldn't let himself think of that possibility.
"Portia!" she shouted, tears welling in her eyes one again. "I didn't consider your feelings. But you're my important partner!" Her words were shaky, desperate. She wasn't even quite sure what to say, as she waited, vulnerable, for a blow.
Just as the spider's pincers were about to close around the girl, there was a pause. As if Portia too hesitated.
"Did you really hear me?" asked Aqune.
Portia pulled back.
"Aqune…" the spider mumbled in a soft voice.
"Portia!" Aqune leaned her head down on the spiders, her arm hung over her neck. Portia calmly allowed this, not resisting or attacking. "I hope you can forgive me," Aqune said. "I chose to live with the Insectors, to try and sort out my own feelings. But your feelings matter to me too. You must not want to be here, do you?"
"That's wrong," replied the spider. "I love my brother. Now, I can be with him any time. But I love you too, Aqune. I won't leave you."
It was relieving to Aqune to hear this.
"That makes me happy. But, then why? You attacked Buguese and I. I know it wasn't your will. It was a curse. But I want to understand what upset you all of a sudden."
"I think… resent."
"Hm?" It was a surprising response. But Aqune stayed silent so her spider could go on.
"At Buguese," Portia continued. "Seeing you with him. He hurt us. He could hurt you again."
Aqune gasped. Finally, it was starting to make sense to her. Well, a bit. She could see why Portia would feel resent towards Buguese. But in her case, it was different.
"You don't have to worry. Buguese never hurt me… well, not intentionally." She lifted her head to look up at the Insector, who was still watching from the cliffs. "All he did was what he thought had to be done. And after everything, he ended up broken by it… because even Buguese knew what was right and wrong. I'm sure he would do anything to take back his actions during the war. I know, even now, he worries that I might never forgive him. But I do. I may still have fear and uncertainty. Having to fight against my will, against my friends, wearing masks, was terrifying. And I never want that to happen again. But towards Buguese, I was never afraid. I always believed in him, believed that he would do what needed to be done to save the Insector people. Believed that he truly cared about me, and didn't want to hurt me. And I still do. I want to stand by him, and assure him that I'm supporting him of my own will… as I always was."
"I'm sorry," Portia replied. "I didn't understand either."
"Don't be," said Aqune. "Even though we're partners, somehow, neither of us understood the other this time. But from now on, we can change that. And let's not fight each other. I hope the both of us never have to fight against our wills. Is the curse finally broken? I don't know, but I want to believe it is. For both our sakes."
"Yeah," Portia answered.
"Any fears and resentment that we have, we have to try and overcome together. That's what partners do."
"You're right, Aqune," Portia agreed.
Aqune smiled.
Buguese sighed with relief. He couldn't hear what was being said, but by sight alone, he could tell Aqune had indeed succeeded. He made his way down the cliff to join her.