Chapter 3
Flavia had arranged for Virion, Cherche, and Minerva to have places to stay in Castle Ferox. While Virion and Cherche had their own private guest rooms in the castle, Minerva had the stables and the arena to fly around in. They were all provided food and cleaning services. Overall, their stay in Castle Ferox was excellent, save for one thing. It was cold.
"Whew!" Cherche exclaimed, visiting her partner in the arena. "Minerva, are you going to be okay in this cold?" Minerva shrieked her response. Cherche patted Minerva. "You're such a good wyvern. Not one complaint. Unlike some people," Cherche glanced at her other companion.
Virion sneezed. "This cold, dry air has never felt very welcoming of Regna Ferox. Why, if they visited our land, they would be welcomed with blossoming trees and a cordial sun, embracing them with their warmth. Do you agree, Cherche?"
"I'm afraid they may not have as much command of the weather as you, milord," Cherche said.
"Oh ho, my witty servant, you speak in jest, but you hit upon some truth. You see, in this cold land, I still do possess some command of the weather of a lady's heart."
"Rainy days ahead, Virion?"
"Ho ho, your words are as sharp as your axe. Or as sharp as this cold wind. My, how cold it is!"
"Perhaps I could find some additional layers of clothing for you? I would be curious to explore the area outside the castle."
"You should, indeed! Despite my comments on the temperature, there are many splendors outside. And perhaps while you explore, I will investigate some splendors I spotted here in this castle."
Cherche scanned Virion's face. He wore the same excited, carefree expression on his face that Cherche remembered back in Rosanne. It was a mask of sorts, Cherche knew, but there was some truth to the face. "I can guess what splendors he's talking about," Cherche thought to herself. "All right," Cherche said.
"Excellent. Then I will see you back inside. I believe they'll be providing lunch in a few hours!" Virion ran off to the castle.
"Aw, Minervykins, you want me to get something while I'm out?" Cherche asked, patting Minerva on the head.
Minerva snarled a response.
"You smell something more delicious than Virion? Well, if you're hungry, I'll look for something unique for you. Just wait right here, okay? Spread your wings, fly around the arena a bit. But just don't eat any people, okay? Okay." Cherche patted Minerva on the head one last time before turning around and walking out of the arena.
Outside the arena gates, there was a courtyard, where several vendors had set up stalls. Cherche saw a variety of clothing vendors. "There might be something here for Virion," Cherche thought as she walked past the stalls. "Oh, maybe I can get some materials to knit a scarf for Minerva!" As Cherche continued to walk, she saw a few stalls for produce, fishmongers, and butchers. "I might have to get a big chunk of meat for Minerva," Cherche thought. For those products that did not have a stall, there were signs indicating where to find other businesses. "There seems to be something for everyone here. Impressive," Cherche thought to herself.
As Cherche explored the marketplace, her eyes caught a person at one of the stalls. The person wore a black and purple cloak, with golden accents. "A Plegian?" she thought, walking closer to investigate. Cherche saw that the person was a woman with dark hair, though her back was to Cherche, so she couldn't get a good look at the woman's face. Cherche could see that the cloak the woman wore had a suspiciously similar color scheme to the bandits Cherche had encountered so many days in the past. "Though the golden rim… Maybe she's a Plegian noble." Cherche scanned the vendor that the Plegian was at. The vendor was selling figurines. Suddenly, the woman turned, and Cherche could see the woman's face and clothing under the cloak. "She's… beautiful…" Cherche thought. "Though her clothes…" Cherche shivered for a moment, thinking of how cold those clothes seemed to be.
The woman disappeared for a moment. Cherche blinked and looked around. She walked up to the vendor and investigated the figurines.
"Interested in the last champion? Get your Chrom figurine while supplies last!" the vendor said, gesturing to one of the painted figurines.
"What was that woman looking at?" Cherche asked, her eyes still scanning the area for the woman.
"Woman? There was a woman here?" the man asked. "I didn't notice. Could she have been here while my back was turned?" The man looked around his stall, confused by Cherche's inquiry. "Oh, but hmm, this figurine seems to be out of place. It's a rare one. The Ylissean tactician. He's not very famous to our regular citizens, so I haven't bothered making many. Are you a collector, by chance?"
"Oh, my, what a cute little wyvern figurine!" Cherche exclaimed, examining one of the items. Some movement in the corner of Cherche's vision made her turn. She saw the woman leaning around a corner, looking at something else. "Please excuse me, sir," Cherche said, rushing away quietly. She crept up to a cart and watched the woman. "She's definitely trying to be stealthy, looking at something. Is she a spy?"
The woman moved and disappeared around the corner. Cherche walked away from her hiding place behind the cart, and scurried towards the corner that the woman was just standing by. She reached the corner and peered around it. Beyond the corner was a temple, built next to the walls of Castle Ferox. The temple was made of stone, like many of the buildings near the castle. The temple was built around a grassy area, where tall bushes had been planted. It was within one of these tall bushes that Cherche detected some movement. She saw a part of a cloak sticking out of a bush. Upon further observation, Cherche could make out the rest of the woman, who was inside the bush. Whoever the woman was, she was dedicated to her quarry.
"What is she following?" Cherche asked herself, trying to follow the woman's gaze. Cherche could see a few people walking nearby. They all seemed to be normal, casually walking to a destination. "Wait, that cloak… It's another Plegian!" Cherche saw that as a platinum-haired man moved, the woman in the bush would follow, too. The man disappeared from view, and the woman left her hiding spot in the bush to follow. Cherche followed from a discreet distance. "The man seems to be going towards the castle entrance. And the woman…" The woman turned a corner on the other side of the temple. Cherche followed the side of the temple and in a few seconds, reached the corner. She looked around.
She was at the front entrance of the temple. The front had a few bushes and statues. Beyond the decorations, there was another courtyard. The courtyard was relatively empty, save for a fountain in the center. The castle gate stood prominently at one far end of the courtyard. There were only a few people walking to or exiting the castle gate. Notably absent was the dark cloaked woman. Cherche checked the bushes and the statues. The woman wasn't there. Cherche jogged to the fountain and looked around. The woman wasn't anywhere to be found. "Where could she have gone?" Cherche asked herself.
"Can I help you?"
Cherche spun around quickly and found the platinum-haired man standing before her. While Cherche had only seen his dark and ominous cloak before, now she could see that he was wearing fairly pleasant-colored clothing. His white shirt and white pants matched his hair and made him seem less sinister than the bandits she had seen a few days ago. A black utility belt with golden buckles went with his cloak and his dark shoes and gloves. He also wore a black tasset, suggesting that he was far from a perfectly peaceful man. Cherche could see a sword hanging from his belt within his cloak, though the seemingly genuine concern on his face made Cherche feel less threatened.
"Oh, my, I'm sorry for worrying you. I was just… searching for my partner," Cherche replied. 'Please, you don't have to concern yourself with me," she said, putting on a warm, disarming smile.
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence that felt like several seconds. "Is he skeptical?" Cherche asked herself. "Though he doesn't seem nervous or angry. What does he want?"
The man finally breathed out. "Oh," he said. "I probably won't be able to help you." He sounded slightly regretful and disappointed that he couldn't help. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, but you looked lost. And Regna Ferox can be a bit intimidating."
"My, aren't you a gentleman," Cherche said. "The temperature may be cold here, but the people in Regna Ferox can be quite warm and welcoming," Cherche said.
The man laughed. "You're completely correct," he said. "Well, I'll let you be on your way, then. I hope you find the person you're searching for."
Cherche smiled. "Eventually, I'm sure. Thank you. Well, if you would excu- achoo!" Cherche had started to turn, when she suddenly sneezed. An instant later, the buckle on her shoe snapped, causing her foot to slide out of place and making her lose her balance. She instinctively reached out with her left hand and gripped the man's shoulder, keeping herself from falling. "I'm terribly sorry!"
"Uh, are you okay?"
Cherche used the man's shoulder to prop herself up straight again. "Oh, shame on me," she said. "I didn't think they were that worn out. I must be cursed today."
Cherche was holding on to the man's shoulder, so she noticed when the man tensed up for a moment. "Cursed? Do you seriously feel cursed?" the man asked. He looked around for a moment before scanning Cherche.
"Oh, I'm only exaggerating. I suppose now would be a lovely reason to check out the marketplace wares." Cherche turned to her side to look at the man. His eyes were dark and deep, and full of concern. "You don't ha-"
"I'm sorry," the man said, stepping back. His arms were extended straight forward with the palms of his hands facing out, as if he were holding an invisible wall in place between himself and Cherche.
"Once again, you don't have to apologize. I was at fault." Cherche returned the man's sympathetic gaze with a stern look. "It's a simple solution, anyway, so you don't have to feel sorry."
"It's just that…" The man's words trailed off when he met Cherche's stern gaze. "Well, if you insist." Cherche smiled, causing the man to look at the ground and scratch the back of his head. "Oh," he suddenly said, bringing his hand forward and waving a finger as his mind processed an idea. His hand then reached into his cloak, and emerged with a white handkerchief. "Here. You can tie this around your shoe. To replace the buckle and all. Temporarily. Um, if I may?" He gestured towards her foot, looking at her for permission.
"Um…" Cherche was a little confused. After a moment, she hesitantly brought her foot forward. The man kneeled down and tied the handkerchief around her shoe, securing her foot back inside. He then stood up and allowed Cherche to review his work. She moved her foot around, then applied some weight on the foot and took a few steps. She then turned to smile at the man. "It's lovely, thank you," she said. He was grinning and looking at the ground. "Sir…" she began, trying to get his name. She was in the middle of extending her hand for a handshake and proper introduction, when she sneezed again. "Achoo! Oh, please excuse me, the cold must be…" Cherche opened her eyes to see the man running away.
"I gotta go! Sorry! Bye!" the man shouted as he ran.
"What a peculiar man," Cherche said to herself as she watched him run towards Castle Ferox. She looked down at the handkerchief tied around her shoe and giggled. "Minerva would be amused."
A/N I think I'll be updating To Love a Memory next, since I'm feeling a bit more dramatic and less playful. I have been feeling this way since RWBY Season 3 has been a bit darker than usual…
Currently playing Fire Emblem Fates. And X-Com 1, to get more tactical feel ish ness.
Anyhoo, about this chapter… uh… I'm liking the short chapters of I Search for You. It's a lot easier to update. Um… though the shorter chapter also means there's not as much to note here. So oh well.
Thank you, everyone, for reading! Please continue to follow/favorite/comment/whatever! And feel free to PM me.
