Chapter 3) Funerals
"Conall, where did you get a lion cub?!" There were many sentences one expected to say when you were raising a rambunctious ten-year-old and two mischievous eight-year-olds. That sentence was definitely not one of them, but I found myself saying it anyway when I stepped outside for a bit of fresh air, and found Conall playing with a lion cub in the gardens.
"Hmm? Oh, Arvis got her, Diadora," Conall answered easily, barely looking up. Then again, he probably did have to focus on the lion cub to make sure she didn't hurt him. "We'll send her to Agustria, of course, but for now, she's here."
"Arvis needs to warn me about these sorts of things…" I grumbled, facepalming. I could take a few guesses from there. Likely, someone had informed us that poachers had snagged some baby animals for their fur, again, and so he dealt with it. The animals always ended up here, under careful watch, until we could properly relocate the poor things and I didn't mind that at all. What I did mind was… "How did you sneak her out this time?" Conall somehow, no matter what we did, always managed to sneak them out to play.
"Hmm? Oh, Cyas taught me how to pick locks." He laughed as the lion cub rubbed her face on his and did this odd purring-like sound. "His mom taught him."
"We need to change the locks again, then." At least it wasn't 'oh, I climbed inside and then climbed out while carrying them' like the last one. Though, to be fair, that one had been a hawk. "Goodness…"
"How's the university thing going?" Conall laid down on his back and the lion cub curled up on his chest, apparently napping. I was always surprised by how well he took to animals; he said that you just 'needed to respect them, like you did everything else'. "You were meeting about that, right?"
"Yes." It was an idea I'd had for a few years, some sort of place where those without access to personal tutors could learn more advanced topics, like physics or architecture. Arvis had loved the idea, and so, I'd slowly began trying to piece it together. "We finished thinking of funding. From there, we have to see if the budget can be adjusted for it, and then work on gathering scholars to teach."
"Can I attend?"
"If you still want to when all of this is completed, then sure." I smiled, a bit touched. I knew the request was mostly because for all his antics in escaping lessons, Conall did enjoy learning. Still, it made me feel like he was encouraging me. Some days were harder than others. "Now then, I do have to meet with Arvis. Please keep Julius and Julia away from the cub."
"Uh…" Conall smiled his most innocent smile. I sighed, already knowing what he was going to say. "They played with her earlier?"
"Oh, what am I going to do with you three?" It was telling that all I felt was resigned exasperation. "I hope someone responsible was near."
"Sure." That meant 'no'. "Have a good day!" And he quickly got to his feet, careful to not drop the cub, and jogged away to avoid more questions.
"Conall!" I sighed, facepalming. Still, I couldn't help but smile, just a little. It had taken over a year for him to recover from the spell and coma, and I was glad he was back to being energetic. Though it did lead to things like this. "I'll have to figure out a punishment later. Why can't he just be attached to domesticated animals, like a normal person?"
Sighing, I stepped back inside and walked over to Arvis's study. As usual, I didn't bother knocking before coming in, and Arvis was hard at work. However, he did look up and smiled when he saw me. "I was just thinking it was around the time you swing by," he teased. I smiled, shrugged, and went to make tea. "Did your meeting go well?"
"It did!" I replied cheerfully. I caught his eye and pointed to the tin of Alicia's tea. He shook his head. Still too painful. "Though, I do wish you'd warned me about the lion cub before I caught Conall playing with her."
"...I was sure he couldn't sneak in."
"Cyas taught him how to pick locks."
"For all his insistence that he's perfectly mature, Cyas still has some mischief." He sighed and I could only nod in agreement. "If Conall knows, then I'm sure Ishtar does as well." That was true. When it came to trouble, the two always made sure to keep even with each other. "Meaning I'm sure we'll get irate comments from Hilda, again, about teaching her little girl things a proper lady shouldn't know."
"The way she focuses on Ishtar honestly makes me worried she's ignoring Ishtore." Then again, I couldn't help but wonder if Ishtore was better off that way. It was mean to think, but I just could not like her! "Regardless, a bit of warning? Just a simple message via servant?"
"I'll remember that." He smiled slightly, though. "I wonder if he let Julius and Julia play with-?"
"Oh, don't encourage that!" I scowled and he brought his hands up in 'surrender'. "Is it another Fjalar thing I need to be aware of? Fire, climbing, and a desire to bond with wild animals?"
"No, I think Conall got that from Chulainn. Alicia's letters mentioned some complaints." He stood up with a stretch, wincing a little. His wrist must be bothering him. "Julius is fascinated by them, though. He reads about them all the time."
"Oh. Joy." I made my voice as dry as possible, and he laughed. "If one of them gets hurt, I will scream at you. Mark my words."
"Yes, dear, of course." He continued to laugh, but a knock on the door stopped that cold. We both looked at each other, confused. By this point, this daily break was routine and everyone knew to only disturb us if it was an emergency. "Come in."
"My pardons, your majesty," a servant murmured, bowing as they opened the door. "Lord Bloom has arrived and requested an audience."
"Bring him in, of course," I replied with a smile. As soon as they left, though, I glanced at Arvis worriedly. Bloom was normally in Alster at this point of the year. That he was here now rarely meant anything good. And the mourning black Bloom wore when he did arrive just broke my heart. "Oh no…" I gasped and immediately ran over to hug him, ignoring any attempt of 'royal elegance'. "Oh, who died?"
"Tailtiu," Bloom whispered. Arvis's expression blanked before he winced like someone had just punched him. "Tailtiu died."
"What happened?" I led Bloom over to the table and continued with making tea, this time for him. Arvis lingered by his desk, still reeling a bit. "If you don't mind…"
"She ended up… hurting herself badly on accident." Bloom spoke slowly, and though I was sure it was because of how painful it was, part of me couldn't help but think he was speaking around something. "I'm certain she didn't mean to. It was just… the madness."
"Who found her?"
"Hilda. Thankfully." He winced. "I don't want to think of what it would've done to Tine if she'd been the one to find her." He smiled tiredly, yet warmly, when I passed him some tea. "We're having her funeral in Friege, where she can properly be buried." Bloom smiled sadly. "I was wondering if you'd mind atten-"
"Of course we will," Arvis immediately agreed. He finally unfroze and walked over to hug Bloom. "I'm so sorry…"
"My sister's fate is not your fault, Arvis. Don't try to carry the weight of more dead." Bloom continued to smile bravely. "You'll finally get to meet Tine, at least. She's very shy, but…"
"We look forward to it." Arvis managed to smile back. "We'll warn the children to not overwhelm her."
"That is a bit of a worry. But if they get too much, Ishtar and Ishtore can serve as distractions. They're both devastated, but worry more about Tine..."
Talk turned to what the funeral would entail, when we should come to Friege… things like that. Arvis and I also mentioned lighter things and managed to make Bloom laugh when Arvis and I 'bickered' over the lion cub and whether or not the children should play with her or not. Afterwards, Bloom went to rest and, as soon as he left, Arvis sat down at the table, hanging his head in his hands. No matter what Bloom said, Arvis at least partially blamed himself. Since she went mad from her experiences during and after the Belhalla Massacre, it was… it was difficult to say that he wasn't partially responsible.
So, I didn't try. Instead, I made some more tea, just for him, and made him take the rest of the day off, to spend with Julius and Julia. I could handle his duties for an afternoon. After all, we worked together to make the empire a better place. I knew what he was working on.
The week of Tailtiu's funeral, it rained. It rained hard, like the heavens themselves were mourning her loss. Thankfully, Bloom had accounted for the rain when making preparations, so the funeral was still beautiful and lavish. He spared no expense, really, for his little sister's funeral and worked almost like a madman to keep from sobbing. I remembered seeing Ethnia beg him to take a break because she was legitimately terrified he'd work himself to death, and then she'd lose both her siblings. She was the only one who could convince him to take breaks. I wasn't sure Hilda even tried and I swore she seemed more annoyed than upset over the death of her sister in law, more exasperated than sympathetic over the pain her husband and other sister in law felt, but that was likely just me being uncharitable. Everyone reacted differently to tragic situations. Everyone showed grief differently.
Still, the funeral itself had been lovely, if one is allowed to call a funeral 'lovely'. And then we all got together for the reception, paying respects, celebrating Tailtiu's life. Many of the visitors shared stories about how vivacious she had been. Of all her pranks and mischievousness. Of how she'd been like a thunderstorm or hurricane of movement. All things the madness stole away. All things Sigurd stole when he and his army kidnapped her. Yet another reason to hate the man. Honestly, it seemed like I got new ones every passing year. Why had anyone liked him? I was almost curious enough to ask.
"Oh, now that's just ridiculous," Arvis scoffed, listening to one story about the tragedy of Tailtiu's kidnapping. He and I were on the edges of the crowd, to avoid attracting attention, sipping some wine. "Absolutely ridiculous."
"What is?" I asked curiously. I glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention. Thankfully, no. People might try to use this as a means of worming their way into our favor. "What's ridicuous?"
"Tailtiu never went anywhere she didn't want to." Arvis actually rolled his eyes at the thought. "Headstrong and energetic. She once flooded Dozel with letters because she learned Azel was staying over there with Lex and got jealous."
"Oh." I looked away, glad I hadn't said anything. If that was the case, then it… wouldn't have been a kidnapping at all. "Why would she leave?"
"Who knows?" He smiled bitterly. "It could be any sort of reason, from whimsy to a belief she was doing what was right. Knowing her, it was a combination of things."
"I see." I did have to admit. That suited the girl I'd always heard about. "She was part of the group that killed Reptor, yes?"
"Yes, I was told she tried to talk her father into surrendering, but he refused." And then Brigid of Jungby and Lewyn of Silesse killed him with their Holy Weapons. That's what Aida reported, at least. "Even the Holy Weapons are subjected to the magic triangle."
"Light magic isn't, though." I smiled a little smugly and he rolled his eyes, relaxing again. "I win~!"
"Yes, yes, dear." He eyed his wineglass warily. "How many of these have I had?"
"That's your second, and no one would blame you for getting drunk today, Arvis." After all, Tailtiu had been his little brother's best friend. With Lex dead, and Azel missing but presumed dead… Tailtiu had been the last of the trio.
"I would." He sighed, and I took his hand to squeeze it reassuringly. I knew his carefulness was because of his father. "Still, I do think I'll have one more. Make sure I don't have more than that."
"Of course." I leaned into his side, and he smiled gently at me. "You can count on me."
We fell silent, listening to the chatter and stories. I looked around for the children, and saw Julius making Ishtar laugh near the food table. Julia wasn't far away, talking shyly with Ishtore. Surprisingly, Conall wasn't near. I would've thought he would be. Ishtar was his best friend and he had stayed close to her and Ishtore during the funeral. I wondered if he was getting food or water for them, but as I looked about I realized that I couldn't see Conall at all.
"Excuse me." Bloom walked up then, distracting me briefly. "Have either of you seen Tine?" he asked quietly. He looked like a wreck. I'd never seen him as anything both stoically composed, but today, he didn't even bother to try. "I can't find her and…"
"No, but we'll help you look for her," Arvis immediately volunteered. I hailed a servant and passed our mostly empty wineglasses to them. "Where have you looked?"
"Mostly just in the room." Bloom smiled softly. "Thank you."
All three of us checked the room one more time before splitting up to check other areas. It was possible that Tine had, say, gotten lost while trying to find the crypt again. Or had tried to find a quiet place because all the sounds overwhelmed her. I actually wondered if she'd gone outside to try and be alone and so, decided to check around some of the covered areas outside. The rain continued to pour, hard enough that I half-thought I'd get a bruise if I stepped out into it.
I was just about to step back inside when, on a whim, I decided to check the gardens, even though there wasn't a covered area there. And, sure enough, that's where I found her. It's also where I found Conall. The two sat side by side on a bench, both drenched, Tine a bit less so. For the funeral, Conall had agreed to wear a cape in Grannvalian fashion, though the rest of his clothes were more Isaachian. I was sure he'd take it off at the first opportunity after the funeral, but instead, he held it over Tine's head to keep the worst of the rain off, letting her sob into his shoulder.
"S-sorry…" she hiccuped, rubbing at her eyes. She still continued to cry. "I…"
"It's fine," Conall reassured, voice very gentle. It reminded me of when he first met Julius and Julia, actually. "It hurts a lot, losing parents."
"You know too?"
"Yeah. I lost mine when I was little, and then I was taken from my 'new' family. And my twin sister." He glanced up at the sky, like he could see them if he squinted enough. "It's scary too."
"I-it is…" Tine continued hiccupping and crying. I thought about going to comfort her, she was only seven years old, but I stayed where I was. I felt like I'd be… unwelcome. "Does it stop hurting? Does it stop being scary?"
"Mmm… no, but it does hurt less." Conall smiled sadly at her. "When I was first taken, I hurt so much. I swore they'd ripped half of my heart out, taking me from Riona. Then they ripped out another quarter, taking me from my family."
"Do you miss them?"
"Always." He shifted so that Tine was tucked a little better against him and he could relax his arm. It had to be tired. "But hey, it eventually mends. You find new things, new people, that help heal the hole. Still jagged, but you know." He shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I'm rambling. You just keep on crying."
"H-Hilda said not to, though…"
"Hilda is a big jerk meanie. And I won't tell. Promise."
"O-okay…" Tine went back to crying, and Conall let her, giving her what shelter and comfort he could.
I turned away then, certain that I'd be unwelcomed if I tried to approach. Besides, I felt like crying as well. I hated that they were both hurting. I hated that they had to deal with that. I hated knowing that, even if indirectly, I had played some part, some role, in the events that led to them hurting so much. It was easy to talk of dreams and easy to believe in them, but the older I got, the more I worked, the more keenly I was aware that big dreams came with big sacrifices. And you couldn't always predict or control just what those sacrifices would be, or who they would cost. You just had to keep going with your head held high, and hope you were still doing the right thing. I still did believe that Arvis and I were doing what was best 'for the many', what was best for our people. But it did still hurt, knowing the people who paid the price.
"Ah, Bloom, there you are," I called, catching sight of him. He looked even more frazzled than before. "I found Tine. She's outside with Conall."
"In the rain?" Bloom asked incredulously. He looked out the nearby window for emphasis, where the rain was raining so hard that you honestly couldn't see well. "Why is she out there?"
"I think she went out to cry, and Conall made sure she wasn't alone." I pointed down the hall. "They're in the garden if you want to look."
"I…" He hesitated a bit before nodding. "I'll at least check. Tine hasn't really been able to cry about this. Too much of a shock, I think." He left, walking quickly, and I went to find Arvis to let him know Tine had been found.
However, just as I entered the reception room, Ishtar rushed up and tugged on my sleeve, to make sure she had my attention. "So, um…" she began, uncharacteristically shy. She fidgeted a bit before bowing. "Can Conall come with us to Alster?"
"Pardon?" I replied, mostly because I couldn't think of another response. That was rather out of the blue. And Conall was a bit young to… well, no, he was ten now. "Why?"
"I just…" She looked up at me pleadingly. "I think he'd be able to help Tine more than Ishtore and me. And having someone to show around might help distract her."
"And you?"
"...And me…" Ishtar looked down again, this time to hide tears. "Aunt Tailtiu was always so nice. Told me stories. Laughed at my pranks. I love her, and it hurts. I asked Father, and he said that I really shouldn't stay here. I should be with family, and that makes sense. Tine will need me."
"Oh, Ishtar…" I ruffled her hair gently, not sure what else to do. "You visited her a lot, huh?"
"I did. I know Father said she'd gone mad, but I never saw that? But then again, I didn't know her before everything." She shrugged helplessly, and I couldn't help but frown, just a little. Children were rather accepting of things, but Ishtar was sharp enough… then again, she was right. She hadn't known Tailtiu before. "So, please? Please, can Conall…?"
"You ask your father, and Conall, and if both agree, then of course." I crouched down in front of her and gently touched her cheek. "If Arvis complains, I'll win him over."
"Oh, thank you!" She tackled me with a hug, nearly knocking me over. "Thank you, thank you!"
It was amazing how strangely quiet everything was while Conall was away, or had been the first three days. Then Julius had decided he was bored and pulled a prank all by himself instead of with Conall like he normally did. Things livened up again after that, if only for Julia's scolding and Julius's laughter. Of course, both were laughing now. After all, Arvis and I had taken the day off to spend it with them.
"Goodness, where do they get that energy?" I wondered with a smile, watching Arvis play tag with Julius and Julia. I worried a bit over Julius's health, but he was doing fine for now, so I didn't say anything. I simply sat in the gardens and watched them run about the yard. "Or athleticism."
"Children are truly wondrous, yes?" Aida laughed when I squeaked, resting a hand on my shoulder. She'd appeared out of nowhere! "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," she said, still laughing. She might not have meant to, but it was certainly a bonus. "Just thought I'd swing by."
"Well, heart attack aside, it's nice to see you, Aida." I scooted over on the bench to give her room to sit down. She took the invitation easily, still giggling. "Do you want to join in?"
"Nah, let the children monopolize their father. Ruling an empire doesn't give them a lot of time to do things like this."
"True." Though we made it a rule to always have dinner together, and often, Julia would burst into my office to babble about her morning. Julius would do the same with Arvis. Or they'd switch to keep things interesting. "We do our best to make sure they know we love them."
"Of course. That can sometimes be the hardest part, especially when you've a job that takes up so much time. I learned that with Cyas. I think he was about five before he learned that, yes, I love him very much." She grimaced and I smiled sympathetically. I often worried about the same. "Still, that's part of the learning curve with new parents. Learning what works for you and your children."
"Yes, I think so too." I looked back just in time to see Julius jump on Arvis's back, laughing all the while, and Julia complain that she wanted Arvis to give her a piggyback. "Oh dear."
"Don't fret. They're still having fun." That was true. Even Aida and I had to laugh when Julius twisted off just as Julia tackled Arvis's legs to knock him down. Easier to hug if he was sitting and they took full advantage of that. "Ah, it's so nice to see him running about and having fun. He never had time for it when we were younger." Aida smiled warmly at the sight. "Ruling a dukedom, raising Azel…"
"You know; I never did ask how you two met."
"Hmm? Oh, I was annoyed about him being all doom and gloomy and broke into his office to steal something. Can't remember what I wanted to steal." She laughed, amused by the memory. "Thing is, I hadn't realized back then that Arvis doesn't take breaks unless you hit him over the head with one. So, I broke in while he was working."
"Something tells me he didn't notice."
"He didn't and I was appalled at the mess his office was. I shrieked something, he yelped something back and fell out of his chair, and that's when I realized he wasn't being doom and gloom. He was just someone my age being really stressed." She grinned. "I organized things for him, he asked my name, and it just went from there, really."
"And now you're his most trusted person."
"Well, we've been through a lot together." She linked her hands and stretched them out in front of her. "Oh, goodness. I almost forgot the whole reason I came out here."
"It wasn't to enjoy the sun?"
"Nope. If it was, I'd be dragging Father and Cyas out as well. Workaholics are in the infirmary again." She settled her hands in her lap. "It's an update on those assassins."
"The… ah!" That was right. Aida had spent the last two years investigating them. They proved to be particularly hard to track, leading some to wonder if there was a guild or something of them. "Anything?"
"Well, sadly, it does seem like that Verdanite who had glared at you two had been a dead end." She sighed, fiddling with her earring. I winced at that. When the initial set of leads dried up, I had suggested the person as a possibility, as well as the possibility that it might've been Sigurd's living allies. But it seems that wasn't the case. "That said, I might've picked up a lead on something different."
"Really?"
"Yep." She smiled secretively. "I won't tell you just what, yet, but if I'm right, it'll hopefully bring some closure to a few things. And might give me some leads to couple of missing people."
"Really?" I frowned, trying to think of what she was talking about. But I came up blank. "Aw, Aida, give me more of a hint!"
"Nope!" She giggled and giggled more when I sulked. "But I am also hoping that by following it, I will learn who hired those assassins, or at least who helped them in."
"And all of this still in Verdane?"
"Yep. There's a plethora of hidden information there, things that we've let sit for a while because things were just far too chaotic for so long. And Verdane just plain hating us."
"Because they loved Sigurd?"
"That, and we're the reason why their king, Jamke, went missing. And they had loved him. Easily as popular with his people as you and Arvis are with yours."
"Ah…" That definitely explained why that Verdanite had glared so hatefully. Though, I still was certain there was something more to it. "Say, Aida, while you're looking there, do you mind…?"
"Mother!" Julia called then. I looked up and saw her waving her arms vigorously, while Arvis and Julius sat in a flower patch nearby. "Mother, we're teaching Father how to make flower crowns! Come help!"
"You should go have fun," Aida insisted, nudging me. After a moment, I nodded and stood up. "When I find a bit more information in Verdane, let's talk again about what you want me to find."
"Thank you, Aida," I whispered. I was actually rather glad of the interruption. The thought and question made me nervous, jittery, and nauseous. I wasn't ready for the answer to that question. I was sure of it. "I'll talk to you later."
"Have fun!" Aida waved as I joined my family and left, likely to return to work. Meanwhile, I helped Julius and Julia teach Arvis how to make flower crowns and, amusingly, he was atrocious at it.
This was complete bliss. I hoped days like this lasted forever.
About four months after Tailtiu's funeral, Conall returned to Belhalla with smiles and laughter. He adored his time in Alster it seemed, and I had to admit, no small part of me wondered if it was the relief of being away from the place where his parents died. If that was the case, though, he didn't say. Instead, he greeted us all and sat down to listen to Julius babble about everything that had happened. Arvis and I used the distraction to sneak off to the market, partially for an inspection and partially to buy gifts.
"So, Bloom and Ishtar are going to stay the night before returning to Alster," I murmured, humming a bit in thought. Ishtar normally stayed with us during this part of the year, but it was decided she'd stay home to mourn. We'd probably go back to normal next year. "Seems Conall enjoyed the trip."
"It looks like he did," Arvis agreed. He caught my hand as we walked through the crowd, to make sure we didn't get separated. I giggled and leaned into him. "Julia was jealous that he got to go. She wants to travel."
"When she's older." Eight was still too young. I didn't care that Ishtar had traveled at a far younger age. "Maybe."
"You know; we could've made the whole 'return the lion cub to her pride in Agustria' a family trip. Instead of doing what we normally do." Sending from people who knew lions and giving them an escort of knights to make sure everyone returned safely. "So much poaching. The more we do, the more I become aware of the fractures and the things that slip through the cracks."
"We do govern a lot of people." That meant, sadly, there were many good and bad people. "But that just means we have to work harder and making things better!" And when something happened, we needed to take responsibility and try to fix things.
"That's true." He smiled warmly in return. "I have to try to rule well, at least." He looked about the stalls and pointed to one. "There's the incense one I wanted to go to. I'd like to send some to Friege for Tailtiu."
"Do you want to buy some for Lex as well?" No one was sure where Lex was buried, mind. After they'd fallen to bandits, someone had taken their bodies away. I could only hope whoever took them had buried him and his wife with some sort of care.
"That sounds good. Some new ones for Alicia and Azel and Chulainn and…" Arvis trailed off and looked sadly at the ground. I wondered who else he wanted to buy incense for. He'd lost a lot of people, over the years. "What should we buy afterwards?"
"How about some toys? One for Ishtar, another for Ishtore, and one for Tine…" I giggled, already thinking of ideas. "Julius and Julia, of course." None for Conall, because he refused any new toys. His stuffed dog was the only one he wanted. "Ah, this will be fun! Let's go!"
We dove into shopping, buying quite a few things while making sure that prices were not ridiculous, no one was trying to sell rotted food, etc, etc. We bought the incense, and the toys, but then ended up buying some extra things. Books, for instance. Trinkets. Little things we thought people might like. All in good fun, really.
However, as we were discussing heading back, we noticed there was a growing air of panic in the crowd, and there was a commotion at some point in the market. Just as Arvis and I were wondering what was going on, we heard the terrifying and horrifying words. "The castle is under attack!"
Arvis and I immediately tried to rush back, fighting our way through the crowd. It was difficult. Everyone was pressed together, becoming a multi-headed creature of a mob in their panic. The few who did notice who we were did their best to give us room to push through, but there just wasn't enough space. The crush was enough that I swore I was suffocating and I honestly worried that someone was going to die from the mob. Arvis managed to find a way to a side alley, though, and we used that to skirt around the worst of the crowd. However, it did mean taking a very winding way back to the castle and, even then, Arvis had to climb up the castle walls and loop around to help me get inside.
Once there, it was pandemonium. A passing guard expressed relief and took the purchases, which we held onto by some miracle, from us as we ran into the castle proper, trying to figure out what was going on and where the children were. All around us, all we could see was fighting and blood. The guards seemed to have most of it under control, but it was still terrifying. We'd gone out for a simple market trip. A simple market trip. And someone had attacked while we were away. We had no idea who was dead, who was alive, who was safe, who was still in danger… And gods above, where were my children?
"Mother!" Julius shouted for me as soon as I swung into one of the ballrooms. Based on the number of people, it looked like it had been turned into a place of sanctuary. "Mother!" Julius shouted again, careful not to let go of Ishtar. It seemed like the two had been clinging to each other in fear. "Over here!"
"Oh, thank goodness…" I breathed, crashing down next him. I kissed his cheek and his head, cradling him close. "Arvis! Julius and Ishtar are over here!" But where was…?
"I-I don't know where Julia is!" Julius began crying, clinging to me tightly. I stroked his hair and tried to not let my fear show. "Bloom says she's fine, but…!"
"If Father says she's fine, then I know she is," Ishtar reassured. Tried to, at least. Her voice shook and she was trembling like a leaf in the wind. I pulled her into the hug too and she burrowed into my side. "B-besides, he said Aida had her."
"Julius!" Arvis finally made it over, and he took Julius from me to hug him tightly. "You're safe…" he whispered, stroking his hair. Julius continued crying, clinging to him. "Where is…?"
"Aida has Julia, Conall, and Cyas," Bloom explained, walking up. He clenched and unclenched his fist, like he was trying to relieve some strain. Noticing my worried look, he smiled slightly. "Multiple castings of Mjolnir in a short amount of time can cause muscle spasms. Normally the most you can safely do is two in a row, but I think I did three or four. Nothing to fret about, though."
"I see." Arvis continued trying to comfort Julius. Ishtar moved to cling to Bloom. "Where is Aida?"
"I don't know." Bloom looked around the room, and I saw so many people, servants and visiting nobles, sobbing from fear. "The assassins came from everywhere. Including the damn ceiling. Whoever they are, they had plenty of time to set up. They also managed explosives and caused some structural damage."
"Explosives?"
"Very powerful magical attack, meaning they had time to charge." That… that would mean they had been here for a while, probably before Arvis and I even left. "Aida had the three when I last saw her, but the damage separated us. She said she was getting them to a more defensible area, instead of trying to make her way here."
"I see." Arvis looked down at Julius and then back at me, conflicted. I felt the same. I didn't want to leave Julius, but at the same time, I wanted to get Julia. We could split, but going alone when such clever assassins about seemed dangerous. And it looked like they had just enough guards to keep everything safe here. "What do you think-?"
"Father, can you get Julia?" Julius begged, sniffling. He pulled away and rubbed at his eyes. "I want Julia. I'm scared. Please? Can you and Mother get Julia?" Well, that… uh…
"Will you be okay until we get back?" Arvis asked gently. He brushed Julius's hair behind his ear, and wiped away the lingering tears with his thumb. "We don't want you to think we picked her over you."
"I know you didn't. I'm asking. I'm scared, and I want to see Julia." He tugged at Arvis's shirt, and I thought briefly of what I'd overheard Conall say about how being separated from his twin made him feel like his heart had been ripped in half. I wondered if Julius thought the same. "Please?"
"...Okay." He kissed Julius's forehead, and looked at me. After a moment, I nodded. The best thing might be to just get Julia here as soon as possible. "Then we'll be back soon. We love you."
"Love you too."
Slowly, Arvis and I made our way out of the room, mostly so that Julius had time to change his mind. Hearing nothing, I glanced back worriedly and saw he and Ishtar had curled up together for comfort, with Bloom standing protectively over them both. They would be safe. They would be fine. Julius just needed to make sure Julia was fine, because he was rarely away from her for long. So, Arvis and I left, and as soon as we were out of sight, we ran as fast as we could.
Around and around we ran, sometimes to go around fallen beams and broken walls and sometimes to ask guards where Aida might be. Eventually, we found ourselves in one of the side wings of the castle, the rarely used guestrooms and the like. There, we slowed down as we came upon a gruesome sight. Bodies upon bodies, with their blood spilling everywhere. Some were slashed open. Others had been burnt into a crisp. And in the center of the pile, leaning against the door, was a heavily wounded Aida who was resting with her eyes closed.
"Aida?" Arvis called. Carefully, he picked his way through the bodies, and I followed as best as I could. "Aida!" He crouched by her and rested his hand on her shoulder. And then he froze. "N… No…" His face blanched, and he felt at her neck. I wondered why before I noticed… I noticed her wounds weren't bleeding anymore. They weren't… "Come on, Aida. You're just asleep, right?" Her chest didn't move with breath. Her head lolled on her neck when Arvis shook her. "Aida… Aida, please…"
"Arvis?" I whispered. He didn't react, just stared at the dead body of his best friend. "Arvis, can I get to the door? The children..."
"R-right…" Arvis picked Aida up and moved her out of the way. Her limps dangled awkwardly, with a slight bit of stiffness. "Ah…"
"Cyas?" I knocked on the door and tried to open it. It didn't move. "Cyas? Conall? Julia?" Still nothing. "Are you three-?"
"We're fine, but Cyas is in shock," Conall calmly answered through the door. It honestly seemed too calm. "Aida had been talking and reassuring us when she shrieked in pain and thudded against the door." I really looked at the door then and noticed all the blood splatter. My hand was bloody just from knocking. "Cyas, can you move so that we can stop sitting in blood? It's cold and it's getting awkward keeping Julia out of it."
There was a quiet gasp, and some scrambling and splashing. I then tried the door again and it opened right away. Inside, I could see the sizable bloody puddle that must've seeped through, and I tried to not think of how much blood there actually was. Conall had a shivering Julia in his arms, keeping her as much out of the blood as he could. Cyas was swaying where he stood, expression blank with shock, his entire lower half bloody. While I panicked at first, I realized that the blood was just because he'd been sitting against the door to brace it, and thus, sitting right in the bloody puddle.
"Is she dead?" Conall asked, still oddly calm, given everything. He shifted Julia in his arms, still keeping her safe. "Aida. Is she dead?"
"I…" I began. I hesitated and looked to the body and Arvis's continued staring at it. It was so hard to admit, but… "Yes. Yes, she is."
That sparked some sort of reaction out of Cyas, and his expression crumpled into tears as he stumbled out and fell next to his mother's body. He was perfectly silent, but he did try to shake her awake. Aida's head continue to loll and Arvis broke down sobbing, covering his mouth to try and muffle it. Cyas curled into Aida's chest, trying to find a heartbeat, and finally wailing when he found nothing. I had to fight back my own tears. This wasn't… why did this…?
"I wonder what killed her," Conall murmured. He was still just so calm. Julia was sobbing, realizing what all just happened finally. "She'd been doing fine. Then she gasped, shrieked, and there was the sound of someone coming close and then walking away."
"Well, hopefully, we'll find whoever did it," I replied quietly. I finally stepped inside and picked up Julia, grunting a bit at her weight. Conall stood up, grimacing at the blood on his clothes, and reached up to pat Julia's back. "Conall, why aren't you…?"
"Hmm?" He looked confusedly at me. "Why aren't I what?"
"More upset, I suppose?" Of course, as soon as I said that, the obvious answer occured to me. "Right, you didn't like her."
"Nope." At least he was honest. "She tricked my parents and their friends, and she kidnapped me. I'll never forgive her for that." He smiled bitterly. "But that doesn't mean I wanted her to die or anything. That would hurt Cyas. Is hurting Cyas."
"Right." Then why…?
"This isn't the first time someone's died protecting me, Diadora. Until I came here, I thought it was normal. So..." He tried to think of something else to say, but soon gave up. "That's all. I guess I'm still used to it."
"P-pardon?" That shook me. He'd been six years old when he came here. How could a child think that normal? "Who?"
"Mmm, don't know." He shrugged, unbothered. "I always thought soldiers, but you and Arvis seem certain that your people wouldn't do raids like that, so I don't know." With that, Conall walked out of the room and rubbed Cyas's back, giving what comfort he could. Meanwhile, I hugged Julia tightly, kissing her head as she continued sobbing, and trying to figure out just what was going on.
I… I needed to have a talk with Danann. I needed to make sure… Arvis had made a promise. Arvis and I had given very strict orders. We trusted Danann to follow those orders. But maybe that was wrong. Maybe… oh, but maybe that was just my mind desperately latching onto something I could do. Because Aida was dead and there was nothing I could do but hold the crying and try not to break down myself.
What had happened? Who had killed her? If only it was as easy to get answers as it was to ask questions. Then we wouldn't have problems at all.
It rained during Aida's funeral. She was buried in Velthomer, among the graves of Velthomer's finest, including Arvis's family. Arvis had asked if Cowen would mind, since Aida had been his best friend. It would be odd to say Aida had been 'like a sister' since, you know, they had a kid, but they had been close. They had been like a family, ultimately. So, Arvis had wanted her to be buried among family, to be honored as such. Cowen had agreed with a tired, but somehow still warm, smile. And so, Aida was buried with full honors, with so many questions surrounding her death that no one quite knew where to begin.
"So, Cyas will stay here in Velthomer to continue his studies?" Arvis asked Cowen, some time after the funeral and the reception. Just outside, in the gardens, I could see Julius, Julia, and Conall all doing their best to cheer up Cyas. Ishtar had wanted to stay the night to do the same, but Bloom reluctantly insisted they get home to check on their own family. "You're certain?"
"Yes, for now, at least," Cowen answered. He looked like he'd aged ten years in as many days, but still, his smile was comforting. I wondered if it was the healer's training to help him keep up the smile, even when he wanted to break down sobbing. "I think it would be better for him, since he has less memories of his mother associated with here." After Arvis became Emperor, Aida had lived in Belhalla with us and, of course, Cyas had lived with us. "When he's older, and has healed more, I'm sure he'll quickly return."
"I suppose the children will simply make more trips to Velthomer." Arvis smiled slightly. It looked wan, much like the rest of him. The mourning black we all wore didn't really help any of us look well, though. "If that's all right."
"I doubt we'd be able to stop them." Cowen actually chuckled. "I've heard Julia pester you two about traveling, prior to this."
"True." Arvis's smile faltered. I reached over to take his hand reassuringly. "Cowen, I'm so-"
"Ah." Cowen brought up his hand to stop him. "Arvis, I've known this would be a possibility. When she joined the army, I knew there might come a day when she would be too wounded for me to heal. I knew there might come a day where she died in battle. I wouldn't say I've prepared myself for it, since you can never prepare for your own child's death. But I knew." He smiled so kindly that I actually began crying. I couldn't help it. "She died protecting the children. She died protecting her son. As a soldier, that's a good death. As a mother, that is a good death. If she couldn't have died in a bed of old age, then this is the death she would've chosen."
"I… of course." Arvis bowed his head briefly before reaching over to help me wipe away my tears. "I miss her."
"I do too. Likely, we'll always miss her. But the living must keep moving forward. That is our charge, as survivors. To heal and learn."
"Basically, don't mope and overwork just to escape how much I hurt." Arvis made a face. "Duly noted."
"Consider it healer's orders, even. You might actually listen." Cowen chuckled again, but then his expression became very grim. "There is one thing that concerns me, though."
"Oh?" Arvis immediately stiffened, and my mind whirled, trying to figure out what it could be. "What is it?"
"While I was going through her things, I noticed her things had been rifled through. Whoever it was had been careful, but there was just enough amiss that I noticed. She always had a particular way she arranged her perfumes, for instance, and it wasn't correct."
"That's… odd." Arvis and I shared a concerned look. That was suspicious. That was beyond suspicious, actually. "Was anything missing?"
"Yes. The notebook with all the information on the investigation she was doing into those assassins two years ago." Those words hit like ice water. "There were also far more assassins near her than, say, near where Bloom had been. Than near the ballroom with the most number of possible targets."
"...You think that these assassins were related to the ones two years ago." Arvis's eyes widened. "And that…"
"That she was silenced. Yes, I suspect it. I have no proof, but I do suspect. And I wanted to make sure you knew." Cowen rested his hands on our shoulders. "Be very careful. Be suspicious. If I am right, then whoever is behind them is quite clever. And they waited two years to strike. Who knows when they'll strike again?"
Cowen left us then, so that he could return to his grieving and to let us process what we just learned. Aida had been silenced? The same people had struck twice? Who were they? What did they want? Why come after us? There were so many questions and, with Aida's death and her notes stolen, we were back where we started on even trying to figure it out.
Still reeling, I stayed where I was as Arvis stumbled out into the nearby courtyard to say hello to the children, unable to really comprehend what was going on. A slight noise made me whirl, startled, and I thought I caught sight of Manfroy's robe turning around the corner. But when I looked, there was no sign of anything. I must've just been seeing things, brought on by my distrust of him.
What in Jugdral was going on? I had a horrible feeling I wouldn't learn until it was far too late. And I didn't like that. I didn't like that at all.
Author's note: So, yeah, Tailtiu's dead. Gen2 of FE4 confirms she died during the timeskip. Her actual death is a bit… different than what Bloom says. But that's for Memoirs of the Holy War to bring up. (The same story notes in the intermission that the children are rather used to people dying to protect them, hence Conall's rather nonchalant reaction. Though his dislike of Aida isn't helping matters.) Bloom throwing Tailtiu a lavish funeral takes nods from Kaga's Scenario, probably the only one I'll have. FE5 reveals that Aida was killed protecting Cyas, and I added Julia and Conall into the mix. Also, have a Tine finally. (Why was there a lion cub? It was a mental image that wouldn't leave me alone and, you know, poaching isn't something that comes up a lot in Fire Emblem games. Or at all? Not sure.) The mention of using Mjolnir twice in successions safely refers to how Ishtar has the Adept skill (and can, indeed, drop Mjolnir twice in a row, more or less killing her target immediately).
Next Chapter - Questions
