IV.
The capital of Xin is everything Elesis expected and then some.
Even though it's the middle of winter, the city is snowless and cozy and warm, with shops and vendors everywhere around them. Ragged men sit against the walls of buildings, smoking rolls of bitter grasses and giving Elesis and Rose strange looks. Children run barefoot across the stony streets. A woman sings songs in what seems to be a town square, with words that Elesis cannot pretend to understand.
This is the Xin that Elsword always spoke of, the great Xin stronghold in China to the south.
What Elesis didn't realize was that there were so many people who could speak with her. She'd expected to show up and have to haggle with the locals with her thumbs. Instead, she finds most of the citizens of the city are fluently bilingual, able to converse with those from the north and from the south.
"Perhaps it's because we're so close to the Russian border," says one man they run into, a sleazy, stout vendor of a shop selling armor and weapons. "Now, tell me about that sword of yours, little redhead."
"It's not for sale," Elesis says quickly. How'd he even see her sword in the first place? She's been hiding it under her cloak all this time.
The man laughs. "Of course. The ladies must have their weapons to protect themselves with."
Elesis glances at Rose, who nods cautiously. She pulls her sword out of its scabbard and lays it on the counter.
The vendor's plump jaw falls. "Oh my," he whispers, running a finger over the engraving work that Elesis did on the pommel. "That is a beautiful sword, little redhead. What a beautiful sword. Who did you buy this from?"
"No one." Elesis swells up with pride at the sheer thought. "I made it myself. Took me half a year to do it, too."
"A talented one," the vendor hums. "Perhaps I can't buy the sword, but would you consider taking up shop here? I'll gladly act as your sales agent."
His smile is greasy and grimy and fake, and with each passing second Elesis has to suppress her desire to punch him in the face a little more.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Rose cuts in, glaring at the vendor. "We're a little busy as is. We can't afford to stay long in Xin."
Elesis flashes him a grin and grabs her sword, putting it back in its equally intricate scabbard before turning away. "Yeah, what she said."
Inside, she's beaming at Rose in gratitude already.
Once they're a safe distance away from the shop (and its still baffled vendor), Elesis pokes Rose in the shoulder. "Thanks for getting us out of there," she says. "That guy was-"
"- Creepy as fuck," Rose mutters, shivering a little.
Elesis thinks that summarizes her opinion of the ordeal pretty well, too.
They don't have anything to sell, as Ain prescribed, but Rose has been storing a bag of pheasant down from their hunting in the woods, to stuff pillows with, and they've decided it would be the best thing to trade should they need to buy anything. Aside from that, Elesis has some money from her work with the blacksmith, and Rose's Maman has given them a bit to spend as well.
Most of the shops in the stronghold do take rubles, thankfully. Elesis spends only a few buying them lunch - rice with some strange fish neither of them have ever eaten before. It's also the first time Rose has had rice, and it takes her some getting used to, but she agrees that it's delicious.
Elesis also gets to witness Rose with a grain of rice stuck to her lip, and has to fight the temptation to lick it off herself.
After lunch, they wander around the city's three layers, up towards the towering castle, asking around if anyone knows a lorekeeper, shaman, spiritual teacher, anyone who could guide them to the Firebird. No one gives them any ideas, though a jewelry seller does offer them sparkling coral rings to help guide them "into the other world".
Elesis is fully aware that coral is not meant to sparkle, and drags Rose away before she can spend all her money on false jewels.
It's clear to Elesis that Rose has barely even left her own house in her lifetime. Multiple times her companion runs off to look at the wares of a store without any warning, to gush at a well-dressed cat, or to take a sample of some local candy. She's like a curious child, drinking in all the colours and scents of the beautiful markets and the strange people living there.
And oh, how strange the people in Xin are! Elesis sees dancers in layers and layers of golden jewelry that clatters when they move, but for each dancer she sees ten aging men, dusty feet and torn clothes evidence of their years working. A very young looking doctor claims to be in her fifties, though Elesis believes her a little more due to the royal declaration on her wall. Even the children running around are colourfully dressed, in vibrant reds and blues and greens and golds.
They pass a library, and she sees children and adults alike reading inside. They pass a well, and an elderly woman offers them her pail to drink from. They pass by a brothel, and for a moment Elesis catches the gaze of a beautifully dressed courtesan whose mournful eyes remind her all too much of Rose's.
"Do you think maybe everyone is just purposely not telling us anything?" Elesis finally suggests, after they've wandered the afternoon away in the city. "Maybe we should go appeal to the earl. Don't rich, royal people usually know where magical things are?"
"I have no clue," Rose tells her, "but we need to find somewhere to stay for the night. It's getting dark out, and I'm not sure if I trust the people here enough to sleep in an alleyway."
If anything, Rose is reasonable, and unlike Elesis, she isn't incredibly impulsive. Sure, she gets emotional a lot, but she keeps her head level and Elesis respects that.
She also stopped Elesis from impulsively throwing a snowball at a bear, which is a plus.
They find an inn on the second tier of the city, and trade their bag of down to the innkeeper ("I need to stuff my pillows again anyways") for a room with a single bed.
Elesis has stayed in inns before, when Father needed to travel and couldn't leave her and Elsword behind. This is still vastly different, with embroidery lining every fabric surface and paintings of flowers covering the walls. She presses her fingertips against a pillow, pushing just enough to let them sink into the plush surface.
Rose, on the other hand, looks like she's absolutely astounded by everything in this inn. "Elesis, there's a bottle of wine here," she gasps, looking through the cabinet. "Oh my god, everything is so well furnished. You never told me inns could be this nice!"
Elesis finds her childish fascination really endearing. "I didn't know this one would be this ornate," she admits. "Usually inns are pretty plain."
There's only one bed in the room, but Elesis is able to put up a little border of the extra pillows between the two sides for them to sleep in. It makes a pretty solid barrier between them, Elesis figures, for privacy's sake.
Rose makes a little squeaking noise as she sinks into the bed, grabbing onto one of the pillows for support. "This is an unholy amount of softness," she complains into the embroidery. "I'm gonna wake up with a sore back and neck and shoulders. I'm just gonna wake up sore."
"Remind me to give you a massage tomorrow when you wake up, then," Elesis hums, settling into her own side. It is abysmally soft. She feels like she's going to sink through the mattress as she sleeps. Suddenly Rose's fears of back pain aren't too absurd after all.
"Now you see," Rose mutters as Elesis tries to sit up and fails, falling back into the mattress. "How are we supposed to get out of this mess in the morning?"
"Very carefully, I presume," Elesis says, pushing herself up against the headboard and managing to reach the candle on the nightstand. "Goodnight, Rose."
"Wait." There's a shuffle and a shift in the balance of the wave-like bed as Rose climbs over the Great Wall of pillows to grab Elesis's head and plant a kiss on her forehead. "Hah. I told you I'd one up you one of these days."
Elesis grins at her. "Go to sleep, Rose. We've got a lot of traveling ahead of us."
Rose blows a raspberry at her and lies back down to sleep.
Once she's sure her blonde companion is fast asleep, though, Elesis lets out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding and sighs. It's a cute game, the whole goodnight kiss thing, but Rose doesn't understand.
What she doesn't understand is that Elesis has been staying awake every night since she met the Testarossas, just to make sure Rose and her Maman aren't too cold at night. What she doesn't understand is that Elesis kisses her on the forehead out of habit, to make sure she's warm and still breathing.
Elesis knows she really is a blacksmith's daughter. She grew up by the forge, practically in the forge. Cold is a complete stranger to her, and yet she doesn't fear it because she knows she is stronger than it. She isn't scared of freezing in her sleep. She knows it will never happen anyways.
Rose is the opposite. Rose isolates herself to the cold of the forest, because that's the only place she can be. Rose hates being in the house, because she hates that the fire inside will only come to destroy the peace outside.
Elesis thinks of Rose's Maman, of Nika, of how late at night while Rose slept her Maman woke up to talk to Elesis, to entrust her daughter to her. She thinks of Ain's knowing gaze watching from that little room as Elesis and Rose acted like children. She thinks of the stupid vendor who had tried to hire her for his own shady dealings, and the way that Rose turned the conversation around with a simple sentence.
The forge and the forest are vastly different, Elesis decides, as are her and Rose. The only difference with her and Rose is that unlike the fire of the forge and the snow of the forest, they aren't always trying to destroy the other. Instead, they try to protect each other. That will be their duty through this journey.
"Goodnight, Rose," Elesis whispers, leaning over to delicately kiss Rose's forehead. She's still warm and breathing, which is always a relief. "Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite."
Elesis goes to sleep on the thought that this is an inn bed, and yes, it probably has bedbugs.
She wakes up to a tingling feeling across her back, and her first thought is bedbug.
Elesis isn't the biggest fan of bugs (Elsword threw a stinkbug in the forge when they were kids), but she's not opposed to dealing with them. She raises a sleepy hand and swats around across her back. The tingling only stops for a moment before it comes back.
"Stop it," she mumbles, still half asleep. "Mmmm. Stop it."
Then she hears Rose's soft giggling, and her eyes snap open.
Rose is already dressed, save for her cloak. Her hair is freshly plaited back, shining gold in the sunlight. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she teases, taking her slim fingers off Elesis's back. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"Yeah, until a vicious bedbug attacked me," Elesis grumbles, sitting up (and failing). "What time is it?"
"Eight thirty," Rose tells her. "I've been up since about five. Old habits die hard, I suppose."
As Elesis fights her way out of the bed to get dressed, Rose tells her of the people she's already talked to today, which includes the innkeeper and a middle-aged woman whose daughter is studying somewhere abroad. "She also said there's a nice garden,," she adds. "It's a very romantic place. Surprisingly has a lot of flowers for this season."
"Then we'll have to go see it," Elesis hums, slipping into her red vest. "Romantic gardens are nice."
Rose immediately blushes the same colour as the vest. "Elesis!" She shrieks, burying her hands in her face.
"What, do you not want to look at the pretty flowers with me?" She teases. "I'm hurt, Rosie."
To make her point, she claps a hand to her chest, though her smirk gives her away instantly. Getting Rose all flustered really is too fun. "I'm just teasing you," she laughs, "but, seriously, I really want to see that garden. I haven't seen flowers in a long time."
After Rose has managed to pull Elesis off the bed, they clean up the room and throw the pillows back into a somewhat orderly pile. "Are we supposed to take this wine?" Rose asks, frowning. "I'm sorry. I've just never been to an inn before."
"Usually they put these here to lure you into drinking it," Elesis explains, putting the bottle back where it was. "It's not included in the hotel bill, so if you open the bottle they can charge you extra for it."
"Oh." Rose looks disappointed. "And here I was thinking we could just take it and run for the hills."
Elesis laughs, because Rose really is so new to the outside world. "Let's go check out."
Check out is surprisingly smooth. The innkeeper asks if they've touched the bottle of "fine wine" at all, and Elesis shoots a pointed look at Rose. The bag of down is exchanged, and then they're off on their merry way, frolicking through the city like children.
"Have you ever tried Chinese tea before?" Elesis asks as they come near a small store selling tea. "You should bring some back for your Maman."
Rose glares at the tea with some level of intrigue. "We already have a lot of tea at home," she muses. "But this would be a nice souvenir for Maman."
The woman selling the tea smiles and pours some tea out of a porcelain pot into two little wooden cups. "Try?"
Rose takes one sip and then proceeds to inhale half the cup in a single go. "That's really hot," she comments, fanning herself, "but that tastes really good."
Elesis picks up the other cup and drinks some herself. It has a mixed scent of crackling rice and dark, bitter tea leaves, like the balm that Rose had put on her horse. "Your Maman would love this," she comments.
They end up buying a little canvas bag of the tea, and Rose puts it into a pocket in her cloak. The woman running the shop gives them a little discount, since they're buying it for Rose's Maman. "I wish my daughter would keep me in her heart like that," she sighs, giving a small handful of change to Rose. "She doesn't have anyone but herself on her mind, the greedy girl."
Breakfast is a steamed bun filled with squishy rice and bits of meat for each of them, eaten as they wander through the "romantic" garden. Small bushes and peonies line the flowerbeds, while magnolia trees rain pristine petals from above. "I've never seen these kinds of flowers before in person," Elesis laughs, spinning around. "Only in books."
"I've never seen them before, period," Rose comments, sitting on a rock from a short distance away. "I don't think romantic describes the garden well. It's more…" she seems to scramble for the word. "Libre. Free."
And that's exactly how Elesis would describe it. Not warm, not beautiful, not romantic, but free. She feels like she could dance in this garden for a million years, without ever having to leave.
"Dance with me, Rose," she says, stopping to grab her hands and pull her to her feet. "This is the perfect place to dance!"
"But Elesis, I can't dance," Rose complains. Whether she knows it or not, the corners of her mouth keep twitching up as Elesis spins her round and round. "I can't dance."
"Nonsense, I'm sure you've at least just spun around stupidly before," Elesis chuckles. "I've done it before with my brother and the neighbourhood kids. I refuse to believe that you've never done this with your sisters."
Rose blushes again, but she's laughing just as happily, and Elesis knows she's found the playful side of Rose again. Magnolia petals fall around them like blossoming raindrops, landing on them for just fleeting moments before taking back off into the air as they dance through the garden. Elesis stops for a moment to jump onto one of the rocks, and Rose follows her, and they fly through the mountains like birds migrating south for the winter.
Suddenly there's a clap, and both of them freeze. Standing in the entrance to the small garden is a regal procession, at the head of which is a man who radiates nobility but humility. "I didn't know that the garden could be home to such lively movement," he says, smiling softly. "Maybe I should tend to this garden more often, so visitors to the city can enjoy it more."
This must be the upright earl that Ain mentioned, Elesis thinks.
"Sire, we really don't have the time to be dealing with these misfits," a man in the shadows behind him whispers loudly, just loud enough for Elesis to hear. And this must be the shady visor. "I can arrange for them to be removed from the garden, if you'd like-"
"Ran, let them enjoy the garden," the earl drawls. "Please, enjoy your stay here in the Xin capital."
Before his visor can turn him around to leave, Elesis suddenly remembers her epiphany from the day before. "Sir, please-"
"You dare to-"
The earl raises a hand, and his visor goes silent. "That will be enough, Ran," he says. "Yes, traveller, what can I help you with?"
"We've been searching for signs of the Firebird," Elesis says, "and our searching brought us to Xin. Could you perhaps guide us in some sense of direction, towards it…?"
The earl is so serene that Elesis thinks he just might be asleep, and yet his smile conveys so much sadness. "I believe this is more of a matter that we should speak of in the castle, no?"
"Sire-"
"Ran, cancel all my appointments for today," the earl announces. "And tell someone to put on a pot of tea for these ladies. I fear that we may have a lot to talk about, and not enough to say it all."
Elesis shoots Rose a grin.
"Please call me Aren," says the earl, as they settle into his private study, a beautiful porcelain cup of tea sitting in front of each of them. "And you two are?"
"Elesis Sieghart," says Elesis.
"And I'm Rose Testarossa," says Rose, bringing the e up again in that weird way that Elesis just can't pronounce. "It's an honour to meet you, Lord Aren."
"No, the honour is all mine," he chuckles. "It's been a long time since anyone came to our empire in search of the Firebird. Tell me, my friends, how long have you been travelling?"
Elesis thinks back. "Well, I bunked at Rose's place-"
"I shot your horse," Rose snipes back, prompting light laughter between the three of them. "That was twelve days ago. Most of that was spent in the woods, trekking through the snow."
"We stayed here in the city last night," Elesis says, wrapping up their story. "There's some really cool shops around these parts."
"And the people are all so fluently bilingual!" Rose comments. "Including you, Lord Aren - you speak without so much a semblance of an accent."
"Years of diplomatic trips with my parents has given me that much," he says. "Now, let's talk about the Firebird."
Aren looks around the room; as if he's checking if anyone is secretly there, and sighs. "The Firebird is an immortal creature, you must understand," he says quietly. "With so many years to live, it is constantly on the move. However, when I was, what, ten? Yes, when I was ten, my parents held court with the Firebird here in the Xin stronghold.
"The Firebird had spent many, many years in our empire, and we hadn't even known. He came here to give us his blessing, so he could move to a colder climate. My parents gave him their full blessing, so he could find a home in whatever land he chose to move to."
"Him?" Elesis echoes. "How can you be so sure?"
"Firebirds all begin as humans," Aren assures her. "People with immense inner fire can become Firebirds with time and patience. That is what our country's mythology says."
The three of them sit and think, watching the steam rise from the teacups in wisps. Elesis thinks back to the feather she found. Two years have passed since she stood on guard for a week straight, waiting for the bird, and yet the experience is still clear as day to her. There's no way the feather she found could have been falsified. No feather should come to life in someone's hand, dancing in waves of fire.
But that one did, and it got Elesis a zillion miles away from home, sipping tea in the castle of an earl with her new friend who's never seen the world before.
"Is the inner fire… visible, per se?" Rose suddenly asks, shaking Elesis out of her thoughts. "Would it be possible to see such a fire in a person, so as to identify them as a potential Firebird?"
Aren frowns. "Firebirds are incredibly rare," he admits. "And thus the supply of people who are able to become Firebirds is equally rare. To this day, I have only seen our current Firebird, and I can't even say for sure if he's still the same. I'm unfortunately going to have to answer no to your question, Miss Rose."
He got the accent on the end right on the ball. Rose looks a little surprised, but rolls with it. "Alright then, thank you."
Aren gets up from his seat, calmly checking his robes for any tea stains. "Since you are from faraway lands, I will find a map to explain the issues we all face at the moment." He reaches into a bookshelf, pulling out a slender book and spreading it open on the desk. Elesis scans through the vibrant colours, from Elder to the cities on the coast, to Xin and Abaddon territory, in the west.
"This is where we are," the earl explains, circling the capital of Xin with his finger. "Years ago, the Firebird gave us its blessing when it chose to travel to Abaddon territory, situated in nearby Mongolia. The territory has been ruled traditionally by an elected council, but recently there was a coup d'etat, and power has gone to the current head of the Abaddon family.
"My adviser, Ran, was sent to me by the previous ruling parties of Abaddon, to maintain diplomatic relations with the rulers," he says. "With their fall, however, any and all diplomacy has failed, and my clan is now at war with theirs. And I, without anyone to share the throne with, or an heir to continue my legacy, I cannot safely engage the Abaddon heir in battle without putting the future of the empire at risk."
"Lord Aren, you're not married?" Rose asks. "I-we thought you had been married to a princess some years ago."
He laughs softly. "I did love a wonderful woman, a few years ago," he sighs. "But she was the tenth born child of her family, and they sent her off to be a nun. I haven't seen her since."
"That's too bad," Rose murmurs. "The feeling of loved ones leaving - it really is the worst, isn't it."
"Doubtlessly so," the earl agrees. "Did you lose someone as well?"
Elesis feels Rose's hand to shift into hers, and she grips that hand tightly. "My father, and then my sisters, one after another," Rose continues. "Two of my sisters live in Elder city, and the third has been missing for years."
As Aren reaches over to clasp her other hand in both his own, though, Elesis feels an inexplicable sort of anger flaring up in the pit of her stomach. She takes a breath, squeezes Rose's hand, relaxes a little when she gives it a gentle squeeze back. "Excuse me, Sir, is there somewhere I can relieve myself in the fortress?" She asks, forcing a facade of red to her face.
"Yes, take a right as soon as you leave the room," Aren prescribes, sitting back down softly. "There is a small room on the left side of the corridor. It will be dark, but there is a candle set hanging on the wall.
"Alright, thank you." She lets go of Rose's hand after a final soft nudge and stands up, opening the surprisingly heavy door and slipping out.
The small room he mentioned is locked; Elesis confirms it is the right room by looking at the wall sconce, which was definitely built for a candle holder. Someone must be inside.
She lets out a heavy breath and leans against the wall, trying to admire the wallpaper that lines the other side but unable to find something to admire. Why was she suddenly plagued with such a feeling?
You just need to expel all the tea you've had today, a little voice inside her chides. Elesis smirks as she realizes it's the voice of Rose's Maman. Yes, she's probably said that exact sentence before. Yes, Elesis was a good person and listened to her, and she'll be a good person now and listen to her again.
The door suddenly clicks. As it swings open, a bundle of white fabric and black hair comes flying out, crashing to the ground with a yelp.
Elesis lunges just in time to catch a young woman wrapped in what must be twenty kilograms of fabric. "I'm so sorry," the girl blurts, red all over as Elesis helps her back to her feet. "Oh god, I'm such a mess. Thank you so much."
"No problem," Elesis tells her, smiling brightly. "Be careful."
"Ara! Is this what you've been doing, harassing your brother's guests?"
The voice of the visor comes pinging down the hallway, instantly making Elesis feel queasy. If this is really what a man from Abaddon is like, suddenly Elesis doesn't really want to see the rest of their clan and territory.
The young woman turns to her with a desperate look. Clearly, she's been equally tormented by this visor, because she swiftly mouths a distressed "HELP ME"before she turns back to the visor with a radiant smile. "Of course not, Mr. Ran."
As she hobbles and trips her way over to the visor, Elesis catches a look at her wobbling platform-like shoes, peeking out from underneath her many skirts.
She quickly locks herself in the washroom, which really is just a small room with a porcelain toilet in the corner. Elesis has seen toilets before, but definitely not one painted with flaming birds. A few of them are wreaking havoc on the mountains and cities depicted in the floor tiles below.
The girl who tripped must have been Aren's sister. She looked quite delicate, her features sculpted like soft flower petals, but there was a sense of despair and distress in her eyes that implied that she doesn't quite trust the visor as much as her brother does.
When Elesis finally returns to Aren's study, he and Rose have struck up a conversation about pickles. "Elesis once ate a cucumber pickle dipped in butter," Rose laughs. "How was it, Elesis?"
"I assume you mean the pickle," Elesis chuckles. "It was interesting. The butter kind of diluted the sourness of the pickle, but seriously, Rose's Maman makes the best pickles ever."
"Oh please," Rose snarks, "if you are then every day for a year straight, you'd probably hate them."
"I stand by my verdict that your Maman makes the best food ever," she says, shrugging. "No offense to the people who make food around these parts. I mean, it's good, but Rose's Maman's cooking is my religion."
"Well, I'll just have to prove you wrong," Aren tells her. "Our chefs here are beyond amazing, and I'm sure they'll have something that will be equally tantalizing for you."
Someone knocks softly three times on the door, and Aren looks up. "Come in, Ara."
The girl in white from earlier opens the door, shyly bowing. "Hello, dearest Brother," she says, bowing, "and hello to your guests as well. My name is Ara Haan. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Your diplomatic entrance is getting better," Aren comments, rising to help her into the room. "You can drop the formalities here if you'd like. Our guests aren't exactly foreign diplomats, per se."
Ara seems to be cheerful enough with or without the formalities, and even though her robes are far more elaborate than her brother's, she sits down with the same grace and dignity. "What brings you two travelers to Xin?"
"We're looking for the Firebird," Elesis tells her.
Again, Ara studies her, large eyes flickering across her gear and winter cloak. She studies Rose too, whether the blonde girl realizes it or not. "The mythology of the Firebird is truly a wonder," she says, smiling. "I do wish you two the best of luck in your journey. How long do you figure you'll stay here in the city?"
Elesis thinks for a moment. "How much more cool stuff do you want to buy for your Maman?" She asks, turning to Rose.
"I think the tea will be enough, thank you," Rose chuckles. "We'll probably be leaving tomorrow."
"Oh, but you have to come see the library!" Ara suddenly exclaims, grabbing one of each of their hands. "There's so much to see and learn and - Brother, may I take the guests to the library?"
"Not in those shoes, you won't," Aren chides. "Tell me what books you want, and I'll have someone bring them up for you."
Ara smiles brightly. "Thank you, Brother! I'll write a list once I get to my room. May I take your guests with me?"
"Of course," Aren tells her. In that moment, Elesis swears the serene smile she's seen them both wear must be imbedded in the heritage, something they must both have inherited. "Be careful. Should I send for Ran to assist you?"
"No!" Ara yelps for a moment, and in that moment Elesis watches her face revert to the distress she had when Ran came to find her in the hallway. "I'll be fine," she says, a little more composed now. "And if I fall, Elesis and Rose can assist me."
As she pushes herself shakily to her feet, Rose and Elesis get up and each grab onto one of her arms, holding her steady until she can stand properly. "Thank you," she says as Aren holds the door open for them to exit. "I'm sorry if I trip often. I'm not quite used to these shoes."
"I apologize if this is insensitive, but do you have bound feet?" Rose asks.
Ara shakes her head. "I've already got two left feet as it is," she quips. "Mother wanted me to have bound feet like hers, but Father said it would be too painful for me. It's just… Ahh, I hate wearing dresses like this."
Elesis shoots a glance at Rose, who makes an I have no clue face, but they continue to support Ara's shaking steps towards her room.
Somehow Ara's personal room is again nothing like anything Elesis could have ever imagined. It's definitely huge, much larger than her brother's study. A soft bed is tucked into the corner, covered with pillows and plush animals. On the other side of the room, a large mahogany desk and matching bookcases are lined with books, more than Elesis has ever seen belonging to one person. One wall is entirely engulfed with a mural of a black panther intertwined with a white fox, in the pattern of a yin-yang symbol. The background seems to be incomplete - paint brushes are among the things strewn across the floors.
"Don't sit on the bed with me, you won't be able to get up," Ara orders as they set her down. "These goddamn skirts…"
As Elesis and Rose watch in shock, Ara lifts up what must be ten layers of skirts and kicks off the weird shoes she was wearing, reducing her height by a solid ten centimetres. The platforms clatter against the floor before sliding to a stop by the wall. "There we go. That's better."
She glares Elesis in the eye, and then Rose, all of her sweetness drained away in moments. "How old are you two? Are you teenagers? Or are you in your twenties?"
"Twenties," they tell her in unison.
"Me too. I have a request for you two," Ara says. "But first, I really need to get out of this dress. Do you guys mind giving me a hand?"
A solid twenty minutes later, they've finally helped Ara remove the billion layers of skirts so she's left in the base layer, a simple tunic. "I seriously felt like I was suffocating under that dress," she comments, pulling her hair out of its updo and combing it straight. "Now, can you two keep a secret?"
"Sure," Rose says. "I grew up with three sisters. I'm good at keeping information away from other people."
"Same here," Elesis adds, thinking of all the times she had to keep her little projects away from Father and Elsword. "I mean, I have a brother, not three sisters, but the idea still stands."
Ara grins. "Good. Because if what I'm about to say leaves the room, I'm going to have to kill you both."
Elesis immediately catches the sudden fall in Ara's confidence, her posture slumping over a little. "My brother's advisor is not a good man," she says, dropping her voice an octave. "Ran is an agent of the former chiefs of the Abaddon territory. The current queen there created a coup d'etat not for power, but to save the people. Ran has been brainwashing my brother, trying to convince him that she's a tyrant and she's out for blood."
"So she hasn't been sending troops against Xin?" Elesis asks, suddenly remembering the words tyrannical queen and heart of gold.
"The only people sending troops against Xin are the former chiefs," Ara snorts. "But that's not why I need your help. Ran is fond of constantly policing my actions, since I'm the only Haan child left who hasn't been married off. I suppose I'm a threat to his claim to the throne, in case my brother ever dies in a mysterious accident.
"I only keep two people really close to me - my bodyguard, and my tutor. My bodyguard only shows up when I need to go outside," she explains. "She's trying to amass enough funds to buy freedom for the courtesan she loves. But my tutor…"
It's increasingly clear that tears are welling up in her eyes. "I-we had an affair," she confesses quietly. "We've loved each other for years, but I just… He's too precious for me to let go of. I just wanted to stay with him for as long as I could that night."
The tears turn to anger, and she pounds her fist into the ground. "Ran caught wind that we were in a relationship," she mutters. "Thank god he doesn't know about our night together. He forced my beloved to draft into the army, and sent him out to fight the Abaddon territory. I don't know if he's alive or not, but I refuse to think that he's been captured or killed by the old chiefs. And besides…" Her gaze drops into her lap. "I refuse to bring our child into a world controlled by that dirty creature."
The room is suddenly silent, the only sounds being wind rushing through the open window and the sound of their breathing. "How far along are you?" Rose asks softly. "I really couldn't tell."
"Three and a half months." Ara smiles. "Ah, to think we were really stupid enough to do this three and a half months ago, and now he might be gone and I might be disowned from the family…"
"Do you want us to take you to Abaddon with us?" Elesis says, blinking softly. "Gosh, you really shouldn't be walking across plateaus in your current condition. We're going to have to plan this out properly."
"Walking won't be a problem," Ara says. "I can secure us some horses. Though we will need to avoid the forces that the old chiefs have garnered. If we can make it to their stronghold, I'm sure the Abaddon queen will take us in."
"You should get your bodyguard out of here quickly," Elesis suggests. "In case Ran comes chasing after her and all."
"I should," Ara agrees, nodding. "I'll give her a signed permit to give Kyra her freedom as well when she comes around. Why didn't I think of this earlier?"
Kyra.
Elesis turns to look at Rose, who looks alarmed, but as Ara gets up in the pile of skirts and continues to talk about her plans for her escape, there's nothing they can really do. In the end, she'll be happy with Ara's bodyguard, after all, and hopefully by the time Ara's out of the city, they're far, far away as well, safe and sound and together.
As Ara gets up to write her brother a list of the books she wants (and a message to her bodyguard), Elesis shuffles over to sit next to Rose. "There could be a million people in the world named Kyra, Rose," she says softly, knowing fully well it won't do anything to help.
"Yeah, but I'm still worried," Rose murmurs. "I really want to believe it's her, but at the same time, I really don't. I want to see her, safe and happy, but I don't want to end up disappointed when it's not her."
Elesis blinks. "Do you want a hug?"
"Please," Rose whispers.
She opens her arms, and Rose sinks into her embrace, burying her face into her cloak. "I just want her to be happy and alive and doing well, wherever she is," she mumbles, relaxing.
Elesis thinks about Elsword, about Father.
"I know, my dear," she whispers. "I know."
When the city is finally still that night, Elesis and Rose emerge from the abandoned store, where they've been hiding since they left the palace. The castle is all dark, save for a single little lamp that illuminates the stables.
"Are you two ready to go?" Ara asks, pushing a book into the tiny bit of space left in her saddlebag. She's suited up in riding attire, not very different from Elesis' outfit. "We've got a long way to ride, so I suggest you get acquainted with Yingguang soon."
"Is this your horse?" Rose asks, stroking the silky white mane of the mare. "She's beautiful."
"She's Add's horse," Ara says softly. "But I bet she loves you guys already."
Swiftly, she steps into the stirrup and swings her leg over her own horse ("Hei'an," she'd called him, "meaning darkness or shadow."). "Let's go, quickly," she whispers.
They'd previously established earlier that day that Rose had never ridden a horse before, and since there was no time to teach her to ride, she's riding with Elesis now. Elesis gives her a quick boost as she climbs up the horse, allowing her to seat herself properly and give Elesis the space she needs to climb on as well. "Okay, this isn't too scary," she comments. "Do I grab onto something?"
"The only thing you can really grab onto is my waist," Elesis admits. "Or maybe my cloak. Sorry."
Rose is silent for a moment, but sure enough, Elesis feels her slender hands snaking around her waist. "Alright," Rose says, shifting her positioning on the horse, "let's hope I don't fall off."
"That would be bad," Elesis agrees.
She nudges Yingguang in the side, and then they're off, running alongside Ara and Hei'an, through the dark city, between stores and through streets that would be crowded in the daytime.
Elesis is constantly tempted to go turn back, to check on Rose and make sure she's doing okay, that she isn't falling off. Losing Rose now, especially since they've come out all this way, would be really, really bad.
But every now and then, Elesis feels Rose's arms tighten a little around her waist, feels her rest her head on her back, feels her warm breath send shockwaves of warmth through her body.
As soon as they leave the city, though, lights come on everywhere behind them. "What's going on?" Elesis shouts, mostly to herself. "Are there people coming after us?"
"Fucking Ran," Ara growls from a distance away, "he must have been listening at the door when we were discussing our escape plan!"
She yells something in her native language to her horse, and clearly Yingguang picks it up too, because both horses speed up instantly, zipping through they swing grasslands like a shooting star and its shadow.
"They're catching up on us," Rose yells, turning back around from looking back. "We need to lose them!"
"Rose, your musket!" Elesis whirls around, hooks one arm around Rose's waist and turns back to gather the reins in her other hand. "Load your musket and shoot!"
It's messy work, since Elesis is split between keeping Rose on the horse and keeping the horse on track, and Rose needs to load her musket quickly without spilling her cartridges out into the void of night. "I got it," she yells.
Elesis holds her breath for the shot, but it never comes. "Rose, what are you waiting for?" She almost screams. "Shoot!"
"Elesis, I can't see! It's too dark, and my eyesight is complete and utter shit!"
"Then don't see!" Elesis pulls Rose a little closer, turns Yingguang towards Hei'an a little bit more. "Close your eyes and let your instincts take over."
A cracking sound splits the night air, followed by an abysmal screech that Elesis has heard once before, and never wants to hear again. But it means Rose made a successful shot, and that makes it all worth it. "You did it, Rose!" She yells. "Do it again!"
Rose loads another cartridge, takes another shot, and another, and another. A voice rises above the din of hooves stampeding, issuing a single order. "They're retreating," Ara translates. "Keep going, we can't afford to stop now!"
And so the night drones on. Rose slings her musket back over her shoulder and goes back to holding Elesis's waist instead of the other way around, while Elesis turns back to the reins and tries to ignore the weird twisted pain in her waist from turning back for so long. It's not all too bad with Rose laying across her back, though.
They reach the heart of Abaddon territory two mornings later, after days of hiding in plain sight on the plateau and nights of riding ceaselessly. As Elesis, Ara and the horses rest during the day, Rose takes over the duty of watching over them, just in case someone tries to attack them, and at night, she sleeps draped across Elesis's back, no longer fearing being thrown off Yingguang's rump.
Elesis has never seen Abaddon territory anywhere in books, even though it is a massive empire large enough to rival the great Xin. The fortress at its center is not like Xin's stronghold, which is surrounded by a towering wall. Rather, the Castle of Abaddon is built into the plateau, drastically increasing its defensive abilities while also clearing way for equally powerful attacking strategies.
Ara tells them that the people of Abaddon territory are mostly nomadic, but the capital in the plateau has remained there for a very long time. Due to its well-designed structure and overall military excellency, the capital is much too well constructed to abandon.
"We must let the queen know who we are," Ara says as they near the gates to the castle. "Stay behind me. I'll speak for all of us."
A pair of guards stop them at the gates. "Good morning, travelers," one says. "What brings you to the Castle of Abaddon today?"
Ara's bottom lip wobbles; her eyes go glossy with tears. "I am Ara Haan, sister of the great Earl Aren Haan and princess of the Xin empire," she says. "And I am seeking political asylum from the queen of Abaddon territory."
The guards bow together. "Of course, milady. Shall we accompany you and your companions into the castle?"
They bring Elesis, Rose and Ara to the royal stables. While one helps them off their horses, the other rushes inside to inform the queen of their coming.
"I'm a little bit scared of the Abaddon queen," Rose confesses quietly as Elesis helps her off Yingguang's back. "Ain did say she was a tyrannical queen."
"Yeah, but he also mentioned that she has a heart of gold," Elesis offers. "She can't be all that bad, and if Ara says she's okay, then I figure she won't eat us for breakfast."
Stepping into the court of the Abaddon queen, though, Elesis feels immensely out of place. The people of Abaddon are all dressed in traditional Mongolian robes and headgear. While Ara may be in riding gear, hers is in the Chinese style, not too different from the riding gear used in Abaddon, and no one can match the grace she upholds.
The Queen of Abaddon is a woman who looks like she's made of snow. She looks very young, perhaps still in her teenage years, but she still conveys the same noble humility that Aren Haan showed. With just a flick of her hand, the entire courtroom drains out, save for one tall man standing at her side. Elesis presumes he must be the silent butler.
"Princess Ara," the queen says, her voice bouncing off the walls of her courtroom. "It is an honour to meet you."
Ara bows her head. "The honour is all mine, Queen Luciela."
"But let us not waste any time with diplomatic approaches," the queen adds, standing up to wrap Ara in a hug. "Welcome to your new home, Ara. Until we can free your brother from that demon of an advisor, this is your home."
"Thank you, Luciela," Ara mumbles.
"Just Lu is fine," says the queen. "Just between you and me, and your cute friends too." She winks at Elesis and Rose. Elesis gives her an awkward grin. "Are they also seeking asylum with you?"
"No, they will be moving onwards soon in search of the Firebird, as soon as they are well rested," Ara says. "Lu, I have a question."
"Ask away, and I'll answer to the best of my ability," she says, "though I get the feeling I already know what you're going to ask."
"Have you seen a man by the name of Edward Grenore in your kingdom? He also goes by Add."
Lu smiles softly, and it is such a saddened smile that Elesis has to reach for Rose's hand to stop herself from crying. "He is alive, and he lives in this castle," she says. "He has been waiting for you for a long time, Ara."
Ara buries her face in Lu's shoulder and cries, cries.
Rose squeezes Elesis's hand. Elesis knows she must be thinking of her sister again.
So she opens her arms, and holds Rose as the sobbing of two people fills the courtroom.
"We found him on the battlefield, after a particularly violent clash with the old chieftains," Lu explains as she brings Elesis and Rose wandering through the castle. "He must have been captured by them and put to work as a slave or a soldier, and then maybe thrown into some battles. He didn't look like a soldier of Abaddon, so I figured something fishy was up and we brought him back in."
"Is he badly injured?" Rose asks.
Lu bites her lip. "Nothing physically life-threatening, but he has a lot of mental and emotional scars. We're hoping Ara will be able to help him heal from some of those."
"Then it's a good thing she came," Elesis says. "For both of them."
"Exactly," Lu says, nodding. "Add really cannot break out of his current condition without her, and Ara… well, I don't think she'd be able to carry through her pregnancy without Add by her side."
"Has she gone to meet him yet?"
Lu smiles. "Of course," she says. "My butler has gone to escort her."
The tall man is silent, but Ara thanks him profusely nonetheless the whole way there.
"I apologize for inconveniencing you," she says, heart racing at a million miles per hour. "Thank you for bringing me here."
Lu's assistant points at her, then points at the door, then forms a heart with his fingers. "Yes, I do love him a lot," she says. "He is my world."
The man smiles mutely, and points at the door again, conveying a single message: go be with him. "Alright," Ara says. "Thank you once again!"
She opens the door, and her breath catches in her throat.
His hair is no longer pristinely trimmed like it used to be, instead growing out into a fluffy white mop. He's looking out the window, almost glaring at it, his lips slightly pursed like they are when he's thinking super hard about something. He's still clothed in all black, a habit he's kept over the years that's come to be endearing. A large scar swims through the side of his face; there are more that he must be hiding.
But he's still Add, and Ara still loves him.
"This is the part where I wake up," he says suddenly, shaking her from her thoughts. God, even his voice sounds the same. "Go away, dream Ara. You're not really there."
"But I am," she says, finding the strength to speak suddenly. "Add, I'm here with you."
"Then prove it," he says, still not facing her. "Prove that you're my Ara."
Ara sheds her cloak, tossing it onto the bed on the other side of the room. "Do you remember how we confessed our love to each other?" She whispers, beginning to undo the buttons on her inner vest. "You wrote me a love poem, and I sang you a love song. It was only afterwards that we realized that we'd named the pieces the same thing."
"My beautiful," Add mutters, still mostly unfazed.
"And then two years ago, after my brother had the garden made, we danced there together," she says, now tossing her vest aside. "We danced among the magnolias and the peonies, and we danced together on the rocks in the garden."
Add is now focused on her and only her now. "Three proofs, Ara," he begs, tears streaming down his face, for the one real proof that she's real and alive and with him. "Three proofs."
Ara sits down on his knees, like she always did when she wanted to kiss him back then. "Do you remember the night before you left?" She whispers, picking his hands up and placing them on her abdomen gently. "You held me so close, and you told me we would always be connected in love, in our love. This, this is what came from our love."
Add breathes in. "How long has it been?"
"Three and a half months, Add." Ara's eyes are glistening again; perhaps they were never dry to begin with. "This is our baby."
Add pushes his forehead against Ara's, and she relaxes in his scent. "You're safe now," he murmurs. "Both of you."
"And so are you," Ara says, smiling.
No more words need to be exchanged.
Goodbyes are never fun for Elesis.
Saying goodbye to the village that hosted her for two years was awkward and rather terrifying. Saying goodbye to Rose's Maman (and very nearly having to say goodbye to Rose) was torturous.
But now, as she stands at the gate to the Castle of Abaddon with Rose at her side, she feels free, almost like the people sending her off are giving her the spirit to keep going.
During their two week stay in Abaddon, Lu had showered them in gifts, from new cloaks and clothes to two beautiful mustangs for the next leg of their trip. While they caught up on sleep and Elesis reset her sleep cycle, she also taught Rose to ride, so they can each take one of the mustangs.
"If you head due north from here, you'll be able to find the crossing for the mountain range," Lu explains as they pack the last of their supplies into their saddlebags. "And just between us, thank you, both of you. Since you've brought Ara here, both she and Add have been recovering well, and since his sister now prefers to be in my empire instead of his, Aren's going to be doing some serious questioning of Aran. So really, thank you."
"We need to thank you, too," Rose insists. "For hosting us for such a long time. And for not attacking us when we kinda invaded your court super early in the morning."
"Usually bears attack us when we do that," Elesis tacks in, punching Rose lightly in the shoulder.
"In any case, we must be on our-"
"WAIT!"
Ara suddenly comes rushing out of the courtyard, wrapped in a giant blanket. "I forgot to give you this," she exclaims, passing a beautiful bound book with gold leaf wrapping the spine to Elesis. "It's about different Firebirds, from different countries!"
"Oh my god, this is gorgeous," she gushes. "Thank you, Ara."
"And for you, Rose," Ara continues, pulling a canvas bag out of the blanket cocoon. "I saw that you bought tea for your mother, so I got you some more."
Rose looks like she's on the verge of tears. "I-ah shit. Thank you."
Hugs are exchanged and passed around, while Add stands awkwardly aside to wait for Ara to return to hugging him. "I don't have anything right now, but thank you so much," he says. "For bringing my Ara back to me."
"You guys need to come visit when our baby comes!" She pipes. "Seriously. You can be co-godmothers or something. We'll figure something out."
"Aw, what about me?" Lu asks, pouting.
"You can be their older sister, you gremlin," Add snickers. Ara smacks him over the head softly.
"Bye now!" They call out as Elesis and Rose ride away on Peony and Magnolia, into the morning mist yet again.
Except this time, they have two horses instead of none.
"Ready to go?" Elesis asks, grinning at Rose, who drops her sleepy sadness to grin back.
"Are you?"
And so they ride into the morning sun, their hearts full of joy and their bags full of goodies that Lu packed for them.
A/N: i finished this chapter at like 2 am this morning, slept for about five and a half hours, got up to babysit ten kids all at once, spent my afternoon downtown wandering, and honestly i have the mental strength of a brick right now and i need to get writing if i want to finish this fic tuesday
the reason Ciel is mute is because when his family was murdered by the old chiefs of Abaddon, they tore out his tongue for crying. He uses some form of proto-sign language to communicate
I really want to make designs of everyone in this, especially Ara's thousand layer dress but also i have no time to do anything as is
Hei'an means darkness or in some contexts shadow, and Yingguang technically means glow-in-the-dark but like historically i'm sure there's a better translation for it bc while i speak rather sarcastic mandarin poetic/archaic is not my forte
~Marg
