Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Quest XI!
Notes: I typed this up while in Argentina, and honestly I just want to post it to move the plot forward. I need to replay the game and get it fresh in my mind again before I can write certain scenes that I want. So it's short and sweet for an update. Sorry.
Warnings: OCxcanon, plot modified to suit OCs
Massive Story Spoilers. You have been warned. This fic started at the beginning of Act II.
FIC START!
-Part 7-
By the time Hendrik and Mahina were done making small talk about their adventures before the fall of Yggdrasil, Carnelian had quietly made his way over to them. He found them sitting on the coast, with Mahina having slipped off her sandals to put her feet in the water. He didn't want to interrupt them, and the last thing he wanted to do was pull those two apart when they served the excellent purpose of inspiring the survivors in the Last Bastion to persist while living in a world where it seemed nothing good mattered. The king didn't interrupt their conversation. He was quite intriqued to know how Hendrik handled such circumstances, knowing that he'd never had the opportunity to connect like this to anyone before. It wasn't until he let out a little yawn that either of them even noticed he was there.
"Ah!" Hendrik said, immediately pulling himself to his feet. "Your Majesty, forgive me. I didn't know you were-"
"Calm down, Hendrik," Carnelian answered. "How many times must I tell you that you don't need to always be so formal with me?" He shook his head. "I honestly didn't want you to know I was here."
Mahina stood up, too, letting out a yawn of her own. They had spent quite a while doing nothing other than enjoying each other's company. "Then why'd you come out here?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "If you weren't coming to tell us about something."
"Can't a king go for a walk without needing a reason to?" Carnelian asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Not everything has to be about work." He let out a sigh. "But now that we're here, I request your assistance."
"Of course, I am at your disposal," Hendrik bowed his head. "Please, tell me of my next task."
"This is for the both of you," Carnelian corrected him. "Tomorrow, I will send the two of you out on a mission."
"A mission?" Mahina repeated.
"Mmm. I wish for you to head to the ruins of Heliodor and investigate," Carnelian said gently. "Not to engage in battle, but simply to investigate."
"I am ready to accept this task," Hendrik said. "But you are certain you wish Mahina to accompany me?"
"...hey!" Mahina interjected, making a pouty face.
"I am. She's proven herself useful. She has more powerful healing magics than you do, and based on what I've heard from the soldiers, a bit of attack magic, too. More importantly, she can look after you. I know beyond any doubts that the two of you will come home together safely, should I send her with you," Carnelian said, smiling. "So. Take care of each other, and bring me some news of what's happened back home, would you?" He turned to leave them. "Go back to your romance - you'll be surprised the power that derives from such a connection."
"...so what was that about?" Mahina asked, looking up at Hendrik.
"What?"
"You acting like you don't want me to go with you!"
"It's not because I don't want you with me, Mahina. I only worry for your safety. I don't know how I would handle it if something were to happen to you," Hendrik answered. "And, yes, you've proven yourself worthy on the battlefield. I am not taking away from your innate ability, but the hoardes of monsters out there is not to be underestimated." He wasn't sure what to make of the expression on her face at that moment. "But. The order has been given. We leave tomorrow, together."
"Mmm," she said, leaning back against him. "Yes... Which means I don't have to eat your cold plain scrambled eggs for breakfast. I'll get to eat what you always make for yourself!"
"...Mahina, I only leave you half of what I make for myself each morning..." Hendrik confessed with his usual stoic face. "So it'll be hot plain scrambled eggs."
She broke out into a hysterical giggle, causing Carnelian to turn back around to watch in amazement. Hendrik could make someone laugh that hard? Mahina laughed so hard that it caught the attention of guards and whoever else was awake. "...we're making something else to eat for breakfast, damn it! I'm tired of your damned eggs!"
"It serves its purpose well enough," Hendrik answered quietly. "I see no problem with continuing to make scrambled eggs. It is simple, easy to do, and-"
Mahina shook her head and shouted, "No! No, no no!"
"...oh, all right, then. We'll figure something else out instead. But it has to have enough protein to cover what the eggs would-"
"What about pancakes?"
"What are the health benefits of pancakes?"
"They're delicious?"
"...they don't provide anything a knight would need throughout the day."
"I don't care. I'm making a stack of pancakes tomorrow morning, and you're gonna eat them!" She said.
"...alongside a bowl of hot plain scrambled eggs."
She started to laugh again before grasping around him. "...okay. You win. Pancakes and eggs."
Hendrik cracked a little smile. "That's my victory? Are you sure that isn't a compromise?"
She looked behind them, noticing her sandals were still near the water. When she bent down to pick them up, she noticed there was something in the water. It glowed red. Which was odd, because none of the fish known out here were red or glowed. She cocked her head to the side, staring at it.
"...is there something out there?" Hendrik asked once he noticed the dazed, yet curious look in her eyes.
"I don't know what it is, but it doesn't seem right to me," she answered, stepping away from the water. Why did she feel as if she was being watched? A creepy feeling sank into her. She'd known this before. On the boat - the one from Gondolia! She gasped, shaking her head, stepping back further. She could feel it again. The lightning spell that split the ship apart, the water going black, and the fading back into the absolute cold... Mahina almost died, however long she was out, until Hendrik had come along and pulled her from the wreckage.
"...we should return home," Hendrik said. "Whatever it is you are seeing has an effect on you."
"I don't know if it's even real, to be honest."
"Ghost pains are real," he reassured her. "I don't know what all you went through when that ship sank, but the last thing I want is you in any sort of pain. Let us return."
She nodded, turning away from the water completely.
