**A/N: Day nine for the July Daily Writing Challenge
Well this didn't turn out as planned. I worked on this for an hour before realizing I started WAAAAAY to far ahead of where I wanted the story to be. I was too busy working this in to a fanfic that I completely missed that it's supposed to be a drabble.
I tried to reboot the entry, but I didn't have enough time. So I decided to just post what I had and I'll eventually replace this chapter with my actual entry - when I have free time to write what I intended... :P
But at least I still have SOMETHING up, right?
This is a direct continuation of my Spellbound challenge.**
Of Blood And Honor
Continuation of Familiar of Zero Crossover
He still felt feverish when he woke up, and his skin itched. The back of his left hand felt numb. Feeling woozy, he slowly sat up, holding his head.
"Where am I?" Arnold looked around the room. The walls were stone bricks and the floor was marble tile. Elegant drapes adorned the French doors that lead to a small stone balcony. There were beautiful tapestries decorating the walls. They all appeared to have different crests on them and had a strange writing underneath. There was a finely crafted table for two, but only one chair. There was an armoire and matching dresser both made out of mahogany and accented with gold. Between them was a vanity with an oval mirror embedding in the most eloquently carved wood he had ever seen. The bed was a magnificent full-sized canopy, and yet Arnold was currently sitting in a pile of straw on the floor.
"It's about time you woke up you stupid peasant!" The voice sounded familiar to him, even if he couldn't understand what was being said. His eyes focused and he saw the blonde girl with the pink bow from before.
"It's- it's you! What am I doing here? What do you want from me?"
Helga sighed, "For the love of pete, what in the world is wrong with you? Why can't you at least speak Tristainese like a normal person? It's bad enough I have a peasant as a familiar, but one who can't even speak properly?"
She shook her head and walked past Arnold and opened up the armoire to put her cloak away, "I guess it doesn't matter. What's done is done and there is no way I could get another familiar anyhow. So I've decided to allow you to continue as my servant. You should be honored."
"Hey! Aren't you listening to me?" Arnold jumped up from the floor, "Don't go walking around casually! I want some answers. Where am I? How did I get here? What was that weird green teleport thing? What language are you all speaking? How do I get home?"
Helga plopped down on the bench next to her vanity and took off her socks. "Such incessant ramblings! You're giving me a headache!"
"Wait, what are you doing now? Come on, don't be so calm! Tell me how to get home!"
Helga stood up and casually undid her skirt, letting it drop down to the floor, she then started undoing her top.
"Oh my gosh!" Arnold blushed as he looked away, covering his face with his hands, "Look, I really have no clue what's going on here, but I'm not like that!"
"Here," Helga picked up her skirt and socks, and tossed both them and her shirt at Arnold.
Feeling the cloth smack against the backs of his hands, Arnold instinctively reached out to catch them before they fell to the floor. When he stood back up he saw Helga standing in her bra and underwear. Again, he started to freak out, stumbling over his words as he tried to cover his face.
"Look, even if you don't understand our language you should still understand the basic duties of a familiar. I expect those washed, pressed, and ready for me by morning. These are really quite simple orders; you think you can handle them, Peasant?"
"What is this?" Arnold's words were muffled through the skirt pressed against his face, shielding him from stealing a peek at Helga. "What am I supposed to do with these? Am I supposed to wear them? A disguise to sneak out? Because I don't think they'll fit me. I think we need a better plan."
Helga put her hands on her hips and watched as Arnold buried his face in her clothes, whipping his head around and mumbling. "Criminey! You can't even understand your mistress' orders? You're worse than a dog, I swear."
"And if this is some weird seduction tactic," Arnold continued talking in to the skirt, "it's not gonna work. I'm not like that, I swear! Look, you seem like you could be a nice girl, but I just don't like you like that."
"Shut up already with the squawking! A parrot would be a better familiar than you!"
"So really, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with your clothing, but they're not what I want. I just want to go home."
"Shut up! Such a simple order and you don't even understand that! What did I do to deserve such a horrible servant?"
"You don't even need to do much, just point me in the direction I need to go to get some help-"
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! You are giving me a migraine!"
"-nothing will come out of kidnapping me. I have no one to get the ransom off of, so really-"
"Oh! That is it! If you won't shut up I'll make you! Where is my wand?" Helga walked over to the table and picked up the slender piece of wood. "Now, how did that Silencing spell go again?"
"-all of you here are bonkers and you really have no right to keep me here," Arnold continued, his face still nestled in Helga's clothes.
"I remember now!" Helga held up her arms like she was about to conduct an orchestra, "Mique zun onch, respect my request and hear me now. Silence!"
As Helga finished her spell, Arnold was hit with an explosion. When the smoke cleared he was a bit charcoaled and lying on the ground, the wind knocked out of him; Helga's school uniform was in burnt pieces all around him.
"What on earth was that? Lightning?" Arnold dazedly asked.
"What?" Helga stood up straight in surprise and listened carefully. Maybe her ears were playing tricks; still ringing from the explosion.
"Alright," Arnold jumped to his feet and pulled his cover shirt off, leaving his green tank. "I was trying to be polite because you're kinda cute, but whatever that was was uncalled for!" He rushed Helga and grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped slightly, but it wasn't in fear of Arnold's attack.
"Wh-wait a minute! I- I think I understood what you just said!"
Arnold softened and held Helga at arm's length. His eyes also grew wide, "Did you just say that you understood me?"
Helga slowly nodded, "Say something else."
Arnold backed away from her, "You-you do know English! Why didn't you speak it before? I only asked you about twenty times!"
"Well this is horrible," Helga sighed as she sat back down on the vanity bench. "Yet again I live up to my stupid codename. That was supposed to be a silencing spell."
"Silencing spell?"
"You!" Helga's confidence returned as she stood back up, looking Arnold in the eye, "What is your name, Peasant?"
"Um, it's Arnold. But, you didn't answer my-"
"Arnold. Fine. Well, now that you can understand me I want you to start following orders."
"Orders? What are you talking about? I demand that you finally answer my questions! Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here? How do-"
"You expect me to take demands from you? You're just my familiar! How dare you talk to your mistress like that?"
"Wait, mistress? Familiar? Like, those cats that follow witches around?"
"You really don't know anything, do you? Fine. My name is Helga Geraldine Pataki. We are at the Tristain Academy of Magic, where I am studying to become a full-fledged mage. And somehow I ended up with you-" The word you sounded like a curse coming from her lips, "-when I performed my Familiar Summoning Ritual. You are now my servant throughout the rest of our days."
"Now wait a minute! I didn't agree to-" Suddenly Arnold remembered his left hand, he looked down and saw a line of runes etched in to his skin.
**A/N: Yeah, I know. I know. "This has nothing to do with blood or honor?" u_u'
If I managed to get to the scene I intended then there would be a lot dealing with blood and honor... I just didn't get there. :P
Also, I feel that this insane amount of dialogue is kinda boring. Sorry guys...
And yes, in the anime Louise DID strip in front of Saito in a very nonchalant manor - that wasn't my idea.**
