In this time of the season, Nordopolica was much colder at night than it was during the day. She wrapped the scarves she wore around her shoulders, and hid her palms underneath the woolen fabric to warm them up. She could see light fogs coming out of her mouth every time she exhaled her breath steadily, the thin clouds disappeared gradually as it dissipated in the cold air.
Estelle was grateful that, at least, the sky was bright – not a single cloud obstructing the dense formation of stars – though the sky was always a bit empty to her ever since the brightest star of all could no longer be seen.
The star of Vesperia. The others paled in comparison.
The star, which was actually a blastia, ceased to exist when the Tower of Zaude was activated, and its brilliant light disappeared altogether. That was probably the one thing she regretted the most, a starry night without Vesperia star was incomplete. That night though, her spirit was lifted a notch because she was in a close proximity to her Vesperia. She glanced towards the direction of the port, where he was sitting with Repede - just the two of them as usual. He might just be enjoying the night sky as she was, though she could hardly feel that she was enjoying the view – there was too much on her mind.
Apart from the occasional Knights, some Royal Guards Flynn had brought with him, and a handful of wandering Nordopolica residents, the street was empty.
Estelle closed her eyes and inhaled some more air a bit too quick – the coldness stinging her nose. She coughed and choked a bit, tears forming in her eyes from the unpleasant sensation. After getting her heartbeat and breath under control, she started to walk at the direction of the port.
She had been missing him too much, and regardless of her feelings or Rita feelings, she wanted to have a conversation. Or simply just to hear his voice again.
She was already at the second flight of steps leading down to where the market was when she noticed Judith leaning against a pole. The Krityan was staring at the sky, seemingly talking to Ba'ul.
Finally, Judith noticed her and flashed a smile. Estelle smiled back and her face lightened up,
"Judith. I am so sorry I could not greet you properly earlier," She twiddled her thumbs, "I am so glad you are doing alright… long time no see."
"It's nice to see you too, Estelle," her friend nodded.
For a brief second Estelle stole a glance towards the port where Yuri was. Shades of pink rose to her pale cheek as she realized that Judith noticed it as well and the Krityan looked at the same direction, a knowing smile formed on her face. Estelle stood there, her eyes staring downwards at the wooden planks of the stairs, brooding whether to prolong their idle greetings while her anxious eyes clearly showed she wanted to go to the port that instant.
Sounds of clanking armor and a very familiar footstep were getting closer to where they were. Estelle turned her back to see Flynn walking in their direction; he stopped for a brief moment and smiled at her and Judith politely before continuing to walk towards the port.
Flynn had always been a very dear friend to her, his demeanor and disposition clearly looked upon by his Knights and subordinates. It was a given, being a Commandant that he was, but Estelle wished Flynn would just relax and threw his perfect knightly behavior out the window once in a while. For this reason, she figured Flynn deserved his time out to chat with Yuri more than her right now.
She sighed in defeat as she figured she would not have a private time with the dark-haired main any time soon. Smiling back at Judith, she tilted her head slightly,
"Would you mind keeping me company, Judith?"
"Glad to," Judith replied. Estelle could not help but notice how beautiful and mesmerizing Judith looked in her revealing outfit. No wonder men always stopped short at their paths whenever they saw her.
Estelle positioned herself - leaning against the fence just besides her friend, and fixed her scarves around her neck. She glanced at Judith's attire and wondered if the Krityan had ever felt cold.
"I have been meaning to ask you ever since I found out," Judith started, her eyes darting towards the sea spreading in front of them,
"I know that you have had feelings for Yuri for quite some time…"
Estelle's eyes widened in shock and she quickly looked at her friend, who slowly turned her head to look at her as well.
"How…?"
The Krityan smirked,
"Oh, the power of perception," she shrugged, "My observation of my friends is clearly higher than your oblivious target, anyway," she threw a quick glance at the port, where Yuri was.
At this, she blushed again.
"But from what I heard from Yuri, you seem to be… rather aggressive lately?" Judith spoke slowly, her amber eyes poring into her own emerald ones.
"Has he found out?", she hold her breath, her voice squeaked with nervousness. The least she wanted was the knowledge of Yuri keeping his distance from her because he knew she liked him.
"Don't worry. He is dense as a marble," Judith gave her a gentle squeeze in her shoulder, and she could breath normally again.
"Yes, anyway," the Krityan returned her gaze to the calm ocean, the stars reflected on its surface in a distance. It looked as if some fireworks exploded in the horizon,
"Would you mind telling me your side of the story? I know he is fond of you, but he doesn't seem to understand your reasons. And until a few months back, you were not as flustered as you have been lately, showering him with gifts and….," she sighed, "… trying to turn him into someone he isn't?"
Once again Estelle felt like choking. Thinking now and looking from other people's perspective, of course what she had been doing to Yuri lately was considered intrusive. However the one last thing she ever wanted to do was to burden Yuri. She wondered if that was exactly what she had done despite of her intention,
"I…. want him to be accepted…"
"Oh?," Once again Judith looked at her and raised here eyebrows, "Accepted… by?"
"By the Empire… Urm, I mean, he is a hero of the world, so of course everyone appreciate him for what he has done," Estelle stammered, "But by the council, the Royal family…. Ioder…."
"As I thought," Judith smiled at her, "You would like him to be accepted as part of the Royal Family… as your partner?"
If she could blush more than she already did, she would. She could feel her cheek burning in spite of the coldness,
"Judith... you are amazing... . How could you figure it out...?"
"It is quite easy really, you are a pretty straightforward person," Judith flashed another smile, this time slight pride reflected on her face, "But what's the hurry, though? I mean, you have always liked him, but what's with the rush to get him 'accepted'?"
Estelle stared into those amber eyes for a few seconds, her friend patiently waited for her to speak. Finally, she sighed and decided to tell her story to Judith, she really need someone to talk to, and she could not really talk to Rita about the matter anymore because Rita had feelings for Yuri as well. She was grateful that at least the Krityan had not shown any love interest in the swordsman - albeit their flirting habit with each other.
She knelt, dusted off the wooden plank she was standing on, and sat on it. Judith slowly followed suit, her head resting on the pole she was leaning against earlier; her eyes on Estelle, still waiting for her.
"The Council and the nobles want Ioder to find a wife," Estelle started, her hands wrapped around her knees, trying to keep warm, "Well, not only Ioder really; me too. But they are mainly concerned with Ioder, him being the most obvious candidate to the throne after all. Right now, though by rank he is considered the highest authority in the Empire, he is still not yet an Emperor."
"I would like him to marry a wonderful woman, too. I am sure he will make a great Emperor and will unify the Empire even more," she added with a sigh. That much she had no doubt about. Her distant cousin was a kind and caring young man, and he cared about the Empire welfare as much as she did - if not more. And she was confident that he would be a wonderful husband.
"And the problem is...?" Judith prompted.
"He told the Council that he will not need a wife and will not even need the official title of the Emperor, as long as he has me to help him running the Empire," she closed her eyes and frowned, "Furthermore, he said that he will only marry only after I find a husband."
Judith darted her eyes towards the sea once more, humming in consideration. She brought her fingers on to her lips, slight frown on her forehead.
"That's why the Council is on to me now to get a husband as soon as possible... . They started offering nobles and their sons to me like some grand food on plates... I have been constantly in marriage meetings arranged by them... Obviously they want someone of the noble status to be my husband," Estelle added softly, sadness radiating from every word spoken,
"Ioder has been really kind to me and tried to persuade them to leave me be and that I should have my own choice for my life partner," she smiled, thinking about his kindness and his trust in her, "But I really want to help him become an Emperor as soon as possible, too..."
"So you obviously have made up your mind about who you want to be your husband," Judith summarized, "You have been trying to perk Yuri up to make him more presentable to those obnoxious nobles at least to ease Ioder's mind... . And you have been hot on his tails because the sooner you guys get together, the sooner Ioder can find a wife?"
Estelle was silent. Judith was amazing in her perceptiveness, the Krityan had even said it better than she could ever do herself.
"Have you talked to Yuri about what he wants though? I mean, aside from the inconvenience of wearing those glittery things and being in the castle would probably bore him to death; what about his feelings?" once again, those amber eyes penetrated her, almost accusing. And for a few seconds, it rendered Estelle speechless,
"I... I have told him... before we all defeated the Adephagos... that I want to live with him... and he said he feels the same way..."
"Estelle, that can mean anything. He wants to live with you, with me, Rita, Karol, Repede, even the old man," Judith sighed, "Or of course he could have meant that he does love you, but you don't know that until you are entirely sure. The only way to be entirely sure is to ask him with a direct precise question. That is the only way to make him aware of your feelings."
She was at lost of words. All this time, she had been fantasizing and assuming things. She was so sure about her feelings, but after just a second ago, she was no longer sure about Yuri's feelings for her.
"I know it is hard for you to comprehend it from other people's point of view, you have always been that kind of person, " Judith smile sympathetically, "I guess it is part of being a princess, once you make up your mind, you always need to go for it and you hardly consider what other people want to do..."
"I... I am sorry," Estelle stammered. She had never been so ashamed before in her life - she was grateful that Judith could point out her flaws, unlike the Council and nobles she encountered in Zaphias everyday. She was reminded how her past ordeals with her power and the Entelexias might have brought inconvenience to Yuri and the others - however they said it was their mission to help her, and help her they did. How she missed traveling with Brave Vesperia.
"That is not what you should be sorry for though," Judith squeezed her hands and gave her a warm smile, "I am more interested in Ioder... . Wouldn't you say he has feelings for you?"
Estelle blinked and looked at Judith as if she was some alien, "Wha...?"
"Well, he gave you that Blue Crystal Rod...," she gestured at the rod Estelle always carried around with her, securely fastened onto her tunic under her cloak. The B.C. Rod was a symbol of Ioder's trust in her to be a vice-emperor - even only in status since there was really no Emperor or vice-emperor titles officially bestowed on either of them yet, "That is always given to a person most trusted by the Emperor."
"Yes, but that is only for the Empire's sake..." Estelle hastily answered.
"That means he knows you are capable. That means he trusts you. Most of all, he cares about you so much that he gave you that Rod for you to use in your travels, albeit the importance of it to the Empire," Judith added, still holding onto her hands,
"From your story, he said he will only marry after you get married. Sounds to me that he will only marry someone else after he loses all hopes in wooing the woman of his choice. Yet he is still giving you the chance to choose your own happiness."
"It is fun to see Yuri as oblivious as he always is, but I tell you this to get you thinking on what you really want, and what is most important to you. Of all people, one of the future leaders of the Empire should not be as dense as our favorite fighter," she chuckled, gesturing towards the port, "Well, if I was Ioder I would just tell it straight to your face about what I want, but I guess people have their own reasons..."
"But... but that is impossible," Estelle blurted out, shaking her head in complete denial. The suggestion was entirely new to her, and she could not even begin to imagine Ioder having feelings towards her in that sense, let alone her to start feeling the same way, "We are cousins... blood related!"
"Oh? I don't think that is strange at all. In the past, Children of the Full Moon have always eloped with the same members of the clan, since they need to preserve the power in their blood. And although Ioder does not have any power the same caliber as yours, since he is of royal blood, he is one of the last descendants of Children of the Full Moon," Judith's gaze shifted upwards towards the sky, once again resting her head against the pole, "And you two are not closely related, blood wise. You are distant cousins, so naturally it will be a perfect match."
Her head began to spin.
"I am sorry, Estelle," Judith sighed softly, noticing the forlorn expression on her face, "I should not have burdened you more... . But if you have time to think about it, please do. And please also consider Yuri's feelings in your decision."
"I understand," she smiled at the Krityan. She never knew that talking could be so tiring, it felt as if all energy had been sucked out of her, "Thank you, Judith. I will think about it. You are the only person who always tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. You are a really good friend."
She wrapped her arms around Judith, and she hesitantly returned her embrace and patted her back. Even though Estelle could not see, she could sense that her friend was smiling earnestly.
Estelle released her hold a few seconds later, and once again her emerald eyes gleamed with excitement,
"Even if Yuri does not feel the same way as I do to him, I still wish Rita the best with her love."
"Rita?" Judith's frown returned to her.
The second she realized she had revealed Rita's feelings to Judith, which she figured that she shouldn't have done without the mage's permission, she felt terrible. The cold air and the recent revelations she had heard must have gone inside her brain and wreaked havoc to it,
"Uh... don't tell anyone, okay?" She bit her lower lips and looked at the Krityan with pleading eyes.
Judith looked towards the direction of the port, then towards the coliseum building - where Rita was -, then towards Estelle. Her smile widened,
"My, my. Interesting. I can see that he is a very popular man... I wonder if I should start liking him...," she teased, then quickly chuckled as she saw the fallen expression on Estelle's face, "Only joking. Of course I will not tell a soul."
"Thank you," Estelle sighed in relief, "Anyway, it is late already and I better get some rest..." she glanced towards the direction of the port, " It seems that Flynn and Yuri will still chat for a while, so I will just save my turn for another time. I don't think I am ready to face him anyway after what I have learned tonight."
She stood up, straightened her cloak and looked at Judith expectantly.
"I will chat with Ba'ul some more. Please go ahead," her friend smiled at her.
Estelle nodded and started walking towards Pallestralle building where they would stay for the night.
Judith watched the Princess' silhouette disappearing into the darkness,
"Good luck to you, ladies...," then turning her gaze towards the port, she smiled, "... and also to a certain commandant who is still happily ignorant to his own feelings... . And of course good luck to the main object of attraction as well."
Apart from her newest knowledge of Rita's feelings, she could almost be confident about Estelle's feelings towards Yuri - which was confirmed from their conversation earlier. She also noticed Flynn's growing awareness of Yuri that day - and it sure was not the normal friendship they had always have towards each other - as hard as he tried to ignore or deny it. Or he simply just had not realized yet.
She sighed and looked up at the sky. She took out the horn from her waist-pouch and chuckled,
"Ba'ul... it must be the waters in Zaphias... . Everyone I know from there are all unbelievably dense."
She could hear her Entelexia friend howling in the far distance, the soft melody it produced was music to her ears.
- tbc
lunat1's note:
Judith is always kind of a sister figure, isn't she? She can be harsh with her words... she is kinda similar to Yuri in her way of speaking, even more sarcastic sometimes. I winced when she scolded Estelle for being selfish at some points in the game, but all in all, she is concerned about the welfare of the whole party - even Estelle.
This is quite a long chapter, please don't get tired in reading it _
