Author's Note-
Yay! I was finally able to update this chapter. I'm getting so excited...we're getting so close to the adventure arc/pure badassery arc. Just a couple more chapters. This chapter and the next chapter to come were originally going to be one chapter, but it would have been REALLY REALLY long. I tend to post shorter chapters than most, but trust me, it would have taken you a good two hours to get through this one had I not split it up.
Anyways, expect to see some more filler stuff in this chapter, but it's still a part of this story to pay attention too. In fact, all of the little details are what you need to be paying attention to, no matter how insignificant they seem. Why, you ask? Because everything I write in this story I write for a reason, and you'll know why when certain events come to take place...I wish I could tell you but I can't, you'll just have to keep reading! *evil laugh*
Also, I must thank Darkwizard yet again for her constructive reviews and her continued support through this story! You are amazing! *heart* You are my inspiration and you keep me writing! :D
Changes
After the marriage had been called off, both Esther and Ophelia decided that it would be best if she found somewhere else to live. Reasoning that the constant conflict between the two would eventually cause permanent damage in their relationship and that Esther wasn't truly Ophelia's daughter and thus had the right to choose whom she lived with, she moved out of the home into the home of Seras. It was a bit saddening to leave those whom had filled in as her family for so many years, but it was necessary. She knew that if she stayed with Ophelia any longer, the argument of marriage would have popped up again, which Esther was sick of, and so was Ophelia.
However, she wouldn't be completely separated from them; Seras only lived a mile or so away from them, so Esther would visit Ophelia and Leah everyday, help them out with the garden and even took the time to help Leah with her studies.
Because she lived with Seras, Esther had more time to practice with her teacher, and had now been taught everything that Seras had to offer. All she had to do now was keep practicing. She wasn't sure what she would do with her sword skills; she had always wanted to travel the world in search of evil so she could destroy it, but something was keeping her in Grünortschaft. There were too many people that she didn't want to leave, such as Ophelia, Leah, Seras, and she couldn't bear to leave Maxi either. He had been the one that encouraged her to go out on the adventures she dreamed of having, so it didn't seem fair to leave him behind; after all, that used to be his life. Perhaps once she was able to, she could begin her adventures by helping him find his friends.
Not only was she reluctant to leave those she cared for, but Seras had advised her that before she took off anywhere, they needed to find a solution to these headaches she was having. They hadn't occurred very frequently, but they still happened. And when they happened, they were dangerous. One time when she was riding one of Seras's horses when one occurred, and she ended up falling off the horse because she had blacked out. Another time she nearly fell down the staircase because of one. They had consulted Seras's father, Klaus Albreicht, about them and received medicine, but it had only served to ease the pain they brought. Since then, he had been working dutifully in order to find a better, hopefully permanent cure.
Nevertheless, she had begun to like her life a lot more as time passed by. Perhaps it was the independence that Seras allowed her to have...well, it was more of a matter of Seras telling Esther that she wasn't her mom, so she wasn't going to fix any stupid things Esther did, so she, as in Esther, better be smart. Or maybe it was because she wasn't trapped in a house where her personality could go to war with Ophelia's. It could have been that she was finding her purpose in life now. She knew that she had a chance at seeing the world, and she knew where she was going to start. It was only a matter of building up the means to do so.
"So, how is Seras?" Asked Leah one day, as they closed books and put away papers that Esther had been helping Leah study.
"She's been doing well," Esther answered. "I haven't been able to see her much lately."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"She's been traveling all over the kingdom, doing this and that. The army has called her in a couple times to finish up old business, required some of her services in the skirmishes at the northeastern borders, and she's been going to her fathers house a lot to help him out."
"Did they ever find anything to get rid of those headaches you've been having?" The girl asked.
Esther shook her head. "No, but Klaus is still working on it. Seras said that he's been working day and night on it. It makes me feel guilty but I appreciate the care that he has for me."
"Has anything scary happened?"
"What do you mean?"
Leah looked at the books she was piling up, obviously wary of the subject. "You know, scary. Like that one time when Lillian and Sheska were beating on Natasha, and you nearly killed Lillian...I mean, she totally deserved it, but I had never seen that side of you before."
"Oh yeah..." Esther tried to forget that day. Her own actions had scared her quite a bit, and since then the two girls were terrified of her, yet no punishment had ever come. "I don't even know what came over me...it was as if I were possessed or something. Had I been in the conscious state that I'm in now, I would never even think of such a thing. But no, nothing like that has happened. I've just blacked out a couple times or had to go to sleep for the day."
"I see."
"Speaking of Natasha, how has she been?"
Leah shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. I never have liked the shy little ferret, but I'll admit that I'm happy for her. Aiden and her make a very cute couple and it seems like she's happy."
"That's good." Esther nodded. "He's a good man, I suppose if I had ended up marrying him, I could have learned to love him eventually."
"Maybe. I can't believe Mom hasn't set me up with anyone yet."
"Well, have you asked her about it?"
"Yeah..."
"What did she say?"
Leah crossed her arms and pouted. "I asked her if she could set me up with that hunk of a babe Maxi, but she said no and told me that I had some things to work out before I was getting set up with anyone."
"That's rough," Esther said it only for Leah's sake, but in her head she was applauding for Ophelia. For once she agreed with her foster mother. Perhaps some parenting maneuvers had been figured out during her whole battle with Esther. But all in all, Leah needed to learn to be nice to those outside her family, Ophelia didn't like Maxi, Maxi wasn't interested in Leah plus he was too old for her, and not to mention, incredibly bizarre. "Mom doesn't really like him anyways, so perhaps there is someone else you find yourself particularly interested in?"
"It's hard to compare to Maxi, but maybe. Viktor Deldevich. I dunno."
"Ooh the son of those Russian folk who moved here last year?" Esther smiled deviously. "He's cute. And because he's Russian then you already have my approval."
Leah laughed. "Hah, good to know. But..."
"What is it?"
"Well," the younger girl shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I've already creeped him out."
Esther feigned shock. "No way..."
"Oh shut up." Leah teasingly punched Esther in the arm. "I can't help that I'm so bad at getting along with others."
"Eh," She shrugged. "You'll learn eventually. Hopefully. Maybe."
"Comforting."
Esther then stood up and stretched, patting her foster sister on the head. "Well, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, and I hope things work out for you. You have my support, but for now I've got one last chore to do for Seras."
"What's that?"
"I've just got to collect some water from the river."
"Ah well, have fun with that."
Carrying a large ceramic water pitcher in both hands, she headed westward, to the river. In her hand she grasped the reins of her horse, Smoky, as she lead him behind her. Smoky wasn't really her horse, he actually belonged to Seras, but while Esther lived with Seras he had become the horse she typically rode. He was a big black mustang with a beautiful, shadowy coat and a rather gentle personality. Esther much preferred him to any of the other wild beasts that Seras owned, as Esther was quite scared of horses for some reason. Something about their massive rear ends and how they were always quite ready to leave a smoldering pile of shit where ever they went instantly caused her to be wary of them. She did not do horse shit.
Once she reached the river, she saw someone she didn't quite expect to see there. Maxi stood there, his back turned to her. It was apparent that he hadn't noticed her arrive. He seemed rather focused on something, but she didn't quite see what it was until she noticed that he was staring at the river, appearing to be in some sort of trance.
He must be remembering his slain comrades and the friends he used to travel with. She immediately felt bad for him. It must have really sucked to have to be stuck here, his body not allowing him to go off on expeditions like it once had. During his stay he had seemed cheerful enough, but there had to be times when he longed for his old life on the seas, exploring different countries and whatnot. There were times when she longed for her old home in Russia, her parents, and her whole childhood in general. That monster had ripped that away from her, and she'd been sent to live in a completely different country, different culture, and left to a family that differed so much from the one she'd originally been raised in. Deidrich, Ophelia and Leah had been a great family for her; they were kind, welcoming and cared for her just like any loving family would. However, every family values different things and has different ways of doing things, especially in different countries. It was all still a situation she still had to grow more and more accustomed to every day, and she'd been living in Grünortschaft for about ten years. She knew what he was feeling.
"Hi." She said, announcing her presence at the scene.
He jolted slightly, obviously a bit surprised to see her there. He turned to face her, "Oh, hey Esther."
"What's going on?" She asked, though she already knew.
"Nothing really. You caught me in one of my 'flashbacks' again."
She smiled. "Yeah, I have." She then noticed he carried Soryuju in his arms. "I see you've got your nunchaku there. Were you practicing?"
"A little, yeah. I got a bit distracted though."
"It's alright, it happens to me too." A moment of silence passed before she continued. "Funny...this is the exact same spot I found you."
"It's part of the reason I got distracted. I didn't notice until I got halfway into my self-training session. "
"I see. It's weird to think that was nearly three years ago."
"It doesn't seem that far off."
She nodded. "Time passes quickly when your in a state of settling."
"As I've discovered."
"Were you thinking about your friends?"
"Indeed. I mean, I've made new ones here in this village, but...I still have memories once in a while."
"I understand. I still think of my real parents sometimes."
She took a couple steps forward so they were standing side by side, looking out over the river.
"However," He said after a couple more seconds of silence. "I can deal with it. So long as Astaroth is dead and my friends and brother avenged, I can be at peace. I'll always have a longing for the sea, but my soul can rest here, in this quiet village."
"I should take after your example. Sometimes I can feel so restless here."
"You'll get to have your adventures one day. All you need is a little more patience so you can get all the supplies you need and free yourself from anything that is holding you back right now."
She shook her head. "Not just me. I need to prepare for the both of us."
"Us?"
"Hell yeah, I'm taking you with me." She stated.
"Oh yes, that's right. You're supposedly going to help me find my friends."
"Yep!" She said, "Besides, it wouldn't be very nice of me to leave you all alone with these people. My sister and the other swooning village girls would never stop harassing you."
"You and I have a very different definition of harassing. I appreciate their attention."
"I think I figured that out when you winked at that one girl the other day." Esther replied dryly.
He shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault that I'm attractive. I probably made that girl's day too."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Is that jealousy I hear?"
She tried to look unimpressed, "Oh shut up. So, do you want to duel me?"
"What?"
"I want to see how those nunchaku fair in a fight against a swordsmen. I bet it looks awesome."
"It does, trust me. Sometimes I wish I could be the bystander watching."
"So egotistical."
"I was kidding. Damn, talk about attitude."
"So was I, talk about sensitivity."
He put an end to their pretend argument which they often had to amuse themselves and each other. "Alright, enough. Let's do this. I'm still wondering why you have your swords with you."
"Why not? After that whole ally incident I don't ever leave them at home."
Author's Note-
Honestly, I'm way fucking excited to put up the next chapter. I can't even tell you why because it will ruin events to come, and it's killing meh!
Again, just a reminder to pay attention to little details. There were about three things I hinted in there, for three separate events to come. There's probably know way that you'll know it right now, but if you keep paying attention, you'll probably see it just before it happens.
I should be putting up more artwork for this story soon. I just sketched a badass picture of Esther and Maxi fighting some lizard men. That sounded egotistical...um well I find it badass because for my first time attempting a scene like that, it turned out pretty well, much to my surprise. Anyways, find me on deviantart, SPAZTASTYCK.
Please review, I love knowing what I can do to improve because it shows that my readers truly care. I see I have a lot of views and people reading, but only one person (that awesome individual being Darkwizard) reviewing!
Speaking of her, please check out her stories as well! The Tiger and the Dragon and Soul Calibur High. The first one is so cute, and SC High is so funny! She also has a deviantart account, darkwizardl. (Her Renji picture is totes amazing!)