Well, hello there...
It has certainly been a while, right?
I would like to apologize for taking so long to update something...
I traveled to the countryside with my family and I did plan to write as much as possible...
But the internet was really bad and I couldn't do anything...
And now that classes started I decided to have a part-time job...
I literally have no time...
It sucks...
But I will try my best to be constant with my updates...
At least a chapter every two weeks or something like that...
Either way...
Enjoy...
:3
Awakening
The winds of the north softly caressed Louise face as she watched the mysterious island floating in the blue ocean that was the sky, Albion seemed like a heavenly kingdom surrounded by the white clouds and the rainbows above it... Louise found herself mesmerized and enlighted as the flying galleon made its way towards the country above the clouds, not for the view, but because she could feel the Warmth of the father in the sky filling every part of her body. Her eyes were completely focused in the magnificent golden orb on top of the celestial vault, Louise had found herself sometimes just staring at the Sun for long periods of time. She couldn't explain why but her gaze would always be attracted by the glowing star, it was strange because normally the light of the Sun is harmful to the eyes of the humans. But in Louise's case, it was as if the Sun actually empowered her body with its glow. She had felt many times how her tired body was suddenly revitalized and stronger than before... Perhaps it had something to do with her position as the Chosen of the Sun, maybe Leona had the answers...
...
...
Oh... That's right... Louise... Louise left with Wardes... Without Leona...
"Do you think it was a good idea?" Derflinger cackled behind her. "I mean, Sun Lady is still in La Rochelle... She must be dead worried about you..."
"I know...I know she must be looking for me... But... But I..."
Louise knew Leona didn't mean everything she did, she knew the Radiant Dawn regretted her actions and wanted to apologize for her faults... But Louise simply couldn't handle her emotions right now. On one hand, she was extremely happy to see Wardes again, he was practically the only one who ever cheered for Louise aside from Cattleya when she was younger, he was also her fiance and a powerful magician within the royal guard, a handsome and quite clever man who loved Louise for who she was... And on the other hand was Leona, the Radiant Dawn who had appeared in front of Louise during the summoning ritual, the Sun Goddess who had vowed to protect Louise from anything, the Chosen of the Sun who had given Louise a chance to prove herself as one of the Daughters of the Sun... Louise's heart couldn't simply decide which one was more important for her... Wardes had been her childhood friend and he was her future husband... But Leona was someone who truly had been by her side when she needed it the most, a beautiful and gorgeous woman who had chosen Louise over everything else... But Louise knew theirs would be a forbidden relationship.
Her mother and Father would never allow Louise to choose a woman over Wardes, not because it was correct but because with the marriage, he would become an important contact and ally inside of the court... It pained Louise to admit it, but even she agreed with this situation. Wardes would make a powerful asset within the royal guard and he was one of the strongest magicians in Halkeginia... Louise knew he was the right choice... And yet...
"Is there something bothering you, Louise?" Came his voice from behind.
"L-Lord Wardes?!" Louise exclaimed flustered as she felt his arms close around her "A-Are you alright?! You received quite the damaged back in La Rochelle..." It made her feel guilty just remembering how Leona had completely defeated him.
"I am alright, dear Louise. Magic knights are tougher than that... You don't have to worry about me."
"But still...! Leona could have killed you!"
"I can't deny it was my mistake to challenge your familiar without knowing the full extent of her strength... But I am alright, dear Louise, you shouldn't blame yourself for that kind of thing."
"Well... If that's how you feel, Lord Wardes..." Louise could feel her face blushing as she watched the dashing smile of Wardes... But it wasn't the same. Leona's smile was more beautiful and warm and to some extent, Leona's smile was real... Louise couldn't explain why, but that's how she felt.
"Either way, dear Louise, once we have reached the port I want you to follow me and stay by my side at all times. As you may already know, Albion is currently suffering from a civil war, Queen Henrietta sent me in order to protect you while we retrieve the letter from Prince Wardes."
"How bad is the situation?"
"Most of the nobles have fled the country but some of them were captured and executed without a trial, the royal family has fallen and the only survivor is Prince Wales Tudor de Albion. According to Queen Henrietta, he is hiding within an abandoned abbey outside of the main city of Albion. We are lucky there is a port nearby so we can avoid landing in the main city where the situation hasn't settled down for now... We can reach the abbey in my griffon and retrieve the letter as soon as possible, sadly the ship needs to be resupplied so we will have to wait for a day. It would be for the best if we waited with the Prince since there are rebel patrols watching the ports."
"I understand, Lord Wardes."
"And Louise, I've been meaning to ask... Why do you have a sword with you? Wouldn't it be better if you had a rapier since you can cast spells with it?"
"Ah! Well, you see... This sword is actually a... It's a gift from Leona..."
"Your familiar bought you that sword? Is she by any chance teaching you how to use it?"
"No... Not yet anyways... I was the one who wanted to own a weapon, I don't really know how to use it properly and I usually rely on my instincts most of the time, but Derflinger has been really useful so far and since this was an important mission, I wanted to be as prepared as possible for any eventuality."
"That is actually magnificent, dear Louise! This shows just how much you have matured..." Wardes said making Louise blush "But I do believe using such big sword will only hinder you in combat. Once we are done with this mission, I will personally pick a rapier more suitable for you."
Well... Louise did forget to tell Wardes about her recent powers and her position as the future Radiant Dawn of Halkeginia, but she decided to not tell him since it really didn't matter if Wardes knew or not. And besides, if they did encounter some sort of trouble, Louise would show him she is no longer the weak and scared child she used to be... She was now something comparable with Leona... But Wardes might take that the wrong way considering Leona almost killed him... Once again, Louise didn't know what to do.
"Dear Louise..." Wardes whispered "I want you to consider our marriage, I know you will accept because that's what your family wants... But I want you to tell me you want to be my wife, I want you to tell me you will be mine... And in exchange, I will become your husband and your guardian."
Guardian? What a funny word... Leona was exactly that for Louise, a guardian, and her shield... But Leona was far away from here, probably angered by Louise's words. Yes, Leona was far away from Louise, and Wardes was here with her. The only one who had been by her side ever since she was a child, the one who was with her right now... Yes... There was simply no other option left... It was the right thing to do...
"... I accept, Lord Wardes."
"Ah! My dear Louise! You just made me the happiest man in Halkeginia!" Wardes exclaimed as he hugged Louise.
...
...
Yes...
This was the correct thing to do...
"It must be here..." Louise commented as she studied the church in front of her "Queen Henrietta told me Prince Wales was here... But it looks abandoned from here... Could he have moved since the rebels finally discovered his hideout?"
"We won't know it for sure unless we investigate the monastery, dear Louise," Wardes said "And even if we don't find them here, there might be some clues of their whereabouts... Let us head inside for now."
It was a valid and reasonable plan, Louise trusted Henrietta's information but if the Prince wasn't there then she didn't know what to do next, she could spend years trying to look for Wales and she wouldn't find him anyways. Albion wasn't a big country but there were so many places where to hide and as the Prince, Wales sure had many more hideouts scattered around the country. The war was another big factor since Louise was sure she wouldn't be able to go looking for him as she pleased. In fact, if the rebels found out she was on an important mission from Henrietta, they will most likely use her to reach Wales and even threaten the alliance between Tristain and Germania... This situation was more dangerous that Louise had initially thought.
Wardes opened the big wooden doors of the abbey, the screeching howling of the rusted hinges was the only thing Louise heard from inside. Rows of large seats facing forward and several colorful stained glass windows could be seen around, and at the front in the center, there was a huge window illuminating the place. The place seemed completely desolated, not a single sound could be heard aside from Louise's and Wardes' footsteps.
"There's nobody here..." Louise said worriedly. "Maybe they left after a-" Louise suddenly shut up when she felt something moving from the shadows.
"You are wrong," Wardes said keeping Louise behind him.
A dozen of armored knights appeared all around them, all of the wearing green robes over their turquoise armor. Louise could see they were wielding the same weapon as Wardes, a rapier designed to work as both a wand and a sword... Magic knights. Louise knew she could easily defeat magicians thanks to her battle against Kirche and Tabitha... But the girls were just that, just a pair of talented magicians. Maybe Tabitha had a bit more of experience as Louise was able to tell by the way she used her magic and Kirche was extremely skilled she could simply overpower other magicians with raw power... But these were battle oriented magicians, knights trained in both physical and magical techniques and strategies. Leona was able to defeat Wardes because she was simply too strong for any magician across Halkeginia, but Louise was a novice Rakkor with just a victory on the battlefield against two inexperienced and unprepared enemies... Tabitha and Kirche couldn't be compared with the magical knights... But the element of surprise was by her side, no one in this room knew about her Sun Powers or the potential of Derflinger.
Louise slowly channeled the power of the Sun in her body... She could win if she played her cards right.
"We mean no harm to you, royal knight," Wardes said lifting his hands "This here is an especial ambassador sent by Tristain, Miss Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, we request an official meeting with Lord Wales."
"An ambassador from Tristain?!" One of the knights said skeptically as he placed his rapier in Wardes throat "I've heard better lies, no one in the others kingdoms should know about this place... So you are either spies, assassins... Or too stupid to find this place by chance. Either way, you can't leave this place alive."
The knights around began closing on them with their weapons ready. Louise could see all of them were magical knights and not even Wardes was strong enough to defeat all of them at once... Maybe Leona would... But she wasn't here... It was just Louise... Alone again... But not quite because the Sun was now by her side... She slowly lifted her arms in faux surrender, just so she could reach Derflinger easier. She could feel how her energy began overflowing in her chest, she just needed to grab Derflinger and explode with the Eclipse and-
"Wait a minute..." Lousie froze in place as the knight seemed to stare at her hand with interest "That ring... I know that ring... Child, how did you get that ring?"
"Uh?" The knight wasn't as aggressive as before, so Louise decided to use words instead of swords "Princess Henrietta gave this ring to me... She also told me about this place. I was sent by her with a secret and urgent message for Lord Wales, it is extremely important so I need to meet him at once."
The magic knight kept looking at Louise, but Louise couldn't tell what exactly was he thinking since his face was concealed by the helmet. Slowly, the magic knight sheathed his rapier and to the surprise of Louise, he took off one of his gloves and revealed a purple gem with the same shape and form of Louise's. Louise watched in surprise as the knight lifted his fist with the ring in front of her and waited.
"Come on..." He said softly "Bring closer the ring... Come on..."
Louise hesitated staring at the purple ring on the knight's finger and then staring at her own sapphire ring... Henrietta had told her the ring would be useful in some way once they were in Albion, but she never specified what was the objective of the ring... Either way, Louise didn't want to believe the words of the knight just yet, but he was certainly less aggressive and sounded quite interested in the rings. Maybe there was something Louise was ignoring... But aside for her assumptions, she didn't have any other path. She slowly raised her hand with the ring and got it as close as possible to the knight's hand. To her surprise, the rings began glowing with multi-colored glows, making the other knights and even Wardes exclaim in surprise.
"W-What is this?" Louise asked mesmerized by the rainbow light.
"This here is the royal ring that has been passed through the generations in Albion, The ruby of the winds." The knight explained slowly "And the one you have is the royal ring of Tristain, The sapphire of the waters... Together, these tow rings created the rainbow. The rainbow that shall illuminate and guide the path of the royalty across Halkeginia..." The knight finished taking off his helmet.
"Y-You are...!?" Louise exclaimed in shock as she was greeted by a handsome young man with golden hair and blue eyes.
"I would like to apologize for my rude behavior, Miss ambassador." The young man said with a court bow "We have been through a lot and we kind of acted just like our enemies... I am the crown prince of Albion, Wales Tudor, I am really glad you made it here safely."
"Y-Your majesty!" Louise exclaimed as she kneeled in front of Wales "Blessed are these eyes that can see you alive and healthy!"
"There is no need for that, Miss Valliere," Wales said with a smile "As I said before, I am really glad you managed to reach us... And I do believe we have the legendary 'Lightning' here, The viscount of Wardes."
"I feel truly honored that your majesty has heard about a small magician such as myself," Wardes said with a bow.
"I am the one who should feel honored for having such celebrity among us... But I do believe we have important business to attend." Wales said as he helped Louise up "Follow me, Miss Valliere, we must speak in private."
"B-But Lord Wardes...?" Louise began in confusion.
"It's alright, Louise..." Wardes reassured with a soft smile "I will be waiting here for you."
Louise looked at Wardes with worry. She did trust Wales but for some strange reason she couldn't help but feel nervous and vulnerable without someone looking out for her back. Maybe it had to do with Leona being there for Louise as her shield... Louise should really stop doing that, hurting herself over something that has already happen won't bring her any good. She could worry about Leona after she had fulfilled her mission. With a resolved huff, she followed Prince Wales inside of the abbey.
After going through a secret door behind one of the pillars, Louise appeared in the courtyard of the abbey. She could see a set of rooms at the sides and a small garden with a fountain the middle, several magic knights were guarding some of the doors and a few others were chatting among themselves. Once they noticed Wales, all of them saluted and bowed in front of him. Wales smiled softly and guided Louise to one of the rooms.
The inside of the room was lit dimly by a few torches and a candle on a table in the middle of the room. As Louise had expected, the room had almost no ornaments aside from the royal zeal of Albion hung on one of the walls, she could see a background portrait of a landscape on another wall and a rich wardrobe by the humble bed. On the table, Louise was able to see some important reports, a few maps with red and blue marks, some golden coins and a cup filled with wine.
"I apologize for the mess, I didn't know an ambassador of Tristain was coming," Wales said ashamed.
"I-It's okay, your majesty!" Louise reassured with a bow.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Wales said with a soft giggle "I am really thankful you came here despite the dangers, especially seeing just how young you are... But I suppose we can debate whether it was correct or not, let us do what we must."
"Y-yes!" Louise said as she gave Henrietta's letter to Wales "This is the letter Queen Henrietta ordered me to deliver to you at once... Everything will be explained there..."
Wales nodded and took the letter. Minutes over minutes of agonizing silence filled the room while Louise waited for the Prince, she could see how the frown of Wales became more miserable as he read the letter... Well, it was to be expected after all. Louise knew exactly the message of the letter and just how much pain Wales was suffering, but there was simply nothing she could do to help both Wales and Henrietta. Both of them were the leaders of their respective country and both of them understood the weight of such decision more that anyone else... But that didn't mean it made it less painful for them.
"I see..." Wales said quietly finishing the letter, "I understand... I understand..." He spoke quietly as he looked for something in his wardrobe, he then gave Louise another letter with the zeal of Tristain's royal family "This... This is what you came for... Take it..."
It was a thin envelope made of rich paper and sealed with bright crimson clay... Louise's hands trembled as she held the small and yet important piece of paper, she couldn't believe the destiny of her country rested in the contents of such thing. She couldn't accept Henrietta was suffering for such petty and weak thing. She couldn't believe Wales seemed so sad for giving her this thing... But she also knew there were wars that had begun for less than that, she wondered just what kind of twisted god allowed these chain of events.
"Uhm...? Prince Wales...?" Louise asked timidly "D-Did you... Have you considered asking for political asylum to Queen Henrietta?"
"Miss Valliere... I do believe you do know more than you should, Especially regarding the contents of the letter that was supposed to be for my eyes only." Wales said with a small smile.
"I-I just wanted to...!" Louise tried to explain herself.
"Miss Valliere... This is not a simple war of ideals between the nobles and the royal family, there are shadows hiding in every corner of Albion corrupting the heart of its citizens and driving them to madness... Miss Valliere, I am afraid our enemy might be more dangerous than we initially thought."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Reconquista."
"R-Reconquista? What is that?"
"Even I ignore the true nature of this particular group of mysterious people, but I do know there are the ones behind the current civil war in Albion." Wales explained with a grim look "These people are extremely dangerous and wicked, but they are also quite clever in their ways. The nobles and the royal family are mere puppets in this sick game they have created, I have finally been able to find them and learn about their intentions... But in reality, there is nothing I can do to stop them... Albion is flooded in the war and I can't just go around chasing shadows while the good people of my kingdom suffer and die for no good reason... My duty is with my subjects."
"But... But if you keep fighting like this..." Louise tried to refute but she was stopped when she felt the gentle hand of Wales on her cheek.
"I know..." He answered with a sad smile "I know I may be fighting a lost battle... But that is what leaders do. As long as I can breathe and move, I will keep doing everything I can for everyone in Albion... Please, Miss Valliere, tell that to Henrietta..."
Louise could see the determination in his eyes as he uttered those painfully correct words, Wales was now the only beacon of hope for a land that was destined to fall into chaos and into nothingness... But it was so unfair. She could see just how much he regretted those words and how much he wanted to take them back, she could see just how much he wished he could follow his heart and run after what he wanted... But he couldn't... Because he was born within the 'privileged' royal family, because it was his duty, because it was his destiny...
Because he was Wales Tudor, Prince of Albion.
Louise left with tears falling from her eyes...
She was so weak and useless... She believed her new powers could have changed this painful outcome, but it wasn't enough. She began to see just how tiny and pitiful she really was... Wardes... Leona... Maybe they could have done better than her, maybe they could have done different, maybe they could have changed everything... But it was Louise who was chosen... It was Louise 'the zero' who was given the right to act as the representative of Henrietta...
And she was the one who ended everything...
Pitiful indeed...
"Is that the letter?" Came his voice from her back.
Wardes stood there, looking at Louise with his calming smile... It only brought dread to Louise's heart as she felt she had somehow failed him, he who was a man well versed in the arts of magic, and possibly a better ambassador than her... He could have done better, he could have found the way... Louise felt his eyes drop in shame, she didn't want to see him at all... He seemed to shine with a light that hurt her eyes, the light of someone who stood at the top...
It was painful...
It was mortifying...
Louise just wanted to get away from those judgmental eyes that haunted her... The same eyes everyone around her seemed to look at her with... All of them expecting something from her, all of them filled with disappointment, all of them fake... All of them...
All of them but hers...
Her golden orbs that looked at what she really was, her kind voice devoided of disappointment, her smile that held no secret meaning...
She was like the sun, A sun Louise could look at as long as she wanted... She was a shield, a shield that would protect her from anyone and anything... She was everything Louise was hoping for, a strong and dignified individual that feared nothing, not even the elves on the wild lands or the demons from the depths of the abyss... And she was now everything Louise wanted by her side...
The gears of destiny cracked as she realized her own desires, the path ahead of her was erased... The things that could have been, the future that was built for her, the decisions she had to make... She could see how everything was shattered in million of small pieces... And then... She saw it at the end of the road.
Tall buildings and magnificent castles surrounded by the golden and silver glow of the king and the queen of the celestial vault. She could hear the voices of hundreds of generations whispering her the secrets behind every star in the sky. The regal doors of the Silver city opened in front of Louise as she felt Derflinger shake behind her back, her clothes began to shine and disintegrate as she got closer to the gates... The golden figure of a horned boy was waiting for her at the gates, his wide smile and his hand inviting her into her new calling...
"I will be waiting at the peak of Halkeginia..." His voice echoed "Louise, The Radiant Dawn."
"Louise?" Wardes asked worriedly as he placed his hands on her shoulders "Louise, What's wrong?"
Louise blinked. It had been and illusion, a realistic illusion of one of the many dreams she had had ever since the summoning ritual... Illusions and dreams of battles she had never fought, places she had never visited... All Illusions and dreams, but this one was different... This one had something the others didn't have... Her name.
Louise knew what had to be done. She needed to find Leona and tell her about everything she had witnessed... Anyone else would simply laugh and disregard her vision as part of her stupidity, but Leona would definitely believe in her... And together with her familiar, Louise would look for the highest and mightiest peak across Halkeginia and she would finally become what she had chosen to be: The Sun.
"Louise, Are you unwell?" Wardes asked once again.
He was such a handsome man. His hair was long and well combed, his features were soft but looked quite attractive with his beard and mustache, his voice was like a lullaby... But Louise had witnessed what really mattered for her: His strength. He was indeed strong... But Louise could feel she was stronger than him, her destiny was not something a man like him could or would understand. He would never be able to follow her into the city of Silver, he would never be able to look at the sun like she did, he would never be able to live the way Louise wanted to live her life.
He was a Tristain gentleman and a wonderful knight... Louise was a Rakkor and the Chosen of the Sun.
He wasn't enough.
"Yes, Lord Wardes?" Louise finally answered with a warm smile.
"Dear Louise, what happened to you?" He asked caressing her cheek "You seemed gone a while ago."
"Nothing to worry about, Lord Wardes! I was just deep in thought."
"Well... If you say everything is fine the I suppose I could-"
"We should hurry up, Lord Wardes!" Louise said pulling him "We must hurry up and return to La Rochelle at once! Leona must be worried about me and there are things I must discuss with her at once."
"What? Return to her? But I thought you-"
"I was simply blinded by my own immaturity," Louise interrupted once again "Let us go at once!"
"Louise... I've been thinking we should ask Prince Wales to help us with our wedding ceremony."
"What?"
"I'm pretty sure the Prince will be more than happy to marry us here, right now."
"That's... That's ridiculous! How can I waste my time with a wedding when I have to find Leona?"
"W-waste your time?" Wardes asked clearly shocked.
"Certainly! Besides, Queen Henrietta is waiting for me at Tristain, I must deliver Prince Wales answer. After that, l must ask Leona for more training and in the meantime, I must look for the highest peak in Halkeginia. As you could tell, I have a lot of things to do and I can't possibly waste any precious second I have in trivial things such as a wedding." Her words seemed to have left Wardes completely flabbergasted as he could only look at her with his mouth wide open "I am so sorry for everything I had to say and I would like to apologize for everything I will do... But this is a path in which you can't follow me, Wardes. A path only Leona and I can walk." Louise finished turning around and leaving.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, my dear Louise." Wardes said hugging her tightly "There is so much to do."
"W-What are you doing, Wardes?! Let me go!"
"I can't do that, dear Louise. I need... No... Reconquista needs you."
"Let me go! I said let me g... Wait... You... You just..." Suddenly, Louise's face paled in horror "No... It can't be... Wardes you..."
"It's alright, Louise" Wardes whispered in her ear "You don't have to think about anything at all, you just have to follow me."
"You...! How could you...?! I trusted in you!" Louise yelled breaking free from Wardes hold "I believed in you, Wardes! How could..?!" Her words stopped when she felt bumping into something, she turned around and saw a tall blonde man with arrogant empty eyes "You... Who are you?"
"That is not important, Child of the Void," He said as he lifted his arm, Louise saw in his fingers a deviant looking gem with a terrifying glow in it.
Louise watched into the strange gem as she felt a disgusting tremble filling her body, she could sense how her limbs numbed, she could feel a foreign energy coursing through her veins. She couldn't move or say anything, she could only stare into the gem as its energy invaded her mind and body... She tried to resist... But it was impossible, the power was too strong...
And she was too weak...
...
...
This is wrong...
"It definitely came as a surprise!" Said the voice of Prince Wales "But if you two agree, I will not deny you this happiness"
"We are pleased to hear Your majesty approves our decision and is willing to help us as much as possible," Wardes said as he held Louise in his arms.
Stop it...
"It is the least I can do for you considering you both came on an almost suicide mission, I am afraid I can only offer a rudimentary ceremony, and I am pretty sure my men are not the kind of guest you wanted... But this can still be a wonderful ceremony for all of us, and this way, we can bring some happiness to the troops. A bit of normal life will certainly bring them peace for a while."
"We will be happy to aid you in any possible way."
No...
Don't do it...
It is a trap...
"Splendid! Then, let us begin at once." Prince Wales said with a clap, the knights that were standing unsheathed their blades and proceed to point them at the Prince "Alright... The groom, Viscount Jean-Jaques Francis Wardes, under the pledge given to us by our founder Brimir, do you promise to love, protect and cherish this beautiful and kind woman, and take her as your loving and only wife?"
"I do," Wardes said with determination.
No... Please... Can't you see...?
"And now... Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, third daughter of La Valliere family. Under the pledge given to us by our founder Brimir, do you promise to love, protect and cherish this gentle and strong man, and take him as your loving husband?"
No...
"I do" Were the words that came out of her mouth.
"Magnificent!" Prince Wales said with a bright smile "Then... By the power given to me by my father, and following the rules and traditions created by our founder Brimir. I, Wales Tudor, Crown Prince of Albion, declare both of you husband and wife, my the elements and the blessing of our ancestors be always by your side" Prince Wales clapped and he was followed by his knights "You can now kiss the wife."
No...
This can't be happening...
No...
Louise could see how Wardes bowed at the prince and proceed to grab her head with his hands, he slowly lifted her face until Louise was able to see him... That smug and triumphant smile told Louise everything she needed to know about his sick and twisted intentions... He was the man he used to believe in, an ideal she secretly followed every time she felt there was no hope for her, every time her strength left her body, every time her eyes were overcome by the tears and the pain... He was the ideal, the dream, and everything Louise used to believe in... She watched as he slowly lowered his face... He was Louise's dream...
A weak dream.
Wardes didn't realize what had happened until his body collided against the wall and the blood from his nose began staining his green robe, the pain came delayed and made him curl in a fetal position as he tried to stop the stream of blood coming from his broken nose. He lifted his glare trying to find what had caused him so much pain, his eyes scanned through the chapel, only finding the shocked whispering of the nights and the shocked expression of Wales... From one of the columns, he distinguished the silhouette of his colleague, he was clutching his left hand in pain as the ring glowed like if it had been exposed to the ardent flames of hell. Wardes kept looking around until he realized what had changed.
Louise was standing there, with her face darkened by the shadows... But with her fist above her head where his face should have been a moment ago...
But that wasn't his dear and little Louise...
That creature standing before Wales exuded and aura of pure rage and wrath, the pinks strands of its hair began burning with golden flames as its body trembled in fury, the creature raised its head revealing a pair of molten orbs with a pink hint, its visage was filled with anger and disgust at the mere sight of Wardes form. Its mouth trembled and slowly opened as the creature breathed deeply...
Then...
She roared with the might of the Manticore.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, WARDES!"
Wardes had enough time to barely dodge the attack of the beats, the wall behind him was completely obliterated, and exploded sending debris and small pieces of granite everywhere. He readied his rapier and channeled his trademark spell: The lighting. The bolt charged completely and he sent if flying towards the angry monster in front of him...
Wardes was indeed a brilliant and talented magician... But in the end, he was just another stupid man who never learned from his mistakes.
The creature simply slapped the bolt with the back of her hand and sent the projectile flying behind it, destroying completely the already shattered wall behind it's back.
"I-Impossible...!" Wardes managed to articulate before a pair of claws closed on her throat, he watched the angry visage of the creature as it roared in his face, then he felt his body flying once again, and the sound of the walls breaking as his back collided with the wall.
"Lord Wardes!" Prince Wales tried to help him up, but Wardes couldn't muster any strength in his limbs "Lord Wardes! Answer me!"
"Prince Wales!" The creature roared "Get away from that piece of filth!"
"Louise! I have no idea of what just happened and I am afraid to even ask... But your actions are completely insane!"
"Listen to me, your majesty! He is with Reconquista! He is a traitor!"
"Wait... What?" Wales sounded genuinely shocked by this claim "I don't... I don't understand... How can that be even possible-?"
A moment of doubt... That was all Wardes needed, he never let go of his rapier... A moment of doubt...
"NO!"
Wardes pushed the limp body of the Prince away and got up, he spat the blood that was flooding his mouth and focused his eyes on the creature in front of him.
She was a small and petite girl with long and wavy hair, carefully combed and secured by a white wedding veil, her eyes were filled with horror and sadness, a few tears fell to the ground as her heart tried to understand what just happened... But that moment lasted only a second, Wardes blinked and the girl was gone. In her place, there was a terrifying creature similar to the manticores he had seen before, its pink mane began to burn with golden flames, its molten orbs were completely focused on his throat and he could see a strange aura forming around her...
It was just like her, like the Sun Goddess he had fought a few days ago...
Little Louise was now something else... Something that couldn't be allowed to leave this chapel alive...
"Hello, dear Louise" Wardes said as he readied his rapier "I always thought you were a simple and stupid child I could easily impress with petty acts of kindness and stupid tricks... I suppose I was wrong."
"WARDES!" Was all Louise roared before she rushed towards him.
Wardes trusted his rapier as soon as Louise was in range, but the young girl easily ducked under the sword, and with a swift move she threw her fist upwards. The uppercut connected on his chin and sent Wardes flying into the air, he managed to keep his consciousness long enough to see Louise grab him by his feet and hurl him over the magical knights, he collided with the ground and bounced a few times before he crashed on the long rows of wooden seats, destroying everything he touched.
Louise huffed in anger as she felt her powers swirling wildly inside her chest, she wanted to simply let go out her frustrations and calcinate everything in the explosion of Eclipse... But she still had a job to do, the body of Prince Wales remained limp and motionlessly behind her, she couldn't see him breathing... The tears began to fall her eyes as she realized what had been lost due to her inexperience and stupidity...
Wales was dead... The only man Henrietta loved died because Louise wasn't careful enough... This was a burden she would have to live with for the rest of her life... Her biggest mistake...
"You... What are you?!" Said a voice from afar.
Louise focused her eyes again and noticed some of the knights were actually helping Wardes, Louise could tell he wasn't the only rat that had somehow found his way inside of the guard of Prince Wales. Her eyes scanned the place looking for the weird man with that strange ring... But he was gone, escaped like the coward her was... He did well... He would survive to fight another day...
Wardes and the knights were a different story.
"You better stay where you are, Monster!" Another knight yelled as all of them prepared their spells "Soldiers of Reconquista! Slain that thing!" At his command, several bolts of different colors were shot at Louise.
The world suddenly slowed, Louise was able to see every frame of every action. The bolts kept moving towards her, it seemed like none of them would fail... She expected that much from the magical knights, but Louise still had one last card to play. And none of those experience and skilled knights were ready for it.
She smiled as she raised her hand and allowed the Sun to guide her strength. The ceiling fell under the pressure of the gold beam of light and Louise felt something fall into her hand... The handle of her sword, Derflinger.
The magic was suddenly negated and the bolts were consumed by Derflinger's edge and bursting into golden flames that surrounded Louise, scorching everything around her with her might, the body of the Prince was engulfed in the flames and was lost in the sea of golden energy.
"Good to see you again, Derf," Louise said softly.
"I can say the same, pinkie" Derflinger cackled happily "There was no way I would let you have all this fun by yourself!"
"Is that so? Well, as you can see, there is plenty for both of us. Although, I am not sure which are our allies and which aren't..."
"All of our allies are corpses outside, I saw those rats kill them while they were distracted."
"Then I guess I don't have to hold back, huh?" Louise said sadly "Very well, let us finish this, Derflinger!"
The knights roared and rushed towards Louise with their weapons ready. Mindless idiots who charged forward with no idea what was waiting for them, Louise smiled wickedly as she felt the Eclipse form around her, ready to implode and burn anything that dared to touch her...
But they never reached her...
From beneath her feet, sand began swirling and suddenly, a wall of soldiers cladded in red and golden armor with humongous shields rose and pushed the knight away easily. The knights fell to the ground in screams of surprise but were quickly silenced as dozens of golden spears pierced their fallen forms on the spot. Louise watched in shock as soldiers with crimson armor suddenly appeared out of nowhere, protecting and kill her enemies.
"Wh-What just...?" Louise tried to articulate but was interrupted by his voice.
"The order is given!"
The giant wooden doors exploded in millions of piece and Louise watched as several warriors cladded in crimson and jade armor rushed with their weapons ready, easily cleaving and destroying the confused knights who seemed completely helpless against the monstrous strength of the foreigners... But there was one who seemed to shine among them, a special individual that dashed through the enemies as if they didn't exist. A female warrior wearing golden and crimson clothes, wielding a long sword and a massive and impenetrable shield, her long and curly hair remained Louise of the mane of the powerful manticores, her molten orbs that seemed to shine like the sun in the skies... A goddess that had descended to protect those who suffered.
That was her champion, Leona, the Radian Dawn.
"Louise!" Leona screamed in joy and worry as she finally reached her.
Louise only managed to smile once before her vision blurred, she felt Derflinger fall from her hands and the world spinning. She lost her footing and collapsed in the warm embrace of her champion. The last thing she saw was Leona's face before she was overtaken by the exhaustion and fatigue...
And the darkness took Louise in her gentle embrace.
225 tiles...
226 tiles...
227 tiles...
228 tiles...
Louise counted the fine squares that conformed the elegant floor of the castle once again, it was actually the third time she had done it and she already knew just how many were in the grand room she was currently in, sitting in a elegant chair made of fine oak, waiting for Queen Henrietta to be ready for her appointment with the leader of the Warring Kingdoms...
In reality, Louise knew what was happening behind those doors... She could still see the sad smile of the Queen as Louise told her she could find the body of Wales after the battle, she had only been able to return with his ring in her hands and nothing else... Henrietta had suppressed her emotions marvelously, but Louise could still see the pain clouding her eyes, Henrietta's tears never betrayed her so Louise respected her intentions and remained calm during the whole meeting... But Louise knew that Henrietta was currently crying in her own right now.
It was mortifying but there was nothing Louise could do to help her dear friend, she had retrieved the letter with success but had failed to protect Prince Wales from harm. It wasn't her fault since nobody knew about Wardes true intentions, but that didn't erase the fact that Louise had failed in her mission... And know Henrietta suffered on her own, her young heart completely broken, her soul shattered... But she had to carry one, there were still things to do, Tristain needed her Queen to protect them from the unseen enemies that were trying to destroy everything.
There was no room for her emotions.
Louise sighed and decided to stop counting the tiles like a crazy woman, and instead decided to study the strange foreigners Leona had found in La Rochelle.
They were quite interesting If Louise was honest with herself.
The males were taller than the average Tristain citizen and had some sort of wild aura that made them look scary and imposing from afar, but in reality, they were quite well behaved and acted like proper gentlemen. The ones called Garen, Jarvan and Xin Zhao seemed to have quite the experience when it came to diplomacy, especially Jarvan who seemed well versed in the subtle arts of the speech. Tryndamere was the only one who seemed out of the equation, rude, brutish and arrogant like a common Germanian, but even Louise could tell his real talent lied on the battlefield.
The females seemed to belong to a different dimension, far away from what Louise used to believe was considered beauty. Both Katarina and Nidalee had a special seductive aura that even she couldn't help but admire, their visage seemed to be carefully crafted with years of experience and practice, their slender bodies only spoke about their tenacity and agility. Louise guessed the battlefield they belonged to was a bit more secluded, and at the same time, more important. Vi was definitely not inside that category, Louise literally mistook her for a male at first. Strong, haughty and even rude were the best qualities Louise got from her, quite easy going and overall a good person.
But the biggest mystery was probably their leader.
Azir simply seemed to not belong to this world. Not only because of his physical appearance but because there was something about him that made Louise want to follow him to wherever he wanted to go, he walked with a dignity and magnificence, not even the royalty could replicate. In his eyes, Louise could tell the number of battles he had fought, the number of victories he had won, the number of men he had lost, and the number of lessons he had learned. Louise could believe he was the king of such impressive warriors, she could even see just how powerful his kingdom was... And she was afraid to wonder what kind of horror had pushed such strong warriors to such desperate measures.
It was terrifying indeed.
"Louise?" Leona asked quietly as she hugged her small body "Are you okay?"
"I... I am fine... I am just... Just a bit overwhelmed by all of this..."
"I know. I would like to take your place but I am just your champion... This is something only you can do... And I know you will succeed."
Louise didn't think so. She had been chosen as the mediator in the negotiation between Tristain and the Warring Kingdoms just because Leona was the one who made contact with this new civilization. Apparently, the council considered there were better options and more prepared nobles to fulfill such important task, but Henrietta had stood her ground, choosing Louise over any other alternative. The Queen knew the other options were a bunch of nobles completely corrupted by their own desires and the greed of their families... Louise could understand how Henrietta felt but her recent failure only made her feel more scared about failing once again... She was scared...
"You don't have to worry about anything," Leona said softly as she snuggled Louise "I am now here for you... And I promise I will never leave you alone ever again."
"You... You promise?"
"I promise."
Louise smiled to herself. Why was she worrying so much about such things? The city of Silver had finally appeared in front of her with a mission to fulfill, she had finally made the choice, she had finally decided to follow the path the king of the celestial vault had given to her. She would definitely succeed in this mission, she would definitely help Henrietta as much as possible... But her real calling lied somewhere in Halkeginia, somewhere in this great land was the mightiest peak of all, and on the top rested the city of Silver... And Louise destiny.
The doors of Henrietta's rooms finally opened and Agnes stepped out, followed by a group of musketeers with their weapons ready. She eyed the warriors with skepticism before she turned to Louise, she nodded to her and the musketeers stood at the sides so the warriors could enter and have an audience with the queen of Tristain.
Leona got up and offered Louise her hand to grab, the young girl smiled and took it with confidence. She knew her path was filled with obstacles and hardships, she knew there were more dangerous enemies waiting for her along the way, enemies more powerful and ruthless than Wardes, she knew some of those enemies were her friends and family... But she didn't care, her choice was made and Louise was not one to regret something she had chosen for herself. She no longer was the pitiful Tristainian who couldn't do a single thing right, she was now the chosen of the Sun
And as long as she had Leona and the sun by her side, nothing would stop her.
Not even Brimir himself.
This is the little corner where I will answer your questions and doubts...
If you have a suggestion or a complaint I will answer it here...
:3
valguienmas1: That is a possibility :3
DaMonkMan: I did say I would introduce as champions as possible, Never said they would make it till the end... The constant will always be Leona... Probably :3
Undying Soul98: It is my intentions for the celestial aspects to appear on Halkeginia and have them be part of their history... But the Void can't be stopped, only delayed :3