On the other foot
"She's late," her mistress complains. "Is it that fairies have a problem telling time or something?"
Sakuya simply remains still as Remilia voices her complaints. Had Sakuya herself been the maid attending to the vampire's personal care the pot of tea would have been prepared the moment she'd awakened, but since the stunt she pulled the morning after Daiyousei was hired as a temp, Remilia was insistent that this fairy remain on those duties. A bit of revenge play since she knew Sakuya was throwing a subdued tantrum. Now both of them are passively bickering with one another until the other says she's sorry. So if Daiyousei is late or performing poorly in her duties, Sakuya merely ducks responsibility. This will continue until one of them lets up. So in other words, this could continue for a very long time.
"Might I suggest you seek someone else to fill the position?" though her tone was neutral, it was clear she was being snarky.
"No, I don't demand the same level of perfection from others as I do myself, so I will instruct her until I am satisfied with her performance. And my 'instructions' have been known to be quite effective."
"As you wish," Sakuya nods, but she couldn't help but somehow find the situation odd.
For the first couple of days the fairy known as Daiyousei had been having a rough time. She wasn't exactly clumsy and she was naturally talented at taking care of others, but it seems the mannerisms of etiquette of proper society to which the Scarlet household demands of it's maids. Some day in the future the fairy would make an excellent wife and mother, but she makes a terrible lady. Still, for the past few days it'd become clear that Remilia was happy being under Daiyousei's care, but the mistress has been kept in waiting for nearly an hour. This truancy felt unsettling.
Then again, Marisa might have something to do with this. How exactly did she get into the mansion without the head maid/head of security knowing? And where the hell was she now? Though she might be the mansion most frequent (uninvited) visitor, it troubles the maid that someone knows the Scarlet estate better than her.
Finally a knock sounds and the muffled voice of the fairy is heard. Remilia retains her silence as if she's a panther waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," says Daiyousei as she opens the door. "Oh! Lady Izayoi, I didn't realize you were attending to the mistress." At least she seems to have her speech patterns memorized.
"I am not. I'm merely here as an observer, and I must say you are very late with your lady's morning tea."
"I have no excuses," and she offers none.
"Whatever," Remilia is getting irritated with the word play between the two, "just get over her already."
Pushing the platinum cart the fairy brings a platter of tea and sweets to her bedside. Trying her best to mimic grace she pouts the tea into a cup.
Sakuya easily notices, and by quickly glancing to the side she can tell her master notices as well. Daiyousei's unnecessarily nervous. No, "frightened" might be a better word. Most of the time Remilia's scolding is hollow words (and the exact opposite is true with the Izayoi maid) and in actuality she's very easy-going and relaxed. Even if the vampire was irritated or upset, there wasn't a particular cause for fright. Yet somehow this tall fairy was exactly that. It wasn't exactly a cause for alarm, but it was one for suspicion.
"What exactly caused you to be late this morning?" and with Sakuya asking this, there is an even heavier weight to her words.
"Um!" she nearly shrieks like a child getting caught telling a lie. "I had trouble leaving my room this morning." Her smile was crooked and nearly broken. It didn't seem like a fabrication, but it neither felt like the truth.
"Very well," are the only words with how Sakuya chooses to respond.
Weakly the fairy laughs and hands over the tea.
"Goodness Sakuya," Remilia speaks up after finally having a sip, "surely she didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition this morning, so ease off her a little bit."
"Yes ma'am."
But it seems that only the two not native to Gensokyo understood the reference.
"But this kind of behavior will not be accepted, Dai-chan. Your employment may only be temporary, but I expect you to conduct yourself as a professional. Are we not fulfilling our end of the bargain by caring for your friend?"
These next words sound so cold that even someone like Remilia hesitates, "Yes, you are."
Such anger rushes through Sakuya that she's just about to spring into attack, but her master halts her by speaking first.
"Very well. That will be all. Sakuya will be attending to me the rest of the day. See to it that Patchouli doesn't require anything."
Just like that, Daiyousei was demoted. All because of the tone of her voice. Had one of the normal fairy maids been given that honor, they'd be heartbroken to the point of tears by now, yet this larger-than-most fairy acts as if it's a matter of course and offers no objection. Devotion such as Sakuya's, the gate guardian Hong Meiling's, and the fairies can't be bought so simply.
After accepting the new assignment, Daiyousei excuses herself and leaves.
"It seems she no longer trusts me," Remilia says after the fairy could no longer hear.
Fists wrapped into tight bundles, eyebrows crooked, and a stare that could freeze a person's blood cold, Sakuya nearly snarls, "After all we've been doing to try and find out what's wrong with Cirno, I can't believe-"
"Sakuya!" her voice booms and shakes the entire air of this room. It's a call so powerful and demanding that the maid is tripped off her feet, but she manages to keep balance. "Calm yourself. Daiyousei's frustration is understandable, but a foul air has influenced her. Sakuya, I want you to find out what devil is whispering in her ear."
Finally, an order. After nearly a week of being absent by her master's side she's given a directive, "Yes mistress."
Eager to begin her mission with haste, Sakuya is nearly out of the room before she's stopped by Remilia clearing her throat.
"Ahem. Of course you'll do so after you help me change."
Working wonders to conceal her elation, Sakuya responds with a basic, "Yes mistress."
Unfortunately the results of Sakuya's investigation yielded negligible results. Feeling that Daiyousei's tardiness was most suspicious the head maid checked the contents of her bedroom. Because the house head is a vampire no natural light enters the structure, thus making the entire insides dim. Candles and magic help illuminate the corridors, and the bedrooms are the same.
Inside the temp's room was almost nothing of any notice. Just to be safe the moment Sakuya opened the door she froze time. It was dark with only a sliver of light creeping through the doorway. For a moment the intruder thought she might have got the wrong room as it seemed exactly the same as all the other vacant quarters, but minute disparities made it clear it was occupied. Only two objects were out of place: one was Daiyousei's normal clothes which were currently unneeded as she was working as a maid, and the other was an unmade bed. Nearly did it appear as if someone was still sleeping in it, but in the darkness nothing was revealed. Further searching yielded no results.
Switching between trailing the target, and having other fairies reporting anything unusual, only one incident was there of note. Sometime during lunch a ham had gone missing. Nobody saw her take it, but the fairies were pretty certain it was Daiyousei, and when cross-examined, they said none of them had at all seen Marisa. A crime of nil importance. Nothing incriminating was discovered.
Remilia was disappointed nothing could be found.
The ham incident
Much was going through Daiyousei's mind that most of the day felt like a haze. In the morning when she was delivering Remilia's morning tea she was nervous. Not only was she late but Miss Izayoi was also there for some reason. It's like they knew she learned the truth about Cirno and was hiding the intruder. Then they act normally and play coy as if they don't know what's going on. When the vampire mentioned Cirno, the shackle of restraint snapped and emotion filled Dai-chan's words. This was not appreciated. Relieved from her duties of handling the lady of the house, she was told to tend to Patchouli, who already had Koakuma, her personal familiar who was at her every beck and call. To say the least Daiyousei was left without a purpose.
Still, she couldn't stand around and do nothing. After checking with the librarian and researcher, the fairy maid volunteered for kitchen duty. Normally these tasks are Miss Izayoi's responsibilities of choice, but with her suddenly returned to her mistress the staff was left unexpectedly short-handed. Though the fairy had the threat of the head maid returning later on, at least now she had the opportunity to steal some rare and expensive meat for the injured creature sleeping in her room. She couldn't return to him at the moment, so she took a ham and stashed it in a hidden place from where she could retrieve it later.
Continuing to keep busy for the rest of the day, at lunch she took the meat and returned to her room.
Something had been bothering her, however. How exactly did they know that Cirno was special? Because Daiyousei had been close friends for so long she knew there was something different about her, so she accepted the word of Hati fairly easily, but how did he and Marisa discover the same thing lacking such experience? What was it that they knew that she didn't? Her gut feeling and intuition were one thing, but they must have had some facts.
"Why do humans preserve foods in honey?" the warg complains when Daiyousei brought his meal. "It makes the meat loose all taste."
While Daiyousei couldn't say she'd ever sampled honey glazed ham, there were other matters she wished to discuss.
"How do you know there's something special about Cirno?"
Because there was no prelude this topic was announced rather abruptly. Hati is a bit annoyed that his meal is being interrupted, but chose to entertain her request regardless. While he is eating this conversation takes place:
"Mostly it's the stories and the common themes surrounding them. Though there's one that's particularly famous in the outside world. I would simply tell you it's name but I doubt a fairy would recognize it. It's also the story which led Cirno to be in her impish state."
About 1500 years ago a young human boy caught the fancy of a being with tremendous power. This boy had come into this world from unknown origins and was raised as the adopted son of a knight. Idolizing his father who took pity on the orphan, the boy was raised to uphold the ideas of justice, chivalry, and honor. This boy was a completely pure soul who had the qualifications of a savior. This being of great power recognized his potential and watched over his upbringing. She came to love him.
This boy was born into a world strife with war. Kingdoms battled kingdoms, civilizations were slaughtered in the name of religion, and some of the cruelest human atrocities were committed.
In his homeland the ruler died without producing an heir and the entire land near erupted in anarchy. Nobles plotted against one another, betrayed, murdered, all in an attempt to usurp the vacant throne. To keep the country from imploding a single wizard made a suggestion, that if someone could complete a certain task the crown would go to him. To save blood from being spilled all those in power agreed and each took to the task. What was thought to be simple proved to be impossible. All matter of citizens from across the lands attempted the impossible feat, but none were successful. After so long the mission was abandoned, and the kingdom continued without a king.
Years pass and the young child had become a young man. Now a squire and his father retired, the son accompanies the man to a ceremonial tournament. Since none could complete the task it was decided that the mightiest warrior would be king. All manner of fighting men took part, all except the young man who was still too young to compete.
Having realized he'd forgotten his father's sword, the boy searches frantically for a replacement. Not does he have the money to purchase a new one nor will anyone allow him to borrow theirs. Frantic, the boy searches everywhere for something that may have been lost or discarded. Back alleys, open plains, anywhere he could think to look. The boy happens across a forest with a peculiar item seemingly abandoned. It is a sword stuck into a rock. As the boy realizes this may be his only chance, he prepares himself to use every ounce of strength to free the sword. To his surprise the rock releases it rather easily. Elated, he returns to his father.
Being presented a sword, the father immediately knows that something is off. Ornately decorated, sharpness beyond comparison, balanced by a master craftsman; there was no way a sword of this value had been simply abandoned in a forest. Asking from where he found the sword, the boy answered that he pulled it from a stone.
The boy had completed the impossible task. He was now their king.
All the while this incredible being watched in silence. She was overcome when he was crowned a ruler, proud when he built a castle, cheered when he went to war, and cried when he married. Without intervention she watched as he grew to become a magnificent man and king. Her heart was satisfied with watching from afar as she knew no good thing would blossom from her intervention, so the fondness she bore would be kept locked away.
But nothing lasts forever.
A dark tiding came when a lone knight entered his graces. This knight had with him superior abilities, vast intelligence, and unrivaled beauty. While the king innocently thought nothing of this knight's potential threat, he was unprepared when this knight stole the love of the queen. When the king learned his bride had fallen into the arms of another man, one of his own, in his rage he shattered the kingdom granting sword.
Witnessing all this the mystical creature wept. Everything was falling apart. The king's court was wrought with betrayal. He lost influence and the people were losing faith. His enemies prevailed and gathered power. This king who was once a shinning hope now lay near-broken and destitute. If this situation continued everything he built would fall to ruin.
No longer could she sit by and watch this happen. That her love could no longer be contained in his suffering, she sought to replace the sword that was lost. Using much of her own power she forged a weapon of unrivaled might, despite that doing so weakened her greatly. For the first time she finally approached the king and handed him his new sword. Accepting this great gift the king returned to his seat of power and ruled once more.
However, this new-found magic changed him. Relying solely on his power he became detached and cruel. His ideals of honor and justice still motivated his actions, but no longer could he relate to the people nor govern them as a fellow human being. No longer did he hold compassion and he dispassionately cut down his enemies and wrongdoers. The people, as well as some of his knights, began to fear him. This led to more revolts and wars.
The end of his life came at the hands of his very own son, whom he himself killed in a mutual lethal strike. With his last breaths he ordered his closest friend and most loyal knight to return his blessed sword to the lake, where the mystical being who'd unknowingly watched him his entire life resided. The knight hesitates and once returns to his dying king protesting that the sword is too valuable to lose. Admonishing his friend the king repeats his order. In reality it was the great being that inserted the notion to the knight, for if the king retains his sword he might recover. Surely he must have know this as he knew it's power, but his court had been disbanded and his country was in ruins. The king had failed in his sacred duty and he chose to face his punishment in death rather than cling to a shameful life. With great regret she accepted the sword as it was thrown in the lake, and the king finally perished.
Wallowing in despair the great one lost her faith in humanity. Sealing away her pain and her memories, she was reborn as a child with no notion of her own great power. Leading a simple and mischievous life she has continued till this day.
"And that led to the Cirno you know."
Daiyousei was forced to use her old clothes to wipe away her tears. She began to weep at the time of the king's death, but hearing of Cirno's distraught didn't help. Only now was she calming herself.
"So," Daiyousei struggles to speak, "if she awakens-"
"She'll likely be as powerful from before she made the sword."
"But, will she still be Cirno?"
Unable to look her in the eyes, Hati lays his head on the pillow and rests, "I don't know. She'll either be Cirno, the ancient one, or a combination of them both."
"But then how-"
"Daiyousei," he calmly interrupts her. "Now isn't the time to worry about this. Our talks have taken slightly less than an hour. If you do not return to your duties you'll attract even further suspicion. We'll have one final time to talk before you make your escape. Come to me the hour before the sun sets and we'll set our strategy. Until then it's important that you continue as if everything is normal. Do you understand?"
With sombre understanding she accepts and does as she was told. Making sure to diminish the lights she leaves the room in darkness. Whilst in the shadows Hati's body dissolves into nothingness.
Hmmm, it seems like Act 3 has quite a few references to modern culture. Chapter 1 had Vampire Hunter D and 2 Monty Python. Kudos to anyone who noticed them on the first read.
[Semi-Spoiler] - If you would rather reach your own conclusions, cease reading here. It's only my personal commentary after all.
In case you hadn't realized, the legend to which Hati is refering is indeed King Arthur, casting Cirno as the Lady of the Lake. Many versions of this legend exists, but most versions have 2 legendary swords. The Sword in the Stone and Excaliber are two different blades, and since the 2nd had to come from somewhere it is believed Excaliber was blessed by fairy's magic. The Lady of the Lake was sometimes refered to as a "fairy," though most prevelent was "lady." Seeing that Cirno is the uber-fairy and resides at Misty Lake, I thought it would be fun to tie to two together. That's what gave me the idea of Legend of the Strongest in the first place. Sometimes all it takes is one simple thought to give birth to grand tale.
~ Kyle Castorena