That morning, Gascon experienced the unfortunate event of being late.
Because he had in fact not been waken up, there had been no one telling him what his schedule was for the day, and that certain someone was no where to be seen. So Gascon had very little idea if there were any important meetings that day.
This was something that had never happened before, not for three years!
"Sir, where were you?!" Eden the advisor for finances asked. "We were waiting for you!"
"I'm sorry." Gascon blinked. "My assistant seems to have misplaced herself, do you happen to know if I'm supposed to be anywhere now?" he asked.
"With all due respect sir, how would I know?" Eden asked.
"Have you seen my assistant?" Gascon then had to ask.
"No." Eden then admitted. "Not since the last time I saw you, and then she were right behind you. That's usually where she is." She commented.
"Right." Gascon frowned scratching his neck.
As the hours started to creep by and there was no sign of the young woman nor any of her notebooks nor papers, Gascon started to grow anxious, he looked all over the palace, asked everybody he saw.
But all he got was shaken heads.
"Perhaps she has fallen ill." Alphonse suggested. "It happens to the best, also the finest of knights."
"She met up even when she had flue and burning fever this winter." Gascon reminded him in a frown. "I had to order her to go home! This is not like her! At least I would expect her to send a carrier with a message!"
"When is the last time you saw her?" Alphonse asked wondering.
"Last night." Gascon said. "When she went home for the day."
"So she hasn't been here all day?" Alphonse asked then looked towards the sun. "It's over afternoon now." He commented. "That is strange." He admitted. "And you didn't give her the day off?" he asked.
"No, not today." Gascon shook his head. "Look I'm sure! She was supposed to be here today! If we had agreed on anything else I would have had a schedule in my hand for the day to follow myself, I don't so she should be here! And she's not! I don't like this!" he said, then straightened out his coat walking away.
"Sir, where are you going?" Alphonse asked.
"Where do you think I'm going?!" Gascon drawled. "I'm going to look for her of course! I can't work without my assistant, it's that simple!" he sneered.
Soon Gascon was at Marisas little home, the floor above a baker shop and he was hammering on the door. He would never admit it, but Gascon was in fact worried sick, his heart was banging, his head in a panick.
This kind of vanishing act was not like Marisa, not at all! It was true, she had met up being both soaked and ill beforehand, she had crossed a storm that knocked over entire carrages just to get to work, she would work day and night most literately. It was not like her to vanish not at all!
"Hallo, Marisa! Are you in there! Marisa!" Gascon shouted knocking on the door to her living space. No answer.
Frowning Gascon looked at the door, then slipped his hand into his pocket and found just a little metal pen.
Sitting down on his knee Gascon put it into the lock, and a little while after that, the lock clicked open and the door opened.
Looking in Gascon was faced with the shelf filled with books, and even more books in a stack on the floor beside a little dining table.
The old yet comfortable looking furniture standing around, it all looked very humble and kind of messy but inviting. "Marisa?" Gascon asked stepping inside. No answer, it was all empty.
Next Gascon moved to the small bedroom and saw a single bed with green linings, made up just fine and didn't looked slept in.
So either Marisa had been up for a while and had been well enough to make up her bed, or she hadn't been home at all.
Gascon sincerely hoped the first option was the case, one thing was for sure though, she wasn't at home.
But then where? If she wasn't at home and wasn't at the palace. "MARISA!" Gascon shouted turning around running for the streets.
Gascon had no idea where to look, he had already searched through the entire palace, and she wasn't there!
She wasn't at home. Where else could Marisa be?
In the old days, probably at the library, but she said she hadn't been there since she had started working for Gascon!
Where else could she be? The streets? The shopping district? Where?
Deciding to try different routes between the palace and Marisas home Gascon ran back and ford, asking different people.
"Have you seen a young woman?" He asked a older gentleman. "With kind of messy blond hair, glasses, probably carrying a shoulder bag filled with papers."
But all he got was head shakes, that was until a young girl blinked.
"Oh I saw someone like that!" The girl exclaimed. "She walked straight past me."
"WHERE?!" Gascon exclaimed.
"Just a few streets back." The girl said pointing behind herself. "She was just kind of walking, didn't look so good."
That made Gascon look up. "Thanks." He said and then ran straight past her to the appointed direction.
"Wow that guy sure looked a lot like Crown prince Gascon." The girl blinked. "I guess he gets that all the time." She then shrugged going on her way.
"MARISA!" Gascon shouted as he ran to the appointed destination, but were left disappointed, there were people there, walking back and ford, but no Marisa. Dissapointed Gascon exhaled as he twirled around searching the street with his eyes. She had to be somewhere here right? She had to. Suddenly Gascon saw it, a mop of yellow hay stack hair on a person whom had her back to him, just slowly walking with the masses.
"Marisa?" Gascon blinked confused. The hair was not kept in a horsetail nor a bun as it usually would be, but he recognised the hair colour and the coat, it had to be. There was no mistaking that coat, no other person had that many notebooks and papers constantly spilling out of the otherwise pretty big pockets. "MARISA!" he shouted running towards the woman, so relieved that he didn't even think about the fact that she didn't even turn around by the sound of his voice, nor the calling off her name. "Marisa thank god!" Gascon exhaled reaching out grabbing her shoulder, only for Marisa to scream in pain.
"AUW! Don't do that!" She exclaimed finally turning around and Gascon blinked.
"Marisa." Gascon looked at her. "You look terrible, what happened?" he asked sounding deeply concerned.
Because indeed, Marisa looked a mess. More of a mess than usual that is. Her hair was freely falling around her face and shoulders, it was not just messy but tangled and dirty, falling in big tangled lumps around her face. Strains of hair obscuring her eyes, her face was dirtied and her chin brushed, her glasses were for some reason missing, and her arm hung weirdly limp on her side.
"Your arm." Gascon breathed looking at the shoulder he had accidently touched that hung like that. "Are you okay? Here let me see." He asked reaching for her.
"Why bother?" Marisa asked in a dull tone, without any warmth nor light in it, it was low, devoid of energy, slow.
"What do you mean why bother?" Gascon asked. "It looks hurt, come on, let me see." He tried to get the jacket away from her.
"DON'T DO THAT IT HURTS!" Marisa shouted stepping away, her odd sunken in eyes that looked downright glacial looking up at him.
"Come on, we can't have that precious writing arm of yours hurt now can we?" Gascon asked.
"Why bother?" Marisa asked again in that same voice that didn't have any energy what so ever behind it, no anger just stating plain facts. "I don't care, so you shouldn't either, just go away and don't touch it." She asked in that hollow voice. "Go." she demanded pushing Gascon away with her left good arm.
Didn't work to well though, as Marisa clearly was very weak and Gascon barely budged by the pathetic push.
"Marisa that's ridicules, that's really not like you saying stuff like that." Gascon commented in a frown.
"What do you care?" Marisa asked in the same hollow voice looking up at him with empty glacial eyes. "What difference would it even make?" she asked.
"What's the matter with you?" Gascon asked now starting to grow pretty annoyed. "This behaviour is very unworthy of you young lady, what the heck is wrong?" he asked.
"Why don't you mind your own business." Marisa asked in a deep exhale, before she looked up at him with much darker eyes and spoke in a downright sinister tone. "Your royal pain." And for the first time ever, as she spoke those words, it wasn't teasing or underlying felt with warmth and appreciation, it was a genuine insult! Delivered with spite and a threatening undertone.
"Alright young lady, now you got some real explaining to do." Gascon hissed in a low voice. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"
"I'm just minding my own buisness, what is that to you?" Marisa asked tiredly looking away.
"You're not acting like yourself at all! You're acting like a completely different person." Gascon responded in a hiss. "I was worried sick about you, do you know that?" he asked in a dangerous tone. "I thought someone had gotten to you, that Shadar…." Then his eyes widened. "No." he whispered. "Oh no please don't tell me." He asked, yet his suspicion was already almost as good as confirmed as Marisa held her good arm over her heart, grabbing that area as if she desperately trying to protect it.
At ones Gascon laid his hand over hers and removed it to feel for himself, and then removed his hand in shock. Ice cold to the touch. "No." he breathed. "MARISA!" he shouted grabbing her shoulders.
"AUW THAT HURTS!" Marisa cried.
"Sorry!" Gascon exclaimed letting go. "Come on look at me!" he asked. "Look at me, tell me what we are working for!" he asked. "Come on do this for me!" he asked.
Slowly Marisas eyes turned to Gascon, but they were dull and dead, a certain kind of light completely lacking. "I have no idea what we are working for, it's pointless, it's all pointless, I'm done." She said. "I don't care."
That hit Gascon like a brick, those were words he had never ever thought, not for a second, he would hear come out of Marisas mouth.
They were not her words, not really, he knew that. But it still hit him, he felt his heart sinking down, his throat tying itself together. "No." he whispered. "God no. I'm sorry." He sniffed slowly wrapping his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I'm so sorry." He told.
Marisa didn't answer, her face expression was none moving and her eyes none saying as she dully looked over Gascons shoulder, not even winching though his embrace would have to hurt her arm.
"I'm going to get you better, I promise." Gascon told. "I'm." he closed her eyes. "Shadar tried to get to me through you, didn't he?" he asked in a angry hiss, an underlying threat finding its way into his voice. "I'm so sorry. so sorry."
Normally Marisa would have returned the embrace by now, but she didn't. She could just as well have been a wooden doll in his arms.
Alphonse was pacing up and down the gate entrance to the palace, Gascon had been gone a long time by now, longer than it would take to merely check on Marisas home, he didn't like this. Not at all.
The worrisome feeling was starting to get to him too. Please let that young woman be okay, Gascon don't need any more loses, let her be.
His prayers though obviously went unheard, as a figure appeared down the stairs and slowly stepped upwards, a figure carrying another figure in his arms.
Gascon carrying a young woman, whom crumbled together in his arms, crawling into a little ball as if trying to protect herself from harm.
"SIR!" Alphonse yelled running to him, his eyes falling on the young woman whom looked very pale in his arms. Her eyes weirdly shadowy and placid as she looked out in front of herself "Oh no, sir is she?" he asked, his fears only becoming bigger as Gascon looked up, his eyes misty yet very harsh and his face expression angry, he looked beyond angry and ready to kill. "Alphonse." he said quietly. "Her heart, it's ice cold. Her heart is cold!" he hissed angrily tears forming in his eyes."How can I help her? How?!" he asked as he bit together.
"Sir, I don't think." Alphonse tried.
"She was attacked because of me, I should have protected her! That was my job! What can I do! JUST TELL ME!" Gascon roared in anger tears falling down from his eyes.
"Sir, you very well know that if there was anything you could do, Marcassin would have been cured a long time ago." Alphonse swallowed. "You just need to make her comfortable now."
"But I need her!" Gascon hissed angrily. "I need an assistant dammit! I need her! Marisa I need you! Do you hear me! I bloody need you so snap out of it!"
Marisa though didn't look at him. "No you don't, no one needs me, leave me alone." She muttered, making Alphonse look surprised at her.
Gascon hissed as he squinted his eyes closed. "I." He bit together. "I'm such an arrogant greedy pig." He whispered lowering his head so it touched Marisas hair. "I was just thinking about myself and my own damn safety, of course Shadar would try to get to me through those close to me. It's so bloody obvious."
"Sir." Alphonse swallowed.
"What do I do?" Gascon asked. "Look at her, she's hurting." He said as Marisa crumbled together, holding her hands over her heart, winching from the pain.
"Perhaps take her to the physician first?" Alphonse suggested. "She doesn't look to good, that's quite a nasty bruise." He commented gently touching Marisas forehead that had a big cut mostly hidden under a bang of her hair, then his hand fell down on her chest as well, just to make sure, but at the touch Alphonses eyes closed. "I'm sorry sir, but it looks like you should look for another assistant, her job is very tough, it shouldn't be maintained by a heart broken."
"But I don't want another assistant!" Gascon exclaimed. "There's no way I'll ever find anyone as good as her! Who else would be able to schedule such an insane amount of meetings and still make it work huh?" he asked. "Who else would be able to remember every thing that has been said and write them down? Or…or.. Marisa you hear that! I want you dammit!" he hissed shaking her. "So snap out of it! You wont be able to safe Marcassin like that! SNAP OUT OF IT!" he shouted.
"Stop it, you're hurting me." Marisa cried winching in pain. "I don't want to! There's no point anyway, no point at all." She said tears starting to form in her eyes. "We are all doomed."
Alphonse bit his lip as he swallowed. "Shall I take her sir?" he asked. "Bring her to the physician for you?" he asked.
"No, I want to do it myself. Looks like it's the only thing I can do." Gascon swallowed. "At least let me do that." He asked grimly.
Gascon was sitting in the chair, beside the sick bed as the physician went over Marisa, taking the jacket over her and checking her.
And as the professional he was, the court physician started to explain in a cold professional tone what he saw. "As you can obviously see, her face has some slight brushing and so does some of the rest of her." He stated. "Her shoulder has been dislocated but that's easily fixable, more problematic is the arm, it's broken in two places and will need to be in a casket for a month or two. All that I can fix for you, physically she'll be as good as new in three months tops." He said, then turned to Gascon, now his eyes more hesitant. "A broken heart though, I'm afraid I have no cure nor ease for that." He informed. "It's category one, she can still speak and perform simple tasks like your brother." He commented turning to Marisa. "But I am afraid, that also like your brother, I would have to advice against trusting her with any important tasks. A heart broken can become very unpredictable and they are prone to self harm when not watched, especially considering that she's a category one, I would advice care."
"Excuse me what?" Gascon asked.
"If you want her to be safe, do not put her under any extra stress." The physicians asked in a very calm voice.
"No, that category thing, category one? What does that mean?" Gascon asked.
"Oh." The physician blinked. "Please forgive me sir, really it's just for my own sake I created three categories of heart broken." He said. "It's just a guideline really, as every single case seems to be quite unique."
"Would you describe those categorise for me?" Gascon asked.
"Certainly." The physician blinked. "Category one, is the most tricky cases, like ms' Fontane here. They mostly appear like normal people, and it would take closer inspection or at least prior knowledge to their original personality to even realise something is wrong." He stated. "Category two, people whom looks normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection anyone at all would be able to see something is off about them, an odd personality trait that is not normal, a tendency to act irrationally over nothing and just all around, seems off, I'm afraid to feel inclined to call your Brother such, normal people do not scream that easily over so little. And category three, the silent ones." He sighed. "The ones whom looks like well. zombies. Not moving, not talking, just stands there. Every single case is unique so this is all very vague, but it's a guide line at least." He finished.
"So I should be happy she's not a category three at least?" Gascon asked in annoyed mutter.
"I wouldn't say that." The physician admitted. "Because honestly. Category one are the most dangerous ones, they are a danger to themselves and the people around them, they are just as sick as category three, they are just as incomplete. It goes against my creed to lie, so I wont, I'll just tell you my observations and advices as a physician." He stated in a sigh. "Category one are particularly dangerous because they are still as smart as they were before, they can try to trick people into thinking they are okay, then only to do self harm when they are alone or do other things when not watched. They are the invisible heart broken, people you don't at ones realise are in pain, I don't even dare think how many there actually are walking around right now no one has discovered yet. What I realised is, category one is by far the most common one, which just makes it all that much more dangerous. I'm sorry your majesty, the Marisa Fontane you knew is not in this room anymore. She's gone." He said.
Gascon closed his eyes, then hold a hand over his eyes.
"I will give you a moment." The physician then said. "Ms' Fontane, I will be back in fifteen minutes, try not to move your arm in the meantime, I'll make a cask for you then." He said leaving the room. Leaving Gascon with Marisa, which was a pretty awkward situation.
Gascon swallowed. It had been strange with Marcassin, to see his brother whom was both there and not there at all on the same time.
But then it had been different, he hadn't seen Marcassin for ten years, Marcassin had grown, changed. With Marisa though.
Gascon had seen her off just yesterday, said good night to her and had fully expected her to just show up in the morning, like always.
"Shows you should just never assume things doesn't it?" Gascon sighed falling back in his chair. "I admit it, I thought you would just be there to tell me that everything is possible, every time I doubt myself. I kind of just assumed you would be there with that mindset. Anything is possible. To the end huh?" he asked rubbing his face.
Marisa didn't answer, just starred out right in front of her.
"Well thanks for the conversation." Gascon rolled his eyes, then hissed. "That damn Shadar, why is he doing this? Why?" He asked tightening his fist. "What does he want? World power? I don't get it!"
"He wants everyone to suffer just as much as he does." A voice sounded beside him.
Surprised Gascon looked up and then looked at Marisa, whom did not look back at him, she just looked out in the air, and it seemed like that was all she was going to say.
"What?" Gascon asked.
Slowly Marisa turned her head, her now empty eyes looking at Gascon. "You, Marcassin, Alphonse, Vivi, the people in the empire, Kublai, his pirates, and the rest of the world to. Everyone." She whispered. "everyone. And there is no stopping it." She said laying back on her pillow looking up in the ceiling with empty eyes. "It's all pointless." she stated.
Gascon was starting to get actually annoyed with her. "The Marisa I know would work her butt off for what she believed in, no matter how hard things seemed at the moment, you're just going to lay back and do nothing aren't you?" he asked.
"So what?" Marisa asked. "It's all point less anyway." She commented.
Gascon hissed annoyed as he stood up, he knew he had to leave or he would just end up in a shouting match with Marisa, just like he did every single time he tried to talk to Marcassin! And that was seriously not what he needed right now.
Once outside the infirmary he slammed his fist into the wall. "Shadar. You took my father, you took my brother, and now you took my right hand. Are you never going to stop?" he asked. "What did any of us ever do to you?" he asked. "Nothing that's what! You coward!" he seethed. "You rotten bastard! I don't care what it takes, some day you'll pay for this! Some day." He promised angrily.
Far away, sitting in her floating palace, was a woman, dressed in white, the univers itself mirrored in her cape as her masked face looked at her all seeing crystal ball, a ball that looked at the young prince. "How fascinating." The white witch commented. "The young prince's pain is starting to turn into anger. And his despair into hate, now where have I seen that before?" She asked, sounding almost slightly amused by it.
"Ooh, our most loyal servant, the wretched Shadar." The parrot beside her spoke up proudly. "You think that's another candidate for her grace's blessings? The last one has so far been a faithfull servant."
"We shall see." The white witch commented her hand swirling over the ball. "His potential is indeed great, his despair has still room to grow, and his pain can be added to. Fighting against it is meaningless of course. But perhaps the hate and anger born from his pain and despair will be useful to us."
"Then you will offer him a position?" The parrot asked.
"Not yet." The white witch spoke laying her two hands over the crystal ball. "Like all good wines, he must mature until he is precisely right, precisely ready, so the power despair can give him will be at its uttermost and consume him completely. Then we shall have our dark prince, a prince of darkness." She said. "Whom will help us spread the despair, so all shall feel, and all shall know of the pain I have gone through. The pain brought upon the world from the imperfect humans whom lives there, and then we'll build a better world, where no such thing will be of the issue. Yes indeed. He has the potential to become most helpful in our goal." She commented as she almost lovingly slid her hand with her long fingers down the crystal ball. "My Dark prince"