Child of Leviathan
The fog was dense white that clogged the sky like thick clouds before them as Lazar easily rowed their small boat to a small dock. With only the light for his blue flame to light the area around them, Shigure struggled to watch where his feet landed while stepping on to the dock as he nearly tripped to the waters below. Luckily, Ignatius caught him in time and pulled him up.
"Thank you, Ignatius." He thanked him before he frowned, "This fog is thicker than I anticipated. More so than from what I heard."
"You can't trust everything from books and words." Lazar replied, "During the winter, the fog is unrelenting just as the seas are against the winter nights. Come quick."
To his whisper, the two knights nodded and hurried after him. The bitter cold had him worried of getting frostbites before the possibilities of battles ahead and, to this, touched his heavy iron lance hanging from his back. It did not bear that weight similar to his old naginata, but he was prepared for that when he knew that he'd have to get a new weapon. His time in the ranks during investigation weren't all that pleasant either with everyone looking down on him simply because he could not bear well with the weapon's weight in time. It was upsetting, but he needs to hold out for a bit longer before they could find someone who could forge a new one. Walking down the dock under the blanket of white, they saw the blue lights of the lanterns hanging from the houses and boats alinging the path ahead. Lazar gestured back to them and Shigure nodded. He and Ignatius followed after him and hid behind one of the shadows of the boats' frame. He waited for a while with eyes glued on two of the lights lined up horizontally before the fog. He eyes trained on the movement between the two. There was movements. Suddenly, there was a shout that echoed to their ears. Shigure grimaced, "What?"
"By the Celestials," Lazar scowled, "how did they know?!"
Shigure frowned and rushed in while ignoring Lazar's shout. He could hear Ignatius following after him as they reached the cave entrance guarded by a couple of knights. He knew them too. A guard from the capital gates and another from the castle. Indiviuduals he's seen from other ranks of a couple of separate ranks and armies. A note that struck him as nervous thoughts. He slowed his pace and walked swiftly past them as if it was the most natural thing to do. They didn't stop him nor did they stop Ignatius. The shouts grew louder and Shigure gave the signal to hide themselves against the shadows of the walls as they slipped through the cave entrance. Their surroundings grew warmer as they hurried deeper into the cave. It wasn't long before they saw light in the depth of the cave and, quickening their steps, they came to a large space lit up by the lights of flamed torches. Inside were shouts and screams as they came upon the scene. It was a large network of caves lit by torches as soldiers rushed in and out of the passage pulling and pushing people from within. Many were put into chains and cells. Some were found on the ground in puddles of dark liquid while others lay broken on the ground unmoving. A shiver ran down their spine as Shigure pushed himself to move quickly in search of a blue hair teenage girl or a hooded figure. It was then that they snuck into one of the empty caves. He saw some small beds and futons on the ground with mattresses torn. He gave ignatius the gesture to keep a look out, then hurried through the room. There was nothing under the beds and nothing in the broken chests. He grimaced and turned to Ignatius shaking his head. It was empty. They hurried to another cave entrance and saw similar results. An hour has passed as they searched passages after passages. Just when the soldiers were pulling back, Shigure noticed an odd crack along the caves in one of the walls behind a large cupboard. He took a quick peek at it and saw that it was a large passage behind it.
"Shigure." Ignatius whispered quickly, "They're coming around for inspection."
Shigure's eyes widen in surprise as he frowned. Quickly, he pushed aside the cupboard and froze in place. Inside the large crack sat two small figures huddling close. One was a familiar green hair boy and the other… a blue hair teenage girl. They stared up to them with wide eyes before the young boy whipped out a dagger. However, Shigure didn't have the time for this and snapped quietly, "Now's not the time!"
He turned to Ignatius, "Get in! I'll talk to them."
"But, what if they notice you?" the knight frowned.
"I'll be fine. Hurry."
Hesitantly, Ignatius nodded and entered the small space, "P-Pardon me. Sorry…"
The girl hugged the boy closer to her and they moved aside despite their bewildered looks. Shigure could see why, but first…
He turned to the entrance after pushing the cupboard back in place. As he quickly exited the entrance he noticed a large group of people getting ready to leave the cave with small cells and people in shackles before the entrance.
"Hey, you!"
He turned around and saw a group of soldiers walk up to him. A familiar group of soldiers looking to him with sneers across their faces.
"You're that newbie from the other day!" one of the pointed out with a scowl, "What are you doing here?"
"Cause I brought him here."
He felt a pat on his shoulder and saw Asugi putting his arm around his neck with a grin, "Figured he could help me keep track of the chests here. Boss wants to make sure that there was nothing dangerous in them. You know what I mean."
"And he allowed it?" the taller one growled in suspicions.
"Yup! Struck up a deal, you see." the thief chuckled, "What? It sounds like you're jealous over a newbie?"
"Shut up!" the other knight snapped before turning his back, "Just don't get in our way, runt."
With that warning, the guys walked away leaving Shigure and Asugi before the entrance.
Once gone, Asugi retracted the arm and sighed, "Where's Fraidycat?"
"You mean Ignatius?" Shigure raised a brow, "I'll tell you later. There's another chest in this cave."
Asugi raised a brow, but nodded. He led the thief into the cave and pushed aside the cupboard. Upon seeing the interior, Asugi gave a whistle and frowned, "Great. What now?"
Ignatius moved his way out of the crack and helped the kids out of the crack.
"I told them what was going on." Ignatius said.
"You're helping us out of here, right?" the boy questioned with a stare.
Shigure's eyes widened in surprise, "You're that boy back on the border between Lufure and Okeanos!"
"Horse apples!" the boy cursed and tried to make a dash for it.
"Hold it…" Asugi said as he firmly grabbed a hold of his collar, "You wanna get caught?"
"We're not here to capture anyone." Shigure said with a frown, "Asugi, you should join up with the others. They'll notice in time, especially since there are those who could be waiting for me."
"Got it." Asugi grumbled and shoved a new lollipop into the boy's mouth, "If you don't wanna die, stop running and follow these guys, kid."
The boy frowned but stayed put as they watched the thief return to the army. Shigure looked to the boy and then to the girl before he took out a long white hood he found in one of the caves and drapped it over her head.
"We're taking both of you out of here, I promise." Shigure said quietly, "But, you have to stay with us if we want to do this. Now, what's your name?"
"I'm Fiona." the girl spoke up, "And this is Harold."
"Fiona." Ignatius's eyes widen.
"Fiona, there's someone outside who wants to meet you." Shigure explained upon seeing the boy shift to his side, "They've been looking for you since the pirate attack back on Aspido Island. We can't explain more right now. Not where the council is nearby. Harold, you should come with us too. If they catch you, it would be the same with the others here. I just ask that you believe in us."
His words left a hesitant look in their eyes, but Fiona grasped the boy's hand and firmly nodded, "I believe in you…"
"What about Rai?" Harold asked.
"We haven't seen him." Shigure responded with a frown much to their surprise, "Asugi will try to find him, but, right now, we have to get you out of here or the council would have all three of you."
Fiona nodded and pursed her lips together.
Without a moment to waste, he quietly snuck the three out of the cave and saw that everyone had already evacuated the area. Ignatius kept the girl and boy close by his side as Shigure quickly took them through the passage back out. Surprisingly, there was no one guarding the entrance as he quietly brought them out onto the deck. Quietly, they snuck out to the back of the boats and saw Lazar who looked about ready to charge into the cave after them that was till he saw them walk out with wide eyes, but Shigure quickly signaled him to stay silent. The man nodded and brought them to the boat. Fiona followed after them with a very hesitant Harold. Lazar gave them a questioning look to which Shigure didn't say a word. The fog was still thick and only the sound of the retainer rowing the boat could be heard.
Upon arrival on another dock, they were greeted by Diane, who quickly took notice of the young girl and covered her mouth in a gasp. But, time wasn't given to them and Shigure gestured it with his hand. Nodding her head, she quickly helped them onto the deck and guided them through the dark alleys.
"Where are we going?" the boy demanded.
But, Diane quietly gestured him to stay quiet to which the boy reluctantly did so. The air was starting to grow warmer as the light slowly began to peek out from behind the capital walls. They had reached the back of the castle walls where Kiragi and Nina waited.
"You!" Fiona gasped.
"Hi!" Nina grinned.
"You were at the tavern a couple weeks ago!" Fiona exclaimed in surprise, "Th-thanks for taking over for me."
"It's fine. My colleague stuck her nose in somewhere she shouldn't be anyway." Nina replied with a shrug.
"And… I'm not going to ask what happened." Kiragi noted hesitantly, "Anway, you should hurry inside before anyone sees you."
"Does this have to do with this council?" Fiona asked.
"Sh!" Kiragi shushed loudly in panic, "Not so loud!"
The kids looked to each other but nodded quietly. Fiona walked in after them whilst dragging Harold with her. It wasn't hard to tell how lost the kids were as they entered the castle garden after him. That's when a thought came to Shigure. He frowned and began to lead them to the library where, upon entering, they were met by Forrest and the blue hair queen who froze in place.
"Sky...la?" the queen managed with trembling lips and on the verge of tears.
"She looks… like you, Fiona…" Harold managed with a gasp.
It was true. Straight blue hair, small nose and long lashes. She does take after the queen. It was a surprise that nobody had noticed in the past. Before they could say anything, the woman already rushed in for an embrace surprising the poor girl.
"Oh, Skyla! It is you!" the queen said much to the teenager's surprise.
"I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I think you have the wrong person…" the girl politely declined.
"Oh! M-My apologies, dear." the queen grimaced with a look of deep concern, "Oh, my. This… I do have some explaining to do…"
"Explaining?" Harold raised a brow.
"What do you mean?" Fiona looked to them with wide eyes and a shaken expression.
Shigure didn't know where to start, but his cousin began, "The is the castle located in the capital of Okeanos. The castle that houses the royal family of Okeanos. This woman here is Queen Cathy."
"What?!" Harold's jaw dropped.
Fiona's eyes widen as she gripped Harold's hand in hers. Shigure shook his head. He was worried about this and, at the same time, had enough. He turned to his cousin, "Forrest, it would be better to let the queen explain this information to her. Lazar, can I ask that we leave Fiona with us and the Queen? It's all right if Diane can stay with us is it?"
Lazar hesitated, but slowly nodded as he saw Shigure give the same gesture to Ignatius. The two knights and the archers left the room to them.
"What about the boy?" Diane questioned watching the young thief.
Hearing this, Harold glared at her, but Shigure shook his head, "Let him stay. Please."
They looked to him in surprise, but the queen nodded, "I have no problems with another child being present. Also, I believe he may help my daughter cope with this."
Forrest and Diane brought them to a table. The children looked uncertain, but, at least, the looks of confusion no longer were on their minds as the queen began, "Twenty years ago, I was the high priestess of the temple and engaged with the newly crowned king of Okeanos. I took part in the war against the humans alongside the king and married him after the war was over. The king, my husband, demoted the entire council while he was still in full control and brought together people who would work with him to set things right again in the country. Eight years later, I bore a child. A daughter and named her Skyla... "
She took a deep breath and continued with a frown, "But, during those days, there were constant fights for a position in the council my husband set up. Many he knew were gone or framed. Many began to sought for their own benefits and began going against my husband's back commiting crimes. Should they know we had a daughter added to our family, they would come for her as well, as they had with rulers before our time. So, my husband and I had to hide her away. He sought out an old friend he had and asked for his help in Aspido. A fisherman and his wife. It was said that they were also expecting a child and the fisherman offered to help us. Those on Aspido island knew of this. Even, their mayor offered a hand in hiding the evidence. They took our daughter in and named her Fiona. That was the last I saw you after. Nobody in the council knew that I was going to have another child. It was just me, my husband, and your brother."
"My brother?" Fiona's eyes widen in surprise.
"That's right." Cathy nodded, "He was present the day you came to this world, as well as the day you went into hiding. When I heard there was a pirate attack on Aspido island and you were missing. I didn't know what I could do. I was no longer a high priestess nor could I leave the castle under the watch of the current council."
"Your brother went to inspect the situation." Forrest explained, "Your father could not make it when the council watches him closely each day, so your brother did the job instead, but, even when they did catch the pirates, they couldn't find you anywhere."
"The pirates…" Fiona grimaced, "That day… Rai saved us from the pirates and we took a spare boat to escape the place. He took us to the mainland and kept us hidden. We didn't understand the situation, but he forbid me from leaving the cave by the dock without him. So, Harold would sometimes help me get materials I needed outside. But, Rai was a good person and taught me magic for these last few years."
"Just as I thought." Forrest smirked, "He must've known."
"Known?" Fiona raised a brow.
"Last month, there was an incident where the people claimed they saw a person using powerful water magic in the middle of the docks." Forrest said, "I take it that was you?"
Fiona grimaced, "I-It was… Because I lost control in such a crowded space, Rai was furious and looked very startled. We've never seen him so restless and worried. He immediately brought me back and had me stay in the caves for the past weeks unless he let me out. Huh?"
Her eyes widen in surprise, "That's right… I do recall him talking about something like the council… why..."
"That makes sense." Shigure said with a frown, "Fiona, when you used the water magic, was there something strange that happened?"
"Well…" she thought carefully, "There would be this long serpent with a jagged head that comes to mind. It would always take the shape with the waters and I would see it sometimes when I look into the water. But, when I told this, nobody but Rai would believe me."
"That serpent was Leviathan." Queen Cathy explained firmly, "Only the high priest or priestess could see her form outside of her lair."
"Because you are blood related to the queen, you have the ability to seek help from the goddess, which would be the serpent you see everyday." Shigure added.
Forrest sighed, "Because of that water spectacle, the council already knew that something was up and possibly even figured the royal family kept a child hidden from them."
"Then, the attack this morning!" Fiona's eyes widen in horror, "Oh no…"
"Attack?" the queen's lips curved down as she looked to Shigure.
He shook his head, "When we arrived at the cave, the council members had already found it and launched a raid. Ignatius and I snuck in while we had Lazar stay behind if anything does go wrong. It was by luck that we found Fiona and Harold while we were trying to hide from patrols ourselves. But, I fear that Rai could be captured instead or worse."
"He told us to go hide behind the cupboard. But, how did Rai know?" Harold asked with a grimace, "What does a hermit have to do with the royal family of all things?"
"Rai was a former soldier who served directly under the royal family." Forrest explained, "If it was matters in regards to the royal family, he should know."
Queen Cathy nodded, "We gave him permission to study the legends of Aspido island and the lands as reward for his efforts to further his studies. He left shortly before you were born. It's not a surprise that he would've pieced everything together. He was the youngest prodigy amongst our mages and our most prized scholar in our kingdom. But, if he was captured..."
Upon seeing her concerned look, Shigure quickly spoke, "Asugi is currently looking for him as we speak, milady."
"That's good to hear." the Queen responded with a small smile, "My husband and I owe him much more it seems."
"But, what are you going to do now?" Harold asked with a frown, "If Fiona really is your daughter, that means that she's a princess, right? That she would also need to stay here with you."
His words made Fiona's eyes grow wide. The queen thought for a bit before she nodded, "That's right… Izar and I have planned for this. She would have to live in hiding in the capital instead… But, I'd like for her to meet the woman who cared for her all these years, at least once more."
Her words surprised them as she continued, "Though I bore you, she cared for you all these years in my absense and unconditionally. This much I knew. She often sent me so many letters of your growth with loving words and your eagerness to take on magic. Her last letter was a request to persuade her husband to allow you to learn it. She was very much a real mother to you, was she not?"
Fiona's eyes sparkled as she nodded, "C-Can I see her?"
"It could be arranged privately." the queen responded before looking to the boy, "Young man, if I may, I only ask that you stay by my daughter's side?"
"What? Me?!" His eyes widen in surprise.
"I understand how difficult it is to change your life so suddenly, it would be of great help if you could be with her so she would have someone to turn to when things become hard for her."
The boy was visibly hesitant and cautious, but he did seem to be concerned for her.
"All right. Wherever she's going, I'm going too." he replied with a sigh.
Despite Fiona's surprised look, the queen nodded, "Then, I appoint you as her first retainer."
"What?"
Shigure nearly jumped back. He could see where the queen was coming from, but Harold was just a boy!
"A retainer gives you the permission to act as an aide and stay by my daughter's side." The queen explained, "You do not need background or knowledge of any sort to be one. Just the permission of the person. Since Skyla will need someone she could turn to and open up to, I would trust it to be you who have been with her for so long. You are the orphan who was kidnapped alongside her, am I correct?"
"That's right." the boy mumbled with a frown.
"All I ask is that you stay by her side and aid her however way you could. I have no doubt that my husband would allow this." the queen responded before turning to her daughter, "I'm so sorry we made you go through all of this, Skyla…"
After the meeting, Shigure stayed with the kids as the queen left the room with Diane. Fiona was clearly confused and Harold was looking around the library as if looking for something to distract him. Shigure watched for a bit before taking out a tome he found in one of the caves and handed it to her.
"I found this while I was searching for you two." he said, "I meant to give it to Sir Rai, but I didn't found him."
She took the book with a look of surprise, "This is an old tome he taught me out of once."
"You really like magic, huh?" Shigure smiled, "When my cousin talked with your mother… with Brittany, she told us that your father didn't want you to learn magic."
"He didn't…" she replied quietly, "I didn't know why, but… but maybe it was to protect me, after all…"
Forrest nodded, "Perhaps. We heard that your biological family are great mages, themselves, and, if using water magic can influence their goddess, I could see why he didn't want you touching those books…"
"Should I have not touched them instead?" she said with a grimace, "Then, the council wouldn't have hurt everyone…"
"What?!" Harold frowned, "But you love magic, Fiona!"
"I do…" She frowned, "But just using magic, ended up hurting everybody we knew…"
Shigure frowned, "Your father… he doesn't sound like the type of man who would make you follow everything he told you to do. If he knew that you were safe and have the opportunity to safely learn magic, would he have really denied giving you that chance?"
"... No." She replied hesitantly, "If that were the case, he probably wouldn't. My mother encouraged me and Rhea to follow what we believed and do so with an open mind. She and father was the one who taught us right from wrong. He wouldn't deny us something that couldn't hurt us one day."
"Then, you should continue doing what you love." Forrest replied, "Just because of one blunder doesn't mean that you have a good reason to give that up. You love magic and what happened this morning was unfortunate, but can anyone blame you for it? I heard what happened. That you were protecting someone from some knights. It was the council who are to blame. If they hadn't decide to raid the place for you or disciplined their knights, they would've lived. It was their decision to ignore the people that brought about this, even if they did come to the same conclusion."
She grew quiet as she thought. Shigure turned to his cousin and thought for a bit. As he did so, he heard a knock on the door and the lock turn with the knob. As the door opened, he noticed the evening sun leaking into the lit room of torches and books. It was pretty late now that he thought about it. Still, Fay walked in with a deep sigh as he could hear Collin's voice, "Well, it wasn't all that bad now, right? The count is gone and your father is safe."
"But, you showing yourself was not part of the plan." Fay muttered when he looked up and froze in place, "...Skyla?"
"Huh?" Fiona looked up to him.
"O-oh…" Fay muttered nervously and saw Shigure, "I-I'm…"
He cleared his throat, "I'm Fay… I'm your brother, logically speaking..."
"I-I see…" the girl replied with a look of surprise and uncertainty, "How did you know who I was?"
"Blue hair, blue eyes. I saw you once the day you were born. You also take after mother well. Then, there's also Shigure being present."
"So that's it…" she said aloud, "I heard you looked for me for a long time…"
Fay nodded, "It grew difficult as the council started to take notice of me. Luckily, Collin found some whom we could trust."
"Hello, Lady Skyla!" Collin said with a smile.
"G-Greetings…" she replied hesitantly.
Harold snickered.
"What's so funny?" Fiona scowled.
"You trying to sound so formal." Harold laughed.
"Quit it!" She said with a frown.
Even, Shigure and Forrest couldn't help but smile as the tension in the air dissipated. Fay was quietly watching his long-lost sister in thought as he said, "You must be Harold?"
Fay continued with a raised brow, "Our mother told me she appointed a new retainer to Skyla's side. A friend of hers."
"Huh?" Collin's eyes grew wide, "Weren't you that thief back between the borders of Okeanos and Lufure?"
Shigure nodded, "He was the orphan that was kidnapped along with Skyla."
Fiona a nodded her head, "I asked Harold to help me gather some materials I required at the borders. But, then he came back with what I needed and bruises to go with it. When I asked what happened, he told me that he just tripped… I- M-My apologies for his behaviour that day…"
Fay raised a brow but nodded, "May I ask why you did what you did?"
"Some kids were hungry on the streets, so I went to steal them some food since I was outta money." Harold responded bluntly.
Collin raised a brow, "Would they happen to be hiding behind a general store? I recall that they were then taken in by the owner of that store shortly before we left the village. Of course, I wasn't there, but I heard it from Kiragi he said he saw he saw it happen while we left the village."
"Kiragi has the sharpest eyes out of everyone." Shigure replied, "If that's what he said, we won't have to worry about those children after that. But, there's bound to be more like them."
"It should start getting a little better after today." Fay said, "While you went to find my sister, Father and I caught the Count and the Duke scheming with proof to back it up. He'll be behind bars after his trials are done with should things go smoothly."
"What of the people he kidnapped?" Fiona spoke up with agitation in her voice, "Was he the one behind the raid?"
Fay nodded, "Mainly, he is. Other few members were arrested as well. As for the people he's taken, we've released them and offered funerals for those who fell victim to the raid."
"Wow." Forrest muttered in awe as Fiona sighed in relief.
"Wow, indeed." Fay sighed pushing back his glasses, "Pulling a funeral for individual people isn't as easy for others. However, one or two is one thing, but fourteen is another. I'm surprised that Father went through with this."
"All that's left is the trial." Forrest pointed out with a frown.
"I was worried he might try something." Fay said with a grimaced, "But father told me that everything would be fine and to leave this to him."
"Um…" Fiona spoke up hesitantly, "What kind of person is our Father? I know he's the king, but…"
"Well, for starters, he's the example of a wise ruler in this realm." Collin and before looking to Fay.
"He took part in the war against the humans when he was still a prince and flushed out the previous council of its members replacing them with those he trusted. At least, he use to trust before conflicts occurred. He's the first ruler recorded in history to have done this. Now, he's always on his toes so that the council does not overpower him for obvious reasons. He's a natural leader full of wisdom and the role model who inspired many."
As he sighs with confusion, Shigure nodded, "When we were looking for you, my cousin told us about the council. Sounds like the Duke held great power over them and the count acted as his little pawn the entire time without caring about his own actions. That's why Asugi infiltrated their forces as their thief. We did not expect to meet in the caves this morning either."
"There were people we didn't realize were there as well…" Fay said with a grimaced, "Even from our own soldiers. Now I'm worried about who else could be there too…"
There was a moment of silence when Harold spoke up, "Then, could you take a look over this?"
When Shigure looked, he saw a small leather book in the boy's hand.
Fay took it curiously and opened it. His eyes widen in surprise as he slowly began to flip through the pages. "This… is the records of everyone who's taken the count's side! How did you-?"
"Yeah…" Harold grumbled, "Let's just say I pickpocketed the wrong guy during the raid before they left."
Suddenly, Collin started to smirk to the side as Fiona's eyes widen, "You mean, the count was there?!"
"Maybe?" Harold shrugged his shoulders, "They weren't much value or help in the end, so I figured I throw it away. Looks like they don't have pretty good memory if you ask me."
"It's normal for scholars and people with knowledge to take notes." Fay said with a frown, "However, it seems they slipped up this time. I'll bring this to father. Don't leave my sister's side. We don't know what those two are up to."
"You don't have to tell me that." Harold replied folding his arms.
The boy's behaviour was intriguing to Shigure since he rarely see many retainers who acts like he does and to other nobles as well. Yet, Fiona seems accustomed to his attitude.
"Excuse me…" Fiona asked hesitantly, "But, did you find Rai?"
Shigure looked to Fay who responded, "We don't know. Seigbert and the others are looking into it as we speak."
"Oh…"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as Diane entered with Fay's permission.
"I've prepared Lady Skyla's room, milord."
Fay looked to his younger sister, "You should rest tonight. I'll let you know as soon as possible once we hear from the other group. Harold, I'm leaving my sister's safety in your hands."
The retainer didn't respond, but just nodded awkwardly.
Shigure noticed Fiona giving her brother a strange look as she asked, "So, what would happen to me now? Queen- Mother said that I would have to go back into hiding..."
"Do you want to go into hiding?" Fay asked her.
Skyla shook her head, "Even if I go into hiding, it'd only be a matter of time before they find me again. Then, more people will get hurt because of me."
"Then, get stronger."
Shigure looked to Fay in surprise, but the prince wasn't fooling around. His stern face made that clear. But, was it something he would have to expect from his younger sister?
"Your position as princess is much more important than you make yourself to believe, Skyla. The council would not waste their time trying to get you under their control. If you want to live outside of hiding, you can't be swayed by the council."
"Not be swayed by the council…" Fiona muttered in exasperation, "How… How do I do that?"
"Tomorrow." Fay started, "I'll see you tomorrow. That's if you have the resolve. For tonight, go rest."
Fiona looked hesitant, but nodded feebly. She and Harold then left the room following after Diane into the darkness of the halls.
Once she was gone, Shigure began, "Are you sure about this, Prince Fay?"
He nodded, "The council will hound after her. Our parents and I won't always be there to protect her from them. She also has the heavy role of crown princess on her shoulders. Having just come out of her life as a commoner, it would be difficult for her to adjust. It's best to prepare her before we inform her of her position further."
"Heh." Collin chuckled, "You've changed, Fay."
"How so?" Fay glared at him.
"Had it been you before," He answered with a grin, "You'd have thrown it all on her as if it was 'the most logical fact to know'. Not bad."
"I have no idea what you're speaking of." Fay responded with a frown and left the room with Lazar behind him.
The door slammed shut behind them as Collin turned to them with a small smile, "I was hoping to give you a hand, but it seems I've given you all more work to do. My apologies. You have my gratitude for helping my friend and his family too."
"It's quite all right, Prince Collin." Shigure grinned, "In a way, we accomplished something ourselves and you helped guide us to the next Chronicle. We also have nothing but gratitude to you and the royal families."
"So," Forrest asked with a frown, "What will happen to her now?"
"She'll probably have to start studying and take crash courses now that she's back." Collin said with a frown, "I don't know much about her curriculum, but I can imagine she has a lot to catch up on."
"Fay and Harold will be there by her side every step of the way.." Shigure responded with a frown, "It should help a bit, hopefully."
Collin nodded, "At least, they won't have to worry about magic if someone like Rai was teaching her. So, what are you going to do now?"
Shigure looked to Forrest who nodded.
"We're going to see the Chronicles in the temple in the next few days after the trial, then we'll return to our journey." Shigure responded.
"To look for another Chronicles?"
Shigure nodded, "Yes."
"What about your family? I believe they are here as well?"
"Our family will be holding a war council meeting back home while we travel." Forrest replied with a smile, "A more proper one than the years before."
Shigure nodded, "Father will meet with our uncles and another ruler of our world."
"What?" Collin raised a brow, "If there's so many of you, why aren't you making further progress with the investigation?"
"Because our friends are having trouble finding our enemies' whereabouts." Shigure grimaced, "They've spent ten years in the human world searching, but found nothing. Though we worry about our allies of this world, the enemies that attacked our world is of great importance if they have even become a problem to the Celestials of your world. We didn't find anything for years until this year."
"Our fathers told us that the enemies suddenly appeared around Presia." Forrest replied with a grimace, "Since our family patrols the town, the people are safe, but we hadn't seen the for years till now."
"Who are they?" Collin raised a brow.
"Monsters who look like starving humans gone mad." Shigure responded with a grimace, "Though they appeared in the dungeons of our castles, Celestial Ri told us that they came from your world. We've searched for over a decade since finding refuge here, but we found nothing till now. From what we've gathered, we've found out that they must've resided underground for years, but with no proof to back the claim the Celestials left for us. For years, we've called them, The Lost Ones."
"Celestial Ri was in all of this too?" Collin's eyes widen in surprise, "Then, the tales…"
Forrest nodded, "We've done a lot of thinking since we last talked about your deities. Your deities were sent on a mission to investigate this it seems, but the enemies must've outwitted them."
"Then, what could've happened to the Sister of the Spring?" he asked with a grimace.
"We don't know." Shigure shook his head, "When we arrived, millions of years had already passed in this world while ours have been frozen due to the conflict. Our people are also at risk of vanishing with our world without the Celestial's powers in our world. They were the reason why we were able to survive for this long. Now that they're gone or missing, everything is at a standstill and our people trapped in the midst of an attack and in time."
"But," Forrest frowned in deep thought, "If the sister was the youngest amongst the four, I recall overhearing a flashback once that Celestial Yue forbid the sister from joining the others because she was too young. So, why did she take part in the mission in the first place? What changed that?"
"I don't know." Shigure shook his head, "But, this is the exact reason why we can't tell anyone else about the truth. Everybody has already lived with these events in their own interpretation for so long, if we reveal all of this without proof to back it all up, there will be conflicts, especially in Goud."
"Did something happened to Celestial Ri too?" Collins asked with a deep frown.
Shigure nodded, "Some say that she went missing while other said that she passed on."
"In truth, Celestial Ri appeared in our world when it was starting to fall apart. She was… She was on the brink of death, but vanished when we tried to heal her wounds. It was as if she faded..." Forrest grumbled in sorrow, "My mother who took part in her healing with my aunt was pained to no end to see her fade away from her injuries."
"By the Celestials…" Collin grumbled, "Then, how did you get here?"
"Our deity dragons used their powers to bring us here, so we can see what's going on and how to stop them." Shigure responded, "Now that we've finally gotten somewhere, we can't stop here. We're trying to find out what happened to them and if there's still anyone we can turn to for help. Now we know that our journey is finally starting to turn the wheels on our fathers' side we can't stop here. This is something we should've done from the start..."
"Then, allow me to help." Collin said with a smile, "I can't summon my entire kingdom to aid you yet, but I'm still the commander of my own army and we can help you gather information in regards to our deity. If what you say is true, there must've been some things we're mistaken."
"That'd be great!" Shigure said enthusiastically with wide eyes, "You have our gratitude, Prince Collin!"
The day itself was cool as the winter breeze froze the surface of their cheeks. The gulls cried out on the docks as the seals began their long migration to warmer places. A few days had passed since they set out with the preparations. Everything that happened the past few days have been a blur, but they were in luck, especially yesterday.
"Aid from Okeanos?!"
Sophie gasped with joy that easily leaked out across her face.
From his throne in the Throne room, the king nodded his head firmly, "Thanks to your efforts in search and return of my child, my daughter now rests safely in the South Tower. As for your efforts and goodwill, my family shall lend you a hand should you and your friends ever find yourself at odds. Within our abilities, that goes without saying…"
Shigure couldn't believe his ears. First, it was the prince of Lufure and now the King Okeanos. Stunned and nearly speechless, Shigure gave a deep bow alongside his cousins, "Th-Thank you very much, your majesty."
Now they approached the temple where the next Chronicle awaited them. At the front gate of a gigantic Ylissean-like temple built of white marble stood four hooded figures. two black and the other two white. To his surprise, the tall white figure walked up and greeted them, "Please come this way."
"Understood." Shigure replied following after them.
Following them into the temple, they were surprised when they were allowed to bring their steeds in with them. As they entered, they were greeted with an array of blue stones that decorated the interior walls and a gigantic white marble statue of a familiar figure with blue sapphire eyes.
"Leviathan…" Shigure muttered in awe.
"So, you've seen her…" the tall hooded figure spoke with a grin as she removed the hood.
"Queen Cathy?!" Kiragi said in shock.
"Should she be leaving the castle?" Sophie questioned in confusion, "I thought the council was going to be a problem."
The queen giggled, "Perhaps, but not at the moment. They have other matters to take care of at the moment."
"After what we did, I'd see that." Shiro said with a wide grin, "We got them good."
"Hehe… You did." the smaller white hood figure giggled as she pulled back her hood revealing it to be Fiona!
"Princess Skyla?!" Seigbert's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to the tall and short figure in black, "Then..."
They removed their hoods revealing it to be Harold with a grumpy frown and a tall man with short- cropped black hair, brown irises, and glasses. He was about the queen's height, but certainly much younger.
"Rai." Shigure smiled in greeting, "I heard you were appointed as Lady Skyla's private tutor and retainer. Congratulations."
"Thank you." the man replied with a nod, "I'll continue to teach her everything I know before she's fit to take her place as an official princess again."
"But, why is she here?" Caeldori asked hesitantly, "Won't she get caught if the council finds her?"
Queen Cathy shook her head, "At the moment, my son and the king has their attention. My husband and I agree that now would be the best time to go through her ceremony, if not soon. When a member of the royal family is born, they must be witnessed by our goddess before they could be taken into the family. As you would also require my assistance to access the Chronicles, now would be the best time to do so."
"Really?" Sophie gasped in awe.
"Yes." Queen Cathy replied with a smile, "Now, follow me."
Shigure and his friends followed the queen into a wide, vacant room. Upon entering, Shigure held his breath, "This…"
They we're surrounded by a small body of water with marble stone that led to a small altar on a circular stone path where a tall blue throne sat on top of a long flight of stairs. The tiles were stained with blue crystal veins as the waters below were lit. In all, it was a breathtaking sight. Stepping forward, Cathy took her daughter's hand and said with a small smile, "Come. You have nothing to fear."
Fiona looked to her biological mother and slowly nodded her head. Following her, they stopped before the steps.
"Go forward, Skyla." She said, "When you reach the throne, wait."
The princess nodded her head. She looked over to her retainers once before beginning her path up the steps. Fiona slowly walked up the steps. Careful not to trip over her hood robe or the steps, she watched herself cautiously. As she reached before the throne, he felt a sudden strange feeling in his chest and looked to the queen, but it seems as though she did not notice. Suddenly, the stone they stood on swayed a little as the water began to rise around them and shone brightly. Before he knew it, a familiar fortress of waterfall appeared around them.
"What's going on?" Seigbert demanded in surprise as he makes certain everyone was okay.
"She's here…" Shigure replied with a grimaced, "Leviathan."
As he said this,a large serpent sprouted from the waters around them and encircled around them before coiling above the throne. Shigure wanted to call out to it, but Leviathan has her blue eyes trained on the young princess. Shigure held his breath as he watched the two quietly.
"Woah…"
Shigure could hear Kiragi hold his breath in awe behind him as Shiro whispered to him, "Hey, Shigure! Is this the spirit that you saw?"
He silently nodded his head. Suddenly something lifted from the throne and drifted into the princess's hands.
"Frian child of Lazuli Lapis, from this day forward, you shall take on your role and lead your people down to the peace you desire. With it, I, Leviathan, grant thou my strength of the waters. Just as I bestow upon thou blood with the destiny of great wisdom, thou shall be given my body. I gift thou the contract to summon my body as you wish to protect it those dear to you. Traverse the path of your choosing and never look back. Accepting of the consequences and the peace you seek shall open. Skyla-, from this day forward, I deem you worthy as my child! Through will and through soul! Use your soul as you must to guide your people forth! From this day forth, a new light shall be lit in the oceans in my child's return. My daughter, Skyla… I gift to you your title: crown princess of Okeanos and my domain." Leviathan crooked down her neck and set her chin in the open palm of the princess reaching out to greet it cautiously as the spirit continued, "Thou will are mine as one and, with it, you shall overcome your waves and echo the ripples of time."
Suddenly, the light shone from their bodies and traversed into the girl's as Leviathan slowly slipped away back into the ocean. The light dimmed away from her body as she took one step back. They saw something from the back of her hood as her mother gasped, "By the Celestials!"
"What?" Ignatius spoke up out of agitation, "What happened?!"
"Lady Leviathan deemed her worthy as, not just a member of Okeanos's royal family or the next in line for the throne, but as her daughter." The older Okeanos retainer explained, "There has never been a member of the royal family capable of such a title given by milady for hundreds of years till this day."
"Just what are you talking about?" Harold growled, "What is it talking about? Daughter? Crown princess?!"
All eyes were on the Queen who only had her eyes of worry trained on her sole daughter slowly making her way back to her in a daze.
"Skyla…" the queen muttered with confusion.
It was eyes that Shigure had once seen her mother shown. That day he lost everyone he knew.
"I'm sorry to say it must remain a mystery, at least for a little longer."
"I'm sorry, my dear…" The queen muttered bitterly, "In time, everything will become clear. I only ask that you wait a little bit longer…"
Suddenly, Shigure felt a hand grab a hold of his arm as he spun around and saw Sophie looking to him in worry.
"Lord Shigure…" Sophie whispered quietly.
He suddenly remembered where he was and slowly nodded back with a small smile, "Thank you, Sophie."
"It's fine…" Sophie replied with a small smile of her own.
As they walked out of the room, Skyla walked over to Shigure and presented to him the large book in her hands, "Here…"
"Skyla?" The Queen raised a brow.
"Milady!" Rai said with wide eyes, "But that's the Chronicle!"
The princess nodded, "But, I keep hearing someone telling me to give it to them… To Sir Shigure…"
"Someone telling you?" Shigure looked to her in confusion.
"It must be lady Leviathan…" The queen whispered quietly before turning to them, "Then, as the former High Priestess and current Queen of Okeanos, I grant you the Chronicles, Sir Shigure. As Lady Leviathan wills it, the royal family of Okeanos will also gift you the Chronicles from our Temple. I pray that our lady and the Chronicles shall guide you well on your journey."
Shigure was ready to take in the book, but his hand froze above the tome as he took on glance to his confused friends and to the queen and her daughter with uncertainty as he spoke, "Are you certain about this, your highness? This tome. The Chronicle is a treasured item of your kingdom. Taking it-"
"Would be enough payment with the aid we shall give with your people and friends." the Queen smiled, "You've found my daughter and saved her from the Council whilst my family could barely do anything, but stay idle in the castle as the years went by. My family… our kingdom could not express enough gratitude to you and your friends for doing so much of what should have been our responsibility as rulers… and as a parent. We have much to work for where we failed to do and much to catch up on. Please, take it."
Shigure thought carefully of the royal family, the people, the foreigner who suffer, Prince Collin, Fiona,... and Undine. After much consideration of thoughts after thoughts, he finally gently took the tome from the girl's hands and gave them a deep bow, "You have our deepest gratitude, your highness. Fiona..."
The girl and her mother shared a relieved smile and silently nodded their heads back.
Seeing the kids stare at the communication orb in anticipation on the ride, Kamui managed a dry smile and noticed his wife doing the same.
"They've been at it for a really long time." Azura noted quietly, "Especially, Ahna."
Kamui nodded, "I think it was the right call to pick out their retainers for them at that time now. But, for now, I'm just glad the kids are okay. Now for the adults..."
They both looked to their siblings behind their large group. It wasn't often that either would see their older siblings in doubt, especially not their eldest brother.
"Looks like they're still thinking about it." Kamui muttered with a worried look et he'd across his face.
"Hinoka more than Xander." Azura added, "It makes sense though. This is the first time we've decided to bring Suki with us to the reunion."
"Speaking of Suki…" Kamui hesitated, "I'm worried that Ryoma might decide to stay in the human realm for a bit longer…"
Azura nodded quietly, "We were prepared for this. Rinne is special to everyone, but she became a part of their family for over a decade. She's more important to them than how we think."
"It's hard since we follow different flows of time too…" Kamui frowned, "But, Rinne has to be out there. If only we could give our brother a hand too."
"We will." Azura responded, "And, I believe this time, we can finally start moving just as you and Corrin have hoped."
With his worry thinning out, Kamui nodded his head. Aside from being in Presia due to the Hopien wars, Kamui and their family needed to stay behind and watch over Suki. It was a thought brought up by the other families, one that Xander and Hinoka didn't want to believe, that Suki must be related to Rinne in some way. Since the age of three everyone who have met the two would notice the similar features between the two. From the shape of the eyes down to their height, they were nearly identical. And, because Suki was a child of this world, no one could refute that they were in the wrong world either, which was one of the factors that prompted many to stay on task. Now that Rinne is missing, many worry towards the look on the outcome of this battle. However, admist it all, Kamui and his brothers were astonished and bewildered to hear to his son and his friends had given the whole truth to the royal family of Okeanos. Not just that, but also received word for aid and their Chronicle as reward for finding their long lost daughter. This was something Kamui could not wait to tell Chrom and the others. Finally, the Exalt could take a small breather knowing that someone was finally on their side, though he wasn't certain what they'd think of revealing it all to the people of this world who had every right to call all of this crazy talk. For now, there was some on their side and believes in them. That's all that matters right now. Meeting and such could wait for the time being while they plan their next move and he believes that, this time, everyone he expects would be present.
Cathy
Queen of Okeanos; Former High Priestess of Okeanos
Weapon: Holy Magic of the waters
Age: 50
Before becoming the wife of King Izar, she became the High Priestess at an early age and devoted herself to her practice. Taking part in the war against the humans and leading her squad of Clerics and Priestesses, she became the main supporting figure fighting by the King's side during his time as Crown Prince while have just reached her coming of age. Shortly after the war, she then married him and left her position open for two decades for unknown reasons as some suspect that she intends for her son to take the position for himself. Having lost her daughter and unable to search for her, she imprisons herself in her chambers for years before Shigure and his party arrived to the Kingdom.
Skyla (Fiona)
Fay's younger sister; Leviathan's Daughter
Weapon: Water Magic
Age: 13
Long-lost Daughter of King Izar and Fay's long-lost sister. Having lost her adoptive father in a pirate raid, she was rescued by the hermit who once served under the royal family's militia. Under his guidance, she became his pupil and took on magic. She was then saved by Shigure and his friends during a raid and reunited with her biological family. Despite her looks, she still holds mysteries according to some of the events that occurred to her and her personality behind a gentle facade. Now, she lives on the mainland and resides in hiding from the eyes of the council.
Harold
Skyla's retainer
Weapon: Dagger and knives
Age: 11
An orphan who lived on Aspido island with Skyla, but didn't actually talk till the day the pirates attacked. Rescued by Skyla and Rai, he lives on the mainland as a thief with the two. Since the attack by the council, he was rescued alongside Skyla and taken in by the royal family as her retainer on the mainland.
Rai
Skyla's retainer and private tutor
Weapon: Magic
A hermit who once served under the royal family and was the youngest prodigy the kingdom has. Having served well in the royal family's militia and done much research since young, he was given permission to leave the militia and pursue his own research on Aspido island before Skyla came into the world. As a hermit, he studied in isolation from the village. Only hiring one person to bring him food and necessity on a daily basis as he studies. Since the attack on the island when he was captured, he rescued Skyla and Harold from the pirates, then brought them to the mainland after taking notice of Skyla's identity, despite her known background andlack on knowledge. He solely raised the two under his care and the foreigners back in the caves with a mix of commoners. After being rescued by Shigure's group when the council attacked in search of her, he was given the role of Skyla's private tutor and one of her two personal retainers.
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