AN: Alright, alright, alright! Here we are in Chapter XXVIII of ToX: The Lilium Twin! Thank you so much for your reviews! I really did appreciate them. They keep me going with this story despite the difficulties I've been having. Anyways, let's move on to what we all really came here for, shall we?
CHAPTER XXVIII:
THE WAR BEGINS
The group arrived in the middle of a different floor as they used another Lotus Ring for their navigation. Just as everything cleared around them, they all noticed the sad look on Rowen's face. Chris, on the other hand, was still stunned by the events that went down just a few minutes ago. Her bare hands were still covered in blood, staining the rings on her hands. It made her regret taking her gloves off when she was aiding Nachtigal.
"It must be awful losing a friend." Teepo said with fake tears in his eyes.
"Poor Rowen..." Elize followed up.
"I'm sorry for your loss." said Jude with downcast eyes.
"I'm fine, everyone." Rowen assured them with a gentle grandfatherly smile before continuing. "Fighting such an impassioned battle gave Nachtigal and I a chance to understand each other again. We have walked different paths in life, but it was good to remember a time when we called each other friend. I have no regrets whatsoever."
"I see. Then there is nothing further for me to say." Milla declared in a serious tone.
"Do you think that King Nachtigal felt the same way?" Leia asked.
"For Rowen's sake, I sure hope so." Alvin responded.
"I like to think he did." Chris said, speaking for the first time since she signed her name to become the heir to Rashugal's throne. It honestly worried Jude, who felt that she was starting to retreat into herself once more before all of this ever happened.
"Yes, I do believe he did. Thank you...all of you." The Conductor said with a smile. They started walking away but Chris lingered behind and spoke up again.
"Rowen..." She called, stopping her companions in their tracks. Rowen turned around to face the girl, who looked downright terrified of something none of them can figure out. Finally, Chris dared to meet their gaze.
"What will happen to me now?" She asked, her voice breaking as she spoke. It broke Rowen's heart to see the girl like this.
"When all of this is over, we must convene with the ruling houses of Rashugal to solidify your position as Nachtigal's heir and in turn, have you crowned as-"
Chris held a hand out before bringing a finger to her forehead.
"Say no more...I get it. Just...don't say it. Just don't. I just...needed to hear it from you..." She requested as she walked past them, feeling nauseous as she did so. She set foot on the Lotus Ring above the staircase in front of them and was immediately ferried away.
Rowen pitied the girl; running away from one responsibility and getting shoved into another at only 15 was bound to make anyone as terrified as Christina was. And after all this...after the country she was just made heir to, the country she is expected to rule, is about to be embroiled in civil war against her home country led by her father...she would have to face the heads of the ruling houses. Unlike Cline and Driselle, none of the heads were known to be polite, amicable, or merciful. Each has their own agendas and political ambitions. He could only hope she would be strong enough to stand her ground and weather the storm to come.
"Why is Chris so upset?" Elize asked them in confusion. They all hesitated to answer but eventually, Leia spoke up.
"Because she's scared, Elize. If all goes well, she'll be the Queen of Rashugal soon. At only 15, she's going to face so many responsibilities that make being a doctor feel like a walk in the seahaven. It's too much for her to bear."
"I've never seen Chris so terrified like that." Jude admitted with downcast eyes.
"She'll only be Queen if Gaius doesn't invade." Alvin reminds them as he put his hands behind his head before continuing. "If he does and he manages to unite both countries the same way he united the tribes of Auj Oule, then she'll be under the thumb of the man she spent years running from once again. But if he doesn't-"
"She'll still have to face the heads of the ruling houses." Milla finished for him as she shifted her weight to one leg. Now, she was really worried for Chris.
"If that's the case, we can expect assassins knocking on her door every once in a while." The gruff mercenary replied with a shrug and his arms held akimbo.
"It can't be helped. For now, let's find her and the Lance of Kresnik." The blonde decided, to which they agreed and stepped on the Lotus Ring that Chris used.
"We're too late." Milla declared as they ran forward.
"It's gone!" Elize yelled out in surprise at the sight.
When the group emerged from the Lotus Ring, they found themselves in a large room, not unlike the throne room, that was empty and completely devoid of people.
Except for the crumpled body of Chris near the large Lotus Ring. Alvin and Leia immediately ran to help her up. The young princess groaned in response as she opened her eyes and rubbed the back of her head with a bloodstained hand.
"Chris, what happened?" Rowen asked her in worry as he used a simple water arte to completely wash her hands.
"I don't know...it happened so fast. I saw the Lance for a moment but that was it...didn't even get their faces." She responded as her eyesight adjusted.
"Are you sure it was even here?" Leia questioned in a panic. Jude turned to her and answered.
"Nachtigal absorbed the Lance's energy before fighting us. It had to have been here."
"Gilland's gone as well. Maybe he moved it?" Milla speculated as she crossed her arms.
"Yeah...that's...gotta be the logical explanation..." Chris quipped in a sarcastic manner. Still, they all thought about it; where could a huge, metallic, mana sucking, hunk of metal have gone?
"If the Lance made it outside, it could be anywhere by now." Rowen said as he stroked his bear. "Let us leave the palace."
They all conceded and agreed.
xxx
The party ran outside Orda Palace in a hurry, not noticing the two patrolling guards that spotted them.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!" One of the guards demanded, forcing them to stop. Chris groaned in frustration, having half a mind to grab that writ from Rowen's coat pocket and shoving the guard's face just so they'll know just who exactly she is in this country now. Maybe then they'll stop bothering them; that's the only plus side she's seeing to being made heir right now.
"Uh-oh, this ain't good." Alvin said in apprehension. One of the guards straightened up upon seeing Rowen.
"Hey, wait up." He said before continuing. "Aren't you...Aren't you Chief Ilbert?"
"That is correct." The Conductor replied with a nod of his head. Before either man can say anything else, someone else started yelling.
"I have a message! Let me through!" A messenger said as he hastily approached them, seemingly having ran for quite awhile to get there.
"What is it?" One of the guards asked in a panic.
"Auj Oule's army is on the march! The enemy force is said to exceed fifty thousand men!" He hastily explained. Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, I'll be damned, he actually did it." Chris muttered in disbelief. Fifty thousand men can only mean one thing: Gaius brought all the tribes of Auj Oule marching with him. Including the Aktau Tribe.
"The War...it's started." Jude shakily confirmed.
xxx
Elsewhere, Gaius observed his army from the top of a cliff as the rain poured down, Wingul kneeling behind him and awaiting his orders. He took a deep breath and sighed.
Here he is once again; in the frontlines of another war. He's been fighting for twenty years now, since he was a mere twelve year old fighting King Merad's battles for him. He has killed so many in the years between then and now that it hardly bothers him anymore. But for his thirty-two years of life, he has only known peace for such a short while. A quiet life for twelve years, a war against Rashugal, a ten-year crusade against King Merad to overthrow him, and even when he became king, that quiet life he once had still eluded him. Even when his twin children were born when he was a young man of seventeen, he did not know peace. Overthrow the king five years later and become king yourself was bound to gain you enemies and thus, he traded the time he could have had with his children to serve the people, protect them, and put any unruly tribes that dared go against him in their places as well as any aggression from Rashugal and its tyrant. He pulled a piece of paper from his coat's pocket and gazed upon it, looking at the sketch of two smiling twelve year olds. That sketch was his son's last creation before his death. Despite what his surviving child might think, she and Ethan were always in his thoughts and he always yearned for their safety above all else. Even now, he prayed to the spirits that she would be safe.
'It was all for you, Christina.' Gaius thought to himself as he put the paper away and reflected on the fact that his daughter resented him for never being there for them. Gaius could barely remember a time when Christina smiled in his presence. He would give anything just to see her smile, even once. He shook those thoughts from his head; now was not the time to get sentimental. If he was to keep his people safe, then this was a necessary evil.
"Order the troops to attack!" He said as he kept his gaze forward. Wingul nodded and stood before facing the commanders of the army.
"Forward to victory!"
And from there, it was a domino effect. Officers rode their horses down the lines, relaying the Ebon Wing, and therefore, the king's, command. The soldiers prepared themselves for battle and charged at the Rashugal battalion, with their opponents charging as well to meet them halfway.
Gaius watched this all from where he stood in the cliff. Soon enough, he would join his men down there in the battlefield. Once more, his mind returned to his surviving child.
Despite what Christina might think, she was always in his thoughts and he yearned for her safety above all else. Now, he prayed to the spirits that she would have the sense to steer clear from this battle.
'Be safe, Christina.' He thought to himself as he held his sword in both hands.
And he charged into the battlefield. (1)
xxx
"Fifty-thousand? From Sapstrath?"
"No! They're coming from north of Fennmont! They're in Fezebel Marsh!" The messenger responded. Rowen and Chris' eyes widened.
"I'm sorry...I think I just had a Grand Mal Seizure without realizing it but did you just say Fezebel Marsh?" The Princess of Auj Oule asked as she rapidly blinked in confusion.
"Impossible! How do they intend to cross such impassable terrain?" Rowen questioned them. "The spirit climes have stopped shifting!"
Rowen's question finally brought the messenger's attention to him.
"Chief Ilbert, we are unable to decipher their method of transportation." He nervously responded.
"This is bad, isn't it? All our soldiers are concentrated out in Fort Gandala and at sea." Jude reminded them.
"It's gonna be a massacre out there." Chris said as she rubbed her face in frustration.
"At this point, we may not have time to move our troops into position." The Conductor gravely said. Fort Gandala was a bit of a ways away from Fennmont...and those stationed at the seas near the city would never make it in time.
"You need not worry." The Messenger said as he stood in attention. "Deputy Chief of Staff Gilland foresaw this attack. He is transporting our new weapon to the battlefield as we speak."
"New weap-oh no..." Leia said as her eyes widened in realization as to what he was talking about.
"I knew it." Milla retorted in frustration. That Lance has escaped her grasp so many times it was making her quite angry already.
"Soldier, who ordered you to carry this message?" Rowen interrogated him.
"The Deputy Chief of Staff himself. Is something wrong?" The Messenger asked in confusion.
"No, you are dismissed." The elderly gentleman told him, allowing him to run inside the palace and complete his errand. The two other guards followed after him post-haste, leaving the group by themselves in the bridge.
"Gilland is up to something." The blonde lady speculated with crossed arms.
"Whatever it is, we must head to Fezebel Marsh at once." Rowen declared.
"But before all that, why don't we go for some supplies? We're heading to a battlefield so can't be too careful, right?" Alvin suggested, to which they all agreed upon once again, splitting up in search of supplies.
At some point of their supply hunt, Chris separated from Alvin and Elize for a moment and wandered in front of Talim Med, spotting Jude, Leia, and Rowen entering while Milla lingered outside. Approaching the blonde woman, Chris almost recoiled when she saw what she was reading.
"Milla, not in public, jeez…where'd you even get that?" She asked as she saw that Milla was reading the fourth volume of "Men and Women Beneath the Sheets", which is odd; considering it was banned and its print run destroyed.
"Oh, Chris…I didn't notice you there…I was just reading this book. It was banned and its print run was destroyed so I took the chance to read it immediately." Milla said with a light blush in her cheeks and a small smile on her face.
"Uh-huh…I know. That's why I'm asking where you got that." The princess retorted as she leaned back a bit.
"Oh, Jude and I paid Orda Palace's library a visit and I found it there." She answered, going back to her book as if it was the most natural thing in the world and she didn't just commit a crime.
Chris blinked rapidly as she shook her head.
"You STOLE from Orda Palace's library?" She asked, feeling the beginnings of a migraine approaching. "You know what, never mind. I'll deal with you later."
She ended their discussion by entering Talim Med and following Jude's trail. She ran up to them in front of Examination Room 5, earning a nod of acknowledgement from Leia and Rowen. They all entered and spotted a red headed nurse treating a bird. Finally, she noticed them and her eyes widened.
"Doctor Jude! I didn't know you were back. And with Doctor Chris too!" She said in surprise before continuing. "I couldn't believe it when I heard the military was after the two of you! Oh, gosh, where do I even begin?"
"C-Calm down." Chris said as she held a hand out.
"Take a deep breath, Prinn. It's okay." Jude calmly told her. "Although, to be honest? So much has happened that we don't know where to begin either."
"I'm sure of it. Anyway, Chris, have you gone to see Professor Miller yet?" The nurse, Prinn, asked. Jude and Chris shared a look before turning back to her.
"No…why?" She warily answered. Prinn chuckled and scratched at her cheek before speaking.
"She was absolutely livid when she heard about the warrants out for you two, claiming she wasted three years of her life teaching you to be a doctor only for you to become a criminal."
"Yeah, that sounds like her alright." She said as she sat on the chair.
"Anyway, she said that if she finds you she's gonna 'skin you alive' unless you provide a decent explanation." Prinn continued with a sheepish smile.
"Uh-huh…and…shouldn't I take that as a sign of staying away from her?" She asked, but Prinn shook her head and spoke up once more.
"She said that if she finds out that you came here and left without going to her, she's going to cancel your credits, strangle you to death, resurrect you, and skin you alive only to kill you again. She's in Examination Room 1 right now."
Needless to say, they were horrified with that imagery. But no one was more horrified than Chris. In fact, she was so horrified that she tried to run, tripped over her chair, stood up, and then ran out of the room, clearly heading for Exam Room 1. She opened the door to the room, only to find it pitch black due to the lack of light. Against her better judgment, Chris dared to step one foot in the room. And another. And another. And another. Until…
"So, you finally decided to show yourself." A stern and familiar voice said as the lights turned on, making Chris shriek in terror.
"Ahhh…please don't skin me…I'll explain what happened!" She said with her eyes closed and in an extremely high pitched voice as she slowly sank to the ground in fear. She didn't hear anyone speak after a few seconds, so she cracked an eye open…only to see Professor Miller staring at her with a stone-cold dead stare.
"I see Prinn gave you my message." She said as she helped Chris up. Professor Miller looked the same as always with her lab coat over her normal clothes. Glasses over her blue eyes and her fiery red hair tied in a bun with two curly strands framing both sides of her face.
"Well…yes." The girl answered sheepishly.
"Good." Miller said with a small smile before she grabbed Chris by the shirt and forced her down on the examination table. "Do you have any idea what you've done? X-marked criminals? You and Mathis tanked your careers before they even started!"
"It was a misunderstanding. Lemme explain!" She said as she pushed her former professor away from her. Chris held a hand out, preventing the woman from approaching her.
"Good, now that you've calmed down; it was a misunderstanding. Yes, we broke into Laforte but that was because they wouldn't take us to Professor Haus and they were being shady so…we snuck in." She explained as she sat on the examination table. The redhead in front of her crossed her arms and leaned against her desk.
"And?" She asked. Chris opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish as she fiddled with her hands. She hesitated on answering; answering the question could put her professor on the radar. So she decided to be as vague as possible.
"A-And…we…uh…sawsomethingweweren'tsupposedtosee." She rapidly answered. Miller's eyebrows shot up.
"What?"
"We…saw something we weren't supposed to see." Chris finally answered as she ran her hands through her hair.
"Oh dear…" Her professor said as she slapped a hand to her face.
"Look that's all over now…you don't need to worry about it…Jude and I are just gonna settle some things then we'll come back on our hands and knees and beg the school board to let us finish our last year."
Professor Miller looked at her in disbelief and after a few seconds, much to Chris' disbelief, pulled her into a hug.
"Just stay safe." She whispered. Chris returned the embrace and after a few seconds, what the professor said sent chills down her spine.
"But don't think I'm gonna forgive you for just leaving like you did."
Jude, Leia, and Rowen, who were passing by Exam Room 1, heard high pitched screams coming from the room.
xxx
Chris walked out of Talim Med where the rest of her companions were waiting for her. She was clutching her cheek and her eyes were tearing up for some reason.
"Hey, Chris…how'd it go? Those were some hella high Cs you were hitting there when we were passing by." Leia lightheartedly said with a chuckle, earning a glare from the girl.
"What did the professor do?" Jude asked in curiosity.
"Let's just say you were lucky you weren't there or you would've been hitting those hella high Cs with me." She responded as she continued to nurse her cheek.
"Oh wow, Chris…are you crying?" Teepo asked her as he got into her personal space.
"I'm not crying…YOU'RE crying." Chris replied as she applied healer on her aching cheek which…oddly enough…had a handprint in it.
"Hmmm…interesting. Chris reverts to immature and childish behavior when in extreme pain." Milla said out loud as she observed Chris' reactions.
"Shut up, Milla. So, where to next?" The dark-haired girl asked as she put her hand down.
"Prinn has requested some harmonica grass." Leia answered as she rocked on the balls of her feet.
"Harmonica Grass? She treating a sylphjay?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Nurse Prinn has asked us to deliver some harmonica grass for the sylphjay she's treating." Rowen responded with a small smile.
"Harmonica grass grows in the Arklund Quag, just outside Fennmont." Jude reminded her. The girl snorted as she crossed her arms.
"Why do you have to go to the Arklund Quag? I have a surplus of harmonica grass in my dorm. Professor Miller told me they haven't touched our rooms at all so I'm betting it's still there." She responded, earning a look of disbelief from her classmate. "Come on, I'll show you."
xxx
Jude honestly didn't know what he was expecting when Chris said she had a "surplus" of harmonica grass in her room. Maybe in her drawer or a bag…
"Uh…Chris…"
But it was definitely not this.
"Are you…growing harmonica grass…in an artificial environment?" He asked as he approached the pot with healthy harmonica grass in them.
"Uh…yeah." She answered like it was no big deal. It was notoriously difficult to grow harmonica grass in an artificial environment…and yet here Chris was growing, cutting, and bagging some of them like she's been doing it for years.
"Hey, Chris, you were a pretty cute kid." They suddenly heard Leia say. Turning around, they saw that Leia was looking at a piece of paper tacked on a corkboard by Chris' desk. They approached and saw that it was a sketch of two smiling children, looking no older than the age of 12.
"Yeah, I was…thanks." Chris said with a small smile. Her next action surprised them all; she pulled the paper away from its tack and shoved it into a drawer.
"Let's go. Prinn's sylphjay is gonna need this." She said as she walked out the room. The two teens stared after their friend before sharing a look with one another, both thinking the same thing…
For all her bravado and apathy, Chris still hasn't let go of her deceased twin…
xxx
"What? Our mission is finally over and there still isn't anything you can do?" A familiar voice bellowed from the other side of the door.
"Please calm down, Lady Nadia! My friends will be back with Harmonica Grass for him soon." Prinn frantically assured her. They burst into the room with Rowen, only to find Agria standing there in front of Prinn.
"Blah, Blah, Friends this, grass that. Don't you get it? We need to get out of here!" The girl in red scolded her as she swayed from her spot. Leia then decided it was time to speak up.
"Um…we got the harmonica grass!" She declared with forced enthusiasm, making Agria turn to them.
"The hell?" She questioned.
"Shouldn't that be our line?" Chris said as she handed the bag to Leia.
"What are you doing here?" Jude asked in surprise. Agria turned to Prinn with a questioning look in her eyes.
"These your so-called friends?" She asked with a wolfish grin.
"Uh…yes…I went to school with Jude and Chris. Though, I was two years ahead of them." The nurse answered honestly with a look of shame in her eyes.
"Ahahahaha! This is classic!" The white haired lady laughed out as her arms were held out in the air.
"How do you know Prinn?" Leia asked in disbelief.
"Because she's the liaison for us Auj Oule spies!" She responded.
"Lady Nadia!"
Agria turned to her liaison and waved her off.
"Ah, who cares? These chumps don't have the balls to rat you out." She said before turning back to them and continuing. "Prinn's job is to pass all the juicy information I collect back to Auj Oule."
"Is it true?" Jude asked.
"I-It is…" Prinn hesitantly replied, feeling bad for having lied to her two friends for so long. Chris, on the other hand, was impressed. She'd been going to school with an Auj Oule spy all along…and yet she was always the one teased for being a spy because of her clothing.
"And this sylphjay was your means of communication." Rowen speculated.
"No way…" Leia breathed out as she took a step back.
"Ahahaha…how does it feel, pimple?" Agria questioned her. "How does it feel to know you tried your very best to help an enemy spy? Not only do you stink of hypocrisy, you reek of stupidity too! Ahahaha!"
Chris lunged forward and pinned the girl to the wall by her neck, having had enough of her antagonizing them at every turn.
"That's enough out of you!" She demanded before she heard Leia storm out of the room with Rowen and Jude following after her. Chris picked up the Harmonica Grass bag that Leia dropped in her flight, tossing it towards Prinn's direction.
"Plenty more where that came from in my room if you need it." She said with a softened tone before sending a hardened glare towards Agria and following after her companions.
xxx
They found her looking down on the water behind a guard rail. Leia had a frown on her face and as they approached, she snapped at them.
"I'd stay back if I were you. Wouldn't want to get my stench of stupidity on you."
They were all surprised at her remark. It wasn't something they expected to hear from her.
"Come on." Jude breathed out in disbelief.
"Leia…you can't let her get to you. Agria's not right in the head. You know that." Chris comforted her. It wasn't an excuse, she knows but…what else could she say to someone whose self-esteem was just trampled on?
"Excuse me." A gentle and familiar voice spoke from behind them. Looking back, they saw Prinn approaching them. "I just wanted to thank you all for your help. If you hadn't brought the Harmonica Grass, Bobo would have died. Now he's going to be fine."
"Tell me…do you have some connection to Agri-Rather, Nadia's family in the House of Travis?" Rowen gently asked the young nurse.
"I do. My mother was her nanny. I've known her since she was a baby." She replied.
"So, Agria really is nobility." Leia said in surprise.
"Sadly, Miss Nadia's mother was a commoner and she was subjected to much abuse because of it." Prinn added with a sad tone. They all felt bad for Agria; no wonder she turned out the way she did.
"The Travis family has always been focused on privilege, even by the standards of the Six Ruling Houses." Rowen informed them with a grave tone of voice.
"So, they're basically like the Rashugal version of my mother's family." Chris quipped as she crossed her arms. Rowen turned to her and nodded in confirmation.
"Eventually, Nadia's mother, the only support Nadia had, became estranged from the Travis family leaders. She died shortly after, and Nadia was convinced they had conspired to kill her." The red headed nurse continued on, shocking them all.
"Jeez…" Chris muttered out in surprise.
"Is that why she became a spy for Auj Oule?" Leia asked her.
"It's no excuse for selling out her country but…" Prinn began with a sad tone.
"Who could blame her at that point?" Jude finished her.
"I suppose what Rashugal was doing would be unacceptable in any country." Rowen grimly said.
"Um…Prinn…is Bobo the name of the sylphjay?" The young brunette asked her.
"Yes. Miss Nadia named him herself." She replied with a small smile, as if she was remembering good times and good days she shared with the girl who became Agria the Shadowless. "She's been taking care of him since he was an egg. She's always loved him."
"I see…thank goodness he's okay." Leia said with a pleasant smile on her face. "Even if Agria did laugh at me, I'm glad Bobo's all right."
"Yeah. We all are." Jude reminded her with a smile.
"You really are exactly how Doctor Jude described you, Leia." The redheaded nurse said with a smile. Rowen turned to his young companion and with a fond, grandfatherly smile, he spoke.
"Indeed…she inspires smiles wherever she goes."
After their little talk, Prinn moved to leave, having said what she needed to say. Chris saw this and decided to stop her. She still had questions to ask.
"Why don't you guys go ahead? I'll meet everyone by the Arklund Quag entrance." She informed them. Her three companions nodded and she made ran up to her old schoolmate.
"Prinn!" She called and the girl immediately turned with a confused look on her face.
"Princess." She greeted her, giggling at the look of confusion on Chris' face. "Sorry. Agria told me just now who you really were; that you were the daughter of King Gaius."
"It's fine. I just…tell me of Agria. Like her life before…all this. What turned her into what she is now? I want to understand and I get the feeling that there's more to what you told us." The young Princess pleaded with her but Prinn merely shook her head and held up a hand.
"I'm afraid that I'm not at liberty to discuss that, Chris. That's Lady Nadia's story and it's for her to tell." She responded. Chris deflated in disappointment but she understood; it didn't surprise her that Prinn would stay loyal to Agria.
"I understand. It was quite rude of me to even ask." She said with a small smile. Prinn giggled and nodded.
"But…there may be something that might help. Journals of Lady Nadia's father was said to have survived the fire and recovered from the Travis manor ruins. If I remember correctly, it was locked away in the archives of Orda Palace. As proof that the House of Travis once stood proudly and strongly, they say." The redheaded nurse informed her. A new hope was in Chris and she rushed forward to give the nurse a hug before running off.
"Thanks. I owe you. Stay safe!" She yelled behind her as she ran, earning her a smile and wave from Prinn as she watched the young doctor rush away.
Chris finally met up with her companions near the entry way to Arklund Quag. She had decided that the mystery of Lord Travis' journals would be better suited for a more appropriate time rather than the midst of a war. They had wasted enough time already helping Prinn as fulfilling as that was.
"Ready to go?" Alvin asked her with a scrutinizing look on his face.
"Yes. What's with the look?" She asked him as she crossed her arms.
"Oh...you know...we're going to battle where you might see your dad again...you sure you don't want to run? Or turn coat and run to daddy dearest? Last chance." He egged her on with a wolfish smile on his face. There was nervous energy amongst the group at Alvin's words but Chris readily stared him down.
"I'm not you, Alvin." She snapped at him. To think, after all they've been through, he would have the balls to question her loyalty to their little group. If anything they were the ones who had the right to ask him that.
"Ooh...sick burn, Alvin." Leia teased him with a smile on her face.
"Trust me, Alvin...after he had me beaten up, a family reunion is the last thing I got on my mind." The Princess stated. "Now are we gonna stand here or are we gonna go after the Lance?"
She walked off ahead of them. And with relieved, proud, and happy smiles on their faces, followed after her.
AN: ALRIGHT FOLKS! That's all we got for now. So now, I bet y'all are surprised by my uncharacteristic sudden update, huh? Well there's a reason for that. I recently landed myself a job and will now probably be only able to work on this on the weekends so I have no idea when exactly I'll be able to update once again so...I wanted to leave you guys a little something before I probably take a while to update. In the meantime, I have decided and currently in the process of drafting a midquel to this story which would show events that I THINK or rather IMAGINE happened in between Tales of Xillia I and II. It'll be a series of one-shots that would take place over the course of the year-long gap. I am also currently debating whether or not I should put the Tales of Xillia II in a separate story entirely but I'll deal with it when I get there. And now for the notes.
1 - Okay, y'all...I know I made Gaius as be the type of guy who is like "I'm a King first and a father second" in this story but I like to think that there's still a soft spot for Chris in him...he is still a father, after all.
Anyways, that's all I got for now. Please leave your reviews, follows, and favorites after you read. I greatly appreciate them. Again, thanks to those who did that in the previous chapter. Stay awesome y'all. Til next time.
Firework out!
