They took their seats one by one round the great table in the center of the Chamber of Tales, save for Akaoni, who had to, embarrassingly, crouch as he walked inside, constantly banging his head as he was making his way around Fabelpfalz. It was a little bit funny, Iona had to admit, especially the way he'd cover his head with his hands each time he hit it, but of course she kept it to herself. To her credit, she found she had grown quite apt at staying that tongue of hers, and the meanness that oft dripped from it.
With the Book of Tales gone, there were talks of what should be done with the Chamber that once housed it. No one reached a decision – it was hard for anything to be determined in dealings between Märchenland and the Bad End Kingdom – so for the time being it was made a room for further negotiations between monsters, Precure, and the royalty of the kingdom. For all the good that would do.
The Chamber had survived most of the damage done to Fabelpfalz, but without the Book of Tales, Iona found that it was no longer the place of wonder it was when she first stepped in. Now it was only a spacious room without windows and a few splats of ink here and there along the floor. It was discreet enough for a gathering of the most important people in Morgenluft, though, and right now that made it more than fitting for the current situation.
The Precure sat right in front of Wolfrun, Majorina and Nico, while Pop and Candy sat in the far sides of the table, putting themselves between the Precure and the Bad End Kingdom. Akaoni himself, though, had to sit awkwardly behind the Precure, as that was the only corner of the Chamber where he could fit. He breathed loudly, and each time he did, he let out hot air right on Iona and Nozomi, who sat to her left. Iona clutched at the legs of her chair, squeezing them tight and telling herself not to complain, not to let out her annoyance.
Candy was the first to speak. She wore a crown that was a bit too large to her head, or perhaps it was just that she was so unused to wearing it that it made a poor fit. With her mother gone, she ought to be queen now, but most people referred to her only as princess. She herself was wary of calling herself queen.
"I-I'm Queen Candy," she said, overly formal, before reciting some of her titles, which meant nothing to Iona. "I have been asked to mediate the negotiation between the Red Rose and the Bad End Kingdom as a neutral party."
"As if you can be neutral when you're such good friends with the Precure," Wolfrun laughed. Candy seemed about to go back to helpless stutters, but she managed to compose herself admirably.
"You seem to be misunderstanding the purpose of negotiation," the queen said. "It's not an opportunity to exchange quips. You all walked in here of your own volition. You know what it means for us all to gather here. If you will not show any respect, sir, you may leave."
Wolfrun did not protest. He seemed almost impressed by the little queen's resolve. Candy might not be charismatic, and much less imposing, but she tried to be as queenly as was demanded of her.
"We have saved Morgenluft together," said Candy. "The credit is not for a single person to claim. This victory was earned by Märchenland, the Red Rose, and the Bad End Kingdom. It should be treated as such."
"We have won battles for the Precure before," Akoni reminded them. Iona had to lift her head high to see his face, and it made her neck ache. "We don't want mere thanks. We want something more concrete."
"My proposal was to assimilate the Bad End Kingdom into Märchenland," said Pop. Majorina bit her lip, irked, and Pop gave her the word.
"We've won," she said. "We took this city after the Death of the Stars. If anything, you should become part of us."
"I don't mean any disrespect," said Honoka, "but Märchenland is an ancient kingdom. Yours was only united more recently. Independence has never been your goal, to the best of my knowledge," Majorina conceded that point. "Would you kindly state your cause?"
"Fine," she said. "Our cause is justice. Justice for what has been done to those who live beyond the fold of Märchenland's humans and fairies. We've conquered you. We should not be discussing this."
"You've seen what we could achieve when we fought together," said Nozomi. "I think you're looking at it the wrong way. You should have always been accepted as part of Märchenland. If you seek reparations, it should be for this."
"We would be willing to fix this injustice," said Candy. "We'd welcome you to Märchenland, officially, and proceed to correct whatever mistakes we can."
"And then you don't have to be stuck with a name like Bad End Kingdom," Nagisa said. Candy glared at her, showing that the standards demanded of the negotiation extended to the Precure as well. That seemed to ease Wolfrun's worries regarding Candy's neutrality, though he did laugh at Nagisa's words.
"You make a good point," Akaoni lamented. "Not a very attractive name. Oh, sure, it was good when we were uniting our people and offering them the opportunity to take vengeance and let loose their rage, but it's not exactly the name of a place where you'd like to raise a family."
"Oh, getting sentimental now?" Wolfrun asked. "I'll admit I don't much care for this business of founding a new kingdom. None of us is fit to rule, least of all me. From high up a throne it's difficult to see the problems of the commons, and that's all we ever cared about," he turned to Majorina. "What do you say?"
"Fine," Majorina said. "You're right, that's what we're fighting for. Not our personal ambitions. Our people have been living with the humans and the fairies for a while now. It would make them happy to live together in fairness under the banner of Märchenland."
Nico didn't seem to have much to say. She was still hurt, a mostly-ordinary girl like her could not recover nearly as quick as a Precure would. Iona felt as if her presence there was only a formality. She certainly didn't seem to care as much about the Bad End Kingdom's cause as its other leaders. Still, she played a part during the long night, so she had a seat at the negotiation table.
"There is another matter regarding this," said Prince Pop. "I have discussed it with my sister. To ensure this fairness, as well as to keep up with the times, which, admittedly, Märchenland has been very poor at doing thus far, we're establishing a council to decide matters of governance and finance alongside Queen Candy," Majorina seemed particularly interested in that, and leaned closer to the prince. "A third of it composed of humans, a third of it composed of fairies, and the other third composed of…" He hesitated. "I feel like monsters is a word we should stop using."
"Clever boy," Wolfrun said. "Yes, that was to be one of our demands, but I guess you were a bit ahead of us on that point. Call us what we are. Wolves, witches, ogres. It's not like we're one big happy family just because we all fought under that clown bastard. It personally offends me to be put in the same group as those damned kelpies. What have they ever done? Freakin' water bumpkins, and-"
"I think that's enough," the queen said, and Wolfrun held his tongue. Iona had to admit that Candy was doing an admirable job keeping the meeting from turning into madness, which seemed very likely given the people who were part of it.
"One third is not enough," Majorina said. "It still leaves us in relative minority given our inner divisions."
"We can discuss precise numbers, of course," Pop said, "but is the proposal, in broad strokes, to your liking?" Majorina was the first to nod, though reluctantly, and Akaoni the next. Wolfrun answered with a curt fine, and Nico nodded as soon as she realized all eyes were on her. "Thank you," he said. "I do believe this is the finest solution to ensure a harmonious future. We will work together as we have been working not only to defeat Pierrot but even before that, as we joined forces and effort to create a new Morgenluft."
"Pretty words, pretty boy," Wolfrun scoffed. "We really don't need all this ceremony. You can save them for your speeches once you announce all the new measures to the good people of Märchenland. They'd best like it. Don't think it's getting any better, and I think we're all tired of fighting."
"If so," Reika rose her voice, "then now is the time to rest, because there is more fighting to be done in the days ahead. Hence our presence here and our insistence on union between the former Bad End Kingdom and Märchenland."
Reika got up, as well as Honoka and Nagisa. They must have talked about it in detail, Iona guessed, but the rest of the Precure only heard of Reika's proposal in vague terms, even Iona and Nozomi.
"It was Joker who arranged for your alliance with Nightmare and the other conspirators," Reika said. "Joker is now gone, and so is Pierrot's power. Soon, I've no doubt of it, more eyes will turn towards Märchenland, and will see there a land that is ripe for the taking. The Selfish Princess was the first to come ravaging in her little incursion, and if word spreads that she returned to her home with a great treasure, the Dragon Glaive, you cannot expect her to be the last would-be conqueror. Make no mistake: the enemies of the Precure are not friends with one another. Right now they are gathering their strength and consolidating their positions. When they are ready, they will come for all they judge weaker."
"There are dozens of Precure gathered in the Phoenix Tower and at Last Light," Nagisa said. "Striking there would be a risky proposition, so you understand why Regina turned her attentions to the south, to Märchenland and the Land of Toys, and not to the Neutral Lands."
"But they'll come for us as well," said Honoka. "Of that, I have no doubt. Labyrinth, Nightmare, Eternal, the Trump Kingdom, the Desert Apostles and Dark Fall, and as well as whatever evil lies in the heart of Majorland… They will devour one another sooner or later. Maybe we can reason with them. Some, perhaps, but not all. We must be prepared, because they will come for us. The Red Rose is not strong enough to face them all, and neither is Märchenland."
"We must fight together, then," said Reika. Silence fell upon the table. Iona had a feeling that this was what they had in mind, and it was certainly audacious, not to mention that it entirely disregarded Mirage's authority. It was the Rosehearted who was tasked with this sort of diplomacy and great decisions like this. For Reika to propose this of her own volition could be taken the wrong way, even if Iona knew her intentions were good.
Wolfrun and Majorina whispered among themselves, while Akaoni grumbled in frustration that he could not really approach them. Said grumbling meant, of course, that Iona felt his hot breath again, and had to restrain herself from reproaching him.
"We have already told you that we know very little of the plans of the others," said Wolfrun. "We could not fight back against the armies of the Selfish Princess, not when our ranks were stretched thin trying to keep a hold on Märchenland. I feel this may, after all, be for the best."
"I'd never fight next to a Precure if I could help it," Majorina said. "But it seems I can't. I could choose the path of my pride but I will not abandon my people. And now my people are not just my kin who were cast out of Märchenland all those ages ago. The humans and the fairies are under our protection as well. If we are to make Märchenland our home for all the years to come, then we can't choose to care only about certain parts of it."
"My thoughts are the same," said Akaoni. "We will come to your aid should the need arise. The Red Rose can't be trusted, but Cure Beauty can. I'll trust her if she swears that she, too, will come to our aid."
"I swear it," she said. "Send word to Last Light if you ever need the Precure. Not to the Phoenix Tower, at least not until I write to you telling that Mirage will back the alliance as well."
"Are you sure it's right to go behind her back like that?" Iona whispered to her fellow Cures. Nozomi and Komachi were uncertain, but Honoka seeme quite thrilled, as Iona expected. The plan struck Fortune as wise, but she did question Honoka's interest in it, though she knew better than to voice her doubts.
"A Rosehearted that disapproves of a crucial alliance at a time like this is not fit to be Rosehearted," said Nagisa. Iona didn't disagree with the sentiment, but she was thankful that Nagisa had the sense to say this only when there were miles beyond counting between Mirage and her.
"If nothing else, she should be glad to have us as meat shields, eh?" Wolfrun guffawed, but Majorina was not impressed. "I'm just saying that none of us are in a position where we can afford to refuse help."
That much could not be argued with. Though plenty of Precure had regrouped at the Phoenix Tower, and more were initiated through the Starlight Ceremony, their numbers were far from enough to do much other than guard the Tower and Last Light. To stay holed up in their one safe place was against all the duties of the Precure, and, besides, that safety would not last if they did not work on it: the enemies of the Precure would simply choke the life from them slowly, surrounding them and closing in until one last strike. A sad death for the Red Rose, thought Iona.
She had never seen the Red Rose in its days of glory, never saw the Phoenix Tower in its true splendor, but she had heard much from her sister. It was not right for a power so great and proud to be slowly snuffed out, a light going dark in the night sky, barely noticed. Maria would do anything to preserve her dear Rose, and Mirage had been Maria's partner, her closest friend and confidant. Iona had no doubt that she'd be more than happy to hear the news of what the Precure had achieved here.
With the arrangement agreed upon, all that was left was bargaining numbers for the council. That was not Iona's concern, only Candy and Pop's, so she was the first Precure to get up and head out, followed closely by Nozomi. Majorina, Akaoni and Wolfrun stayed behind for the discussion, but Nico trailed the Precure, and closed the door behind her. In the narrow corridors leading to the Chamber of Tales, lit more by the sunlight that shone through the stained glass windows than by the torches that ran along the walls, the Precure gathered closely - too close for Iona's liking, what with the lack of space - to discuss among themselves.
"I had not expected everything would work out so well," Reika admitted. "This alliance is one of our wisest measures in preparing ourselves for the struggles ahead of us, but Majorina and Wolfrun have always been proud. I feared that for the sake of that pride, they would offering nothing further than a simple non-aggression pact."
"They still want us out," Makoto said. "I was thinking they'd demand the presence of Precure in Märchenland for protection. Perhaps not us, but someone."
"I did just tell you of their pride. It doesn't surprise me that they want to be the ones to defend Märchenland, alongside the fairies and the humans that they will work with now, without the aid of Precure. I can understand that, even if I disagree with their decision. There were always those who said that the Precure stationed around the world were not meant only as guardians but also as the eyes and ears of the Red Rose. And it was true, of course the Precure always had to report back to the Rose and inform it, and some might have, shall I say… Informed the other Precure of crucial secrets of the lands they've guarded."
"Right, some decades ago there was a shift of having it so that Precure guarded their own homelands, as a gesture of goodwill," Honoka remarked. "They wouldn't spy or act against their own home. At least that's what the Red Rose wanted to show the world."
"But that does mean that the fairy kingdoms were always protected by human girls, no?" Kotoha asked. "We fairies cannot survive the Starlight Ceremony, after all."
"Right," said Honoka. "It didn't sit well with everyone, the fairies most of all, but who would be the fool who'd refuse the help of the Red Rose? Of course, it's not just the fairy kingdoms that have to abide by the Red Rose's stipulations. All under its safeguard had to."
"My sister spoke about this with me, once," Iona remembered. It was one of the first letters that Maria had sent once she had been initiated. "The Blue Sky Kingdom already had plenty of Precure appointed to guard it, so she and her partner Mirage were entrusted with the protection of the Dessert Kingdom, but the queen there refused them, said that she'd prefer more experienced Precure given their proximity to Labyrinth and the ever-present dangers."
"What was the decision, in the end?" Komachi asked. Nozomi also stared at her with curious eyes. Iona, regrettably, couldn't remember details, the letter had been sent so many years ago, and back then she didn't cling desperately to every single memory of Maria. Back then, Maria felt like she'd be there forever.
"Two other Precure were sent alongside Maria and Cure Mirage. One was a rookie like them, and the second, a well-regarded veteran. I can't possibly remember their names, though. Maria didn't go into too much detail of her duties as Precure. Not with her family, at least. We knew better than to ask her those things. If we heard of the dangers she faced, it would only worry us," everyone seemed to understand that. It didn't surprise Iona: other than Kotoha, everyone there had been a Precure for longer than Iona.
Just a little over one week ago, Iona thought, she had stepped into Fabelpfalz for the first time, saw its faded alabastrine interiors, timeworn but pleasing to the eye all the same. Now, while the distant corners of the palace were unblemished, its heart was ravaged by winter and by the throes of battle. She followed behind the others, in the sluggish gait that was all she could manage with her crutches, though Nozomi and Komachi slowed down to stay close to her. The closer they came to the center of Fabelpfalz, the more Iona saw it fall in a ruin of shattered windows and sinking floor, walls and ceiling that cracked and threatened to crumble under the weight of snow and ice. There was no need to say that it was Reika's doing, and her discomfort inside the castle made that plainer to see. It was not like Reika to lose control in the midst of battle, so Iona shuddered when she imagined what exactly she might have faced in the blighted throne room.
There wasn't a throne anymore, of course, or much of the surrounding area, for that matter. Most of the damage that had been dealt to Morgenluft was merely superficial and easily undone in the days after peace was restored, but Fabelpfalz would not so quickly become again as it used to. If it ever would. It seemed to Iona that, with all that was changing, perhaps going back to what it used to be was almost counter-intuitive. Morgenluft was not like Trump, a city almost unchanged through the centuries, but it did strike Iona as more than a bit antiquated in aspects. Perhaps the coming of those who used to be the Bad End Kingdom would lead the city to some gradual change. That ought to be worth something.
"Everyone," Reika called those around her as they were about to leave Fabelpfalz, save for Nagisa and Honoka who seemed headed to, Iona had no doubts about it, the libraries. Iona and Nozomi stood right in front of Reika, the others in a circle around her. Even Nico listened to her, though just a moment before her hurried steps were making it obvious that she only wanted to leave the castle as quickly as she could. "Tonight, just past sunset, I'd like to invite you all to my house, if you'd like to come. My family will be celebrating, erm…" Iona saw Nozomi contain a smile at Reika's bashfulness, her teeth sinking down into her lips. "My birthday. It was their decision to do so, not mine, but I figured I would extend the invitation to you all. I've already told Queen Candy and Prince Pop about it, but I fear they won't make it, what with their duties, so I'd be very pleased if you'd come."
"Sure," Nagisa said plainly. "Will there be food?"
"O-Of course!" Iona wondered why, at this point, anyone still bothered to make jokes around Reika. "Though with all the people who might be there, counting you all as well as my family, I can only promise small slices of cake…"
"That's no problem," Nozomi said, putting an arm on Nozomi's shoulder. Iona might have done the same if she could use her arms for anything right now other than supporting herself. It frustrated her even more than she thought it would. "I already told you I'd love to see your family. Hopefully they'll think good things of me. They must have a really high standard for judging your partners, given Miyuki and Yayoi here," Yayoi managed a shy smile, but Miyuki, of course, chuckled heartily. "I can't disappoint!"
"We'll help you organize," Makoto said what Iona would have liked to, though of course the offer would have come out silly if she were the one to word it. "I helped my friend Alice set up a birthday party once. It was quite fun, and I don't really have much to do this afternoon."
"It's a simple thing," Reika said, "not a big party or anything. There's no great work to be done or anything of the sort, I'm afraid."
"Well, I'd still like to help with whatever I can," Makoto said. "And I'd like to meet your family, of course."
"Kotoha here seems to be the only person who's actually willing to make the journey there," Miyuki joked. Iona understood at once what she meant: the way to Reika's house was, to put it politely, inconvenient. To put it honestly, Iona questioned the prudence of whoever it was that decided to build a house atop such a steep hill. Iona shuddered at the thought of making her way up with her wounded legs.
That being said, however, Iona did not know that Kotoha had visited Reika, and had done so more than just once, for that matter. She remembered, then, that Kotoha was helping Miyuki and Yayoi with their recovery from Pierrot's curse, so perhaps Kotoha was only informing Reika of their progress. Yes, of course that was it.
"You may go now, then, if you'd like to," Reika said, "and of course you won't be denied our hospitality, but first I promised to accompany Miyuki and Yayoi to meet someone," she didn't mention who it was, so Iona did not ask further questions. "We won't be long, but it's important."
"That's fine," Honoka said. "We'll be late too."
"Fashionably late," Nagisa only drew laughter from Miyuki. Now Iona was beginning to understand why Reika had told her that Miyuki and Akane were particularly close.
"The libraries?" Iona asked. It was an obvious question, what with how Honoka kept mentioning how interested she was in the libraries of the palace, both the public one and the one past the door adorned with nightingales. Please take a while to recover, she told Iona once. At least until I'm done investigating. Iona wasn't offended at all, she could recognize a jape, but Nagisa apologized in Honoka's behalf for at least five minutes, until her partner Mepple told her to shut up.
"The work is nearly done," Honoka said. "The librarians promised me a minute of their time this afternoon, and I'll certainly use that minute. But yes, we'll be there. Maybe we'll even bring something if there's a bakery on our way."
The Precure parted ways, then, Honoka and Nagisa deeper into the palace, while Reika left alongside Miyuki and Yayoi once they were outside, past the gates of Fabelpfalz, where the road forked towards east and west. Iona looked back to see Reika disappearing in the distance, and when she turned ahead she saw Kotoha just in front of her. She didn't want to feel any bitterness, but she couldn't help but think that Reika was keeping too many secrets from everyone as of late. It wasn't a right feeling to have, she knew it was not proper to doubt her friend like that, and yet she did. She wondered what that said about her, if anything.
But it didn't matter now, she told herself. She'd leave the worries for when Morgenluft was behind them. Right now it was not the time to be concerned. She'd have plenty of opportunity to lose sleep in the future, she was sure, so for now she simply enjoyed being with Makoto and Komachi again, and this new girl, this fairy who became a Precure. Iona remembered what she said about all the blue roses blooming. Indeed, there was no lack of apprehensions in the days to come. And wasn't that just joyful?
Nagisa tapped her finger against the top of the table in an almost rhythmic fashion as she waited for Honoka to finish her work, whatever it was. She hadn't told Nagisa what exactly she was looking for this time, and it made Black wonder if White even knew what she sought. Behind the counter, the two librarians awaited impatiently, sighing every minute. One was a fairy, the other a rather young-looking girl, and neither seemed particularly pleased with having to help Honoka. Right now she was the only person who required access to the libraries, and no one would possibly deny a request of one of the girls who was widely known to have helped save Morgenluft, protecting hundreds of its citizenry. But that didn't mean they liked having to go to work for the sake of Honoka alone.
Other than the sighs and Nagisa's finger hitting the table, the only sound in the cramped library was Honoka's frantic page-flipping, her eyes rushing from one end of the page to the other, so quick that Nagisa didn't understand how her lover could make any sense of it at all.
Nagisa knew she couldn't. She tried to keep up with Honoka, tracking the mesmerizing sway of her index across the pages, but Honoka progressed too fast for Nagisa's eyes to keep pace. Honoka always preferred to take her time when reading, making annotations on the pages when she could, but now she was pressed for time, and taking her pen to the fragile parchment might very well give the librarians an aneurism. They already fidgeted in agitation watching Honoka flip the pages without much gentleness.
It was only yesterday, while she inspected the damage upon the books they had saved, that Honoka realized what exactly she had in hands, and Nagisa could never blame her for her excitement: one look at the cover was enough to shock both Nagisa and Honoka out of breath and words. Upon the hard leather, sapphires made the azure contour of a rose. Such a symbol would not have been idly placed, and made evident the allegiance of whoever had written this book. That it had not been confiscated by the Red Rose in its process of erasing every memory of its rival was the most astonishing thing.
"Goodness…" Honoka whispered, more to herself than to anyone else, and she got up at once, carefully holding the open book on her hands, and ran to the counter, startling the two librarians, and Nagisa as well, who was slower to rise.
Honoka placed the book in front of the girl and the fairy, shoving aside quills, pencils and pieces of paper left on top of the counter. She placed her finger on the the middle of the page, her nail nearly scraping the parchment as she pressed her index down. The librarians had to lean closer to see what it was that Honoka tried to indicate, and Nagisa had to turn her body and head awkwardly to try and read it, straining her own neck and shoulders.
"Y-Yes?" The fairy didn't quite seem to understand Honoka's point, if there was any. Nagisa couldn't even read the minuscule letters, so somehow she managed to be even more baffled and lost.
"This book is one of the late enchiridia of the Blue Rose, dated very closely to the extinction of the order," Honoka said. The librarians just stared at her blankly, the significance lost entirely on them. "It's a manual of the practices and organization of the Blue Rose, it was given to the Precure that were tasked with spreading its influence across the lands. It has instructions on the methods of trade, persuasion and propaganda that are to be used to gain support. You can see by the sapphires on the cover that it was handed out only to those in the inner circles of the Blue Rose, the ones tasked with coordinating its growth. I didn't know it existed, there were no records, so no one in Verone even knew that the Blue Rose used these methods."
"That's… Interesting?" The girl's eyebrows pressed together. "What's a Blue Rose?" Nagisa could only laugh.
"Here," she pressed her finger on the page. "This makes mention of three other books that should be here in Märchenland. A listing of members of the Blue Rose. All members. I've spent the past week getting used to every single book in this library, but I couldn't find the books mentioned here. Why? They should be here. Compared to this," she spread her palm over the manual, "that's trivial information now."
"Now that you mention it," the fairy said after taking a good look at the titles Honoka indicated, "yes, these books used to be kept here. Before you took her place," the fairy turned to its companion, "my mentor was the keeper of the two libraries of Fabelpfalz. She made me study our catalogue, and I definitely recall seeing these three books listed there, years back."
"Years?" Honoka said in a voice heavy with distress. "Does that mean they're not in the collection anymore?"
"This Precure came here a couple years back looking for all the material we had that pertained to this Blue Rose. I didn't know what she was referring to, and to me she appeared to be a big deal in the Red Rose, so my mentor figured it was better to let her do whatever she wanted… Plenty of people have lost their jobs when defying the official business of the Red Rose, but my tutor wasn't an idiot. She taught me that lesson well, even though nowadays the Red Rose doesn't hold that much sway."
"This Precure…" Honoka was starting to show signs of anger, so Nagisa stayed close to her and held her. "She took the books?"
"Those three, yes," the librarian said. "The one you have here, though, she missed. It turns out that the old Queen, her ghost be blessed, had removed it from the libraries and kept it with herself. She returned it shortly after the Precure was gone. Can't say I ever understood why she had it."
"She was hiding it," Nagisa understood. "I don't get it, though. What's so important about this?"
"A fair question. Regardless of her reasons, it did lead us to some interesting information. Whatever was in those other books was apparently important enough for the Red Rose to seek it. To dispose of it, perhaps? There is one other question I'd like to ask."
Nagisa already knew what it'd be. Honoka could never, ever let go of her suspicions, but right now, Nagisa was having her misgivings as well…
"Would be so kind as to tell me who was the Precure who came here to look for the books?"
"I do remember her name. She was called Cure Mirage, I'm certain of it."
"I see," Honoka said. She tried to maintain a neutral expression, but a twitch underneath her eye brought her feelings to light. "Thank you. Could I trouble you by requesting permission to make a copy of this book?"
"Not at all," the girl said, "though you'd be here a while, I think, and-"
Honoka closed the book shut, shutting up the librarian with a loud thud. She dropped the book on top of a large stack of papers she had left on her table, and put her palm upon its rough leathery surface, the sapphires disappearing beneath her hand. Glimmers of light poked out from between her fingers, and when she lifted her hand and set the book aside, letters were aglow on the stacks of paper, as if they burned, and when the fires died down the words written on the book had been copied already. When she learned this magic from a seer in the Blue Sky Kingdom, Honoka swore it'd be useful someday. It only took her seven years, Nagisa thought, smiling. Honoka thanked the librarians and prepared to leave with her copies in hand, but the fairy approached her abruptly.
"One last thing," he whispered. Nagisa had to make an effort to hear him. "It's curious. You are not the first Cures to come here to investigate. There was one who came before you, just three months ago."
"Three months?" Nagisa didn't understand. That meant she came after the Death of the Stars, and while Morgenluft was under full control of the Bad End Kingdom.
"She came to the city under the guise of a common traveller, and entered Fabelpfalz unseen by the guards. Funny… She could have gone anywhere, and she carried herself so proudly that it really did look like nobody could possibly stop her from getting what she wanted, but all she did was come to the libraries and ask for my help, and my silence. The most peculiar thing, though… When you asked me your questions, you knew which books were hidden, but didn't know who had taken them. But that girl… That girl didn't know about the books. She just knew that Mirage had taken something from here. Like you, she only had half of the information, but it was a different half…"
"Looks like I'm not the only person to suspect Mirage," Honoka said. "So she is hiding something. Something she considers detrimental to the Red Rose. She's always been loyal, I'll give her that."
"It must be a really bad secret if she'd to such lengths," Nagisa said. It didn't shock her that much. The Red Rose had done plenty of wrong in the past. "Mirage didn't mention doing it on anyone's orders, did she?" The fairy shook his head. "I figured. I don't presume this other Precure you've mentioned has divulged her name?"
"She actually has," the fairy said, and Nagisa rose an eyebrow, while Honoka stared so intensely that the other librarian shied away as if the glare would make her drop dead. "She told me that if other Precure ever sought this library to uncover the same secrets she was trying to shed light upon, I was to inform them that of her name: Cure Macaron. She had no fear in making her identity known to all. No, the way she said her name, it even sounded like a threat, somehow, or perhaps a challenge, even. She said that the name would mean something to the well-informed. Meant nothing to me, not that I wanted it to. Well-informed is a different way to say meddling, and I had learned enough to know that meddling is not a safe thing to be. I'm not concerning myself with the affairs of the Precure. I intend to live a long and quiet life, like my mentor did, and die of old age, naturally, in my sleep, with family around me."
"Your mentor has died?" Honoka shivered.
"Shortly before the stars went out, so she was fortunate to not have to see all this horror… She was almost a hundred years old, so if you're suspecting any sort of foul play at work, I think you're looking too hard."
"Yes, I do believe you're right," said Honoka. She bowed politely, and took the books to return them to their proper shelves before being reminded that they were to be left on the reading desks so that the librarians would organize them afterwards. They didn't hide their relief when they saw the Precure leave, just as Honoka didn't hide her concern.
She was deep in thought as she ascended back to daylight, hand in hand with Nagisa, the two gingerly stepping over the rubble of the destroyed ceilings. Honoka whispered possibilities to herself, and Nagisa awaited for her to reach a conclusion. When she did so, she squeezed Nagisa's hand with her cold fingers.
"Does the name Cure Macaron mean anything to you?"
"I know her only by reputation," Nagisa admitted. She had definitely heard the name before, but their paths had never crossed, or if they had, it never made an impression on Nagisa. "She should be around our age, I definitely recall hearing her name during our Starlight Ceremony. She was never in our circle, though, I think she was southron… I have only heard high praise of her, though, but I've never heard of any great deeds she might have done."
"Me neither," said Honoka. "Curious. Perhaps we've simply never paid attention? Our days were spent across the Crystal Ocean, after all, so we were rather far from the action, so to speak," she bit her nail until Nagisa urged her to stop. A second later she was at it again. "When that fairy mentioned her name, I figured it'd be someone important. It felt like a name that should matter to me. I must be missing something. No matter. It means that someone other than us suspects Mirage," other than you, Nagisa thought, but by now she was skeptical as well. "More than that, this Cure Macaron's mistrust was specific enough for her to seek evidence here. That means she had cause to look for answers here. She knows something about either Cure Mirage or the Red Rose. The latter, I'm almost certain, Mirage is only trying to place this secret under wraps. Goodness, that could well have been why she came to Verone in the first place."
"It seems that when we return to the Phoenix Tower, we'll both have some really hard questions to ask there," she said, and Honoka nodded, pensive, understanding. "I haven't forgotten Momoi. He betrayed Verone, he betrayed Hikari," just thinking of it made her let go of Honoka's hands and pierce the palms of her hands with her nails. She felt hot all over, flushing and flaring, her veins straining against her skin. "You always tell me to think before I act. When I meet him, please don't hold me back."
"I won't," Honoka promised. "Just as I won't restrain myself with Mirage. I'll ask her what she thought was so dangerous she had to hide, and then I'll look deep into her eyes and see if they shift when I mention Cure Macaron. Rest assured, my love," she said, and though she did not wear rage as plainly as Nagisa did, her words were scathing, "when we are at the Phoenix Tower again, the truth will not escape us again. We will learn what happened to Hikari, and where she is, and we will learn what it is that the Red Rose so desperately wants to hide. And when we have the truth, we will have our justice."
The frost covered the words written on the tombstone, so Reika knelt and helped Yayoi wipe it away until the writing upon the stone was clear again. Not that Yayoi needed it to recognize her father's grave. She had walked this path many times before, with her mother and on her own. Reika and Miyuki gave her a moment of quiet, allowing Yayoi to stand before the grave before she put down a large bouquet of winter roses. Reika and Miyuki, then, offered flowers of their own, orchids and lilies. The snow began to cover them, as well, but there was nothing that could be done about that.
"This was the first time I saw the grave without any flowers," Yayoi said without averting her eyes from the gravestone. She placed a candle next to it, and lit six fires around, an offering of embers to the spirits during winter. It was an old-fashioned tradition, one that almost no one followed, but Reika didn't question Yayoi, of course. "My mom would always leave flowers, or, when she was busy, arrange it so that others would place them for her. She's not here now," Yayoi concealed her sadness admirably, "so I figured I'd do this in her place. Even if I'm late."
"We will find her, wherever she may be," Reika promised, "and bring her back here. All our families. All the people who were dragged into suffering and sorrow because of us."
"He promised me just that, you know," Miyuki's words came out as mere sighs. "Among his many other promises. Take my hand, and give me your blood, he said, and you won't have to fear for the lives of those dear to you. When Joker first said that, I was stupid enough to think it was an offer, and not a threat. I suppose I've been very stupid."
"He manipulated you," Reika said. "Joker is the one you should blame, not yourself," Miyuki smiled sadly. "I mean it. It's not an empty kindness. I know just how dangerous Joker is. I know how hard it is to resist his offers when he's hurting you, wounding you by using your pains against you."
"We were not as strong as you were," Yayoi said. It hurt to hear that, and it hurt even more to hide the truth. Reika looked down at her own hands, following her veins with her eyes. "I could never be. I wish I had been."
You are not weak, Reika wanted to say, but she had no right to utter those words, so she stayed silent. Miyuki clutched at her own sleeves, anxious. It was a day of biting winds, constant and harsh, but Reika felt nothing. It was only when she saw Yayoi and Miyuki quiver and rub their hands together that Reika acted the same to keep up appearances.
"Kotoha must have told you, right?" Miyuki asked, and Reika nodded. "I figured that was why she visited you. I can't blame you for wanting to know, and it's better to hear it from her than from me, I'm sure," she faked a smile. She always did that rather than admit something gnawed at her from inside.
"I know, yes," Reika said. "And I know the changes it brought. But you are still the same. That's what matters. You are the same…" This she said more to herself than to Miyuki and Yayoi. They'd never even notice it, of course, unless Reika herself told them. They would never assume that their dear friend Reika would succumb to temptation like that, not when she had always been so strong, so righteous.
Hearing that eased Miyuki and Yayoi's worries, though. This was the first time Reika had time alone with them since Morgenluft had been saved. She didn't know what she should say, what it was that they should discuss, but, though they had much to talk about, the past days led Reika to not want to trouble herself or anyone else with these matters. Those were for the future, and it looked grim enough already. Let us have time to mourn, to love and to rest, she thought, before we must face the storms again.
They turned their backs on the grave and left the cemetery behind, passing by other mourners on their way. There were only humans and fairies among them, though the iron gates were flanked by statues with the likeness of harpies. But once Reika returned to the streets, they were filled with life, and life of all kinds.
Laborers worked to raise all the walls that had broken, and everywhere she went, Reika came across people carrying sacks of mortar, from human men and women who supported them on their shoulders to lumbering ogres who held half a dozen bags on their arms. Certainly, the ogres would have been more than sufficient to repair most of the damage dealt to Morgenluft, but it meant a great deal that they were working alongside not only the people with whom they had sided to form the Bad End Kingdom but their ancient enemies as well. At the negotiating table, there might have been some uncertainty about the future of Märchenland, a fair amount of bargaining, and Majorina herself never hid any of her misgivings, but to the common people those matters were nothing compared to life, and life went on regardless of the troubles it had to endure.
While most worked with rebuilding, the fairies set out to making sure everyone was fed, housed and treated. Many had suffered wounds when they were attacked, but even more were afflicted with terrible fears at the mere memory of what they had been through. The blight might have ended a week ago, but not all had recovered from Pierrot's curse entirely. It was not an affliction of the heart, one that Kotoha could attempt to cure, but one that was not so simply fixed. Thus, the fairies made use of the empathy provided by their attunement with the feelings of others to offer words that might help alleviate their woes, if only a little. Most parks and vacant areas of the city were now serving those purposes.
In such a time, then, Reika found it inane to care about something like a birthday, what with how the world had so little cause for celebration, but perhaps that was exactly why it mattered. Even if not to her, to her family, and her friends. She owed them that much, those small joys. She owed it to everyone she was lying to.
The road leading to her house was steep and, she had been told, difficult to those unused to it. Reika wouldn't know: she had lived in the same place her entire life, as her mother had, and her grandfather. The ascent built discipline and spirit, or so declared the first Aokis of Morgenluft who built their house atop a hill that was isolated from the growing center of the city. It had now become a proud tradition, but Reika was no longer a naive child and had learned years back that her ancestors only chose to construct atop the hill because its isolation and impractical nature made it the plot of land those first, impoverished Aokis could afford. But that was not the sort of story anyone cared to hear, much less tell.
That it did build discipline was a lucky coincidence, of course. Making her way down the hill on her own as a child taught Reika to tread carefully on the segments of the road where no one had built railings for safety, and making her way up made her used to the fatiguing toil that her family demanded of all of its members in working to better themselves in all ways they could. It was a way of life that tempered the wills of several of the most esteemed citizens of Morgenluft. In that house had been born great medics, wise diplomats and councillors, scholars and soldiers of great renown, poets and painters, sculptors and musicians, and benefactors who worked hard to make Morgenluft a better place.
And a Precure. Even after all that greatness, that had been the greatest pride of all. Making her way onward ahead of Miyuki and Yayoi, who lagged behind and paused every few minutes to catch their breath, Reika looked up and saw that the hill was not as large as it seemed to be the last time she had seen her home before the Death of the Stars. She only noticed that now, strangely. I'm thinking too much, she realized, but she had never been good at keeping her mind from straying. No, Reika had never been one to lose herself.
She looked to her side, to a patch of flowers on the road, where the inclination was less harsh. The flowers were wilted now, but if she stared with enough effort she could see the snows gone, saw her own mother and herself caring for the flowers, choosing the most beautiful ones. She could only see herself from the front, not from the back. She could not imagine that, could not conceive how that looked. She could make herself hear her mother's voice, but not her own. Her words eluded her. And, though, she looked only a child upon that stretch of green and reds, blues and yellows, the words she remembered her mother telling her were far more recent.
"There was never a Precure born of our family," Shizuko said, slender fingers braiding her daughter's hair. Reika put a hand on the back of her own head, clutched at her strands, but it felt different. Her fingers were cold, and now when she was by her mother's side she felt ashamed of being a child again, of asking her to to sing for her as she used to, and to brush her hair, make it pretty like Reika didn't know how to. She couldn't braid her own hair, only others'. Nao's, almost always.
I will make you proud, she had said once, but now couldn't hear her own voice. When she imagined herself, that lost child, she opened her mouth but said nothing.
"I have been proud of you from the moment you were born," her mother had said. That was the truth, of course, but even so Reika knew that she had never been as proud as when they received the letter sealed with a red rose. They always had to get their own letters from the mail office, as no one would make their way up such a hill each and every day. Reika remembered when she returned after getting the news. Yes, her mother smiling by her side, Reika trying to restrain herself from asking questions Shizuko could never answer, and all the congratulations she received when her family was gathered.
They would never be proud like that again, Reika knew. She looked back at Miyuki and Yayoi. They didn't look different than how they used to. Perhaps they sometimes seemed a little tired, and of course they were a bit older, but otherwise they looked the same. But Reika knew they weren't. The same black blood that they took into her veins also ran within hers, and she understood what it meant. She understood what it cost. Her behavior was the same, that at least was free of corruption, but she remembered what she told Kotoha. She was afraid now. Her whole life, Reika had always felt this quiet assurance that whatever she did, so long as she meant well, she could do right. She didn't need to be scared, she only needed to do her best and stay true to the dignity, discipline, honesty and pride that she had been taught.
She strayed from that path now, and when she felt fear, she knew she was afraid of herself. Now she lied to all. She remembered the days she spent with her mother, learning, above all else, a clear sense of right and wrong, and that if she lived a life focused on the former, on righteousness, she'd never need to doubt herself. That was not her anymore. That child had forgotten her lessons, and now even her blood was gone, stained black. For Akane, Reika told herself, her constant reminder of why she paid the toll demanded of her in the first place, why she shed her blood. I did this with the finest intentions. It is not wrong. It cannot be wrong if I save Akane with this power, if I save everyone who was lost and hurt.
Until today, she truly believed those words. But now, not so much. Now the fear was in a place where it had never reached before.
"Reika?" Miyuki called her when she and Yayoi finally caught up to her. "Are you sick? You look pale."
"Being sick on your birthday is just the worst," Yayoi sighed, then tried to place her hand on Reika's forehead. She shied away on instinct, but could not tell herself why.
"Sorry," she realized she had been too brusque. "I ate too much when I visited Akane's family, and I had a hard time sleeping. I might be sick."
"First time I see someone getting sick from eating too much of that cooking," Miyuki grinned. "Though I guess you're not like me. You're not used to eating so desperately and so much that it's like you think the world's gonna end. That's what my mother said I looked like when I tasted her steak again. If the world did end, well, I'd have been pretty damn content in that moment, heh."
She believes me, Reika thought. Anything she said, Miyuki and Yayoi would believe her. And why should they not? They thought she was stronger than they were when dealing with Joker. She hadn't succumbed, she hadn't faltered. They had always looked up to her. Reika had never thought that before, even if she suspected, because it made her feel she was simply being arrogant, but the notion came easily to her now. They wish they could be as strong as they think I am. She could never tell them they were wrong, or anyone, even as she knew how much it hurt them to see her as a constant reminder of their failures and their weakness.
She went on ahead again, finding that she could not bear to look upon their eyes knowing she was not only lying to Miyuki and Yayoi but she only twisted the knife of their guilt and self-doubt. Out of all her friends, she remembered, she had always been the most praised, the most admired, the one held in highest esteem by the Red Rose, the only one to have the honor to fight next to Cure Moonlight. And now she knew that she was hurting her friends. Worse still was that the comfort they so desperately needed from her, she could never give. She could never tell them that she understood.
And when she reached the gates of her house and waited for Happy and Peace to arrive, she thought something that made her heart hurt, its beat slowed until Reika felt cold and sick. What would Akane think if she learned that I did this to myself for her sake? She'd understand, right? She had to. But understanding was not accepting, and accepting was not loving. Again, when Miyuki reached her, her mouth twisted with worry.
"Is something in your mind, Reika?" She asked. She could not know what it was that troubled her, but she would never fail to notice that Reika was troubled. She'd known her long enough to be able to read her.
"I was thinking how fortunate I am, that we can be together again," Reika said. Had she always been so quick to lie? She unlocked the gate and let her friends walk inside before she did the same. "We may not all be together now, but soon we will be. And all will be like it used to, because we'll make it that way. And you'll never have to worry again. It will all be fine. Miyuki, Yayoi…" She said the words not only for them but for herself. She wondered if they brought them any comfort. "Let's go now. For today, let's forget everything, alright?"
She knew well enough that they couldn't forget, of course. But her lie required her to say that anyway.
When she opened the door and stepped into her home, greeted by her family and her friends, all waiting for her, the first person to meet her eye was Kotoha. Only Kotoha knew, so the way she looked at Reika was different, even if she could not explain how different it was. But everyone else was the same, and, most importantly, everyone else thought that Reika was the same as well.
She smiled. She could still do that, at least.
They were to meet at Morgenluft's gates as the first morning snows were falling, the skies grey and thick with clouds. The last few days had been so beautiful - perhaps only in comparison to the earlier blizzards - that Nozomi almost forgot that it was still the middle of winter, and the mornings were still harsh for someone as unused to this weather as she was.
Then again, Iona was unused too, but she was not the one shivering and whining and saying she wished it were warmer. She seemed pretty content, really, what with being able to walk again without needing crutches. The other day, Iona had to be carried by Nozomi so that she could make the ascent to Reika's house, and it seemed as if, fueled by sheer embarrassment, spite and anger, Iona made a quick recovery overnight. Far from a full one, of course, she still winced with each step she took, but far be it from Iona to let pain ever stop her.
Nozomi quite doubted that was healthy or wise, but to ask for more time would be, to Iona, like admitting defeat, and she'd never do that. Nozomi wished she would; she quite enjoyed carrying Iona, if truth be told, especially with the way she blushed and tried to look away. Nozomi would have called her Cure Tomato, but she didn't feel like being murdered just yet.
That Nozomi had been the first to arrive at the gates was a pleasant surprise to her until Iona reminded her that the inn where they stayed was close to Morgenluft's entrance, a common stop for travellers. Still, for someone who was used to always being late, having to actually wait for others felt almost like being responsible for once.
As they waited for the other Precure to come, they watched the city before them. Iona in particular was fascinated by all the crowds that hurried to their work and duties, even after being in this city for a while. She had never lived in any big cities, after all, nor had much contact with them outside of the Blue Sky Kingdom or Trump, and both of those were now only blasted ruins. But Morgenluft was not. When she first walked past that gate, Nozomi was certain that behind it she'd see devastation, a city on the verge of collapse, but what she saw was a city that, though struggling to find a new way in a changing world, endured as something not drastically different from what it used to be. It had not crumbled and died. Morgenluft had not lost its past like so many other places had. It was a bit hard to believe, after all they had seen, that when Reika showed them her home, she could speak of it in a tone that wasn't only melancholic.
The city was so loud with the sound of passerbys running on a rush and talking to one another that Nozomi barely heard the trees swaying to the wind, their leaves rustling and plunging on a slow descent to the ground, rocking back and forth in the air. When the gusts turned harsh and snowflakes began to fall thick and constant, the two sought refuge inside the gatehouse. There, a fire burned on a large hearth, though no soldiers were gathered around it. Right now their duty was to keep the peace around Morgenluft and to watch the gates and walls.
Nozomi didn't know what the city needed to be guarded from right now, but she understood that, once word got out of the Bad End Kingdom's consolidation with Märchenland and their alliance with the Precure, there would be repercussions. The Selfish Kingdom had raided the country once, and from what Nozomi had seen, if Regina returned she very well could take much of the country. The kingdoms occupied by Nightmare were not too far away, either… Nozomi thought back on the Doughnut Kingdom. They had been freed from Nightmare, but no news of them had reached the Phoenix Tower. Cure Pinceau hadn't ever gotten there, either… Though the fire crackled and threw sparks right in front of her, Nozomi felt a chill.
Nozomi watched the roads being cleared of snow by men bearing wide, heavy shovels. With the brothers of winter dead by Reika's hand, the unnaturally severe blizzards had passed, but there was still work to be done to keep the roads safe and reliable. It was a lesser concern for the Precure, but of course it was not only Precure who inhabited the world. Nozomi remembered the first nights after the stars went out, when she truly feared that there was no one left in the world other than her. But of course the world would not die so easily.
Morgenluft's guards didn't bat an eye at the Precure in their midst, waiting for the arrival of the others. They were too preoccupied with their own duties, even though Morgenluft was perfectly safe in the moment. It would not remain safe forever, Nozomi feared, and she almost wished that one of the Precure could stay to ensure the city was well-guarded, but no one was willing to distance themselves from the battles to come. Miyuki and Yayoi might have stayed behind, but they needed constant treatment from Kotoha, and could not be separated. As for Felice, she did not want to remain in Morgenluft. She needed to tell Mirage of all the blue roses that bloomed over the world, and Nozomi almost pitied her for having to be the one to bring the subject of the Blue Rose with Cure Mirage.
The armor worn by the guards caught Nozomi's attention: most wore sturdy leather with armored joints and plated chests, emblazoned with the nightingales that were the symbol of Morgenluft and the heraldry of its ruling family. Among the guards were many wolves, ogres and even centaurs, though, and while some had proper armor forged by the Bad End Kingdom, many more wore only bits and pieces of metal as protection, mail improvised in a hurry. A wolfman caught Nozomi staring at his makeshift armor, twisted iron and steel that had been bashed in, and he regaled her with a tale of how he pried each piece of his armor from a foe he had defeated, before his companion laughed off his bravado and told Nozomi and Iona that they had only just joined the guard force and with the city being rebuilt, all the smiths had greater concerns than crafting them some armor.
The guards were just as bored as Nozomi and Iona were, and thus they were happy to share stories with them. They could never love a Precure, Dream understood, but their part in saving Morgenluft had earned them enough respect to not be spat upon. It was more than Nozomi had expected when she first came to Märchenland. She heard tales of the awesome magic in isolated corners of the realm, stories about the beautiful sights in the south, where Märchenland's magic met Majorland's beauty in grand forests that gleamed and chimed when the sun shone upon it, bringing songs to dawn. Some of those remained, but others had been corrupted by vile magic. Nozomi also heard of the great efforts that had been done to restore Morgenluft after the Bad End Kingdom took it. Nightmare, the Selfish and Dark Fall had sacked the city during their attack, so it fell upon the Bad End Kingdom to undo as much of the damage as they could. The hardest thing, one of the guards told them, was the first month spent without electricity until the fairies were able to restore some of the magic to the arcane plants. Even when all the communication systems were eventually fixed, it didn't matter much, not when the rest of the world was still either in ruins or hated the Bad End Kingdom's guts.
Soon, other Precure began to arrive. Komachi was the first, and she came carrying a bag heavy with books. She said that, though technically she was only borrowing from the library, since those were completely ordinary books it was fine for her to keep them for a while. It was almost adorable how Komachi said that she'd be certain to return them when she returned to Märchenland, unaware that they had been gifted to her. When Nozomi explained it to her, she seemed very happy to have been given presents. Iona, of course, grumbled about how she didn't get anything other than old stinky crutches and a boot to the ass as soon as she could walk again. The soldiers exploded in laughter as Iona complained, proving that there were some people who enjoyed her harsh honesty.
Iona was massaging her legs - and trying to pretend that she could totally bear the pain - when Nagisa arrived, with Honoka soon to come, having met Kotoha on the way and wishing to ask her a few questions. Nagisa's disheveled hair and half-shut eyes made it clear that she hadn't gotten much sleep the past night, and hadn't had a kind awakening either. She sought the closest chair and slouched there. Just as she had said, Honoka arrived while in the midst of passionate conversation with Kotoha. Honoka asked about the languages of the fairies, jinxed to twist the tongue of any speaker without the blood of fairies.
The soldiers who shared hearth and bread with the Precure were particularly interested: though they had everyday contact with fairies, those of Märchenland had such proximity with all other beings that they had a shared culture, while northern fairies typically only left their isolated societies when they reached teenagehood. Kotoha spoke of her own home in the Pumpkin Kingdom, and of all the fairy courts that made its people. By her account, it was a fairly peaceful and harmonious country, though so insignificant that she wasn't shocked that Nozomi knew next to nothing about it. Honoka herself knew little, and had to be corrected by Kotoha on most of her assumptions. Kotoha even spoke of the secret languages of each court that could only be heard by those given permission to do so, and demonstrated by moving her lips and saying something no one could understand. That had everyone quite impressed, Honoka most of all. Nagisa just snored.
Miyuki and Yayoi were the next to arrive, and they just walked past the gate without looking to the gatehouse by the side and seeing the remaining Precure. For an instant they looked rather perplexed, Miyuki already starting to panic and thinking everyone had left without the two. It took Yayoi's insistence to get her to look aside, her body and expression relaxing instantly at the sight of the other Precure.
She carried a huge bag with her, and when she put it on the floor next to her, it made a scarily loud thud. Nozomi swore she felt the ground shake, and wondered what the hell she could possibly be carrying there. Gifts from her parents, she explained, so that she'd not feel alone without them on her way to Last Light. She said that she'd like to return as soon as she could: she couldn't say it in front of the common folk of Morgenluft, but her meaning was clear enough. The concerned look on Kotoha's face showed that she didn't have much hope that Miyuki and Yayoi's curses would be cleansed anytime soon. But they seemed normal to Nozomi, not at all like those two trapped girls who screamed in feral rage as Komachi led them away from Fabelpfalz. They seemed to be just fine. But it couldn't be that easy, Nozomi was certain.
The next arrival was Cure Sword, who had been housed in the other side of town. She wasn't even particularly late, so Nozomi guessed that she might very well have been the one to wake the earliest so that she could make good time. Unlike Nagisa, who needed to be forcefully awakened again, she seemed as well-rested as always. The first thing she did when she met with the other was ask where Cure Beauty was. No one had an answer to that, and it was only then that Nozomi realized how late she was. The idea of Reika delaying was so alien that Nozomi hadn't even registered her absence. But now, when the Precure walked outside to wait underneath the gate, they awaited in uncomfortable silence, with no sign of Reika.
"Is something wrong?" Kotoha was quickly concerned. "I'll go check on her."
"She'll come," Nozomi said, certain. Iona nodded, and told Kotoha to rest easy. She tried to do just that, but her hands were fidgety, and her legs did not rest still.
The road was almost clear of snow by the time Reika was finally approaching, nearly a whole hour after everyone else. The snows were already blanketing the path again, rendering the work moot. Reika did not come alone, and when Nozomi saw her family right behind her, she understood why she had taken so long to leave. No one could blame her for that. Miyuki herself said that she only managed to leave her home behind because her parents understood she had a duty to fulfill, and she could only perform it with the Precure. Reika's family didn't seem that willing to let go of her, however, all sticking close to her as she reached the gates.
"I'm sorry for my delays," Reika said to the other Precure, "I am now ready to go," as she said that, her mother whispered into her ear. Whatever Reika's response was, Nozomi did not hear it. She gave her brother, mother and grandfather a long embrace each, but her father did not seem to want to let go. The other Precure awaited, but it took Reika forcing herself free before she could move. Nozomi felt uncomfortable seeing his hurt eyes.
Reika and her family parted ways, then, and Beauty joined the rest of the Precure. As they meant to leave, a familiar voice called out to them from the side of the road: it was Nico, wolves and witches by her side. Her steps toward the Precure were slow and hesitant, but Miyuki met her alongside the way, and she smiled.
"Are you leaving too?" Miyuki asked. Nico nodded, and a moment later she deigned to give her an actual answer.
"I was a commander of the Bad End Kingdom. I was not dismissed from my position. I will accompany you on your way to the Neutral Lands, though only to the borders. The roads aren't safe yet. We shall need to patrol them, and we'd be remiss allies if we weren't close enough to offer you help should you ever need it. Nightmare is close, and now that we're fighting together, I don't expect Despariah to overlook us. And, besides," she struggled not to stutter, "I wished to apologize to you. For everything."
It took Miyuki a moment to compose herself and give Nico an answer. All she could manage was a subtle nod, but Nico looked like she had been expecting more. A full forgiveness, perhaps, a hug, some comfort. She looked like she wanted to be told that Miyuki didn't care, that everything was the same as it was before, but evidently Miyuki was seriously shaken up by Nico's attempts on her life. She left Nico and joined the rest of the Precure, and was the first to walk the road to the Phoenix Tower.
The other Precure were quick to follow, except for Iona, who could only trudge through the snow with some difficulty, clutching at her legs, and for Reika, who stood still even as everyone passed her by. Nozomi chose not to leave any of them behind, even as the other Precure were already walking into the white horizon. Being with these two made her remember their first meeting, when only the three of them braved the snowy mountains of Märchenland to rescue Egret. She was glad that she could still be with them, but her happiness was soiled by Reika's quiet sorrow.
"I thought that my return home would be something a bit more conclusive," Reika didn't hide her feelings this time. "When I dreamt of it, I figured that I'd come back when we had won. Won… I don't even know what victory means now, if I'm being honest. But I used to expect that I'd not have to leave again. That Morgenluft would mark the end of my road and of my struggles. Instead it feels like only a halfway point. It's odd. I feel very sad, but I can't weep," Nozomi took Reika's hand, and found it deathly cold. Reika smiled as a formality, a fake reassurance.
"You can cry if you want to," Nozomi said.
"You know," Reika ignored her. "What bothers me most is that I had this notion of what it'd mean to return home. To me it meant being with my friends and family again, to not have to fight anymore. I'd come back to see nothing changed. Everyone I love would be the same. I would be the same. But I was wrong. I've changed," she made a fist, then stared at her own hands. "Perhaps for the worst."
"Never," Iona said, nearly falling down upon the snow as she came close to Reika in one abrupt motion. Reika caught her, and put a tender finger on her cheek.
"Whatever I hoped to find here is gone," it pained her to say that, but she said it anyways. "I was happy to be with my family, but the joy I felt was… Hollow. There is something missing. It is not what I expected. I had thought so much about it, about this happiness I ought to reach, that I desperately clung to those ideas. I'd do anything for them, do you understand?" Nozomi didn't, really. She didn't grasp what Reika meant, but held her close anyways. "It's the absence of Nao, of Akane, I know, but it's something else too. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it makes me feel so alone, hopelessly alone," her eyes were blank, cold, and even the air around her seemed to freeze. And then she closed her eyes, and when she opened them they were the same beautiful blue that always showed when she smiled all her warmth. "I'm a fool, aren't I?"
"A fool who cares too much about everything," Iona said. "It's a thing I usually love about you. What I don't love, however, is the way you think you have to face things alone. You don't. Not until Nozomi and I are dead, but when I'm with you I feel like I can't even be hurt."
"Oh? Is that a little tenderness coming out of Iona?" Nozomi smirked. Neither Reika nor Iona laughed, but Nozomi already expected that, anyways. "We mean it, though, Reika. I'm happy that you didn't hide this from us. Even if there's little we can do to help, you, I want to do it. If I can ease this sorrow of yours in any way, I will."
"Nozomi…"
"You're right. This wasn't the ending you sought, our triumphant victory, our road to everlasting happiness. I get that. If I had to leave my home knowing that I still have so much fighting to do even after fighting for so long… I wouldn't be able to keep it together. I'd be crying the saddest, nastiest tears. Rin says I'm ugly when I cry, but you're so pretty even now, heh," that did draw a smile from Reika. For Nozomi, that was already a victory. "We're here for you to cry with us, you know. On our way here, you suffered on your own. Please don't do that again."
"I will not," Reika swore.
"I know I can't really promise anything," Iona said, "but I do promise we'll return. Together, as I said we should. And only leave when we want to. Until we can do that, I'll always stay by your side. Yours and Nozomi's."
"They're the same, really," Dream said.
"Thank you," Reika said, and, with Nozomi and Iona so close to her, she managed to, with great effort, weep. Her arms pulled Dream and Fortune close to her, and Nozomi felt her fingers desperately cling to her jacket. The falling snow seemed to veil them from the rest of the world, and even all other sounds seemed to be gone. Reika only cried, and Nozomi only listened. "I'm not as strong as everyone thinks I am," she said between sobs, "I too can falter and feel afraid. It hurts to hide it. It hurts to always have to make everyone proud. I can't even cry. I wanted to cry on my mother's shoulder, on her lap as she caressed my hair with her gentle fingers, but I didn't. I tried to be so strong for so long that when I faltered, all my weakness poured out all at once. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"
She let go of the two, then, and though Nozomi did not understand what it was that Reika meant by weakness, she continued to look into her eyes with only love and admiration. Nothing could change that, not now nor ever. It was the same love that Reika always gave to her.
She wiped the tears off her face and took her first steps, right next to Nozomi and Iona. Just once, for a moment, when they had already walked a fair distance and Morgenluft was melding into the horizon behind, Reika looked back at the footprints that trailed her. But only for a moment, because soon she was facing only the road ahead of her, so Nozomi did the same, thinking of nothing but of the long way home.