Summary:
Dorothy becomes Captain, but things don't go as smoothly as she hoped.
Chapter 2: A Promise Kept
"Congratulations, Dorothy," said Fuegoleon Vermillion, the brand new Captain of the Crimson Lions, shaking her hand when she arrived at the restaurant where he was treating her, Charlotte, and Nozel to lunch. He was an earnest guy and they became quick good friends.
"I knew that Lord Julius had been ready to promote you, but Captain Thorncroft's retirement was the perfect opportunity," said Nozel, the brand new Captain of the Silver Eagles. Nozel was a stoic man who hid his awkwardness with coldness. She and Nozel hadn't gotten off to the best start, but she wore him down and also scolded him often about his treatment of his little sister Noelle, especially after he confided in her the truth about their mother's death. Her Glamour World, as it turned out, was a great place to tell her secrets since it was another realm.
Dorothy hadn't intended to become friends with Fuegoleon and Nozel. She intended to avoid them actually. But she did become friends with them because they were too serious all the time and they needed someone like her in their life.
"You've inherited a squad full of men. I wish you luck in fixing it," said Charlotte, the brand new Captain of the newly named Blue Rose Knights (formerly it was the White Rose Knights). Charlotte was funny. She said she hated men, but Dorothy often saw Charlotte blush over Yami Sukehiro.
Dorothy giggled. Charlotte, Nozel, Fuegoleon, and Dorothy were a heck of a quartet, but she saw the way that Julius paid attention to them and knew that he wanted them all as Captains, especially now that he was Wizard King. She also knew that Julius had plans for Jack the Ripper, Yami Sukehiro, and William Vangeance, but she wasn't going to say anything. William was fun. He had those cool masks. Yami and Jack were so much fun. It'd give Charlotte and Nozel royal-sized heart-attacks. "Thank you. I'll do my best."
Dorothy worked her butt off during the last eight years to reach her goal to be a Captain so that she'd be able to protect Kirsch. It was hard work. Her mom had cried for a week after Dorothy got her grimoire since Dorothy trained herself to use her magic offensively. She had only a month between getting her grimoire on her fifteenth birthday and the next Magic Knight Entrance Exams to train. Once her mom was done with being upset at Dorothy's decision, her mom helped her train.
The exams were nerve-wracking, especially since it was the longest stretch of time she slept eight hours of the day like a normal person. Captain Madeline Thorncroft of the Coral Peacocks took a chance on accepting Dorothy. Captain Thorncroft was a sixty-five-year-old noblewoman from a minor Noble House and she was a woman who long since decided that she didn't care a thing about propriety and society standards. Under Captain Thorncroft's tutelage and guidance, Dorothy grew as a witch and as a person. She gained the trust of the other members of the Coral Peacocks with her cheerful and friendly personality and often made her mom's homemade oatmeal chocolate cookies to smooth interactions with more difficult members.
Twenty-two was a great age to become Captain. She and Charlotte were the youngest Captains chosen as of now, but Dorothy was sure that William would be chosen to lead a new squad soon enough.
And I'm just in time. Kirsch's gets his grimoire in two days, Dorothy thought to herself.
"This is a new era," said Fuegoleon. "We'll have to all do our best to protect the citizens of Clover and lead the next generation well."
"Do you always have inspirational speeches in your back pocket," asked Dorothy.
Charlotte snorted. Nozel turned his head and hid a small chuckle by covering his mouth.
Fuegoleon laughed. "I guess."
After lunch, Charlotte departed, claiming that she needed to get to work already. Nozel had to run as he had gotten a message from his squad that two of his members were fighting (not training). It left Fuegoleon and Dorothy to walk around the Royal Capital. It gave her the perfect chance to finally bring up Kirsch to him.
"Soo," said Dorothy, walking in long strides to keep up with the much taller Fuegoleon. "Heard your cousin is getting his grimoire soon?"
Fuegoleon raised an eyebrow at her. He said, "Yes, Kirsch is. Why do you ask?"
"I want him in my squad," said Dorothy.
"Vermillion join the Crimson Lions, Dorothy," said Fuegoleon, patiently. "Or in Kirsch's case, he has the option of the Silver Eagles, since his mother was a Silva."
"Yes, yes, I know all that," said Dorothy, waving her hand. "But, can you say that he'll flourish under your guidance or Nozel's guidance? You have Leo to raise and Nozel has his three siblings."
Fuegoleon went silent. Dorothy let him think.
They walked by several shops when Fuegoleon finally spoke. "Honestly, he'll hate it." Fuegoleon sighed. "I worry about him. Sometimes, I think that he's obnoxious and narcissistic on purpose."
Dorothy bit the inside of her cheek, out of nervousness, since she hadn't let herself meet with Kirsch in person. She said, conversationally, "He's blessed with Mana. Strong mana sense and control. He's also intelligent. And he has a big personality, but he has the potential."
"Dorothy, I believe that royals should participate in the entrance exams with nobles and commoners alike," said Fuegoleon. "But alas, it's just not done. Kirsch's place was already predetermined."
"But what if it was done. Right now, we can start to change how things are done," said Dorothy, with a smile. "We can talk to Lord Julius. And give Kirsch a choice. Crimson Lions, Silver Eagles, or Coral Peacocks, just like how the entrance exams have Captains raise hands for candidates."
Fuegoleon smiled. "I like the idea."
"And I think he'll pick me. I redesigned the Coral Peacocks' cloaks!" She put up her fingers in a peace sign and grinned.
Without missing a beat, Fuegoleon said, wryly, "I think I've been bamboozled."
Julius loved the idea.
So, two days later, on Kirsch's fifteenth birthday, she sat in the Wizard King's office along with Fuegoleon and Nozel. Dorothy kept her eyes closed, feigning sleep. She didn't want to watch. Her nerves got the better of her. Marx, Julius's advisor, and assistant introduced Kirsch properly to everyone in the room.
Kirsch was less than thrilled with the idea.
"I thought that the beautiful me was just placed in the Crimson Lions," Kirsch asked, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.
On either side of her, both Nozel and Fuegoleon audibly sighed.
Dorothy refused to open her eyes.
Julius said, patiently and kindly. "That was your Grandfather's suggestion, but as you know, we have new Captains. And we decided that royals entering the Magic Knights will have a choice of squads, similar to the entrance exams. Three Captains wanted you in their squads, so you will choose."
"These are your choices," interjected Marx. "The Crimson Lions lead by Fuegoleon Vermillion, the Silver Eagles lead by Nozel Silva and the Coral Peacocks lead by Dorothy Unsworth."
She opened her eyes.
Kirsch grew up so much. He was a gangly teenager, now, wearing fashionable clothes, skin perfectly clear and hair perfectly combed. Dorothy felt a bit nostalgic for little kid Kirsch.
I missed so much…
He frowned at the three Captains. Dorothy clenched the brand new cloak she had made in her hands.
Kirsch, please, remember your Big Sis a little bit! She never knew if he remembered her when he woke up from sleeping or if he chalked it up to an active imagination.
"Red clashes with my aesthetic," said Kirsch suddenly. "And I'm a gold person. I pick the Coral Peacocks."
"Excellent choice for strange reasons, but a good one nonetheless," said Julius, smiling proudly.
Dorothy stood up and handed Kirsch the cloak. "I'm glad to have you in my squad, Kirsch! You can call me "Big Sis"!"
Kirsch took the cloak and said, politely, "Thank you, Captain Unsworth. I look forward to working with you."
She heard Nozel and Fuegoleon mutter to themselves, "Why isn't he polite like that with us…?"
"So, let's go get your stuff and head to Coral Peacock headquarters, as soon as possible," said Dorothy. She turned to wink at Fuegoleon and Nozel. Dorothy's friends sighed again.
Kirsch's mouth twitched almost into a smile, and he said, "I shall grace you with my presence at the entrance of Magic Knight Headquarters prepared to depart for my new living arrangements."
Dorothy blinked a couple of times. "Well, if you say so!" He spoke a bit weird now, but it didn't matter. She'd be able to protect and take care of Kirsch from then on. It was an exciting moment. She couldn't wait to write her mom a letter and tell her all about it.
Kirsch nodded politely and turned to leave.
"Kirsch," said Fuegoleon. "You can't take Mimosa with you, right now." Fuegoleon had explained to Dorothy that Kirsch intended to have Mimosa live with him when he was a Magic Knight but he wouldn't be able to do it right away. He had to be "acclimated" to Magic Knight life and have a suitable babysitter when he was away for missions.
Dorothy already had the perfect person in mind for a caretaker for Mimosa. She always intended to move her mom from Waverly and now, she had a Captaincy and a headquarters. She had inherited the headquarters from Captain Thorncroft, who was now busy sunbathing and drinking appletinis in Raque in retirement.
"I know," said Kirsch, in a clipped tone. He left the room quickly.
"How much paperwork is it to get Mimosa to live with Kirsch in the Coral Peacock headquarters," asked Dorothy, without wasting a minute. Knowing the bureaucracy of the Magic Knights, she needed to start the paperwork sooner rather than later.
"I'll draw up the forms," said Marx, when Julius gave the thumbs up to the idea.
"I'll help you with it," said Fuegoleon.
"He's your problem now," said Nozel.
Dorothy, Marx, Fuegoleon, and Julius looked at Nozel in shock. Dorothy grinned. "Was that a joke? Nozel, you just made a joke! I'm so proud of you."
Nozel glared at them. Fuegoleon used a cough to cover a short laugh.
Dorothy smiled widely.
Things were falling into place.
Until they weren't.
Being a Captain, of a squad full of people with their own dreams, desires, and personalities, was a bit more difficult than Captain Thorncroft made it seem. Dorothy didn't have a Vice-Captain yet, as she had been the previous Vice-Captain under Captain Thorncroft. She really needed to get one. The paperwork alone was mounting on her desk, training and chore schedules were in disarray, and mission orders came in faster than Dorothy could manage to find suitable squad members to assign the missions to, moving her mom from Waverly in the Forsaken Realm to Coral Peacock Headquarters in the Noble Realm had more logistics than she originally imagined and worse, Kirsch was having a hard time adjusting to life as a Coral Peacock.
She roughly ruffled her own hair as she tried to make sense of the training and chore schedules. "Damnit, how did this go?"
"Captain, not to be that person," said Protobe, entering her office. "Uhh, Captain, are you okay?"
Dorothy had been so startled by Protobe that she knocked her papers on the floor. "Protobe! I'm totally fine. What's up?"
Protobe gave her a look of disbelief. Protobe Collina was an older veteran member of the Coral Peacocks, in his early thirties, and he had been a kind person to help Dorothy out when she first started her career as a Magic Knight. "Captain, when's the last time you slept?"
"Uhhh, three days, I think," said Dorothy, wincing at her own answer.
Sighing, Protobe said, "Captain, don't try to do everything on your own. Captain Thorncroft was a perfectionist and she was good at all the paperwork and organizing. Your strengths lie elsewhere. Give me the missions that need to be handed out and we drag Keavy out of the damn library to handle schedules. Then, you can talk to Lord Kirsch before our two newest recruits punt him out the window. And after that, take a long nap. The squad won't implode if you take a break."
Dorothy smiled gratefully. And then she realized what he said. She grimaced. "Kirsch isn't getting along with Levi and Cornelia?"
"He insults them every sentence," said Protobe. "Levi is holding Cornelia back, but his patience is fraying."
Dorothy sighed and leaned back in her chair. Two months after Kirsch joined, there had been the yearly Magic Knight Entrance Exams where Dorothy brought on two new members. Levi Roe and Cornelia Franklin were both commoners. Levi's Barrier Magic would be a good person to build the defense and Cornelia had Rain Magic, which was good in conjunction with other elements. As the most junior members, Kirsch, Levi, and Cornelia were supposed to be a team. "If you can get Keavy to figure out the training and chore schedules and you can hand out missions, I'll go and talk to Kirsch."
"He's in the garden," said Protobe, nodding. Protobe smirked. "We can always do what Captain Thorncroft used to do when there were disputes."
Dorothy laughed. "Perhaps we save cleaning the basement for actual punishments." The basement of the Coral Peacocks is like a living organism. According to Coral Peacock lore, the basement housed generations of the Thorncroft family's junk, and no matter how many junior members got sent down there to clean it out, the junk just kept multiplying. "But it's an idea."
That and I don't fancy losing squad members in the basement. You are missed, Deagan.
Protobe shook his head and said, "If you say so. Get moving, Captain."
"Uh, right," said Dorothy. She stood up and headed out of her office. Protobe and Keavy were good sorts of people, though Keavy was too obsessed with books. Maybe she should make one of them Vice-Captain.
She walked out to the Coral Peacock headquarters' gardens where Kirsch sat next to the peonies, head down, pretending to read a book. Dorothy sighed and put one of her hands on her hips. "Kirsch, you've been antagonizing Levi and Cornelia again."
Kirsch straightened and closed his book. He said, arrogantly, "It's not my fault that they can't take a bit of criticism."
"Kirsch," said Dorothy. She walked over to him and sat down next to him. She continued, gently, "You know that Mimosa can't come and live with you if you can't adjust well. I can't lie to Lord Julius."
Kirsch made a disgruntled face. "They're peasants. I'm a beautiful, blessed royal. Why should I get along with them?"
Dorothy scowled. "No. We're not talking like that about your fellow squadmates. I chose them to join the squad because I can see they have potential. If you forgot, there are commoners in this squad and I'm a witch."
Kirsch went silent.
Dorothy continued, knowing that it was time to address the issue, "Kirsch, I understand that there were things you were taught by your Grandparents but you're wrong to buy into that nonsense. You can't help where you are born or who you are born to and you know that in your heart. Just because someone doesn't have less mana doesn't make them any less of a person. We all bleed. In this squad, we are all Magic Knights and it doesn't matter where we come from, it just matters what we do with the cards we were handed."
He frowned and mumbled, "I can't risk Grandfather thinking that I'm "soft-hearted." You should hear the things he says about Fuegoleon and he's the heir. He doesn't even acknowledge Mereoelona, Leopold, or Mimosa."
"Having sympathy and empathy doesn't make you weak," said Dorothy, wondering how much trouble she'd get if she started a fight with Kirsch's grandfather. What was so fearsome about that old man anyway? "Kirsch, you're blessed with mana, you're powerful, and you're smart. You had every advantage, even if it didn't seem like it. You should be a shining example of good leadership and help others. Your grandfather can't get you here. I won't let him."
Kirsch looked shocked at Dorothy. "I don't know if I can be so empathetic, after so long."
"Try. You're safe here," said Dorothy, smiling reassuringly. "Apologize to Levi and Cornelia and you'll make amends."
"I suppose I must," said Kirsch, reluctantly. She had to teach him how to be a kind person again or just regain what he had before. Baby steps.
"And, you three, as a bonding exercise, can clean out the basement for an hour every Saturday for the next month," said Dorothy, cheerfully. She changed her mind. Protobe had the right idea. She just couldn't lose anyone down there. Maybe they would find Deagan. "Just remember not to lose anyone down there."
"Oh...okay," said Kirsch, confused.
Dorothy stood up, patted Kirsch on the head, ruffling his hair. "I want you to be your best, Kirsch!"
Kirsch grunted annoyed like a typical teenager and she swore she heard him say, softly, "Thanks, Big Sister."
Dorothy gasped. "Did you just call me…?"
He remembered.
Kirsch stood up, abruptly. "I don't know what you're talking about, Captain Unsworth. I must grace Levi and Cornelia with my wondrous, beautiful presence and make my amends for insulting them." He saluted her and rushed off.
Dorothy crossed her arms and smiled. "That boy...what am I gonna do with him?"
Five years later...
"I'm sorry," Dorothy sobbed, as she stood before her squad. Many of her squad were injured from yesterday's events. Those who weren't physically injured had been lost in her Glamour World, courtesy of the elf Reve who temporarily claimed Dorothy's body for their own. The Coral Peacocks, like the other Magic Knights squads, had several hours to regroup before going to clean up the giant mess left after the kingdom-wide battle. "I didn't mean to hurt any of you."
Dorothy had been at headquarters with some of her squad when Reve took over her body due to the Reincarnation Spell.
It hadn't been pretty. The headquarters was nearly destroyed.
"It's not your fault, Captain," said Kirsch, her wonderful Vice-Captain, stepping forward, but once again stopping himself from being affectionate.
Kirsch blossomed into a fine young man. Sure, he still had his narcissistic tendencies and still had bad habits (like insulting commoners outside of the Coral Peacocks) due to his childhood fears, but he had gotten a wake-up call when Zora Ideale, Mimosa, and Asta defeated him in the Royal Knights' Exams. He still tried his best. And like she promised, he never had to deal with his grandparents and she kept him safe. Well, until yesterday. Kirsch had been the most injured, which just upset Dorothy even more because that wasn't even her fault. She wasn't there to protect him.
Kirsch reasoned, "What were you supposed to do? Only Yuno managed to suppress an elf takeover but only because that one had been a baby!"
"Kirsch's right! We know it wasn't you, Captain," said Levi.
Brad, Rick, Protobe, Pitney, Lovejoy, Keavy, Nelly, April, Juniper, Barry, Cornelia, Dmitri, Medio, Roland, and the others all echoed the same protestations in her defense. Her mom was in the corner of the room, watching them all with a proud look on her face. Thank God, Reve didn't hurt Dorothy's mom, who had been in town picking up supplies with newbies Pitney and Lovejoy at the time.
"I almost killed some of Yami's group too," said Dorothy, crying. Yesterday, she kept her cool and smiling face so as not to freak out everyone, but now, Dorothy couldn't help it. These were her precious comrades and someone took her body and amplified her powers to hurt them.
"God, Kirsch, just hug Captain, you awkward weirdo," said Cornelia, pushing Kirsch towards Dorothy.
Kirsch glared at Cornelia, who became one of Kirsch's best friends after one too many Saturdays in the basement. Dorothy never did find out what happened that one Saturday where Kirsch, Levi, and Cornelia returned from their Saturday hour duty as best friends forever, but at least, they found Deagan, who had been living off of rats and wine the entire time. Kirsch sighed as if it was a great burden, and he hugged Dorothy.
Dorothy kept crying but for a different reason. "You're all too good to me."
"Captain, you're getting snot on my clothes," said Kirsch, completely disgusted, but he didn't stop the hug.
"Yes, snot of love," said Dorothy, giggling and sniffling. She let him go and then looked at the rest of the squad, grinning through her tears. "Who's next?"
~fin
For anyone curious why Kirsch is so afraid of his grandfather's authority is that he's still the Head of the Vermillion House until he deems Fuegoleon fit for that role. Even Fuegoleon has a hard time dealing with the old man. As the Head of the Vermillion House, Kirsch's grandfather has a seat in Magic Parliament and holds considerable power, including over inheritance, betrothals, and being obtrusive in many other ways. One of Kirsch's grandfather's "threats" to get Kirsch to behave the way the old man wanted was to tell Kirsch that he would send Mimosa away to be married in the Spade Kingdom.
Kirsch still has a lot of work to do. He struggles between the image of a holier-than-thou royal and the actual good person inside.
Well, let me know what you think! I hope you all enjoyed it!