Chapter 3
The trip back to Uraya was surprisingly uneventful.
However, when she came back, she was welcomed by one very unhappy bloke. Luke looked like he would blow a lid, grabbed her hand right away, and started pulling her away from a rather worried-looking crowd of men that whispered among each other while Vandham tried to make sense out of what had happened.
It was not a big deal, not really. Helen does imagine that these things do happen every once in a while, someone breaks into a room to find some valuables and it just happened to be her room.
It sucks that it happened during her first trip but Potter luck she guessed.
"Hey! Stop! Let go! What is wrong with you?" The bigger worry was the very upset-looking mercenary who was still dragging her away towards what looked like the medical tent.
"What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you?! Just disappearing like that! Do you have any idea how worried I was? And then I hear that your room got broken into!"
"Wha- first of all, I was in In-"
"That is not the point! What if you were kidnapped or something?"
She felt anger swell inside her, hard to even say why exactly. Thoughts moved around in her head too fast for her to grab onto anything, disappearing before she could process them.
"Would you even let me fini-"
"Look, you are still young and small so you don't know how dangerous the world can be. So do not go anywhere in the future, alright?"
At that moment, her thoughts came to a halt.
Wasn't there an occasion when someone once told her these exact same words, even if it was in a different language? Maybe the sentence was a bit different, maybe the situation was different and maybe she was being stupid back in those days, but the meaning behind the words was the same.
And maybe at a different time when she did listen, things happened and eventually spiraled out of control so that nobody could stop the cascade events. Like a frail house of cards in the wind.
"No." If she wanted to have every aspect of her life controlled, she would have stayed in that place.
"Yes." His voice was determined and the look on Luke's face told that there is no space for compromise.
The pair finally stopped and the young mercenary looked around. "There is a war going on outside and you are going to stay here so you can be safe." He did not look upset anymore, that had changed.
What however did change was Helen's expression - from his reaction it was not that pretty.
That something twisted inside her stomach, ready to be ignited. "And why do you think I am going to listen to you?"
"Because I said so."
That something inside her started burning. Luke finally let go of her, yelping and then jumping away just a little bit as if the hand he was holding in a firm grip just moments before burned him. From angry to determined, then scared mixed with shock and surprise. His eyes kept going from his limb to the witch. Helen crossed her arms while doing her best at counting to ten. Then she counted again, followed by a deep breath. It had next to no effect.
Because I said so.
Words cannot describe how much she hates that sentence.
"Do not even talk to me like that again. Do not ever use that sentence with me again." Ether in the air around them twisted, that was the warning sign that she should cut the conversation right there, before something happens and presumably leave fast to blow some steam elsewhere.
Helen turned around on her foot and made her way towards the outskirts of Garfont.
"I am sorry." Vandham had this 'I am disappointed in you' look. Arms crossed and overall just looking down on her. He did not reply which made things only worse.
The last person that she wanted to be upset with her was him, the urayan who took her in without a word or even expecting a good darn explanation why a fifteen-year-old witch was found wandering around some of the furthest parts of Uraya.
"I am really sorry." She repeated the sentence, just a little quieter. "I do not know what… I just really upset." Helen regretted saying that. The moment she let it out of her mouth, she felt angry not only with the man but also with herself: that is exactly the kind of excuse she hated getting. And she knows because she got more than plenty of those from Ron when he tried to find a good reason why he turned his back on her after the Triwizard selection fiasco.
Luke did not look injured, so it was probably just a sting… hopefully, there was no injury when she left.
"Is there anything you would like to talk about?" That caught her off guard. "I may be old but I am not stupid."
The witch chocked on air - very much not expecting him to ask about that.
"You do not have to talk. But you see, I have seen many orphans come and go, soldiers, kid soldiers." The mountain-sized man scoffed at that, looking like he swallowed something disgusting when he uttered that. "I can tell apart wounds. Scars. Battle, accidents, torture."
All of sudden, the surrounding seem far more interesting. The beautiful urayan scenery, luminescent trees, fresh clean air, roof-like titan scales above their head. Helen pushed that aside, knowing that such thoughts wouldn't help much in this situation.
The old mercenary sighed, before sitting down next to her under one of those same glowing trees.
The issue is that Helen does have all of those kinds.
"I do not care about the details. All of us fight our own wars, however." He paused. "You are a good kid Helen. If there is something weighing you down, do not hesitate to talk to me. I will always listen. Alright?"
Judging from the way he looked, he at the very least suspects something, though she doubted that he knows the full scope.
…
But….where would one even begin? Even if she wanted to talk?
Would she even want to talk about it?
"I am sorry."
"You do not have to talk right away, but I can see that it is taking a toll on you."
One day, you are going to have to open up if you want to let go was the unsaid part of that sentence.
"Ness had a good talk with Luke, do not hold this against him. He has always been very protective of those around him."
Another heavy rock seemed to sink inside her stomach, a hot and heavy one that made her want to just climb into the deepest hole around and never come out.
War - she is not the only victim of it, there were always people around her that carried their own scars. Hers was just a little more visible, even when hidden under her black bangs - the angry red scar that just doesn't want to heal itself.
Luke probably lost someone himself, hence why his reaction to her disappearing like that.
She won't hang out with him anymore, but she could at least apologize. Even the thought made her feel as if someone twisted a knife inside her, anger rising up to the surface just a little bit.
Helen couldn't help but wonder, what is Neville up to?
She misses his enthusiastic monologues about various species of rare plants.
Helen observed as the drivers trained - chances are that she probably does have the potential to resonate with a core. Her being a witch and all but that was not 100 percent guaranteed. It was tempting, though probably for all the wrong reasons.
Helen liked the idea of having a partner. For the longest time, that was loyal partner would always patiently listen to her even though she was sure that the owl couldn't possibly understand her ramblings, but she was still smart enough to understand that Helen wanted her to be there. Then, one day, Hedwig never came back - only for Umbridge to admit that she dealt with the snow-white beauty.
With that thought, she put her wand away when the upset acromantulas grabbed her before pulling her away. To Helen's defense, she had no idea that the woman couldn't perform even the simplest of defense spells or that the acromantulas would venture out so far from their nests. To this day, Helen had no clue whether Umbridge survived the encounter with those giant, dig-sized man-eating spiders but the chances were very small.
Then there were Helen's friends - Mione, Luna, and Neville, all geniuses in their own ways. Obviously, she will never see them again. Not after what had transpired at the ministry battle.
Her mind wandered away towards the indolian she met on her trip to Indol, two months or so ago and wondered what the man thought of her. Probably not friends but she wondered whether he even remembers her at this point or whether he even believed her ramblings about Britain and castles in the middle of nowhere where kids study to become witches and wizards.
Helen would hang around with Ness… when she could as the Driver with the animal blade would frequently take on various missions like the one she has been on - transport some goods and make sure that nothing gets broken. In the case that someone attacks, be ready but attacks were usually a rarity.
Helen took on a job in a local kitchen - listening in on the stories of people that came by, while still trying to understand what is edible and what is not.
If she were to become a driver, she could maybe travel on her own one day. And then, maybe people like Luke wouldn't be too worried about her.
Though, that man was still a sour topic.
The apology was short, to the point - he tried to strike a conversation but she looked away and left, not wanting to speak with him. That is how every conversation with him started and immediately ended since their argument.
If she ever gets the chance, she would resonate with a blade. Maybe, just maybe if she gets lucky, she could resonate with one of those rare ones like Roc, Vandham's blade.
"Hel?"
Interrupting her thoughts, the witch looked around at the one responsible and was surprised to see Ness there, his faithful doggo sitting behind him.
Ness took one short look at her, then grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. No words, no explanation. But there was something else, a worried look on his face that promised no good things. "Something wrong?"
It was still early morning with everything that accompanies those kinds of mornings: Chilly air, singing morning birds, strange quietness interrupted by only a few early birds that wished to get some morning exercises done and then maybe some kids that did not get the memo that half of the camp is still trying to get some sleep before getting back to work.
She herself was just taking a break from doing prep work - the best kind that is totally not done with just her magic skills.
"Some weird guy came around and started asking about you."
The best that her sleepy brain could muster was something along these lines: "Huh?"
"My reaction. Have you met him before?" He asked in a quiet hushed tone while still pulling her hand. Instead of taking a road back into one of the houses, they took a turn and started moving away from the settlement.
"I don't know. Maybe. What does he look like?" She frowned. "Please tell me that he is not wearing some version of robes."
Ness paused just for a moment, long enough for her to slip her hand out from his grip and to skip forward just a little to walk next to him. " Ro… I am not sure what you meant by that. What does he look like? Ugh… tall, dark armor, short dark hair. Ardanian. Maybe Ardanian. I think that he called himself Malos. Also had a blade with him so that makes him a driver."
"Doesn't ring a bell." She concluded after a short moment of thinking.
"Really?" His voice was filled with heavy skepticism as they kept moving further into the wilderness. "How certain are you? I know about your late-night trips when we were out."
"I have only ever talked with one bloke while on those night trips and he was an indolian. So unless the man had an unhealthy amount of makeup on him to make his skin and a way to hide those big ears, it is probably not him and I really have no clue."
Somehow, the thought of Amalthus in those fancy clothes entering Garfont seemed pretty funny. She didn't even know why. That annoying part of her brain wondered how he even gets into that fancy monstrosity and manages to move around in it no problem.
"Are you certain?"
"Certain certain." The two + the animal blade eventually ended up next to some rocky path they started climbing with some effort. The witch frowned, still trying to figure out who could possibly ask about her of all people. "Can you describe him again?"
"Helen?"
It is a long shot, but could it be Sirius?
"I can't remember every random person I exchanged words with, especially when it happened over two months ago. And you know that I have been with you or on the ship most of the time."
Ness sighed. "Tall, armored, dark hair, maybe ardanian. I don't recognize the armor style though."
"He did not go by the name Sirius then?"
"Isn't Sirius that uncle of yours?"
"Yes."
"Can you show me the photo?"
They finally stopped at what looked like a cave entrance, there were actually many of those and some of the local caves were pretty deep. A whole maze of caves that seemingly led to nowhere only to spit a person out at some random location. At least, that is what she gathered, Helen herself did not like small spaces enough to force her way into one of them.
Few moments later, Ness shook his head when he saw her godfather's photo. "Definitely not him."
The little bit of hope that woke up inside her died as she took a deep breath while Ness gripped her shoulder, looking more than a little worried. "Are you alright?"
"I am fine. He is probably dead by now anyway." She let her thoughts out.
"Sorry."
The duo fell silent, Ness lead the way into the caves, while Helen pushed the thought of her godfather side - there was nothing she could do.
"Do you want to..."
She shook her head before he could even finish. The driver looked understanding.
There was an issue of some guy asking specifically about her - she really does not need a mental breakdown. Wait a second… "Gray eyes and a chest plate?" Though she doesn't remember a blade by his side, not that she had the time to look for one.
"So you do know him?" His tone seemed ever so slightly accusatory. It was the 'what have you done thins time' tone that reminded her too much of Mione. "Hel?" She almost rolled her eyes like she used to and blamed it on Potter's luck.
"Remember as we were leaving Argentum and we needed something picked up last minute? I crashed into a guy. Tall, armored, chest plate, the whole description."
"Only crashed?" He continued his interrogation.
"Literally, only crashed. I apologized and started running again. Though he was being a little weird, asking about my name and then tried to chase me around as if he knew me or something. Rember? I told you about that weirdo back then."
"That is the weirdo from back then?" He finally dropped the tone while seemingly fishing in his memories and finding what he was looking for.
"I guess? Though that must be one hell of a grudge if he is still upset about that." She trailed off, trying to remember what had happened exactly. "So, what is the plan anyway?"
"Boss told me to take you away for the day, he did not like the guy too much. There are some other caves towards the front of the titan, pretty comfy."
That was a little worrying. Truth to be told, it is rare for the boss of the Garfont mercenaries to dislike someone, Ness had to know this. Helen already knows this. There is some other reason at play.
They resumed walking.
Helen scratched the animal blade behind its ears. It seemed to enjoy that, as indicated by the loud purr it let out. It was still a big cat alright, much like Crookshanks who was one of the smartest creatures she knew but still loved his pets. Taro, the animal blade, on the other side is one of those blades that had a more generic appearance, the common blades. It seemed to enjoy the attention.
"He likes you."
She wondered whether it was because animals tended to naturally gravitate towards wizards or whether the scritches were that good. Helen liked Hagrid but his classes were pretty bad, to a point that she considered quitting if only to have more time for runes and arithmancy.
Ness was chilling on a blanket close to the cave exit, looking pretty bored out of his mind. "Sorry about this."
"Don't mention it, you have helped out a lot in the village. This is the smallest way we can repay you."
"I have?" She asked.
"Of course you did, the kids love you. Food is great. You are going to make a good wife someday."
It took her a moment to register what was being said. Her smile stiffened, a couple of nice, suitable spells crossed her mind just for the briefest of moments.
"I still need to find a way to get back onto you." Ness laughed just a little bit.
His attempts at lifting the mood were horrible.
But it actually worked.
"I knew a girl that liked to turn guys' ears into bat wings. Well, ears of anyone that annoyed her too much." She may have had her issues with Ginny, but this is something that she had to admire, her not being scared to express herself, even if that form of expressing herself came in the form of hexes flying through the air. "By the way, trust me, I would make a horrible wife. Want to play with some cards?"
"Do you have any?" He finally turned around. Taro was not happy with the lack of attention.
"Yes. I can set up those ether fields to alert us if anything happens as well."
He seemed thoughtful just for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, let's do it."
The witch took out her wand, walked around a bit while trying to scout where exactly she is going to place the wards. A moment later, she started casting while Ness watched as the air became disturbed before the effect eventually vanished.
"Just to be clear, what exactly is the effect of these fields?"
"Depends. There are many kinds. Some are like shields, some alert to the presence of others. Some deter people from getting closer."
"Deter?"
"They suddenly remember that there is something they really should be doing and leave the area."
The driver let out a small whistle of appreciation. "I wish I could do that. Are all of the people where you come from like you?" He asked.
"No." She answered while remembering the Privet Drive. "Just a few. Most of the people are just... people. Muggles."
"Muggles?" He repeated that word. "So I am a muggle then? From your point of view?"
"I have never liked that." She admitted. Some might argue that she does not like muggles and that is true. Partially. There is not a single muggle in her life that she knew and had a good relationship with but the main issue was with their actions rather than what they were. "I mean, a driver is still a person. Just like a nondriver." Although that probably was not the best comparison as some people can become drivers.
"So, what kind of games do you know?"
"So he just left?" That doesn't feel right. "What did he even want?" Helen asked, visibly frowning. It doesn't give any sense, at all. He went out of his way to travel so far, to find out where to find her and he just... left. It wasn't like he would just apparate in and make it a five-minute trip, he had to take a ship to get here to Uraya and then walk to Garfont.
"Beats me. But you'd better stay away from that guy, got some real bad vibes from him." There was still this something that Vandham was not saying and it irked Helen ever so slightly, but she understood him. He was worried, even if he was not showing it well. "How about a trip somewhere far? What do you say?"
"A trip?" She repeated. Sure, she loves traveling and seeing new places but to just leave all of sudden like that.
Come to think of it, she did not even finish her meals at the local kitchen that day and someone must have definitely picked up the slack with her being absent.
"The Leftherian Archipelago needs some things done here and there. How about it? Not that you would go on your own of course." Vandham started going through some papers while his men watched.
"You want me to… go?" However, when Vandham said it like that, it did not feel like a short trip to Indol, this seemed a more long-term thing. She loved traveling, sure but she would have liked to have the ability to return.
Beggars can't be choosers Helen.
She had to remind herself.
"Not forever, just for a little bit. Leftheria is a nice place." Ness poked her side, but the remark did not make her that happy.
"I don't have a choice in this, do I?"
"There is always a choice kid, but the other options do not look so appealing." Vandham ended any further conversation with that short statement.
She sighed. Then sighed again when she realized that the boss of the mercenaries was essentially already doing the paperwork to send her away.
I had this sitting around unpolished for a while, so I finally pushed myself into finishing it. Doves plot bunnies still going strong even though I want to work on Divergence of Fate next. I have been actually working on it, I finally have a rough idea of what I want in there.
Not a whole lot of people reading this, but something is something I guess?
Thank you for all of the reviews, I am glad that people seem to like this. I think I have a good idea of what I want to happen in this fic now but there are still some important details that need to be figured out.
Thanks for reading this.
I have picked 3 blades for Helen so far, not counting the angry boi himself. Decided against picking more to give those 3 more time to shine. You can guess which ones they are, but it is not COS-MOS or T-Elos. From what I understand, they come from some other Xenoblade works? I think? I am only familiar with Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 and I would be doing them a disservice If I tried to work with them without having all the info. Plus, I saw them in other works.
Please leave a review, it really helps with motivation to keep writing.