Twisted Reflections

by vendetta543

She was a failure of a Mage, unable to cast even the simplest of spells. He was an Undead, a monster used as a pawn in battle he could never understand. They had nothing in common, and yet fate saw it fit to bind the two souls together.

23. Return to Tristain

Here's a more lighthearted chapter compared to before:) Bit of a quicker update since there's a break from school till January and I've got a few days all to myself. Starting now I'll have to make final decisions about the Dragon's Raiment and the tone of the story after the 'Battle of Saxe-Gotha'. Depending on what happens the story might shift genres :D

One thing to note: For the flashback chapters to 'Manus' I'm not even gonna bother trying to make the dialogue in ye olde English since I have a bad habit of forgetting it. I'll try whenever there's a flashback to Raziel's time in Lordran, but for the 'Manus' segments just assume translation convention is going on and that they're all speaking on limey talk. I will avoid using modern slang in those segments, so the speech will look a bit more archaic and formal compared to the other segments. I might have said this before, in which case I apologize. My memory's really bad lately.

Well, enough gabbing :) Lets start!

---

The journey back to Tristain was a grueling mix of torture and boredom. On average a trip between Tristain and the port city of La Rochelle took about two days, give or take a few hours. This was with a capable horse or another flying creature like a manticore, dragon or griffon.

Riding back on a small boat not meant for long distance journeys was infinitely slower and much more painstakingly dull in comparison.

"How...How are the Windstones?" Louise called out weakly, her teeth chattering from the cold air as she breathed on her hands. The cloaks they had weren't the thickest - they were mostly built for slight chills in the wind and nothing else - and she was, quite bluntly, freezing her arse off on the hellish little boat they had to make their escape on.

"We still have enough, so long as we go in a straight line- Ah-choo!" Guiche sneezed and rubbed his dripping nose with his sleeve; an action he would have considered too uncouth in a normal situation, but with his entire body drenched in rainwater and his clothes caked with a mix of dust and blood, a little snot felt like such a little thing in comparison.

He wondered briefly what his father and brothers would think of this. While his father loved to glamorize war and serving ones country, there were times where both he and his older siblings told him that there would be times that he would be no better than the commoners and that he would have to suck in his pride and discard comfort in order to survive. 'Well,' He thought as he adjusted the sails for the umpteenth time that hour alone, 'I guess I understand what they meant now.'

"A crow would have served us better..." Raziel bit out icily. The two nobles ignored his barb, partly because they were too tired to retort and partly because they had no idea what in the void he was talking about. Sighing, the Undead rubbed his hands on his tunic before mussing up his hair, causing the drops of water that had accumulated to fall around messily.

Escaping Albion had proved easy enough - No one really bothered to look out for a cramped ship given that they were so focused on sacking Newcastle so they weren't in any danger of being chased and shot out of the sky. Unfortunately, as Guiche and Louise found out not long after, a journey back to Tristain on the miniature vessel would prove difficult.

It wasn't just the waiting that caused them discomfort: They had to deal with rain, sticky and dirty clothing and rationing the little food that the boat had between the three of them...well, actually it was just the two of them that ate. Guiche had offered Raziel some food but he refused, claiming that he could wait it out until they reached the academy. Of course Louise knew the real reason he refused; it would've been a waste to give food to someone who never hungered.

This wasn't even getting to the boat's small space. It could hold all three of them well enough, but even after throwing out the crates that held nothing but useless junk the width of it was rather cramped and they had to sit down with their knees in their chest a lot of the time in order to have ample space to move. None of them stood unless it was to get more food from the storage or adjust the sails because the wind once again blew it off-course.

"It should be stable for a while," With a sigh, Guiche sat down and placed his back against the boat's edge, his head lolling at its edge, "What time is it? I need to get some sleep..." His eyes drooped down and he closed them slowly before Louise kicked him awake, "Oh, give me a break, Valliere! It is freezing and you're the one who insisted that we not stop in one of the towns in order to get more supplies and some rest!"

"You still have a couple of hours. Get something to eat so you can stay awake," Louise rummaged through one of the small boxes in the boat and tossed the other noble a piece of dry bread, "I know this is uncomfortable, but we need to tell Lady Henrietta about what happened as soon as possible without any delays. We need to tell her about the prince and...and Wardes betrayal..." She pursed her lips and looked over the gray horizon.

"I understand your reasons, Valliere, I do, but I doubt they're even going to let us into the castle given the state we're in," He bit down hard on the bread, grimacing at the taste before forcing himself to swallow. He hated this; scrabbling around, wringing rope and sail like some common sailor and eating bread that had long ago gone hard from being exposed to the elements. He couldn't wait to go back to the academy and eat the gourmet meals the chefs prepared.

They'd been sleeping in shifts ever since they left. The boat wasn't made for long trips so they had to constantly adjust the sails when they became askew from either the wind or some other reason. Louise and Guiche alternated. Raziel would have done it as well but teaching him the basics of boat adjustment would have been more trouble than it was worth.

Guiche wasn't the best but his eldest sibling had taught him some basics when he was younger. He never thought he'd use it here, but it had proven useful in hindsight. Louise wasn't much better than Raziel but she at least knew what not to do to a boat from some of the books she'd read, which was infinitely better to the Undead who moaned about crows. If they left it to him chances were that they would wake up to him crashing it in a forest or mountain somewhere in the opposite direction of their objective.

"Do not let him escape!" Manus landed on the stairwell's bottom without a sound. Eyes narrowing, he looked up and growled as he saw the knights flipping the switches and making a bridge towards his position. Damnable assassins, why couldn't they give up? They were doing nothing but providing him with people to kill and feed on.

"..." Raziel was silent. He took out the ring from his pocket and stared at it, his blood-coated fingers clutching the ruby gently. It amazed him slightly that, for all the blood and grime they were covered in, the accessory still looked pristine. He continued to stare at it in a haze before putting it back in his pocket, "Hsss," He sucked in a pained gasp as he felt his chest flare at the movement.

"Argh!Aggghhhh!" The assassin's cry rang in his ears as he crushed her neck in his hands. The Knights, The Channelers and now The Assassins: Nothing but a source to abate his hunger. As he heard the familiar snap of the bone shattering he opened his 'mouth' and took the energy they left, leaving not even a corpse to mourn.

When his master had told him he was bleeding he thought little of it: Even Undead bled whenever magic such as specific poisons or the mythical life-drain were used to attack them; normal attacks, no matter how severe, never affected them unless these two were used. They didn't bleed blood, however. It was the Estus, the dark substance and the life-force that every Undead needed along with Humanity.

Which made it all the more confusing when he saw crimson liquid dripping down his chest.

"Mistress Ciaran!" Those were the knight's last words before he tore the flesh from her neck. He watched, unaffected, as her golden blood trickled between his fingers and down onto the floor. The Knights serving under The Four weren't Gods or even Demi-Gods, but they were more than human that certain. The Golden Blood was just one of the more obvious signs.

"Tch," He closed his eyes and rubbed his head as another sharp pain crossed through. He would have paid more attention to them, but a few seconds after receiving the memory he would nearly forget it altogether, remembering only the most sparse details and being unable to recall it afterwards. He shook his head pinched his leg. He only hoped that it wasn't too important.

"You will pay for their deaths, monster!" Ciaran jumped and brought down both tracers down on the wraith. Eyes widening, he dodged the strike and clenched his clawed fingers, backing away from the Knight Captain. She was different from the other knights, he could tell that even at a glance. More powerful and much more dangerous. The way she presented herself said it all: She was someone who could kill effectively and without remorse.

"Did it stop bleeding?" His master asked across from him. She was worried at first when she found the blood, and she was still worried even up to now, but she needed to focus on getting to Tristain in order to tell the princess what exactly had happened in Albion. She was torn: A part of her was still angry at him for killing the prince, and yet she also couldn't deny that going to town in order to get aid was as much a death sentence as shooting him would have been.

"Yes," He grabbed one of the tunic's side and lifted it. Louise looked at his chest; the cuts were still there and still looked fresh, but the blood had dried now and there were no more signs of it continuing. He saw her sigh in relief before she breathed on her hands again. It was really cold and the rain they had to face a few hours after leaving Albion only made things worse.

"Argh!" Manus suppressed a yell as the golden haired knight stabbed him in his chest. He grabbed her hands as she made to pull them back and used his other hand to swipe at the mask covering her head.

He heard a screech as his sharpened appendages scratched against the material of the armor. Ciaran screamed, more out of rage than pain, and wrenched herself from his grip before stabbing the other dagger at his mouth.

He could only laugh as the blade passed through the empty space where a jaw should have been.

"Hopefully it will not rain again," Raziel said aloud. While he liked the natural phenomena given how new it was to him even up to now, he couldn't deny that freezing cold water wasn't exactly helping them right now. Not to mention the fact that they had to shovel out the rainwater when it had accumulated on the boat earlier. His master and Guiche were exhausted and he could tell they disliked having to sit on the soggy wood.

He rubbed his fingers together and frowned as he felt the dry blood still sticking to them. Despite the rain-shower from earlier his hands were still stuck with the reddish-brown liquid. If he believed in fate or any other mystical higher power he would have thought that one of the Gods kept the blood on his hands as a constant reminder of the feral state he was in earlier.

He could still hear the screams of the soldiers as he tore open their stomachs, their gurgles as the skin of their necks were taken from them and they choked on their own blood. He remembered Guiche screaming as he snapped one of their jaws and the pop of their eyes as he had used his fingers to gouge them out. He'd done it with his bare hands, more out of want than need.

He didn't know what was happening to him, 'Of course you do,' He mentally chided himself. There was only one reason for his animalistic behavior and the hunger he now felt roaring in his stomach.

He was starting to Hollow.

It was the only explanation he could think of that made any amount of sense. Once one began to Hollow they would lose rationality and indulge in pointless brutality and other monstrous actions in order to sate their growing emptiness. He closed his eyes and let out a cold breath. He had wanted to tear the soldiers open completely, to gorge on their blood in the hope that he could taste even the bare traces of Humanity they held within. He could have used the Dark Hand, but that required them to be alive and he felt little patience for that.

"Longer than I expected..." He mumbled to himself. It was to be expected: The Undead began to Hollow once they felt they were losing their purpose. He had staved off Hollowing because he felt purpose in his journey, but now he had nothing much else to strive towards beyond protecting his young master from whatever disaster she had landed herself in.

He lips quirked in an empty smile as he looked up at the gray clouds. Things might finally end for him after all.

---

Julio dodged the stream of lightning that shot forth from the demon's trident. Roaring, Azuro took flight once again and charged at the giant construct, with Julio following close behind and aiming for its summoner. His master had told him that the 'Mind of God' commanded many magical constructs, but once her life ended they would lose whatever life she gave them.

Sheffield smirked as Julio drew closer to her, "Amusing," With a flick of her hand she summoned a few simple gargoyles, who proceeded to charge the priest with their primitive spears. He gripped his sword tighter with his right hand as his left twitched, nearly going for the flintlock he had hidden under his robes. He only had one chance to use it and he didn't want to waste it.

He blocked their crude attacks and tore through them easily. Sheffield gave no reaction to the death of her summons and flicked her hand again, summoning twice as many as before. They were nothing but mere tools, easily replaced if they were ever destroyed. It wasn't as if they were flesh and blood.

A sickening crack caused him to turn his head, "Azuro!" He yelled as he saw the blue Dragon land with a large boom. The demon had, much to his surprise, discarded its trident in favor of punching his friend across his jaw with its fist. He stared, lips curling into a scowl, as his dragon gave a growl of pain and forced himself to get up despite the injury.

"You might want to pay attention," She willed her constructs to move forward and attack all at once. Julio barely had time to back away and bring up his sword to defend himself.

"Damn it," He grunted in pain as one of the constructs managed to pierce his shoulder. He kicked the flying imp away and brought his sword down on it before flinching as blood began to spread over the wound it had created. Individually they were nothing but target dummies, but grouped together at least one or two could catch him off-guard.

He ran backwards and closed his eyes briefly, scanning the area to see if there were any other animals he could seek aid from with. With rising anxiety he found that he and Azuro were alone. The area they were in was mostly abandoned but he had at least thought that he was capable of facing against another one of the Marked Ones.

He had never expected her to be this adept.

"If this is all you have to offer? I am truly disappointed," Her voice was a mix of pity and condescension, "You came here to kill me expecting easy prey, but instead you find yourself at a disadvantage."

"You speak true, my lady," He forced himself to keep his casual smile. He charged forward again, bringing his sword down against the closest gargoyle before throwing its remains against its smaller brethren. From up above he could see Azuro charging again, spewing fire at the large demon and slashing his claws against its face and chest. He could hear the sound of the metal being dented from the sharp appendages.

As he drew nearer he kicked away the last of the constructs before he pulled out the flintlock and fired.

The sound of the bullet hitting against stone caused him to pause. Julio looked at where the bullet had hit and cursed as he saw one of the gargoyles floating in front of her, shielding her from harm.

"Is that truly your best?" Laughing slightly at the attempt at surprise, Sheffield stepped to the side and dismissed the gargoyle, watching the metal ball fall to the ground with a dull thud, "I was hoping to amuse myself for longer, but I think we should end this charade," She turned to the Titanite Demon and clenched her fist.

The monster jumped. Julio's head craned upwards as he saw the metallic being jump to a height that he would have thought impossible given its weight before gravity pulled it down again and making it land.

Right on top of Azuro.

An earsplitting shriek filled the air as the monster landed atop the dragon and stabbed the trident into its backside, "Azuro!" He ran towards his companion, dropping his sword as pain started to fill his right arm. His master had told him that he couldn't use this power yet, that it might kill him if he couldn't control it, but it was the only thing he knew would help right now.

Sheffield raised an eyebrow as she felt a familiar crackling in the air. Julio clenched his fist pain coursed through his right hand and a powerful shock went through him before he managed to force himself to concentrate. She saw it clearly - He held what looked to be a bolt of lighting in his right hand and his entire body shook from the effort of containing it.

"Release him!" He pulled his hand back and threw it at the large demon. Another shriek filled the air, but it sounded much more monstrous and deep than before. The monster was hit at the chest with the bolt and fell of the dragon. As it landed in the ground Julio saw it flail in pain and roar one last time before it exploded into various pieces, dotting the hillside and the landscape around it.

"Haa...haa..." Julio forced himself to stand straight and wiped the sweat off his forehead, "Azuro...are you alright..." He received a weak growl in response. He smiled; that meant he would live through it. He could control many of the aspects blessed to him, but using the greater abilities caused a noticeable strain on him. Small things like better defense and control were easy, but using the miracles similar to magic were difficult to control properly.

Slow clapping reached his ears, "Very impressive," Sheffield drawled out, staring at the remains of the Titanite Demon, "I did not expect that a mortal would be so capable of using the miracles Father Gwyn taught down to his followers. I would have thought that you would use Darkness like all the rest." She stopped clapping, "Is this it, then? You wish to kill us or have us join you on your enigmatic cause? You would be willing to kill yourself for this?"

"I ask you again: Will you join us? If not," He picked up his sword and pointed it at her shakily, "I will be forced to continue fighting till no more breath draws from your mouth."

"You talk as if you have the higher ground in this confrontation. Should I show you how mistaken you are?" Her runes glowed again. Julio ran forward to try and stop her but the large booms of something landing made it clear he was too late.

"What...?" Where one demon stood before, there were now three. Julio stepped back and looked up at the stoic monstrosities. Each of them looked the same as the one they had killed before, meaning that it was likely that they were just as strong as the one they had fought earlier. They had barely survived fighting against one, but to fight three at once.

"Still feeling confident, Mr. Priest?" Sheffield's smile widened, "I'll grant you mercy this once because you amused me: Leave now and never show yourself again either to my master or myself. If I see you again or my master demands you death, your life will end before you can even beg for mercy." She would have to tell her master about this, but chances were that he would disregard it. He knew long ago that the Holy Man was a user like him.

"A...generous offer," Julio forced out a laugh, "Very well, I accept your most gracious mercy," He did a small bow, "But if your should ever change your mind about this, know that we will always accept you aid and cooperation."

Without even saying a word in response, the hooded woman turned around and began to walk away, making the demons disappear in the process. It was an obvious feint, a last chance to see if he would die in vain: Despite how defenseless she appeared now she would likely kill him if he tried to attack her again. He watched her go silently and waited till she was out of sight before turning back to Azuro.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," He petted the large dragon's snout, earning an affectionate roar in return, "We'll have to fly back to Romalia and tell Master about what's transpired. Perhaps we'll have to search for another user after all." He clenched his right hand and took a deep breath. If the Familiar was going to be the same one that he had chanced upon at the tavern then he had to prepare himself mentally.

Light and Darkness never did mix well.

---

"Its...c-c-c-cold..." Louise wrapped the cloak tighter around herself. She hated to admit it, but she would have been glad to see Kirche right about now. She hated the Germanian to be true - their families were enemies so there was no other way to go about it without at least mutual annoyance - but the redhead knew fire magic and was one of the few with enough control of it that she wouldn't have burnt the boat down with the embers.

Another option would have been to scoot closer to the other two for heat, but she closed that train of thought before it could even form. Guiche wasn't exactly a friend despite the shared experience and she had a feeling he would disagree given how annoyed he was at not being able to rest and resupply in one of the towns they passed.

Raziel on the other hand was...cold, and she meant that literally. When she'd touched his neck and chest when inspecting him earlier she only felt a cold chill at the contact. The only thing warm about him was the blood he bled out earlier, and she certainly wasn't desperate enough that she would use blood in order to keep herself warm. She wasn't a Vampire.

"Damn it all," Manus hissed as he ran away, a stampede of metal and boots trailing behind him. Fighting against that Ciaran had proven tough, but not impossible. But of course backup arrived in the form of silver plated knights and more assassins looking to make sure he didn't survive, so he had to make his escape before he was killed for good this time.

Raziel moved his right hand and muttered an incantation under his breath. His Pyromancy had been hard to activate since earlier or he would have done this sooner, "...Here," He leaned forward and stuck his right hand out. Louise raised an eyebrow briefly before his hand became engulfed in an orange flame, warming her up considerably.

He had escaped. Growling at the pain in his chest, he rubbed his bony chest and stalked forward, finding comfort in the darkness surrounding him.

Where there was once trepidation and uncertainty came relief and sanctuary. He had jumped from Anor Londo's bridge, seeing no other way to escape from his pursuers, and just as he was about to collide with the ground another portal opened. He looked around the inky blackness; was his mysterious benefactor helping him now?

"Be careful with that," She warned, although she couldn't stop the small smile from making its way to her face at the extra heat she'd been given, "Raziel, we need to talk about what happened with your injuries. Why were you-"

"I am not sure myself," Raziel interrupted before she could finish, "We...will talk when we arrive back at the academy. I would rather not speak on this now whilst we are up here."

"But-"

He was changing. He looked down at his arms and upper body, his decayed face moving slightly as he took note of the differences he had from before. Flesh now covered most of his upper body and exposed bones, but it was as dark and decayed as the face he saw in the mirror. Was this due to all the power he had taken or a twisted form of natural evolution?

"Woah!" Guiche's surprised yell reminded the pair that they weren't alone. Louise winced; great, she forgot about the surprise people would feel at seeing her Familiar cast what looked like Brimir's divine gift, "Hey-Hey, Valliere! Your Familiar is using magic! Wandless magic!" He gestured wildly at Raziel's burning hand, his expressions ranging from surprise to panic at the sight of what looked like fire that could easily burn their only mode of transportation.

Louise rolled her eyes and began to recite the excuse they made, "He's from Rub' al kali and there are some people who are born with the ability to use magic like this," She pointed at the flames, "It's not really a sign of nobility there since they focus more on trade and wealth there like Germania so don't start panicking because you think he's a noble. He's my Familiar."

A bold-faced lie to be true - She had no idea if there were Mages in Rub' al kali, let alone what their society was like given how little the traders actually talked about their homeland and technology. Fortunately Guiche wasn't the most well-read person in the school and given that even the resident bookworm Tabitha hadn't found anything wrong with her excuse she doubted the cavorting casanova would.

"You're a...forget it," Guiche looked like he wanted to ask more before he gave up and heaved a tired sigh, "I've seen too many things in too short a time to even bother caring anymore..." He stared at the fire briefly before scooting closer to it, "I guess that explains how you were able to injure Lady Daphne earlier at the inn..." He wondered if they had succeeded in their mission. Given Newcastle's state it wouldn't have surprised him if Reconquista had done their job for them.

He did his best to ignore the other signs of something troubled with her companion's Familiar. Like how he survived and healed from decidedly fatal injuries or what looked to be dark tendrils encasing his arm earlier or even the fact that he had brutalized the soldiers that had come after them with his bare hands without slowling down from his injuries. Better to ignore it all lest his mind break from the strain.

Regardless, he found himself holding onto the crystalline sword he had been given. It wasn't as graceful as his rapier and he relied on magic more if he ever came to blows, but it gave him a feeling of safety all the same.

"Injure Lady- You attacked Big sis Daphne!?" Louise yelled, "You said she just went into your room by accident! Did you attack her because of that!?"

Raziel glared at the playboy, who put up his hands in a placating gesture in response. Just great; he really didn't want to explain to his master how he had attempted to disembowel someone who was quite obviously connected to her in a personal level. He had a feeling telling her the truth would do little; it was unlikely she would believe they were Vampires without solid proof given their past connection.

"It was...an accident," Louise raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. He sighed, "She...wanted to see my Pyromancy and I accidentally put my hands too close to her," He finished lamely. His master looked at him disbelievingly, "Master, if she were injured in a grievous way I doubt that she would have been healthy enough to assist in our escape."

Louise continued to stare at him before she released a held breath. She doubted he was telling the whole truth, but he had a point: If she really was injured in a serious way she would have seen it and it would have been hard for her to help them escape effectively, and given the small glimpses she's seen during their escape they looked like they were doing just fine.

"Fine, I guess it was just an accident," She bit her lower lip softly and stretched her hands close to the flame, "I don't know what we're going to tell Princess Henrietta when we get back to Tristain."

Raziel leaned back and concentrated on making the fire burn. They had a long way to go yet and he doubted anything would alleviate the boredom.

"Hey, partner, did you forget about me?" Derflinger suddenly piped up, causing Louise and Guiche to jump in surprise. They'd nearly forgotten about the sentient weapon, "Hey, what was that back there? You give blondy a sword and then you don't use me! What gives? I'll admit that I'm becoming a bit rusty with age but that's no reason to use your bare hands over a perfectly good blade.

"I...will explain later," He sighed. Much as he enjoyed talking to Derflinger he really wasn't in the mood given the situation.

"Oh, you're gonna pull that card again, huh? He clicked in annoyance, "Alright, fine, well how about I tell you three some stories about my wielders before partner here? Gotta be better than sitting there in soggy rainwater. At this rate you three will end up rusting like I did. Kekekekekekeke!"

---

"So, you survive," The voice sounded different this time; like an old lady, wizened and ancient, "You attacked the pariah, and yet you let him live, why? Did you hope that you could come back to him later, to find answers to your past?"

"Nothing such as that," Manus answered back, "He lives now in eternal torment, deprived of the sight that he needed to achieve his goals. Killing him would have ended things too quickly," He wanted him to suffer. He could not explain it, but he desired to the overgrown lizard to live and slowly go insane as the realization hit him. That despite the power he had been given, he was now powerless to do anything with it.

"You are a fool," A high voice hissed next to his ear, "He will find a way to recover from this, to continue his experiments again with the help of his pawns. Or does it not matter to you so long as he suffers?"

"But how long until then? He will despair for hundreds if not thousands of years, and that is if death does not claim him first. He is not immortal, this much I know."

"Ahahahaha," Multiple voices laughed in unison, "It appears that you retain more of your identity than you know, despite the kindness you showed the captives earlier," This time the voice was childlike, holding a sort of innocence that didn't match its words, "Yes, I suppose that is where it ends: You would let countless people become his tools and fall prey to his experiments so long as he suffers from the failure and setbacks their deaths cause him. Truly you have retained much of who you once were."

"Enough. I did not come here for judgement," He rebuked, "You saved me from almost certain death, despite your claim before that you would offer no assistance for me. Why?"

"We find your struggle...amusing," A baritone voice drawled out, "Hurdled into the chaos you fight, kicking and screaming against the oblivion pulling at you," More laughter, "If you wish to continue on your futile quest, whether out of curiosity or bloodlust, we offer another gift: Another gate to somewhere that may hold the answers you seek to find."

"Where?" He asked.

A voice, almost seductive, whispered to him.

"Izalith."

---

"Raziel, wake up. We're here."

Raziel rubbed his eyes and looked up at the sunny sky before looking around the horizon. They were right above the capital city and in front of them he could make out the palace his master had pointed out during their first visit here. How long had he slept? More memories filtered into his head and he shook them off, taking deep breaths as his headache lessened.

He looked to the other two on the boat. They looked the same for the most part, but he could see bags under both of their eyes and how sluggish their movements were. Why in the abyss his master insisted on going here without rest was beyond him; Wardes had been chucked out of a hole in the wall and was likely a pasty mess on the ground now, so it wasn't as if he could beat them back to the capital.

"We're almost there," He could hear the relief in her voice, "We have...we have to tell the princess about what happened and warn her that there may be other traitors," Raziel gave her a sideways glance. Was that the reason she wanted to get back so early? Paranoia was healthy, he knew that from experience, but he doubted taking an extra day to get food and rest would have been the difference between the kingdom's life and death.

"You're going to have to explain once we get down there, Valliere," Guiche called back, his hands adjusting the sails so that the boat would slowly start to decrease. Raziel tapped the pocket containing the ring and nodded to himself. A dying man's last bit of selfishness, that was what Wales told him this was and that was what he thought it was when he had first been asked.

It felt less selfish now that he was dead and his body was likely getting desecrated right at this moment.

Their entrance had, as expected, garnered quite a bit of attention. As they landed guards surrounded their boat, their wands and rapier-wands drawn in case of possible attack. From the back Raziel could make out nobles and other servants stopping to stare at them, half in worry and half in curiosity. They must have been quite a sight considering how pristine everything looked.

Guiche was the first to speak, "We're not enemies!" He yelled, waving both his arms in a panic as he stepped off the boat. None of the soldiers lowered their guards; in fact, it seemed to heighten when they saw his rather horrid state, "We're nobles from the Tristain academy of magic and we're...well, I'll let her explain," He coughed awkwardly and gestured to Louise.

"We-We're here to see Princess Henrietta!" She stepped down from the boat, Raziel following behind her silently. They were gathering more attention; he could see the knights tensing and the people behind them whispering to one another. The clicked his tongue: At this rate they were going to get thrown into prison.

"What is your business with the princess?" One of the knights stepped forward, causing Louise to flinch back somewhat as the sharp tip of the raised rapier drew closer to her.

"I need to speak to the princess right now on a private matter," Guiche winced as more of the knights stepped forward. They didn't like Louise's response and they were already on edge before they had arrived. Rumors were already spreading that Reconquista was preparing to invade Tristain and the appearance of an unknown boat carved with seals from Albion's architecture didn't help their case.

"Then I'm afraid we can't grant your request," The mustached knight replied. Louise was about to yell back something before he continued, "Regardless, your presence here is suspicious and we're required to question you. If your story proves true we'll let you see Her Highness, but until then you are hereby under watch. Drop your wands and come with us."

"But-"

"Drop your wands and any weapons you are wielding and come peacefully. We will not ask a second time," He interrupted forcefully. Louise's hands shook in indignation but she ultimately complied with the request and placed her wand onto the ground.

"You two as well," He nodded to Raziel and Guiche. Guiche complied and raised his hands again, doing his best to seem non-threatening. Raziel scowled slightly before he placed his wow and Derflinger on the ground, who was mercifully quiet. He hadn't stopped talking throughout the entire trip and after the glamor of seeing a talking sword wore off Guiche had joined his master in trying to shut out the sword's voice as he continued to drone on about his past adventures.

"Very good," He nodded, pleased. Now come with us and we'll do our best to-"

"What is going on here?" Another voice interrupted. The knights stepped aside and lowered their weapons hesitantly as the figure walked past them.

Raziel observed the new arrival. Blond hair cut short and rough and wearing chainmail that covered her entire body, but unmistakably female all the same. The way she carried herself showed confidence and her right hand was already atop the end of her sword, ready to pull it out at a moments notice. Trained and prepared, but not stressed or riled up like the knights were.

Agnes Chevalier de Milan. Already her presence was causing some of the younger knights and some of the nobles to stir. She was still relatively new - only serving for a bare few months - and her rather high position already began to make people talk; rumors about her about to be put as the Captain of a new group riled up some of the other knights who claimed that she didn't deserve it and that someone else with more years of service (and by that they meant themselves) should lead a group. They had a point, but it was rather pointless getting worked up over rumors.

Of course, there was also the matter of her origins. Commoner-born, a woman, and a protestant; normally having one of those traits barred one from rising in station, but having all three at the same time yet still being a knight caused some more traditionalist groups no small amount of anger. The fact that she openly disrespected many of her Mage superiors didn't help her situation at all.

The knight making the demands nodded at her and pointed at the ragtag group, "These three claim to have business with Her Highness Lady Henrietta and we are detaining them until further notice." He answered calmly. Much as the others disliked her, he never found a problem with her. He was already in a good position himself and his age made him doubt he could rise much more, so he didn't feel threatened by her presence so long as she wasn't a traitor.

"Really?" She walked over to Louise, "What is your business with Her Majesty?" She asked. Louise flinched and stepped back; she could practically hear the impatience and annoyance dripping from her question.

"As...As I told him before, we'll only speak to Her Majesty on this important matter," Louise cursed internally at the situation she was in. She wanted to tell them that she was on a secret mission from Her Majesty and that Wardes was a traitor, but the entire debacle wasn't exactly authorized and even that traitor had accompanied them under the pretense of it being a personal favor. If she confessed she'd be laughed out of the courtyard.

Agnes frowned and grasped Louise's wrist, "Do you have any idea of the situation you're in? You come in with a boat containing Albion's sigils and demand to see Her Highness while refusing to state any reason as to why," She tightened her grip. Louise let out a pained squeak, "So just tell us now what your purpose is here so we do not waste any more time with this nonsensical-"

"Let go," Agnes growled softly as her hand was forced to release Louise's wrist. She stared at the girl's protector: Rather young by the looks of him, but the way he was able to force her off made it clear that she couldn't intimidate him like the girl.

She could hear some of the knights unsheathe their swords again, "It's alright, I'll handle this," She called back before turning to face him again, "I don't know if you're a mercenary or this girl's retainer, but stay out of this. You could be assassins hiding under the guise of exhaustion."

"Threatening her into confessing is pointless; we have already agreed to surrender our weapons," He nudged his head to the wands, swords and bow. He was beginning to get irritated with all of this. If this was the welcome they expected then how was his master supposed to inform the princess of what happened even if this damnable suicide mission had succeeded?

Oh wait, Wardes was likely supposed to vouch for them, but given his actions there was always the possibility that he would claim that they really were assassins and have them executed.

Agnes glared at him, a gesture he responded to with tightening his hold on her wrist. If she wished for a fight then he was more than willing to provide it for her. He didn't need his weapons to snap her neck-

"Louise!"

Louise's face brightened at the sound of the familiar voice. From the steps of the palace Henrietta rushed over and, ignoring Louise's poor state, enveloped the younger girl in a relieved hug, "You're safe! Oh thank Brimir," She closed her eyes and released a held breath, "News of newcastle's sacking has already reached us and I thought..."

"We...We are fine, princess, we..." Louise looked down and frowned as she remembered the days events, "The letter is safe, but we have...much to tell you about what has transpired."

"Of course," She turned to the guards, "Commander, Louise and her companions are my guests today. We have much to discuss so please allow no one into the back gardens as we discuss our business."

"Yes, Your Highness," He bowed.

She turned back to Louise, "Ah, I do not see the Viscount with you. Did he take another route or did he...?" She let the question hang. Louise closed her eyes and let out a tired moan. She would've infinitely preferred it if he died a hero rather than a sycophant.

Raziel sighed. His master had a lot of explaining to do.

---

Their discussion had been moved to the back garden and, as per the princess' instructions, the entire area had been vacated with the exception of the five of them: The Princess his, his master, Guiche, the knight Agnes and himself. Agnes had been brought in a protection in order to convince the guards that talking by herself was a safe idea. As much as many of them disliked her, they couldn't deny that she was a formidable swordsman in her own right.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Guiche asked, staring at his master and the princess as they talked a small distance away. Given that the conversation was personal the three of them had been told to give them some time to let them speak first before saying what they needed to say. They were also offered the chance to rest and change, but again her master refused, reasoning that she wanted to tell her everything first and that they could rest when they arrived back at the academy. For now they made do with covering themselves in thick cloaks to hide their disheveled states.

The three of them were sitting not too far apart from one another. He and Guiche sat with their backs against the wall while Agnes stood off to the side, her eyes trained on the pair of childhood friends like a hawk. If Raziel had to say anything positive about her it would have to be that she was devoted to her duty.

"Likely about her fiance trying to kill her," Raziel deadpanned back, his head craning to look around the garden. The garden was rather wide all things considered an apart from a few small, open buildings he could also make out different trees which bore all manners of fruit. It reminded him of the gardens back at the academy, but there was an overbearing feeling all over the area that he couldn't place.

What had garnered his attention, however, was the white horse eating grass on one side. It was similar to the horses he'd seen at the academy stables, but the horn attached to its head and its cloven shaped hoofs made it rather clear that it was no ordinary animal for riding. Also, though he couldn't really explain it, it had a certain glow or aura to it that made it seem all the more mystical.

"A Unicorn," Guiche commented, seeing where his gaze had turned, "They're normally used to pull the carriages of the royal family, but getting and training them is hard," Seeing Raziel's questioning gaze, he continued, "Well, it's kind of like training a dragon in a sense. Dragon riders often have to be strong in body or will in order to inspire loyalty. Likewise unicorn tamers and breeders have to be pure."

"Pure?" He echoed back.

"Of course!" Guiche nodded energetically, "Take the princess: She's the innocent flower of our kingdom and an untouched beauty, therefore she's pure. Ah, if only she wasn't set to be married to that old lecher Albrecht III! I'll bet you right now she's weeping for her lost love and wishes to escape the confines of her position with a dashing young rogue!"

He could see the force in Guiche's cheer. He was already doing his best to try and forget about what had happened in Albion and go back to doing things he understood. He wondered if his master would pretend nothing was wrong when they reached the academy.

"I would appreciate it if you do not speak of Her Highness in that manner," Agnes cut in, "In addition, your definition of purity is rather base and simplistic. Purity does not always mean innocence."

"How so?" Raziel asked. Now that they weren't on each others throats he might as well have a conversation with her, "Guiche always equates purity with talks of virginity and other such things."

"Pfft, how naive," She shook her head, "Listen: Purity isn't all about being a demure flower or never having sex your entire life - Unless you think all the caretakers here are virgins who never grew up," Guiche opened his mouth to reply before closing it. He had no idea what they were like in truth, "Purity isn't always about what's right or wrong. Someone who's dedicated to their duty and country, wouldn't you consider that person pure?"

"Of course!" Guiche replied immediately, "Loyalty to ones country is a requirement for just about any self-respecting person."

Agnes smirked, "And what if his country tells him to burn down a village and kill innocent people? If he does this is he still pure?"

"Of cour-" Guiche bit his tongue as he finally processed her words, "Well...maybe?" He gave a confused expression, "It's not right to kill innocent people without due cause but if your King or Queen tell you that you should then..." He turned away from them and started mumbling to himself about loyalty and morality. Agnes shook her head and rolled her eyes. Evidently she'd seen the reaction before.

"I think you confused him," He commented aloud, pointing to the mumbling noble. Agnes' only reply was a small smile, "...Why did you attack master earlier? She had already surrendered to the knights."

"Princess Henrietta has been anxious for the past few days," She answered, "A lot of us in the castle could see that she was worried about something, but we had no idea what. And then you three show up with your master or boss or whatever you call her demanding to see Her Highness without giving any reason as to why," She shrugged, "Any half-decent assassin could easily let himself be captured and then kill his guard, so surrendering didn't exactly prove that your were innocent. Besides," Her expression turned to a small grin, "You three looked way too suspicious given the state you were in and the Albion insignias on your boat."

"I can understand your reasoning," Truthfully he really didn't, but the only experience he had with Assassins was with Ciaran and the word subtlety seemed to be lost on her given that her voice just dripped with hate whenever she talked to him. Killing her (most likely) lover likely soured her opinion of him, abyss corruption or no.

"You've got a strong grip, that's for sure," She stuck her hand out, "Agnes Chevalier de Milan," Her voice remained professional, but it was a gesture of friendship all the same. He grabbed her hand and used it to pull himself up.

"Raziel," He stood up and dusted his pants. His gaze once again went to the unicorn before he started walking towards it.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Agnes grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, "I know purity isn't all about sexual experience, but that doesn't mean you can just go there and disturb the damn thing. If it senses an impure person trying to touch it it'll get mad and kick you into the dirt."

"I will just observe it," He shrugged her off and continued to walk towards it. The pure white animal continued to eat the grass, ignoring him. It was only when he had gotten close that it stopped its meal and stared up at him, as if daring him to get close. He raised both hands to just below chest level and took another tentative step.

No reaction. He stepped forward, and again it gave no indication that it found his presence off-putting. Taking a deep breath, he reached a hand out slowly to touch its mane. As his fingers made contact he closed his eyes in preparation for the swift kick of retaliation.

...

"...Huh?" Opening his eyes warily, he found the unicorn still staring at him and nothing else. He traced a hand through its white mane to try and see if it would elicit a reaction.

It did, but not the one he expected, "Ugh..." He stepped back as the horse licked his cheeks and voiced out a small neigh. That...was not what he was expecting. If this meant he qualified as pure then he felt sorry for the standards of purity these creatures gauged people. If a reanimated corpse could count as pure enough then he dreaded what they saw as impure.

"You look like you had fun," Agnes said blankly. Raziel shrugged, "Well whatever the case it seems to consider you pure enough to pet it, so you must be doing something right; maybe it sensed your loyalty to your master," Not likely considering the frequency in which they argued with one another. Well, it wasn't worth the trouble of thinking on it too much.

"Regardless, they seem to be finished," She pointed to the other two, "I'll assume that you and Mr. Purity over there need to say something as well, so make it quick. The princess appears...distressed."

As they walked closer, Agnes' words proved true. The Princess was doing her best to suppress it, but he could see the tears spilling from her eyes and her shoulders shook as she hiccuped out words that he couldn't make out. To his side Guiche's forced smile disappeared, only to be replaced with a sympathetic frown as he heard the princess' choked sobs.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more," Louise looked away, ashamed.

"No...no, it's not your fault," Henrietta answered back, "It's mine. I chose the Viscount to accompany you and it was my decision to send you there which nearly killed you all as well. Forgive me, Louise."

"Princess, you have nothing to apologize for," She took her friends hand and held onto it tightly, "You're the one who's making the sacrifice by marrying that barbarian in order to protect us from Reconquista. Our role was small, but I only hope that you can trust me again if you need aid for whatever is troubling you. I am your humble servant, now and always."

"I...thank you, Louise," A small smile made its way through her tears. Wiping her eyes, she turned to Raziel and Guiche, "I understand I have you to thank as well for the success of this fools errand," She bowed to Guiche, "Thank you, Sir. Gramont. Although you did not need to accompany Louise I understood you served bravely and helped her in the trials she faced."

"I-It was my duty to serve, Your Highness!" He stood up straight and bowed stiffly at the compliments.

"And you as well, Mr...Raziel, am I correct?" He nodded. She bowed like she did with Guiche, "I thank you for protecting my dear friend and as Louise tells me you had done your best to ensure that Wales survived until the very end. I thank you for that as well."

Lies. He didn't understand it: Why had his master downplayed her role in it? It was her who had dragged the prince's dying body over to the boat and, as he understood it, she was the one who had defended him from the Viscount in the first place.

All he did was make sure he went quickly.

"I...was asked to give you this..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wind ruby ring. Both the princess' and his master's eyes widened at the sight of the royal heirloom.

"Wh-Where did you get that?" Louise was the first to ask.

"Prince Wales told me to deliver the ring to The Princess," He offered the ring to her. She took it cautiously, as if afraid that touching it would cause it to disappear, "Wales asked that you be strong for him and that...he is sorry," He doubted she even heard what he'd said. He supposed he was right: The act of giving the ring itself was more of a message than whatever else Wales could have said. Given his feeling for her it was either a declaration of love or a goodbye.

Or both, given the situation.

"Of...Of course, thank you, Mr. Raziel..." She slipped the ring on and, with a quick chant and spell, the larger fit snugly into her finger. He nodded and stepped back, doing his best to ignore the pangs of guilt he felt she tried to once again suppress more tears. A part of him felt guilty with the way he'd treated her before and her sorrow brought back memories of how Wales had died, choking on his own blood and begging to be killed quickly so that the pain would end. He could only hope his master lied as well and told her that Wales died happy and content.

He would apologize when the time was more appropriate. She had to grieve now.

Footsteps from behind reached his ears. He turned around and felt his breath catch in his throat as he caught sight of the woman walking towards them. How could he describe her...there no words, it was too hard to put into description. Her hair was a beautiful shade of brown and her eyes were pools of blue that seemed to make him lose himself with their color. The dress she wore was simple yet elegant and she gave off the charm of a mature beauty.

She was beautiful.

"Queen Marianne," Agnes bowed, Raziel and Guiche imitating her clumsily afterwards.

"What the..." Raziel closed one eye and rubbed his burning cheeks. What in the void was going on? He felt nervous and his cheeks burned red with heat, though he had no idea why. It reminded him of the night in the field after the count's death. He grit his teeth and pinched his leg, trying to think of anything else besides the woman who was causing this uncomfortable feeling.

"Henrietta, there you are," The Queen smiled pleasantly at all of them. Raziel blushed and looked away, "The knights tried to bar me from entering but they gave no reason when I asked. Is something the matter?"

"N-Nothing, mother. Just...talking with an old friend about past pleasantries" Henrietta smiled and held Louise's hand, "Louise...could you please stay a moment...I wish to talk more about the upcoming wedding." She forced herself to sound as if nothing was wrong. Given by the nod the older woman gave it was either the queen was fooled or she wasn't but didn't want to push the issue.

"We shall take our leave then, Queen Marianne," Agnes stood up and grabbed both of their shoulders before forcefully pushing them towards the exit of the gardens.

The two of them waited for about half an hour before Louise came out to join them, holding a small book in her hands and clutching it to her chest tightly. Agnes had gone to fetch their transportation; the palace had lent them a carriage and Guiche was leading from the front, his smile back in full force as he realized that they would finally be back on familiar ground. His master and himself were hanging back, a comfortable silence between them.

"I saw you looking at her."

That didn't last.

"I...do not know what you mean," He coughed and did his best to ignore his master's suspicious gaze at the obvious lie.

"Don't lie to me," She snapped, "I saw you blushing - though I didn't really know you could still do that - and looking at her when that knight was pushing you towards the exit," She took a deep breath, "Just...listen. I want you to forget about whatever your intentions are, alright? She's just lost her lover and now she's about to be married to that barbarian the last thing she needs are more admirers like Guiche."

"She lost her lover?" Wow, this family had rather horrid luck when it came to keeping their significant others alive.

"Of course she did!" She slapped him on the arm, "You were there! Or are you telling me that you can't even remember that you ended Prince Wales' life?"

"Prince Wales was her lover?" Now he was confused, "I...thought he was the lover of that princess, at least she acted as if the relationship was mutual." Wales certainly talked enough about her that he thought that he was in relationship with her. Had he mistaken platonic affection for something else?

"Of course he was Princess Henrietta's...wait, you weren't staring at the princess?" He wasn't lying; he was acting way too clueless for that.

"...Why would I stare at the princess?" He asked back, utterly confused. He needed to apologize to her about his past behavior and his 'technical' killing of Wales, but that was no reason to stare at her as he was leaving.

"Wait, there were only three of us there," She mumbled, "You weren't staring at the princess, correct?" He nodded, "And you weren't staring at me, right?" She heaved a sigh of relief as he nodded once again, "...But the only other person there was..." She stopped walking and began to cough violently as her mind reached the dreaded conclusion.

"Were you...were you blushing at...at Queen Marianne?" ...He nodded, his cheeks tinging once again with red, "Wha...what, I..I-I don't," She placed both hands against her head and took deep breaths to calm herself, "You...do realize what I just said, right? You didn't mishear?" Please, PLEASE let him say that he was just playing a disgusting joke on her! Please!

"Uh..." She coughed once again as she saw his cheeks turn crimson and he looked away with a...shy expression? What in the void!? "I...am not sure what this is..." He placed both hands on his cheeks and frowned, "But...when I saw her...it was as if...my face heated up...and I felt nervous..." Oh dear Brimir above, why was this happening to her!?

"Raziel, you realize that she's forty-seven years old, correct?" He nodded, "And that she is the mother of my best friend, who looks to be your age and is possibly older than you? This doesn't bother you?" Another nod. By Brimir, she was getting a headache. She'd heard of marrying older females; rare cases to be true, but they did happen. Still, the age gap was at most ten years. Raziel looked barely older than she did: If she had to guess she would say he was in his mid-teens, meaning she was old enough to be his mother.

"...I am older than I appear," He repeated what he had told the staff earlier. Granted he'd lost count after the years in the kiln - and some people would likely say his years there didn't count given the state he was in - but he was confident enough that he could be considered an adult if timeless burning torment could be counted in years, "Will...we visit here again? Will she-"

"No...just...no," She threw up her hands and stomped ahead, plugging her ears and ignoring his questions. She did not need this right now.

---

"Meet me in the dorm room later," With that last reminder his master had left him, making her way with Guiche to the headmaster's office. Likely to explain their absence and what exactly had happened, along with whatever that book was she was holding onto so tightly.

It was just barely past lunchtime when they'd arrived, meaning that the students would be in their afternoon classes right about now. He rubbed his hands together and loosened the cloak's tightness. Tristain was warmer compared to Albion and after wearing the cloak for a while it began to feel uncomfortable. He didn't sweat. No matter what he bled out he was still a corpse first and foremost, and if he was right then he would Hollow soon.

He would have to talk to his master soon about that. With any luck she could kill him once he Hollowed and be done with it. He didn't relish the idea of being let loose in a forest somewhere being unable to die. He really didn't know whether Hollows retained their identities even in their insanity. He couldn't imagine it: Being forced to watch as your body shambled around, unable to control yourself as you committed more acts of depravity and murder until finally some lucky knight or adventurer found you and put you out of your misery.

He wondered if that was how Laurentius felt.

"...I do not need to think on that now," He shook his head. He still had some time left; how long exactly he didn't know, but thinking on it too much and losing the will to go on was often one of the things that sped up the process. Until he lost his mind he still had things he could do: Protect his master, visit Siesta, cut of that dragon's tail and see if he could catch a glimpse of the queen's glorious incandescence once again.

And seeing as the dragon was nowhere in sight, visiting Siesta would take priority.

"Is this the place?" He rubbed his head in confusion as he stared up at the small building. This appeared to be the place where he'd dropped her off before the trip to Albion, but it was dark back then and he never actually entered the building despite his constant late-night wanderings.

Well, if he needed to see Siesta, then he had to enter.

"Hey, who are you?" As soon as he entered he found the room's occupants all turning to stare at him. Similar to the dorms of the nobility, the servants of the academy had living quarters separated by gender. In most cases members of the other gender weren't allowed to stay in the opposite dormitories for too long - It was a rule the school had implemented after the nobility and commoners in the academy started 'mingling' a little to close for comfort.

Of course this did little to stop the thrill-seekers from sneaking their lovers in.

"Wrong quarters- Oh, its you," A brown haired girl looked up from her place on the table and smirked at him. His mind wondered briefly on who she was before he remembered the cell at the Count's Estate, "What, forget me already? No surprise there. You were so focused on saving Siesta. Still, it's because of you that we got out, so thanks for that."

"...Gabriella, correct?" He guessed.

"Yup, guess your memory isn't as bad as I thought," She stood up and walked towards him, "Woah, you look like crap. What happened? Get into another fight rescuing somebody else?"

"...Nothing as noble as that," He shook his head, "I came to see Siesta. Is she here?" He could see the other servants begin to whisper to one another and point at him, giggling as they whispered to one another. Likely pointing out his rather haggard state - He really needed to find a change of clothes and wash the blood and dirt that stuck to him. Maybe after visiting Siesta.

"Ah, of course," Her grin widened and she yelled down the hallway, "Hey, Siesta! Your lover's here to see you!" No response. Was she not here? "Hey, I said your lover is here! Didn't here me? Your L-O-V-"

He heard the sound of a door slamming open, which was quickly followed by rapid footsteps coming down the hall, "I heard you the first time!" Siesta yelled, her face completely red. Gabriella laughed at her reaction and the giggling intensified as they saw her askew uniform. She'd likely fallen asleep and only woke up after Gabriella's second yell.

"Um...Siesta? Could we speak privately?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Uwaa!" She stood up straight and froze on the spot. Oh no, she really wasn't ready for this! She needed to find a way to explain what she'd done that night...

"...If you are busy, then-"

"What? No, of course not!" She denied immediately, "Lets, uh, lets talk in my room! We'll be alone there!" By Brimir, what was she saying? That didn't come out right.

"Hey, you heard the two lovebirds!" Her roommate Lola announced, "They want to be alone, so let's clear out and give them some time to themselves," She turned to Siesta and winked, "Thirty minutes is the standard procedure whenever someone brings back their lover, but since this is your first time we'll give you an extra fifteen minutes. Have fun, and make sure to clean up afterwards."

"That's not-"

"Good luck, Sie-Sie! Don't forget to introduce him to your family afterwards!"

---

Siesta gulped as she closed the door to her room. Raziel looked around. It was much smaller compared to his master's bedroom, but he liked it all the same - He never really saw the point of giant decorations or fluffy cushions. The room contained precious few items: Two simple beds on each side of the room, a small wardrobe and a table for meals at the center. Basic, but it had the essentials one needed to live normally.

"Um, please have a seat," She said nervously. Nodding, Raziel pulled one of the chairs near the table and sat down, Siesta pulling the chair across his and sitting down afterwards.

The young maid's mind was going into panicked tangents as she tried to think of anything to say. She'd initially planned to see him after he came back with Miss. Valliere from their trip to Albion and try her best to act casual with him. A kiss on the cheek was nothing major, she knew that given the books she read and the stories her friends told about their own love lives. But still, it was rather abrupt of her and she didn't explain herself afterwards.

"Siesta?" Something was wrong with her; she was acting rather unfocused and seemed shocked at every little noise that passed. It was either that or she felt awkward about the jest the others pulled about them being lovers. It was the only conclusion he could come up with given their giggling. Granted he could tell they weren't lying, but jests and lies were two different things.

"Y-Yes!?" She jumped and stood up straight in her seat. Still, why did Gabriella have to do that? She didn't really expect him to come to the servants quarters. She assumed she'd find him wandering around the campus whenever he wasn't serving Miss. Valliere.

"..Are you not working right now?" He internally sighed. He was never really the one to start the conversations whenever they talked - Usually she would say something about the rumors she heard or talk about her family and the village where she was born. He would ask questions from time to time, but for the most part he just enjoyed her company and listening to her talk. He wasn't exactly a great conversationalist and a part of him hoped that she would take his mind off the current events.

"N-No, I'm on break. What about you, Raziel? Don't you have to accompany Miss. Valliere?" She asked back.

"Master is explaining things with Guiche to the headmaster," He groaned and placed his head and arms on the table, staring up at her sleepily. This wasn't exactly the conversation he was hoping for. It was rather selfish of him to look for a distraction, but he didn't exactly want to dwell on it and if he got to see a friend in addition to forgetting about Newcastle then all the better.

"So then why did you come here? Oh, wait, that sounds like I didn't want you to come. Sorry," She laughed nervously.

"Hmm? I wanted to see you again and talk to you. Is another reason needed?" He inquired. The dark haired girl blushed crimson and coughed. That was a rather blunt answer, but she could tell there was no double meaning behind it. She relaxed slightly.

"N-No, I guess I missed you too," She smiled. He did as well, "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't really have much to talk about. Rather, I'm more worried about your state right now," She gestured to the filthy clothing covered by the cloak, "What exactly happened in Albion? You look like you haven't stopped fighting for days."

"The fighting was quick, the journey back was not," He answered vaguely, feeling his eyes begin to droop. It was less out of fatigue and more out of boredom; nearly three days of doing absolutely nothing but sitting on a boat made even the headache inducing dreams he had seem like a nice distraction in comparison.

"Well, you seem to be injured," She pointed out. After a while of knowing him it became rather obvious to her that injuries didn't really keep him down for long so she'd learned to stop panicking, "I hate to say this as well, but your clothes are filthy and they're beginning to smell. You need to take a bath and clean up those wounds.

"I will do so after we talk-"

"No way," She stood up and grabbed a small basin and a rag from the top of the dresser, "I'm going to get some water, a change of clothes and some bandages. Don't go anywhere."

After waiting for her to finish her preparations he found himself standing near naked in Siesta's room, staring down blankly at the basin and rag provided to him. He knew what he had to do - dip the rag into the water and wipe off the blood and dirt - but it still felt rather silly after everything that had happened in the past few days. With a shrug he grabbed the cloth and began the process.

From outside the door, Siesta sat with her back against the wooden material. She'd made sure that he locked the door and she kept watch outside in order to ensure that none of the other servants walked in by accident. She yawned and knocked on the door.

"Raziel?" She called out.

"Yes?"

"What happened in Albion? "

"..." She heard the sounds of splashing water.

"Is it why you're injured?"

"..Yes," More splashing; she hoped he wasn't making a mess in there, "We went to Newcastle in Albion in order to retrieve something. It was important, or so master told us on the way there."

"Newcastle? Didn't it get sacked?" She knew better than to ask what they were trying to get.

"Yes. It is why we left," Inside the room, Raziel stared at his reflection in the basin's water, "More changes..." He grabbed his hair and pulled gently. There were more brown patches of hair dotting his head and he could see his eyes turning into a more dull color compared to the bright yellow of before, "Am I...going back to what I was before?" He remembered how he looked in his days on Lordran. His eyes flickered to the runes on his left hand. It was causing this, he was sure of it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," He shook his head and splashed some water on his face and hair, "Master achieved what she had wanted and we were injured trying to leave. Nothing too severe," He called out.

"So is it true what the rumors say? That everyone was killed and..." She trailed off.

"I...I assume so," He wet his hair one last time before he picked up the spare clothes, "I...made a friend...the night we spent there..."

"Really? What was his name?" She said.

"Wal...Haytham," He corrected, "We did not spend much time together, but he called me a friend and I consider him the same."

"What happened to him?"

"He perished along with everyone else, defending Newcastle."

"I'm sorry."

"It is alright. It was...an end he wished for, and he died on his terms," It was technically true from a certain point of view. There was no use thinking on it now. After he put on the oversized tunic and trousers he made his way to the door and unlocked it.

"Guess they don't really fit, huh?" Were the first words Siesta said as she laid eyes on him, "Sorry, Robert was the only one with clothing to spare and he's not the same size as you. Don't worry, I'll launder and stitch up your clothing and give it back to you in a couple of days."

"Thank you," Now came the annoying part. He sat down on the bed and frowned as Siesta sat next to him, "My injuries are not too severe. Bandaging is not necessary."

"We should at least put some medicine over the wounds so they don't get infected," She smiled and shook the medicine bottle. He grimaced at the green liquid inside, "It's a common medicinal herb we use to cover up small wounds like cuts or burns from cooking. If you don't want to it to worsen at least let me put this on you. You'll regret it later if you don't."

He really wouldn't have, but Siesta's pouting was making him anxious, "...Fine," He relented with a frown.

The liquid was cold, but beyond that it did little to affect him beyond a light sting. Siesta applied the medicine carefully, making sure that the doses weren't too much or too little. She couldn't help but notice how cold his skin felt at her touch. She shivered slightly as she continued the process.

Raziel at the nape of Siesta's neck as she began to apply the medicine to his stomach. One he started Hollowing permanently, would he start to forget about her and everybody else? While he accepted the inevitability of his death he hated the thought of forgetting everything in the process. His past self, regardless of his disconnect towards him, burned in the kiln with the full knowledge of what he was doing.

Of course, there was always another way to prevent Hollowing.

"All done- Uwah!" Siesta nearly screamed in surprise she was pushed down onto the bed forcefully, "Raziel? What are you doing?" She asked, confused by his sudden actions. She looked up at him, eyes curious to see what he was trying to do.

Humanity could stave off the insanity, at least for a while. Taking it from monsters was the slow and risky option since it meant death was a possibility. Who would risk even more death for just for the possibility that they might get a little bit of Humanity? Those who tried to do it the 'honest' way often ended up dying too many times and turning into mindless abominations themselves.

But then, there were the easy ways, "Siesta..." His left hand caressed her face and neck. Nubile young maidens were always replete with Humanity; easy pickings for any Undead willing to dirty their hands. It wasn't as if he would take it all - Just a piece, a small piece to stave off the hunger and keep himself going for just a little longer.

"R-Raziel?" She called out nervously. She knew what it looked like...but the hunger in his eyes made her nervous. Something was telling her that whatever he was doing it was wrong.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered.

"W-What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"You're my friend. Of course I trust you," She answered back honestly. He'd saved her and her friends from the Count's Estate and she could never repay him back for it. She trusted him.

Taking Humanity with the Dark Hand by force was always an option, but mutual trust was often the easiest way to gain Humanity with little difficulty. The original process came from those willing to sacrifice themselves to the Darkwraiths in the hope of advancing their goals. But a willingness to sacrifice oneself wasn't the key - It was trust. So long as the victim trusted the wielder the dark hand could siphon Humanity painlessly from them. It still led to their death, but the process was quicker and involved less pain for the sacrifice.

Raziel lowered his head breathed against her neck, causing her to shiver as wet locks of hair hit against her bare skin, "Siesta..." His mind was in a haze. Through the Dark Hand he could feel the Humanity she held inside, just waiting to be released. One pull, one bite and he could have drained her dry easily. She didn't struggle at all, not like Fouquet.

"Hunger!"

Wait..this wasn't right. Siesta had closed her eyes and waited for him to finish whatever it is he was trying to do. Raziel took a ragged breath and tried to compose himself. What was happening? Siesta had placed her trust in him and...and he was treating her like food.

"Feed!"

"No...get back..." He clenched his left hand and growled as the Dark Hand fought for release. It wanted him to feed on her, to take everything she had until there was nothing left but a desecrated corpse.

"Take her!"

"No!"

Siesta opened her eyes at his sudden yell. Raziel was still on top of her, but the hunger in his eyes had changed into...shame? "R-Raziel?" She reached a hand out cautiously. He flinched at her touch, his expression changing into a frown as Siesta smiled nervously up at him. She had no idea...he'd almost killed her...no, worse than that. And despite her confusion she was still smiling at him.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Siesta nodded, although she had no idea what he was apologizing for. He was obviously distressed and if it helped him if she played along then that's what she would do.

"Raziel, what-"

"Hey, Sie-Sie! You all done here-" Lola slammed open the door strode into the room with a bright smile, only to laugh nervously as she saw their rather precarious position. She thought forty-five minutes would have been enough, but they looked like they were barely starting, "Should...I have come back later?"

"I...I have to leave," Without letting either girl say a word he walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

---

Raziel sighed as he made his way up to his master's bedroom. He had nearly lost control back there, all just to save himself from the death he'd thought he'd come to terms with. Maybe he was wrong.

"Coward."

It was all in his head. Blaming the Dark Hand would have absolved him of all guilt, but he knew that it was a lie. The parasite in him could agitate his hunger, but it only happened if the desire and need existed. For all his talk a part of him still wanted to live, even for just a little longer, and that same part was willing to feed on others in order to achieve it.

He needed to keep control. He wouldn't let himself fall again.

As he opened the door to his master's bedroom he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what he saw. His master was sitting on the side of the bed, already changed into her nightclothes with Derflinger laying on her lap.

Or rather, Derflinger was struggling in her lap given that she had somehow managed to wrap a rope tightly between his hand and the sheath to prevent him from talking. He was almost afraid to ask how she'd managed that and what exactly she was planning to do now that she'd done it.

"I didn't want him to interrupt," She answered his unspoken question, "We need to talk," She gestured to the wooden chair across the bed, "Sit."

"As you wish, Master," He sat at the appointed chair.

"It...occurs to me that I've had many chances to do this...but I always found an excuse not to," She started slowly, "I always told myself that I would ask the next day or that I would get to it sooner or later. I thought I would do it after what I'd seen at the Familiar Festival, but again I made excuses to myself and I knew all I needed to know. I guess I was wrong."

"Why?"

"You were bleeding," She stated flatly, "You told me that you didn't have blood, but I know what I saw," She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled, "When you were sleeping Guiche told me about what happened back in Newcastle. I didn't believe it at first, but Guiche's not one to lie about stuff like that. If even half of what he says is true then..." She didn't finish.

"Your point?" He asked. Was she going to kick him out now? To call him a monster like he'd done so previously?

"What's going on, Raziel?" She leaned forward and looked him in the eye, "You told me who you were, what you were, not too long ago. And now I'm finding out things that I never knew before. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did not know," He answered firmly, "Master, since I have been summoned I've changed in ways I never thought possible. In my journeys on Lordran when I bled I bled the Estus drink, not blood like you do. The Dark Hand was contained and I received no abilities from it beyond feeding on Humanity. Now...it spread all over my arm and I felt base instinct take over."

"So you have no idea what's happening?" He nodded, "You're as much in the dark as I am, then," She muttered, frustrated, "You spoke of that place before. Lordran. That is where you came from?"

"Until I ignited the kiln and you summoned me."

"Then let's go back to the beginning then, before I summoned you. Tell me about this journey you went through, from the beginning. Don't leave out a single detail of whatever happened to you."

"...What do you wish to know?" Surely she didn't have time for the full tale.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Everything."

---

Now before anyone goes bananas on the Queen Marianne thing: Don't take it too seriously. It's meant to be taken as seriously as you would Raziel's small obsession with lopping of Sylphid's tail. So don't worry about him becoming a cake eater or trying to successfully woo the widow whose husband just died and is still in grieving.

Anyway, this chapter was more lighthearted and less plot-filled compared to the last few ones, so read and review please.

Multiple review answer - On the 'becoming human' thing. First of all he's already human: The Undead are Human corpses and just because somebody died doesn't mean they stop being human. If not for Hollowing Undeath would be seen as an improvement given that they're ageless and capable of improving themselves through souls.

Second, no, he's still Undead as this chapter shows. Despite a few tics here and there he's actually still Undead and still reliant on Humanity, despite his claims of not needing it.

thefluffyone93 - Not Quelaag or the Fair Lady. Look at Vaati's prepare to cry video on the Sisters of Chaos. Other than Quelana there's one other humanoid sister left.

ArmorOfGeddon - Louise still didn't want to kill him. She was angry to be true, but given that she advocated sparing JOSEPH of all people I think it's safe to say she doesn't like killing unless it's a very last resort. She doesn't have the capacity at this point to completely (consciously and subconsciously) commit murder, which Raziel notes in an early chapter.

Forealz - She's just venting steam since she thought she would get executed for treason. When push came to shove she still trusted her Familiar over Mott and the reason stated for whipping him was essentially because he called her a 'Zero' just without saying it specifically. It already pisses her off that her classmates say it so she obviously didn't want to hear her own Familiar do it too.

That and they both know whipping him does absolutely jackshit given that he can shrug off being impaled in the neck.