So...this took a while. I have no excuse. For anyone who's still reading, thank you for sticking by this thing for so long.
Bright side, I've been reading up on some Dark Souls lore, particularly Ringed City and the Dark Souls: Age of Fire comics. Their clarification on the Dragon Cultists, Executioners and the Dragon War are really interesting. Should provide some nice additions, particularly for Ciaran's segments and the bits with Manus and the Age of Fire.
I dedicate this chapter to someone very special in my life: Sascha...cheer up, you fucking prick. And good luck with the move.
Another Undead. It'd been a while since Raziel had seen another of his kind. Ironic. Back in Lordran it was fear of their rising numbers that drove even the vaunted Gods into paranoia, that led them to corral humans into the asylums like sheep for slaughter as soon as they showed even the slightest signs. Nevermind that Undeath only took hold after one's passing and being placed in an asylum led to a large number of said deaths. So long as the humans were caged, what did it matter?
Even at a glance it was easy to see she had an ethereal beauty about her, similar to that of Dusk and (much as he loathe to admit it) Ciaran. Another irony. The Undead were monsters, festering corpses that masked their sins only by feeding on their fellow man; or so it was said. He'd been through enough to know that it wasn't so easy to categorize. For every Solaire and Artorias there was a Lautrec and Ciaran.
"You are troubled, brother."
"You imagine things, Alsanna." He had no wish to call her sister, not now. Raziel narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Derflinger's hilt, "This makeshift throne she sits on. The embers have faded, but..." He scowled, "This is a kiln..."
"Yes, though not the same as yours." She reached a hand out and traced her fingers along the edge of the throne, "You suffered for decades, burned in agony despite your origins. The Throne was less a curse. A sacrifice, yes, but an acceptable one. Even now she lies in sleep, dreaming of pleasant memories and times long past even as she lost the second chance at the life she'd fought and struggled for. Because of this." Her fingers traced across the length of the crown this time.
"What do you mean?"
"I believe it will be better if she answers for herself."
A clump of dark Humanity settled on her palm. Raziel ignored the pangs of hunger at the sight of it and turned away as she pressed it against the other Undead's right palm. It was supposed to be his, something dark and ugly snarled. He growled and shut his eyes. One year, Derflinger said, and that was being generous. Feeding would only worsen his descent into insanity.
The woman stirred. Raziel stood back and watched as she stood languidly, stumbling into a shaky stand. She was a foot taller than him, easily, and the armor she wore only helped to emphasize that. Ever since he came here he'd been the inferior when it came to others by appearance alone, but at least his abilities had (mostly) remained intact. If she attacked then he would be ready.
Their eyes met. Gold eyes met green as the woman stared down at him, half-lidded, and said nothing. Alsanna stood nearby without a word. He knew she could fight, from her magics if nothing else. Hopefully that sisterly affection extended to now.
The other Undead's eyes blinked slowly, her face twitched and she opened her mouth...
And yawned.
Raziel almost fell back at the sudden sound. The woman pulled her head back and continued to yawn, one hand lazily covering her mouth. Raziel's expression shifted to annoyance and he let go of Derflinger, all tension drained. Her actions were genuine, that much he could tell. And if they weren't...well, she hadn't been the only one to survive the trials of their path to a pointless sacrifice.
Eventually the yawning ceased and she looked between him and Alsanna. The first thing he noticed was the light and easy smile. Genuine, and that was a rarity from someone who came from the likes of Lordran. Solaire and Laurentius were some of the few. Siegmeyer as well, but that didn't last long.
"...Alsanna?" Her voice was softer than he thought it'd be, though there was a slight rasp to it. At his 'sister's' nod the woman's mouth broke out into a wider smile and laughed, the sound echoing throughout the chamber, "Hah, nice to see a friendly face!" Without any hint of hesitation the woman pulled her into an embrace, which Alsanna returned with noticeable reluctance.
"Yes, I am glad you survived your journey as well."
"When the doors closed I thought I would never..." She shook her head and separated, "It doesn't matter. I'm awake now, and- wait, does this mean it's over?"
"No. That which has ended has begun anew. You sacrifice only delayed the inevitable, my friend."
"Oh..." Her smile faded, "I knew that it was unlikely I would be the end of it, even with the crown, but I'd hoped..." Her smile returned just as quickly as it'd left, "But if you woke me from my slumber then that must mean there's something we can do, correct?"
"Perhaps. A chance, more than we've had for millenia." Alsanna nodded, "Come, we must leave this place. It is...uncomfortable."
"Of course." Her gaze turned to him now, "Ah, apologies, I've been ignoring your presence. Who are you?"
"He is my brother," Alsanna answered for him.
"That remains to be seen. I have no fond memories of our 'father'." Nevermind how he still had Manus' memories. He was no more his child than he was Manus himself, "If I am to understand Alsanna correctly, you were the...'Chosen' of your home. That is something we share."
She blinked - it looked far too natural and uncalculated - and raised the sides of her mouth in a lopsided grin, "Like pigs to the fire us both, hm?"
"I did not have a throne in my time, but yes." He also burned, but it wasn't something he wanted to bring up. Too many unpleasant memories lay down that road, "Come, we should leave this place, as Alsanna said."
They were silent as they left the ruins. Raziel gave the new arrival a wary, sideways glance. She seemed harmless enough, but one could say the same about the illusion of Gwynevere that lured witless Undead to their doom. Or the Queen that drove soldiers into war. Still, it was hard to blame her for that now, knowing what he knew. He only wished they'd killed that Mad King and the Chaos Witch sooner.
"...This is not Drangleic, is it?" the woman (he still didn't know her name) whispered, her eyes focused upwards towards the twin moons. For his first days here he found himself enraptured by them as well. In a world where light was a rarity and the sun was an illusion the sight of two moons was hypnotizing all on its own. A part of him wondered, back then, if it was just another illusion. Given the Queen he wouldn't have discounted it.
"No more than it is Lordran," Raziel muttered back in response.
"Lordran? I recall that name mentioned vaguely in my travels."
"The cycle waxes and wanes," Alsanna said from ahead of them, her gaze leveled forward, "Names change, lands change, people change, but the motions remain the same. Light then dark then the slow decay. People fight to hasten or prolong the end. In the end the world can no longer sustain itself and the rot becomes too much. Then it begins anew once more."
Raziel smiled wryly, "We both made the choice to prolong the inevitable." The two Undead shared a somber look, "It seems you came out of it relatively unscathed, however."
"The crown protects her in a way father never could."
"What are you talking about?"
"This." The other Undead lightly tapped the side of the makeshift crown, "When I first came to Drangleic, I did so with the intention of finding a cure for Undeath."
"We are the same in that way," Raziel said.
"As time passed, I began to forget my purpose in favor of gathering souls at the behest of another." Just like him. Were the serpents her puppetmasters as well, he wondered, "Eventually, though whether it was by chance or fate or othereise, I've little clue, I came upon a forgotten plan. A way to stem the tide of madness. A cure, or the closest equivalent. This crown-"
"It stops Hollowing," Raziel finished. She looked at him briefly and nodded, "You found a way to cure the curse."
"Not truly," Alsanna said, "The curse still remains within her; it is only the magic of the crown that prevents it from taking hold."
"A distinction without a difference, sister." He crossed his arms, "I understand why Alsanna wished to awaken you now. If we are truly facing the end of this so-called cycle, what better aid than someone who'd found a way to subvert the Darksign."
"I assume she did it because she also missed my company." She beamed, reminding him of Solaire again. Solaire was one of the few he remembered that smiled genuinely, and even that memory had been tainted by that damn bug. He'd always wondered if things would've changed if he'd simply been more accurate and managed to remove the parasite somehow.
"One does not preclude the other, old friend." Raziel blinked. Was Alasanna...making a jest? "Come, we have a long journey ahead of us. It would be beneficial if you told my brother of your story along the way."
"First, you might wish to introduce yourself. My name is Raziel. Not a true name, but it suffices for its purpose."
"Hm, well, I'm..." She paused and titled her head to the side slightly, "Huh...I've been referred to by 'You there' or 'Undead' for so long that I hadn't realized I've forgotten that I was never called by my true name."
"You do not remember?"
"No. Alsanna has a point on the limits of the crown. Perhaps I will borrow your name. As you said, it is not your true name and it suffices for its purpose."
The right side of his mouth twitched, "...No. It is mine."
"But I thought you said-"
"I know what I said." It was only after he answered that he saw the grin on her face, "...You are playing me for a fool."
"Not wholly. I don't remember my name, that's true, at least." She shrugged, "Bah, we'll determine that at a later point. Names aren't important compared to how we see ourselves, my fellow kindling." His mouth twitched again. She was joking. She wouldn't have been if she'd burned as well, "For now, tell me more about this land. There are always similarities and differences, that much I've gathered."
"Humans rule over each other rather than the Gods. In many ways it is the same."
"Hm, you are more taciturn than I expected you to be given your appearance."
"Appearances can be deceiving. I am no more a child than you are a fair maiden." He didn't know her story, but one didn't make their way to the kiln by by forgoing violence. Despite her pristine armor and fair features he could only assume she had blood on her hands, same as him, "I will answer any questions you deem necessary. As Alsanna said, it shall be a long walk."
She laughed sheepishly and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close as she did, "You are grim, friend. That's something we need to change." He almost pushed her off for that, "Worry not, we will have time to make friends."
"If you believe so..." He just wanted to go home.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Karin looked down at the nearly empty pouch and let loose another muttered curse. She could practically feel Estelle's worried gaze at her back, but she ignored it. She just...didn't want to think.
Traveling through time...it was insane. The sense of muted, shocked belief from before had made way for refusal and denial. So what if that woman knew things about her? Or that Amethyst was definitely on her side? There had to be another explanation for this. Because the only alternative was that she'd been pushed through decades and she'd lost everything.
A hand on her right arm jolted her out of her thoughts, "Breath, Karin," Estelle said softly. Somehow the other girl managed to retain her calm despite the insanity the past few days had been.
"I am breathing, idiot!" Karin snapped back, shaking her hand loose. She felt guilty almost immediately. She wouldn't have gotten even this far without her help and here she was throwing stones at her, "...Sorry, I shouldn't be yelling at you."
"It's alright. I understand that our circumstances aren't ideal."
"God, does anything ever faze you?" Karin smiled wryly and made her way to the closest bench. Good news was they'd made it to the capital. Bad news was that they'd arrived at night and they didn't have enough money for a decent inn. Something told her that trying to visit the castle this late would've ended badly for them, even disregarding the insanity that the Princess Marianne was now old enough to have a daughter Karin's age.
"That fortune teller, for one." Estelle sat next to her, "A lot of things, actually. I just...try not to let it show. Keep yourself guarded at all times, that's what my sister always told me."
"You have a sister? You never mentioned her before."
"We all have family. Mother, father, siblings. Only difference is if we keep them." She looked down at that. Karin bit her tongue to keep from saying something, "You don't believe that we traveled through time?"
"Do you?" she shot back defensively.
"Like I said before, it explains a lot of things. I don't know if I truly believe it, however. It...leads to a lot of questions." What questions, Karin wanted to ask. Estelle spoke first, "You mentioned an Earl before. Did he tell you his name?"
"I...that's hard's to say." Karin exhaled softly, "Every time I try to remember it my heard starts hurting and ringing. It's like there's something trying to keep me out."
"Try harder." Estelle pet a firm hand on her left shoulder.
"Alright, alright." Karin took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "He was tall. Long black coat, a mask, voice like a snake. He said he was an Earl and that..." Her head started hurting. She cried out softly and closed her eyes as Estelle pulled her closer, "I asked him for his name. He laughed, said that he had a lot of names. Some people called him Earl Arstor. Others still called him-"
"Chester."
When Karin opened her eyes again she found herself inches from Estelle's face, their eyes staring into one another. Karin blinked and Estelle quickly backed away, putting them back to a more respectable distance, "How...How did you know that?" Karin asked.
"My family knew him. Tall man with a crossbow and a smiling mask?" Karin nodded, "Probably him, then. Whether we traveled back in time I can't guarantee wholly, but if he's involved then there's something afoot." She shook her head, "Now's not the right time to talk about this. We need to find shelter for the night. We're too far from the forest to tie ourselves to trees."
"I'm not a fan of puking up my breakfast, thanks." Estelle was hiding something, that much was obvious. Karin didn't say anything. Secrets or not she'd only made it this far because of Estelle, even if her bazaar spending spree put them in dire straits right now, "Come on, we should be able to find an inn around here. They're bound to have space in the capital, right?"
"Trees are still an option."
"Uh, no, they're really not."
They asked around for a couple of hours, but it was the same story everywhere: not enough money for the good places and those cheap enough to house them were already filled up with refugees from the war with Albion (another thing she didn't want to think about). Even offering to do the dishes or do manual labor didn't save them - everyone was already doing that, if you could trust the innkeepers.
Estelle sighed when they left another place, "I miss Solas. He would've had a joke right about now."
"You do know most of his jokes were excuses to try and get between your legs, correct?"
"I gathered that. They were still funny."
One last place. Karin looked up at the sign that read 'Charming Fairies Inn'. A lot of the other innkeepers mentioned the place as somewhere 'desperate men went to spend the last of their coppers'. Which, admittedly, didn't send a good impression, but the two of them definitely fit the bill for desperation easily enough. Tomorrow they could go to the castle and do something.
One look inside and she was made well-aware that 'desperate' had a different meaning to her and Estelle.
"Welcome to the Charming Fairies Inn! Table for two?" The woman with the low-cut corset bowed, blonde pigtails bobbing at the movement. Karin's eyes practically bugged out of their sockets while Estelle's gaze shifted from the woman's beaming face to her bountiful chest.
"Um...uh," Karin stuttered. This was not how she thought this would go.
"W-We're looking for a room," Estelle said, voice so soft it was a miracle that the - very scantily clad - girl heard her.
"Oh, Mi Mademoiselle is out, so you'll have to talk to Jessica at the counter!" She clapped her hands and smiled brightly at them again, "Please do enjoy your stay!"
"Right..." Karin grabbed Estelle's arm and pushed through the crowds of servers and drunken, leering customers. Her mother warned her about places like this. Not whorehouses, but just as shameful in a lot of ways. At least for brothels she understood it was just because of the physical want and need for sex. What possible benefit could there be in leering at scantily clad women? Might as well leer at a painting.
She never did ask how exactly mother knew these places so intimately...
"Excuse me, are you Jessica?" She asked the dark haired woman on the counter. Karin took note of her hair - black as night with no trace of dyeing, at least as far as she could see. Not exactly a common color.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, that's me." She leaned forward and grinned before her expression quickly shifted, "Wait, do I know you? You look familiar."
"I don't think so. I'm certain I'd remember," Karin said.
"Guess so. What can I get you two?"
"We're looking for a room." Estelle placed their pooled coins on the counter, "Is this enough?"
"Mmh..." Jessica looked down at the coins and counted them out, "Little under the usual rate. Hard times?"
"You've got no idea." Karin sighed, "Look, we'll only be here for a bit. We have business elsewhere in town, but we arrived too late. Just one night anywhere where there's a roof over our heads. Please." She hated begging - both as a former noble and as a chevalier - but she didn't have a choice. If this despoiled place booted them out then she was honestly tempted to go with Estelle's tree rope idea.
"Just one night, huh?" Jessica grabbed the coins and clicked her tongue, "Alright, I've got a bleeding heart, so I'll bite. There's a room up in the attic. Kinda shabby, but if it's just one night you can deal, right?" They both nodded, "Alright. Hey, Sie-Sie, two people up for the luxury chateau! Could you show them up?"
"Coming!"
The young woman she'd called over was similarly dark haired, though her hairstyle was cut shorter and her attire was far more conservative. She smiled at them pleasantly and gestured to the hall, "Follow me, you two."
Karin stared past the stumbling drunks that walked through the hallway and followed the older woman. Centurion and the others would've been laughing their big mouths off if they saw her now.
"Hey, sweet thing." She turned to the source of the voice and grimaced when she caught a far older man leering down at her, his eyes focused on her legs, "How much for a-"
"Back away before I cut off the thing that makes you a man," she hissed, getting an alarmed look from both Estelle and their guide. The drunk seemed to consider her words for a moment and eventually walked away, muttering something that she felt too sick to repeat. The harder spirits really did bring out the worst in people, "...What?" She looked back at the two and raised a brow.
"N-Nothing..." Estelle mumbled.
The dark haired girl didn't say anything. Eventually she led them to the end of the hall that held the entrance to the attic, "It should be pretty clean. We just dusted a couple of days ago when we came back." She pulled down the hatch that led up to it and smiled slightly, "There's only one bed. I hope that's not a problem."
"It might-"
"No, not a problem at all," Estelle interrupted quickly, "Thank you for helping us, Miss. Siesta."
She blinked at that and nodded, "Erm...you're welcome. Have a good night." She looked at Estelle for a moment before she made her way down.
"...What?" Estelle gave Karin a questioning look.
"How did you know her name?"
"The lady on the counter said it."
"She said 'Sie-Sie'."
"..." Estelle looked away.
"Know what, forget it. I'm tired, hungry and feel the urge to drink. Considering we only have one bed and no more money, I'm guessing you know what we're going to be doing."
She climbed the ladder and took in the surroundings. The attic had the look of a place that had been recently cleared out: large chunks of empty space, spots of dust on the corners and nothing in it save for one table and a mattress that at least looked decently clean, "Hm..." She put a hand atop the mattress and pressed down. Kind of lumpy, but she'd slept in worse. At least they actually had a mattress this time.
Too bad she couldn't take it.
"You take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor." She grabbed the blanket and laid it down on the floor. Least it was warm enough that she didn't feel guilty about that.
"You take it," Estelle said almost immediately.
"Are we really going to do this?" Karin untangled her ponytail and sighed. Estelle had lowered her scarf and kept her hood up, as expected, "Look, Estelle, I'm really not in the mood to argue, so could you just take the bed and let me get some sleep?"
"I wanted to sleep on a tree. You were the one who insisted on an inn." To emphasize her point, she sat down atop the blanket and crossed her arms. Karin refrained from telling her it just made her look like a kid throwing a tantrum.
"Estelle, you're being ridiculous."
"I'm used to not sleeping for days at a time, Karin. If you wanna fight then we're not going anywhere." Karin pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Estelle reminded her of her sister and Centurion at times.
"Fine. That's what I get for being chivalrous..."
"Does that really work if you're a woman?"
Karin threw the spare pillow at the other girl's head, "Smartass."
She shook off her boots and lied down at the bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly. With nothing but the barely heard ruckus downstairs she found herself thinking of the worst possible scenarios. The idea of traveling through time was insane, but what if it was true? That would mean she'd lost everything. Her friends, the Chevalier title she'd worked so hard to earn...all gone.
And for what? If that woman really was her, and that was a very big if, what did it say about her? She wanted to be a knight, trained for years even though everyone around her insisted that she simply marry into a well-off family to try and save their failing family. Did she really give that up before she'd even spent a decade on the job? She wouldn't - couldn't - believe it. She'd sacrificed too much.
"Ecu for your thoughts?" Estelle asked through the darkness.
"Nothing worth spending on." Karin sighed and turned away from her to glare at the wall.
"...Whatever happens, I'll do my best to help you. Like you said before, partners."
Karin didn't look back, but her lips did quirk up in the slightest hint of a smile.
"Partners."
To her credit, Princess Henrietta hadn't been that surprised by the news of Tabitha's new abilities. Actually, she didn't seem surprised at all. She'd blinked once, muttered that it was a possibility she'd considered and that she had a lot to think about. Louise had to admit, she'd been put-off by the anti-climax of it all. Even Tabitha seemed surprised by how calmly the princess had taken it.
And now here Louise was again, standing in front of the Princess' room days later while the monarch took a rest from her daily duties. She had no idea what she was doing here- no, she knew exactly what. She was worried about her. Still, what did she think she could do here? She wasn't a fighter like Raziel or a spy like Daphne and Amethyst; and her last two attempts at emulating both hadn't ended so well. Were it not for the aid of those around her she would've perished a long time ago.
She knocked on the door, "Princess?" Nothing. Louise's brows furrowed and she knocked again, louder this time, "Princess, it's Louise."
Still nothing. Louise's hand lingered on the knob. It was rude to enter the room of her betters uninvited, but right now worry trumped her shame.
A worry that proved all too justified when she saw the princess slumped over the table with a broken bottle of wine next to her on the floor, "Princess!" She rushed inside and pulled her up as gently as she could. The monarch's eyes were unfocused and her cheeks were flushed, though she was thankfully uninjured. She was just drunk, "Oh, damn it..." Louise took a deep, relieved breath.
The princess' eyes fluttered open and the look she gave was glazed over, "Agnes? I said I didn't want to be disturbed..."
"Princess? It's me, Louise."
She blinked, languid, and recognition eventually came to her, "Louise...?" At the pinkette's nod a look of shame quickly came across her features, "Oh...Oh, I hoped you would never see me in this state."
"Don't worry, princess. It doesn't matter." Louise offered her a hand, which the princess reluctantly took. Louise led her to the nearby bed and sat her down gently. At least now if she passed out she'd be on a proper bed, "I'll...I'll clean up the mess."
"Wait, you'll hurt yourself."
Louise ignored her and, not more than a few seconds later, cut her left pointer finger on a piece of glass too small to see, "Ah, son of a..." She sucked on her finger to keep herself from bleeding on her uniform.
"Louise, let me help."
"What? No, princess, it's just a minor cut. No need to-" Before she could finish the princess was suddenly standing in front of her. The monarch took her left hand and held it gently. Louise watched, eyes wide, as a light engulfed both their palms briefly before suddenly dissipating, leaving no trace of the cuts save the drying blood and saliva. The princess smiled and let go of her hand with no fanfare.
"There, you're healed."
"Wh-What-" She wiped away the blood and saliva on her shirt. No cut, not even a scratch, "How did you do that?"
"Magic." Henrietta giggled, stumbling back to the bed.
"Princess, please-"
"It all repeats," she interrupted, her voice airy and tired, "I ran away before, placed everyone else at risk for my own selfish desires. Gwynevere, Henrietta...I'll always be a coward." She curled in on herself, or at least as much as her dress allowed her. Her next words came after a teary hiccup, "I don't know what I'm going to do, Louise. This is too much. I can't save Tristain...I couldn't even save Wales."
"Princess..." Louise burned to ask questions, demand explanations for what just happened, but she held it in. Right now her friend needed her. She sat at the side of the bed, "I...I can't imagine what you've been through, but-"
"Yes, you can." The princess laughed, soft and bitter, "How many times did I put you at risk? You and thousands of others. I ran away with a spirit that tugged at Wales' body like a perverse puppetmaster. If it wasn't for you and your friends I would've perished there. I was supposed to have perished there."
"Princess, don't talk like that-"
"I'm not being fatalistic, Louise, it's the simple truth. The weight of the world bears down on our shoulders now that we've plucked ourselves from the strings." She opened her eyes again, her gaze blank. It didn't belong on her, "I don't know how much longer I can do this. Being queen, being offered to Germania like a stuck pig, was hard enough. To know that we face the end of days makes me wish for it back."
"Princess, you know...you know that you can always rely on me."
"To what end? So I can sacrifice you like I did your familiar?"
"Raziel's not dead." Louise's hands clenched tightly, her lips pursed in a thin line, "And I'm not so fragile either, princess. I know you want to protect me out of a sense of guilt, but I was given these powers for a reason and it wasn't to cower in my room while everyone did all the fighting for me. And if what you say about the end of days is true, then you can't afford to lock me away like some maiden in a cheap fairy tale."
"Haha...I often forget how headstrong you can be." She sat up on the bed and moved till they sat side-by-side, their shoulders touching, "...Do you remember when we were younger, and I levitated us out the balcony?"
"How could I forget? Even back then my spells always blew up in my face. Being with you was my first time flying." Louise smiled fondly at the memory, "Mom and dad and Eleanor got so mad at us when they found us playing around outside. What if we'd gotten lost, they'd said. Far be it for the future queen of the country and the third child lf the Valliere family to get in trouble because they couldn't resist playing around in the mud."
"My knees had never hurt so much. I think I still have sores from where we were forced to kneel," Her laugh was somber, "...I miss those days. It seems now we can't go too long without being mired in death and tragedy."
"We deal with it as best we can, right?" Louise did her best to smile, "Princess, please don't forget that I'm your best friend. That means I carry your burdens with you."
"Hmhm...I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Louise."
She wanted to ask her about the light from before, but again she kept her mouth shut. Next time, she promised herself. Next time when they were both more stable and the princess wasn't drunk.
Louise reluctantly said her goodbyes and tried to keep her mind clear on the horse ride back to the academy. What was that light? And that name she mentioned? Gwynevere...she could've sworn that Raziel mentioned it before, but the context escaped her now. She would ask him when she got back-
And just like that it all came crashing back. He wasn't in her room, he was still...well, she didn't know. Gallia, perhaps? It made the most sense. Sighing, she guided the horse into the stables and dismounted despondently. It wasn't too late according to her pocket watch, but she just wanted to go to sleep. No doubt big sis Catt would've tried to invite her for tea again. She wasn't in the mood. So far she'd handled Raziel's and Daphne's deaths better.
Louise wished she could say the same.
She forced herself up the steps and collapsed onto her bed as soon as she could. Sleep came to her uneasily, and she found herself drifting in and out of consciousness as the hours passed. A part of her was still afraid to go into the realm of the unconscious. Nightmares of her time under the Mad King's care returned, along with the conflicts that dominated her life for the past year.
It was during her fifth lull back into consciousness that she heard the door open followed by the sounds of soft footsteps. Big sis Catt coming to check in on her again? She thought Louise wasn't aware of her nocturnal visits. Louise appreciated the gestures regardless.
Maybe she should tell her? Louise shelved her exhaustion and sat up-
"Louise."
Raziel stood in front of her, back to how he looked prior to her kidnapping. Her mouth parted, but no words came. A dream? A delusion brought upon by her rising desperation? Raziel looked down at her, his expression going from muted shock to hesitance. If this was a dream then she hoped it would last just a bit longer.
Somehow she managed to force her hand to move. Her right hand raised weakly and he took it when she was halfway to touching him. She shivered at the feeling of cold that ran through her palm, but even that brought her relief. He was real, he was there. The cold was his, "Louise..." His voice again. Soft and unrecognizably his. He raised their joined hands higher and forced himself to smile, "I am back..."
Louise couldn't say anything. She was dimly aware that she was crying, soft hiccups and sniffles filling the air.
"I...I am sorry it took so long to return. Daphne and another ally went to the capital, but I wanted to see you first. I-"
"Shut up."
"What?"
"I said shut up."
She pulled herself up and kissed him, arms wrapped around his neck in a tight grip. His eyes widened in shock and he stepped back, causing them both to nearly topple to the floor. Louise pulled her lips from his and pressed her head against his chest, muttering muffled words into the cloth. All Raziel could hear was 'you're back' repeated over and over.
"Louise-"
"Shut up." She looked up at him, her bright smile contrasting by the torrent of tears that continued to come, "Not tonight, Raziel. Not tonight." She laughed, relieved, "We have..We have so much time now! The Mad King's dead and you and big sis Daphne are here again!" She hugged him again, "I'll help you and the princess with whatever comes next, but please...I don't want to lose you again."
"Yes..." He wrapped his arms around her back and looked down at his left hand. The limb blackened briefly before returning to normal, "...We have so much time now."
Done. Nothing much happened, I guess, but we're already gearing up for the Gallia arc, and we've got a new player in the Cursed Undead (true name pending). I tried to make her lighter than Raziel to contrast the tones of DS1 and DS2, so hopefully this works out. He language was almost meant to be less formal, but I prettied it up to make more sense tone-wise.
Speaking of characters, Ciaran was supposed to have another segment this chapter, but I cut it out cause, well, frankly I didn't want to write about an annoying, hypocritical racist after her last segment burned me out. I'll include her in the next chapter.
Review Answers:
Metal Vile - Yes, I'm most definitely implying Dusk and Estelle's name are just coincidences :) As for the time travel duo, No Scarron, sadly, but they did meet Jessica and the (long absent) Siesta.
Daeon Mortanius - Louise and Raziel probably have the closest relationship in the story, though whether it's romantic, more or less than that is up to the reader. Regardless, it's clear that one is utterly devoted to the other at this point.
Mernom - Presumably Young!Karin just didn't summon it yet. Maybe she didn't want to handle a Familiar given she was poor up until recently? A manticore or other big Familiars would cost a fuckload of money in upkeep.
Remvis - Raziel isn't hurt by Cattleya, only by using the bonfire. As for Tiffania...kinda harsh, yeah? She's an isolated teenager who met another teenager for the first time in her years. How was she supposed to know Robin was just a safe mode personality?
The Cursed Undead is the DS2 character, name still pending. Estelle's a different character entirely, though she does have a role to play in the story.
Alec - He did kill Kalameet, yes. He talked with Ghough about it.
Diamondfiend - Last I checked the crown removed Hollowing, meaning that the DS2 protag is the sole hero who managed to beat the Undead curse, even if the cycle continues unimpeded. She's a gamechanger on the good guy side.
Guest - Solaire? Who's to say he hasn't already come back ;)
G119 - Love is a theme for this story, just not romantic love. Raziel and Louise's love for one another is showcased pretty heavily along with what they're willing to sacrifice for one another. As for Louise and Tabitha...well, I guess we'll see.
Goerman - Distraction? What about the bits with Siesta then?
OMGKAI3LOL - She was mentioned. Remember Ciaran's segment in the village? She ran into a woman who spoke broken Gallian. Ciaran mentioned a couple of villagers found her wandering around Tristain and took them back with her out of pity. They even called her Annie.
So yeah, Anastasia's gotten her happy ending. No need to drag her back, especially with Cattleya here.