CHAPTER 11:
THE FIRST RIPPLES
Zorayas felt ambivalent about Liurnia of the Lakes. On the one hand, it was cool, somewhat too cool for her liking, compared to the warmth of Mt Gelmir, and the Volcano Manor that was her home. Even though she was transformed into her human shape, as Rya, Zorayas still had some vestiges of her Serpent-Man form, and while she wasn't cold-blooded per se, the cold did make her feel a little sluggish.
On the other, there was no denying the beauty of Liurnia. Zorayas loved travelling here and just enjoying the beauty during her scouting missions. Her mother frequently sent her here knowing this, especially as Tarnished who had passed through from Limgrave tended to be the strongest or the most cunning, perfectly suitable to become Recusants for the Volcano Manor's army.
A shame those giant lobsters were so damned tenacious, though.
Still, as she watched Raya Lucaria from afar from a hill to the west, having heard noises in the distance, Zorayas wondered at what was going on there. Since yesterday, it had become more of a hive of activity than ever before. But what had stirred the hornet nest?
"So, having fun rubbernecking there, Rya? I keep telling ya, that posture's bad for you!"
Zorayas emitted an involuntary sigh of irritation. Patches the Untethered was someone she felt ambivalent about. To call Patches unscrupulous was to say that Liurnia was somewhat wet. He was a scoundrel, a coward, and a ne'er-do-well. But he was also cunning, had a good network of various Tarnished sympathetic to the cause of Volcano Manor, and, if nothing else, he treated her well. True, he was often rude to her, but underscoring it was a kindness not often seen from the man. And he held a torch for her adoptive mother Tanith, even if Tanith held eyes only for Lord Rykard.
She turned to him, taking in his bald head, that prominent nose, and that sardonic smirk. "Patches…what do you want?"
"Well, I wanted to see how you were holding up, Rya," Patches said, his tone a little softer and gentler. "Every age is tainted by greed, and it comes in many forms, including greed for charming beauties such as yourself."
He meant well with that remark, the tone ensured it, but his wording could have been better. "Believe me, Patches, I can defend myself if need be."
"True, but I saw the way ol' Blackguard Boggart looked at your pendant the last time you got anywhere near him. Though at least he's just a thug and a thief. A greedy man, to be sure, but not a lustful one. Plus, he's a fair cook when it comes to shellfish." Patches looked pensive, looking over to Raya Lucaria. "You noticed it too, right? Someone's stirred up the ant nest there and no mistake. I went and did some sniffing around. Found a scholar who had fled, set upon by those Albinaurics, the froggy ones. He claims ol' Rennala's regained her senses!"
"Queen Rennala?" Zorayas asked. "But wasn't she driven mad after Radagon left her?"
"Yep. But I don't think he was lying. But the damn reprobate tried to order me to help him defend the rightful rulers of the academy. I ain't facing Queen Rennala if she really is back. So I kicked him to the ground and left him for the Albinaurics. And good riddance to bad rubbish, I say." Patches turned to face Zorayas. "Rya, I think we need to take this to your mother. Even if it's unconfirmed, just the possibility of Queen Rennala being sane again is something Lady Tanith needs to hear."
"…Do you think so, Patches?"
Patches nodded, his expression unusually solemn. "She managed to fight ol' Radagon to a standstill. Radagon. You know, the guy Queen Marika took on as her bedwarmer when she got tired of Godfrey? I reckon he'd have to be as strong as Godfrey, if not more so. And she pretty much single-handedly united Liurnia before then. If she's sane again, well, even if she's lost her touch while she was cuckoo, that's still not someone I want to face. And I'm not sure your mother wants you anywhere near that mess either, at least until we know more."
Zorayas did agree to follow Patches home. He raised good points, though she had the feeling he wanted to save his own hide. But given the tales she heard from her mother, maybe it would be prudent to go…
Ranni wasn't sure what possessed her to allow Harry to rest his head in her lap like that. True, he needed comfort, and yet, there were many ways to do so. But for some reason, this seemed fitting, allowing him to rest, and then slumber, in such a position.
He was a perfect gentleman, despite the somewhat intimate nature of that position. Well, after the weeping died down. While Harry did not strike her as one to restrain his anger, he must have bottled up his sorrow and anguish to quite a degree to cause such an outburst.
And running her fingers through his messy thatch of hair was soothing too. Being in a doll body dulled the sensations of the flesh, but they didn't remove them entirely. The repetitive action helped calm herself.
What feelings did she have towards him? That in itself Ranni couldn't quite discern. It was certainly not love. She had been a voyeur to their lives before she revealed herself to them. He was attractive, she supposed, but lust had certainly been left behind with her flesh.
But affection? Yes, she certainly felt that for him, and for Delphi and Hermione. Her lonely life, relieved only by Blaidd and Iiji, had left her starved of such things (Seluvis was no help in that regard: his only affection was a twisted one for his creations, if what she suspected was correct). True, this path was largely of her own doing, but the loneliness was still telling on her.
Over the centuries, one by one, those she trusted either died, or left her service. True, a few of the latter she could not blame. The departure of Loretta for the Haligtree was not a betrayal, and she sent Loretta to her siblings with her blessing. As long as they fought the Golden Order in their own ways, without descending to worse methods than she would countenance, she did not mind.
The rumours about her brother Rykard didn't help. That he had allowed himself to be devoured by a God-Devouring Serpent…and that they had joined together. Certainly, Ranni had heard the tales of an infamous libertine, Daedicar, who had met her end in Volcano Manor…but not due to being executed by Rykard. And yet, Ranni had given him resources she normally wouldn't, believing him to be an ally.
Blaidd had at least come back with the Bloodhound Fang of Darriwil. One more traitor down. Blaidd was so kind and loyal. Ranni only hoped that she was worth his loyalty, in the end.
The door to the study opened, and Delphi, rubbing her eyes, poked her head in. She saw Ranni cradling her father in Ranni's lap, and blinked. Ranni, with one of her hands, gestured her in quietly. "Dad had nightmares again, didn't he?" Delphi asked quietly.
"He did not say, but given his anguish…" Ranni shrugged. "Thy father is a good man, Delphi. But he hath scars. Not just on his body, but his heart and soul."
Harry chose that moment to stir from his slumber, only to realise where he was, and then freeze. He was blushing rather furiously. Rather cute and amusing, really. "Uhh…" he said, clearly at a loss for something to say.
"Was thy slumber more restful? Prithee, mind that this was but a singular occasion. In future, I would be willing to use a Sorcery to help thee slumber."
He still seemed to have trouble considering something to say. Delphi, ever the imp, had something to offer. "I think you broke Dad, Ranni…"
Merlin, that was bloody embarrassing. Delphi was laughing at him, and Ranni, damn her, wasn't helping matters, what with her prim and proper demeanour. Ugh, maybe he should consider pranking the damn witch.
Still, he had to admit, his sleep was restful after his catharsis with Ranni. He still wasn't sure that he trusted her to any great degree, but she at least knew what to say to him. Hell, she even seemed like she meant it.
Once more, he had been asked to provide breakfast for the various inhabitants of the Roundtable Hold. He also made sure, whenever he cooked a meal, to bring a plate to Hewg. By now, the surly Misbegotten appreciated the gesture, giving a sullen but sincere thanks rather than a refusal. This seemed to be less out of any hatred, and more of a reluctance to accept kindness due to having been shown contempt all his life.
However, as he approached with a plate in hand, he noticed that Hewg was praying. And in his raspy voice, he was saying, "Oh, your divinity, have mercy and grant me forgiveness, for the road is yet long, and 'tis not easy to fell a god. But one day, without fail, your wish shall be granted. So please, grant me forgiveness, Queen Marika…"
After a moment, looking around briefly to look for any spectre of Marika lingering around like a bad smell, Harry cleared his throat. Hewg started, and Harry handed him the plate. "Sorry about that. You want to say 'grace' or something? You know, another prayer before your meal?"
Hewg scoffed, but said, "The prayer is for me, and me alone. Pay it no mind."
"Hewg, you're a prisoner, forced to become a blacksmith, and by the sound of it, Marika's given you a difficult if not impossible task. Your people are treated like shit in the Lands Between. Okay, a lot of them are violent savages, but not all of them are, right?"
Once more, the Misbegotten scoffed, even as he began to eat his meal. "You know nothin' about what I was, what I did. That bleedin' heart of yours is going to get you killed one of these days, sooner rather than later in this world. All I will say is that I was a monster of no small infamy, and this is a mercy I don't deserve." The Misbegotten's eyes softened. "Your kids want to set me free, the Delphi girl and the Teddy boy. So does that Hermione girl. Don't. This is my duty, my penance. Besides, there's worse things to do as a punishment than what you're good at."
As Hewg continued to eat his meal, Harry asked, "Is what you did that bad?"
Hewg nodded. "Even before the Shatterin', I was their pet blacksmith. I heard from the All-Knowin' Tosspot that you've met Ranni the Witch. She never forgave ol' Radagon for runnin' out on her mother. And what Radagon did salted the wound, somethin' I was involved with." Hewg looked up at Harry. "What do you know about Carian marriage tradition? I daresay very little, right?"
"I've been in this world for less than a week, Hewg, and Ranni hasn't been forthcoming about everything."
Hewg scoffed again. "Not that I can blame her. 'Tis a tradition for the Queens of the Carian line to give their consorts a sword as a weddin' present, a Moonlight Greatsword. 'Tis a weapon of great power and beauty, and indeed, those swords, along with the Sword of Night and Flame, were the legendary armaments of the House of Caria. Radagon took that fine sword with him when he left Rennala, and ordered me to reforge it into somethin' more befittin' the Golden Order. Oh, 'twas a fine weapon afterwards, a thing of beauty and power, but…to me, it smacked of needless vandalism."
"Charming…though how many of those Moonlight Greatswords are there?" Harry asked. "You seemed to think there were more than one."
"At least two. I know they have one for the reignin' queen's consort, and one for the crown princess to give to her consort. Ranni's probably got hers stashed away somewhere." Hewg finished his breakfast, emitting a slight belch, before his beady eyes fixed on Harry. "You're too kind to an old monster, Harry, even when you don't have smithin' for me to do. Just mind your kindness doesn't get you killed and leave Delphi an orphan…"
Too long, Rennala sighed, even as she drank some tea. It had taken too damn long to purge Raya Lucaria of those disloyal to her. Her powers had definitely waned during her time spent in indolent insanity, imperfectly rebirthing her prized students into poor facsimiles of Ranni. In her heyday, it would have taken her about as much time as an enthusiastic walk through the woods.
And wasn't it a shock to see how much had gone to pot in her absence? The town at their feet had collapsed into the lake, along with much of the bridge. Even now, the promontory the academy rested upon was crumbling from time and tide.
Those who had surrendered, she had imprisoned. Those who fought her to the death, she gave them what they deserved. That trundling monstrosity of Rykard's, the Abductor Virgin, she had destroyed. No doubt it would alert Rykard, but Ranni had warned her about his spy network. Mayhap it would give that ambitious brat a thrill of fear.
Her students had been returned to their full intelligence, and they were no longer crawling around like babies or Albinaurics whose legs had given out on them, but they lacked their memories, and they still had a certain childish eagerness to them. Rennala supposed they would just have to grow into the fine adults they would become. Honestly, the main trouble was finding names to give them.
As she sat in mid-air, reading the notes of Sellen the Graven Witch, and grimacing to herself, one of them approached. "Your Majesty," she said. "Here are the notes by Lusat we could find. There's not many, though."
"Tis no matter," Rennala said. "Between us and my daughter, I believe we can follow the thread of what they were researching. Any by Azur, my sweeting?"
"The scholars who are cooperating have pointed us in the direction of his secret quarters," the student said. "They did warn us that Azur had boobytrapped his quarters. The last to try and find his notes ended up being smeared all over the wall. Their words, not mine."
"Still an apt turn of phrase," Rennala mused. "They hath told me that Azur now resides at a Demi-Human village on Mt Gelmir, accompanied by dissidents who followed his heresy. Though perhaps that is not the right word. 'Tis not heresy to push the boundaries of knowledge, only when the cost in doing so is not worth it. As Pastor Miriel is fond of saying, Heresy is not native to the world, and all things may be conjoined. In other words, learning for its own sake is not a sin, no matter what the Golden Order may believe. Ah, if only Miriel's attitude was more widespread. Word hath been sent to Witch-Hunter Jerren?"
"He has replied, Your Majesty, and he will come to seek an audience with you soon."
"Excellent." Rennala then turned to a dark corner of the room. "Ranni, thou may stop being a voyeur and come forth."
The illusion of her daughter stepped out of the shadows, pouting somewhat. "Mother, I am a concerned child, not a voyeur."
"Thou art most definitely a voyeur," Rennala said with an amused chortle, before lowering herself to the floor, kneeling before her daughter, and giving Ranni a hug. More quietly, she said, "And I am sure thou hath missed me."
"…Yes, I hath missed thee, Mother," Ranni admitted.
"I know thou would. I presume Blaidd hath delivered the Bloodhound Fang to thee, as a token of Darriwil's demise?"
"Of course. I hath left the weapon with Iiji for now."
"Hmm. Then let us speak of this." Rennala held up a ring. "I found this in yonder chest," she said, indicating a chest nearby. "Why did thou cast this aside, Ranni?"
"…My path is a lonesome one, and…"
"Ranni." After gaining her daughter's attention, Rennala continued. "Thou can be a most consummate liar when thou wishes to be, an artisan of duplicity, but that was poor, especially by thy standards. It had a grain of truth, many lies doth hath that, but it was still a poor lie. Did thou leave that there because thou did not wish to risk a consort such as Radagon?"
Ranni, after a moment, shook her head. "I would be lying if I said that was not a consideration, Mother, I saw what he did to thee…but I am not a fool, I know there art good consorts I could hath joining me. No…'tis more that…"
"Ahh…I see it. Thou believe thyself to be unlovable, because of thy actions, thy complicity in the slaying of Godwyn, in the Shattering. Yes, I see…Ranni, my sweeting, my daughter…thou art not unlovable. While I am not proud of thy fratricide, and I worry about the grip the Dark Moon hath on thee, I am still proud of thee. Thou did thy best to protect me, even in my madness, and thine mission to rid the world of the Golden Order is still a laudable one, no matter what those fools in Leyndell believe. I still love thee, and so too doth Blaidd and Iiji. And from what I hath heard, that sweeting Delphi adores thee. Mayhap, given time, her father may come to love thee too. Who knows? And in the end…for all that Radagon did to me…he gave me thee, along with dear Radahn and Rykard. Make of that what thou will."
No more was said from her daughter, so Rennala strived to fill the gap. "In any case, given what thou hath told me of thy plans, I will also work on finding another way to Nokron. Mayhap I might find something that can help thee on thy quest…"
CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:
So, some more of Rennala and Ranni, and we've gotten discussion of Hewg's past, and finally, everyone's favourite snake-girl Rya! Plus Patches.
I actually liked that bit at the start. Rya/Zorayas is a darling, and I hope to bring her in more in the story as an ally of Harry, Hermione and Ranni's. I mean, while I don't find her attractive, I find her endearing, and she needs a hug, and badly. And while I loathe Patches in all his incarnations, his iteration in Elden Ring has surprising shades of humanity. True, the same could be said about his friendship with Greirat in Dark Souls 3, but I thought it perversely sweet that he held a torch for Tanith, and given that it's hinted that he is helping Rya recruit you (by asking you to help her out), I wonder if Patches has a soft spot for Rya. In this fic, I decided that, to Patches, Rya is like a niece. He still teases her and insults her quite a bit, but he tries not to cross the line.
Review-answering time! jgkitarel: True, and while I am hurrying it up with the latest chapter I am writing, Chapter 19, it's not in a way that's going to feel too contrived, I hope. Chapter 10 nearly ended on a rather mediocre note, so that's why I edited the end of it, or at least the Harry/Ranni scene, to include his breakdown and her assurances. It felt right, giving all the feels needed to show their bond growing closer. Though they're still warily circling each other for quite a while.
I wanted to examine her relationship with her siblings to add to her character. Godwyn, especially after he offered to sacrifice himself, is the one she holds in highest regard, and she has, as will be noted later, major regrets about Melina. Morgott, she thinks a fool who has become a lapdog of the very Golden Order that ordered his imprisonment, and she suspects that Mohg is the Lord of Blood. Rykard she views with contempt for what she perceives as betrayal (she trusted him during the Shattering, something made explicit in the game through item descriptions), but Radahn, while she felt him to be a fool and a traitor to Rennala, she is considerably more fond of, as she knew he was a good man.
As for Miquella and Malenia, she is considerably warmer to them than you'd think, despite them being Marika's children with Radagon. She views them as rivals, but in a relatively good way, though she's disappointed and angry with Malenia for unleashing the Scarlet Rot on Caelid. Of course, if she knew about Miquella's plight, while she wouldn't drop everything to kill Mohg, she would consider sending Blaidd to help out.
DanielJensen: Umm, no. Ranni and a number of characters (Morgott, Godrick, Rennala, etc) speak in the pseudo-Shakespearean English that, for some reason, you're having trouble with. I'm trying to be consistent with the game, so if you don't know what the words mean, use a dictionary.
No numbered annotations this time.
