A conversation
Jaania was a sight as unexpected as she was unwelcome. Even in a hooded cloak, there was no mistaking the cold of her presence. She wasn't alone, either. While she'd come ahead, Riese could spot an army at her back and tensed for battle, knuckles turning white around Warlic's Gift. She would not be the first to strike—regardless of her paranoia around Jaania after what she did to her, it would still be wrong—but she wouldn't be caught unaware either.
" I am the one asking questions around here!" Jaania snapped. "What are you doing here, Riese? You are not supposed to be here!"
"Me?!" She nearly saw red. Her dragon was snarling in her mind, itching to attack at the perceived threat to her. No, don't. Unless you see her attack me, just… be on standby.
If she tries to freeze you again—
Then you have my permission.
Outwardly, she stood up to her full height, looked Jaania in the eye, and snapped back: "What did you think I was doing here?" She gestured at the bloody mess behind her. "Having a tea party?!"
Jaania turned red, fury in her eyes, but didn't say anything.
"Now, as I was saying…" She forced herself to at least sound calm. "What are you doing here, of all places?"
Because that was the real question, the real enigma. What was Jaania doing in the inn? And with an army, no less?! By all accounts, the only people allowed in the inn were the different versions of her and their partner dragons or even pets. No guests, outside enemies, and definitely no Jaania or any of her cronies.
Unless this was a challenge? Could that be a new thing? She'd have written about it if she'd known but maybe this was some kind of new event? If the inn's purpose truly was to test their mettle, maybe this was meant to keep them on their toes or something. Given the memory loss involved, she didn't think this would be the case because, well, it wouldn't make much sense...
But if it was, well, Jack Crescent could attest that it wouldn't be the first time she'd fought an army mostly by herself.
Jaania's eyes sharpened as she drew herself back to respond when another wholly unexpected voice interrupted.
"Riese! By the Avatars, it really is you!"
Her eyes widened in shock. It… it made even less sense for him to be here, compared to Jaania with an army (who really could quite feasibly have been a challenge), but…
It was none other than the King Alteon in the flesh, garbed in royal robes similar to what he'd worn when they'd first met when she rescued him from Xan, fully-armored knights flanking him at all sides. In sharp contrast to Jaania, he looked outright delighted to see her. And he, she was beginning to notice, was not alone in that. In fact, Jaania was very much the exception.
"With all the troubles we've been having with dissonance then this wind-elf invasion," he began, his voice booming out over the battlefield. "We had not been able to dedicate people to your freeing… but we should've known you should've been a top priority! That was amazing! Astounding! I have never seen such a battle before!"
"Y-Your Majesty!" she stammered. The army she'd seen earlier… she assumed it had been Jaania's but now… she recognized the standards they bore as Greenguard's, with even a few Pactagonal Knights sprinkled in their midst. Only a limited number bore the Rose sigils that had become all but ubiquitous outside of Falconreach back home. A small group, closer to a party than an army. "I-I didn't expect to see you…"
Her voice trailed off as she took him in. His beard was shorter, his face was less lined. It was King Alteon, certainly, but… younger.
He looked like he did before she was frozen.
Come to think of it… Jaania looked different, too. She didn't have that scar over her eye. And now that she was looking for it, she too looked just a little younger.
This was...
This was not her first experience with time travel but this was the first time it happened without her expecting some thing to happen.
All the same, she maintained her expression as a few things quickly flashed through her mind:
As she'd been frozen as Cryptic, she currently looked almost the same as she did when she'd been frozen—perhaps even exactly the same, given she'd finally given in and dyed out the gray from her hair. Certainly, her weapons were different but, somehow, she doubted Jaania ever took notice of them. To Jaania, it was quite likely that she looked exactly as she did when she'd frozen her.
That was likely the same for the king, as well. While she'd never met the King Alteon as a Cryptic, that honestly didn't matter; she'd never met him in the same class twice. In terms of physical appearance, she looked more or less as she did the last time he'd seen her and that was the main thing. (When would that have been? Before the Tournament, before she'd been frozen… ah. Likely during the ceremony after the Great Eclipse's end.) It shouldn't be too difficult to pass herself off as her past self, somehow unfrozen. But…
If she had truly somehow traveled back in time, her counterpart, the Riese of this time her past self… she was still frozen, with no one capable of freeing her. Sure, Warlic might've started the thawing process but it would take years for her to get out. Years and years of horrible, endless, painful cold.
She had freed Jaania and she was pretty sure she still remembered how to do it. It might not be the exact same spell but… it was worth a shot. No one else should have to suffer for so long in—there was no reason not to try.
All that went through her head as she forced herself to relax under the king's gaze (under Jaania's glare), as she composed herself not for battle but for… a relaxed conversation, inasmuch as she could have one with Jaania in the vicinity. (With all the people, the armies of Swordhaven, the hired mercenary groups, and even the members of what she assumed were Jaania's original Rose, looking at her with respect, admiration, and without any hostility, there was no way Jaania would freeze attack her. Not here. She had to believe that. She must.)
Keep watching my back, Adri.
You don't even have to ask. If she tries to freeze you again, I'm going to—
"You honor me, Your Majesty," she said, bowing her head, her expression nothing but respectful despite her dragon's rather graphic descriptions. It wasn't hard to look embarrassed in the face of the king's obvious regard. Letting go of her weapon was the real challenge, especially when she could still feel Jaania's eyes boring holes into her skull. "I was only doing my job. This is all in a day's work for me as a Hero, really."
The words came easily to her; they were all things she could've easily said. People often forgot that for all that she was a Hero, she was a Rogue first and foremost. Dealing in deception wasn't anything new to her.
"'Only doing my job'—Yalla and her armies have been a scourge on our lands these past few weeks and yet you defeated her and scattered her forces in a single battle. Singlehandedly!" The King then laughed, loud, booming, and a little disbelieving. "If that's what you call 'all in a day's work' for you, I shudder to imagine what you would call a challenge. You truly are a Hero, Riese."
Behind him, Jaania's face was a picture.
She did her best to smile, did her best not to look like she was as on edge as she was. "I—thank you, Your Majesty. You are very kind."
These past few weeks, she noted. Going by the stories she had heard, Yalla's rampage had lasted quite a bit longer than that…
Years, Adriel confirmed. She started causing trouble the same year you got stuck.
So, when we are is —
"How did you even get here?" Jaania asked bluntly, interrupting her train of thought. "The last we'd heard of you , you were—"
"Frozen?" She couldn't quite help the bitterness in her voice. "Yes, I'm very well aware."
The King's gaze turned sympathetic, Jaania less so. She was very much the outlier among those Riese could see.
"But I really don't know what to tell you," she said, all in one exhale. "I came to not far from here. All I knew was that I had to go after Yalla. That's all. Really."
Jaania looked skeptical but before she could open her mouth, the king spoke. "Truly? You simply… came to, here, to defeat Yalla?"
She nodded. "That's all," she said. "I suppose someone must've freed me but…" She hesitated, looking down at her feet. "I confess, my head's still a little fuzzy from the ice. I… all I knew was that I was here to defeat Yalla."
Not exactly the best story but one that would be hard to disprove, at least for now.
A large warrior covered head to toe in heavy armor, who must've been a member of Jaania's party by the color of their armor, said suspiciously: "How convenient." Which was not incorrect and exactly why she'd chosen to go with that narrative. Judging by his voice, it was Akanthus. His hand inched just a little closer to his weapon, not enough to be noticed by anyone except someone with a lot of paranoia in their system.
Her fingers itched to curl around a weapon but, instead, she shrugged. "It is what it is. I can't help the facts. It's… my fault, really, that I couldn't be more perceptive. I'm truly sorry, Your Majesty," she turned to the King, for once letting a little distress show—nothing false, just… something she usually kept hidden. "But you must understand. From my point of view, I was…I wasn't… "
"It's alright, Riese," he said softly, encouragingly. "Take your time."
"I'd been blind for so long in that ice," she said, at last, suppressing a shiver as she remembered. "I'd been in that ice for so long, unable to see, unable to move, unable to breathe, just trying…" She faltered. "Just trying to get out. To escape. It was all I could think about, all I could try to do. And it was like that for… I don't know. It felt like forever. And then, all of a sudden."
She closed her eyes and exhaled, long and slow. "I could breathe again. I was outside of that ice—I didn't care where I was, I was outside of the ice . I didn't see anyone or anything with me—I was near-blind at first—but… somehow, I knew that Yalla was a threat to Lore and that I had to stop her. That she was why I was here. That's all I know. I'm truly sorry I don't know more, Your Majesty. Even… even now, my head's still a little fuzzy."
"And I believe you," the King boomed, glancing at the one who spoke from the corner of his eye. Jaania, she noted, looked disdainful, if anything (and wasn't that wonderful). "It is abundantly clear to me that you truly are Riese. And I trust you with my life, as I always have. It's perfectly understandable for you to still be… disoriented after your ordeal," he said to her, his gaze turning gentle and understanding. She couldn't help but draw some comfort from it, even if the guilt of knowing she was misleading him—them—burned at her conscience. It wasn't like she could tell the truth, not with Jaania and Akanthus around. "Whatever their intentions, the person who freed you did us—did all of Lore–a great service. Now, come! For the valor you've shown today, you deserve nothing less than the highest honors I can bestow. Tonight, we shall hold a feast in your honor! And tomorrow —"
As he spoke on about the celebrations he would throw, she noted Jaania turning nearly puce, though her hood hid that from the view of those behind her. She was more or less alone in that regard; even without using her Cryptic senses, she could see nothing but agreement from those who'd gathered to quell Yalla before she'd ended her. Jaania stood mostly alone in her frustration.
She did not at all take satisfaction from that. She did not.
"—end it all with a festival! You truly are a hero among heroes. Tonight, I insist that you come and stay in the castle. You shall be our guest of honor. Swordhaven—no, Greenguard itself will celebrate your achievements!"
Outwardly, she smiled but shook her head, looking bashful. "I—I'm honored to hear you say that, Your Majesty, really, but… with all due respect, I…" She hesitated, carefully choosing her next few words. "I would really just like to go home. It's… it's been far too long since I've seen my friends, my family, Adriel…"
Through all the murmurs that started up, he shook his head wonderingly. "You always were so humble, Riese. Far too humble, if I might say. For the feat you've accomplished today, for that battle we all bore witness to—at the very least, allow us to accompany you on your journey. A hero's welcome is the least that you deserve."
"A quiet trip home is what I would prefer, if it's alright, Your Majesty," she said apologetically. "In fact, I… would like to get going. Tonight has given me much to think on and it's been so long since I've seen….
Avatars, how would she get home? To her own time?
We'll find a way. He sounded so sure, it made her envious of his confidence. We're heroes.
We are. And I... we will definitely find a way home.
She swallowed, not bothering to hide her emotions. "I truly want nothing more than to go home, my liege. I hope you understand."
"Is there nothing I could say to change your mind?" the king prompted. "Truly? Is there nothing you desire?"
"No, Your Majesty. To hear you say all this is all the honor I need. Although…" On a stroke of inspiration, she looked up at the king. "If I may ask a prize, I would claim Yalla's cleaver as a trophy."
"That weapon has claimed the lives of thousands of our people," Jaania said coldly, before the king could speak. "I can't imagine what you would want to do with such a thing."
The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end but she refused to show it. "I would think it was Yalla that did the swinging, and therefore Yalla herself who claimed those lives," she instead said, tilting her head. "As I'm sure we all know, a weapon can do nothing without the will of its wielder. In absence of her axe, she would've used something else. It wasn't the axe's fault."
What, does she want to ban axes now? This time, at least, she could sense that Adriel had finally settled down, his claws sheathed once more.
Inwardly, she snorted. If that happens and she actually does get axes banned, we'll probably get attacked by angry trees.
Aloud, she said, her expression unchanging: "I could use it for good." Then, with a slightly playful smile. "Or, bar that, to chop firewood."
Jaania only looked disdainful but the king looked amused.
"Indeed you could," the king boomed. "You may have it, Riese. It is yours. However, are you truly sure that's all you want?"
"I'm sure, Your Majesty. All I did was my job. And besides…" She looked awkwardly at her own feet. This time, at least, she spoke the truth and nothing but the truth, without embellishments or omissions. "It really was quite easy. I'd be embarrassed to accept anything more for it."
The hardest part about using Cryptic vs Yalla was failing to trigger my DOT weapons.
