Chapter 41 - Reunion: Part 2
12th Blue See Moon; Imperial Year 1186
Edelgard sat in front of the woman who was her mother. The latter fidgeted with the cup of tea in front of her. Sometimes she looked up from the deep-orange liquid and met the Empress' eyes. But then she averted her eyes and looked back into her tea. Her delicate hands trembled around the tea cup. The contents threatened to leave the rim.
"I… am happy… to see… you again… El…" Patricia eventually started to talk.
"Me too. It has been such a long time. I'm so glad that you are still alive." Edelgard replied smiling.
"Alive… I am… a ghost of… my former… self…" she scoffed. "The once… proud… woman… and mother… you knew… she is… broken…"
"However, you still are alive."
"Barely… My body is… alive… but my mind…" she trailed off in order to sip a little bit of her tea.
"Those who Slither in the Dark were responsible for your suffering, am I correct? But… I have also suffered from them…" the Empress said causing her mother to look at her again. "I had to endure terrible experiments because they wanted to create an Emperor with a Great Crest. In the end, I'm the only one who survived at the cause of… losing my brown hair and my life span."
"What… do you… mean… El…?"
"Because I have now two Crests… I will not live a long life. Instead, if I am lucky, I will have ten years from now on."
Patricia looked down onto her cup of tea again. A pained expression formed on her face. She swallowed several times and shook her head. Tears started to form in her eyes because she would probably outlive her very own daughter. This was always a bad thing. Outliving their own child… It left a very bad taste in Patricia's mouth.
"But… there is still hope." Edelgard continued.
Her mother looked up to her again, one eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Macuil had found research notes about the removal of Crests… If he manages to remove both of my Crests…" she trailed off and smiled.
"I hope… that this is… true… El… But then again… he is… a saint…"
"I don't believe in the Goddess, mother. I hate the Church… I don't see Macuil as a saint but rather… a part of my army who fights against the Church."
Patricia remained silent and closed her eyes, all the while sipping her tea until the cup was empty. Shortly after the contents were in her depths, a knock on the door resounded. Both eye sets wandered to the wood before the door was opened slowly. A green head peaked from behind the wood smiling slightly. Edelgard returned the smile asking:
"Flayn. Has something happened?"
"Yes. Hubert has woken up. He is still in pain but he is alive." Flayn explained.
"Thank you. Without your experience he might have died. I couldn't have forgiven myself if he-"
"I apologize for interrupting you, Your Majesty… but the chances of him dying are still very high. If he pushes himself too much such a case will occur."
"Don't worry. I will order him to rest." Edelgard decided before noticing that the green-haired girl was still standing here: "Do you have anything on your mind, Flayn?"
"Well… Uncle Macuil wanted to start the process of removing Crests. He, however, requires my help. And it would be great if you supervise the process."
Edelgard raised an eyebrow in question. They wanted to start the process not on her? What other human had two Crests, despite her? Her mind wandered until she saw in front of her inner eyes another young woman with white hair. Said woman was eager to learn as much as possible. Said woman was named Lysithea von Ordelia, former member of the Leicester army.
Macuil gazed down onto the young woman who had the same fate as Edelgard. Her hair was white like snow. She laid on a bed, her eyes closed while her wrists and ankles were bound to the bedposts. Part of her breasts were showing because Macuil needed direct access to the heart. Although she seemed calm, her hands were trembling in anticipation. On the other side of the bed stood his niece Cethleann and his stupid brother Cichol. The former had already prepared a healing spell in her hands in case the process of removal went wrong. In one corner stood Edelgard together with Ferdinand and Judith. The latter, despite not actually believing in the Goddess, prayed that the procedure succeeded. She wished it for Lysithea. A part of her even believed that Claude calculated this. Despite everything, he had grown close to Lysithea. Originally, Patricia also wanted to participate… However, as soon as she learned that several people were attending this process, she right-out refused.
"To make it clear… I do not know if the process of removing Crests will be painful. That is why we were forced to bind your wrists and ankles to the bed." Macuil explained.
"Anything necessary to remove these Crests." Lysithea replied. "I have suffered too long from these Crests."
The saint took a deep breath closing his eyes. He pressed his hands directly over her heart. Between his fingertips a wind spell was activated. Macuil increased the pressure on Lysithea's chest cutting her open. The white-haired woman whimpered at the pain and her trembling intensified. Macuil was kind of impressed that Lysithea hadn't screamed yet.
The saint started to build his spell up. He murmured several magical indications in a foreign language. Meanwhile Lysithea started trashing in her binds. A terrible scream ripped from her mouth as she tried to free herself.
Macuil still continued. He wasn't bothered by the trashing, instead he continued his spell. Tears started streaking down Lysithea's cheeks as another loud scream ripped from her throat. The saint activated the last part of the spell. He could feel that this spell was more exhausting to him than he had anticipated. Sweat was already covering most of his body and his arm shook. He could feel it. He could feel those two Crests now. But he had only the strength of removing one right now. So which one to choose?
It was actually a rather risky thought. If he removed the Great Crest of Gloucester then it might happen that Lysithea died. But he didn't remove said Crest the chances of her surviving was reduced greatly. He shortly remembered what Lamine had said to him once.
"If you can save a patient… no matter how… then do it…" she had said to him and Cethleann once.
Because of what Lamine had told him once, he decided to remove the other Crest, the Small Crest of Charon. He focused on literally pulling it out and dissolving it in the same process. Lysithea screamed again loudly before she passed out from the pain. In the distance, Macuil could hear his niece calling him to stop. But he refused. He was almost done.
He gritted his teeth while a searing pain shot through his body. Never had he anticipated that this process was also painful to him. Still, he was almost there! Just a little bit longer! He had already the Crest of Charon practically in his hands. With a scream of his own, he finally pulled the Crest out of Lysithea's body and destroyed it.
Silence spread through the room. Only Macuil's panting could be heard. Then… He collapsed to the ground as well. His entire body trembled with exhaustion. Still, he had managed to remove the Crest. Shortly, he looked upwards to see that Lysithea's hair had turned into black. He smiled. He had done it! He was able to save this woman from her fate!
"I am still the greatest mage in Fódlan's history…" Macuil said weakly before chuckling.
"Here he goes again." Seteth groaned rolling his eyes. "How much do you want to bloat about your greatness, Macu-"
He stopped himself because the saint had fainted from exhaustion. His brother walked slowly towards him and knelt down before picking him up. His body was limp in his arms. He really outdid and exhaust himself. Still… He managed to do the impossible. He had removed a Crest, now that Lysithea's hand was placed onto the special device which would recognize Crests. It wasn't showing her two Crests but only one… The Great Crest of Charon.
Shortly after Bernadetta walked into the room again, her eyes settled onto Hubert who was laying in bed but was wide awake. The petite woman rushed towards his side and knelt down next to him. She took one of his hands into hers before wrapping them around tightly. She raised their combined hands to her forehead and closed her eyes. A sob escaped her throat. She was so happy that he was awake. She wouldn't know what to do without him.
"Berna… detta…" Hubert croaked weakly.
She assumed that he right now hated it how his voice sounded. Hoarse and weak. Still, he was alive. That's what matter. Another sob escaped her throat.
"You… fool… You damn fool…" Bernadetta replied. "What were you thinking poisoning me?! I could have protected you from this wound!"
"I am… sorry… Bernadetta…" he muttered raising his free hand wanting to touch her head.
However, a sharp pain in his abdomen stopped him mid-tracks. He hissed between his clenched teeth. Mercedes was at his side almost instantly and started a healing spell. She had closed her eyes in concentration. The pain subdued but left him panting for breath.
"Don't push yourself, Hubert. You had received a terrible wound. I advise that you lay down for some months." Mercedes advised him.
"Wh-what? What about the… war? Without me… Her Majesty might not… win." he hissed as another wave of pain coursed through his body. "How are you… even here… in the first place? You were… a student… from the… Blue Lions…"
She shortly flinched at those words remembering something she wanted to forget. Mercedes shook her head and replied:
"Right now, I am your doctor. And I'm saying that you stay here and rest." she insisted. "Don't make me ask my brother to watch over you."
"Your… brother?" he asked. "Wait… you are… talking about… Jeritza…"
"Yes, he is my baby-brother. And now rest. Don't make me force to give you a medicine causing sleep."
"I don't think… that such-"
"Hubert!" Bernadetta interrupted him. "Please listen to Mercedes. I don't want to lose you."
Hubert glanced to the side and grumbled. Bernadetta squeezed his hand tighter before letting it go completely. She smiled slightly deciding that she would take care of him until he was feeling better again. But she could already guess that he would give her a hard time in taking care of him.
She just hoped that he wasn't going to snap at her. She just couldn't take it if he did such a thing to her. However, she doubted that he would do such a thing. After all, he was just acting threatening. Behind all his threats and intimidation was a man who cared deeply for the ones he loved.
Bernadetta smiled and pushed some strands of hair from his forehead. Hubert leaned into her touch slightly, smiling slightly at this closeness.