24 Treasure:
"And if my sources are correct, we are in the throne room." Gilder smirked as stretched his muscles atop the gilded throne. "Does this look like a throne room to you?"
Aika whooped and jumped up and down in reply. She beamed as she slid down the frost covered marble hallway, Gilder's jacket billowing behind her small frame.
"Oh wow," Aika gushed. "Just look at the detailing on the armrests. It's all so ornate. And shiny!"
"Well, I'm rather pleased with our progress," Gilder declared.
"How much do you think that throne is worth?" Aika asked.
"Not nearly as much as the Atarah." Gilder grinned. "Let's find it. It should be hidden back behind the throne."
Gilder stood up and circled around to the back of the throne. The man's hands deftly patted down the chair, finding long untouched nooks until Gilder discovered what he was looking for. The wall behind them slid away as Gilder's fingers brushed over the hidden lever on the throne.
"Jackpot," Gilder murmured.
"I can't wait to get my hands on that Atarah!" Aika exclaimed.
"Then let's get to it," Gilder suggested.
The two explorers headed down the cobweb laden corridor behind the throne room. With every footfall, ancient lights came to life revealing their path. Gilder was content to saunter while Aika scampered ahead.
"Oh my gosh!" Aika cried. "Gilder, you need to see this room!"
"It'll still be there when I get there," Gilder replied. "It's already waited a couple hundred years for me."
"Don't be a goon!" Aika hollered. "Come in here and look at this."
The smooth marble walls and floor were cast in a purple light from ancient moonstones long forgotten. Aika waited impatiently for Gilder in the center of the circular room.
The Claudia's Captain found the girl tapping her foot irately. He chuckled at the seeming dead end.
"Well?" Aika demanded. "I don't see it. Where is it?"
"The Atarah should be found in the girl queen's sepulcher," Gilder answered. "Don't worry, it should be a room below."
"Well, let's get to it, then," Aika exclaimed.
In her excitement, she hopped up and down. Gilder raised an eyebrow as he noticed Aika land on a tile that was raised maybe a mere centimeter higher than the others. He was given the opportunity to sigh before the floor was torn out from under him.
Aika shrieked as they plummeted down a cobweb laden chute. The girl hit the ground a floor below with a thud only to break Gilder's fall with her tiny frame.
"That was one way to reach the room below," Gilder muttered.
"We need to stop doing that," Aika groaned.
"On the bright side, we're exactly where we need to be," Gilder replied.
"Lead the way, Captain," Aika said.
The two sailors dusted themselves off and continued with their exploration. They tromped through the long abandoned corridors, dodging cobwebs and careful of age worn tiles on the floor. Gilder acquired a moonstone torch from the wall and cautiously kept Aika behind him. They walked quietly down the hallway until they reached a door.
"And here we are," he murmured.
With a trained flick of Gilder's wrist, the solid stone door slid open to reveal the hidden tomb. As resplendent as the day the girl queen was first laid to rest, the moonstone floor was polished to a bright gleam.
The sarcophagus was in the center of the room, a moonstone mosaic in the child's likeness embedded into its white gold backdrop. While Gilder nodded his head in respect, the only thing that caught Aika's eye was what was perched delicately atop the sepulcher. They had found the Atarah.
"It's so beautiful," Aika murmured.
"Yeah," Gilder agreed as he plucked it up.
The older man's grin faltered as he examined it closely.
"It's so fake." He groaned.
"What?" Aika squawked.
"And it's a horrible replication," Gilder verified.
"How do you know?" Aika demanded.
"These aren't moonstones," Gilder pointed out. "They're glass."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Besides, even if I wasn't, there's another dead giveaway."
Gilder flipped the tiara around to reveal the inside of the headband. Crudely etched into the metal was: "Z. Bane."
"You've got to be kidding me," Aika muttered.
"If only." Gilder chuckled. "Seeing as it's worthless, why don't you just keep it? No sense in us divvying up this booty."
"What am I going to do with this thing?" Aika grumbled.
"Wear it." Gilder smirked. "Like a princess."
Aika scowled as Gilder dropped the worthless tiara onto her head. She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him. Gilder laughed.
"I'm sure my boys have carved a path out for us by now," Gilder said. "We should probably head back up where we came from."
"I only wish we had some real treasure to show them," Aika grumbled.
"Cheer up," Gilder retorted dryly. "We still have this enjoyable vacation in frigid Glacia to treasure always."
"Maybe your cook will have some of that koketa soup left," Aika hoped.
"Only one way to find out." Gilder grinned. "Let's go."
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
The two left the tiny crypt and headed back down the hallway. When they reached the trap door's chute, Aika quickly clambered up it using her boomerang to dig into the slick marble. Gilder followed, his hands finding the grooves left by Aika's boomerang.
Aika waited for Gilder to emerge through the trapdoor. As soon as the older man hoisted his body up to the ground floor, Aika was on his heels as they backtracked out of the ruins.
Her leg muscles ached from their hike by the time they made it to the resting place of their damaged life raft, but Aika was pleased with their progress. Outside light that seeped through a small hole in the collapsed wall of ice also did wonders for the girl's spirit.
"Hey!" Gilder called out. "Is anybody out there?"
"Gilder?" A feminine voice squealed from the other side. "Is that really you? Are you really okay?"
Gilder blanched and shook his head.
"Of all the people it had to be Clara," he muttered. "I think I was better off with the fake Atarah and Queen's corpse."
Aika socked him in the arm and snorted as she adjusted the tiara on her head.
"One more negative thing about Clara out of your mouth and I'll throttle you," she said. "Besides, the Atarah's mine. You gave it to me."
"Good point," Gilder allowed. "But I only gave it to you because it suits you better than me."
"I don't know about that." Aika giggled. "I think you'd make a lovely princess."
"I bet you do," Gilder replied. "Let's see how much longer this is going to take."
Gilder stifled an involuntary shudder as he noticed that Clara's face was perched in the medium sized hole in the wall. She flashed the man of her dreams a delighted smile.
"I was so worried about you!" Clara exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're alright. I've got piping hot cocoa waiting. Hang on and we'll have you out in a jiffy!"
In an instant, Clara's head disappeared to be replaced with the Glacian sky. Gilder sighed as he heard the Primrose's Captain calling out several orders.
"So you're going to be heading home after this, huh?" Gilder asked Aika.
"Yeah, I guess so," Aika murmured.
"What do you plan on doing there?" Gilder asked.
Aika laughed. "The first thing I'll probably have to do is apologize to everyone for being an idiot."
"I don't think you have to worry about that," Gilder replied.
"What makes you say that?" Aika asked.
"Just a hunch," Gilder said.
"A hunch?" Aika raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, a hunch." Gilder propped a cigarette into his mouth. "People can be a lot more understanding than they're given credit for."
"You better not be planning on lighting that thing," Aika warned.
"You won't even allow a condemned man one last cigarette?" Gilder asked.
"You're ridiculous," Aika scoffed.
"So is Clara," Gilder pointed out.
"Get over yourself," Aika said.
"You ask a lot," Gilder muttered.
Aika stuck out her tongue.
"Cutlass Fury!"
The two's friendly spat was interrupted by a large crash. A path large enough for a grown man was carved through the ice and rock. The familiar voice had Aika clutching Gilder's arm like a frightened little child. The older man chuckled before he brushed away Aika's grasp and strolled out.
The girl took a deep breath, straightened her tiara and followed after Gilder.
Outside, surrounded by Nara, Lilly and Belle, Clara had wrapped Gilder up in her arms and pressed the man's head against her chest. While Lilly poured some hot chocolate from a thermos, Clara cooed about her darling Gilder's misadventure. Gilder was trying futilely to light the cigarette clamped in his teeth before he suffocated on Clara's ample bosom.
Aika ignored them. The only thing that held her attention was the blade still pointed at the ground after its powerful swing and the strong hands that held the blade.
Vyse.
It was still the same old Vyse. His careless brown hair was caught in the wind and he still wore the same winning smile. His eyes did look peculiar. Colder than usual. But it was Vyse and that was a welcome sight indeed.
Her stomach twisted into a knot, but Aika pressed forward. She snaked her hands behind her back and began to wring them together.
His eyes caught sight of her and he nodded. Aika had hoped for a smile, or maybe anything that would convey that he had worried about her. The girl forced a grin to her lips, but couldn't bring herself to speak.
"So Don ran into you during his travels," Vyse noted.
"Yeah," Aika sighed. "Did he tell you? He promised not to."
"No, he didn't break his promise," Vyse said. "I nearly killed him because of it. I just assumed when I saw you that's where he got his information."
"You didn't kill him, though," Aika replied.
"No," Vyse murmured. "Fina helped me see the error of that thinking."
"Fina," Aika whispered. "Is she here?"
"Yeah, aboard the Delphinus," Vyse answered. "She'll probably be down soon."
"So are you and she?"
"No."
"No?" Aika swallowed hard. "Don't you love her?"
"I don't know," Vyse said truthfully.
"Do you love me?" she ventured.
"I don't know," Vyse replied. "Things like that take time, not a staged death."
"I never tried to stage anything!" Aika argued.
Her exclamations were stilled by Vyse's grip on her chin. He pulled her head up to look him directly in the eyes. Not since that day years ago when he risked his own life for hers and earned that scar beneath his left eye had he ever looked so serious.
"You were dead to me," he whispered. "Do you have any idea what that felt like?"
"I never meant for—"
"Never again," Vyse interrupted. "I want you to promise me right now. Talk to me, talk to anyone, talk to a koketa; just don't go running off ever again."
"I just wanted you to be happy," Aika mumbled.
"Why would I be happy to hear that my best friend's dead?" Vyse asked.
"Aika!"
Vyse dropped his hand as Fina ran over to the two. The Silvite threw her arms around the red haired girl, tears flowing freely.
"I can't believe it's really you!" Fina sobbed. "It's really you, isn't it?"
Aika giggled sheepishly before returning Fina's embrace.
"I'm sorry, Fina," Aika apologized. "I've just been really stupid lately."
"To see you safe," Fina sniffled. "I'm so glad to see you well."
Aika gave Fina one last squeeze before she looked back up at Vyse.
"So where does that leave us?" she asked.
Vyse shrugged. "Back where we started, I guess. Can you handle that?"
"I guess," Aika replied.
"I mean it," Vyse said. "No more running off."
"Alright!" Aika exclaimed. "Let's get off this rock already!"
"We can do that," Vyse agreed.
The three headed towards the Delphinus. Abandoned to his fate, Gilder grudgingly accepted a mug of hot chocolate before inevitably escaping Clara's clutches. But the day was young and the sky was crystal blue, perfect for sailing. And sail they did.