If there was anything Alexandra hated in the world, it was people who looked down on others. True hatred is what existed in her heart. She wasn't like Amir, despite seeing her entire family massacred, had no desire for revenge because it went against her beliefs of forgiveness and the Gods that blessed her family. She wasn't like Arisa, who, despite at times was unpredictable, held no scorn nor anger towards anyone. No, she wasn't like any of them. Alexandra held a deep, deep hatred in her heart against those that abused their power. There was still unfilled craving to kill everything in her sight, but she knew that feeling was mostly coming from Cirina, the Ice queen, she calls her. She had developed strange habits because of her other half's influence. She had this nack of liking cold sweets, twirling a strand of her hair, what's more, the strange feature of her Crest that makes her become hostile to those with a specific Crest. When she first met Florencio and Sandy, even Jeralt, she had grown a mutual hostile towards them. That was because those three possessed the Crest of Serios. Rensen explained to them that this feature usually manifested in one specific female barer. Only the female that possess the major Crest of Aubin shows hostility while males can lose control of their emotions. What was more mysterious that the Crest hold the conscious of Cirina, the original bearer of the Crest and the major Crest only manifests it. There are 5 levels of hostility.
Crest of Cethleann: level 1: Go away
Crest of Serios: Level 2: Go away or I'll punch you.
Crest of Cichol: Level 3: I want to hurt you.
Crest of Gautier: Level 4: I'll RIP your throat out
Crest of Riegan: Level: Downright wants/will to murder them.
No one through the years has figured out why the Crest makes their barer show such hostility. Some say it is an ancient grudge that has been passed down through generations. Others say it is the will of Cirina, who was one of the 12 Elites who chose neither side of Serios or Nemesis. Only the consciousness of Cirina knows the truth.
This is the story of how the schemer met the snow princess.
- 2 months Later: Harpstring Moon: May: Derdriu -
Water.
Excitement was all Alexandra felt as she stared out to the entire city port from high above the clouds, thanks to her new spell to create wings of ice to fly. Buildings, factories, rich with port to trade. The port city is home to numerous factories and prospers thanks to its ability to produce goods and export them by sea. Alexandra couldn't help but call this heaven for herself. She could see many people walking through the bustling port. A few unknown here and there. She could see the ocean as clear as day. The beautiful sight of blue made her skin tingle with excitement and want to dive straight into the ocean water to swim. Explore coral reefs and play with the sea creatures.
"Alex!"
She turned to her right and saw her two friends fly up to see if she was alright. They were riding Red Hare. Arisa and Amir gasped at the amazing view of the place.
"It's beautiful..." the three girls muttered together and then giggled.
"So, ready for some fun?" Arisa said and the other two gave a thumbs up.
"I'm excited to see if I can get a new deal on some gems! Ooohhh! Anna said that Derdui specializes in emeralds! Slurp...just imagining getting my hands on them...making more cute jewelry..." Amir wiped the drool from her lips with her sleeves.
Arisa along with Alexandra, shuttered at their friend's obsession with jewelry. So... past two years. Remember, that it was Sandy who took Amir in? Well, you know what that meant. Sandy's obsession with cute and fluffy things rubbed off onto Amir but thankfully it wasn't clothing. But rather, jewelry. You see, Amir has only ever had one set of jewelry, which is her earrings from Duscur. So, when Sandy showed her collection of jewelry, she hordes away, Amir became interested. This eventually led to the girl trying to make her own jewelry because none of the ones Sandy had caught her interest. So, what began it all?
Gems and Anna.
But that's a story for another time so back to the original subject!
"Girls! Get back here!" Jeralt yelled out to the sky and let go of a long sigh as they traveled through the gates.
Sandy chuckled as she looked around.
"Derdui has changed a lot. Does bring back good memories. Wish Florencio was here but the man wanted to see how his precious pupil was doing." Sandy said as she was referring to Bernadetta.
"Can you blame him?" Temes said with a grin, "It's been a long time since we have seen him so happy. He treats the girl like she is his daughter." He said and Jeralt chuckled.
"Let the man be. I think he deserves this. You know, it may be possible he may introduce her to us when we return back to Remire Village." He said.
The Flame Twins along with Hana were walking next to the wagon and looked to each other quickly then back to them.
"Hey Captain, can I ask you something a bit more...on the personal level? If you don't want to answer, that's perfectly fine." Cinder said.
Sandy raised an eyebrow at them and Jeralt spoke.
"Depends what the question is but shoot away." Jeralt said.
"Alright...Do you, Sandy and Florencio have the Crest of Serios?" He asked.
Silence befell everyone at the question, thankfully the girls weren't back yet. Jeralt turned to him and looked at him coldly.
"We do. Do you have a problem with it?" He said.
"Whoa whoa! Captain relax. Just...wanted to confirm a theory...you guys...aren't the only one to suffer under that woman..." Cinder said.
Jeralt and Sandy shared a look and the woman spoke.
"I'm assuming you ran away from The Church of Serios also." She said.
"More like we escaped that woman's lab." Camren said and Cinder looked at him shocked.
"Wait, what? Lab?" Jeralt said shocked.
"You two." Hana gave them a warning tone, that made the twins flinch.
"We'll talk later once we arrive at our place, we are staying it. After all..." Sandy smiled as she crossed her legs, "We need to discuss this...thoroughly." she said and her silver eyes nearly looked like slits.
"Nice going idiot!" Hana took out her paper fan and smacked both them senseless.
Temes burst out laughing but saw that Amir and Byleth come back down.
"Wait, where's Alexandra?" He said.
The girls just pointed ahead and Jeralt let go of a sigh. That meant she went ahead.
[ - ]
Many could not help but stare at the girl with deep blue Azure hair with strange little wings on her head. But many females cooed at the adorable sight as the girl happily ate the shaved ice treat, the little wings flapped rapidly, showing her love of the treat. Alexandra squealed happily as she took another spoonful to her mouth and walked happily with Falco on her shoulder.
"Blueberry and blackberries flavors are my favorites! Yyuummm!" The girl said out loud as she walked past an alley way but...
"Give it to us you Almyran scum!"
"I said no!"
She stopped and turned. She frowned and walked towards the yelling. She gently placed her shaved ice down and stared void of emotions. A group of older boys were ganged up against one, who refused to let go of a book in his chest.
"Ewww! He's getting his germs on it!" Another boy laughed as he threw a punch.
"Hey. Are you done?" The girl said and all of them turned to her.
The boy that held tightly his book looked at her shocked, despite having a black eye.
"Get out of here. We're teaching this kid the Fodlan way of dealing with outsiders like him." One of the older boys said and she crossed her arms.
"Kkkrrrrriiii!" Falco hissed and jumped from her shoulder to the boy with the book.
"Falco says are okay?" She said, ignoring the others.
"Yeah...I guess..." the boy muttered.
"Are you ignoring us?" The older boys glared.
"Is that a maggot I here?" Alexandra said as she purposely looked around.
The group glared and began to head towards her.
"You got a lot of nerves. What's with those stupid things on your head?" One said as they surrounded her.
"I think you boys better leave, or you will regret it." Alexandra said as she had her hand over her necklace.
"What's a little girl going to do? Punch us?" One mocked.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" The boy with the book yelled as Falco was now on his head.
"Shut it Almyran." Another said.
"I warned you" Alexandra smiled and jumped, kicking one to the face and sent him flying to a puddle of mud.
"Get he-" all of them immediately backed away as they saw she held a scythe in her hands and floated in the air, the walls around them frost began to grow on them.
The boy could only look at her shocked yet also amazed.
"Snow Queen..." he muttered.
Alexandra spoke coldly, her voice was a mixture of her's and Cirina's.
"Leave you human scum. Dare hurt this boy again and I can guarantee none of you will live to see the next day." She said and the group ran away, terrified.
Alexandra sighed she floated back down, gently landing on her feet.
"Are you okay?" She said as she turned to the boy and froze.
Her heart began racing, her blood boiled, inhuman anger began to fill her mind as she could hear Cirina's voice suddenly becoming louder by each second.
"I'm alright. Thank you for helping me! I must admit, that was amazing! You looked like a Snow Queen! Well, princess is more of the word since you're smaller than me." The boy said.
Tan colored skin, verdant colored eyes, dark brown hair with a small braid on the side. He wore a yellow and green patterned scarf wrapped around his head as he wore a yellow shirt with shorts and brown boots.
Her body began shaking and she dropped to her knees. She could feel "her" influence as she bit her lip.
"Are you alright?!" The boy said as he knelt.
"R-Run..." she muttered as she hugged herself tightly, digging her nails into her arms.
"Krriii! Kriii!" Falco said and pulled his hair.
"Reigan...Reigan..." Cirina growled furiously in her mind as Alexandra looked up to the boy.
"Please! Just run and get away from me! I don't want to hurt you!" She said.
Claude was confused. She saved him and now she's telling him to get away from her. But...
"She looks in pain..." he thought and knelt down close to her, even if he saw her blue eyes flickering between red and their original color.
"Please...go! Please! She wants to hurt you! She keeps screaming Reigan and traitor! Please! I don't know you but please!" Alexandra said and he looked at her seriously, quickly holding her hand and she looked at him horrified because frost was forming on them.
"You helped me, so let me help you." Claude smiled to her kindly as the girl was taking large deep breaths.
"Traitor! Traitor! Blood of Reigan! Traior! Kill him!" Cirina roared in her mind.
"No no! I don't know him! I don't want to hurt him! Why are you like this?!" Alexandra yelled out.
Claude smiled sadly and rested his forehead on hers, letting her look into his eyes.
"It's okay. I'm Claude. Nice to meet you Snow Princess. It's okay." He said and Alexandra looked him shocked.
Heat was rushing to her face and she could feel Cirina's glare burning into her soul. Her body slowly stopped shaking and she took deep breaths. Claude smiled till she suddenly rested her head in his chest.
"Thank you...I'm sorry...my...crest makes me hostile...to people with certain crest...I'm sorry..." the girl whimpered softly.
"It's okay. Not the first time I've encountered someone hostile towards me." He chuckled.
"Wait...crest...is sh-!" His thought was interrupted.
"I FOUND HER!"
Claude quickly looked up shock and spotted a girl that looked similar to him minus her pink silver hair and the other girl with brown colored hair that faded to teal. Both looked out of breath and ran towards them.
"What did you do to her?!" The white haired one roared at him.
"What?! I didn't do anything to her! She saved me!" He said, shocked.
"Amir, stop it! He didn't hurt her." The teal haired one said as she turned to him.
"Thank you. I'm...sorry you had to see her like this. Also, Falco says thank you for helping her also. We'll take it from here." The girl smiled kindly.
He nodded but there was something mysterious about her. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was something. He helped the blue haired girl stand up and she smiled to him a bit nervously.
"Thank you. Um...Also...sorry for scaring you a bit early. It had to be done to scare those boys away. Umm...I'm Alexandra. You said your name was Claude, right?" Alexandra smiled to him softly.
Arisa froze. Claude smiled to her and grinned.
"Yup!" He said and before he could say more, Arisa had placed her hand on his head and his body began glowing.
The cuts and bruises he had been healed as well as his black eye. Falco jumped back to Alexandra and purred.
"Healing magic..." Claude thought as she removed her hand and smiled.
"There, I fixed you up. Based on what my friend has said, looks like you were beaten up really badly." She said.
"Yeah...it's quite common really." He said and he saw her look at him worried.
He turned to Amir.
"Are you from Almyra too?" He asked.
"Nope! I'm from Duscur! Names Amir. You met Alexandra and this here is Byleth." Amir said and pointed to her.
Arisa did a small bow to him and nodded.
"Nice to meet you. Well, take care!" She said and quickly grabbed the other two girls and bolted with them.
"Waaaiit! My shaved ice!"
Claude couldn't help but chuckle as the girls left. He headed back home. He needs to ask Edward if Alexandra is a relative of his because of the blue hair.
- 2 Hours Later -
"I'm so sorry!" Alexandra bowed repeatedly to Arisa and Amir.
The girls were able to catch up with the adults and went to the cabin that was rented. They will be staying in Dedrui for 3 months due to the high demand of job request in the Alliance and also, it was very active for poachers hunting fae and animals. Thus, another reason of high demand to take them out. The Leicester Alliance was not only known for its amazing lands of abundant of forest, but also because it was home to many fae. Compared to the Empire and The Kingdom, The Leicester Alliance's people were well known to be connected to nature and protect it. Let us not forget that it also home to certain queen of faeries.
"It's alright. Thankfully thanks to Amir's ability to sense magic we were able to find you. We were getting worried you left ahead and what more, you didn't have your medicine with you in case you encountered someone with those 5 Crest!" Arisa said as she sat down on her bed.
"But still...I nearly lashed out at Claude! I... honestly don't know how he did it...but...somehow I was able to surpass Cirina's influence. She...wanted to kill him..."Alexandra said, worried as she looked at her hands.
"I don't want to become a monster again..." she thought, because she remembered everything that went down the day of the fire, how she nearly killed her friends, how she killed the servants of the household, Lawson especially, the taste of blood on her lips.
"Maybe stay away from him?" Amir suggested and Arisa shook her head.
"No, I don't agree with that. The boy has already suffered enough." She said and got off her chair.
"How about we get to know him? I do know a few things about him though, so you can get an idea." She said.
"Just kill him that's what should be done."
Alexandra froze as Cirina made her appearance and glared furiously at all of them. Sothis quickly appeared and floated in front of the three girls to defend them, she is the only one that can physically hurt the woman.
"You dare wish to harm a child?! How low have you chosen to fall?" Sothis said and Cirina glares.
"Ho? You dare say that to me Fell Star? I was betrayed by that man! Reigan is the reason I am on this very state! Be lucky I hold no grudge against you now or else I can guarantee I would have had Alexandra rip out your throat!" Cirina said.
"Just what did Reigan do to you?! Please! Just tell us!" Alexandra plead to her.
She wanted at least some peace from the internal rage she feels because of her other half. Cirina scowls and pointed to her heart.
"This heart used to be in love! This heart used to love both humans and the Nabateans! This heart was born from a child of the goddess and human mother! Look where that led me! Betrayed. Do whatever the hell you all want! I'll be asleep till I desire to wake up!" Cirina said and disappeared in a shower of blue dust.
They all let go a sigh of relief and Sothis turned to Alexandra, who was crying.
"There, there dear. It's alright. Don't listen to that scrooge. Just because she lives inside does not mean she is you. You are your own person. You're not a monster." Sothis said softly as she wiped Alexandra's tears.
"For now, I recommend taking the medicine to surpassing your Crest for the day. I'm usually not the type to do this but hopefully when you're able to properly control it, you won't have to take this in the future." Arisa said as Alexandra took the small bottle of blue liquid in the hand, popped it open and gulped the contents down.
"Thank you..." Alexandra smiled sadly and Amir patted her shoulder.
"How about we go with Sandy to buy a few groceries? Wait, we're guarding a caravan for a few days. Well, Sandy, Fiona and Alexandra are unfortunately. I'm stuck with dad and Temes taking down some poachers while Amir, Hana and the Flame twins will be heading to the forest to take down a couple of bandits." Arisa grumbled.
"Nnooooo! We want to stay with you!" Amir and Alexandra whined and Sothis giggled.
"Now, now you two, you can't always stick to Arisa forever. One day, your path will split and each one will walk their own. Take this as practice. After all, what will happen the day you three find a husband and get married?" Sothis and saw all three of them instantly cringe.
"I refuse to be a housewife." Amir said.
"I rather be single and travel the world than held down." Arisa said (Sothis: So, you don't have a crush on the Prince then? Arisa: SHUT IT!).
"I want to travel." Alexandra said.
Sothis pouted at the responses.
So much for a girl talk.
- 1 hour later -
Alexandra had a strange habit of staring at people she found attractive. She wasn't the only one. Many stared at the two beautiful Almyran beauties that walked through the city streets, while Alexandra felt so out of place next to this woman. Sandy wore her usual clothing of a Fodlan Dancer while Fiona...wore the clothing of a mercenary. Fiona was a beautiful Almyran beauty with Fodlan blood running through her veins. She walked proudly with her hunter silver wolf next to her, which many backed away. The wolf was named Nuke and had a calm personality but deadly when it was needed. She was born in a village near Fodlan's Throat and eventually chose to live in Fodlan permanently. She lived mostly in the forest much of her life, this makes her an excellent hunter and good with communicating with animals. They came to the gates of a nice-looking manner and saw a woman with light tan skin, pale blue eyes, dark brown haired tied in a high ponytail, and wore a brown and yellow uniform of a general. The woman turned their way and smiled when she spotted Sandy.
"Sandana! Haa! Who knew it was you that was taking this request! You haven't changed in years." The woman grinned as she and Sandy shared a quick hug.
"Goodness Judith! It's been years! I see you're still as fresh as ever." Sandy grind as the woman now known as Judith laughed.
"Thank you!" Judith said and then noticed the two others.
"Oh, who are these girls?" She asked and Sandy smiled.
"Judith, this is Fiona. She's part of my ace team and this little Valkyrie," she pointed to Alexandra who smiled, her tiny head wings fluttered, " Is Alexandra. She's in training but I felt this was a good opportunity to bring her along. Since, she sticks like glue onto my boss's daughter." Sandy chuckled and Alexandra pouted.
Fiona giggled lightly.
"Hello. I am Fiona. This is Nuke, my wolf. He will be joining us." Fiona said politely and did a small bow.
"I'm Alexandra! Paladin in training! Nice to meet you Ms. Judith!" Alexandra grinned and her head wings flapped happily.
Judith could not help but coo at the girl because of how cute she looked.
"Well, I look forward to working with you all. We'll be heading out in a few minutes. Just waiting for a certain boy to hurry up along with the doctor. We needed extra hands for guarding. There have been reports unfortunately of poachers illegally hunting down Fae and selling them in the black market." Judith said and Fiona became worried.
"What are the reports on them?! Which ones have they been hunting down?! Have they killed any?!" Fiona said rapidly.
"Awwwoo." Nuke howled lightly, calming down the woman.
"Calm down girl. We're not sure. Hopefully we're able to stop them." Judith said.
"Sorry we took a while! Claude wanted to get a few things." They heard a Male voice and small steps approaching and turned to the source.
Alexandra froze as she saw the same boy from before and the said boy froze and gave her a grin.
"Hey! It's the Ice princess! Glad to see you're better!" He said to her and walked up.
"Glad to see you're perfectly fine brat." Alexandra said back and gasped, quickly covering her mouth.
Everyone was silent as they stared at her shocked. Even she couldn't believe it. The medicine at most locks away her killing intent but that doesn't mean the hostility will go away. It will manifest itself in a different form. In this case, Alexandra's personality.
"Brat?! I am 6 turning 7 soon!" Claude said back.
"Ha! Too bad! I'm older than you by two years! Plus," she stood proudly, "I'm taller than you by 1 foot! So still a brat!" She smirked and patted his head.
"Ummmm...Sandana?" Judith said and the woman quickly whispered.
"She has a Crest that makes her hostile to specific ones. I'm guessing the Crest the boy has is one of them. At least she isn't trying to kill him." Sandana said as Judith looked at her shocked and then back to the two arguing kids.
"Bet you those two will get married in the future." Judith smirked and Sandy smirked back.
"Already making bets. Now Judith, remember the last time you made a bet?" She said and the woman shook her head.
"Don't remind me. I lost that bet to Florencio. Ugh." Judith said and turned back to the children.
Edward back away by a lot of the sight of the wolf and Fiona blinked, then glared.
"You!" She said and Edward bolted.
She began chasing after him, cursing in Almyran and both Claude and Sandy just stared while Alexandra was just laughing.
"I'm assuming they know each other?" Judith said as they all witnessed Fiona had Edward in a choke hold.
"Nice to see you again...Fifi..." Edward said nervously while the woman was still cursing at him in Almyran.
"THIS IS PAYBACK FOR 5 YEARS AGO!" just what did he do to her…..
[ - ]
It was strange traveling in a caravan. It was a mixture of men and women, but Alexandra could see the stares of hostility they had towards Sandy and Fiona. But she noticed it more towards Claude also. Judith happily chatted with Sandy as the two steered the horses. The boy just happily hummed as he was reading a book about poisons as he sat next to Doctor Edward, who was writing a few things in his journal. The path of the forest they were taking was filled with greenery, much vegetation. It was also a well-known road for those importing produce from farms. Alexandra began floating a bit and sat next to Claude.
"Hey brat," she said, scaring Claude.
"Ghaaa!" The boy yelled and nearly dropped his book.
"I told you to stop calling me brat." He glared at her and she just smirked.
"I'm older than you by two years. Anyhow, what cha reading?" She asked as she gently sat herself next to him.
Many stared at her little feathers. Claude smiled to her and turned back to his book.
"I'm reading about poisons. Judith has been helping me in how to use a bow and Edward has been teaching me a bit about poisons." He said.
"Objection!" Edward said, "You have been sneaking into my lab to sneak away with my book! You could have just asked me!" He said and Claude stuck his tongue out.
"Of course the damn Almyran would steal..tch." one of the men whispered.
While Claude ignored the comment Alexandra on the other hand...
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that if a fae senses discrimination against other people they will curse them?" Alexandra grinned.
Claude and Edward raised an eyebrow at her sudden comment and the man that whispered went silent.
"They say that if a Fae senses bad vibes and bad intentions like making mean comments and looking down on others, they will curse them and feed them to the sirens! Especially the fae of the winds! They say the Fae and the goddess were friends with many people around the world. Especially if they like someone! If they see you being mean, then..." She made the motion of her neck being cut.
And speaking of that, a few of the aerials nearby heard her and giggled as they landed on her head, and smirked. Firo made his appearance, scaring the adults minus Judith, Sandy, and Fiona, who were trying not to laugh. Claude stared in shock at the girl who smiled as the fire aerial in the palm of her hands smirked.
"(This one's a good soul. If anyone tries anything, I'll make sure they get hit with bad luck!)" He said.
"What did he say?" Claude asked.
"He says if anyone is mean to you, he and his friends will hit them with bad luck." Alexandra said.
Claude couldn't help but burst out laughing but nodded.
"Alright then. But, hey, no need to make threats on people. That could make you look bad." He said and her little feathers dropped.
"Ahhh! But I want to teach the mean people lesson brat! No one should treat or look down on others. But okay, I'll listen. After all, karma has a way for getting people back." She smiled.
"Krrriii!" And out of nowhere, Falco appeared.
He was hiding in her purse.
"Falco! I thought I told you to stay home!" She pouted as the baby wyvern climbed out and made itself comfortable on her shoulder while Firo on her other one.
"Hey little guy! Good to see you again!" Claude said and Falco just gave him a cold shoulder.
"He doesn't like it when boys get near me." She giggled while Claude laughed a bit nervously as the baby wyvern hissed at him.
"So, where are you from? Not from here. I've never seen anyone with those... feathers." he said as he pointed the little feathers on her head.
"I'm from Fodlan." She said.
"Yeah, I know that, but I mean where exactly? Like here in the Alliance or Empire, heck the Kingdom or Garreg Mach." He said.
"Oh...I...umm...I used to live in the Kingdom. But...I left." She said.
"Why would you leave?" He asked.
Sandy and Fiona shared a quick look.
"Because mommy wanted me dead. So, I left!" She smiled.
All the adults in the caravan minus Fiona and Sandy, looked at her horrified along with Claude.
"D-Dead...?" The boy could barely say the word and Alexandra nodded.
"Yup! Mommy hated daddy and killed him because he would protect me. Because I couldn't become strong like she was, mommy wanted me gone. Arisa and her family saved me and here I am! Away from the bad witch!" She giggled happily.
"I guess we owe you an explanation." Fiona spoke.
"Alexandra was on the verge of getting sold to the slave trade if we didn't save her two years ago. She's still adjusting so we apologize if you see anything strange." Sandy said with a sad smile.
"No, it's alright. I think we understand well...sigh...I hope one day she is able to heal." Judith said with a sad smile.
Alexandra smiled as Claude looked at her worried.
"Does it hurt?" He asked and she still smiled.
"It does. But I can't make the pain go away. I can't stop hurting and I chose not to. Because the scars of the past make me who I am today." She said.
Words of wisdom left her lips and Fiona and Sandy felt proud hearing the girl's words.
Alexandra was no longer the little girl that would coward in fear but fight on.
- With Arisa -
Six arrows shot at a rapid fire as she shot down 6 bandits, each arrow pierced the heart, an instant kill. Each one she muttered a prayer before she fired. Arisa had small smear of blood on her cheek as she came out from her hiding spot with her sword.
"What o-" the bandit that yelled out did not finish his words as the girl's chain like whip quickly passed by his throat and sliced it.
Byleth held no emotion. Byleth killed three bandits with no remorse. Byleth temporarily sealed away her own emotions as she muttered a prayer each time to the ones alive before she made them become cold as the corpse they will be. No matter how many times she did this, 5 years now, it still made her sick to her stomach. She stood surrounded by the corpses of the bandits she had killed, void of all emotions.
"Urghh..." she gagged and quickly covered her mouth has she let her humanity return to her.
Jeralt walked up to her and gently patted her head.
"Easy there kiddo...if you need to let it out, do it." He said and she nodded her head quickly and ran behind a bush where she vomited.
Jeralt sighed as he saw her return, wiping her mouth.
"It's never easy kid. You don't ever get used to it." He said and she nodded as the two began to walk back to the group.
"Boss, we found the cages." Temes said and looked at Byleth worried.
"I'll be alright once my stomach settles." She smiled a bit crooked and Jeralt handed her a small towel to wipe the blood off her face.
"Thank you." She muttered and quickly removed the red liquid on her face.
"Temes, you were saying about the cages?" Jeralt said.
"Right. We opened them and we let the animals and fae out but..." he said, a bit hesitant.
"But what?" Jeralt said with narrowed eyes.
"There's an official of the Church of Serios here." He whispered and Jeralt's eyes went wide.
"Byleth, hood now." He said.
"Dad, I can just do this." Arisa said and closed her eyes, her hair turning black, and becoming straight, like Amir's. Her eyes changed to a purple color and her skin light tan. She opened her eyes and smiled.
"Mei Ren! Nice to meet you!" She grinned and Temes could not help but burst out laughing and Jeralt let out a chuckle.
"I'm guessing Florencio taught you how to change your appearance?" Jeralt said and she nodded.
"Temes, pretend I'm your daughter." Arisa said and Temes choked on air.
"Aarrghhh! Fine! You owe me for this." Temes grumbled as they walked back to the cages.
"I see...I do hope this doesn't repeat again." They heard a male voice as they returned to the rest of the mercenary group they were with and Arisa blood ran cold once her eyes landed on the individual.
"Listen, I understand but the protections of this land must become stricter. Lady Rhea does not wish for the Lady Titania to become furious. We don't need another thunderstorm over us again like last year." Dark green colored hair and deep blue eyes closed as their owner's let go of a sigh.
He wore a very familiar long black green coat with long sleeves. He wore some armor that mainly protected his stomach and his clothing was the same color. He also wore one single green jewel earring with the symbol of the Church of Serios. The man turned when he saw Jeralt and the other two approaching.
"Ahh! You must be Sir Jeralt. Pleasure to meet you. My name is Beleth Serios. Lady Rhea's son." Beleth also known as male Byleth, smiled to Jeralt as he offered his hand to shake.
Jeralt could only stare in shock. He looked like the male version of his daughter.
"Oh! Pardon, for my rudeness. Yes, I was put in charge of this request. It is rare to see an official here. I was taken by surprise. I had no idea Lady Rhea had a son either." Jeralt said as he shook hands with Beleth.
"It is alright." Beleth said and turned to the cages that were empty, "Mother can be quite overprotective at times unfortunately," he muttered that word and Temes snorted a bit, "but thankfully I'm able prove to her that I can handle myself." He said and finally noticed Arisa.
"Pardon but...what is a child doing here?" He asked.
"This is my daughter...she's in training to become a mercenary." Temes lied through his teeth barely as Arisa smiled.
"Names Mei! I'm a mercenary in training!" Arisa gave a toothy grin that would put fake smiles to shame.
Beleth chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"Nice to meet you Mei. I'm Beleth. Think you can help me with the Fae over there?" He pointed to a group of silkies that kept glaring at him, "I um... accidentally insulted one of them." He chuckled a bit embarrassed.
"What did you do?" Temes said.
"Well, I didn't have any sweet cream on me to help them calm down after being freed so I decided to give them…. yogurt. The result? Me nearly getting kicked between the legs." Beleth said and the two older men cringed.
"Well, that's a reason to be angry at." Jeralt chuckled but he has not let his guard down at all.
"How rude! Silkies deserve caramel." Arisa glared and walked over to the group of 3 females.
They blinked when they looked at her and she spoke in the language that she so brutally suffered learning from Alexandra and Rensen. It felt like Japanese all over again.
"(Hello there. I am Mei. I am sorry that the man offended you. As an apology, I have caramel. I don't have any sweet cream unfortunately, but I hope this will do. He wanted to help you girls calm down because you were all still scared.)" She said as she took out a small pouch of caramels from the Kingdom.
The group of silkies stared at her and the middle one gently took it from her. She opened it and their eyes sparkled at the candies. They hummed in joy and nodded to each other as they turned back to her.
"(Thank you...)" they smiled warmly to her and made a bouquet of white lilies appear in her hands.
Arisa blinked and smiled to them kindly as they flew away but not before one of them stuck her tongue out at Beleth. She giggled and saw Beleth sigh as she walked back to them.
"I'm surprised you can speak the language of Fae. It's extremely rare to see someone speak it." He said and Arisa blinked.
"I...did not know that. But glad I managed to help you out a bit. They're still mad at you though." She said.
"Understandable. Also, thank you." Beleth said as he turned back to Jeralt and Temes.
"Also, thank you all once again for stopping those bandits. The Knights of Serios and I will clean up here. Umm….Sir Jeralt, why don't you come to the Church with us? I've heard stories of you from my mother and many others. It would be wonderful if you were to return." He said.
Arisa and Temes quickly shared a look of worry and then back to Jeralt.
"Thank you for the offer but I have to decline. I'm happy with my current life right now and want to continue. Tell Lady Rhea I send my regards." Jeralt said.
Fog suddenly began to fill the place, and many looked around worried. What Beleth did not know was that this was being caused by Arisa and will only affect him and the Knights of Serios.
"What on...?" Beleth fell to the ground asleep along with the rest of the knights.
The mercenary team along with Jeralt and Temes were shocked.
"Dad, let's go. They won't remember us." Was all Arisa said as she made her appearance return to normal.
The two older men were silent and turned back to the others.
"Let's go!" Jeralt order and everyone quickly left but not before Arisa quickly pick pocketed Beleth and found a map of the Monastery.
"Forgive me." She muttered, ran to Red Hare, and they all left.
[ - ]
She never expected that her male counterpart existed in this world. She didn't think it was possible, but the world always has a way. Arisa was just so confused. So, so, confused. Did her mother of this world give birth to twins?
"No... he's way older than me...he also called Rhea…. mother..." she muttered as she flies through the sky at a slow pace. She wasn't too a head from her father and the others, she was still in their sights.
Then how? Could it be possible that Rhea made a thirteenth vessel in case she found her as a failure and wanted her dead? No... artificial humans in this era can't awaken without a heart or consciousness. The technology that Rhea uses is still on the low side compared to what Those Who Slither in the Dark have. Rhea already failed 11 times. It could be possible that Rhea did marry and have a child, but that she completely doubts happened and it would have been a huge event. Beleth wasn't a survivor of Zanado. Her first bet is that Rhea accidentally created a human that was able to have their own consciousness without the need of a Crest stone. She let go of a long sigh. Too many new unanswered questions.
"It'll be in 20 minutes they will wake up and have no memories of us at all. We should make it back to the Capital by then." Arisa muttered as Sothis appeared.
"What happened to the bouquet of flowers the silkies gifted you?" Sothis asked and Arisa moved her cloak bit to show the flowers.
"Don't worry. I still have them. We'll put them in a vase tonight." She said and flew down.
Red Hare landed next to the wagon and walked next to it.
"Hey dad, can we buy some berries for tonight? I want to make some tarts." She said.
Jeralt was silent as he stared at her for a moment and spoke.
"Why did you it kid?" He said and the smile on her face became a frown.
"Because you looked uncomfortable and your guard was up. Dad, I'm not an idiot. I knew you were once a knight because Leonie told me about it." She said and Jeralt let go of a sigh.
"I known...for a very long time..." she mentally thought as her father spoke.
"I swear kids these days...but...you're right. I used to be Knight of Serios. A long time ago..." he muttered.
Now this was very different from the original story of the game. Byleth didn't learn about the Church of Serios and the knights till they entered the Officer's Academy in 1180. The fact that she has managed to have her father admit it and possibly even speak of it, was something new.
"Can I ask why you left?" She said.
Jeralt was silent as her question was asked.
"When you're older, I'll tell you why. For now, when are those idiots going to wake up?" He said, hoping to change the subject.
"In 20 minutes. Don't worry, they never talked to us and we never talked to them. Hehehe! Also, I pickpocket one of them." She giggled mischievously as she held out small purse that rattled with coins.
"Ha! That's my girl! Just...don't pickpocket people." Jeralt chuckled as his daughter pouted at him.
"We should be passing by that small swap meet in an hour. We'll stop for a bit and see what we find." He said and Temes chuckled.
"By the way midget, you owe me. So, how you going to pay up?" Temes grinned to her as Arisa glared playfully.
"How about I make that toffee you love eating?" She said and he nodded.
"Alright. Deal." He said and turned to Jeralt, "Hey Captain, quick question. When was the last time we had that Gautier wine? I have been craving some lately. Since it is our first day at the capital, why don't we throw a small celebration for a successful hunt?" He said.
Jeralt thought for a moment and nodded.
"You know what? I'll take you up on that. I think they may be selling Gautier wine at the swap meet up head so we'll see." He said and Temes and Arisa fist bump.
"Pomegranate Cider here I come!"
"And you need to be put on a limit!"
- With Amir -
CRUSH! THRASH! SPLIT!
Amir came down on all her opponents like they were nothing, but mere rocks easily crushed by her axe. She wielded it so skillfully and when it needed to be thrown, she threw it like a boomerang and then would catch it swiftly. Arisa could not help but sometimes feel she is watching female Thor bring down her war hammer, Mjölnir, on her enemies. Amir panted as she heard a giggle not too far from her. She wasn't the only female that wielded an axe like a war God. She looked over to the small female that cut through the bandits like they were butter. Bright pink haired tied in two pigtails and pink colored eyes that cringed when she spotted a drop of blood on her cute warrior dress with frills.
"Dodge!" Amir yelled to her and threw her axe towards her.
The pink eyes went wide as she saw the axe coming and bent backwards like a gymnast. The girl saw the axe cut clean off the head of a bandit that was coming from behind her. She went back up and nodded to her. The pink haired one was very impressed but also, the tan silver pink haired girl looked like an adorable princess despite she wielded a deadly weapon. She smiled as she skipped up to her.
"That's all of them!" Hana yelled out and turned to the man who had the same colored hair and eyes as the pink haired girl.
"I am so sorry you and your sister had to get involved Lord Holst! I didn't think you would be here also for the bandit raid!" Hana said as she repeatedly bowed to the general.
"It's alright! We were close by anyway and I wanted this to be a training. Besides, I got to meet a beautiful lady like you." General Holst smiled to her.
He was a tall well-built man with groomed pink hair, the sides shaved, and had a small ponytail. He had a pink jeweled earring and wore the armor of an armored knight. He held his Axe in his right hand. Hana just gave him a blank look and Cinder came up, quickly wrapped his hand around her waist.
"Hello General Holst! Thank you for helping my wife!" Cinder smiles to the general while Hana's ears had turned red.
"Dammit...she's taken..." Holst internally cursed and smiled.
Camren was trying not to laugh at the forced smile the general did.
"No worries! I'm glad she is doing well." He said and turned to his see his little sister but frowned when she saw her circling around Amir.
"Aah! You're so cute! I never seen pink silver haired hair and suits your gray eyes! Ooh! I'm so happy to see a fellow lady!" The pink haired girl said excitedly while Amir just backed away a bit uncomfortable.
"Say, are you from Almyra?" The girl asked.
"No. I'm from Duscur." Amir answered.
"Ohh! Speaking of Duscur, that's one of the main reasons big brother and I are here. He wanted to check on these merchants from Duscur that suddenly stopped talking to him." The girl said.
Amir went silent.
"Hilda..." Holst said and the girl glared at him.
"What?! Stay out of my friendship life brother!" She said to him and he looked extremely hurt.
"Right...ummm... honestly that is one of the main reasons this request was put in. We suddenly lost contact with one of the trading ports that belong to merchants from Duscur. Sigh...this just like when the Amaryllis family cut ties with so many all of a sudden. Even now we don't know about them." Holst said as she he let go of a sigh.
Amir stared silently as Hilda put a flower crown on her hair.
"We'll be accompanying you to the port then. We should be getting there in 40 minutes thanks to the horses and wyvern." Camren said.
"Let's go!" Holst order an everyone got on their rides.
Hana got on her horse while the twins on their wyrens. Holst quickly mounted his own with his sister and Amir got on her own horse.
"Kiheheheh..." Puka said and she looked at him worried.
"I know..." she said, and everyone rode off.
- 40 minutes later -
The port was near Edmund territory. Despite the ocean port was filled with boats and ships, the place was filled with a tense air that made Amir almost want to choke. She could see citizens of Duscur avoiding eye contact with her as Holst was in an argument with the woman and man in charge of this port. She could see the fear in their eyes as she listens to the situation. Part of her is glad they haven't recognized her because of the change she has gone through. She looked so much older compared to the 9-year-old girl she was 2 years ago.
"What do you mean you are forced to halt trade?!" Holst said as the Duscur man, who she knows, said fearfully his words.
"Forgive us but we really can't do anything! We cannot disobey our Lord's orders." The man was named Findro and his wife Diana, who could only apologize.
"What are the items being forced to stop trade?" Amir asked suddenly and Diana looked at her confused.
"Mineral imports, spices, salt, wood, metals." Diana said and Amir took a deep breath as she walked up to them, everyone was confused.
"Who ordered the stop of trade?" She said.
"Lord Torode, he is now head of the Amaryllis family." Findro said.
"Only in name." She said bitterly and Holst raised an eyebrow.
"I need to stop running..." Amir hesitated, gritted her teeth and stomped her foot down.
As much as she didn't want her uncle to know she is alive, that didn't stop her from sabotaging him from far away. This was her way of revenge than killing him. That went against her grandmother's teachings if she shed blood.
"Aunt and Uncle! And everyone in this port!" She yelled out, surprising everyone, "You will resume trade and bring me that papers of the numbers and stocks. Bring me the full report of the last 6 months of trade halt!" She yelled out.
"Wait...it can't be..." Findoro and Diana gasped as she glared at them.
"Tell my uncle I'm the only one that has the full authority while he plays pretend King. I, Amir Volgani Amaryllis, hereby declare that trade with Duscur and The Leicester Alliance will resume!" She yelled out.
She pulled her necklace with the Gods Blessing of Timotheos and show it up high!
"I am the true heir and head of the Amaryllis head and fortune, if you need further proof that I survived the Massacre of Red flowers, stand here before me and challenge my authority!" She yelled out.
All this bottled up anger she had towards her Uncle exploded in a way she never thought it would. Everyone could only look in shock till she was hugged by Findro and Diana, the two adults weeping. The reason she called them Aunty and Uncle is because they were once servants that used to work in her home.
"You're alive! I'm so happy! Thank the Goddess of water and God of Shadows!" Diana cried as she hugged the young girl tightly.
"Ohhh! Look at you! You grown! We're just...I can't believe it...we..." Findro wept and she smiled sadly, letting herself cry as she saw her people cheering loudly.
That was how much they respected her, her parents and grandmother. They followed them, not her uncle.
"I'm alive Aunty and Uncle. I can't return to Duscur unfortunately because it isn't safe for me there, but I'll help with what I can as someone that represent us here in Fodlan. My uncle's reign will end because I know the other noble families of Duscur despise him and will execute him. Also, no one here is to say I am alive. Please, for everyone's sake." She said as they nodded and wiped their tears.
"What just happened...?" Hilda said very confused.
- 20 minutes later -
"I see...have the salt shipment resume during the next moon. The waves should be less aggressive and a good time for the fishermen. Have the trade of gems keep count of how many pounds are being brought from Duscur. Next have-" the amount of words and wisdom leaving the girl's lips awed many.
"She really is like her father..." one of the workers smiled as they were helping prepare the ships to head out to the ocean for fishing.
General Holst was highly impressed watching the young girl, who is the same age as his sister, handle trading so easily. The Amaryllis Family was well known in Duscur as the head family of nobles. Especially the former Lord who was a master merchant and well respected. Now, hearing the news that the entire family was wiped out by a relative...brought no good news. The fact that there was at least a survivor, who has been forced to grow up, take control was both sad and amazing.
"Seems I judged too quickly... Holst mentally scoffed at himself.
He thought the girl was another Almyran and was planning to keep his sister away from her. He really feels like shit now and that was rare. The only one that ever made him feel that way was his beloved baby sister because she hated when he would constantly be gushing over her. A sudden idea came to him. What if his family took this girl in? Hilda seems attached to her and she already proved she is an excellent merchant despite the young age. He needs to speak with his father about this first but bringing the offer up to the girl would be good. She is a child after all. Amir finished signing the last document needed to prove of her power and wrote a letter to the Head of Snowdrop family (one of the 5 main noble families) to bring the court case on her Uncle. She looked at the small emerald gem in her hand that held all memories of that night, except how she escaped to outside of Duscur. She finished her entire case report and gave it the messenger who nodded.
"Make sure Lord Kuza gets this." Was all she said, and he nodded as he boarded the ship to Duscur.
"I'm very impressed." Holst walked up to her and Amir just stared at him.
"You're the same age as my sister yet you already know things like this. You're still a child so I have been thinking of maybe perhaps we could-!" He froze when Puka began hissing at him and saw a shadow like humanoid creature come out from her shadow.
"Stop it both of you." She turned to them and the shadow disappeared, and Puku just glared.
Amir knew what he was about to say. She always knew thing a little bit ahead. It was a small gift. After all, the cards of the stars never lie.
"No. I don't want to be adopted. I already have my family. I serve no one else but the one who saved my life." She said coldly to him.
"Trade here in the Alliance will continue. I will be leaving my aunt and uncle in charge of this port. I know I can trust them and the people here. I chose to help you out because I can't stand my uncle who killed my family and refused to see my people suffer because of his foolish decisions. He's a selfish and greedy man. Honestly, it's rare to find nobles with good hearts..." she muttered and unknown to her, Hilda was listening.
"Your little sister...she's a good person. Take care of her. That's all General Holst." Amir said and walked away towards Hana and the Flames twins.
Hilda and her brother stared as the four got on their horses and wyvern and rode away. Hilda frowned and turned to her brother. She was pissed. How dare he scare a fellow possible friend away?!
"I liked her even if she and I didn't get to talk much. You messed up big time brother! Trying to offer her to be taken in by us! Can't you tell she was already happy with the people she was with. Ugh! Stay out of people's business you nosy bug!" She said to him and Holst felt he was stabbed multiple times.
"Hilda..." he wept while many of the people in the port couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the youngest sister bring down her brother.
Hilda pouted and smiled as she looked them ride off.
"I hope we meet again one day Amir."
- Later at Night-
Everyone's mission was a success when they returned to Derdui. As a celebration of their first day, a grand feast was held. Roast Turkey, wine, berries, bread, mashed potatoes, gravy, such a feast worthy of a king.
"Celebration for the first day of success!" Sandy yelled out as they clinked their mugs together.
The adults of course had their mugs filled with wine while the kids had their cups filled with cider. The feast was a fine turkey that Jeralt had bought at the swap meet. Arisa happily ate her turkey leg while Amir and Alexandra ate the wings because they always loved the soft meat. The girls already gave their pets their food.
"So, heard you pickpocketed someone?" Alexandra giggled as she took a sip of her cider.
"Hehehehe! It was a pouch of 20 gold coins and a map! Worth it!" Arisa grinned proudly as she lightly rattled the bag.
"That's enough gold to buy over 40 acres of land." Amir said as she ate a carrot.
"I'm actually hoping that I could use the money to open a field to grow sugar cane for Remire Village. It took two years, but we have successfully grown it! Sugar cane cider here I come!" Arisa cheered loudly.
"You're addicted to cider like Alex is to shaved ice and Amir to berries." The three heard Sothis voice and the goddess appeared before them with a grin.
"We don't deny it!" The three girls said in union and Sothis giggled.
"So, you two," she said to Amir and Alexandra, "how was your girls' job? I'm sure something good happened." Sothis said.
Amir actually smiled and was happy with what she did while Alexandra...
"I don't want to talk about it..." the blue haired said bitterly.
"Did you get in a fight with Claude?" Arisa said and the girl's feather droops.
Sothis looked at her worried and Amir nodded.
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's alright. We'll wait when you're ready." She said and Alexandra smiled.
"Thank you." She said.
"Now," Sothis clapped her hands catching their attention, "While the adults over there get drunk," she jabbed her finger at the adults, Sandy locked in an arm-wrestling match with Hana, "Why don't we go exploring for a bit? Arisa, have that staff/sword of yours ready just in case." Sothis giggled.
The girls grinned to each other and quietly warped themselves out.
[ - ]
Claude was angry, but more towards himself. He called her monster. Their group ended up being ambushed and barely managed to survive. He had been knocked down badly that it caused him to dislocate his shoulder. The girl witnessed this and snapped, going crazy in killing the bandits. Seeing her hair become a sickly blue, her eyes red as her pupils became a strange symbol that looked like a Crest. Alexandra still didn't have full control of her Crest and unfortunately the medicine wore off at a horrible time. She grew to like Claude like a friend during the time they chatted together despite her hostile attitude towards him. He knew she meant no harm. When a sword was about to be brought down on him by a bandit, Alexandra appeared in front of him in a tornado of ice, slicing the head off clean of the bandit. He could never forget the sight of her screaming as she fell to her knees, nearly lunging at him to RIP his throat out. She did manage to grab his neck and almost successfully choked him. That fear and feeling...
"GET AWAY FROM ME MONSTER!"
It was only for a few seconds, but her eyes went wide at him calling her that and quickly let go of him. Her eyes flickering between red and blue. Add that many of the adults there witness Sandy and Fiona struggling to try and calm her down as they held her back. He saw the manifestation of pain in her eyes despite the crazy state she was in. He saw her cry tears. Judith used a sleeping potion to knock her out. The girl fell to the ground cold, almost looking like a corpse.
"I'm sorry..."
Was all the girl managed to mutter before she closed her eyes. After an hour, the girl woke up and was a sobbing mess apologizing to everyone, especially him. While half the adults felt pity for her and said they understood why she became like that because of her past, the other half, looked at her coldly. They spoke nothing and one of them dared to say..
"H-How is this...THING even allowed to roam free?! This girl should be locked up because of the unstable condition she is!"
That resulted in a heavy beating from Judith. Claude could never forget the look of guilt Alexandra had and just completely isolated herself from the group. Edward smiled to him sadly as they were returning.
"Is she…..going to be alright?" He asked the older man.
"I'll be blunt with you Claude. Her mental state isn't completely stable, but it will take time for her to heal. But...the question falls to her. Will she allow herself to heal?" Edward answered.
He had approached the girl gently and had asked her a few questions regarding her powers, hoping to help. Sandy allowed it because he is a friend of Florencio. Claude sighed as he looked out to the ocean, he had snuck out of the manner again. One of his favorite places to view the stars were the ports. Not to mention the amazing view of the ocean at night with the stars. He began to recall how warm she felt despite being partly covered in ice when she saved him earlier today. Another sigh left his lips, he admits, he grew a small crush on the strange girl with little feather wings on her head. But one thing he definitely admitted that friend of hers with the teal brown eyes also caught his interest. When he saw her, he noticed how she froze at the mention of his name. It was barely noticeable, but she felt him staring at him. Not in a hostile way, but more like...she knew him even if they never met before.
"Strange...strange indeed." He muttered.
"And then there was this pink haired girl who kept calling me cute! I am not cute!"
He quickly stood up and hid behind one of the crates. He carefully peaked out and raised an eyebrow as he saw the three girls together.
"Did she have her hair in pigtails, pink colored eyes and used an axe like a war maiden?" He saw the girl named Byleth say as the girls walked to the port and sat down together.
"Yeah. How did you know?" Amir said confused and Arisa groans into her hands.
"Claro...claro...es ella...esto me faltaba..." she muttered in a completely foreign language that he had never heard before.
"Is her name Hilda...?" She muttered and instantly Claude began to strain his hearing because they were talking about his friend.
"Yes. We met her and her older brother in our mission. Apparently, they wanted check on the port near Edmund territory because trade with Duscur has been halted." Amir said bitterly.
"Umm...I don't mean to be rude or anything but...you...didn't do anything crazy right?" Alexandra asked and Amir smiled.
"I sent my uncle to court to be executed." She said.
"WHAT?!" Sothis, Alexandra and Arisa screeched loudly, and Claude felt his ears ringing.
"Yeah. I wrote to the head of the Second Noble family in Duscur. There are 5 main noble families. There's mine, Amaryllis, the second is Snowdrop, the third Hydrangea, fourth Delphinium and fifth Narcissus. And as you can tell, our family names carry the names of flowers. The 5 main family branches oversee different towns and trades around Duscur. But even if they are nobility, they are highly respected because they treat the citizens equally and help the people. My family was mainly in charge of trading silk, spices, and salt. " Amir began to explain.
"Interesting...that explains why Anna was so impressed by your knowledge of a merchant." Arisa said as she propped her elbow on her thigh and rested her chin on the palm of her hand.
"Now that I think about it...this is the first time we've ever heard you talk about your family and the people there. Did...something else happen?" Alexandra asked.
Amir was silent and looked out to the ocean.
" I was held captive in a basement for two months. My uncle demanded I tell him where my grandmother hid the family fortune and secrets of the power said to have lived in the family. He always wanted to become the head of the family. Even if children of noble families did not inherit the blessings of the gods, they were still loved and cared. No one was special. We had a system of equality. As for who becomes the next head family, that is decided through a tournament every 10 years. Like the warrior blood that runs through our veins, with this tournament, it is equally determined by every getting a chance to show their skills. No magic, no weapons, only your brain and your own strength. As for which individual becomes the next head of their own families, that is decided by the Elder, who was my grandmother. My grandmother chose my father, because he displayed his amazing skills as a merchant but also a tactician. He is my uncle's little brother, the 3 oldest of 6 children. My other 3 aunts on my other uncle didn't want to become heads of family and wanted to live out their own lives. My grandmother respected that. My father wanted to open trade to more people around the world and my uncle...he...wanted...power and control over trade. So, like the family tradition, my uncle and father fought. At first my uncle did win but my grandfather discovered that he had drugged my father's drinks before the fight so he would become sluggish. Thus, the title of the family head was taken from him and rightfully given to my father. As for my uncle, he was banished from the family for 10 years." She said.
Everyone looked at her shocked as she smiled sadly.
"I'll tell you guys the rest once I get the news from the head of the Snowdrop family. For now," she made a quick glance to a crate and Claude stiffened, " how about you tell us how it went with you Alex?" Amir said.
"She knows! She knows!" Claude internally screamed and tried calmed down a bit when he saw Alexandra's feathers twitch.
"Well," the girl sighed, "Since you told us about your family, I'll tell you guys what happened." Alexandra said and hugged herself.
"I...went out of... control...the medicine wore off...at worst moment...I nearly...Killed him...I nearly killed...him..." she dug her nails into her skin, trying not to cry.
She could hear Cirina giggling in her mind and speak of the devil, he appears.
Cirina appeared with a frown as she looked down on her.
"My influence huh? Oh, Alexandra dear, that may be true but it was also your fault on one end. You like the boy. You saw him as a friend and what did that cause?" She smiled, showing her fangs as she placed her hand over her chest, "Emotions! Emotions of admiration! Emotions of joy! Oh, oh, silly little child! Seeing him in danger triggered your temporary loss of sanity. I was asleep, but part of my soul is you. Your will is my will and my will is your will. When will you get it straight to your head that you and I are the same person?" She giggled and Sothis glared furiously.
"That's enough! You're only making things worse for her! This child is not you and will never be you!" Sothis said to her.
"Oh, shut it Grandmother!" Cirina yelled back.
"GRANDMOTHER?! HOW DARE YOU! I AM SOTHIS! THE BEGINNING! WHY I OUGHT-" everyone stopped when they heard small "pfft."
They turned Alexandra, who was trying not to laugh at the comment Cirina made to the goddess.
"F-Forgive me...haha! I know this is a serious talk but...ppfftt! I hate to break it to you since Arisa never admits it, but you do act like a grandma." Alexandra giggled uncontrollably.
"Way to throw me under the wagon..." Arisa sent her a playful glare and Sothis looked at all of them horrified.
"Well, back to the subject...I'm going to see Doctor Edward tomorrow. He studies Crestology and I'm hoping he can help me find some information on my crest." Alexandra said.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Amir asked and she nodded.
"Can... Arisa come...? Since...you know? She's a doctor in training" and Amir frowned.
"Before you think something else!" Alexandra quickly said, " I...want you to help me pick a gift... for Claude..." she said a bit shyly and her feathers fluttered a bit fast meaning she was flustered.
Sothis, Arisa and Amir looked at each other and nodded while Cirina had a look of disgust towards her vessel.
"Oooooohhhh~" The three girls all cooed playfully at their friend while Cirina wanted to vomit.
"Its history all over again! Uughhhh! It's like I'm looking at my younger self! I'm out of here!" The woman said and disappeared but not before she stopped for a few seconds as she spotted Claude with red cheeks, and covering his face with his hands, peeking through the cracks of his fingers as he heard the girls teasing Alexandra.
Her face only became enraged at the sight of him. She despised all those who bore the Crest of the man that betrayed her. No... she hated...
"Why must I suffer the consequences of your actions?!" She internally roared.
She will not let her vessel meet the same fate of tragedy as her. To hell with the 11 Elites and their descendants. May they all suffer at the hands of fate!
Chapter 15: Travel Winds Part 2: Encounters: End
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A bit on the confusing side this chapter but before everyone comes after my neck, there are times I do make the chapters become confusing on purpose like this one. The Next chapter we will see the true debut role of Edward and dive deep into Crestology Fodlan Lore. Also, surprised now huh? Amir sudden decision and explaining a bit of her background. I never really did reveal much about her. As the chapters continue, we'll slowly be diving into more Lore and reveal more about Amir's past like we have done with several of our characters. Amir's power of the gods, or should I say Crest, will soon have a major role.
Claude. We'll be seeing his schemer side in the next chapter. Also, a surprise appearance of Hilda and her brother, Holst in this chapter. He is mentioned a lot in the game by her. Too bad we don't know how he looks like unfortunately, so I made a character of him based on the information we have.
Male Byleth: Beleth. I can see all the knives coming at me right now. Quite a surprise huh? I don't think anyone was expecting him to show up and much less have Jeralt speak a bit of the Knight of Serios to Arisa/Byleth. Beleth here is much older than our protagonist. We're one chapter away where I will be showing a... break in, to a certain place.
*cackles*
Flowers meaning in the language of flowers:
Amaryllis: symbolizes achieving success over a long and difficult struggle. It also means radiant beauty and pride.
Snowdrop: symbolizes hope and the beginning of something new. But if given as a gift, it means "I want you to die".
Hydrangea: heartfelt emotion, gratitude for understanding, and apology.
Delphinium: Reaching for your goals and striving to achieve it all, expanding your options and attracting new opportunities (there's like 15 more meanings but I decided to show two of them)
Narcissus / Daffodils symbolizes good wishes, faithfulness and respect.
Why did I choose flowers? Well, it mainly has to do with Dedue's support conversions. One mainly is his conversations with Byleth. He speaks about the flowers of his homeland.