- 2 Days Later: Thursday -
It's been two days since the beastial attack on Fhirdiad and many were still scared another sudden attack would happen. It was confirmed that the attack of beast not just occur in the Kingdom but in The Empire, Alliance and Garreg Mach as well. Mainly the Capital cities of those places. Many of the Lords were in complete shambles at what happened and the jobs for mercenaries has increased as well for the knights. Medics have been going back and forth because of the amount of people that were injured. Thankfully no one lost their lives, but many were still injured. Jeralt, Alexandra and his team of mercenaries were in Enbarr at the times and defended the city as they could. In a village near the Kingdom, Amir had taken down a horde of beast wolves that attacked the village using her Hero's Relic that was forged from her Zoltan Axe. She still held a grudge towards Arisa for hiding from her for 6 damn months 5 years ago. She named it, Mjölnir, because of the black lighting that would burst from it when she stuck it down. Like she had become one with shadows of the storms. It also went perfectly well with her Crest. The villagers thanked her, and she continued towards the capital. Florencio, Emily and surprisingly Cornelia were all working nonstop tending the wounded. As much as Emily hated Cornelia even being present in her clinic, because the old hag was literally banned from even setting a foot in it, they had to work together to tend the wounded. Emily had also reported to the king that by her orders, she had sent Kiana to travel to the villages that were attacked by beast. True, that was a lie and it was her own people tending the villagers.
Emily ripped off her gloves and threw them into the trash can as she flopped down onto a chair and groans into her hands. She was currently in her adult form, which had taken everyone by surprise, but it had to be done. She used a portion of the magic she had reserved away to heal many and especially...
"Umm...Emily? Are you alright?" Oh goddess, it was a blessing to Emily when she heard the familiar sweet and airy voice of an angel near her.
"Mercedes...I'm in agony...tried..." Emily said to her younger cousin, who sat down next to her and had brought her a cup of tea to try and help her relax.
"This isn't exactly the best way for reunion..." Mercedes muttered softly as she handed the cup of tea to the older woman, who smiled sadly at the scent of it, cinnamon and ginger.
"I know...it's been so long but with everything that went down two days ago...sigh..." Emily sighs as she took a sip and felt her body relax a bit.
"How is...Arisa...?" Mercedes asked and Emily froze.
She slowly put down her cup and quickly looked left and right to make sure they were alone.
"You have forbidden anyone from entering her room. Much less, you even put a barrier around it." Mercedes said and Emily sighs.
Unknown to them, Edelgard was listening to the conversation, and was hiding. Originally, she was going to ask Emily if she could do a check up on her but now hearing information on the girl caught her attention more. She no longer wore her wig and even had a chance to speak with her mother in secret. The woman had burst into tears and kept asking her why her hair was white and what happened but Edelgard just said it was the cause of an accident of her trying to make a potion and failed at it. Sure...
"Arisa...is going through a magic shift." She said and Edelgard was confused at this while Mercedes gasped.
"Is she...going to enter a magic coma?!" Mercedes said worried and Emily sighs.
"The possibility is...high...for the goddess's sake...why now?! I had never seen such extreme shift in magic that causes the person to literally scream in agony and almost puke blood! This is because of her Cr-" she quickly stopped herself from saying anymore as she saw Mercedes narrow her eyes.
"Her what? Say it." It was extremely rare for Mercedes's tone to become cold as ice but when it involves family, then it will really show itself.
Edelgard shivered at her tone and gulped as kept listening.
"Just...promise me you will not say one word." Emily said and Mercedes nodded.
"It's...her Crest. It's a bit...special." she said and Mercedes frowns.
"How special are we talking about?" Mercedes said and Emily looked at her seriously.
"Like really special. And if she isn't careful, her body reacts to her overusing its power and is forcing itself to adapt to the changes. Basically, puberty at a whole new level of agony." Emily explains and Mercedes cringed a bit.
"Arisa told me everything that has been happening to her. Especially the agonizing changes she went through these past 5 years. The fact that her body is even still one piece is a miracle." She said.
"You speak of it...reminds me of The Devouring and The Crushing..." Mercedes said as the grip on her cup of tea tighten a bit, her lips shut tightly, and her eyes closed a bit.
Edelgard felt her blood run cold as she heard the names of the two illnesses. She remembers one of her brothers went through them both because he managed to survive the first phase of the Crest Implementation but...his power went out of control and caused serious damage, killing him later on in his sleep.
"What you saw when Arisa attacked that monster was the Crushing taking over her. Mercedes, I'm going to be honest with you. She saw you die. She saw you be killed and used the power of her Crest to change the flow of time and save you." Emily said and Mercedes's looked at her shocked.
"I...died...?" The 17-year-old said and was shaking a bit.
"Originally, you were supposed to die." Emily sighed as she took another sip of her tea, "But, Arisa managed to prevent it... but at the cost of her own sanity at the rate it's going." She said and put her cup down.
Emily stared at the cup, void of any emotions and bit her lip.
"Only Nabateans go through these extreme changes...as our bodies grow to full adulthood over time, hell...I suffered them back then but I managed to avoid it this time because of my fusion process. But...Arisa is human...yet...the blood of Nabateans runs through her veins and it's clashing with her human blood..." Emily thought, and sighs.
She just prays she can help her.
[-]
"Miss Arisa's room?" Funny how Sophia was Emily's assistant in her clinic.
The pink blue haired woman blinked down at the white-haired girl who nodded.
"I want to see Arisa." Edelgard said and Sophia shook her head.
"I'm sorry Lady Edelgard but no one can see her. Believe me, you aren't the first to ask this. His highness, Prince Dimitri along with Lord Chris have come also but even they were denied." Sophia said and Edelgard puffed her cheeks and tried to do a cute face that always broke Chris, her secret weapon, and she could see Sophia cracking.
"W-Well...ummm..." and Edelgard pouted and looked down to the ground, little tears in her eyes "Room 23 in the third floor!" Sophia squealed and made a run for it like if Hel was after her head.
"Victory." Edelgard said smugly as she went to the magic elevator and pressed the button to the third floor.
The girl crossed her arms and let go of a sigh.
"Why am I doing this?" Edelgard said out loud as she waited patiently for the elevator to take her up.
Why was she going to meet this girl when she was just in a chaotic state? The condition she saw her two days ago left a huge imprint on her mind. Once more, the Crest were to blame. It was obvious she shouldn't have heard that conversation Emily was having with the other girl and what's more, the fact that this Arisa was a walking time bomb. Edelgard snapped out of it when she heard the ring of the elevator, showing that she had arrived at the third floor. She stepped out and looked around. The third floor was made especially for patients that were in very serious conditions. Around 23 rooms made especially for such. There were windows to let the sun come in and brown currents that were partly opened. A few shutter windows and a desk where the receptionist sat but thankfully no one was there currently. Edelgard thankfully was small and her brother taught her a strange technique that allowed to not make a single noise when she walks or runs. She walked around for a few minutes and found it.
Room 23: Arisa
Edelgard was silent as she stared at the door and knocked. Silence. Right when she was going to knock again, the door opened, revealing...
"Beautiful..." the words left Edelgard's lips as she stared with wide eyes at the older girl.
Arisa's hair had grown extremely long once more to the point it spilled on the floor beautiful. Now Edelgard understood why Dimitri calls her a forest fairy. She had light brown pale colored hair that faded to a dark teal color, her eyes matched her hair also. Her skin was only just a slight tan but nice. She currently wore a light green hospital gown and the girl wore plain white fluffy slippers. Yet, despite looking like a living fairytale entity, Arisa looked tired, completely worn out. There were bags under her eyes and just looked ready to drop at any moment. Arisa blinked multiple times as she looked at the girl and process what she just said. What Edelgard did not expect was her slamming the door shut in her face then reopening again and slamming it shut.
"Not exactly a good first impression..." Edelgard sweat drops as the door opened again and this time it wasn't slammed shut in her face.
"I am...very sorry!" Arisa bowed to her repeatedly, "I thought you were Emily and took me awhile to process you weren't." Arisa said as she stopped bowing and Edelgard blinked.
"Cough! It is alright. May I come in?" Edelgard asked and Arisa nodded, moving a bit to let her in.
The hospital room looked more like a nice living room. The room was painted in made it look like inside a cabin. There was a fireplace keeping the place warm, a balcony where the patient could walk out for fresh air if they desire. A vase filled with forget-me-knots and a bowl of fresh fruits. Arisa picked up fruit that was the shape of a 5-pointed star and broke it in half, handed her one of the halves.
"It's paopu fruit. Try it." Arisa smiled warmly yet Edelgard stared but politely took the fruit as Arisa sat down on the couch and Edelgard across from her.
"It's nice to meet you. Edelgard correct? Dimitri had talked about you a lot along with Chris." Arisa smiled warmly to her yet Edelgard could help but think her warm smile looked familiar.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Arisa. Yes, I am Edelgard von Hersvel, fourth princess of the Adrestian Empire." Edelgard said as she took a bite of her fruit and could not help letting her eyes go wide at the amazing taste of it.
Arisa chuckled as she took a bite of her own and swallowed.
"Did you want to talk to me about something?" Arisa asked as she picked up her tea and took a sip.
Edelgard was silent as she looked down to her lap. That's right, why did she come here? Why did she want to meet this Arisa? Why did she want to meet the girl that she had only heard from Dimitri and had grown jealous of her without even meeting her till now? At the same time...she understood why Dimitri talked about her so much. She was beautiful. Literally looked like a walking entity from a fairytale yet Edelgard could see the same loneliness her mother's eyes held.
"I...I...what does Dimitri see in you?" Edelgard muttered bitterly and Arisa blinked, and scratched her cheek a bit.
"Believe me, I ask myself the same question." Arisa answered truthfully.
"Seriously?" Edelgard said as she raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well, I'm a mercenary. I understand he may have an attachment to me due me saving his life when he was two years old. Seems I caused quite an impression on him." Arisa said a bit nervously as she placed her cup down on the table and let go of a sigh.
"He calls you a Forest Fairy." Edelgard bluntly said and could not help but burst out laughing at how Red the older girl was turning.
"Okay...that is too much..." Arisa whimpered as she buried her face into her hands.
"Your attitude and personality...you're Kiana aren't you?" Edelgard said and Arisa froze.
"Don't worry Professor, I won't say anything. Even if it has only been one day you taught classes...I...honestly enjoyed it." Edelgard smiled softly, "I...haven't felt like happy like that...in along time. The class felt...like home." She said softly and she meant it.
Edelgard felt happy, safe, like she was home. After everything that has happened, the death of her siblings and the horrific things done to her, she finally had happiness. Arisa felt tears fall and quickly wiped them and before Edelgard knew it, she was being hugged warmly to the older girl's chest.
"You have been through a lot... haven't you?" Arisa muttered softly and Edelgard's eyes widened, not moving.
"There things we cannot say...there things we cannot do...but even in the darkest moments, that glimmer of hope will never leave. Regards how deep we fall to the darkness; someone will always reach out their hand to us. Even if we are alone. Let it out...it's alright to cry. It's alright to be weak. It's alright to be angry. So, let it free." Arisa muttered softly and the first tears fell from Edelgard's eyes.
She cried softly and her voice grew louder as she began wailing loudly. The warmth she felt being held like this, was unlike anything before. Edelgard truly felt loved and cared for, despite only just meeting her, yet...she did not feel like a stranger. The girl had her eyes closed as Arisa's magic shift began again, yet the older girl was not in pain. Arisa closed her eyes and looked up to the ceiling, her pupils becoming the Crest of Flames as she activated her Crest surpassing spell, letting her own magic energy flow into the girl. Edelgard's hair had turned completely brown once more as well as her eyes turned back to their original color. It was strange that a streak of her hair had not turned white, but it could be possible because the girl had so much magical energy in her that she had to release it in some form. Two hours passed and both girls dozed off sleeping together in each other's arms.
[-]
"For the 100th time...I said no!" Emily was doing everything in her power not to strangle the Prince of Blaiddyd as he tried to do puppy dog eyes on her to let him see Arisa.
"Come on Emily! There's nothing wrong with us at visiting her!" Ingrid said and Felix nodded.
"Unfortunately for you!" Emily glared at the group, "She is in no state to see anyone! Unless you all want to witness her in agony, and suffer mood swings, get out!" She roared and not to far away, Cornelia rolled her eyes as she was sipping tea with Florencio, who had his face planted on the table.
"So...how exactly did your niece end up like that?" The woman said as the older man let go of a sigh as he sat up normally.
"My niece has the tendency of overworking herself when it comes to other people and pushes too far at times." He said and Cornelia nodded.
"Would it be alright if I could look at her? Emily won't even let get near the girl's room." She said and Florencio shook his head.
"It's alright. I'm sure Emily has her reasons and I respect them." He sighs and Cornelia hid her frown with her fan.
Just when she was about to speak again, the door to the clinic slammed open, scaring the daylights out of everyone and they saw Chris storm over to Emily along Zander, Gina, Lestia and Glenn, who were trying to stop the prince from doing anything stupid. Hubert was with them also but, where was Edelgard? The prince stopped a few feet from the older woman and glared.
"Where's Edelgard? The last time she was seen was here." He said and Emily blinked.
"I haven't seen Edelgard at all. Is something wrong?" She said and Chris's aura seemed to darken.
"Where...is my...sister...?" He nearly growled.
"Whoa whoa!" Emily backed away, "What's gotten into you?! Look, I get you're worried but this extreme?!" She said and Gina sighs.
"Edelgard has been missing since this morning." Gina said and Emily went "ooooohhhhhh....".
"Okay then. Let's get Sophia quickly." Emily said and called for the pink haired woman, who instantly warped besides her.
"Well hello lady~" Sylvain and Zander cooed and the two instantly got their ears pulled by Ingrid and Lestia.
"Sophia, have you or any of the staff seen Edelgard here?" She asked and Sophia sighs.
"Yes. She went to Lady Arisa's room." She said and instantly Emily bolted to the elevator.
"Relax Chris. I haven't seen you this upset since Lestia broke your glasses." Zander said and Lestia glared at him.
"It was an accident!" The princess said and the elevator rang again but Emily came out of it, cleaning her glasses, she had a warm smile on her face.
"So?" Chris said and Emily chuckled.
"Looks like everything is fine. Edelgard is asleep comfortably in Arisa's arms. Looks like the two talked to each other and misunderstandings were cleared." Emily smiled warmly and Chris let go of a sigh.
"Well, I'm glad to know she is alright. Does that mean we can visit Arisa now?" He said and instantly, Felix, Ingrid and Dimitri looked at her with puppy dog eyes while Sylvain was trying not to laugh.
"No." She said bluntly.
"OH, COME ON!" The childhood trio said and Cornelia along with Florencio shook their heads.
"Cornelia, care to go get a drink with me?" He said and Cornelia nodded.
"I'll join you. We've had...an exhausting week." She said and the two adults left to the tavern in the magic district that thankfully was not damaged.
As much Emily wanted to cuss out everyone in the room, she refrained from doing it because she did not want her image tarnished.
"Then how come Edelgard gets to see her?!" Dimitri said and right when Emily was going to answer...
"Is everything alright?"
Everyone instantly turned as they heard the familiar voice and gawked at the two girls.
"El...?" Chris walked up to them slowly as he saw her hair was brown again and her eyes back to their original color.
"Is something wrong?" Edelgard said he bent down and hugged her tightly.
"Y-Your hair..." He muttered softly and Edelgard finally noticed a stand of her hair was brown.
She quickly turned her head to look at the mirror like metal near the elevator and saw her hair was back to its original color.
"How...?" The girl thought but she didn't care at this moment, her brother was hugging her tightly and holding back tears.
Arisa smiled softly as she watched the exchange but suddenly turned her head when she felt her hand picked up and soft lips on it.
"Well hello there, lovely lady. Is it by the will of the goddess that she has sent a beautiful forest fairy before us?" It was damn Sylvain and Arisa gave him a blank look.
"You're not my type." Was all she said, and Sylvain looked like he got punched in the gut while Ingrid snickered.
"Arisa, you shouldn't be up." Emily said as she walked up to her and the siblings moved out of the way, Chris carried Edelgard in his arms, much to her embarrassment.
"I know. I just came to get some scissors." Arisa replied normally and Emily blinked.
"Why scissors?" The redhead asked and Arisa picked up some of her hair.
"One of the most annoying things of my magic shift is that my hair grows...really...really...really long. I'm literally Rapunzel right now." Arisa said bluntly and Lestia laughed a bit, "So, I came to get scissors to cut it to its original length." She said.
"What?! No!" Both Edelgard and Dimitri yelled out everyone gave them puzzling looks.
The two step siblings looked at each other, shocked and then glared, sparks flying between them.
"Okay..." Emily slowly turned back to her friend, "I'll get my personal hair cutter to cut your hair for you." She said and turned Arisa back, pushing her towards the elevator gently, "Meanwhile, you go back and get some rest. Your magic shift unfortunately has yet to finish. So, expect to be in agony tonight unfortunately." Emily said and Arisa frowns and stopped.
She turned to Emily, looking at her seriously.
"Emily, am I dying?" She said monotonically and the air became cold as ice.
Emily was silent for a moment then spoke as she felt the others staring at her.
"Thankfully you are not. Your body is adapting to the changes in your magic as well as...your Crest." She said and at the mention of Crest, those that had one, stiffened.
Arisa stared at her moment and nodded.
"So, I'm entering that phase, aren't I?" She smiled bitterly.
"No. You still have six more years till it happens but unless you snap, you are still human. Regardless of the changes you're going through because of your Crest." Emily said as she looked at her worried as Arisa picked up a good portion of her hair, sent a bit of magic into her hand, then sliced it off as if it was made of bread.
Everyone gasped as the locks of hair fell to the ground, her hair back to its original mid waist length, yet Arisa had a face void of emotions as she walked to the elevator like nothing and turned to face her.
"It's only a matter of time till I really lose it." Arisa frowned and the elevator door closed, leaving only a cold silence.
Before Emily could even turn, a hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder and she whipped her head, only to be met with Chris's most terrifying smile that reminded her of Macuil when he was pissed.
"So, Emma..." He began slowly, "care to explain to us in detail what the hell is going on with her?" He said cheerfully and Emily was shaking as she backed away.
"All of you..." she took a deep breath and smiled, and every single fiber in everyone went on alert, "GET OUT!"
She literally kicked everyone out the damn clinic.
- The Next Day: Friday -
Despite everything that went down, visitors have been allowed to enter the capital. Waiting at a cafe in the magic district, dressed in his usual white lab coat, but wore a pale purple shirt and black pants with boots, Kuza Grindor Snowdrop sat patiently waiting for his guest to arrive. It was a rainy day, so he understood why they were late, unfortunately. He tapped his fingers as he was looking out the window and heard the ding of the restaurant door. Heading his way, was none other than Amir. The poor girl 16-year-old looked out of breath.
"Sorry! I ended up helping one merchants on the way here. The damn wheel broke." She panted as she sat down across from him and took off her raincoat and hung it on the side of the chair.
"It's alright." Kuza smiled softly.
He was the second oldest child in the Snowdrop family and the advisor of his father, Kuza Hunter Snowdrop. He was given the same name as his father. The 25-year-old smiled softly as he looked at his friend, who had grown much over these past years.
"It's good to see you again. How have you been?" Kuza asked as a waitress brought Amir a chai tea and thanked them.
"I'm doing well. Did you speak with the others regarding the letter my lady sent?" She said and he nodded.
"Those Who Slither in the Dark...we invested and found they had a connection to your... uncle... and the day...your family was...murdered." he said and Amir frowns.
"We're fighting them off but we're also getting those ready. We won't let a tragedy happen. Not again." He said and she nodded.
She looked out the window and sighed.
"Thank you Kuza. Really..." she smiled sadly to him.
"Anything for you Lady Amir." He said.
"Told you not to call me that. We're equals." She said and he chuckled.
He honestly enjoyed teasing her.
[-]
"We're sneaking in. Operation Forest Fairy!" Lestia said excitedly as her, Ingrid, Sylvain, Felix, Edelgard and Dimitri were in the library, planning to break into Emily's clinic.
"Why are we here...?" Poor Hubert, Linhardt and Annette got dragged into it.
"Wait, why is Linhardt here?" Edelgard said as the green haired boy yawned, he was trying to stay awake.
"Because he is Crest Scholar and can probably answer a few questions we have." Lestia said and the said boy blinked.
"You all have questions regarding Crestology? This rare." Linhardt blinked and Sylvain turned to him.
"Yeah...So Linhardt, is it possible for a Crest to make someone suffer magic shifts?" He said and the boy blinked.
"There are records that Crest can cause a shift in the flow of magical energy in a person but that occurs already as they grow up. As we ascended to adulthood. It's painless. A bit like when a girl gets her cycle each month." He said and the females had turned bright red at him saying that.
Sylvain coughed and question how the hell he could say that without turning red.
"Next question." Lestia said quickly, "Can Crest cause someone's hair to grow extremely long?" She said and once more the boy was confused.
"I'm a Crest Scholar. Not a doctor." He said bluntly, "But there are records that they can cause changes. The most common ones would obviously be increased in strength, magic, speed, and such. But on rare occasions, eye color, and hair color change. For example," he turned to Lestia, "The reason you have one brown eye is because you have a Crest that should not be possible to have in Blaiddyd bloodlines. The possibility to get the Crest you have is lower than one percent." He said and Lestia frowns.
"Okay. Now don't say anymore and onto the next question." She said and everyone blinked at her sudden change of tone.
"Alright, final question." Dimitri said as he took a deep breath, yet his voice shook as he asked it, "Can... a Crest kill someone if they overuse it's power too much?" He said and Linhardt frowns.
"Unfortunately, it is possible. That's the other reason why I wanted to take Professor Kiana's medical class because it was also going to touch about Crest and the effect it has on the human body. Sadly, I and Annette are not the required age to take it." He sighs and the girl pouted.
"How old do you have to be to take the class?" Sylvain asked because he was suddenly having an idea.
"At least 12 years old, and I'm only one year younger. I turn 11 next month." He yawns as he fixed the pillow, he brought to sleep on it.
"Besides, if you're planning to enroll, it's too late. The class is already full and it's only for this semester. Professor Kiana is leaving the Kingdom at the end of the Ethereal moon." He yawns as he lays down his head on the pillow.
"What?" Everyone said.
"Yeah. Professor Kiana is a mercenary. She travels around the world helping people. Besides, she's also a Holy Magus. She has duties also like us nobles." He said.
Everyone was silent as they were processing everything that was just told to them till, they heard voices talking near the hallway. The group headed towards the library door and peaked out, seeing a knight talking with a girl with silver pale pink hair, dark tan skin, gray eyes and wore the clothing of a female brigand. On her back, was strapped a strange looking hammer but everyone could see a Crest stone on it. There were also two swords she had strapped on her waist.
"That's a Heroes' Relic!" Linhardt whispered excitedly as everyone stared at the exotic girl.
"Unfortunately, Lady Kiana is away. But you could talk to her master, Lady Emily. Her clinic is in the magic district. Not too far from here." The knight said as he handed Amir back the letter that Arisa sent her with the waxed seal of House Blaiddyd.
"Sigh...thank you very much Sir Knight." Amir sighed as she turned to leave but the knight spoke.
"Out of curiosity, why did Lady Kiana call for you?" He asked and Amir blink.
"She's my friend, fellow mercenary and professor." Amir said and the knight looked at her shocked.
"You're a professor also?" He said and she nodded.
"Yes. My friend asked me to help her teach a group of children. The axe isn't her specialty, so she asked me for help." Amir said and he nodded.
"Very well then. Have a good day." The knight said and Amir waved goodbye as she walked down the hallway, near the library to head to exist but unfortunately was suddenly grabbed by multiple hands and pulled in, the door shut.
"Unhand me!" Amir yelled as she pulled out her two swords and got into position to defend herself.
"Whoa whoa!" Everyone backed away and Hubert and Sylvain instantly got in front of the children to defend them.
Amir gasped as she saw it literally was children that pulled her, she let's go of a sigh, sheathing her swords, and glares at them.
"What on earth is your problem kids?! I nearly sliced you all in half of it wasn't for me able to quickly notice it was a bunch of kids!" Amir hissed angrily as she crossed her arms.
"Umm...we overheard your conversation and you know Professor Kiana?" Ingrid said shyly and flinched at Amir's glare.
"I do. Is my friend alright?" She said and they were about to answer her, but Amir put her hand up.
"Wait, I can just call her." She said and everyone screeched when the fluffy part of her clothing suddenly came off and landing on Linhardt's chest, was Puka.
"Kiheheheh!" The fox laughed happily as it got off him and purred as she petted him as she took out a glass square, sending a bit of magic into it.
"Hello?" A voice answered from it as Amir put it near her ear.
"Hey, It's me. Where ya at?" Amir said casually while everyone was staring at the magic tool she was using.
"Oh Amir. You're here already?" They could hear Arisa's voice from the other side.
"Yeah. Met up with a friend. Also, the rain is just terrible. It's been awhile since I see a downpour this bad. Anyway, one of the knights told me you're in a clinic. What happened?" Amir said as she opened the library door and walked out with Puka, shutting it in the group's face.
"Did she just walk out on us?" Hubert said shocked and everyone quickly scrambled after.
Meanwhile:
Thankfully it stopped raining and the sun was coming out.
"Are you kidding me?!" Amir said as she walked out the palace gate and the knights gave her a nod of approval since she did speak to them beforehand, "ughhhh?! I swear you and your mood swings." She groans as she walked through the street, getting a couple stares from people.
"Hey, it's not my fault I'm going through puberty at a whole new level of agony." Arisa said back as Amir sat down on a bench and crossed her legs, and leaned back a bit as Arisa continued, " You have seen how fucken long my hair grows each damn time! Sothis say it looks cute, I say it's a damn struggle to brush and keep clean!" Only with Amir, Alexandra and surprisingly Chris, Arisa actually let's lose and speak away with the mouth of a sailor.
Unknown to Amir, the children had followers her all the way to the park and were trying to listen to the conversation. Hubert wasn't exactly happen hearing the amount of profanities the girls were saying and Sylvain was just trying not to burst out laughing.
"Look," Amir sighs, "I get you're in agony but maybe relax a bit. You're too tense again. Once I get to the clinic and speak to this Emily and show the letter you sent me, how about I make you some of Duscur's Rooibos tea?" She said as she took out a small tin can from her bag that had a green top cover, "I know how much you love tea and I bought a good variety set from my trip back home." Amir smiled warmly as she it back into her bag.
"By the way, who are the kids you said I am teaching to wield an axe properly?" Amir said as she leaned back.
"Well, I need you to help me with three girls. Their names are Edelgard, Annette and Lestia." Arisa said and Amir blinked.
"So, Princess of Blaiddyd, Princess of Hresvelg and Duchess of Dominic? Got it." Amir said.
"I really am sorry about this." Arisa sighs and Amir chuckled.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, my journey doesn't end till January so I'm fine. Besides, I've found some rare gems for that jewel magic you taught me. Also, Anna is here in the Kingdom and I met up with uncle a while ago. So... Miss Kiana Kalsana, care to explain why you are going with that name?" Amir said as she stood up and picked up her bag to walk towards the clinic.
Meanwhile, Hubert, Annette and Linhardt were barely processing what they heard and quickly followed her, thanks to Hubert's spell.
"Shhhhh! What if someone hears you?!" Arisa hissed and Amir sighs.
"Alright, alright." Amir waved her hand lazily in the air, "But uncle explained to me everything, so I won't scold you. Anyhow, a little birdie told me you have a crush?" Amir giggled coyly.
"Ooh! Tea, tea!" Lestia giggled excitedly.
"WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU THAT?!" Arisa yelled put and Amir just had a blank face as she kept walking.
"Cirina." Amir admitted and everyone else was wondering who this Cirina was.
"Also, Alexandra misses you. Come by to visit at the village when you get the chance." She said and Sylvain twitched.
"Right right." Arisa sighs, "But seriously...? Cirina is here...?" Arisa muttered as Amir grabbed an apple from a stan and gave the vendor a copper coin to pay.
"Did you forget Cirina can travel freely compared to Sothis?" Amir said as she took a bite out of the fruit.
"And clearly the girl has not learned her lesson!" Sothis yelled out but only Arisa and Amir could only hear her.
"Anyhow, your little crush? Who is it? Spill the tea!" Amir snickered.
"So, I actually sorted my feelings out with this person, and I realized the feelings I have towards him are like a brother." Arisa said.
"Well that's a letdown." Amir sighs as she now stood in front of a clinic and hung up her 'phone' and entered.
As she did, the door closed, and unfortunately everyone snuck in. Amir went up to the receptionist and spoke to Sophia, who was in charge.
"Hello, I'm here to see Lady Kiana." Amir said as she handed her the letter and Sophia nodded.
"Room 23 on the third floor. Only those with that letter can enter." She said and Amir nodded.
She left towards the elevator and pressed the button to the third floor, what she did not expect was that the damn door suddenly forcefully opened then closed.
"What the?!" She yelled out and made her hand glow, forcefully undoing Hubert's spell.
"Anti-magic?!" Hubert was shocked as Amir glared at everyone who shrunk away.
"Okay, what you all are doing here? Did you all follow me?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
She wasn't exactly happy someone followed her, much less that there are literally two older ones with them.
"Ummm...Amir, correct?" Dimitri said shyly and Amir's eyes softened a bit, "We have been wanting to see Arisa for a while since she was seriously injured but Emily won't allow us." He said sadly and looked down.
Amir sighs as she patted his head.
"You, redhead and black haired one." She turned to Hubert and Sylvain, "Reactivate that spell again." Was all she said, and they understood.
The elevator door opened and there at the receptionist desk was Emily, who was filling out paperwork. The now back to 15-year-old appearance girl looked up and saw Amir walk up with a letter.
"Hello. Are you Emily? Arisa told me to show you this letter. I'm Amir but the way. I'm a friend of hers." She smiled kindly.
"Wait...now I remember. You're the other girl that helped saved Alexandra correct?" Emily said and Amir blinked.
"Wait...how do you know about?" Amir said a bit lowly.
"Relax." Emily sighed, "I hold a grudge against that woman also. Anyhow, nice to meet you." The two shook hands, "Arisa is down the hallway and then a turn to the left. Mercedes is in there by the way." She said and Amir smiled.
"Alright, thank you." Amir said and began to walk down the hallway till Emily spoke.
"Wait." She said and the girl blinked, "Did you see a group of kids outside the clinic? They been trying to sneak in." She said and Amir shook her head.
"Not that I know of. The only group of kids I saw were trying to get away from their mother's wrath near the bookstore." Amir joked and Emily couldn't help but chuckle.
"Alright then. Thank you." Emily giggled and with that, Amir was on her way.
[-]
"Hmmm~ hmmm ~" with a brush in her hands, and a warm smile on her face, Mercedes hummed a soft tune as she brushed Arisa's hair gently in her hands.
It had grown again but thankfully not so long, but to her ankles. Arisa had her back turned towards her as she sat on her bed, reading the prototype book of the 5th Fire Emblem book. Her publisher, a nice older man, sent it to her to make sure everything was right. Arisa had circled a couple errors and wrote down to fix them. She was halfway through the book. Mercedes couldn't help but read a bit as she continued to brush her friend's hair.
"Already planning to publish another book?" Mercedes said as she put the brush down and picked up a comb, "I didn't know you had to do so much work." She said as she continued to brush.
"Truthfully, it's a pain at times but it's worth it once the finished product is done." Arisa smiled warmly as she turned the page.
"That is true. I bought the first 4 books of your series. I really enjoy reading them. Not to also mention that ghost story book you wrote!" Mercedes said happily while Arisa chuckled a bit unsure of herself.
"Glad you like it." Arisa smiled and the two heard a knock on the door.
"Come in." Arisa said and the door opened, revealing Amir, who gasped at the sight of her.
Mercedes noticed she had left the door open a bit longer than usual then closed it. At that moment, Hubert undid his spell and the kids revealed themselves.
"Arisa!" They all said happily, and Arisa fell off her chair, shocked and in horror, but joy at the same time.
Mercedes giggled as Arisa scrambled up quickly, slammed the book into the drawer and closed it shut.
"W-Wha?! What are you all doing here?!" Arisa said shocked and Amir shrugs.
"They wouldn't shut up about seeing you so helped them sneak in." Amir said and Mercedes was a giggling mess.
"So, your real name is Arisa, not Kiana?" Linhardt said and Arisa looked ready to faint once she noticed him and Annette were with the group.
Thankfully Ashe and Dwyer, were not. The forest haired girl sighed as she finally recovered and sat back down on her bed, but not before looking at everyone.
"Yes...my real name is Arisa Byleth. Some of you know me better as the daughter of….you know what? Never mind. Just call Byleth or Arisa or Professor. Whichever one is fine. However, in public, and during class, Professor is a must. Understood?" She sighed and they nodded.
Linhardt walked up to her and stared for a bit before he spoke.
"Very interesting. You may be our Professor, but the others were asking me questions regarding your crest." Linhardt said, ``What Crest do you have?" He asked and Arisa was silent.
"I have a major Crest of Serios." Arisa lied and saw Edelgard blinking rapidly at her answer.
"Are you sure about that?" Linhardt said and he flinched when her eyes darken.
"Linhardt, I don't exactly like speaking about my Crest. Please drop the subject. That topic will be brought to attention next month in the next lesson." She sighed and patted his head.
"I hope you and Caspar are getting along." She smiled softly the boy had a small tint of pink on his cheek.
Edelgard and Dimitri saw it and weren't exactly happy. Meanwhile, Lestia was taking down notes for gossip to spill to Hilda when she writes to her later.
"Changing the subject," a rarity to hear Sylvain talk, " how are you feeling Professor?" Milagro (miracle!), someone finally asked other than Mercedes and Amir.
Arisa sighed as Mercedes finished brushing her hair and tied it for her in a high ponytail like usual. She picked up the mirror and stared at it for a bit, once more, her eyes flickered but very faintly this time.
"Honestly, not so good. I should be better tomorrow. I'll make it up to you all by having a seminar." She smiled and Annette looked at her worried.
"But your health." Annette said worried and Arisa gave them a closed eye smile.
"Don't worry about, " Arisa waved her hand playfully, " this is just a scratch. I'll heal quickly." She kept smiling and the others were still worried.
"Changing the subject," she said, "Did you all do your homework? I hope so." She grinned playfully.
Amir could not help but smile softly as she sat down next to Mercedes. It has been awhile since she has seen her friend look so happy. Maybe that was what was missing in her life. She placed her axe down and let's go of a sigh she watched Arisa talking to the children and noticed Sylvain walk up to her.
"Hey, can I talk to you alone for a bit?" Sylvain said and Amir raised an eyebrow.
She made quick look to Mercedes who was serving tea to everyone and then back him, giving him a nod.
"Let's talk outside." He smiled at her and followed him.
[-]
"What did you want to talk about?" Amir said as the two were outside Arisa's room.
Sylvain gave her a closed eye smile as he spoke.
"Alexandra Xiang von Aubin." He said and Amir narrowed her eyes, her hand going on her thigh, ready to take out her knife, "Is she safe? Is my friend happy?" He smiled sadly and Amir blinked, confused.
"Pardon? You know her?" Amir said and Sylvain gave her a nervous smile.
"She and I used to be engaged before the fire 7 years ago. Emily...hid the fact she was alive for her safety." He said and Amir let go of a sigh as she reached out into her pocket and took out a picture and handed it to him.
Sylvain was confused as he took it and stared at the picture that had Amir, Arisa, Mercedes and...a young girl who had a smug grin, deep blue hair tied in Chinese buns, little strange feathers on her head and wore a dark blue dress. Her eyes were azure blue that faded to a crimson red. Behind the group of four, was Red Hare, Feh on his head, and a black scaled wyvern behind them, on his head, was the fox that was asleep on Mercedes's lap.
"That's Alexandra." She pointed to the blue haired girl, "When we saved her, she went through a magic shift just like Arisa. It changed her appearance. She's doing well. She's much happier." Amir said as Sylvain stared at the picture with wide eyes.
That was Alexandra?! She looked completely different. She looks more like her father than her mother, which was a good thing. But seriously, what are those feather things on her head?
"You look like you want to say something." Amir said as he handed her back the picture.
"She...she...I'm just shocked by how beautiful she is." Sylvain said as he backed away from Amir as he saw her eyes darken.
"I don't recall allowing you to say that. But seriously, back off. I don't give a damn if you have a Crest, are a noble or God. My friends no one goes near them or even tries to make moves on them that will later hurt them." Amir growled and Sylvain narrowed his eyes.
"What if I want to see her? Everyone else inside that room thinks she is dead except a selected few. I want to meet her again and see how much she really has changed." Sylvain said and Amir stood her ground since she was a lot taller than him.
"Funny." Amir narrowed her as she now stood looking down at him with her gray eyes, and leaned down a bit, catching him completely off guard when she placed her index finger under his chin and lightly lifted it, their noses barely touching as she looked into his own eyes with a sly smirk, "I don't recall a little pest being allowed permission to see my friend. Sorry little boy. Maybe when you grow up more, and can wield a bow, you can see her. Besides, " she whispered in his ear, "you're still a newbie in the game of seduction." She said sweetly and leaned back up with her happy smile as she walked back into Arisa's room.
Sylvain Jose Gautier just got beaten in his own game and was a walking teapot.
- 1 month later: October: Wyvern Moon -
The rest of September passed by like a blur. Arisa was finally fully recovered and had returned to her daily schedule of teaching along with Amir helping her. Now, much to the absolute horror of all the children (poor Linhardt got dragged into the class too) Amir's training dead ass reminded everyone (except Mercedes and Arisa) of the military. She worked them hard just like when she worked down Claude. Arisa was a bit more on the gentle side but still strict. Annette, Lestia and Edelgard felt they were sparring against a demon, but everyone noticed the change the three girls went through. Their strength and hold out greatly increased as well as their use of magic and could cast stronger spells. What's more, Amir taught them her own technique of sending magic into their weapons to create a powerful blow. Arisa's own lessons were drilled into them. Cornelia has tried to speak to "Kiana", but it was simple things like teatime. No matter how much she tried to get information out of the girl, she had no success. Arisa was being way too careful because she felt something wasn't right. Once more, the changes she went through, her sight had greatly improved, once more her magic increased, her spells have improved, she grew taller and more. She didn't know if these changes were a positive or negative thing. Currently, Amir was sparring with the three girls again while Arisa was busy training Ashe and Ingrid in firing powerful bow shots. The others were sparring with each other. Arisa was wearing her disguise once more.
"Gah!" Edelgard screeched as she was knocked back by Amir, who easily blocked her attack.
The Duscur girl threw her training axe in the air and spun it, then caught it swiftly as she saw Annette and Lestia panting, completely out of breath.
"You girls are improving but you still lack many things. But, at the speed you three are going, you may actually catch up to my level one day." Amir said as she twirled the train axe with one hand.
Anette and Edelgard grinned at each other happily while Lestia, was frustrated and pissed.
"Improvement...? I feel haven't improved at all! Literally the only one that can't do that magic channeling things is me!" The princess internally raged as her grip on her training axe tightened.
Amir stared for a moment and suddenly sat down and sighs.
"How about we all take a break?" She said and Arisa turned to her and nodded.
"Alright everyone." She clapped her hands and Amir chuckled as everyone else had confused faces, "I'll go make us some iced tea. In the meantime, take a break." She smiled and Dimitri raised his hand.
"Can I help you?" He said just a tad bit to cheerfully.
"Of course!" Arisa smiled as the two began to walk towards the kitchen.
Edelgard pouted and Amir could not help but chuckle at how cute she looked.
"How I about tell you all a story?" She said and Ingrid and Ashe had their eyes sparking, "This story is a bit different than the ones Kiana usually tells. This is a legend passed down in my family. Crest aren't very known about in Duscur," she said and suddenly Linhardt looked very interested, "But they say that Crest were powers that once belonged to dragons that descended from the heavens by the Gods and Goddess. The story begins with that the Sky God and Earth God had an argument, creating Duscur." Amir began and everyone was confused at this.
"More details." Sylvain said.
"Hey, even I get confused at it. Not my fault history made legends complicated. " Amir sighs and continues, "Anyhow, the legend passed down within my family is a bit different. A long time ago, the water goddess came down to the earth to bring life. Where there is water, it is possible for life to emerge. The goddess wept as she saw how dry and barren the fresh new land was and offered to use her power to bring life to the land. The Sky God and Earth God agreed and allowed the Water Goddess to do as she wished. With great joy, the goddess came down to earth." Amir said as she touched the ground, making a doll size of a female rise and dance happily.
"What spell is that?" Hubert asked, very interested in it.
"Oh this?" Amir said, "My Crest allows me to control the shadows and bend them at my will." She said and everyone stared at the mini human faceless female that danced happily.
"Back to what I was saying," Amir said, "The water goddess brought down rain to the land for months. Yet, no plants grew." Amir said as she made the girl cry.
While Amir was telling the legend of her family, Arisa was with Dimitri in the kitchen.
[-]
It was... honestly and awkward silence. The main reason is because the two hadn't actually had a proper talk since last month when Lestia pulled that prank on both of them. The most the two had talked was during class lessons when Arisa would help answer any questions he had, or when it was during training. But to talk to him...
"This is...awkward..." Arisa sweat drops as she was cutting oranges and had oolong tea steeping in cold water.
Dimitri was silent as she had the boy sit down on a chair at the table. The prince honestly couldn't stand the silence and for some reason, Sylvian's strange advice came to him.
"If there is an awkward silence between a girl and you, why not start off with a simple chat? What does she like? Or tell her about yourself. Heck, maybe try to seduce her?"
That last sentence he will completely ignore.
"Cough!" Dimitri coughed and Arisa turned to him a bit, "Um...I want to apologize." Well that went down the drain fast.
"What?" Arisa blinked as she turned to him, "Why are you suddenly apologizing?" She said confused as she set down the knife and sat across from him.
Dimitri sighed and spoke.
"I never did properly apologize to you after that prank my sister pulled on us. I didn't know how to approach you after that and kept avoiding you on purpose. I didn't know what to say to you. But...I think I have a few things clearer now." He said and Arisa smiled softly.
"I know how you feel." She said, "I guess you could say I was in the same case. It felt a bit awkward to talk to you after all that. The only way I was able to approach you as your professor. Also..." she smiled sadly, "I should be apologizing to you also. And I am. I never thought you would remember me after all these years. You were just barely 2 years old when I met you. And...when I..." guilt was something she still felt after all these years when she erased their memories.
How foolish she was back then. Letting fear control her judgment.
"I was... just so overwhelmed that you remembered me. I shouldn't have had that reaction." Arisa sighs and Dimitri gave her a small smile.
"It is alright. You weren't expecting it all. But...even if my memory was a blur, there was something that kept me remembering you." He smiled a bit nervously as he brought up his hand and point his pinky out, " Our promise that we would meet each other again." He smiled warmly and Arisa felt her ears turn red for some reason.
"Yeah...even after all these years...even I still remember it." She smiled warmly as she brought her hand up and stuck her pinky, "And...that promise wasn't broken. We've met again." She said and he nodded.
"Can I call you Arisa...? When...it's just the two of us of course." He said a bit shyly and girl chuckled and nodded.
"Alright. You can call me by my real name when we're alone. But also...promise me this Dimitri." She said seriously and he blinked, confused, "Even if there is a day I were to disappear and many think I am dead, promise me, you will find me." She said and the boy was confused.
"I do not understand." He said, "But I give you my word. Even if others think you are gone, I will continue to believe you will come back. No...I know you will come back." He said and she smiled warmly.
"Thank you." Was all Arisa said and Dimitri nodded.
"If it be alright...can you make a promise to me as well?" He asked and Arisa nodded.
"Thank you. Then...if there ever comes the day I begin to stray from the right path, I trust you to set me right." He said but those words held much more meaning to Arisa when he said them.
It was something she had never expected him to say so early on his age. His words made her chest ache. It made her head hurt. It made her soul...no...her soul began weeping for some reason. She was trying to hold back tears as an image flashed through her eyes. It was a blur, but she could hear someone wailing. Arisa took a deep breath and nodded to him.
"I will. I promise. But not just you Dimitri..." Arisa said and the boy was confused, "I promise, if any of you head down the wrong path, I will do what I can, to bring you all back. Because...I want you all to have a happy ending." She smiled sadly as she held her hands together.
"A happy ending? I don't understand." Dimitri said confused and Arisa shook her head and smiled sadly to him.
"When you're older, you'll understand." She patted his head and he looked at worried, "For now, why don't we finish making my famous fruit tea and meet the others? I'm sure Amir is done with her story and I have some ghost stories of my own." Arisa chuckled and Dimitri could not help but laugh with her.
[-]
Unknown to the two kids, there was someone who was listening to their conversation. Thankfully not the part where Dimitri calls her by her real name. Lady Patricia was silent as she heard the conversation between the two. She had never had a chance to speak to the girl individually since she is busy with paperwork these days. She continued to watch silently as the two were making tea together. Kiana treated her stepson, her daughter and all the children with kindness and gentleness, like how a mother treats her own child. She didn't judge them and was patient with them. Her daughters loved talking about her and their class so much. She admitted, it was a bit hilarious when she found out that Edelgard and Lestia had become rivals when it comes to dancing. Lady Patricia at times would silently watch the dance lessons Kiana would give to the girls. She admits, this ballet looks very difficult, but it was still beautiful and graceful dance.
"Professor, if it's alright, could you teach me how to sew?" Dimitri's voice made her snap out of her thoughts and returned to listen.
"Of course. I be glad too. Would during the afternoon be alright?" Arisa said as she poured the tea into wooden cups.
"It's perfectly fine." Dimitri smiled but frowned a bit.
"What's wrong?" Arisa said as she finished.
"Is it true...once your contract is over, you're leaving Fhirdiad?" He asked and Arisa was silent as she smiled sadly to him.
"I am. I'm going to travel to the Empire for a while before I return home." She said and Dimitri hands clenched his shirt tightly.
"Will you...come back one day?" He said.
He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay. To live here in Fhirdiad with him and everyone else. His chest ached when she said. Arisa smiled sadly as she knelt and held his hands.
"Though I am gone, just ash in the wind, one life surrenders so yours may begin." Arisa sung softly as he looked at her shocked, "Courage my little prince. This is your song. I am the earth; I will never be gone." She said and he chuckled lightly.
"You changed the lyrics." He chuckled and Arisa smiled to him softly.
"I did. But...if there ever is a day you come to the forest near Garreg Mach and are lost in the woods, remember this song." Arisa smiled softly to him.
Come little lion cub, follow the sound of the river to meet your way.
The river smells of the sea. Follow the river of stones of blue, that shine like the morning dew.
Come little deer don't be shy, follow the little lion cub down the path of light. Down the river with stones of blue, you shall find the moon in the sea of green.
The sea of green, the trees sing. They sing and weep, protecting thee. Come little eagle, lost in the sky. Follow the little deer and lion cub down the road of light.
Little three creatures follow the road of light, lit by the moon's warm moonlight. Follow the path and you shall see, the flowers of rainbow near thy.
Keep on going you're almost there. To the home of the forest fairy and her fae. Come my little children I'm here to say, I welcome thee to my village to protect they.
The forest fairy protects all. She who extends her hand to all. She will hold the little lion warmly. She will trust the little deer and reach out her hand to little eagle.
Follow the moonlight path once more, the forest fairy welcomes all. For she has found her precious love once more. Our she reaches out her hand to all, for she guides her loved ones through the soul.
Arisa finished singing and Dimitri looked at her stun.
"Did you make up that song?" He chuckled and Arisa pouted.
"Yes, I did. Edelgard told me you called me a forest fairy?" She smiled and Dimitri became a tea pot once more.
"I-I-I!" He was a stuttering mess and Arisa giggled as she stood back up.
"It's alright! I don't mind if you call me that. Then if I'm a forest fairy, you're the little lion cub she protects and Edelgard is the little eagle. That makes Claude the little deer." She giggled and Dimitri had a confused face.
"Wait! Why is Claude included?!" He said and Arisa burst out laughing as she picked up the tray with cups and Dimitri the tray of snacks, "Because all of you are my students." Arisa answered and Dimitri pouted as they walked out the other door.
The queen was silent as they left and could not help but smile warmly as she began walking once more. It was rare for her to see her children so happy, so excited. To be honest, she was at first hesitant at this stranger but seeing how things have been this month.
"Lady Patricia, are you alright?" The voice of a maid made her snap out of it and she smiled kindly.
"I am alright. Also, please inform Lady Kiana that I invite her to have tea with me tomorrow in the afternoon." She said and left towards her room to sew.
"Hmm...the way Dimitri and Edelgard look at her...I think I may have found my future daughter in law."
- The Next Day -
"So, you told them about the legend about your Crest?" Arisa said as her and Amir were at the usual cafe in the magic district that they love going to.
"Yeah. Lestia looked a bit happier since she looked ready to snap yesterday. But honestly, I was surprised to see Linhardt not fall asleep. The legends of Duscur are a bit different than those here in Fodlan but the goddess is mentioned there. At times, we pray to the goddess of Fodlan." Amir said as she took a sip of her tea.
"I know that but...I'm surprised about the legend of dragons in your land." She said and Amir sighed.
"Legends and myths about dragons and Gods have existed for thousands of years. It's not uncommon to find them all over the world. For me...the legend of the water goddess and the shadow god are important. Because the two blessed my family and I'm the last living descendent to carry that bloodline. Honestly, the subject of marriage has been brought up to me by a few citizens of Duscur." Amir sighs and Arisa held back a chock.
"O-Oh." She said, "D-Do you have someone in mind?" She asked and Amir sighed once more.
"No. It's too damn early for the idea of marriage to be brought to me. Yeah, I'm at age but I'm not ready. Thankfully the tradition is that we're can marry whoever we desire as long as they are respectful to me and I respect them." Amir said and Arisa nodded.
"And what about you?" The girl said and Arisa avoid eye contact, "I'm not an idiot Arisa. I see the way Dimitri looks at you. You noticed it too. That boy hasn't realized it thankfully but the feelings he has towards you are turning to more than just a crush." Amir said and Arisa gulped.
She wasn't stupid. She wasn't blind. Arisa knew that Dimitri was growing. His feelings for her were turning into something more. She kept asking herself what the hell did she do to make him feel the way he does? Did her saving his life have so much of an effect? Better yet, how much is this going to affect the future than what has already been set? The older girl looked down to her cup of milk tea and stared at it, her own reflection looking back at her. Surprisingly, Sothis had been silent and it felt... haunting.
"I-I don't know...what to do...?" Arisa could barely say, "I know...his feelings towards me will...eventually become something more...but to be honest...I'm afraid." She confessed and Amir nodded.
"I never actually...been in love. I was in a relationship a long time ago (Amir: What?! When?!) But...unfortunately he passed away before our six-month anniversary. Yes, I was devastated but I eventually realized the feelings I had for him weren't love. But now...sigh..." she closed her eyes and looked out the window, a solemn look came over her face, "I just don't have any experience in actually falling in love or how I'm going to react if someone actually confesses to me. I just wouldn't know what to do." Arisa said and Amir let go of a sigh.
"Believe me my friend, I understand how you feel. But...can you be honest with me?" Amir said and Arisa looked up to her, "Why are you so afraid? I know both you and Alexandra are very different from us. Especially since you both..." Amir just let go of a long sigh once more, " Why are you afraid of that difference in you?" She said.
Thankfully they were alone in a corner and out of ear shot.
"Amir...Six more years...I will no longer be human..." Arisa gave her a sad closed eyed smile, filled with nothing but pain, "I...will live...far much longer...than anyone...when I turn 21...I will stop ageing. I..." Amir put her hand up, surprising her.
"I understand." Amir said, "Even so, will you let that fear control you my friend? Will you let your own humanity go away without a fight?" Amir said and Arisa shook her head.
"I don't want to lose my humanity. I just want to remain me." She said and Amir pointed at her with her smirk.
"There you have it. That is your answer. Remain who you are, regardless how much your body changes." Amir smiled to her warmly and Arisa literally stood up and hugged her.
"What did I do to deserve someone like you?! Uuuhhhhhhh!" Arisa wept and Amir laughed a bit nervously because people were looking their way.
"Ari, my shirt!" Amir said and she let go of her.
"Sorry." Arisa said as she wiped a tear from her eye and Amir shook her head, grinning.
"It's alright. Besides, if you do ever get married to the little prince or the little princess eagle, I know I'm going to have cute nieces and nephews." Amir teased and Arisa looked like a cat that fell into the bathtub.
[-]
"Now, careful with the needle. We don't want to prick our fingers." With the day going by and now the afternoon, Dimitri and Arisa sat quietly in his room as she was teaching him how to sew.
Dimitri pouted once more as he saw he bent another needle with his hand and Arisa could not help but chuckle a bit.
"This is the 4th one I bent..." delicate and fragile works were not his specialty, they were more of his older brother's and sister's.
"It's alright Dimitri." Arisa smiled softly as he handed her the bent needle, "We'll just try again." She said, "But out of curiosity, why haven't you asked Chris, Lestia or even your mother to teach you? I seen your mother's sewing work. It's very beautiful." Arisa said as she was preparing the needle and thread again.
Dimitri sighed as he looked at her hands, then her, and to his lap.
"Chris has been busy lately with Zander and Glenn because of their knight duties. They'll be leaving back to Fraldarius Territory tomorrow for training. Felix and Dwyer are going back also. I feel bad for them because they want to keep coming to class." He explains and Arisa smiled sadly, "Lestia and Edelgard have been practicing non-stop at the new dance lessons you showed them. They even brought Annette and Mercedes with them to the lessons." He chuckled, remembering Mercie trying to calm down the two younger girls.
"Surprisingly, Linhardt, Hubert and Sylvain have been studying reason magic together. But Sylvain has to return home." He said and Arisa frowned, remembering Miklan.
She wonders how that son of a bitch is doing and would gladly tear him to pieces again.
"It's the same with Ingrid and Ashe also. They have been training together using the lance and bow. They have improved a lot thanks to you." He smiled to her and she nodded.
"Lastly...thank you for putting up with me even though I snapped too many lances and swords in half. Also, for stopping me from nearly lunging at Cassandra when she confused me as a maiden." He said and Arisa could not help but giggle at the memory.
It took place about a week ago. Catherine had come by at the palace to speak to King Lambert regarding bandit sightings near her home. Before she went to see him, she had decided to pass by the knights training grounds and happened to see Arisa giving instructions to who she thought was young maiden wielding a lance.
"Look at that young maiden wielding that giant lance! How adorable!"
Arisa remembers their support conversation from the game but to see actually the moment when it happened and how furious Dimitri was, the girl could not help but burst out laughing at that moment and held Dimitri back, barely.
"Pfft!" Arisa turning into a giggling mess again as the memory came back and Dimitri pouted, looking like a hurt puppy.
"Arisa, you wound me!" He said and she could barely breathe because she was now laughing hard, holding her stomach.
"S-Sorry! Haha! I..haha... couldn't help it!" Arisa said as she was recovering and wiped a tear as she patted his head.
"Let's get back to the s-!" Unfortunately, the sweet moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in." Dimitri said and the door opened, revealing a butler, who bowed politely to them.
"Forgive me for interrupting your sewing lessons Your Highness and Lady Kiana, but I have come to deliver a message to you." He said and the other two looked to each other for a moment then back to the butler.
"Lady Kiana, Queen Patricia has invited you to have tea with her in an hour. Please head to the guest room when your lesson is over." The butler said and gave one last bow before he left, closing the door behind him.
"Did he just say what I think he just did?" Arisa said a bit too high pitch tone and Dimitri slowly nodded.
The girl felt her heart pounding. Goodness why hasn't Sothis spoke to her at all after her last magic shift last month!? She really, really needed her! It felt so strange not hearing her voice.
"Sothis...where are you?"
[-]
Arisa was doing everything in her power not literally jump out a window as she followed behind a maid as they made a turn to the right in the hallway of the palace.
"I'm literally about to have tea with the queen. The queen..." she thought as she intertwined herhands as they were shaking.
"You'll live." She suddenly jumped as she recognized that voice in her mind and smiled as the maid looked at her worried.
"Sothis!" Arisa mentally said and the Goddess appeared before her but...a little bit..older.
The two almost looked like they were the same age.
"Impressive isn't it?!" Sothis beamed in happiness, "Seems your magic shift caused both of us to change! I may have grown just a tiiiinnnyyy bit older, but it is more than enough! So, what do you think?" She twirled around, delighted, "I look adorable, don't I?" She grinned and Arisa smiled.
"You do." Arisa said to her and then they arrived at the door.
The maid excused herself as she opened it to let her in. The room was simple and clean, the typical Victorian and medieval style rooms. There was a shelf with different tea sets in display. The scent of bergamot filled her nostrils as she turned to the direction of the window and spotted the queen.
"Hello there Lady Kiana." Lady Patricia smiled warmly as she stood up and walked up to her, "Thank you for coming. Please have a seat. We're actually waiting for one more person." She smiled and Arisa nodded.
"It's an honor your majesty." Arisa bowed politely.
The door once more opened and Arisa felt her blood run cold the minute, she released who this second person was and their voice.
"Oh. Hello dear. I am glad we can finally spend some time together." The person said with a smile that Arisa knew was hollow to the core.
She turned and gave her own kind smile to disguise her will to jump out the window.
"Good afternoon Lady Cornelia."
Chapter 26: Flicker: Part 2: Silent Plea: End
[ - ]
Okay, so the original plan changed and decided to do this chapter to focus more towards the aftermath of everything that went down. We do have the beginning of the relationship between Arisa and Edelgard. As well as Linhardt. I also gave a small spotlight to Kuza but his real role has not come into play yet till the Tragedy of Duscur. The next upcoming chapters we'll be focusing on the relationship between Amir and Arisa. Amir I honestly really haven't fully brought out her appearance and had usually been Alexandra. This arc, we'll learn more about her and how she is going to take on The Tragedy of Duscur soon. Also, the next chapter, teatime with Cornelia and the Queen. Let's see how that is going to go down. Also, Amir and Emily really get along since the two don't tolerate bullshit and will call people out. Amir does it to Arisa when she sees her friend on the verge of spiraling.
The song that Arisa sung to Dimitri is my own. I wrote the lyrics to it. I was inspired by Song of the Sea (a movie), Daughter of The Moon by Adriana Figueroa, and The Ancient Magus Bride. The song sung was her way of telling him how to find Remire Village, since Florencio has a barrier over it and has made it extremely difficult to find unless you are actually taken to the place. Also, the barrier was designed to keep TWSITD (Those Who Slither In the Dark) and The Church of Serios out.
So, expect that song to come to play soon.
Welp, that's all. Till next chapter!