The eighth chapter for the eighth dragon, how apropos. Today, poor Louise must deal with her mother, after being found in Kirche's arms. At least there's a reasonable excuse there, unlike say, Karin walking in while Louise was riding the Germanian for all she was worth.

(For those who don't know me too well yet, I use A LOT of sexual humor.)

Anyway, there's no point to further dallying, off we go!

Yesterday's Enemies

"I'm waiting."

All the hall was silent as Karin Desiree de la Valliere, Duchess of Valliere and strongest wind mage in history stared down her daughter. Most were in shock, never making the connection that Louise was directly related to the Heavy Wind herself.

But seeing the pair with the exact same shade of pink hair… well, Louise's sheer pride suddenly made sense.

So too did the poor girl's mindless panic, little more than gibberish spilling out of her mouth. Her frantic flailing had freed her from Kirche's arms, but with no coherent words in sight, the Germanian took over as advocate.

A very, very scared advocate. "L-L-Lady Valliere, I assure you, there's nothing going on here! It was mere instinct that drove me to pull your daughter away!"

Karin's gaze turned to Kirche, the normally confident young woman stiffening in fear. "…Then much as it burns my tongue, I suppose I should thank you. Reigan was… overzealous."

The woman's gaze went back to Louise. "I assume what she says is true?"

Louise could only nod mutely, flashes of intense scolding and punishments racing across her eyes. Karin regarded her daughter for a time before silently dismissing her and looking to Osmond, Louise collapsing into a heap.

"Duchess Valliere." Henrietta called from her place at the head of the hall. "What is the meaning of this rude entrance?"

Karin noticed the princess at last, bowing deeply as was expected. "Your Highness, I thought you'd have returned to the capital by now. Forgive my poor manners."

Henrietta hid her uneasiness well. "I applaud your speed, but the matter of Fouquet has been put to rest. The thief is captured and their plunder returned, that is why we celebrate."

Karin straightened and fixed Osmond with a considering stare. "So Old Osmond hasn't lost his touch to such an extent then? Hm, I may need to rethink the size of next year's donation."

Osmond's brow twitched but he said nothing. Henrietta, wisely, decided not to inform the duchess that it wasn't Osmond but her daughter that caught the thief. "While I would invite you to join the festivities, the night grows late. As we are about to retire and you've come such a long way, surely you would like to rest?"

Karin shook her head, expression never deviating from a stoic mask. "Nay, I cannot. Your offer is most generous, Your Highness, but with the matter resolved I must return to my lands. Our neighbors are… opportunistic."

The words were aimed square at Kirche, the duchess bowing once more before turning on her heel with nary another word. Osmond muttered something and the sand holding Riegan in place fell away, the manticore snarling at Neb still. Karin gestured and it stilled its growl before stalking after her.

The hall was silent again for a time, Neb still raging against the bonds that held him. He was too enraged to speak after spewing such hateful titles at Riegan, but he wasn't moving at least. If he got out now, the damage would be stunning.

Then Louise fainted and everything exploded into motion. The mutters and clack of shoes on stone floors echoed from the walls as Colbert and Osmond attempted to restore order. Most simply couldn't believe that the Heavy Wind herself had been there. Let alone stared down an angered Headmaster and been utterly unfazed.

Whispers also noted how little attention she paid Louise. While few if any knew of her relation to the Heavy Wind, seeing a duchess treat her daughter like an after-thought was… Well, it wasn't uncommon by any stretch, but Louise was one of the youngest Chevaliers in history!

What kind of standards did that woman have if such an accomplishment wasn't worth noticing?!

In the chaos of Karin's exit, Tabitha and Siesta were able to escape the crowd and spirit Louise away from all the mutters. Kirche couldn't join them, scared stiff as she was, and the last thing they needed was Karin seeing her daughter being friendly with the Germanian.

That would be bad.

Regardless, by the time everything calmed down and order was restored, Henrietta had retired to her quarters for the night. A pair of guards reported that Karin had long passed the horizon to the direction of her lands, and with that, the celebration was over. It took a bit of patience, but Henrietta was able to evade her guards and return to Louise's room.

To call Siesta shocked when she opened the door and found the princess was a disservice to the word. "Y-Y-Your-!"

Henrietta pressed a finger to Siesta's lips, shushing her. She gestured to be let in, and Siesta moved aside, closing the door behind the princess. Tabitha was the only other one in the room, standing vigil over the unconscious Louise when she saw the princess. "…Your Highness."

"Well that was a scare and a half." Henrietta sighed in greeting, taking a free chair with a huff. "I don't know what will become of Sir Neb after such an attack, against one of the kingdom's foremost nobility no less. We can doubtlessly make the excuse of him being a foreign creature and it being dark, but it bodes ill."

Siesta looked to speak but froze. Henrietta groaned and waved to her. "Go ahead and speak, this entire situation is too much for decorum. Sheesh, Duchess Valliere appearing out of the blue like a phantom and bringing her manticore at that."

"…Won't bring it up." Tabitha said, looking back to Louise. "…Reputation too important."

Siesta carefully skirted the table, every fiber of her being wanting to grab tea of some sort. "Um… why would Her Grace not wish to bring it up? Surely an attack on her familiar is worth more than reputation?"

Henrietta sunk further into the chair. "No, if anything them tumbling into the hall with Riegan bleeding all over the floor will be enough to keep her quiet. Part of her reputation of invincibility lies in the fact her familiar lacks wounds despite his many battles."

And Neb had utterly shattered it by ripping entire chunks out of the manticore's hide. Siesta turned a little green at the memory of all the blood. "I'm… amazed Her Grace's familiar was able to fly off after sustaining such wounds."

"…Manticores are powerful." Tabitha muttered. "…Second only to Rhyme Dragons."

Henrietta started explaining before Siesta could ask what those were. "Rhyme Dragons are a species of dragon said to have human intelligence, but they're believed extinct. As such, a manticore is the most powerful magical creature in the world, so to summon one marks a mage for greatness."

She puffed a hair out of her face. "Tristain has an entire knight order devoted to them, and they're considered the elite of the elite. Neither the Griffin Knights nor the Dragon Knights come close to that level of prestige, to say nothing of the Musketeers."

"…Duchess was captain." Tabitha added, as if to drive the enormity of what Siesta bore witness to home. "…Strongest mage in country."

Henrietta nodded and turned her gaze to Louise. "You can imagine the pressure our friend here was under with such a sire. Two elder sisters gifted in great ways, even if the eldest was sickly, only for her to be incapable of magic. I know little to nothing of her home life, but we all saw that look."

Those conscious shuttered, remembering the stoic look sent Louise's way, a glint of disapproval in it. They could only imagine trying to live with the duchess, let alone with Louise's poor state. It must've been terrible if the mere sight of her mother drove Louise to a panic attack.

The door opened and admitted Kirche, who looked greatly shaken. "Holy shit! I've never seen Osmond that mad! Had to drag Neb down into the dungeons and redo all the wards on the wall!"

She froze when Henrietta's presence registered. "Your Highness! W-W-What are you doing here?!"

Henrietta shrugged. "Wishing to check in on my old friend who fainted not so long ago. Would you care to explain why Sir Neb was imprisoned?"

Kirche blinked several times before clearing her throat. "Um… he wouldn't stop raging and thrashing, so Headmaster Osmond took him there until he could calm down."

"A wise move." Henrietta muttered before sighing. "And I suppose I should explain why I consider Lady Valliere an old friend. When we were younger, Louise was a playmate of mine. We were the best of friends, but when it was discovered she couldn't cast appreciable magic…"

She shook her head of those sad memories. "Anyway, I consider her a dear friend and someone who helped shape me into who I am today. Frankly I'm amazed she's been so chipper despite everything going on."

"That's… something." Siesta tried after a pregnant silence. "I mean… to find out Lady Valliere was Your Highness's playmate…"

Kirche giggled. "She gets more important the longer I know her. You'd think a shrimp with her ego would be crowing about a friendship with royalty, let alone who her mother is."

"She was bullheaded even when we were young." Henrietta laughed. "Said she'd never mention being friends with me so I wouldn't be 'shamed' by association. Didn't even write to me, the jerk."

Tabitha chuckled and joined the friendly teasing. "…Still is. Argues with Neb over training."

Even Siesta got in on it. "Refused to believe how laundry worked when she saw me doing it. Prattled on for hours about how my work was wrong. At least until it all came out spotless."

Everyone chuckled and spent a few more minutes having fun at their mutual friend's less than gracious flaws. It was during one of Henrietta's tales, describing an escapade with an apple pie and a cow, that Louise groaned and sat up. "…What hit me?"

"A very angry lizard." Kirche answered, Tabitha holding out a cup of water. "Remember anything before you blacked out?"

Louise sipped the water, eyes firmly on her lap. "Only… that Neb burst through the doors and… my mother…"

Her head shot up and whipped around, desperately searching. "She's not still here is she?!"

Siesta strode over and got Louise's attention. "She's not here, milady, Her Grace has long returned to her lands. Um, are you alright now? We were all very worried when you fainted."

Louise took a moment to compose herself before noticing Henrietta and almost falling out of her bed. "Your Highness! Founder in heaven, forgive me for such a dreadful appearance!"

Henrietta waved off the apology. "It's your room, if anything I should be apologizing. Truth be told, I wished to inform you all that I will be returning to the capital tomorrow. There's several matters to take care of now that Fouquet's been captured, and I must see to them."

That was understandable and Louise outright expected it. "It's been an honor to be in your presence, Your Highness. I apologize for Neb's… plans, but we all know you have duties."

Henrietta had a mischievous gleam in her eye. "And it's been a pleasure to speak with all of you. Lady Zersbt, Lady Tabitha, your rewards will arrive when I'm able to get them to you. Ms. Siesta, I highly suggest you take the time to inform your family of what's coming."

She stood and walked to Louise's side, silently shooing Tabitha and Siesta aside. "Also, Louise, I do hope you don't mind if I call you friend again. As you're a Chevalier under my authority, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other more often."

She held out her hand and Louise took it, a peck to the princess's ring the appropriate display. The others in the room, though, noted something in their subconscious. The way Henrietta moved them aside, got Louise to focus solely on her, the tender way she held Louise's hand.

While their conscious minds saw two friends reconnecting, at least partly, the less than sensible portions buried deep inside started to seethe. Little more than grumbles, nothing to take notice of, but they were there.

Henrietta freed her hand and nodded to the room at large. "Again, thank you all for your dedicated service and astounding actions. I look forward to working with you all in the future."

With that, she left the room and silence fell on them. At least until Louise looked to the window with a considerate frown. "Is Neb ok?"

Siesta and Tabitha looked to each other, nodded, and swiftly fled the room. They weren't going to be the ones to tell Louise her familiar had wounded her mother's familiar. Kirche stared after them, agape that she'd been left to explain!

Louise started to glare. "Kirche… what happened?"

Kirche laughed awkwardly before scratching her chin and looking away. "He's uh… in the dungeon… still mad… and ranting… it's not pretty."

Louise's eye started to twitch violently, but to Kirche's utter astonishment, she was able to force her anger down. "…I will have words with him in the morning."

Kirche silently decided to retreat as Louise muttered numerous murderous ideas under her breath. It wasn't to be though, as Louise called for her. "Wait, Kirche!"

Kirche froze at the door and looked over to see Louise sliding out of bed, her dress rumbled and hair a mess. "Um… do you mind telling me if my mother… made any comments towards you while I was out?"

She grabbed and kneaded her skirt as Kirche looked at her, a brief silence stretching between them before Kirche answered. "Not really… called my family 'opportunistic'. But after I gave the excuse of getting you out of harm's way, she mostly ignored us. Didn't give a backwards glance."

Louise sighed and her shoulders slumped, a melancholic look washing over her face. "…I see. Well, then that means I don't have to apologize to you of all people."

Kirche didn't like the lack of usual bite in that remark. "Louise… is there something you want to talk about?"

"No." Louise grunted, turning her back to Kirche and marching to her bed. "Just… go to sleep or something, I'm tired."

Kirche wouldn't let that stand. She knew when someone needed to talk, it was how she'd gotten close to Tabitha in the first place. Louise clearly needed to vent at someone, someone who'd be both understanding and straight with her.

She happened to occupy that happy middle.

Decided, Kirche took the ornaments and ties out of her hair. "Alright, we both know you need to get something off your chest. Come on, you can tell me, and I promise to tell no one else."

Louise flopped onto her bed and rolled to face the ceiling. "What could I have to tell you? It's all a bunch of personal stuff, nothing you'd want to hear."

"And what makes you think I wouldn't want to hear it?" Kirche asked with a petulant whine. "We're friends, but I just found out today your mother's the Heavy Wind herself! And you're old friends with the princess!"

Louise glanced over with a scowl on her lips. "Looking to get into good graces through me, are you?"

Kirche was genuinely offended. "I would never do such a thing! When I make friends, I stick by them, no matter who they are! It's just… I really don't know you all that well. It's probably a year too late for me to be a close friend, but I'm still a friend, right?"

She walked over and sat at the foot of Louise's bed. "If so, then that means you can tell me anything."

Louise's scowl lessened a bit before looking back to the ceiling. "It's not much of a story. You'd get bored half-way through."

"I promise I won't." Kirche said, patiently patting Louise's shin. "You don't have to share everything, just get whatever's on your mind out in the open. I know it helps me a lot when I rant at Tabby."

Louise snorted. "I've ranted at her and Siesta about training and lessons I'll have you know. I just… don't want to burden them with my puerile issues. But if you insist…"

"I insist." Kirche giggled, scooting up the bed just a smidge. "Go ahead and tell me anything. Whatever will keep the walls intact tomorrow."

She was met with a pillow to the face. "I'm not going to blow anything up tomorrow, don't tease me like that when I'm about to have a heart-to-heart."

Kirche laughed at her. "You're actually going to talk; I think a little tease is well worth that. Now, whenever you're ready."

Louise grumbled several curses before shrinking into the bed. "…I was blessed early in my life. I was a playmate of the princess, had all the toys I could want, was doing well in my basic education, that kind of thing."

Kirche guessed as much. Besides the first part, it sounded like an average noble's upbringing.

"Mother was strict, but not unkind." Louise continued, eyes glazing over with memories. "My sisters and I, we were taught that breaking the rules was the greatest stain. If ever we did so, Mother or Father would scold us. That armor you saw her in tonight, she'd wear it if we were exceptionally naughty. Eventually, just the threat of going to get it put us in line."

While odd, nothing too far out of normalcy if you asked Kirche.

Louise's voice drooped, if it were possible. "Despite being under what she called 'The Rule of Steel', it was still a happy time for me. Then… my sister, Eleanor, was assigned as my magic tutor."

Kirche furrowed her brow, swearing she'd heard the name before, but didn't speak. Louise was starting to get on a roll and interrupting wasn't going to help.

"Finding out I couldn't cast magic was the greatest stain on my family." Louise whispered, just barely enough to hear. "Eleanor… she would get so angry at me. Demand answers for why I couldn't do anything right, and eventually every failure was met with a blow. After that it was a parade of tutors and healers."

Kirche cringed, but Louise kept going. "Honestly, I can't even be in the same building as my sister without shaking in my boots. My eldest sister, Cattleya, remained kind and considerate, but I could see the disappointment in my parents' eyes. They knew I was a failure, and before long, I barely saw them."

She chuckled derisively. "The last time I even shared more than a few words with either of them was when I got sent here, a last-ditch effort to find out what was wrong with me. In the same conversation, they told me I was betrothed to the captain of the Griffin Knights, Sir Wardes himself."

She threw her arms back with a sigh. "And before I could get a word in edgewise, here I am. If nothing else, I knew this was my last chance, so I worked my ass off. Doesn't matter now though, they want me home this summer. Probably finalize the contract and the stain on their name is gone."

Kirche couldn't imagine living in a home like that, where everyone save one sibling thought of you as an abject disappointment. "At least you had Cattleya, right?

"Not near as often as I needed." Louise snorted, gaze turning dark. "She's been sickly all her life, but she's still a triangle earth mage, bordering on square. Problem is, her sickness kept others away for fear of her life, and I only saw her once a month at most."

Kirche did not like the picture her words painted. "That… sounds awful, Louise. I mean, your home should be where you feel safe and loved. Frankly, it sounds like you weren't home unless you were with Cattleya."

"And now you know where my complex comes from." Louise chuckled, no humor to be found. "Eleanor's a researcher at the most prestigious institution on Halkegenia too, so it's threefold. The little failure birthed from the Heavy Wind and will never amount to even a smidge of her sisters' potential. Does all the boasting make sense now?"

Kirche shook her head in disbelief. "I'm amazed you realized you even have a complex. Most people are in heavy denial about it, even I know that much."

"Read as much as I do, and reality tends to bite." Louise snapped; glare fixed on the ceiling. "I spent a lot of nights in this room thinking before Neb came along. I realized my own fault after that big blow-up in our first fire lesson, when you gave me that damned moniker."

Kirche looked away but scooted up the bed a bit. "I… I never did apologize for that, did I?"

"Why would you need to?" Louise huffed, not paying attention to Kirche's movement. "When we walked into this school, we were blood enemies. It's a small miracle I even consider you a friend."

Kirche smirked and felt her fingers wiggle, target in sight. "Well… I still feel I should apologize, if only for being a right twat to you. You were a twat yourself, but I forgave you for that already."

"How gracious of you." Louise snarked. "Now you've heard my little tale, such as it was. Leave me alone."

Kirche tutted, smirk growing into a silly grin. "Louise, don't you know? Friends don't let friends be sad."

Louise had barely a moment to register the mirth in Kirche's voice before strong fingers pressed into her sides. "Kirche! No, no, don't do that!"

Kirche didn't stop, pressing and tapping against Louise's side as her friend started to shriek in laughter. She did her best to hold the flailing girl in place, but more than a few knees and fists smacked her.

"Stop it!" Louise cried, tears streaking down her face. "I can't, I'm gonna be sick!"

Kirche laughed along with her while she tickled the bad memories away, slowly letting up as Louise ran out of breath. She sat there and smiled as Louise caught her breath, glad to see at least a little joy return to the girl.

Until the laughter turned to soft sobs. "Hey, Louise, what's wrong?!"

Louise didn't answer, preferring to roll over and cry into her pillow. Kirche had a moment of panic overcome her mind before she wrapped her arms around her friend and held her close. "I don't know why you're crying, though I can guess, but go ahead and let it out."

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Louise still didn't answer, but Kirche felt a hand grab onto her arms. Her concerned frown turned to a helpless smile and she settled in next to Louise, taking position as the 'big spoon'. With an anchor in place, Louise's sobs grew stronger until she was bawling all over her pillow.

Seeing her mother like that after almost a year of living in the academy… it made her feel like a little girl again. A weak, mewling, worthless child that could do nothing but disappoint the stoic mask that looked down at her. No matter her efforts, no matter how much she wished for the love that was once there to return, all she saw was that damned mask.

Anger, despair, resentment, desperation and more ran through her blood as she cried. She was still weak; still bound by the cold home she'd left behind. How did anyone see anything of worth in her when her own mother could see nothing?

Kirche let her cry, knowing deep down that Louise needed it. She'd gone through a lot of crap in her life so far, and just as it's taking a turn for the better, every insecurity and evil voice came roaring back with one woman's appearance.

Soon enough, Louise cried herself to sleep. Kirche waited for a time before attempting to pull away and let the poor girl rest. Then she found herself in an iron prison as Louise refused to let her go. Chuckling under her breath, Kirche settled in next to her friend with a rueful smile. "Oh dear…"

"This'll be fun to explain to Siesta in the morning."

But as she lay there, staring at the back of Louise's head as the candles slowly burned away, Kirche felt content. It wasn't what she dreamt of on cold nights, or like those silly books she loved lending to Siesta, but this was nice.

She'd helped her friend, if only a bit, and that was enough.

For now.

-Neb, Morning-

By the time the hydra calmed his rage, the sun had crested the horizon and Princes Henrietta was long gone. He was forced to stew within the cell he'd been originally confined in all night. In his mind, he knew that these precautions were warranted, but to see one of those damned mutants…

The jangle of keys forced him from his thoughts, Colbert opening the cell doors. "Good morning, Sir Neb, are we calm now?"

"As calm as I can be without that hell-spawn's scent in my nose." Neb growled at the man. "Now can I leave? There's still much to be done with the festivities at an end."

Colbert shrugged. "You can, but your students are… yet to awaken. The festivities combined with your entrance have left them all quite exhausted. At the very least, I can tell you that a room has been found for your idea."

Neb grunted and waited for Colbert to make a large enough hole for him to follow. Once he was through, the hydra groaned. "I have a bad feeling about what happened last night. While I can't speak for my students, that woman looked important and the mutant obeyed her without question."

"A warning before we get outside." Colbert started, confirming Neb's fears. "That was Duchess Karin Valliere, the most powerful wind mage in history and a heavy-lifter in our kingdom's politics. She's… also your master's mother."

Neb paused and started banging his heads against the wall. "That's. Just. Great."

Colbert waited until Neb was done before speaking again. "I don't believe she'll be an issue as of this point in time. Perhaps unintentionally, you broke her reputation of invincibility, and she'll be wary of you now."

Neb huffed and they continued on their way, the light of day greeting them shortly thereafter. No one besides servants were out and about, but Neb could hear their mutters all the same when they saw him.

"It appears I'm even more popular now." He observed. "Before anything else, may I first ask where this room I've been given is? Also, with all that's happened, will regular lessons resume?"

Colbert cupped his chin and hummed. "Your room is number 103 in the fire tower. Lessons though… truth be told, we're expecting many students to be asked home. Even when news spreads of… Fouquet's capture, we'll probably have an early start to summer."

Neb felt pity for the man. He'd seen Colbert eating and speaking with Fouquet's Logueville persona and it was clear the man was smitten with her. Truth be told, he'd thought the same of the thief, but all the wisdom in the world didn't stop one from being wrong.

Colbert shook his head. "Regardless, if we do have an early summer, know that I have a research project that will take me away from the academy for a time. I trust you'll be able to keep all six of your students in line?"

Neb pointed to the six heads shifting about taking in everything. "I have a head for each of them and can speak simultaneously through all of them as needed. Takes quite a bit of concentration, but I can do it."

Colbert nodded and gestured to the gates. "The captain's waiting for you, said he got your shipment in. I don't know what you need all that for, but I'll be praying for the poor souls under your care."

Neb felt a whisper of power run up his spine and one of his heads shifted into a draconic visage of white scale covered in rolling clouds. It stared at him, squawked, and turned back into his regular head. "…I think I should pray too; this may get ugly."

Colbert heaved a sigh and walked off, not willing to see what madness Neb would get himself into next. Neb, for his part, went straight for the gatehouse. Where he found a most unusual visitor waiting for him. "Guiche? What are you doing here?"

The blonde fop pushed off the wall where he'd been waiting, walked up to Neb, stared up at him with all the bravado he could muster…

And fell before him in prostration. "Teach me oh great one!"

Were he not face-down in the dirt, Guiche would've witnessed Neb gaping at him in bug-eyed disbelief. The hydra took a moment to gather his senses before even venturing to speak. "Um… I'm going to be teaching you anyway, remember? Why the sudden prostration and title?"

Guiche remained with his nose in the grass. "I have shamed my betrothed and my family! It is only right that I ask a wise and noble instructor as yourself for assistance!"

Neb blinked several times before formulating an answer. "I… see. Um, would you care to explain this sudden change in temperament and ideology? I recall you voicing your contempt of me and mine yesterday."

"I had a dream!" Guiche shouted before the last word could reach his ears. "I was forced to watch as my dear Montmorency was taken from me by specters and rogues while I could do nothing! Your students gave chase but were slain while I watched! Then, I saw the country in flames!"

Neb felt another thrill of power run up his spine and he looked over to see a golden dragon's head. Instantly, he knew what had happened. "…So you wish to avert the future seen in your dreams? How do you even know this was not a mere nightmare?"

Guiche's hands curled in the grass. "I could… smell the flames, hear the cries for help, see the fear in Montmorency's eyes. I… I had doubts about my worth when I learned she'd brewed a love potion, but this…"

Neb sighed silently. Of course, it was over a girl, it always was. Even Slava wasn't immune to that kind of motivation, and it was clear Elrath had plans for the boy. "…Very well, then you better apologize to not just my master, but her friends and Montmorency as well. No further philandering at that."

Guiche nodded, still prostrate.

"Furthermore." Neb grunted as the golden dragon vanished. "I hear your family's military. Before you ask, I get information from my students during our exercises. I assume you at least have a basic idea of military structure and tactics yes?"

Guiche finally got up and sat on his knees. "Yes, I have a decent understanding of how the military works, though… I've rather neglected my studies in that area since coming here."

"So, we're playing catch-up there too." Neb grunted before motioning Guiche to rise. "While I have you here, go into the gatehouse and tell the captain to move my shipment to room 103 in the fire tower. In the meantime, I'll go and wake the rest of our group."

Guiche saluted and ran into the gatehouse, Neb shaking his heads in disbelief before stomping off for Louise's tower. There was a lot of explaining to do and not very much time to do it. If they weren't up soon and ready to start his 'lessons', they were going to be in trouble.

And him by proxy.

-Louise-

"Ugh…"

A beam of sunlight fell across Louise's eyes, making her nose scrunch in distaste as she was roused. She'd been having a blissful, dreamless sleep. It was quite rude of the sun to interrupt such a restful time…

Wait a moment…

Louise's eyes parted blearily to show her room softly illuminated by sunbeams. The only time it was like this was if she slept in…

"Oh shit!" She shouted; the haze of sleep burned away. "Neb's gonna be pissed! Oh Founder!"

She attempted to throw herself out of bed, only to find herself trapped in a strong embrace. Freezing, and with a horrified visage spreading across her features, she turned her head to look at her captor.

Kirche's eye opened lazily, the haze of sleep still heavy in the amber pool. "Oh… good morning."

Louise's face did it's best to convey the horror she was feeling at the sight of Kirche in bed with her. Her erstwhile bedmate barely noticed, a content smile on her lips. "Sleep well? You had… a trying night."

She was met with an ear-splitting shriek and a solid kick to the gut, any semblance of sleep swiftly banished. Kirche crashed to the floor, but quickly gained her feet. "Oi, what was that for!"

"Get out of my room!" Louise screeched, pelting Kirche with pillows all the while. "Everyone will think me a hussy if you're seen in here, get out! I want to get married dammit!"

Kirche dodged the last pillow and scowled at her. "Louise, calm down! We're both dressed you moron!"

Louise couldn't offer her thoughts on that as the door was kicked in with a great bang and Siesta ran in, short sword at the ready. "Lady Louise, what's wrong?!"

In the same moment, her window slammed open, a Neb Head flying in. "What in the nine hells was that shriek?!"

The room descended into a bedlam of chaos for several minutes as questions, accusations, and exasperated calls for order filled the air. It was to this mess that Tabitha arrived, a glance around showing Siesta trying to hold Louise back while Kirche sulked in a corner. Neb had long given up and retreated when he saw Tabitha, preferring to leave the mess to her.

"…Quiet please." Tabitha ordered, a tap of her staff sending a chill breeze through the room. The cold was enough to quiet the quarrelers and Tabitha looked to Kirche. "…What happened?"

Kirche huffed and stood. "Well, after you two abandoned me last night, Louise and I had a heart-to-heart. However, in my efforts to comfort her, she fell asleep and trapped me. I was thus forced to share a bed with her, but as is plainly obvious, nothing else happened."

She gestured to her wrinkled gown and Louise's mussed dress to prove her point.

"…Ok." Tabitha answered, silently wondering what they talked about. She turned her attention to Louise. "…Dispute?"

Louise huffed and stopped struggling. "No… she's right, but that doesn't mean I wasn't right to panic. Can you imagine the scandal if someone of less scrupulous morals walked in and saw that?"

"…Lock the door." Tabitha stated, incredulity clear. "…Unexpected event though. Excusable this time."

With that sorted, Siesta let Louise go. "Um… while I can tell your night was at least restful, would you both care to change into something more comfortable?

The pair looked at their poor state of dress and mutually agreed to not speak of the morning's events ever again. With that decided, Kirche crossed the hall to her room while Tabitha stepped out so Louise could get changed.

"Um… Milady?" Siesta ventured when Louise just sat before her vanity. "Did… did your talk with Lady Kirche help?"

Louise slumped and nodded. "It did… somewhat. Frankly I'm amazed she even wanted to be around me, same with you and Tabby. I'm… just a mess most of the time, not worth the effort really."

Oh boy. Siesta signed internally. I haven't heard Lady Louise act this insecure for some time, whatever they talked about must've dredged up bad memories. Let's see what we can do.

A silent breath steeled her nerves and Siesta gave it her best shot. "Lady Louise, bite your tongue. You're not near as much of a mess as you think you are, I can say that with certainty. Your vim and vigor are an inspiration, even if your bravery and sense of duty can border on suicidal."

Louise slumped further. "You need to work on your pep-talks."

"I say that because I care." Siesta countered. "But come now, you were made a Chevalier! You were instrumental in capturing one of the country's greatest criminals! You've made peace with your greatest tormentor, gotten Lady Tabitha out of her shell, and you have the attention of… well foreign gods. And for what it's worth, you've saved my family from fearing for their next meal. Would any of this happen if you had no worth?"

Louise slumped further, almost face-down on the vanity. "That's all Neb and we both know it. If I didn't summon him, had even a bit of validation that I wasn't complete trash, none of us would be here."

Siesta frowned, her attempt fizzling. She needed to figure out a way for Louise to detach her sense of worth from Neb, it wasn't fair to either of them like this. It would be hard though; she knew that much. Her mistress had tied so much of her identity to the summoning that separating herself from Neb at that level…

Well, it probably required the hydra in question.

Siesta filed the thought away and went to the wardrobe. "No use dwelling on what-ifs, milady. Come now, I'm sure you'd appreciate a nice change of clothes before Neb has his way with us. Then, a bath."

Louise grunted in acknowledgment and they went about their usual routine. By the time Louise was in her workout clothes, Tabitha and Kirche had returned dressed in their own. With friends at her lady's side, Siesta excused herself to get changed too.

There wasn't much conversation to be had amongst them, mostly speculation what would be happening with Neb now that they had a world-saving quest over their heads. More than a few snide remarks were made at the situation, wondering if it was all going to end up in a fairy tale, but that was the extent of conversation.

When Siesta returned, they left the tower and found Neb waiting outside with a ram-rod straight Guiche beside him and a very annoyed Montmorency. "There you all are! Now does anyone have anything they'd like to bring up before I get into what we'll be doing from here on?"

Louise raised her hand, a nagging part of the previous night demanding answers. "Yeah, what was with all the yelling at my mother's familiar?"

Neb cringed. "Well, first and foremost, I apologize for attacking your mother's… familiar. However, manticores not only exist in my home, but they're a bane upon my people. They are… products of chaos magic run rampant in the first age, and not of Asha's creation. They also enjoy preying on hatchlings."

His heads snarled in unison. "I lost more than one clutch to those things."

An awkward silence descended on them, but Neb broke it with a snort. "But this place is not my home, we know that already. Now, anything else?"

Nothing was voiced, so he started explaining. "Alright, so we have two fresh faces joining us, but there's a clear goal. I have one year to turn all of you into half-way decent fighters and agents before we have to go into the world and track down artifacts of immense power."

Per usual, he kept going before anyone could question why they'd be agents. "In the interest of pursuing that goal, I have been given a classroom for our use and once summer begins we'll have the courtyards to ourselves. Today, I will be running you all through the daily workouts, but first, I need you lot to follow Guiche here and make sure my orders fit."

Guiche saluted and strode away, path taking him to the Vestri courtyard. The girls followed him, but Louise found herself held back by Neb's claw. "Hold on a moment, I need to speak with you."

Louise just watched as her friends left, not bothering to struggle. The lack of action sent alarm bells ringing through Neb's mind, for the Louise he knew would be spouting indignities at him. Guessing it was a sensitive matter, he waited for them to be alone before speaking. "Are you ok?"

"Of course I am." Louise answered, voice solid like bedrock. "I got a good rest, even if Kirche embarrassed me to the point I wanted to die. Why wouldn't I be ok?"

One of Neb's heads came eye-to-eye wit her. "Because despite my rage, your panic at the sight of your mother wasn't unnoticed. The wonders of six heads. Now, is there something you'd like to talk about or share?"

Louise sighed through her nose. If Neb had indeed seen her panic, there was no point being obstinate about it. He'd just keep her here until she cracked, and no one deserved waiting up for her with far more important things to worry about.

So she repeated her talk with Kirche, Neb listening intently until she was done. Then he bopped her over the head with the tip of his tail. "A moron, you are."

Louise whined as she nursed her new bump. "What the hell?!"

"If you were as worthless as you think you are, Malassa would've killed you for holding the staff." Neb answered, a glance going up to her room where the staff slept. "I wouldn't listen to a word you say, let alone decide to teach you."

Louise looked down, mumbled words her response. With that line of attack shut down, Neb reached out and hooked a claw around her hand. "Louise, look at this mark."

It took a few insistent pulls to make her do so. "…What about it?"

"It is proof of blessings." Neb said, noting how her hand tensed against his claw. "My words will not be enough to show you anything, you've been under this specter for too long. All I ask you is, that should you ever doubt, look to that mark and know that I will help you, no matter what."

The claw went from her hand to chin, tilting Louise's gaze up to meet his. "I make this promise to all my students, and it is one I made to you shortly after I was summoned. You and your friends are my priority, and I will see you grow to your full potential or die trying."

He smiled as tears welled in her eyes. "You need not fear me leaving you before then, so talk to me if you cannot to anyone else. I will give you all the advice you could ask for, but ultimately, you must decide how far this will take you."

Louise started to sob, Neb's last words driving her over the edge: "Isn't that what you want, to go to the top?"

Neb chuckled low in his throat as Louise charged into his leg, wrapping her arms around it and crying into his scales. While hers was not the most tragic background he'd ever heard, it was one he knew all too well. So many of the greats came from cold homes that were once warm, and she was no exception.

He let her cry until the tears dried and he heard whispered words. "…Thank you."

"Don't thank me quite yet." Neb laughed as Louise pulled back and cleared her eyes of tears. "We still have much to do before summer sets in and that means getting you all in shape."

Louise giggled, somehow relieved to hear that. "You're a sadist."

"And proud of it." Neb agreed cheekily, his paw pushing her towards the courtyard. "Now come along, we're late as it and I need to see you fitted."

Louise felt a pit open in her gut. "Fitted? For what?"

Neb's smile turned evil and Louise regretted ever confiding in him. "Why your training weights of course! You'll be wearing them during every exercise and run, especially when I give chase!"

"Give chase?" Louise squeaked, too terrified to resist Neb's push for the courtyard. "What the devil are you talking about?!"

Neb sounded far too pleased with himself as he explained. "It's quite simple! Fear is a fantastic motivator for running of all kinds, and what's more terrifying then my ugly mugs running at you spewing curses?"

Louise could think of several, but wisely refused to voice them. It'd only make Neb competitive and that wouldn't be good for anyone. All she could do now was pray that they would get through this madness of a coming year somewhat unscathed.

Oh, who was she kidding? A lack of sleep was about to be the least of their problems.

-One Month Later-

Summer came to the academy early this year, the attack on its vault triggering fears across the continent. Students were called home in droves despite Fouquet's capture, for on the thief's way to be judged in the capital, she escaped. That news drove the exodus of students, as well as burying Louise's promotion.

Louise herself was assigned to a 'special research project' in the records, giving her an official reason to remain at the academy over the summer. As it came bearing the royal seal, she knew her family wouldn't say anything, but she was sad about not seeing Cattleya.

Kirche, Guiche, Montmorency, and Tabitha were all assigned to the same project. Technically, they were assisting Professor Colbert in his research, but in reality…

"Move it you lumps of slime!"

Louise groaned as they started another lap, the rest of her friends panting alongside her. They were all wearing their weights, sweating up a storm, and tired all the way to the bone. Neb followed behind them, carrying whips of all things in two of his maws, while constantly shouting at them.

This had been the routine for the last month. Morning to noon, breakfast followed by physical exercise. A brief lunch was followed by hours of weapon training and spars. Finally, the evening was magic practice and other lessons before dinner, free time, and bed. This repeated day-in and day-out.

It wasn't like any of them could argue with the results they gained so far. Neb had put all of them on a strict diet, to much protest, but the exercise made for ravenous appetites that simply didn't care what the food was so long as it was there.

Combined with the exercise and everyone was already much stronger, faster, and more energetic than they'd been before this started. Consequently, Neb made the exercises ever harder to mask that fact from them, but he was impressed by their growth in barely a month's time.

Instead of twigs they looked more like an average recruit back home. Much to his surprise, Louise had even gotten a little taller. Not enough to be shocking, but she stood even with Tabitha now. She'd even started filling in a bit, which meant a trip to town for new clothes and fittings.

She'd been so overjoyed by that need that she lapped the academy without breaking a sweat.

Regardless, they'd come a long way in a short time. Still green, very green, but they were moving in the right direction.

"So, who's up for continuing where we left off?" Montmorency asked as they ran, the group in a line as Neb loped after them. "I think we're nearly at a breakthrough."

Tabitha grunted as stepped on a rock. "…Too little mandrake root."

Montmorency huffed and they were quiet again. The blonde was at least cordial with the group now, but she avoided Guiche at every opportunity and still didn't speak with any of them outside of practice. It was only after potions got brought up that she started engaging with them a bit more.

The lone human male of the group was surprisingly the most diligent in his training. He'd apologized to all of them profusely the day he started working with them and trained to exhaustion. Why he suddenly changed so much, none save Neb knew, but he'd even dropped his philandering ways.

Kirche had thought him possessed when one of the first years walked by him and he didn't spare her a glance.

Regardless, they were on the last run of the day, everyone drenched in sweat and ready to collapse when they finished the lap.

"You're all making progress, small though it is!" Neb called out as he strode up behind them, his students catching their breath. "Remember, even one step more than yesterday is progress! Now, get some water and meet me back here!"

He got shouts of agreement and he padded away, doubtless going to retrieve the sparring pads. With him gone, the students started for a few barrels of water set up beside the courtyard.

"Another good day of work?" Colbert asked as they trudged up, the spectacled man watching over the barrels. "You're all doing quite well from what I can see. I recall the first day when most of you could barely walk with the weights on."

Guiche offered the professor a weak laugh, the rest preferring to take their drinks. "We… are getting somewhere I guess."

He pulled up his shirt and twisted it, trying to get the sweat off and showing the starts of abs. "I just don't recall… ever being this tired."

Colbert chuckled and noticed Montmorency glance at him before looking away with a blush. He was at least glad to see the girl noticed her fiancé's turnaround and early results. Perhaps their relationship could yet be saved. "Well, I have an important announcement for you all. Sir Neb has gone to fetch one more member for your group."

Louise gasped as she rose for air, hearing that after dunking her head in a basin of water. She didn't drink any of it, just wanting to cool off, but that was news to her. "What new member?"

"One who's paper-work just got approved." Answered Osmond as he joined them, the lack of students giving him a lot of free time. "I've been working with them and a few others over the last month to get everything ready, but today's the day."

Now he had everyone's attention, Tabitha asking the big question. "…Who?"

"That would be me."

Louise's jaw slammed into the ground and she whipped around to see a familiar figure walking towards them, an impressed looking Neb walking beside them. "No… that can't be…"

Kirche started laughing, soon bending over and grabbing her stomach in mirth. "That's why you asked about that retreat, isn't it?"

Princess Henrietta smiled as she came close, dressed not in the fine dress of her station, but a simple shirt and pants. "Indeed. As my main concern were the betrothal talks, the retreat of the Imperial family for their pilgrimage has freed my calendar. With it free, I was able to persuade my mother that spending the summer here under the guidance of two of our most eminent mages would be good for me."

She held out her hand with an award-winning smile. "I hope this isn't too much of a shock, but I look forward to working with you all. And please, call me Henrietta, we're all friends here."

Louise broke into brief hysterics before her eyes rolled into her head and Tabitha dove to catch her. All was silent for a moment, shock the most prevalent emotion, before Henrietta voiced her concern. "Um… is she ok?"

Neb sighed and stomped over to check on her. "Frankly, I don't think she ever was."

Henrietta blinked several times before sighing as well. "Oh dear…"

"Maybe this wasn't for the best."

Ch. End

Hey, look, a chapter that's less than 10k words!

I hope you all enjoy the little surprise there at the end, and look forward to the next few chapters. Out of inspiration from Three Houses, our group will be going on several small missions that will serve to mature them and give them a taste of actual fighting. From there, we'll set out on our journey.

Should be fun!

Also, and I feel ashamed for not mentioning this, a reader has gotten art commissioned based on Louise and Kirche! They've sent me the links, but with being what it is, I can only give the endings. They're both imgur links so everyone knows.

First one: /a/NS2D6l3

Second one:/imgur com/BO9EhxN

Thanks again for sharing these, justaguy221!

Alright, time for review responses!

Ivanruzic3758: Indeed, it is anathema to Elrath. Not to mention the many-many problems that would spring up from using it in Halkegenia.

Findarato: I sent a PM and gave a short explanation in the chapter, hope the explains it.

Dschingiskhan: Unfortunately, you're wrong, there's good reason we have seven when there's only six dragon-gods. And yes, I loved writing the little dance with Tabitha. Really doing the romantic scenes with all the girls is really fun XD.

Xeivous1: Glad you liked, and of course Henrietta has her back. It's just that Karin is scary with a capital S.

Pacer287: She came, she saw, she conquered. That's what I was going for with her admittedly short scene. Karin's an important person after all, so the moment her attention's not needed, she leaves. I feel that's in character for her.

SameGuest: Hope you like Kirche's scene here! And Louise may or may not be going Gandalf on some fools, not sure yet. It'll be fun regardless, especially when Derf joins the cast on a more permanent basis.

Vixtra: Hope you like this one too! Being a divine radiostation was definitely not in the job description, but it should be fun to write XD.

M: They didn't get to say much, what with Louise in a panic and a readily available excuse at hand. Should be fun later if Karin finds them in a more… personal version XD.

Tigetitan: There's Henrietta for ya! She's actually quite clever, the show just didn't do the best job showing it. Also, Tabitha and Kirche are friends and the former isn't truly aware of her felings for Louise, or that she's even capable of them. That'll be explored before long. And Louise isn't dense per-se, she just doesn't believe anyone would hold romantic feelings for her voluntarily and thus subconsciously avoids recognizing the signs (see lack of self-esteem).

Anyway, that's all I have for you folks, hope you enjoy and we'll see you next time!

Ciao!