Tale Thirty-Two, End of the Road
Laughter and sounds of joy rang from the top of the hill overlooking Flamesgrace as the two daughters of Archbishop Josef rekindled their bonds as sisters. Originally a somber scene of one sister begging another to come back to her senses, the two had quickly rekindled their relationship with but a few reassuring words from Ophilia to Lianna.
Now, they chatted happily about the flowers blooming through the snow and the events that had taken place over the past year. They caught up casually as if nothing had happened between them, as if they hadn't faced down the heretic Mattias together, as if their sisterly bonds hadn't been tested.
As if their father was still alive.
But that was not the case. They had to know and learn that. Yet, as they shared in one conversation after another together, Ophilia felt as if they were on the right path.
"My, my, how happy hast thou become over these many moons?"
A warm, relatively loud voice belonging to a burly man with a full beard drew the sisters' attention away from each other. While Lianna didn't recognize the character before them, Ophilia did.
The cleric stood from her seated position, brushing off the snow clinging to her robes. As she would with a friend, Ophilia greeted him with a warm smile.
"Teller, what a surprise to see you here," she began.
Ophilia half-knew Teller would make his appearance in Flamesgrace where everything started over a year ago. On that one wintery night with a cup of mulled wine and a warm fire.
The bard laughed loudly in response, approaching the young woman.
"I daresay you would have thought to see me here. Why, is it not the end of your story where I am supposed to be?"
Standing before her, Teller felt a sense of surprise as he felt Ophilia wrap him in a gentle hug. With a burly arm, he returned the gesture.
Teller smiled as they broke apart. "Might I ask what that was for, my dear?"
"For your help," Ophilia simply replied. "Without your words, I don't know if I would have found the courage to start my journey to find my family."
The cleric turned to Lianna. "Old and new - I found them and I couldn't be happier."
Her attention returned to Teller. "So, thank you, Teller."
Ophilia bowed her head reverently to fully punctuate her point.
"My dear, you have no need to thank me - though I accept it happily. You had the courage from the very beginning, you just needed a push." Teller glanced over Ophilia's shoulder. "I take it this is the famous Lianna, your sister-by-bond?"
Ophilia stepped to the side and gestured for Lianna to join her. She did so, albeit slowly.
"Yes, it is," Ophilia affirmed.
"It's… it's a pleasure to meet you. Teller, is it?" Lianna introduced herself slowly.
Teller continued to wear his warm, inviting smile, hoping to relieve any tensions the woman still felt. It worked as Lianna felt herself relax and her own timid smile return to her lips.
Teller rose his hand. "Truly a pleasure, Miss Lianna. I am forever grateful to have met your sister and now you in turn."
Lianna shook the man's hand, any tension left leaving the young woman with a deep, calming breath.
"Might I ask what you two young ladies are doing up here in the snow?" Teller asked.
The two sisters looked at each other before their lips broke into small, content smiles.
"Recounting parts of my journey and enjoying the first signs of spring," Ophilia answered.
She turned her body to allow Teller to see the small bunch of flowers growing on the summit of the hill overlooking Flamesgrace. Their orange, yellow, and white hues brought a change of scenery almost entirely enveloped by the surrounding landscape still encapsulated by a snowy winter. The presence of such plants caused Teller to raise his brows in surprise.
"My word, such incredible examples of survival and change," he spoke in wonderment. "They must be cultivated and nurtured, yet…"
Teller strode over to the flowers in but a manner of steps, covering the distance between him and the sisters easily thanks to his size. He knelt down to tenderly touch the flowers.
Ophilia heard him murmur, "Ah, the yellow of this one is reminiscent of the sun. I believe it shall do…"
With a swift pluck, Teller removed one of the petals from a yellow flower.
"Thank you for your gift, little one."
The bard stood up and turned to rejoin the two women. Once in front of them, Teller produced a small journal from the pocket of his pants. Without pause or thumbing through the pages, the bearded man flipped the journal open to a blank page and placed the petal there. Before the wind could return the petal to the earth, Teller gently, almost reverently, pressed the small gift from the yellow flower into his journal.
Nodding in satisfaction, Teller returned the journal to its original location, patting it for good measure.
"That journal appeared quite expensive and important, Teller," Ophilia commented inquisitively.
"Why thank you, it is one of my own creation. The parchment was fashioned from wood found in the Woodlands, leather procured from the Coastlands' merchants, and thread woven from the reeds of the Riverlands. A journal, in no small part, as worldly as I - one that holds all the tales I have told."
"You write your tales in there?"
At Ophilia's question, Teller smirked mischievously and shook his head gently. "No. I remember them. Much like the petal, I have collected small gifts that tell me of each tale I am to recount for interested ears. In fact, for each step of the Octopath Travelers' journies, I have a momento that shall reveal their stories to me in due time."
That struck Ophilia as odd and she opened her mouth to ask more questions but was interrupted by Teller.
"Ah, but I do believe we have overstayed our welcome for the betrothed here, Miss Lianna."
Teller started walking, encircling his arm around Lianna's shoulders to guide her with him. Unable to break from the warm embrace, she followed the man tentatively, finding he walked as slowly and measured as she wished. The young woman appreciated it and, as she felt more comfortable, allowed the bard to guide her to the trail that led back to Flamesgrace.
Calling over his shoulder, the bard said, "We shall give you some privacy, Ophilia."
Once more, Ophilia was interrupted in her line of questions before she could ask them. This time, it was because Alfyn appeared from the trail just as Teller and Lianna had made their leave. The bard tipped his hat in greeting to the apothecary, who greeted him with a smile in kind. Then, the duo had disappeared from the hilltop, their role in this tale over for the time being.
Alfyn walked up to Ophilia, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. "Was that…?"
His fiancée nodded. "Yes, it was Teller."
"Huh. Say, did he know I was comin' up?"
Ophilia couldn't help but laugh. "Of course. He seems to always know what our next actions shall be."
The cleric returned to where she sat before Teller had arrived. By the flowers, she patted the exposed grass next to her, inviting Alfyn to sit. He did so.
Once together, they clasped their hands over the other's, enjoying the preview of the spring and the lingering snow of winter yet to melt into the streams and rivers of Orsterra. They could just see the warm lights of Flamesgrace peppering the view below them and the cathedral's flames slowly being lit as the sun started its descent.
A moment that would be remembered by the engaged couple for years to come.
In spite of that, Alfyn shifted uncomfortably - an action that didn't go unnoticed by Ophilia. It didn't take long for the apothecary to speak the thoughts that had stirred him.
"So… how did it go talkin' to your sister? Is she…?"
Ophilia's lips gently curled upward; her heart touched by her fiancé checking on her and Lianna. "She is doing the best she can and I believe coming here, reminding her of our bond, helped in a way. But she still has a long way to go. I just want to be there with her every step of the way - whether that's through me being there with her in person or in spirit. She deserves a family who won't leave her."
"Then I guess we need to start looking for a house here, huh?"
"What do you mean, Alfyn?"
"Philia, I mean what I said. I spent this afternoon lookin' around to see if there was a storefront available - there wasn't - but that doesn't mean I can't offer my services as an apothecary to the people 'round here. They might need an apothecary, too, since I didn't see 'nother one in town."
Ophilia couldn't help but giggle at Alfyn's stammering and the heat gathering on his cheeks. To help alleviate some of the brightening red on his face, the cleric gave him a quick kiss on his cheek to show her appreciation.
It didn't help calm Alfyn down in the slightest.
He only continued babbling on in increasingly incoherent words.
"Alfyn, I understand," Ophilia spoke with laughter in her voice.
She squeezed his hand for good measure.
That seemed to bring him out of his stupor, allowing the apothecary to catch his breath and smile.
Ophilia stared down at their fingers entwined together. "I would like it if you stayed, too…"
"Then…?"
The cleric nodded happily, her own cheeks alighting with red.
In equal parts relief and joy, Alfyn enveloped his betrothed in his arms. Ophilia returned the gesture without hesitation, both of them basking in the warmth the other brought them. They stayed there for as long as they could, savoring the moment. But even with the hints of spring teasing them on the breath of the wind, it still brought a chill to the couple.
Alfyn broke away first. "Brr! It's freezin' out here. Good thing I came prepared!"
In a swift motion from one who had little experience in such frigid temperatures, he produced a blanket and a flask from Zeph's satchel. With a flick of his wrists, Alfyn surrounded himself and Ophilia in the thick quilt. Next, without missing a beat, he grabbed two cups out of the seemingly bottomless bag. Then, with a couple pours of his flask, two beverages steamed in front of him - one he kept and the other he gingerly handed to Ophilia. She took it gladly.
Finally, before Ophilia knew it, her betrothed had created a warm, comfy setting on the top of the chilly hill.
"Ta-da!" Alfyn exclaimed with a bit of fanfare. "Warmth in droves!"
To accentuate his point, he snuggled closer to Ophilia, earning a giggle from the woman.
"Are you sure you can handle this cold, dear?" she asked playfully.
"With you, a blanket, and some verte chaud, I think I'll be just fine! Even if I don't know what verte chaud means…"
"It translates to 'hot green,'" Ophilia informed.
"Ah, not happy I asked…"
"Don't worry, the drink is actually quite good. It's just made with hot chocolate and local herbal liquor."
"Hot chocolate? Why didn't you say so earlier!?"
Unable to stop himself, Alfyn drank from his cup, catching himself only as the hot liquid touched his tongue.
"Ouch! Damn, forgot to cool it down…"
For his second attempt, much to Ophilia's amusement, the apothecary gently blew on the drink to cool it before tentatively slurping the chocolatey concoction from the cup. This time it touched his tongue and sent a satisfying warmth down his throat as he tasted the sweetness of the chocolate soothed by the bittersweetness of the alcohol. It went down far too quickly after that, prompting the apothecary to pour himself another as soon as he finished his first.
Ophilia chuckled at her fiancé's actions. "I see you like it?"
"Yup! This drink is somethin'! It's so warm and sweet, but not overly sweet! Don't know why they'd call it hot green, though. Just makes me think of other things…"
Alfyn mulled over his words before shrugging and taking another sip.
Ophilia could only chortle heartily, something she didn't do often. It was enough to earn a questioning glance from Alfyn.
Once she calmed down, the cleric explained herself. "It's nothing, Alfyn. I just realized how happy I am, how Aelfric has led me down this path and rewarded me with you, my sister, and our friends."
She leaned her head against Alfyn's shoulder, sheltering her cup in her hands so she could enjoy its warmth.
"It has been over a year since I left Flamesgrace and listened to Teller's prediction. I was troubled then, but he taught me it was okay to fear the road ahead and to rely on those I would meet along the way. He was right. So many obstacles stood in my way that I could meet, but not fully overcome, not without you, Cyrus, Tressa, Olberic, Primrose, Therion, and H'aanit. I have learned to stand on my own two feet on this journey, yet I would choose to do so alongside those I love and who love me in turn."
Ophilia rose her head and turned to Alfyn, sniffling and bringing a finger to wipe a tear from her eye.
"Even after His Excellency, my father, passed, even after Lianna betrayed me and almost followed him, I still had all of you to help me through the darkness. And I could never be happier or more grateful for that.
"Thank you, Alfyn. You and our newfound family."
Once more, the couple embraced, but Ophilia initiated it this time, overcome with emotion after realizing how far she had come and who had walked that long, winding path with her to arrive at this moment. So, there the couple stayed on top of the hill overlooking Flamesgrace for some time more before they finished their drinks and returned to the town below. There, the Octopath Travelers awaited their return at the tavern, no doubt wondering what would come next on their journey through Orsterra.
Dear listeners…
I have recited much about the journeys of the Octopath Travelers and the lessons learned from their ventures.
I would be remiss to not thank you, sincerely and deeply, for walking this winding story with me.
Through it, I hope you have learned, as Ophilia has, that the bonds created between people, no matter for how long of a time, may indeed be as meaningful as a lifetime friendship or family member.
Mayhaps you do not see your Teller here as such, but all of you who have taken the time to listen to an old man recite an even older tale.
Therefore I see you as such.
Ah, but sentimentalities, we are not yet at the end.
No, there are still moments of each Traveler's life that must be revisited so that we know they are each in very good places…