"What's With This Sassy…Lonely Princess?"
Chapter 5: Princess of Death
The soldiers of Embla, bristling like so many serpents about to strike, tensed up at the sight of the approaching Heroes bearing arms. The imperial ranks parted in two as their lady strolled forth from behind their ranks, bearing her grimoire through the air before her, held aloft by nothing more than her own magical prowess.
"Now just how did you know that we'd be here?" Princess Veronica asked with a frown on her—absolutely adorable, especially with the way it made her cheeks puff up like an angry little squirrel, Kiran thought—face. "How vexing. But if you've come to play, then I'll provide the game. So, change of plans!" she announced her expression slowly morphing into a smirk as the blood of the dragon thrummed inside her veins. She pointed her finger right at him smugly. "Why raze these summoning ruins when I can simply destroy you, Kiran? Now, let us—"
"This…I think this is the first time you've ever called me by name!" Kiran noted before smiling widely. "My, my, Veronica. Getting familiar, aren't we?"
The Emblian soldiers stiffened at this perceived slight to their liege and began to get into position for battle.
Veronica froze, finger still pointed at him as her face contorted into a look of horror.
"But you know, Princess," Kiran continued, grinning mischievously, "if you wanted a playmate that badly, you could have just sent me a letter, and I would have been more than happy to come over."
"I—I, you…you!"
"Aw, it's alright," Kiran cooed. "You don't need to be so shy, you know. I'll play with you any time you want!" he added with a wink.
"Y-y-you inswolent fwool!" Flustered, Veronica accidentally bit her own tongue as she she tried to chastise the Summoner. "Ow…" she moaned, holding her hands over her mouth as she winced. Upon opening her eyes, she saw her soldiers staring at her rather awkwardly. "W-what are you all looking at? Get him!"
Orders received, the soldiers of the empire charged forth, spears glinting in the warm white light of the midwinter Sun, who cast his gaze down from the house of the ram in the heavens above.
Veronica watched as her forces were steadily decimated and grew increasingly dismayed. Even Xander, commander of her men eventually fell to them again. And, judging by the booming laughter she could hear coming from the Summoner clear across the battlefield, he was taking an inordinate amount of pleasure at the sight of the Nohrian knight being hoisted up into the air by his cape, which had been snatched up in the jaws of a large green dragon, and shaken around before being tossed away—thankfully into a rather convenient bush.
Frustrated, the princess sent forth spell after spell from her tome, tearing away great chunks of earth and stone from the ground of the ruins, causing the members of the Order to stay back, lest the eleven waves of Élivágar wash them away. Before long, however, her magical energy began to run low, and sweat began to bead across her face as she tried to catch her breath. After dismounting his steed, Kiran walked forwards through the crowd, much as she had done earlier, hands raised to indicate that he wasn't a threat, but the shame and indignation she felt at having lost—and so badly too—caused her to pull upon her magic and send forth another storm of magic, which made him jump back. Unfortunately for Veronica, she had practically reached the end of her reserves of power, and she feel forwards onto her knees and hands, head bowed and hair falling all around her like a thick curtain as she took deep gasping breaths.
'Why…do I keep losing? Why must they continue to torment me like this?' Veronica asked herself. 'They have everything! Land, wealth, the love of their people…the Summone—' she suddenly froze mid-thought as the object of her meditations slowly approached her again, before kneeling down to be eye-level with her. 'What should I care that they have him?'
Her eyes grew wider as she saw him frown and reach out with one hand towards her face. She flinched and scrunched up her face, shutting her eyes out of fear…only to feel a gentle thumb wipe away the moisture that she didn't even know had been flowing down her cheeks, and she slowly opened them once more. Kiran's face loomed in closer to her own, and she felt her face burn, from her eyes and cheeks to the tips of her ears.
"I have nothing—nothing that matters," she uttered in a small, broken whisper that almost sent Kiran reeling in pain.
"Nothing?" he asked, slowly taking her right hand with his left and raising it up between them, where he held it for a few heartbeats before pressing his lips against it as a blossom of heat burst into flame under Veronica's skin where he had just touched it. "You could," he whispered. "You could have me, if you just said the word. I would be yours forever."
She tried to refute him, but her voice wouldn't come out, and the princess buried further into herself as the summoner continued speaking.
"I wouldn't—" he started, before correcting himself. "I won't let you be lonely again." He tightened his grasp on her hand, losing himself further in those charming eyes of hers. Right then, an arrow flew through the air towards Kiran, though he failed to notice the buzzing dart until it struck the earth beside him, startling him immensely.
"Princess!" another knight shouted as he galloped closer with an arm outstretched. "We're here to save you—come quick!" A shower of arrows towards the Order kept them from sallying forth, but Tiki rushed towards Kiran, already transformed, to shield him from the rain of death.
She looked back at Kiran for a second, peering into his eyes, which were wide with fear, before spotting the dragon rushing towards them. She knew he would be fine, and with a twinge of regret, tore herself away from him and ran towards her knight, whose hand she grabbed in order to swing herself up onto his steed. As she made her escape, Veronica cast one last glance backwards and saw a dragon standing above the Summoner, its wings wrapped around his form, surrounded by a pile of broken arrows that had bounced off its scales. A small sigh of relief left her lips, unnoticed by all, even herself.
•
The members of the Order breathed a sigh of relief as they witnessed Kiran emerge unharmed from underneath the protective canopy of Tiki's wings. Princess Veronica's retreat was unfortunate, but the life of their only summoner was significantly more important than trying to keep the Emblians engaged at risk to it.
"They're retreating," Commander Anna frowned "But I doubt this will be the last we see of Embla."
Alfonse rushed towards Kiran, who was just beginning to stand up with Tiki's help, brows knotted with anger, followed by his sister and the commander
"Kiran! What in the Nine Worlds were you thinking?" he shouted, storming up to him and grabbing him by the shoulders. "By the Valfather, you could have died! What possessed you to get that close to Veronica? If not for her soldiers, she herself could have killed you!"
At his words, the summoner felt his face flush with shame and guilt and he looked down at the ground.
Sensing the discord, Sharena tried to break the tension by speaking up. "I don't understand that Veronica. Her father, the Emperor of Embla, was the one who hoarded Heroes and warred with Askr. When he died, Embla declared that his war was over. We had peace, until she started it all up again!"
After a moment, her brother slowly let go of the summoner and answered. "Her father was very popular among their people. He had ambitions to make Embla powerful and prosperous." He closed his eyes, brows tightened in some strange mix of feelings before continuing. "His dream was their dream—so much so that when he died...some of his citizens took their lives. Such was the darkness behind Embla's imperial glory."
"But hope reigned again when the crown went to his wife, the Empress, who had no dreams of conquest," the commander said, continuing the story. What Anna would say next, however, shocked Kiran deeply. "Veronica is not her daughter, however, but rather that of his first wife—the previous Empress."
Kiran breathed in sharply and stared in surprise at the commander, though only Tiki, who was holding him up noticed. She felt the sudden burst of pity that blossomed in his heart and heard him softly whisper the princess' name, "Veronica…"
Unaware of this, Commander Anna continued with her tale. "And Veronica, one day, began going into other worlds of her own accord, just like her father. She wanted to invade Askr again too."
Alfonse scowled. "The people of Embla, even its top advisors, love her for it. They have given her their full support. They see Veronica as the true heir of Embla, carrying her father's blood and dreaming his dream."
"But though Veronica has their support, she seems so...lonely," Sharena said, confused.
"It's not…improbable," Kiran jutted in. "The environment we were raised in can be just as powerful an influence upon our personality as our own, innate nature. Sometimes," he added with a low voice, "even more."
"You think she's hoarding Heroes and invading Askr because she's lonely?" Alfonse scoffed. "What dark days lie ahead of us if that's the truth," he muttered before turning to face him. "Please, remain with us, Kiran?" he asked, almost pleading. "I fear that our war with Embla will soon challenge us like never before. The Order of Heroes needs you."
Kiran was torn. On the one hand, his heart swelled with pride at the prince's words, yet, he still felt himself unworthy of them. What he felt for the enemy princess seemed almost like a betrayal of the Askrans, but he found himself unable to renounce the feelings he held. He had become enamoured with her from the very moment they had first met eyes. And yet…had not the greatest, most beloved heroes of his people been forced to set aside their own hearts for the sake of Duty and the service of Righteousness? The great Kuru civil war had seen brother arrayed against brother, father against son, nephew against uncle, and had nearly torn their civilization asunder. Even the greatest of them all, Arjuna, who had at first balked against having to face his own kinsmen in battle and who dreaded the devastation it would bring upon their house eventually took up his arms once more to stand against those who sided with Unrighteousness. How, then, could he, who took such pride in claiming descent from the civilization maintained and passed on by the great heroes and sages of yore, true luminaries, forebears without parallel, live true to their ways if he himself did not fulfill his duty—or therein, die trying?
The commander was preparing to order everyone to return to their castle, before she suddenly paused mid sentence and held up a hand for silence as she strained to hear something.
"Hold on," she warned, grip tightening around her axe's shaft. "Someone approaches."
From the south, a figure in a black cloak appeared from behind one of the stone pillars of the ruins. The masked knight—evidently having escaped his bindings—rode towards them on his horse, who had returned after having run off.
"Greetings," he said, the slightest hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"You again!" Alfonse shouted with a frown, before sighing and shaking his head. " I suppose that we owe you thanks," he said grudgingly. "Without your warning, the ruins would have been—"
"Say no more," the man cut him off. "That is not why I have come here." He rode closer to them, remaining silent for a moment, before continuing. "I heard from the Heroes in the World of Awakening that you're searching for someone."
"Yes," Alfonse answered, "my good friend Zacharias."
"You can stop searching. You'll never see him again," the mage told him, his tone brooking no arguments.
"What?," Alfonse asked, running towards him. "You know of Zacharias? Where did you see him?"
"That's all I have to say on this matter," he said. He then spurred his steed towards Kiran and reached out with one hand, taking back his grimoire that hung from the belt of the shocked summoner, before riding off towards Embla.
Alfonse rushed past, calling on him to stay, but the commander ordered him to stop. The prince protested, but she placed a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back, warning him that it could be a trap.
"I'm certain we will see him again in due time," she added, hoping it would comfort Alfonse.
Alfonse closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "If he knows anything about Zacharias..." he muttered, before looking into the commander's eyes with a frown. "But, fine. I'll follow your command," he said before his turning away and letting his voice drop to a whisper, bitterness and betrayal churning within his breast. "I only hope that my friend is safe...wherever he is."
The Askrians made their retreat from the field feeling thoroughly confused despite their ostensible victory. Nothing today made any sense to them. The Trio had found a possible link to their missing friend and comrade, only for him to slip by them after leaving vague warnings. Kiran, on the other hand, had only just begun to uncover some of the mystery that made Princess Veronica who she was. About her brother.
That evening, after dinner, he sequestered himself in the Order's library and immersed himself in the histories of the kingdom of ash and the empire of the vine. He read how the first rulers of each nation, Líf and Thrasir, respectively, built their homes. The legends spoke of Líf the pure, the faithful, who, with the blessings of the holy dragon, Askr, who was the father of the kingling and most esteemed ancestor of the royal line, fixed his kingdom upon the earth, calling to his side the good and just from all four corners of the world. On the other side, Thrasir the kinslayer, the oathbreaker, inaugurated the foundation of his empire with the blood shed from the murder of his father, the black dragon, Embla, who with his dying breath, cursed his son's blood to boil with madness as punishment for his perfidy. The witch-king, it was said, then went on to subjugate the twelve other demesnes that would eventually form the provinces of his empire.
Kiran was enraptured by the tale that unfolded before him. As he came to the end, he softly closed the tome and placed it on the table beside him before leaning back in his couch and letting out a sigh, a sense of awe tingling through his veins.
"That's just…amazing. I had no idea the histories of Askr and Embla were so cool!" Kiran exclaimed to himself. "Líf, in particular, sounded amazing."
But it was the figure of Thrasir, progenitor of the Emblians, who had caught his attention. While the first emperor's actions against his own sire were something that Kiran found extremely hateful, he couldn't help be struck at the dragon's vengefulness. To curse the line of his son into perpetuity…
Veronica!
Kiran sat up with a start. Veronica was of the imperial lineage, and if the legends were true, then she would probably affected by this blood-curse as well—if she weren't already.
The summoner stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, one hand on his chin as he tried to think if there was anything he could do. Likely, she already knew about this curse or the possibility that she could contract it. But what could the curse possibly be? Was it something one needed to manifest in order to sit on the Emblian throne, or was it something that appeared amongst the members of that race with no discrimination? What did the blood-curse do?Kiran's thoughts began to drift towards something Alfonse had said earlier that day.
"They see Veronica as the true heir of Embla, carrying her father's blood and dreaming his dream."
Kiran wasn't sure how much Alfonse actually knew about this curse, but it seemed like he might have some knowledge, and he made up his mind to go speak to the prince at that instant.
The summoner hurried through the halls of the castle, way lit only by the iridescent silver gleam of the full moon as it shone through the ramparts. Upon reaching the door to the prince's room, he took a deep breath and knocked.
•
"Kiran?" Alfonse asked, confused. He was exhausted from the day's skirmish and wanted nothing more than to retire to his bed. What was the Summoner doing here this late?
"Alfonse! I need to talk to you about Veronica!" he exclaimed, cutting the prince off. "I think I might have an idea of what's going on with her," he said while swinging the book in his hand around.
"What?" Alfonse asked, all thought of sleep now banished from his mind. "What do you mean?"
"This!" Kiran said, rushing into the room and cracking the book open, before laying it on a table. "You must know the legend of Líf and Thrasir, right?"
"Well, erm, yes. I do…" Alfonse answered hesitantly as he took a seat, wondering where Kiran was going with this.
"And the blood-curse?"
"The what?" Alfonse asked, thoroughly confused.
"The blood-curse! The one that the dragon Embla placed on Thrasir for his treachery."
"Ah. Yes, I know of that. The first emperor of Embla was struck mad by his 'father' for slaying him. What of it?"
"Don't you see, Alfonse?" Kiran asked excitedly. "I don't think it stayed limited to him. I think the curse might have been—"
"Passed down the bloodline?"
"Uh, well, yeah. That's…I thought it made sense. I mean it was a blood-curse after all. I…I think she's suffering from the effects of the same curse her ancestor did."
"There was no mention of it having been heritable, however," Alfonse said before sighing. "I suppose it does seem as reasonable an explanation as any other," he mused.
After silently pondering the possibility, he turned to look at the Summoner dead in the eye. "But Kiran, though I loathe being so blunt, I must ask—why do you care?"
The summoner's head shot up, wide-eyed at the question. "Wh-what? Why?…I," Kiran asked, tongue twisting into a knot.. "I mean, weren't you the one talking about her reasons for waging war on Askr and following in her father's footsteps earlier today?"
Alfonse answered him firmly, voice carrying an edge. "That's not what I meant."
"What then?" the summoner asked, startled.
"You know of what I speak," Alfonse pressed. "Why do you care about Veronica?"
Kiran stumbled backwards in surprise, his cheeks turning warm. "I-I, well, I…" He found his mouth suddenly drier than he had ever recalled it being. "I, um…Alfonse."
The prince just silently quirked an eyebrow in response.
Kiran took a deep breath, knowing that what he had to say could change the rest of his life.
Gods, this was hard.
"Alfonse," he said firmly, "I love her."
"You…what?" he asked incredulously.
"I fell in love with her since the moment we first met," Kiran answered, beginning to pace around the room, unable to meet eyes with the prince. "Her eyes…I found myself captivated by them before I even realized what had happened," he confessed. "How could I not? That loneliness—that longing for another to love and by whom to be loved in return that makes me want to protect her…I understand that feeling well."
"Kiran!" Alfonse exploded as he stood up, sending his chair clattering to the floor. He stormed over and grabbed the summoner by the lapels of his cloak. "Are you a fool?" the prince yelled. "Falling in love wi—I have never heard of anything so ridiculous!"
Kiran looked away, smiling sadly. "Hah…I guess I am."
Unfortunately for him, this half-hearted response simply caused the prince to see red and he pushed Kiran backwards, onto the table, snarling.
"Is this what we summoned you for? To cavort with our foes?" he spat acerbically.
"I-I…" Kiran stammered, at a loss for words.
"How could you fall in love with that spoiled brat? What sort of spell did that witch cast on—"
Those were the last words the prince uttered. His eyes widened as he saw Kiran's hand covering his mouth, clamped over it like a vise.
"Alfonse!" Kiran yelled, "You can say whatever you want about me. Call me a fool or whatever. But I will not tolerate you speaking of her in that way."
Alfonse began to mumble angrily, but before he could remove Kiran's hand from his face, the door to his room was slammed open. Both the prince and the summoner's eyes shot towards the noise, revealing Sharena and Commander Anna standing in the doorway.
"Prince Alfonse! What's all that noi—" Anna shouted before stopping in the middle of her sentence at the sight before her. Alfonse, who was breathing heavily, was leaning over Kiran, who had been pushed down onto a table. The summoner's clothing was in disarray as he covered her charge's mouth with one hand, the other hand gripping onto the edge of the table for dear life.
"B-brother!" Sharena said weakly, face a bright red, as she covered her flaming hot cheeks with her hands, eyes wide at the sight of their summoner and her brother in such a…compromising position. "I d-didn't know you…"
"What?" the prince spat out, confused, before looking down and realizing just what kind of a position he was in with Kiran. Alfonse let go of Kiran's cloak as though burnt and leapt back, cheeks turning red. "I'm not—this isn't—!" he tried to explain, before giving up and collapsing into a nearby chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What was all that noise about, Prince Alfonse?" Commander Anna asked, quickly gathering herself again.
Alfonse groaned in embarrassment before pointing at the summoner who was just beginning to sit up again. "Ask him," the prince all but spat. Kiran flinched away at the tone of his voice. "He's the fool who decided to go and fall in love with the damn Princess of Embla." Alfonse's denunciation hung in the air, a sword poised above Kiran's head.
Sharp gasps were heard around the room as two more pairs of eyes turned to stare at the Summoner.
"You what!?" Anna cried, brows knotted in fury and confusion as she stormed up to him.
"H-huh?" came Sharena's voice. "Kiran is that true?"
"I…yes," Kiran admitted, head bowed.
"How could you be so foolish? So irresponsible?" the commander scolded as she glared down at him."Is this what we summoned you here for?" Kiran felt something snap inside of him as a spark of hot anger burst into life in his veins.
"It's not like I asked to fall in love with her!" he protested. "And it's not like I asked to be summoned here, either," he whispered sullenly to himself, letting his voice drop.
Judging, however, by the flinches that followed, it seemed he hadn't managed to keep his voice down quite enough. Kiran winced, realizing he had said that out loud.
"So that's how it is, huh?" Alfonse asked bitterly. "You resent us for calling you here, then. "
"Wh-what? No!" Kiran exclaimed, waving his hands as though trying to ward off the accusation. The prince just stared at him, one eyebrow raised, until he had to break Alfonse's gaze and spit it out. "I mean, maybe…maybe at first I was a little," Kiran began, before noticing Sharena starting to tear up. "But—but I don't hate you!" he tried to reassure her. "And I didn't fall in love with Veronica because of that either!"
The atmosphere in the room felt stifled and tense.
"I promise," he said quietly.
The commander turned to face him, rubbing her temples. "Be that as it may, Kiran, how can we trust you to act in our best interests going forward? The power that you wield is a great one, and it is essential to our efforts as the Order of Heroes. How can we continue to believe that you will act in our best interests and not hinder our efforts due to your…infatuation?"
"My feelings have not blinded me from my sense of what is right and wrong!" Kiran replied, slamming his hands on the table. "I am well aware of the fact that what Veronica is doing is wrong, and I know full well how terrible it is for a nation to be colonized by another. And I swear to you—upon my people and our history—that I will do everything with the power vested in me to oppose Embla's imperial designs on Askr," he said firmly, looking all three of them straight in the eye. "I know what my duty here is and I will not shirk from it."
An uncomfortable silence overtook the room once more, and the four present chafed under its oppression. Sharena opened her mouth to speak, but was unable to get out even a word, and so, closed it again.
Anna collapsed into a chair, limbs flopping tiredly. "Allfather help us," she muttered, fists pressed into her eyes as she tried to understand just what they had gotten into. "Kiran, I want to believe you, but the fact is that this is a situation none of us could have ever prepared for." She met his gaze. "And the fact that you've kept this hidden from us also a matter of concern."
"I—of course I did!" Kiran replied sharply. "I knew how ridiculous it sounded…and I wasn't ready to talk about my feelings."
Anna continued, seemingly unhearing, "That's why we're going to have to take some…security measures. Kiran, I'm going to need you to hand over the Divine Relic."
"What? Why?" he gasped incredulously.
"Because," she answered slowly, as though she were talking to a child, "you are the only one who can unleash the true power of the Relic. And that's a key advantage we have over Embla," she continued, causing Kiran's lip to twist into a little sneer.
"And if I were to defect to them with Breidablik, it would be a serious issue for us, is that it?" Kiran asked bitterly.
The commander's silence said enough.
Kiran ground his teeth and gripped the edge of the table until his fingers turned white. He face burned with anger and humiliation churned his stomach.
"Don't worry, I'm just going to be keeping it safe, like I used to. You'll get it back whenever you need to summon new Heroes."
Kiran closed his eyes and took a deep breath and held it in as he tried to still the turbulence within. He let out an onerous sigh and met Anna's gaze.
"I see…" he said resignedly.
"And…" she began hesitantly, biting her lip. "This is just a precaution, Kiran. If we can determine that you—"
"I get it," he cut her off. "Obviously, you can't trust me, and I can't even blame you for it, objectively speaking. It's fine—it's, it's whatever. I don't—I care, but…I get it. Do whatever you need."
With that said, Kiran turned around and quickly left the prince's salon before any of the three could stop him. He lightly patted Sharena on the shoulder as he walked past and gave her a mild smile before closing the door behind him.
As he walked down the stairs to his room, he was grateful that none of them followed. While he understood where Anna and Alfonse were coming from, he also had no real desire to speak to either of them at the moment. And, Kiran mused, he wasn't sure he could deal with Sharena right now either.
Upon reaching his room, Kiran suddenly felt very, very tired, and leaned against the door, resting his forehead against it with his eyes closed. He wasn't sure how long had passed before he heard several pairs of footsteps echo down the hallway as a couple of voices whispered to one another. Wondering if the Trio had perhaps followed him down, Kiran whipped his head around to the entrance, only to see the silhouette of a woman wearing a cape holding hands with a younger girl. As they got closer, he saw that both of them had slender, pointed ears that jutted out from the sides of their heads much farther than any human's.
"Miss Tiki…" he whispered, surprised. Turning his eyes to the shorter of the two, he realized that she was accompanied by her younger self. "Teeks!" He knelt down and pinched the younger dragon's cheeks with both hands, a large smile on his face as he felt his irritation quickly drain away in the presence of the cute little manakete.
"Ki-Ki!" the little one cried indignantly as she tried to swat away his hands. Laughing, Kiran eventually drew back from her after patting her on the head.
"What brings the two of you here, Miss Tiki?"
"Good evening Kiran," the dragoness answered with a wan smile. "I realize it's rather late, but we were hoping you might accompany us both down to the kitchens for a cup of warm milk. The little one doesn't want to sleep just yet," she said, gazing fondly at her past self.
"Of course…I think I could use a cup myself." He turned back to the younger of the pair with a mischievous grin. "Hey, kiddo, what say you we make some hot chocolate?" he said, poking her in the nose.
The little one's eyes shot wide open and sparkled. "Hot choc'let? Let's go!" she exclaimed, pulling the summoner by the arm as she ran towards the kitchens.
"Alright, alright, we're right behind you! No need to pull," Kiran said with a laugh.
The three of them walked side by side, softly chattering. In the kitchens, Tiki the Elder heated up a pot of milk while Kiran set aside some spices—cinammon, ginger, and nutmeg—and finely chopped a block of chocolate to be mixed in later. All the while, the younger manakete sat patiently on the counter besides them, swinging her legs back and forth as she hummed a tune.
The summoner added the chopped chocolate to the pot of steaming milk and quickly whisked the mixture to help it melt. The rich scent of sweet, spiced cocoa soon filled the air, much to the little dragon-girl's delight. Tiki the Elder eventually took the pot off the hearth and began to pour the drink into mugs for the three of them as Kiran cleaned up behind her.
The three sat around a table, chatting about this and that as they sipped their milk. Tiki the Younger eventually felt her eyes begin to droop, much to the two adults' amusement, and she hopped off her chair and clambered up into her older self's lap to doze off, warm and content.
The two adults chuckled at the youngling's antics and watched her snuggle up to her adult self in silence for a spell.
Eventually, the older manakete turned to look at Kiran and gave him a gentle smile.
"So," she said after sitting quietly for a while. "Anything you want to talk about, Kiran?"
The summoner was taken aback. "Huh? Like what?"
"Well," she began hesitantly. "Perhaps why you looked so tired when the little one I came across you earlier?" Concern filled Tiki's voice as she looked at him worriedly. "It wasn't simply battle-fatigue, was it?"
Kiran felt his smile fade and he let out a soft sigh.
"You know me too well," he replied wryly. "Yeah, there's a bit more to it than that." Kiran set his cup down and removed his cloak, moving to stand before the oracle. "Notice anything different?" he asked, patting his hip.
Tiki let out a little gasp, eyebrows rising. "Your relic…it—it's gone? Did you lose it?"
"Not quite," he said sourly as he sat back down across from her. Kiran went on to relate the argument that had taken place between Alfonse, Anna, and him earlier that night, as well as the confiscation of Breidablik from his person that had resulted from their newfound distrust of him.
After telling the story, Kiran buried his face in his hands, palms pressed against his eyes. "Tiki…" he moaned. "What should I do? Am I in the wrong here?"
"Oh Kiran," she murmured kindly, and reached out with a hand to pat him on the head in a soothing manner. "I believe that you will do what is right, both by your feelings for Veronica and your duty. I can't promise it will be easy, but I know you'll strive your hardest. And the two of us, as well as the others here, will be with you every step of the way. Always"
The summoner looked up uncertainly, only to see Tiki smile and nod, trying to reassure him. He let out a shaky breath before trying to return her smile. "Tiki…thank you—for everything. I am…weak and foolish. I would not be here without all of you. I can't even imagine what it would have been like to face something like this if I didn't have you to rely on. Thank you so much."
The dragoness ducked her head at the sincere praise and buried her nose into the crown of her younger self's head. The three sat there in silence, enjoying the calm of the late night when nobody else was astir and the gentle pleasure derived from such rich chocolate. Eventually, however the two of them began to feel the allure of sleep steal over them as well, and they made to return to their own quarters after Tiki the Elder let out a rather large yawn.
Slowly, they made their way towards the living quarters and parted ways where the hall split to lead to the men's and women's areas, bidding one another a good night.
After Kiran slid into his bed to retire for the night, he languidly reached for the pure white light of the full Moon shining through his window above the snowy woods and ice-capped mountains painted an even colder, starker white by the Askran winter as the last bits of his consciousness dissolved into blessed sleep, and whispered to that heavenly orb a prayer in the hopes that he would carry the summoner's blessings to a certain princess upon whom his sanctifying rays also alit this eve.
A spark of warmth alit upon the otherworlder's heart and spread from there out to the very ends of his limbs, carrying him off into the realm of dreams.
And if in that place the two souls, linked together by a bond yet unknown, saw one another, bathed in the silver radiance of the light of the Moon, who can say? Perhaps they, themselves. Perhaps not.
AN: Thank you for reading. Please check out my Twitter ( kalacakra108) if you'd like to see the cover image in more detail. Please leave a review, they really do keep me going. And thank you to everyone who left a review on the last chapter. I hope this is more up to your desires for length. I'm still going to be experimenting a bit, but I feel like I'm finally starting to come into my own voice and style as a writer.