Author's Note: Holy cow you guys. It's been a year. Today is the one year anniversary of when I posted this story. Who would've thought I'd have managed to stick to one story for an entire year, that it would get to be over 150,000 words, and that it would get so popular? I originally expected this to be 100,000 words max, have maaaaybe 50 followers and faves max, and get maybe 10 reviews. But here we are a year later with 387 favorites, 571 follows, and 240 reviews. It's unbelievable, it's impressive, and it's so amazing I could cry.
Thank you all so much. This means the world with me. But that's enough rambling, right? It's been a whole two months since I posted, so I should get a move on. Now without further ado, enjoy.
"So, where do we go now?" Robin asked, looking toward Corrin.
It had been three days since the battle with the bandits, and everyone had gathered in Lalami's house to plan their next move.
Robin had only been released earlier that day, and Corrin had told all the other members of the group that they weren't leaving until Robin was back on his feet for at least a couple hours. Unsurprisingly, very few of them were upset at their remaining in the village. Robin was probably the most antsy of the group, if only because he hated lying down for so long. He had things he could be doing, and lying down wouldn't get them done.
Corrin's response was to the point. "Well according to Saizo, there was news of Ryoma traveling to Cheve, so I was thinking we should head there next. He seemed like a reasonable guy when I met him, so I think we can convince him to join us. Or at the very least, even if he isn't very reasonable, I don't think he would attack his own family members. So as long as we bring along Takumi and Sakura, we should be able to talk to him for a little without being attacked, even if he doesn't want to be our ally. What do you think?"
"That sounds fine by me," Robin responded. They would need to talk to Ryoma eventually, and there was nothing wrong with doing it sooner rather than later. It was better to do it before they possibly did something he couldn't forgive them for, anyway, and since they hadn't, it was prime time to talk to the prince.
Camilla frowned at Corrin's words however. "He's going to Cheve, you say? Now?" Corrin nodded. "So is our older brother, Xander, last I checked. Or, he's going to Cyrkensia at least. The two are close enough that he and Ryoma might run into each other during their trsveks, What will happen if the two meet? Xander's never liked Ryoma, and after what happened in that field after the Hoshidans kidnapped Corrin, his dislike of Ryoma in particular has grown considerably. There's no way those two would be friendly if they met up. If they begin to fight, I doubt we'd be able to reason with them."
"That's a good point." Robin looked over the group in front of him. "Fighting would make it almost impossible to reason with either one of them.
"Thankfully, one of them will probably get there before the other, and we can use that time before the second's arrival to state our business. I know not all of us are used to travel, but if we want to prevent the inevitable chaos that will occur when the two crown princes meet, we should try to get there as fast as possible. That way we can talk before any fighting breaks out.
"And on another note, I'm sorry about not saying this sooner. If I'd known that Ryoma and Xander were so close to meeting, I'd have gotten out of the hospital-"
"No." Corrin interrupted Robin, looking at him with a furrowed brow. "There is no 'if you'd gotten out of the hospital sooner.' You would not have gotten out of bed. You were injured, and there is no way I'd just let you get up and hurt yourself more trying to travel before you're ready. I'm sure the others would agree, right?"
The rest of the group looked at each other and nodded or shrugged, a few members of the group like Saizo and Beruka staying still. Mozu and Sakura's (plus Subaki and Hana once they saw their liege's reaction) enthusiasm more than made up for it, though. It seemed the group really did like him. And the feeling was mutual - he'd be sad to leave them when that time came.
Robin sighed. "Yeah yeah, I get it. At this point all we can do is hurry. Does anyone know when the next boat for Cheve or Cyrkensia leaves?"
"Not for another week," reported Kagero. She sounded slightly disturbed, but kept a straight face. It made sense, since the longer they took to get to Cheve, the longer it would take for her to reunite with her liege.
Saizo kept a blank face throughout the conversation, but Robin could tell his separation from Ryoma was a weight on the male ninja's back too. He went from few words to no words, and a harsh glare to a more subdued, empty expression once Ryoma's name popped up in the conversation.
The week wait for the next ship was inconvenient though. "Really?" Robin asked. "Damn. That's not good. Camilla, and the rest of you who are from Nohr, do any of you know of any land routes that could take us there in a reasonable amount of time? I know we need to get to the port, but if there's any way for us to make it to Cheve or Cyrkensia faster than waiting for the boat would get us there, I'm all ears."
The few Nohrians in the group looked at each other, taking a moment to think about the landscape of Nohr and any possible ways to get to where they needed to go. After a moment, Beruka was the one to respond.
"There's a way that takes us through the theater district of Nestra."
"The theater district?" Robin was suddenly interested. A theater district sounded fun, and like a good place to collect information. Theater people loved to tell stories, and stories usually held relevant facts or rumors about current events.
"Oh yes!" Camilla exclaimed, a fond smile on her face. "My father used to take Xander, Leo, Elise and I there all the time. I was planning on taking Corrin to the next performance, since Father finally decided it was time to allow her outside of that dreadful fortress, but then all this stuff happened… Well, I guess this is my chance to then, isn't it!" She chuckled for a moment, giving Corrin a slight hug before continuing her explanation. "There's a large opera house in Cyrkensia, just north of the harbor. It's the time of year for the big performance, so we may be able to see the show. Xander didn't say exactly why he was going to Cyrkensia, but I feel it's related to that. If we stop by the Opera House before visiting the port, we may find him.
"The Opera House, though large, isn't really a good place to fight. It would also be full of civilians, so as long as Xander is the one there instead of Father, I doubt he'd initiate any sort of attack. Given how odd Father has been lately, I imagine he'd stay at home and work on army things, but I can't be sure. But if he isn't there, then Xander has always been about chivalry and morals; he wouldn't let any innocent people get hurt if he could prevent it."
"Then it sounds like going Beruka's way is our best bet. Can everyone be ready to leave in twenty minutes? We'll take a quick lunch before we go, but then we'll be off," Robin told the group.
The members of Corrin's army then dispersed, Jakob and Felicia heading to the kitchen while everyone else bar Beruka left to find their respective rooms and organize their things. Though they technically could have stayed in the Astral Plane and kept their things there, Corrin had asked everyone to stay the nights in Lalami's house instead. For one, it would be hard to explain the whole 'separate dimension' thing to the old woman. For another, it seemed to make the woman happy to have her house so full of people, so the group had just slept in her spare rooms instead.
Beruka hadn't moved when everyone else had, so Robin turned to ask her a question: "So, where exactly is this route you know going to take us? As I said earlier, not everyone in our group is used to hard travel. Could you give me an overview of where we're going, and what kind of terrain we're going to have to face?"
"..." Beruka said nothing.
"Uh, please?"
"I'm going to aid Lady Camilla. Goodbye." Beruka walked toward the stairs, leaving Robin dumbstruck.
'Oh come on, couldn't she have at least said 'no' rather than just ignoring me!?'
As much as Robin wished for Beruka to say something, it was a different woman's voice that he heard next.
"Hm, what a quiet woman. I wonder what happened in her past to make her that way? Nothing I could ask her about without being a close companion, or maybe even nothing I could ask her about regardless of our relationship, I bet. I'll just be curious for the rest of my days, I suppose."
While Robin was watching Beruka go up the stairs, Lalami had managed to sneak up behind him, giving a comment that made him wonder too.
"Nice to see you Lalami. Did you manage to hear what I said, or would you like me to give you an overview of what we discussed?"
"An overview?" Lalami asked, tilting her head down while keeping her eyes on Robin, "I didn't know that was okay. I thought you military folk liked to keep your actions hidden. My husband would always go on about how his superiors ordered him to keep quiet about what they were planning and what they had done. Of course, he'd tell me anyway, because I was in a different country and couldn't do much about anything the Hoshidans had planned, but shouldn't the same reasoning apply here?"
"It should, and it does. Just as your husband trusted you wouldn't do anything to betray him or his allies, we trust that you aren't going to do anything like that against us either. You've been a great help these past few days. I know I wasn't around for the beginning, but Corrin and the rest really admire you. You seem like a perfectly honest and kind woman to me. I don't see any reason why not to speak around you. That and I'm not really sure how you would be able to tell on us, nor why you would want to expose our plans in the first place.
"Plus, I know how it can weigh on your mind when someone you care about or cared for suddenly disappears. It's terrible, if you ask me, because you're left wondering if you'll ever hear from someone again, or if their were captured, or killed, or whatever. If I have the time, I'll send you a letter when we get to Cyrkensia, so you know we arrived safely. How does that sound?"
"It sounds wonderful. Thank you, son. Kind people like you really bring hope to an old woman like me. It helps us know the future is in capable hands."
Robin laughed in response, Lalami joining in a moment later, but his internal thoughts differed from the laughter that made its way through his lips. 'Well, this future isn't really in my hands. I'll be leaving soon, if things go my way and I'm able to find a way home. So I won't have a chance to do much for the future after the time I spend here. But no one in Corrin's group went against my idea, so it means things should go well in their hands as well. I hope.'
"Oh, and one other thing!" He had almost forgotten, but Robin made sure to ask his question before he went upstairs to check if anyone needed help. "How are you feeling? Has the medicine helped at all?"
Lalami raised an eyebrow, looking at Robin like he was crazy. "Has it helped at all? Has it helped at all? I haven't felt this good since I was 30! In these past three days I've gone from feeling like I could keel over any minute to feeling like I could go for a jog with one of those kids who always runs past my house in the morning! My cough is almost nonexistent now, which I have to thank both the medicine you got me and that sweet butler, Jakob for. If he's not too busy making lunch, I think I'll ask him for his tea recipe. That in itself is a miracle. I think drinking that alone on a daily basis would add five years to my life, even if I didn't have any medicine!"
"I'm glad to hear," Robin responded. "And you confirmed the deal with the hospital, right?"
He and Corrin had a long talk with the staff and director after the battle, striking up a deal where instead of their group getting money for their actions, Lalami would get the medicine and care she needed, and would never be refused service.
"That I would get my medicine free for the rest of my days as payment for the protection your group offered and their role in fighting off those bandits? Yes. Thank you for that, Robin. I don't know where I would be without you. No, I do know. I would be hanging with both feet in the grave, clinging on to the edge of the hole with a single hand. Thanks to your efforts, I'll be able to live long enough to see even my youngest daughter's wedding. If she gets married sometime in the next ten or fifteen years, that is. I don't think she has a boyfriend yet, but you never know. Love is a fickle thing."
Robin blushed at Lalami's comment, his face heating up. "Don't give me all the credit! Heck, don't give me any of the credit! I wasn't even awake until after the battle had ended!"
"Yes," Lalami conceded, "but none of this would have happened had it not been for you. You probably didn't have a fun time doing it, but your injury was what brought your group here. I don't know why you were hurt or what did it, but that injury was what brought your group to this town and saved our lives. I owe you. So if you ever need some advice from an old lady who's lived a long, long time, just send me a letter and tell me where to send my response. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
"Haha, yeah, getting injured was not really something I enjoyed, but I'm glad my injury helped someone, even if it wasn't me!"
The two laughed for a good minute, stopping when Lalami began to cough.
"Are you-" Robin began to speak, but was cut off by a wave of Lalami's hand.
"It's fine, son. It was impossible for me to be completely rid of an illness I've had for over almost two decades in just a few days. You go on then. I'm sure you have some things to check up on. I'll see you in a few minutes." She put a hand on Robin's cheek, making him blush slightly once again. Was this what having a grandmother felt like? It was kind of embarrassing, but in a sweet way. He would have to come visit her again.
Robin nodded under her touch, and Lalami left for the kitchen. He made his way upstairs, heading to check up on everyone like Lalami had said.
Three days later the group found themselves making their way through the streets of Cyrkensia, surprisingly not drawing much attention from the local populace. As Camilla had said, it was nearing time for the big performance at the Opera House, and the city was full of people from both sides of the border. That meant as long as they hid their weapons, hardly anyone batted an eye at their presence, since so many other foreigners were around. It worked in their favor, as asking questions just made them seem like curious tourists, rather than suspicious outsiders like in the other places they visited.
From asking around they discovered that neither Ryoma not Xander had arrived yet. Where Ryoma was the group didn't know, so Saizo and Kagero split off from the main group to find him. They were going to head for Cheve to see if Ryoma was still there, or to confirm that he had moved on. Camilla wasn't sure of the exact date not time when Xander was set to arrive, but knew he was coming eventually, so she and her retainers stayed with the main party. Or rather, she donned a cloak and only walked in the most busy parts of town where it was too crowded for anyone to rescue her, and stayed in the Astral Plane the rest of the time. The princess wasn't too happy about having to hide, but being recognized would put their entire group in danger, so she put up with it.
"So, what's next, now that we're here?" Corrin asked, looking to Robin for an answer.
"I'm not sure," he responded with a frown. "We could just hang out in the Astral Plane for the time being and send someone out every once in a while to check if anything interesting had happened. But I want to do something more. Just sitting around and waiting really isn't my style. Maybe if we keep searching around, we'll find some helpful information?"
Corrin nodded. "Sounds like a plan. So, where do you think we should go?"
"Well first thing first," Robin began, "if Xander really is coming to see the performance at the Opera House, the employees there would know about it. He's the crown prince of the biggest country on this side of the Bottomless Canyon, so they'd have been told in advance so they would put extra work into practicing their acts until they were as close to perfect as they could possibly be. They would probably know his arrival date, too. Or at least the day that he's set to watch the show, since that would be their deadline for perfecting their acts."
"How are we going to get to the performers, though? They're all staying in the rooms underneath the Opera House from what I understand, and don't really walk around the city in the days before the shows for fear of getting injured and being unable to perform." Azura's concern showed on her face, a frown creating small creases near her mouth and eyebrows.
Robin smiled. "Easy! We just have to get a performer to go in and talk to the others, and then go back out and report to us."
Azura's frown deepened. "And just how are we going to recruit a performer without going inside?"
Robin's smile deepened as well. "We don't need to recruit some random performer. We already have one!" Robin threw his arms forward, gesturing toward where Azura stood.
"M-me?" she asked, cheeks pink.
"Yup! You have an amazing singing voice, and from what I've seen, are a pretty impressive dancer as well. I have no doubt you'd be able to convince at least one guard that you're a late arrival who needs to get down to the performer's hall to prepare for your part of the show. And if anyone has any doubts, just call for us. You know the hotel that the few of us who aren't staying in the Astral Plane will be waiting at until it's time. We'll make sure to get you out of there as soon as possible. Dont worry."
"Of course. I'll do my best," Azure responded with a slight smile.
"Good luck!" Corrin cheered. She gave Azura a quick hug, and walked with her toward the Opera House. Even if she couldn't follow her inside, she'd at least walk her to the entrance.
After fifteen or so minutes of walking, Azura and Corrin found themselves near the front entrance to the performer's hall of the Opera House. There were a few guards standing on each side of the door, each with a determined look on their face, ready to intercept any troublemakers. The big performance of the year was in just a few days, and it was one of the biggest money makers of the area, so they had to make sure no one would interfere with any of the performers and thus mess up the performance itself.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," Corrin told Azura. The two were holding hands, staring up at the complex details on the side of the building. It was impressive, and some of the most amazing architecture Azura had seen. Given how amazing the outside was, she could only wonder what she would see once she was inside the hall or on the stage herself.
"Um, excuse me?" a small voice called out from behind the two princesses, causing them to turn. "You wouldn't have happened to just come from Frete, would you?"
Azura didn't respond, cautious, and suspicious of why someone would know of such a thing.
Corrin instead responded for her. "We did, actually. Why do you ask?"
The girl perked up slightly, a smile on her face. "Oh, then it really is you, isn't it! Your name is Corrin, right? My mother sent me a letter about you and your friends. I just picked it up from the post office."
'Her mother?' Azura thought, realization dawning on her face. "Then you are-"
"Lalami's daughter, yes. Well, one of them. I'm the youngest, but I have sisters too. My name is Layla, it's a pleasure to meet you!" The girl curtsied.
Azura bowed response, Corrin giving a curtsy of her own. A slight yet present difference between the cultures they had been raised in after being kidnapped.
"Miss Lalami really sent you a letter about us?" Azura was taken by surprise. She hadn't thought their actions were enough to make the woman send letters to her relatives describing them in enough detail that said relatives could identify them on the spot. Not to mention the fact that she must have sent it only a day or two after they met, for it to have arrived in Cyrkensia so quickly.
Layla nodded in affirmation. "Yes she did! My mother and I send each other letters all the time, and today was one of the pick up days I have scheduled per month. You see, she's been ill for a long time. Since we don't see each other face to face, the only way I can really check up on her is through letters. If her letter came late or didn't come at all I'd know something happened to her, because she's never been late yet. And I send her letters back to not only let her know I got hers, but to let her know I'm safe. She's so worried about me being here all alone in a big city. I try to tell her I'm safe inside the Opera House, and that I have a good group of friends who would defend me if any trouble came my way, but you know how mothers get."
'Yes, I do,' Azura thought. 'After all, I've had two of them so far. Two beautiful and kind women who said they would do anything to see my smile, and who always put my sake ahead of their own…'
When Azura's gaze landed on Corrin, she could see the guilt in the other princess' eyes. She'd only known her mother for such a short time, and it hadn't ended well. Not wanting Layla to notice their grim expressions, Azura decided to speak up in a question.
"Layla, is there any chance you could do us a favor?" The girl seemed kind, and if she was anything like her mother Azura felt she'd accept. But the outward appearances and the attitude of the parent weren't always perfect indicator of the child's mindset and ways,so she could always be wrong.
"Of course! As long as it's something I can do, I'd be happy to do it.
"And I know I may be repeating myself, and I know I may be running on a little long, but I really am thankful for what you've done. I've been so worried about my mother these past few weeks I was thinking about skipping the performance to see her if she didn't improve. But in her last letter she went on and on about how your help helped her; how she was getting her medicine for free, how she was getting such nice meals now, how she could feel improvements after just a day and a half of doses. Now I'm not so worried about postponing my visit until after the performance. I'm sure the director is happy about that too. Not that he actually knew I had plans to leave, since I never worked up the courage to tell him, but still. Thanks again." Layla swung slowly from side to side, changing her balance from one foot to another. The appreciation in her words was genuine, and it warmed Azura's heart a little. It was nice to be thanked, after spending so long in Hoshido where, although there was no real hostility toward her, there always seemed to be an aura of discontent and half-acknowledgement. Only Mikoto every seemed completely honest with and open in her responses to Azura's words and actions. She would never pretend to be happier thang she was, or his her happiness because of bias or any sort of thing. The queen was truly a considerate person.
Azura smiled. "That's great to hear. My request has something to do with the performance, as a matter of fact. You see, I need to get into the performance hall before the performance itself, and I wasn't really sure how to do it. I'm a singer, and I was thinking of trying to have a late audition, but I wasn't sure how that would go. Would you possibly be able to help me get inside?" Hopefully Layla wouldn't question just why it was she wanted to get in. Azura could try the excuse of 'I've always wanted to perform in the famous Opera House of Cyrkensia,' but she wasn't sure how convincing she could make it. Honesty with little snippets of truth taken out was the best route,but that didn't mean she was very good at it.
"Sure! Anything for someone who helped my mother out. Add in the fact that you're a performer, not to mention a fellow singer, and of course I'll help you in. I love singing, and I've done it for years, but I'm still not fully confident in my voice. If you could be my backup vocals, or sing a duet with me, I'd be overjoyed! I have a couple friends who I've been talking to that might want to be backup dancers, too, so we could have a whole little show! How does that sound?"
"That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Layla."
"You're welcome, miss Azura! Oh, if you're wondering why I know your name, my mother sent me a short description of everyone in your group. You can check it out when we get to my room in the hall, if you want. Since it's so close to the day of the show and we have so many performers staying down below, I'm not sure if you'll be able to get a room, so staying with me might be your best bet to keep from getting shoved with some weird stranger. Most of the performers are really friendly, but a few of them give me the creeps..."
"Whatever works out best for the both of us, then. Staying in your room would help me learn my part too, so I like the idea. Thank you so much for all of this."
"Oh it's no bother, really! It's just exciting." Layla clasped her hands together before reaching out to take Azura's hands. Corrin still held one, letting go before Layla could touch it. "And to you Corrin, thank you double for what you did, my mother-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Your mother said I helped a lot and was the reason for all the good or whatever it is. It was no big deal. Just me doing my part to make things right in the world. You two better get going if you want to make it to the performers' hall with enough time to practice!" Corrin told the two.
Layla laughed a little and said a short word of affirmation before leading Azura off. As Layla started to hum, Corrin grew smaller, the outline of her body eventually being taken up by the masses of people passing between them. Azura hoped she wasn't upset about losing her companion.
Layla navigated the two of them toward the Opera House, giving a short explanation as to who Azura was when they made it to the guards. As an extra precaution, Azura gave her name as "Celeste", making Layla raise an eyebrow. Once they were inside Azura told her it was a stage name that she thought up because of how boring "Azura" sounded. Layla accepted it, and agreed to not call her Azura until after the performance was over with. Giving her name as Azura might have been okay, but it also might have drawn suspicion of it was well known, so she decided to take the date route by using a pseudonym.
Ten minutes after entering the hall, Layla located the dancers she'd mentioned earlier. There were two men that must have been a few years older than she and Layla, as well as a woman that appeared to be their senior by at least ten.
One of the men was a bit below average height, with shoulder length midnight blue hair and a silver outfit. The other man was a head and a half taller than the first, with burgundy hair in a ponytail that went down to his waist and a gold outfit. They made an interesting contrast when standing next to each other. The woman had blonde hair piled in what seemed to be an intentionally messy bun, her own outfit a mix of gold, silver, and bronze. She must have been the main dancer, the two men serving as helpers based off their color combinations.
"Hello you three!" Layla shouted, drawing their attention, "Remember how I mentioned we could do a combination piece if I found someone to sing with me? Well look who I have here!"
The woman was the first one to react, walking up to Azura and placing a hand on her chin. The woman was tall from afar, but when she stood in front of Azura, the princess realized that she'd underestimated just how tall the woman was. She had to be Ryoma's height when barefoot, and at the moment she was wearing heels. It was a bit intimidating.
"So this is the girl that's going to perform with us? Tell me, what's your name darling? I don't think I've seen you around before," she drawled.
"Madeline! Don't go touching people without their permission!" Layla said with a pout.
Azura shook her head, both to rid herself of the woman's touch and to show Layla it wasn't all that big of a deal. "It's fine, Layla. I appreciate the concern, and I would rather not be touched if I could avoid it, but you don't need to make such a big outburst." Layla blushed. "I just arrived today, so it would make sense that you haven't seen me, Madeline is it? My name is Celeste. It's a pleasure to be here."
Madeline let out a laugh, putting heavily adorned fingers on her arms. "Celeste? What a beautiful name! And you're right, my name is Madeline. The short one with me is named Szollás, which I know doesn't fit him but I think the manly, complicated name makes him feel better, and the tall one is named Terryl. If you ask me, they should switch, but they just won't do it. How conceited, right?" Madeline let out another laugh, as the two men sighed. Both of them muttered something under their breaths, but Azura couldn't catch it.
"Oh don't complain you two," Madeline snapped, "it's just a joke!"
"We know," Terryl said.
"But I do wish you'd refrain from making jokes at our expense," Szollás added.
"Never!" Madeline cried, making the two sigh again. Layla just giggled, Azura joining in a moment later.
"Madeline just loves to be dramatic," Layla whispered to the blue haired princess, her giggles making it hard to stay quiet.
"I can see that," Azura whispered back, trying to smother her own giggles.
"What are you girls giggling for," Madeline suddenly questioned. "We don't have time for fun and games. We have a performance in three days, and dear Celeste her still doesn't know her part! Not to mention I doubt the two boys behind me have been practicing."
"I have!"
"You haven't been either!"
"Unimportant. I choreographed the thing, so I know it by heart. I could even do it in my sleep! Just watch me, since I sleepwalk sometimes. I might actually do it! It's you two who are the ones that need to work."
She turned back to Azura and Layla. "Now then, follow me. I'll lead you over to a practice area we can use. Oh and Celeste, you don't mind changing do you? I have just the perfect outfit for you…"
Three days later, Azura was in a room behind the large stage that she and the others would be performing on, waiting until the time for her to go up had come. Madeline, Szollás, and Terryl had already gone up and done their individual pieces, and were currently chatting nearby. Layla had just left to do her single piece, so Azura was waiting with them for the few minutes between when Layla went up and the rest of them joined her.
Azura had spent all the free time she'd had over the past couple days going around the performer's hall trying to get information on Prince Xander's movements. Unfortunately, she only had moderate success. No one had known where Xander was at the moment, but they did know his arrival day. His arrival time though...
Apparently some incident had arisen on his way to Cyrkensia that needed the prince's immediate attention, so he was going to arrive later than originally anticipated. The Opera House managers had actually pushed the time for the performance back a few hours to allow for his travel time, but kept it on the same day as originally scheduled. Wherever Xander was and whatever he was doing, it wasn't enough to postpone such a big event as was going on in the Opera House.
Azura only hoped that he wasn't trying to find the ice tribe. If Felicia and Flora were some sort of offerings to King Garon to keep him from harming the tribe, and they were both gone, then the tribe would be a prime target with both of the twins gone. Add in the fact that Flora had 'betrayed' the king by surviving the battle against Corrin without killing the princess, and Azura knew Garon had to have done something to punish the tribe. Flora had gone back to earn them though, so hopefully she had made it in time and Prince Xander was dealing with something else.
Azura had also heard rumors about Prince Ryoma trying to gain allies in nearby Cheve, and that he was already meeting with rebel leaders. The rumors varied, with some saying he had a small army of deserters in addition to skilled Hoshidan soldiers and heavily armed rebels, and other saying he had tried speaking to the Cheve rebels and been allowed entrance to the base but had yet to get any actual support. The main consensus was something like the first one, though, so Azura had at least some important information to report back to Robin. She hadn't been allowed to leave the hall since there were only three days left (apparently Layla and her letters were so well known she got through, but Azure had nowhere near that kind of status and was thus stuck inside), so all the information she knew stayed only with her. None of it had reached the members of Corrin's army yet, so she had a lot to say when they met up.
For the moment she was sitting on a bench waiting to go up, though. Reports could wait for later.
"Sooo, are you ready sweetie? Are you prepared for the biggest and most amazing performance of your life? You look so darling in that outfit, and your voice is one of the silkiest, smoothest sounds I've ever heard in my life. You're going to be spectacular out there, I know it," Madeline reassured the quiet songstress.
At the mention of outfits, Azura looked up at Madeline for a second, then over to where Szollás and Terryl were, and finally back down to her own dress.
Szollás and Terryl were once again in silver and gold, but this time their outfits were much nicer. Pants that hugged at the waist puffed out into baggy cloth, thin layers of translucent ribbon on top of the material making it shimmer as it moved. The pants got wider and wider until the ankle, where they were held against their wearer's skin with a thick metal bangle. Neither wore any shoes, their feet instead covered in a cloth wrap dyed silver and gold, respectively. They weren't exactly shoes, but they weren't socks or regular bandages either. They were just there, Azure supposed.
The two men also sported long open vests that went down to mid thigh, with short tops that didn't quite cover the bottom of their ribs underneath. The vests had the same sort of translucent ribbons on them as the pants did, but the tips were completely solid and opaque. Both men had several bangles and bracelets on both arms, some with crystals inside, some made of only metal, as well as a large pendant necklace. Szollás' had a silver chain but gold piece in the pendant part, and Terryl's had a gold chain but a silver piece in the middle.
They also had on headpieces, which were unique. Szollás' had several swirling designs and resembled roses, with one of the center pieces being silver, the next one gold, and the final one bronze. Terryl's was much straighter, resembling tilted daggers that went from gold to silver to bronze.
As impressive as the two men were, Madeline was even more dazzling. She had on the same top as the men did, as well as a vest of a similar design, but rather than stopping at mid thigh, here ended at the bottom of her calf. It also split into two pieces once it reached her waist in the back, forming a long v-shape when looked at from behind. The edges of the vest had two solid ribbons, with silver on the outside and gold on the inside. The base color was bronze though, as was her top.
She had on form fitting but elastic shorts that covered her thighs, which had a diamond pattern that wasn't discernible from far away, but impressive up close. Madeline also had tri colored ribbons wrapped around her legs from her knees down to her ankles, where the wrappings on her feet were solid bronze.
The woman wore three pendants, two of them matching the ones Szollás and Terryl wore, and the third having a bronze chain and a crystal that may have been diamond in the middle. Her arms were also covered in bangles of all three colors, and her headpiece was the most elaborate of all. It made almost a full circle around her head, stopping just below her ears, and had a teardrop pattern all around it. In between the drops were different flowers and knives, paired together and angles toward the center in the way that made her face look long and elegant. Her hair was also put back in an elaborate braid that held right against the back of her head, swirling toward the center in a way that made it resemble a rose.
Azura's outfit paled in comparison. Her dark blue dress matched Szollás' hair, but it was nowhere near as elaborate as what he was wearing. Her dress was almost a two piece, actually. It held right against her bosom, opaque cloth keeping her skin from view, but from the middle of her ribs down was a translucent gold fabric that left her stomach completely visible. At her waist the translucent gold met a large golden belt, below which was a long skirt of the same blue as her top. The skirt had a long slit up the left side, which Azura was mostly used to, but she wasn't wearing her usual stocking, which made the whole thing feel weird. She did have on gold shorts to match her stomach, but they thankfully weren't completely translucent. They weren't completely opaque either, but they were satisfactory. There were also long golden waves embroidered on the blue part of the dress, making for a little bit, but not a major amount of detail. It wasn't as dazzling as the dancers' gear, but it was still pretty. She would've loved to keep the thing, but it was Madeline's and Azure doubted the woman would want to part with it.
Layla was wearing a dress that mirrored Azura's, except it was red and silver to match Terryl's hair and Szollás' outfit. It worked out well, as Azura's blue hair went well with the blue dress, and Layla's pinkish-purple hair went well with the red dress. The two singers also sported bronze veils, as well as their own unique pendants. Azura had on the one she always wore, and Layla had a ruby pendant on that she'd gotten from her mother a few years back. Neither wore anything on their feet.
With how well they were dressed, Azura was confident they'd at least look good if anything went wrong.
"Celeste!" Madeline shouted, drawing Azura's attention, "It's time for us to go on stage!" The blonde woman grabbed Azura by the arm and took her to the edge of the stage, where they were just far enough back to not be seen by the audience.
"Are you ready, sweetie?" Madeline asked, her voice breathy with excitement.
"Y-yes," Azura whispered back, her heart pounding. She wasn't new to singing in front of people. So why was it she felt so nervous?
"Hey, you've got this, Celeste. You sound like a goddess when you sing, and you haven't missed a single note since the third time you sang the song on day one. This is going to be a piece of cake, my little Star" Terryl told her, winking and sticking out his tongue while using the nickname he'd given her after their first practice.
"I know you're going to be absolutely fantastic. I know your heart may be pounding now, but it gets easier when you're out there. Just tune everyone out and perform like you're singing all alone for yourself to have a good time. You are your biggest critic. No one is going to be harsher on you than you are. And even you can't find faults in your song. So go out there and sing. I believe in you." Szollás' words were genuine, and Azura felt her heart warm.
The combined reassurance of Madeline, Terryl, and Szollás was enough to get Azura to smile, and slowly her heart began to calm down.
Then it was performance time, and Azura took the first step out toward the stage, singing her first line as she revealed herself, walking up to Layla and joining hands with the girl who had a happy gleam in her eye.
Together they sang harder than Azura ever had, supported by three wonderful dancers who brought so much to the performance Azura couldn't even begin to explain their wonder.
At the end of the song, the group of five received a standing ovation, and Azura felt the happiest she'd felt in years. Looking at Layla, then to Madeline, Terryl, and Szollás, she started to sing again, this time an old tune her mother used to sing to her when they first came to Nohr to comfort her. Layla served as the background singer, adding in little flourishes here and there that made their song absolutely enchanting even without any instruments to back them up. And the wonderful interpretive dance her companions did brought tears to her eyes as well. When they finished the song and got one more standing ovation, the five bowed, and walked off stage to the sound of cheers, claps, and whistles.
They all hugged once off stage. It had gone perfectly. Suddenly Azura was glad Robin had made her come to the Opera Hall. Not only had she gotten some important information, but she'd made some friends and had the time of her life. She hadn't seen Xander in the audience as she scanned the boats and seats while on stage, but the warmth she felt that day made up for it. There was no guarantee the prince would be there, so his absence was slightly disappointing but not unexpected. Azura had thought that if he was there, he might have recognized her and confronted her in private so they could get in a short conversation about how their armies should interact, but it didn't happen, She'd have to meet up with him some other time.
For the moment though, it was time to pack up and go. The performance was fun, but the longer she stayed, the more likely it was for someone to ask Azura a question she couldn't answer without drawing suspicion or giving herself away. She'd already told Layla and the others that she was travelling with a group that needed to depart as soon as possible, and that she would be leaving once the performance was over. All she had to do was change out of the dress she was in and back into her regular dress, say goodbye to her new friends, and get on her way.
"Celeste! One moment please!" Madeline shouted for the umpteenth time since they had met three days prior.
"Madeline? What is it?" Azura asked. She didn't know what the older woman would want to talk to her about. Other than staying and living there as a performer, but that wasn't an option. At least not until the war was over. Maybe someday…
"I want to say thank you. That performance was stunning. You have such a powerful song for someone so young. And you move with such grace for a singer, too. I don't have much to give you, but I want to leave you with something for this great day, and as a little thing for you to remember me by. So, will you please keep the dress? I've long outgrown it, and it looks so pretty on you. Please?"
"I…" Azura didn't know what to say. She was honored by the offer. "I… will. Thank you Madeline. This means so much to me."
"It's such a little thing, I wish I could do more. Just promise not to forget me, sweetie. Whatever bad things happened in your past to keep you from talking about it, I don't care about. Past Celeste is not current Celeste. I'll always be here if you need a shoulder to lean on, or an ear to talk to. Just stop by. I'll probably be here until the day I can't dance anymore, and even then I'll try to stick around as a choreographer. So if you ever want to see me again, you know where to find me. I'll miss you. Come back anytime."
"I'll miss you too. Goodbye, Madeline. It's been fun."
Azura's eyes were watering once again, and Madeline enclosed her in a tight hug.
When she let go, Azura went back to where her normal dress was so she could take it back with her. In the room was Layla, who she said her goodbyes to in a similar fashion.
On her way out, Terryl stopped her, calling out for his "beautiful star, Celeste!"
When she stopped and he caught up, the man shoved an envelope in her hand.
"That's my contact information," he said, panting slightly from exertion. "I move around a lot, going from performance hall to performance hall, and sometimes I'm hard to find. But I have a set schedule of where I go, so those are all the places I might be and the dates I'll be at them. It's the same every year. You… really are mesmerizing, Celeste. I know you have to leave right now, but I would love to go on a date with you sometime. Or even a non-romantic lunch get together. Something. I don't want this to be the last time we meet."
Azura nodded, giving him a small hug. Terryl stayed with his body against hers for a moment before letting go, wandering off to wherever it was he needed to be.
Last but not least, Azura saw Szollás waiting near the exit to the hall. He had his own letter, but didn't have the same panicked expression in his face as Terryl did. He looked slightly nervous, in a charming way, but not like he was about to lose his composure.
After a few seconds of Azura looking at him, Szollás caught sight of the songstress and went toward her, the two meeting up somewhere in the middle.
"Celeste, darling!" he sang, a bright smile lighting up his face. "Just the lady I was looking for." Azura giggled at his outburst, a smile making its way to her own face. "Your performance today was the best one I've ever seen, not to mention been a part of. The raw emotion in your voice made its way to my soul, and the lift of the sounds that left your mouth was so great I thought my heart would float its way out of my body as it tried to make its way to heaven to join those lovely noises. And your face, sparkling under the stage lights… You have such a beautiful smile. If there's anything I can do to make it appear more often, please tell me. It's something I simply can't get enough of."
"Oh come on, Szollás, don't you think that's a little excessive?" A blush was making its way to Azura's face with each word the dancer said.
"Not at all! Everything I've said I mean in full. You have this certain aura about you that makes me feel at home. You truly are a gift in this world, especially on this side of the border.
"Now then, I have a letter for you. I… am a bit shy about these things, so I'd appreciate it if you opened it after you left the hall and can't… well…" Szollás' face had turned a deep red.
"Reject your love confession to your face?" Azura joked.
Szollás spluttered in response. "Whaagh!? N-no, it's not, I mean, it's- ggahh! You know what I mean. I wouldn't put something as precious as that in some letter just to run away! It's more meaningful than that! Just, don't open it right here, please? Now you're making me feel even worse if you do open it."
Azura giggled. "Of course. Goodbye, Szollás." She leaned in for a hug.
"Goodbye, Celeste," he said.
After a few seconds of their hug, he leaned in closer and whispered into her ear so no one around them could hear his words.
"It's a pity Lord Xander couldn't have been here to see your performance, Princess Azura. It was one of the most spectacular things I've seen in all my days in Nohr. Maybe after this war is over, we can get together and show him. It would be nice to see you again. You'll have to look a little more carefully though, because next time I'll look a little different. I don't have enough hair dye to wear to battle after all!"
Azura's half closed eyes shot open and she backed away, her eyes catching on Szollás' face just long enough to see the regret and sadness in his expression before they were replaced by a bright smile.
"Bye bye, my sweet Celeste! It was a pleasure meeting you!" Szollás shouted loud enough for his voice to echo down the hall, letting out one last wave before he turned around and ran into the crowd, blending in in such a way Azura couldn't hope to find him even if she tried.
"Wait… he… he knew the entire time…? Then, is Xander-!?"
Author's Note:
And there it is! Chapter 17, the one year anniversary special. This didn't work out exactly how I imagined it, and the ending is slightly off in some way, but it's what I have for now. These past 3 days I've had this completed, I've been trying to work out how to phrase the last 4 or so paragraphs, but nothing better came to mind, so here is what I have. I was also debating whether to post this today, the 1 year anniversary, or Monday the 7th, because that's not only Laslow's birthday, but my birthday too. As you can see, I decided on today, so now you know.
Next chapter we will finally get back into the fun stuff - battle. Not that I didn't like this chapter, because I did, but battles and such are cool too. Oh, and you know the Lalami chapters? This is why I included them. So Layla wouldn't have to leave the Opera House. So even if I don't plan everything out, I do have a few things here and there! By the way, Lalami is named after Laila (like Layla) Lalami, a Moroccan-American novelist and essayist, and Szollás is named after László Szollás, a Hungarian world champion pairs skater. That's the closest to a dancer Laslow I could fine. Now then, this is getting long, and it's really late, so I'll cut this here. I might revise this note a little at 4:00 or 5:00 PM, (it's after 12:40AM right now, and I have to wake up in 4 hours) when I'm not busy sleeping or doing other stuff, but for now that's all.
Thank you again for sticking with me. This story is bigger than I ever imagined it would get, and the popularity both astounds and honors me. I love you guys. Have a nice day!
Originally posted August 4, 2017. ~9,000 words without A/Ns
Eruran out.
