55. One Final Decision

Arganan woke up the next morning, like usual. He had his breakfast with Pico, Dolce, Nancy and Jones, and after that, went to go to one of the various meetings he had with Calista, Zael and Arthur. Frey was also present, sometimes, but if she couldn't be, Volkanon would stand in on her behalf.

The former Count took his time after the meeting to pull Calista aside, to let her know what he wanted to do with staying or leaving.

"What is it about?" Calista asked. Both of them walked throughout the town of Selphia quietly.

"I've made my decision." He took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to say would mean no turning back. "I'm going to stay here, in Selphia."

Calista's eyes widened at his statement. She didn't say anything for a moment, before she blurted out, "You're staying? In Selphia?"

"Yes." He swallowed. "I am. I know it might not be what you were expecting, but…in a way, I have to thank you for bringing me here."

She raised a brow. "Thank me? I thought you'd be angry when I first exiled you here."

"I was." He admitted. "But the people here are good. Frey and the others helped me become a lot better. And I think my departure from Lazulis helped it also give it a fresh start."

"You're sure about this?" She asked. She seemed suddenly unsure of this, herself, given the wary look in her eyes. "You have so much experience, ruling Lazulis. Even if you and I were not as good with each other back then as we are now, you still ruled Lazulis for a good decade. And the people there were happy with what you did bring to it."

"But that was in the past. Things are different now." He gently countered. "Calista, you've done a wonderful job ruling Lazulis as the Countess, so far. And I'm confident that you'll continue doing that. Of course, if you ever need help," A chuckle left him as he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "I'm here. I'm not far. You'll probably hear from me often as is, if I'm working for both Lazulis and Selphia with the position you're putting me into."

A soft smile came to Calista's face as she placed a hand over his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Thank you, Uncle. I appreciate it. To be honest…" A soft chuckle left her, "I thought you'd want to stay here in Selphia, too."

"Really?" It was his turn to be surprised.

She nodded. "Of course! You're close with the people here. And I think you're happy here, too. I can see that too well. Just…" She took a deep breath. "Promise that you'll come visit?"

"Of course I will. You know that." He chuckled a little, but before either of them could speak again, Calista pulled him into a hug. Arganan paused, staring down at her, before he carefully hugged her back. His niece had never hugged before. Not like this.

He'd cherish this.

Before either of them could say a thing, just as they pulled away, he heard someone calling his name.

"…nan! Arganan!"

He turned on his heel to see none other than Frey, running over to them. The Princess of Selphia looked exhausted, but also still, at least, alive.

"Frey!?" Arganan called back. He wasn't sure what else to say. Where was Forte and Vishnal?

"Arganan!" She gasped. She nearly tripped, but caught herself in time, panting for breath as she came to a stop.

Calista winced lightly, casting some healing magic on the Princess to help her restore her strength. "Are you okay?"

"It's Venti." Frey breathed, looking up at both of them. "Venti is…"

"She's?" Arganan prompted.

"Alive." She finished, before looking in the direction of the castle. "I just got back from Leon Karnak and I thought the spell to bring Venti back didn't work, so I went back home, and she's already here. She's back!"

"What?" A gasp tore from Calista's throat at that. "She's back?"

"Yeah. Forte and Vishnal are also there." The Princess of Selphia smiled up at Calista and Arganan. "Want to go see her?"

"O-of course." Arganan nodded. "Please, bring us to her."

"Got it!"

As the three entered the castle, Arganan realized that it wasn't just Ventuswill that was there. Vishnal and Forte were there, too, like Frey mentioned earlier, but same with Volkanon, Clorica, and even Therius and Zael.

"You made it!" Vishnal beamed at Arganan. He looked just as exhausted as Frey, but otherwise alive. Same went with Forte, who offered the group a nod of acknowledgement.

"We heard the good news from the Princess." Arganan replied. "We had to come see Lady Ventuswill."

"Ah, Arganan. Lady Calista." Arganan looked up to see Ventuswill. The Divine Wind looked as healthy as the day he first met her, and she smiled at them. "I'm glad to see that you're here. And I heard rumors that Arganan would be leaving Selphia, just as I was returning."

"I'm staying." Arganan corrected, looking her in the eye. "I've made my decision. I hope you don't mind me sticking around."

"I don't think that'll be too much of an issue." She noted, chuckling. "Just try not to crash more airships in the future."

Arganan could only sigh at that remark. "Of course." At least his debt was fully paid down at this point. Hopefully he didn't have to go through that again. As he looked around everyone, he noticed how excited they were.

And he realized, in that moment, that this place truly was his home now. He had family here in Selphia. Not biological, to be fair, but he did appreciate everyone in this town. A chuckle left him, before he smiled at Ventuswill.

"Welcome back…Venti."

Author note: This is it. This is the second-last chapter, and the final chapter will be posted next week, just before Christmas.

I want to thank all of you for reading this fic so far. This has been a labour of love to write, and I am so glad that you enjoyed reading this all the way through, whether you've expressed this through comments, kudos, or simply by reading this fic. I hope that all of you join me for the last chapter before Christmas!