Chapter 4: One Step Closer
AN: Hey everybody. It's been awhile, but I'm still going strong. I had to clear my head and do a few things since the last chapter. But I'm here and I finished the next chapter. So I hope you enjoy!
***I don't own anything in this story, so please don't sue me.***
That night, Samantha was having a rough dream. Perhaps it was last night's bonfire, but she started missing her younger sister, Virginia. In her mind, she was alone and then an old memory came forth. It was Virginia and herself in their room together. They were much younger than they are now and Samantha was braiding Virginia's hair while Virginia was working on a crossword puzzle.
"Hm…" Virginia said with the back end of her pencil in her mouth. "A five letter word and the clue is to put up with…"
"Abide." Samantha said as she continued braiding.
"That's it! Thanks Sam!" She cheerfully said as she filled it in.
"Such beauty…" A man's voice said behind her. Samantha turned around and saw Gannondorf sitting in the shadows behind her.
"You!" Samantha growled. "Get out of my head!" She charged to attack, but he didn't move and her attack went right through him.
"You cannot attack me in here. Just as I cannot attack you." He said without moving his head. "I'm not here to hurt you, child."
"Why are you here? What do you want?" She asked with anger.
"I'm sure you've heard the stories…how I despise Hyrule and its royal family…but I need not explain myself to you."
"You've got a lot of nerve. Killing my mother like that-"
"I…" Gannon said as his eyes turned on the princess while she froze in fear. "…did not kill her…but I wanted to." He chuckled at his joke.
"You cannot kill me. I…I'm not like her."
"True." Gannon sighed. "As long as you remain in Ylisstol, I cannot harm you. Too many warriors would foil my plan much too quickly…" His head turned back to the dream of the young Hylian children. "But your sister…" He chuckled darkly and Samantha now realized his plan. She immediately sat up and gasped; wide awake and sweating. Genny was still fast asleep nearby and unmoved by Samantha's swift action. She carefully got up and left the room to clear her head. She started pacing around outside her room while trying to process his plan.
'He's going after Ginny…how can I stop him? Where the hell is she? Ginny…oh God please help me!' She panicked and closed her eyes tightly.
"Samantha?" A woman asked behind her. She quickly turned to see Robin in pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt.
"Oh..u-um…good even M-Miss Ro…Robin." She cleared her throat and bowed her head.
"Is something wrong?" She asked as she stepped closer to the princess.
"No…um…m-maybe…" Samantha nervously said before gulping hard.
"Samantha, you can tell me anything. What is said between us, stays between us." Robin reminded the princess.
I…I think Gannon is going to kill my sister!" She blurted out but quickly covered her mouth as Robin hushed her.
"Come downstairs, let's make some tea and we'll talk about this." She grabbed Samantha's arm and walked downstairs for more privacy. Robin made some tea and handed the cup to Samantha. Her hands shaking as she held the small teacup.
"So, what is this about Gannondorf? He's going to kill your sister? Are we certain about this?" Robin asked.
"Yes. I'm positive…I know it's stupid…Seeing someone who isn't there, but I swear!" She insisted.
"I believe you." Robin said calmly. "Where is your sister, exactly? If I remember, your mother had said Virginia wasn't within Hyrule's borders."
"She's in the Aloha region." Samantha said. "A-At least, the last time we had a long, meaningful conversation." She said the last part much quieter.
"The Aloha region? Goodness…" Robin placed a hand to her forehead and shook her head. "That's means getting transportation…but it'll be five days just to get to the docks…and perhaps a two week journey at sea to get there…Hm…" Robin thought long and hard about the best way to get Samantha to where she needed to go.
"I…I can leave. I can get Genny and-"
"No." Robin said sternly. "Let me think about this. I'll have a solution by morning. Let me think about this and throw some ideas around." Samantha did not move as Robin sipped her tea.
"Robin…please…I…I can't…" Robin placed a hand on Samantha's forehead and the princess suddenly grew tired.
"Nothing will get done if you worry. Rest now and I will have ideas tomorrow." Samantha seemed too tired to move, so Robin went to grab a pillow and blanket to put on the nearest couch. She then took her teacup away and led Samantha to the couch. Samantha tucked herself in and quickly fell asleep.
"Robin, why are you up?" Chrom whispered behind her. She pointed towards the hallway and the two walked out of the room.
"There's a bit of a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Chrom asked.
"Samantha believes her sister is going to be attacked."
"Who would be foolish enough to-"
"Gannondorf." Robin cut him off and silence fell between the two of them.
"…How certain are we of this?" Chrom asked with a more serious whisper.
"I don't know, but if it's anything like what happened with Validar and myself, I think we shouldn't overlook the fact that this could be a serious warning."
"We agreed never to mention his name within these walls again." Chrom said sternly.
"I'm just saying. We need to come up with something and…well…I have one idea, but I'm not so sure how much she'll like it." Silence once again fell between them and then Chrom's eyes grew big.
"No." He shook his head.
"Chrom-"
:"She would never do it. She swore off of dark magic. There's no way."
"It's the only option I can think of. Samantha needs to get there by…I don't know…tomorrow or the next day. With the help of Tharja and Henry, maybe it'll work."
"Samus will have my head if it fails."
"I…n-no. It will work. Trust me. Just go speak to her tomorrow and ask for her help. It's for the good of Hyrule." Robin stated with little confidence in her voice. Chrom looked away and reluctantly sighed.
"Fine. If you believe it, I'll go and speak with her." Robin stepped forward and kissed him.
"Thank you, Chrom. In the meantime, let's keep this between us. I'll inform Emmeryn tomorrow and the three of us will keep this a secret for now." The two went back to bed and all was quiet for the rest of the night. What seemed like a few hours later, something was poking Samantha's cheek. She waved it away and again, something was poking her cheek again. She groaned and turned to the opposite direction. But she felt something poking her back. She sat up with her messy hair and glanced to see a young brown haired girl with great big brown eyes staring back at her.
"Hi!" She said with a great big smile on her face.
"Cynthia, don't bother her while she's sleeping." A woman whispered and grabbed her hand.
"Bye!" The child waved with her free hand as the two walked away. Samantha lightly smiled and sat up from the couch.
"Oh! Samantha! Did you sleep down here all night?" Emmeryn asked with one hand covering her mouth. "I apologize for-"
"No…" Samantha weakly said and cleared her throat before rubbing her eyes. "It's fine. I came down here to talk to Robin about…something."
"I am aware of your situation." She offered a hand to help the princess up. "Chrom and Robin have left the castle to speak with an acquaintance. In the meantime, they have requested that you stay in Ylisstol until they return."
Right…where's Genny?" She looked around with a bit of worry on her face.
"Lissa has already bathed her and she should be in the dining room with breakfast." Emmeryn informed Samantha.
"Thanks." She replied quickly and walked into the dining room. It wasn't crowded like last night, but there were maybe a dozen people here and sitting at one table was the young girl Samantha was watching over.
"Sam!" Genny called and flapped her wings to go towards her. Genny hugged her protector as tightly as she could before letting go. "I wasn't scared…"
"No? Not even a little?" Samantha asked before she gently cupped Genny's cheek. The young girl looked down for a second before looking back at Samantha.
"…maybe…a little." She said quieter. Samantha smiled and hugged the little girl.
"You're such a sweetheart." Samantha gushed as a plate was set in front of an empty seat. Samantha looked at Genny who reached in vain for some kids who were heading outside.
"You wanna play?" Samantha asked as the young girl nodded. Samantha set her on the ground and she laughed and ran after the other kids.
"Hungry?" Lissa said to the Hylian princess and before she could respond, her stomach started growling. "I'll take that as a yes." Lissa and Samantha giggled before Samantha sat down. Lissa pulled up a chair and before she could get a word in, Robin placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Lissa, could you give the two of us some space? We need to speak about personal matters." Lissa t Robin and then Back at Samantha before folding her arms and huffing.
"Fine." She groaned as she got up. She walked towards the children and left the two alone in the dining room. After a few minutes, Samantha was finally served scrambled eggs, sausage, a glass of orange juice, and potatoes; the kind of breakfast she'd probably have back home. On the inside, she started thinking of home.
"I just wanted to let you know that Chrom is off recruiting a friend to help us send you to Aloha."
"How am I getting there? That's a long flight for a few Pegasus to fly. Pegasi? Pegasuses?" Samantha asked.
"We're thinking of creating a portal." Robin explained. Samantha looked at her in disbelief.
"A portal…you mean to tell me that this friend of yours will create a portal that will safely take me from here to the Aloha region? Are you kidding me?" Samantha sounded a bit irritated at that notion.
"It's a long shot, sure…but I think we could potentially accomplish something incredible." Robin sounded uneasy and the Hylian princess noted that. Instead of feeding her anger, she took a deep breath and sighed.
"Fine…a portal…how will it work?"
"Well, you know how warp works? Healing from long distances? Well, my theory is that if we harness enough dark magic…along with two other friends of ours…we might be able to amplify that power and create a portal that could take you from Ylisstol to Hau'oli City…or somewhere near there. It should work…" Robin began rubbing the back of her neck. "…in theory…" She mumbled the last part, but Samantha's ears caught it.
"In theory?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well…there's a slight chance…really small, like sooooo small, but there's a slight chance that you might suffer a small amount of…um…death." Samantha started coughing and choking on her food. Robin quickly moved to perform the Heimlich maneuver, but Samantha raised a hand and drank a bit of her juice before swallowing the piece of food in her mouth.
"A small amount of death?" She asked with shock and rage. "Are you fucking serious?!"
"That probably won't happen…maybe…but the risk…um…is still there. There's also a theory in which you'll end up somewhere off course from where you wanted to go. Look, if you want, you can play it safe and, personally, I would…but you said Gannondorf is going after you sister, right? That means you need to get there now. This is what I came up with and I am aware of the risks. But I have a good feeling that this will work out." Robin carefully explained to the princess. After a few minutes of letting the explanation sink in, she sat back down.
"…sorry." Samantha quietly said as she continued eating.
"I understand your concern with this, so how about this…do what you will today. But at least think about it. If you change your mind, let me know and I'll come up with a different strategy. That's the quickest option but it's also the one with the most risk. Let me know tonight what you're thinking and I'll do my best to accommodate the quickest means of travel."
"Yeah…I'll think about it." Samantha said as she finished her breakfast.
"Heh…you have more in common with Samus than you think." Robin smirked.
"Except the class…I've never been as classy as her." Samantha pointed out.
"Since when has Samus ever cared about class? You know, Severa would never admit it, but she has always admired Samus."
"Severa doesn't give a fuck about…" Samantha paused and thought about it for a minute. "…anyone but her family." She quietly finished her sentence.
"Not to mention the two of you have a fondness for swearing." Robin joked. Samantha smiled at her remark and stood up.
"Lady Robin…I'm sorry for my attitude." Samantha looked down in shame.
"You been through a lot. You're alone and scared." Robin smiled warmly. "If you need anything, please let us know."
"Th-Thank you." Samantha said timidly as Robin placed a hand on her shoulder. "I…" Samantha cleared her throat. "I should probably…wash the dishes. Or…you know…something." Samantha grabbed her dishes and walked towards the kitchen. She walked in and began washing her dishes and thinking about Robin's plan.
'It's the quickest way…but I might die…but you're doing this for Ginny…but still, we're talking about dying…' Her mind went back and forth on the decision. After setting her dishes to dry, she walked outside and was immediately greeted by a woman carrying two practice swords.
"Morning." The woman told her and held out one of the swords.
"Uh…hey…" Samantha said quietly as she grabbed one of the swords.
"Last night, we agreed to fight. So let's go." Samantha vaguely remembered that she promised a fight last night during the bonfire, but she wasn't really serious. But she needed to clear her mind and a friendly challenge seemed like the perfect way to get her mind off any issues. She followed her into a field where many Ylissians were waiting to watch the two of them duel.
"Kick her ass, Kjelle." A woman with red hair called out with a smirk. Samantha looked around and saw many of the people she hung out with last night as well as their parents alongside them. Finally the two stood across from one another.
"Ready?" Kjelle asked as she raised her sword.
"Y-Yeah." She responded nervously and followed that with a hard gulp. Kjelle charged and Samantha immediately deflected the strike. Samantha took a few steps back as Kjelle continued attacking. After a few attacks, Samantha ducked and swept her legs. Kjelle landed on her back and let out a short grunt before quickly getting back to her feet. Kjeele charged her once again, and Samantha then charged forward. Kjelle began deflecting. Samantha swung hard and landed a hard shot again her ribs. Kjelle fell down to her knees and winced in pain.
"Get up! What are you doing?" The red haired woman yelled. Samantha looked down at her opponent.
"Nngh…I'm not…" Kjelle groaned and placed one hand against her ribs. She charged once again, and she landed a hard shot against Samantha's sternum. Samantha almost dropped her sword, but she tightly gripped the sword and brought it up. As Kjelle ran for another attack, Samantha elbowed her mouth and she stumbled backwards. She placed a hand against her bottom lip and realized she drew blood.
"Now we're having fun." Kjelle sneered as she smiled and charged once more towards the Hylian princess. Samantha tried to defend herself, but Kjelle's aggressive attacks were too much for her. Shot by shot Samantha could feel each hard hit against her body; knocking her down to the ground and groaning with pain. She stood back up and raised her sword to land another strike, but Kjelle kicked her shin and jammed the tip of her sword in her shoulder. Samantha dropped her sword as she fell to the ground. Kjelle pointed the sword at Samantha's face; ending the match and claiming her victory.
"You…ah…you're pretty…" Kjelle said between breaths. "…pretty tough…" She smiled.
"Yeah…" Samantha groaned as she struggled to get up. Kjelle grabbed one arm and helped her to her feet before walking towards the crowd. The two made their way to a bench and carefully set Samantha on the bench before walking up to the red haired woman.
"You shouldn't have let her get that close." The woman sternly spoke to her.
"I-I know…sorry." Kjelle replied before the older woman smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You kicked her ass…that counts for something." She smiled as a blonde haired woman finished tending to Samantha's opponent. The two started walking away as Brady was tending to her aching muscles while the blonde woman sat next to him.
"Why did you hold back?" A woman asked. Samantha looked up to see Nah looking at her with curiosity. "You could've beaten her easily. Yet you chose to lose…why?"
"Sometimes, it's not about the fight." Samantha winced as Brady placed her feet in a container full of ice. "Her mother was watching…she didn't want to disappoint…"
"So you were willing to sacrifice your pride so she could be happy." Nah smiled. "I would expect nothing less from the daughter of Lady Zelda." Hearing Nah's words made Samantha's heart warm.
"Mom was the best." Samantha sighed. "I miss her." She looked upset once again and tried to change the subject by focusing on what Brady was doing.
"Yer gonna be fine." He reassured her as he finished wrapping her arm. "Yer gonna be stiff for a day or two, but it'll be ok." He smiled and stood up. "If ya need any help, I'm around." He mentioned casually.
"Thank you, Brady." Marybelle smiled and nodded. "He's is quite the expert on tending injuries."
"Yeah…he's pretty good." Samantha said as she stretched her arm. "Did he learn all that from you?"
"Of course he learned that from me. Who would you assume he learned that from?"
"I don't know." Samantha repeated. "That's why I asked."
"So much like your mother…" Marybelle muttered and checked on the cuts on Samantha's hand.
"Careful, Marybelle…" Samantha warned. "Criticizing my mother can have serious consequences."
"It is not a criticism, young lady. I am simply commenting on the similarities between you and Lady Samus."
"Mom has never been rude." Samantha said sternly.
"Maybe not now, but in the first few years as Queen, she was quite blunt with her opinions. Even now, she is quite aggressive when it comes to her kingdom or her family, but Lady Samus has come quite a long way from those days." Samantha smirked. Hearing how her own mother didn't give a damn or play by the rules made her feel a little better about her future as queen of Hyrule.
"Sam!" Genny called out and flew towards her. She grabbed Samantha's arm and she winced from the pain. "Uh oh…sorry." Genny quickly said as she rubbed her arm to try and make it feel better.
"Hi Genny." Samantha placed her hand against Genny's cheek so carefully.
"Are you ok?" Genny asked with a somber tone.
"I'm ok. But you…you're filthy." Samantha shook her head and smiled. "Were you playing in the dirt again?"
"Uh-huh." Genny nodded and followed that by covering her mouth and giggling.
"There is a river west of here." Marybelle informed her.
"Silly girl." Samantha stood up and picked her up with her left arm and began walking towards the nearby river. "let's get you cleaned up, ok?"
"Ok!" Before she left, Samantha turned around so she was facing Marybelle.
"Lady Marybelle. I offer my sincerest gratitude for your kindness in tending to my aching body and providing directions towards the nearest river. If there is any request you should desire, please do not hesitate to call for me." She curtseyed for the blonde haired woman. After a few moments, a big smile spread across her face.
"Lady Zelda has taught you well. You are most certainly welcome." She nodded and stood up herself. "You will make a fine queen, my dear." Marybelle began walking towards town, and the two turned back around to head to the river. It wasn't very far of a walk and when they arrived, there wasn't anyone in sight. It looked like some kids were playing around in the distance, but they were far enough where they wouldn't bother them.
"Ok, let's see…" Samantha set Genny down and began thinking where the best place to wash Genny up would be.
"Are you lost?" A voice softly spoke behind her. She turned around to see what looked like a small child sitting on a large, flat, rock.
"…are you talking to me?" Samantha asked as she heard a cry of joy and her head quickly whipped back around to see Genny had jumped into the slow moving river and started splashing around. The water only came up to her knees, so it wasn't terribly deep; at least, not the part Genny was in.
"Yes. I am speaking to you. Are you lost?" She asked again.
"I…no. Thank you. But…where are your parents?"
"I am not a child!" She said sternly. "My name is Tiki."
"I'm…I'm sorry. I…well…I mean…you are…"
"Young? Yes I hear that often." She said as her anger slowly subsided as she glanced at the young girl splashing in the river. "I can sense she is not your child. She is…one of us."
"Us?"
"I believe she is called…non-human? The people of Tellius have a word for it."
"Laguz?" Samantha asked.
"Yes." Tiki gave a big smile. "She is laguz."
"I am trying to find her parents." Samantha explained.
"And you will. The road is long, but I am certain you will reunite her with her family." Samantha's eyes squinted.
"You…can read the future." Samantha stated. "Which means you can tell me who her parents are, right?"
"I cannot foresee the future. I am…as one would say…optimistic." Samantha nodded her head like she understood; all she wanted was to bring this little girl to her parents, save her family, and go back to living a simple life. Genny splashed around and giggled more as Samantha couldn't help but smile.
"You depend on her as much as she depends on you." Tiki smiled at her. "Go on. Have fun." Deciding to give in to Tiki's suggestion, Samantha walked towards Genny and knelt down. She was greeted with a splash of water to the face. She splashed Genny back and the two started splashing each other for a few minutes.
"You goof." Samantha said while shaking her head. "Come on, let's get washed up. Genny sat at the edge of the river while Samantha started cleaning her feet. The water was especially cold when she got in, but she toughened it out to ensure the child was nice and clean. Eventually, Samantha cleaned the child from head to toe, and was now dealing with a shivering young girl.
"Let's go back and change. Then we can eat!" Samantha said as Genny clapped her hands and smiled for a second before continuing to shiver. Samantha picked up the child and the two walked back to the castle. Once they arrived, Lissa helped return their clothes to their bedroom and they quickly changed back into their original attire. Samantha quickly began washing herself while Lissa watched over Genny. When Samantha finished, she decided to take short walk around. As she started walking downstairs, the Hylian princess noticed Chrom walking with Robin and another woman. She had long white hair and wore mostly black clothes.
"My lord, Chrom…what you are asking…it's…" The woman sighed and shook her head. "May I have permission to speak freely?"
"Please." Chrom insisted.
"Thank you." She slightly bowed her head before collecting herself. "What you are asking is almost impossible. The pressure you are placing in my hands is frightening. If I were to fail-"
"You won't." Robin reassured her.
"But if I were…"
"You won't." Robin said again.
"But-"
"Aversa." Chrom said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "There isn't anyone who can use dark magic like you. If we are to go forward with this idea, we need you on board for this. We wouldn't ask you to do this if we weren't fully convinced that you could achieve this. Please, do this for her." Aversa gave a heavy sigh in response to him.
"If I fail-"
"This will be on me. I guarantee you will not receive any blowback from this if it doesn't work." Another long pause before Aversa looked around.
"Where is Frederick?" She asked. Chrom walked away to bring Frederick into the room. Robin looked up and saw that Samantha had heard their conversation.
"Sam…" Robin said softly as Aversa turned around.
"The daughter of Samus." Aversa smirked.
"Are you going to help me?" She asked quietly and with a bit of fear in her voice. There was a long pause before Aversa nodded her head.
"I will not make promises." She responded quietly as Chrom came back with Frederick following him.
"What may I assist you with?" Frederick asked the woman as she turned back around to face him.
"Bring Henry and Tharja to my room. I will need a place to stay, which Lord Chrom assured me a room could be provided. I was also told that tonight's dinner would be salmon. A small side of rice with mine will do for dinner and, this is most important of all…if anyone. Man, woman, or child interrupts me during my preparation. I will end their life. Is that clear?"
"Understood." Frederick said unfazed by her threat and with that, Aversa took a seat, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly.
"She's…" Samantha cleared her throat and gulped hard. "Interesting." Aversa opened one eye and Samantha quickly lost her voice.
"If anyone can harness dark magic, it's Aversa. She's our best shot for this to work." Chrom said with a heavy sigh. "Sam, I promise we'll do everything we can to save your sister.
"I know…th-thank you, Lord Chrom." Samantha smiled and bowed. Samantha then heard the giggling as she started flying around the main hall.
"Genny!" Lissa whined as she tried to catch her, but the laguz child moved too quickly. She ran after her until she flew towards Chrom and he gently held the child with a smile on his face.
"Aw, she likes you." Robin teased. The child then looked over at Aversa and pointed a finger at her. Aversa stood up and walked slowly towards the child. Samantha was ready to intervene, but she noticed that Genny wasn't scared or worried; she looked happy to see her. Avensa bent over to look the child straight in the eyes.
"Hello Genevieve." Aversa said with a smile on her face. Genny reached for the woman and she carefully took her from Chrom's arms and held the child. "Where are you parents?" She asked.
"I dunno." Genny shrugged. "I get to stay with Sam!" She declared with joy. Aversa turned and her eyes looked like a storm began brewing. "You are with Sam?" She asked with restrained anger as a hand began to glow dark purple.
"I-I didn't take her. I found her." Samantha insisted.
"Lies!" Aversa spat and before she could attack her, she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder.
"Aversa, calm down." Chrom said as a warning. "We feel that she is telling the truth."
"I am not as trusting as you. If her parents knew-"
"You can call them. Genny wants to stay with her. She is not our responsibility. And it seems that she's doing a fine job at keeping her safe." Chrom pointed out. Aversa's attention returned to Samantha.
"Do you promise to keep her safe?" She asked.
"I'd give my life to bring her home." Samantha insisted. Genny managed to pry herself free of Aversa's grasp and fly back to Sam. The child wrapped her arms around Samantha's neck and giggled as Samantha's arms moved to hold the girl.
"I get to stay with Sam!" She said again and rested her head on Samantha's shoulder. The child's actions seemed to soften the woman's temper and she turned to leave them alone.
"I hope I'm not on her watch list or something." Samantha said nervously.
"Don't worry about it. Aversa is such a drama queen. She'll be fine. Just remember to protect her." Robin assured the woman.
"She called her something else…Genevieve. Is that her name?"
"I would assume so. Maybe tomorrow, we can ask if she knows her parents. Maybe she can point you in the right direction." Robin smiled. "In the meantime, why don't the two of you go find something fun to do?" Samantha nodded and the two girls went off to find something to do. They went to the courtyard and found Emmeryn watering some flowers while Frederick was a respectable distance from her. Emmeryn looked up and smiled as she saw the Hylian princess enter the courtyard. She walked over to Samantha.
"Good morning, Princess Samantha." She said with warmth. "Are you enjoying your time in Ylisstol?"
"I am, but…I'm worried about Genny." Her eyes glanced at Genny who reached out for Emmeryn. The exalt graciously accepted the child and held her while Genny started playing with her long blonde hair. "I get the feeling that maybe I should leave her here. Aversa knows her better than I do, and she might actually like it here."
"Genevieve trusts you. If you choose to leave her here, you will cause heartbreak and sadness. I believe it is not your intention to hurt anyone…especially her." Emmeryn began tickling the girl and the child started squirming and laughing.
"I would never want to hurt her." Samantha said with a big smile on her face.
"Why don't you go for a walk? I don't mind watching over her for awhile." Emmeryn insisted. Samantha nodded and began walking away.
"Sam!" Genny called out. Samantha turned back and walked towards the child who looked scared and reached out for her.
"I'm going to take a little walk. Do you want to stay with Lady Emmeryn and see the pretty flowers?" She asked. Genny looked around and shook her head. "I tell you what…" Samantha began as she wiped the tears off the child's face. "Stay here with Lady Emmeryn for a little bit. I'll come back before it gets dark."
"Promise?" Genny asked quietly as her eyes filled up with water. Samantha held the child's hand and smiled.
"I promise." She stood up and waved. Genny waved back and then looked up at the exalt with a worried expression on her face; like she was afraid Samantha wasn't going to keep her promise. Samantha went out the front door and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. She exhaled and opened them to see a man with orange hair sitting with Cynthia; the girl she met last night at the bonfire. The two of them were going through a bag of what looked like candy, but the bag was fairly large and she couldn't believe the two of them would eat the whole thing in one sitting.
"Well, if we save the gummy worms for tomorrow, then maybe we can have a jawbreaker before dinner." Cynthia suggested, but the man shook his head.
"No, your mother has insisted that we save our appetite for dinner. Jawbreakers aren't good for a snack, but if we're going to have something now, maybe some jelly beans or maybe-" He paused as he saw Samantha walking towards them. "Hey, hey, hey! Back off! These are mine!" He said with a serious tone.
"Sam! Hi! We're trying to figure out what we can snack on before lunch." Cynthia explained.
"She doesn't need to know what we're doing." He said in a hushed tone.
"Well, maybe she wants something. Sharing is caring." She reminded her father with a sing-song voice.
"Not with my stuff." He grumbled.
"Father, you're not being nice." Cynthia huffed. "I'm telling mom." The man rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Fine." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Name's Gaius. I'm a thief."
"So…you just steal candy? Don't tell me you rob babies of their candies." Samantha joked.
"Don't be dumb, blondie." He said with a smirk. "I bought all of these."
"And it's all candy?" Samantha's eyes grew big as she looked on in surprise and shock.
"You got it, blondie." He starting searching through his bag. "We've got caramel, peanut butter cups, chocolate almonds, some of those beans that taste like coffee…"
"Coffee beans?" Samantha asked.
"Yeah, those. You're only getting one, so make it a good choice. And I'm being generous because my kid is a sweetheart." Cynthia gave a big smile and her warm personality made Samantha smile as well.
"That's what best friends do!" Cynthia said cheerfully.
"Cynthia, I don't mean to sound rude, but we…I don't think we're best friends."
"W-We're not?" She asked with a crestfallen tone.
"Well, in order to be best friends, we'd need to know everything about each other. There's a lot you don't know about me. And there's a lot I don't know about you."
"But we are friends, right?" She asked cautiously.
"I'd like to be your friend, but-"
"Yay! We're friends!" Cynthia cheered. "And friends share their candy."
"My candy." Gaius reminded his daughter.
"You know what? You pick. I trust you to get something special for me." Samantha said as Cynthia rummaged through her father's bag. "So, Gaius, do you have nicknames for everyone? Or is this an attempt to pick on the new kid?"
"Most people have nicknames. Blue, Bubbles, Stumbles, Sunshine, Padre-"
"Let's pretend I don't know any of those people." Samantha told him.
"Sure you have. You've met Blue and Bubbles." Samantha gave him a confused look and he cleared his throat. "Ok. Chrom is Blue. Robin is Bubbles. My wife, Sumia, her nickname is Stumbles. Tharja…and her…warm personality…" He said that last one with sarcasm. "Her name is Sunshine. There's a priest name Libra who I call Padre. Because, you know-"
"Padre is Spanish for father. I get it." Samantha said as she sat down.
"I don't think you've met the others. Well you've met Twinkles." He admitted.
"Twinkles?" Samantha asked.
"Honestly, Gaius, I really wish you'd stop calling me that." Maribelle said as she huffed and walked into the castle. Samantha looked back at him and he started chuckling.
"I keep calling her that 'cause I know it pisses her off." He said quietly as Cynthia was still searching for something for Samantha. "It's not hard to pick something." Gaius told his daughter. Instead of delaying it any longer, Samantha offered up a suggestion.
"Do you have any gum? Like bubblegum? Or cinnamon? Or-"
"Got it!" Cynthia came back up with a single strip of pink gum. She handed it over to Samantha and she smiled as she popped one into her mouth.
"Bubblegum. Good choice." Samantha smiled as she blew a fairly sized bubble before popping it and continuing to chew it. She laid back and closed her eyes while Gaius and Cynthia were quietly talking about something. While she was sleeping, she had another dream. Samantha saw a younger version of herself and her younger sister laughing and jumping on their bed. There was a knock on the door and the girls quickly crawled into bed and pretended to be asleep.
"Girls…" Samus quietly said as they both snickered and hid under the covers. Samus carefully pulled the covers off of Samantha who began laughing a bit louder. "You goofball." Samus kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Mommy, who do you love more?" Virginia asked quietly.
"I love you both the same." Samus responded.
"But she loves me more!" Samantha declared.
"Nuh-uh!" Virginia protested while on the verge of crying.
"I love Virginia as much as I love you, Sam." Samus told her oldest daughter as she walked over to Virginia to reassure her that she loved her as much as she loved Sam.
"Sugar, spice, and everything nice. That's what my girls are made of." Samus kissed Virginia's cheeks and she smiled. Samus began tickling the young girl and Virginia giggled and laughed while Samantha watched and giggled at the sight of her mom tickling her sister. Samus walked back over to Samantha and quickly started tickling her.
"Ah! Mom! No!" Samantha laughed and tried to fight her mother off, but she was having too much fun.
"Now girls, go to bed. The sun will come out tomorrow for new adventures. Just close your eyes and the sun will be up before you know it, ok?"
"Ok." Both girls said in unison as Samus tucked in Samantha and gave her a kiss before doing the same to Virginia. "Goodnight, girls."
"Goodnight mom." Samantha said as she closed her eyes.
"Night, mommy." Virginia replied as Samus closed the door and the dream seemed to end.
"Mom…" Samantha quietly said before sitting upright and opening her eyes. Sometime from when she closed her eyes to when she woke up, Samantha had inadvertently swallowed the piece of gum she had been chewing and the sun was gone. She sat up and looked around to see that Gaius and Cynthia weren't around and she had no idea how long she'd been out for. She got up and walked back to the castle where the servants were cleaning up what looked like dinner for the castle. Samantha walked back to the courtyard where Morgan was creating spells that looked like fireworks and Genny was trying to catch the colors. With Genny laughing, and Emmeryn watching on with a warm expression, she stood up and turned around to head inside. As she did, she saw Samantha and began walking towards her.
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked.
"A few hours." Emmeryn said. "But you looked peaceful, so Sumia insisted that they leave you alone." Genny flapped her wings and flew over to Samantha. The young girl rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"Sam…I'm tired." Genny said as her wings started flapping softer and softer as she starting slowly falling to the ground. Samantha grabbed her before she touched the ground and sighed.
"The only problem is that I'm not tired." Samantha quietly said.
"Well, that works out for…" Robin yawned and covered her mouth as she walked towards the group.
"Good evening, Robin. Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" Emmeryn asked.
"Yes, but I need to…" Robin yawned again. "…ask you if you've come to a decision."
"I have." Samantha said. "I've thought about your plan and I trust you, Robin. I want to go through with it."
"Excellent. I need to…" Robin yawned again and placed a hand on Samantha's forehead. "Double check the plans." She said as her hand began glowing light orange. It felt warm, but as time passed, Samantha began feeling tired and could feel her energy depleting. Eventually, she removed her hand from Samantha's head and the transfer was complete; Robin was fully active and wide awake while Samantha looked like she would pass out any minute. "Morgan, be a dear and escort Lady Samantha and little Genny to their rooms, please." Robin said.
"Of course, mother." Morgan said before nodding and the two began walking upstairs. Genny was already out like a light; sleeping in Samantha's arms while her head rested on her shoulder.
"Tomorrow's going to be exciting, isn't it?" Morgan asked with a huge smile on his face.
"It'll be something." Samantha said with a sigh. "I just want to keep Genny, and Ginny, and…well, everyone safe." Samantha said. "It'll actually be nice to see Ginny again. It's been so long. I wonder how much she's changed…if she's changed." Samantha rambled on like she was alone. "What if she hates me? What if she doesn't recognize me? Time can change people and she's been away from home for a long time."
"She'll be happy to see you. I bet she'll be so pumped to see you." Morgan said. "She's your sister and family always sticks together."
"Yeah…" Samantha yawned as the approached their room. "You're probably right. I'll see you in the morning…thanks for…" She yawned again and she barely had enough energy to complete her sentence before entering her room and shutting the door.
'Tomorrow's the day. Robin's plan will work and we'll see Ginny tomorrow…' Samantha tucked herself in while holding onto Genny and making sure the child didn't wake up. 'It'll all work out…' Samantha blinked a few more times before losing the last bit of energy she had left. '…I hope.'