Bloom - Gran 770

Laughter was so unexpected a sound nowadays that when it startled me from my thoughts, I had to pause and remember what it even was. Curious, I stood up from my desk and headed to the window, the ache in my neck and back telling me I should've taken a break much earlier. Typically, I'd ignore such 'warnings', since it was my body and I commanded it, but I did decide to 'listen' when I saw the source of the laughter. In the gardens, the children were playing and I couldn't help but be delighted.

It had been a few months since Tailtiu died, and at her funeral, Ishtar had requested Prince Conall come visit us here. Empress Diadora and Emperor Arvis approved, and I would have to remember to thank them for it. Prince Conall brought much needed cheer to the quiet walls of Alster Castle. It was like gentle sunlight after a fierce storm, and though I was of Thrud, I could admit that the sunshine was welcome. It had been a while since I had seen such bright smiles on Ishtar and Ishtore's faces, and I had never seen Tine smile so happily.

"Her smile is like Tailtiu's," I whispered, the thought coming almost unbidden. Tine took mostly after Tailtiu, or so I thought, but her smile really showed the similarities. Though, Tailtiu would've never let herself be carried, as Tine let Prince Conall carry her. I wasn't exactly sure what game the four of them were playing, under Reinhardt's 'protective' supervision as always, but it apparently involved Prince Conall carrying Tine on his back while Ishtore ran around and Ishtar tried to get Reinhardt to join in on the fun. "Tailtiu… I…"

Despite the happiness outside, the guilt flooded me again and I leaned against the window, digging my fingers against the cool glass to keep from digging my nails in my palms and bloodying of them again. None of this was supposed to happen. When I sent people looking for her four or five years ago, I had given them specific instructions. 'Do not bring her back.' Things would be complicated if she was brought back, being a 'traitor' and all. I had just wanted to make sure she was alive and safe. That was all. She was my precious little sister, regardless of her loyalties or whatever. I wanted to know if she was safe, if she was happy. That was all. But the soldiers… they had… misunderstood and… and…

(No, that's a lie, and I knew it. I knew they didn't misunderstand, even as I desperately tried to deny it. No, they had been given different orders without my knowledge, and had followed them instead because they were the more recent ones. And there was only one person that they would believe such a change from… but I…)

"Ugh… what is with that racket?" Hilda strode into my study without knocking, as if she owned the place. Once, I had found such confidence endearing and attractive. Nowadays, it grated my nerves. "Do you know where Ishtar and Ishtore are, dear?" she asked, saying the endearment easily. But I was certain it was only part of the act now. "They were not there to greet me."

"They're outside playing, as children are wont to do," I replied, gesturing to the window so that she could see for herself. She scowled when she peered out, frowning. "You should have told me you were returning from Miletos. I would've made sure they were there."

"Tch…" Her scowl deepened, and I had to resist rolling my eyes. I knew why she hadn't sent word. She expected us to drop everything to tend to her. "Why are they in black?"

"It is still mourning." I wore black as well, and would for a long while. I wasn't sure if I'd wear some sort of black for now on, as Emperor Arvis did for his siblings, but… "Black is a mourning color."

"For a traitor?" She scoffed, and I had to close my eyes to keep my temper from sparking. Sometimes, I wondered if she purposely tried to get me to lose it, so that she could play the 'victim' when I lashed. "Surely such a vile thing shouldn't be treated with such respect."

"The Emperor would be upset if we cut our mourning short." It was one of the many reasons why I was loyal to Emperor Arvis, would always be loyal to him. Not only did he give me a chance to reclaim Friege's honor after what my father did, but he loved and cherished my siblings and understood why some things were just hard. It pained me to lie to him, truly, but I knew that I had to keep some of my decisions secret, for the sake of the people and my family. But none of it changed my loyalty to him. "What brings you back to Alster? I would've thought you would be busy in Miletos."

"I'm so bored. I ended up coming here before I remembered that I don't have my toy anymore." She sighed gustily, as if it were a great tragedy, and again, the guilt flooded me. It flooded me because… "Mmm… how shall I have fun now?"

Tailtiu was never 'mad'. I had said that just to keep her from Emperor Arvis, to protect… my soldiers (No, it was to protect my wife, the mother of my children who I loved above all else and who I swore to protect the day I married her). Hilda had then… administered punishment as a traitor deserved (No, she had beaten Tailtiu to death and all because she found something fun about hurting someone helpless). I had looked the other way because traitors had to be punished and Friege of all houses couldn't afford to look 'soft' after what my father had done (No, I had looked the other way because I didn't want to admit that my wife, the woman I had once loved, was killing my dear and precious little sister).

"Are you listening to me?" Hilda asked with a little shriek. She'd apparently still been talking, but I had closed my ears. "Ugh… this is why Ishtar has so many bad influences. Letting her run about like a common thug, learning things unbecoming of a proper lady…" She glared at me. "She's going to end up just like Tailtiu at this rate. Is that what you want, Bloom?"

"Whoa, you're loud." I was saved from answering by another person. It took a couple of blinks to see Prince Conall was in the doorway, instead of the gardens. A quick glance showed them empty. "Like, super loud," Prince Conall continued, looking right at Hilda without a trace of fear or uncertainty. Not unusual, really. Prince Conall was fiery much like the rest of his family, with a flame of defiance that always burned in his eyes, no matter who he was addressing. "I think you broke a window in the hall, actually."

"And who do you think you are to talk to me like that?" Hilda whirled on him, and I remembered that this would be the first time she had ever seen Prince Conall. This… wasn't exactly a good first meeting. "Well?"

"A person with hearing he'd like to keep?" Prince Conall widened his eyes innocently. I already knew what that meant. He'd decided to discard what little tact he had because he was angry. "But my mistake. I thought you were a banshee, but it seems you're a female dog in human form." It took a long second for me to realize just what he'd said. A 'female dog' was commonly referred to as a 'bitch'. I wondered where he'd heard the term, before deciding it had to be the market. "I'd never met one of those before. Neat." He turned to me, ignoring how Hilda's face was slowly turning purple with rage. "Anyway, Bloom, we wanted to head into the market. Is that okay?"

"Make sure Reinhardt is with you," I replied, struggling to not laugh. I knew I shouldn't encourage such behavior, but… "And to be back in a couple of hours to clean up for dinner. And please don't bring any animals back. I know Tine likes them, but the servants don't and they're the ones who have to clean." Prince Conall smiled innocently and took off before Hilda could screech curses at him.

So, instead, she turned on me. "Who the hell is that brat?!" she shrieked, gesturing sharply. I glanced at the window to make sure it wouldn't break. "Who the hell is that… that mongrel…?!"

"Prince Conall, son of Duchess Alicia and her husband, Duke Chulainn." I almost laughed, noticing her deflate instantly. "The nephew of Emperor Arvis and Empress Diadora. Ishtar's best friend." I knew she wouldn't care about that last one. I just added it to make it seem more like I was just listing things off. "Ishtar invited him to visit us in the hopes of cheering up Tine." That was when I realized something, and my mind whirled to take advantage of this unexpected thing. "Seems to have worked well. They've become friends in a very short time."

"I… he…" Her complexion was a little gray, and I knew why. She'd just insulted someone she'd normally do her best to flatter shamelessly. She wouldn't be able to do that now, and so, she lost a 'key ally'. "That's…"

"You might consider an apology later, my dear. It's unwise to upset him." I leaned forward slightly and smiled slowly. She lost her unease for a glare. "Emperor Arvis dotes on him, and Prince Conall is a very… honest person. Emperor Arvis would believe him over just about anyone." Now that was a gross exaggeration. Prince Conall was a child, after all. But Emperor Arvis would take the suspicions seriously, as would Empress Diadora. That would be more than enough. "So, it might be wise to keep your 'fun' away from Alster."

She narrowed her eyes, hearing my true statement clearly based off my earlier words. 'Leave Tine alone or face the Emperor's wrath.' After a moment, she huffed and stormed off, slamming the door behind her. I chuckled and leaned back against the window, closing my eyes. I probably shouldn't use a member of the royal family like that, but I somehow doubted Prince Conall would mind if he knew. When he was older, I'd probably explain it to him. But while I could do what I could, I didn't trust myself to protect Tine. I didn't trust myself to not falter when it was needed most. After all, I had failed Tailtiu horribly. I couldn't fail Tine. I just… couldn't.

'It's a start, I suppose.' For a brief second, I thought I heard Tailitu grumble by my ear. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw no one. It was just me in my study, as it should be. Clearly, I had been overworking. But that didn't mean there wasn't still more to do, so I sighed, rolled my neck, and returned to my desk to work. There were rumors of that Leonster prince being in or near Tahra, and I wanted to send people there to scout about and see if there was truth to it. If there was, I'd send my soldiers to 'deal' with the brat and his protectors. I couldn't have him wandering about. It was a threat to the stability of the Empire, after all, and that couldn't be abided.

Author's notes: So, have a Bloom oneshot far earlier than I planned. I'd meant to write this a bit later, but noooo, it just had to keep bugging me until I wrote it and not let me work on other things because it's mean like that. Timeline wise, this is in the 'middle' of Chapter 3 of Memoirs of Belhalla (specifically between two scenes), after Tailtiu's funeral but before the attack that kills Aida. I thought it would be more interesting if I had Bloom be much more conflicted (though I did want to show his harsher sides a bit, like sending people after Leif).