Summary - On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Estellise is assaulted by a powerful magic and left near-death; her memories, magic, and life force scattered across the dimensions in the form of feathers. Accompanied by her personal Knight and Halure's most powerful mage, Estelle must journey to new worlds to reclaim her feathers. However, the one who attacked her has other plans for Estelle's feathers...

Inspired by Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Outfit inspirations - Estelle's fancy blue dress from the start of the game, Yuri's fancy armor style outfit (sexy armor again, I know), Rita's Spotlight Hog outfit, Judith stealing all of Yūko's clothes and looking just as amazing in them...

Warning: I started this intending to write a multi-chaptered story. I got through the prologue and my brain went 'nope, no more' and then this languished in my incomplete story folder for years. So... in honor of Tales of Vesperia's imminent re-release, I'm brushing this off, polishing it up, and posting it here should anyone like a plot bunny (demonic creature) for themselves.
I'm also trying to get back into the fanfic writing groove after dislocating my knee back in March basically turned 2018 into the year from hell. (The short version is that I dislocated my knee, chipped a piece of bone off when I pushed my knee back into place, that chipped off piece lay in wait until I was nearly recovered before popping out to make all my hard work irrelevant, I had knee surgery to remove the bone chip, and began the whole physical therapy thing all. over. again. Just think. That's the short version.) So I'm also using this as a writing exercise for myself.

Of Feathers and Swords

The rain suited his mood.

Just moments earlier, Yuri had stood in the middle of a lit ballroom, the evidence of his failure surrounding him on all sides. It had been night there and it might well be night here too. Yuri found it hard to tell with the dark clouds and the rain soaking him through.

He wasn't worried about his own health in this downpour or even that of Rita, who crouched beside him. It was the unconscious princess Rita cradled in her arms that left Yuri feeling utterly useless.

The guests were screaming, but Estelle's voice was silent, her eyes shut. Rita reached out with a shaking hand, checking the princess' pulse. "She's alive."

Yuri could breathe again. Estelle was still alive. He'd failed her, but not as badly as he could have.

"Are you the one known as the Space Time Witch?" Yuri asked, staring at the blue-haired woman standing on the steps to a covered patio, an umbrella clutched casually in one hand.

"Were those really..."

"Wings?" Rita interrupted him. "Yes. The wings came from her. They were a representation of her magic and soul; a metaphor made literal. With the feathers scattered and gone... I think she might die, Yuri. I think we might still lose her."

She was lovely, really. Dressed in a white and purple kimono, the rain did not seem to touch her. "I am called that," she responded. "My name is Judith, but you may call me Judy if you like. The princess is dying. We must act quickly. I can retrieve one of her missing feathers, however I cannot simply give it to you.

"That is the nature of this shop. I may grant wishes, but they come at a price. Someone must pay that price and if that someone is me, then the price is double." Judith sounded genuinely regretful. Rita had mentioned already that the Time Space Witch's powers meant that every wish had to be paid for with an equal balance, so Yuri wasn't exactly surprised by her words.

"Master Ioder, those feathers aren't here. They've fled beyond our reality to other versions of our world. The only way to save Estelle is if we travel to those worlds and retrieve them ourselves. I've heard of a Witch with the power to grant any wish: the Time Space Witch. She exists in a reality I could reach with my magic, but I can only manage this form of travel on my own once. With your blessing, I want to take Estelle and Yuri there to acquire her help in retrieving the feathers. The magic she uses demands a balance, so we will have to pay for her services, but... this is the only way to save Estelle."

"I understand," Yuri said quickly, stepping forward. "What price must I pay?"

"Her feathers are not just fragments of her magic and soul. They represent her memories as well. As such, memories must be taken in return." Judith walked forward and whispered softly in Yuri's ear.

He froze, fighting down the instinctive 'no' that he wanted to shout at hearing that price. Instead, Yuri nodded an affirmative, unable to give voice to the 'yes' he knew was necessary. No matter how precious those memories were, that person would have understood saving the living was more important than remembering the dead.

"What memories?" Rita demanded. "Maybe I can..."

"The payment has already been accepted," Judith responded, tapping Yuri's temple with her free hand and drawing away a silvery scale. He was surprised when it didn't hurt.

Estelle gasped and then her face went slack, her eyes staring into the distance as wings suddenly appeared out of nowhere, unfurling from her back. The wings were huge and flapped only once before Estelle rose into the air. The feathers seemed to shimmer and shiver as the blond man approached her.

"She's perfect," the stranger murmured, the invaders forming an honor guard around him. He snapped his fingers again and this time Estelle screamed in agony as her feathers slowly stretched away from her, separating out as though every feather wanted to be seen individually and sought the space necessary to do so while maintaining the shape of wings.

Raising his sword, Yuri charged.

Yuri wondered who it was he'd forgotten.

Judith whistled sharply and a large, dark purple-gray dog prowled out into view. "Repede, the feather?"

Setting aside his pipe on the porch, the dog pulled a feather out of his pack, holding it delicately in his mouth. Then, trotting forward, Repede left the porch and walked up to Rita and Estelle, dropping the feather onto Estelle's chest.

With a shock of golden light, the feather sank into Estelle's chest. Almost instantaneously, Estelle's breathing evened out and her color returned to normal. Thankfully the rain that fell was warm, not cold.

Judith whistled again and this time a large, green and white creature that was... sort of like a dog came into view on the porch. He whined and Repede growled. Then, reluctantly, the dog-like thing came over to Judith. She handed him the silvery scale and patted his head kindly. "It's alright Noishe. Go on, take that somewhere safe for me."

Noishe held the scale as delicately as Repede had held the feather as he trotted back out of the rain to disappear through an open door into the house.

"Her feathers are scattered across many worlds," Rita spoke up. "We were hoping to barter for the power to traverse between worlds in order to reclaim those feathers."

Judith nodded. "I know and we can discuss the payment necessary for that in a few moments. There are several people who will arrive soon. We must wait for them."

Flynn walked into Master Ioder's office uncertainly. A year ago he would have been nervous as well – the first time he'd walked into Master Ioder's office he'd stammered every other word he'd said, just about – but now he just didn't understand what his Emperor, and friend, would require of him at this time of night.

"Captain Scifo," Ioder said formally, then smiled, "Flynn. Thank you for coming. I know this is out of the ordinary, but I'm afraid I have a very unusual request to make of you as well as an... unusual story to tell you." He gestured to the space next to him on the couch where he sat. Normally Master Ioder would be seated behind his desk; it seemed strange for him to be elsewhere. But Flynn set that aside and responded to the unspoken invitation by seating himself beside his Emperor.

"Do you remember that I once had a cousin who was also a possible heir to the Empire?" Ioder asked.

"Yes," Flynn answered. "There was a princess – Estellise? – and she was murdered as a child. It was believed to have been a politically motivated killing, but... I don't ever remember hearing that the assassin was ever found or that the responsible party ever took credit for her death."

"She was eight years old and it was her birthday. Estellise was my dearest friend, though we were rarely ever allowed to meet," Ioder agreed. "I treasured every visit we were allowed and I know she did the same. In fact, I saw her that day only hours before her death. I gave her a book about heroes and begged her to sneak out her window that night to meet me in the courtyard. My gift hadn't manifested then, but I had a terrible feeling that if I didn't see her that night, I would never see her again.

"That was ten years ago today." Ioder paused and grabbed a glass of water off the nearby table, using the time he took in drinking to compose himself.

Flynn pretended not to notice the slight tremor in his Emperor's hands.

"There are other realities in existence. We live in a multi-verse, though whether there is a finite amount of universes beyond our own or every major event branches to create more, I do not know. But my power – my dreams – have given me an insight into those other realities. In those worlds exist other versions of ourselves. Other versions of you and me... and Estellise.

"But there is only one version of the man who murdered my cousin."

"You know who is responsible?" Flynn asked, not touching upon Ioder's words about alternate worlds yet. That was too much – too big – for him to be comfortable with yet, though he instinctively believed Ioder's words.

"I don't know his name, or even what it is he seeks, but I know that my cousin is not the only version of Estellise that he has murdered. I've seen him visit other realities and systematically kill her again and again..." Ioder's voice wavered. "But tonight something different happened. He found the one Estellise amongst them all, the one he'd searched for all this time.

"I've been waiting for this night for years and, I must admit, these dreams are why I initially took such an interest in your career."

"Does some other version of me protect the other Lady Estellise?"

"No, though she does have two loyal protectors who were able to save her. However... Estellise has been weakened, terribly, and her survival depends upon the ability to travel between many worlds to recover that which she's lost. Though she is not my true cousin, their souls are the same and I desire very much to ensure her continued protection." Ioder hesitated before saying, "if you are amenable, I would like you to travel to the world in which she now resides and aid her companions in assuring her safety."

Flynn didn't know what to say. From anyone else, he'd have thought the story, and request, to be evidence of insanity... but this was Master Ioder and his powers were unquestionable. His visions were never false and he had never steered Flynn wrong before.

"I cannot order this of you, Flynn. I have not the right to order this of you. The dangers you will face if you agree will be strange and terrible and your life will never be the same again. It is a selfish thing to ask this of you... and yet I ask anyway."

And it was a lot to ask. Flynn had worked hard, following in his father's footsteps to become a high ranking Captain in the Imperial Army. He'd be leaving behind a career and friends he loved dearly. But something about what Ioder asked of him... called to him. He'd felt, for a long time now, that something was missing in his life. Maybe this was what he'd been looking for.

"I'll do it."

The door burst open and Sodia strode into the room. "I'm sorry, Captain, Master Ioder. I had... I had a delivery for you," she held out an envelope. "I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped; I should have left as soon as I saw you weren't alone, but I... please. If Captain Flynn is to go protect this Lady Estellise, then please allow me to go with him."

Raven surveyed the wintery landscape and the stared down into the pool of water where, in the depths, a distorted shape encased in ice could just barely be seen. Twirling a feather between his fingers, he tossed it into the air, watching as it expanded outward, forming a web over the water and, mostly, obscuring the pool from view.

"That'll have to do for now," he sighed, not liking the idea of leaving the person below without a living guardian. It couldn't be helped, however.

Raven had his orders.

Picking up the bow and quiver of arrows he'd put aside when he'd initially sprung this trap, Raven armed himself for the trials that waited ahead. Then he began to chant and move his hands creating swirls of magical script in the air around him, turning in a circle until he was surrounded. The moment he stopped, the world around him lurched and it was as though the sky itself reached down to absorb him.

When the magic cleared, the man was gone.

In between where the witch stood and the princess' entourage waited in the rain, the ground and the sky pulsed and convulsed, stretching together as though something - or someone - was pushing through the very fabric of reality. When the unnatural phenomena cleared, where before there had been no one now stood three new figures.

"Now that we're all here, it truly begins," Judith declared.

Story Notes:
* The memories Yuri gave up were of the Flynn from his reality. They were childhood friends and Flynn's death devastated Yuri, who murdered the person responsible for Flynn's death (Ragou) and accepted a prison sentence afterwards. Ioder, however, thought Yuri was wasted in prison and, as Ragou was responsible for a lot of really awful crimes that could only be connected to him after his death, Ioder was able to get away with offering Yuri a commission in the Knights as an alternative to jail. Yuri took that offer and became Estelle's appointed bodyguard. Without his memories, he thinks he killed Ragou solely to protect the people of the Lower Quarter who were being systematically picked off by Ragou; he also doesn't recognize the story's Flynn, allowing them to form a relationship free of past baggage.
Flynn would have eventually learned the truth in the library world with the memory books, though how I planned to hand wave that the book could have the real memories when Yuri didn't anymore I have no idea.
* Flynn also knew his world's Yuri Lowell, though they only met briefly. Shortly after they met as children there was a plague in the Lower Quarter and that version of Yuri was one of the unfortunate victims.
* Sodia gets Yuri 'killed' in the VR world that they couldn't remember was just a VR game. But in doing so, Sodia realizes she's screwed up in allowing her dislike of Yuri to go so far and she stops being a bitch afterwards. She never likes Yuri and she's always a little in love with Flynn, but she learns to accept that Flynn doesn't return her feelings and eventually stays behind in one of the many worlds they visit.
* The figure at the bottom of the pool that Raven uses one of Estelle's feathers to guard is either Yeager, Casey, or Bellius. I hadn't decided when I was doing the initial outline and I still have no clue, though I don't think its Casey anymore.
* Karol isn't part of their group but he is one of the recurring souls they encounter on various worlds. Same with Patty.
* I had vague ideas of Ba'ul being Judith's exasperated trouble-magnet apprentice whom she occasionally sends on errands to other worlds in her stead.
* Alexei is, of course, the guy who has been hunting down versions of Estelle, looking for the prophesized one with the wings and the power to forever alter the course of the multiverse. Because I didn't write it down, I don't remember what his motivation was supposed to be. Whoops.
* The main pairings were to be Yuri/Flynn and Rita/Estelle.

While this still seems like a fun idea, it's been so long since I've read the manga or watched the anime for Tsubasa that my inspiration is just all gone. :/