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The Stray Girl and the Incompetent Mage
Chapter 11: Albion - The Dying Country
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They go up a flight of stairs, further confusing Sachiko as of the location of the harbor. She's hardly catching up. She has the weight of Derflinger plus lack of physical condition to make it harder for her to keep up with both Louis and Wardes.
"How… how much…" she says between breaths. She hopes they arrive soon. Fortunately, just as she's sucking in air to continue her question, they reach the harbor. For a second she's frozen at the sight. A giant tree with a thousand branches extends as far as the eye can see. She looks up, arching her neck as her mouth falls open. The top of the tree is lost between the clouds. Even from this distance she can see the leaves are enormous. She gulps down, unable to conceal her awe, more so when, between the leaves, she sees a ship stationed there.
"Come on, don't stay behind!" Louis holds her hand and drags her towards the roots of the tree, so big someone could make a house in them. She shakes her head to free herself from the stupor and looks at Louis.
"Is this the harbor?" her voice is laced with urgency. Louis looks at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, why you ask?"
"It's a tree! And ships are just… floating there!"
"Isn't like this in your world?"
"No! Ships sail on water, not on air!"
"If a ship can sail on water, it can also sail on air."
"What kind of logic is that?!"
Before she notices it, they're going up another flight of stairs, surrounding the tree and hugging it like ivy. It's reinforced with scaffolds but Sachiko doesn't feel safe. She refuses to look down as they pass metal signs between platforms with words on them, which Sachiko think may function in the same way as signs for a train station.
She huffs, her sides beginning to hurt and her vision getting a bit fuzzy. Louis is not holding her hand anymore, but he has positioned himself behind her, his hand on her back gently pushing her upwards. "I need to rest…" she says breathlessly.
"Hold on a little more, we're almost there" she nods at Louis' encouragement and continues. A second later, she hears a scream and she can't feel Louis' touch anymore. She turns around in time to see a masked man holding Louis, a hand over his mouth. His face is covered by a mask, and his long cloak envelopes his figure completely. She panics.
"Viscount!" she calls out for help. The mysterious man jumps from the platform, taking Louis with him. Wardes is fast. In one second he has casted a spell and points it at the man, hitting him with a gust of wind and forcing him to release Louis; but while he manages to get a hold of the edge of one of the platforms, Louis doesn't, and he falls down to the ground far below; "Louis!"
Wardes jumps, catching Louis in midair and levitating, making Sachiko breath in relief. Everything happened in less than ten seconds. But the relief is briefly lived. The man jumps up with a spell and reaches the platform Sachiko is in. Glaring at him for what he did to Louis, Sachiko takes out Derflinger, praying for the runes to activate otherwise she'd be in trouble.
They glow, relieving Sachiko from her tiredness. She looks at them angrily. Now, please remain like this and stop activating only when you feel like it!
She waits for the man to attack first, waiting for an opening the way Louis told her to. He takes out a black wand from his robe and waves it. Sachiko feels the air around her getting colder, irritating her skin. "What is he doing?" she asks Derf.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, get on guard, it seems is going to be powerful" the sword warns. Sachiko does as told, raising Derflinger a little higher. At that moment, a deafening crack is heard, and lightning sprouts out of the man's wand, going directly towards Sachiko. "It's lightning cloud!" Derflinger cries, but it's too late. The lightning hits Sachiko directly, sending her flying towards the ground. She screams in pain, feeling a wave of electricity going through her body and burning her left wrist. She faints.
"SACHIKO!" Louis cries out, watching his familiar fall. Wardes rapidly puts a levitation spell on her, making her land safely on a lower platform. He turns to the man and recites the same spell from before, this time managing to thrown him to the ground, his body disappearing in the darkness below. Once they arrive at the platform, Louis runs towards Sachiko. He puts his ear near her chest, and breathes in relief after hearing her heart still beating. "You're alive, thank Brimir…" he's so happy he could cry. Sachiko slowly opens her eyes.
"Louis? What–? Ouch!" she moans in pain when she tries to stand up. Louis puts his arms around her back, helping her.
"That guy used 'lightning cloud', a really powerful wind spell" Derflinger tells her with concern. Wardes nods.
"Square class. You're really lucky to be alive, that spell usually kills" he explains, before eyeing Derflinger with curiosity; "it seems your sword neutralized most of the magic, though that's weird. Isn't it made of metal?"
"No idea. I forgot" Derflinger replies. Sachiko laughs lightly, though she's still in pain.
"So you saved me. Thanks Derf, you're the best" she hugs the sword to her chest tenderly. Louis frowns.
"Now's not the time for this. We have to hurry before that man comes back. Can you walk on your own?" he asks Sachiko, his face full of worry. Sachiko blushes and timidly looks away.
"Y-yes; let's go."
Though that was her answer, she finds it pretty difficult to move. Luckily, Louis helps her throughout the way, until they finally arrive at their destination, in the final flight of stairs. By that moment, she's starting to get a little dizzy, perhaps a side effect of the lightning spell, and because of that, doesn't hear much of Wardes' conversation with the captain of the ship. Something about sulfur and stones? Wind stones… whatever the hell that is. Once the ship finally starts to fly, however, Sachiko leans against one of the walls and lets her body fall to the ground. She moans.
"You don't feel too good, do you?" a voice asks right beside her. She opens her eyes and looks at Louis sitting next to her. She shakes her head.
"I'm tired…" her voice trails off. Louis sighs, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders and leading her head to lean against his chest. Sachiko's eyes open wide in shock.
"Rest for tonight. Tomorrow we should be arriving at Albion" he says softly. Sachiko blushes but doesn't say anything, as she lets her eyes, once again, fall close, finding peace when she hears the rhythmical beating of his heart. In no time, she's completely asleep.
"Albion in sight!" someone yells, and it's because of this yell that Sachiko wakes up. She stirs and slowly sits up. Louis, who is still by her side, stands up, and helps Sachiko do the same. She rubs her eyes and goes to the side of the ship.
"Where is Albion?" she asks drowsily, seeing only clouds under the ship. Louis chuckles.
"Up there" he points above their heads. Sachiko's jaw falls. A giant island is floating in the sky. She can see the landscape, full of mountains and rivers that flow off the land. Clouds gather below the island, white and thick. She turns to Louis, still with her mouth agape, and he laughs at her expression. "Surprised?" he asks teasingly.
"I-I've never seen anything like this…"
"Albion, the floating continent, it is also known as 'The White Country'. It usually floats above the ocean, but once a month it passes over Halkeginia. That's when it's closer to us."
"The white country… why is it called like that?" she asks, still not taking her eyes away from the floating mass of land.
"Because of the clouds below. The water from the rivers flows off and becomes fog, giving Halkeginia its rainfall."
"Is that so…" she didn't know, but then again, why is she so surprised? She's on board a flying ship, in a different world with two moons, dragons, talking swords, and as the familiar of a mage. She should start getting used to this kind of things. "When I saw it on a map I thought it was an island on the ocean, not in the air…"
"It's usually depicted with clouds below, didn't you see them?"
"I thought it was the ocean current…"
"We should be disembarking in an hour and a half, give it or take."
"What are we going to do once we reach land?"
"I talked with Wardes yesterday, while you were sleeping. You don't have to worry about anything, just follow us, ok?" she nods; for some reason feeling embarrassed she had been sleeping when they discussed such an important thing. She looks to where Viscount Wardes is, wondering what plan he came up with. He's talking to one of the sailors, his griffin resting next to him. She doesn't remember when the beast boarded the ship.
Over his shoulder, Sachiko can see a small dot. She narrows her eyes, walking to the railing and leaning her body over it, trying to discern what the dot is. Louis looks at her curiously, standing next to her.
"You should be careful. You don't want to fall, do you?"
"Can you see that thing too?"
"Mmm" he bites his lips, also leaning on the railing; "I think it's a ship… I don't have a good feeling about this…"
"Ship approaching from starboard!" the look-out yells. It's approaching rapidly. Sachiko can now see the ship more clearly. The hull is painted black, around twenty cannons pointed at them. It's a warship. Wardes looks for the captain.
"Ask them if they are nobles or royalists."
"Is this bad?" Sachiko asks Louis. He sighs.
"It depends. I really hope they're royalists."
"The ship has no flags! They're pirates!" someone screams, plunging the whole crew into chaos. Sachiko looks at Louis fearfully.
"Ok… now it's bad…"
The ship reaches them in just a few seconds, flying in parallel with them. They fire a shot in front of them, the shockwave rumbling on Sachiko's ears as she winces painfully. Then, they raise another flag with four colors.
"They're asking us to stop!"
"My lord!" the captain asks Wardes for help, but he shakes his head.
"My magic is all being used on the ship. We can only do what they say" he says dryly. The captain mumbles angrily about a lost fortune and orders for the ship to stop. Once that is done, the pirates rapidly slide over the ship. They carry guns, axes and swords. Wardes' griffin wakes up from its slumber and growls, but in an instant its head is covered by blue smoke and falls to the deck again.
"So they also have mages…" Louis mumbles, standing in front of Sachiko and covering her with his body. She looks at him with surprise. "Stay behind me and don't try anything unnecessary, ok?"
"O-Ok…"
One of the pirates stands out above the others. His clothes are more elegant and he walks around the deck as if he owned the place. He's wearing a dirty shirt, opened and showing his well-toned chest and pectorals. He speaks up loudly and with a rough voice; "where is the captain?"
"Me" the captain raises his hand, shaking, but still trying to keep composure.
"What's the ship's name and what does it carry?" he asks, taking out his saber. The captain gulps.
"Tristain's Marie Galante. The cargo is sulfur" the pirates gasp with excitement and their leader sniggers. After threatening the captain a little more, he turns to Sachiko and company.
"Oho, we have noble guests" he walks towards them and stops right in front of Louis, eyeing Sachiko behind him with interest. Even though the pirate is taller than him, Louis straightens, glaring at him threateningly. "You…" he says, his eyes glinting for a second with what appears to be recognition, before shaking his head. "I'll deal with you later" he brusquely pushes Louis away and looks at Sachiko. He raises her chin with his fingers. "Look at this cutie. Would you like to be our dishwasher?" the other men laugh. Sachiko tries to get away, but before she can take a step back, Louis pushes the pirate away from her.
"Don't touch her, you low-life!" he yells. The man raises an eyebrow, regaining his balance, before exploding in laughter.
"Protective boyfriend, aren't you? What are you going to do about it?" he asks in a mocking voice, Louis growls and takes a step forward, but Wardes rapidly grabs his shoulder.
"Don't even think about it" he warns in a low voice. Louis shakes in anger, but he knows Wardes is right. When the pirate makes sure he has calmed down, he turns towards his men.
"Good. Alright, boys, take them all away. We can get a hell lot of ransom for this!" he bellows. As soon as he's gone, the other pirates approach them and make them head towards their ship. Louis stays close to Sachiko, grabbing her hand in a comforting gesture that surprises her, but manages to make her feel a little safer.
Since Wardes and Louis are nobles, they were taken to a different room than the rest of the crew, though more than a prison it looked like a simple warehouse with wine barrels and bags full of wheat and gunpowder. Louis' wand was confiscated, along with Wardes' sword and Derflinger, so they were allowed to keep their hands unrestrained. Sachiko sighs, leaning her head against one of the walls. She looks at her left arm thoughtfully, before raising her right hand to touch it. She hisses.
"It hurts you" Louis says, coming closer. Sachiko looks down.
"I'm sure it's nothing" she shrugs, but that gesture hurts her a lot more than she thought it would. She winces and Louis frowns.
"I'm sure it's not" he retorts and takes her hand. He makes her take off the parka and looks dumbfounded at the wound. The arm has a burn going all over from her wrist to her shoulder, and it's completely red, with some deeper scorches near the elbow and wrist. "So this is supposedly 'nothing'?!" he asks with sarcasm.
"Th-there's nothing we can do, so…"
"You're saying it again. Sachiko, this is bad, you need to take care of this burn as soon as possible!" he speaks in a louder voice. Wardes, who has been occupied examining the rest of the cabin they were in, comes closer, and gives a low whistle upon seeing Sachiko's wound.
"That looks terrible" he says. Louis turns to him.
"Wardes, can you do something about it?" he asks, gesturing with his hand. Wardes shakes his head.
"Without a wand, there's absolutely nothing I can do. Sorry."
"It's alright!" Sachiko interrupts, giving a shy smile, "it's not the first time I burn myself" she says, remembering all those times in home economics class when she would end up spilling hot water on herself, or accidentally forgive to turn off the oven and touch the hot bars. She was terrible in the kitchen, and so, had predicted that if someday she ended up living on her own, she would eat nothing but instant noodles, most probably. Of course, the gravity of her burns then and now were at completely different levels, but she doesn't want them to worry about her.
"Not the first time! I highly doubt you've burned yourself like this before!" Louis scoffs. He stands up and starts to loudly pound on the door, "someone, there's an injured person here, we need a water mage!" he shouts. Wardes stares at him in amusement, while Sachiko blushes. She extends her right arm.
"L-Louis, it's not that serious, you might anger them…" she says with worry. Louis glares at her.
"Like I care about that! And what are you saying? Didn't you see your arm? Of course is serious, if we don't treat it now it will leave a scar!"
"A scar's not nice, but it's not like I'm going to lose my arm…"
"If you don't worry about yourself, nobody else will!"
"But aren't you doing a terrific job about it right now, Louis?" Wardes intervenes, smirking. The young noble stops his shouting and blushes scarlet. He vehemently shakes his head.
"I-It's only because she's my familiar! A master needs to take care of his familiar!" he yells, though he's stuttering. Wardes chuckles while Sachiko looks at him with bemusement.
Suddenly the door opens and a fat pirate comes in. He looks down at the three of them, before talking. "The boss wants to see you."
Louis crosses his arms and stands straight, "we need a water mage, my familiar is hurt" he says instead. The fat pirate raises an eyebrow, before turning and ordering them to follow. Reluctantly, they comply, and walk through the narrow aisle. Another pirate, this one thinner and younger looking, is waiting outside. He smiles a crooked smile while speaking to them.
"So, are you nobles? If you are with the aristocratic faction of Albion, we can leave you in the closest port. We are pretty considerate to nobles, after all, is thanks to them our business is going well!" he laughs loudly. Sachiko's face lights up: there they have their way out! She's opening her mouth to answer affirmatively, but Louis beats her to it.
"No, we're not with those disgusting aristocrats! Don't even dare compare us to them! We're here on behalf of Tristain. In other words, we're ambassadors, so I demand you treat us as such!" he says firmly. Sachiko looks at him with her mouth open.
"Are you an idiot? They were going to let us go!" she whispers to him. Louis looks at her, his face showing disgust.
"Excuse me? Who are you calling an idiot? There's no way I'm going to say something as disgusting as that. Even if it's a lie, to say we're part of those dirty nobles…"
"But even so!"
Their conversation is interrupted when the young pirate laughs once again. "What an interesting pair you are. Anyway, anything you have to say now, better say it to the boss. We're here."
In front of them, there's a splendidly carved door. Sachiko thinks that such luxury is unbecoming of pirates. The door opens, leading them to an even more luxurious room, with a long, gorgeous dinner table. At the end of it, the 'boss' is sitting, playing nonchalantly with a cane that has a big crystal attached at the top of it. Seemingly, he is a mage himself. He stares intensely at Sachiko, making her feel uncomfortable. The fat pirate pokes her side.
"Hurry, greet the boss properly" he urges her. At his tone, Sachiko feels scared, but also a little angry. Who is he to be ordering her like that?
"She's not going to say anything" Louis hisses, slapping the pirate's hand away from Sachiko.
"I think your girlfriend can talk for herself" the boss says in an amused tone. Louis blushes.
"Y-you–"
"So, are you part of the aristocrats? We can leave you in a port if you want" the boss continues, ignoring the flustered Louis. After hearing this, Louis' face turns even redder, this time from indignation.
"No, we're not! I am an ambassador from Tristain, therefore, I demand the treatment of an ambassador" the boss snickers.
"Ambassador? And what is your business here?"
"That I won't tell."
"I see. You know, even if you're mages, I can't guarantee your safety if we let you leave. If you're willing to betray the royalty, I'm sure the nobles from Albion will be more than happy to accept you in their troops" he says, smirking. Louis frowns.
"There's no way we're going to join those disgusting rebels. Do not disregard the Albion royal family. Albion is still a kingdom, therefore, theirs is still the legitimate government" he crosses his arms, standing to his full height. Sachiko wants to slap him. All the opportunities he's letting go, just because of his stupid noble pride! She's going to tell him out again, when she suddenly sees his shoulders trembling. Really soft, almost imperceptible, but still there.
Could it be… he's scared? Well, of course he is, considering the situation they're in. But even so, he's still staring directly at the boss, his voice not once failing him. This… this is not about pride, is it? This is about an ideal. Louis can continue to confront the boss because he has something he needs to do. He's… amazing. Indeed, the Louis right now looks amazing to her. Her heart beating hard in her chest, Sachiko can do nothing but simply stare at him in awe.
"I'll ask again, are you willing to betray the nobles?" the boss asks a final time. Sachiko frowns.
"He already told you his answer" she says. The boss looks at her.
"Incredible. Seems I can't talk with one without the other answering for them" he chuckles before standing up. "Alright then, you have earned my trust" he slowly walks up to Louis, who looks up at him in defiance. "You are just as I remember, Louis de La Vallière."
For the first time since entering the room, Louis abandons his defensive posture. He looks at the pirate, dumbfounded. Sachiko does the same, while Wardes observes with interest.
"Do you know each other?" she can't help but ask. The boss shrugs.
"I do, but it looks Louis doesn't remember me. Well, it's not like I can blame him. I bet you never thought you would see me again in these kinds of circumstances."
"You…" Louis finally speaks, staring at him with a combination of curiosity and wariness; "who are you supposed to be?"
He laughs; "you really don't recognize me! Well, what about this?" he eyes the water ruby on Sachiko's hand and walks towards her. Louis stands between them, preventing him from getting closer; "it will be just a minute, let me pass" Louis shakes his head; "Gus" the fat pirate steps up and holds Louis, who struggles to get free.
"Don't touch her!"
"I won't do anything indecent to her. Gods, you never change" he rolls his eyes and takes Sachiko's hand. She tenses at the touch, but then he brings his own ring near the ruby. The two jewels react to each other, forming a rainbow. Sachiko gasps, and Louis stops fighting. "On the night the wind blows…" he says.
"An oath of water I pledge…" Louis finishes, his voice lowering to a mere whisper. Gus releases him after the boss gives him a nod, and Louis falls to his knees. "For you to be in such a place…"
"You finally remember me. I wonder if it was Tristain's water ruby reacting to Albion's wind ruby or the secret words what gave you a clue."
"I apologize for my behavior, if I have known…"
"Then you could have pretended, in case you came with ill intentions" the boss proceeds to take off the black curly wig and the eye patch he's wearing. Sachiko is looking at the scene with confusion. Wardes remains impassive.
"I don't understand. How did the ring…? And who are you…?"
"Oh, you can't figure it out yet. Then I guess I should introduce myself. Is the least I can do for a lovely lady after giving her such a scare" he chuckles, before bowing down, a hand in front of his chest. "I am the general of the Albion Royal Air Force and also the commander of our country fleet. Though to tell the truth, this warship named 'Eagle' is the only ship in our fleet. A powerless fleet. Oh dear, even people from the street could easily beat it" he laughs heartily. Sachiko tilts her head.
"That means…"
"He's the prince of Albion; Wales Tudor" Louis says for him, still kneeling on the floor. Sachiko's mouth falls open. Wales looks at Louis with a smile.
"What are you still doing on the floor? Get up! Aren't we friends?"
"That…" Louis looks uncomfortable at his choice of words, but he obeys anyway. Wales hugs him.
"How have you been? It's been years since I heard from you. Is your stomach alright?"
"I am well, and my stomach too" he lightly pushes him away, trying to be polite but unable to hide his expression. He looks like he wants the prince not to touch him. Wardes takes the clue and quickly steps back.
"I hope it didn't leave a scar."
"My family has a good number of healers, you don't have to worry."
"Good" he nods; "although a scar or two on a man is nothing to be ashamed of."
"I agree, let's talk about other things; what is his highness doing in a place like this?"
Wales smiles, but there's a hint of sadness in his eyes impossible to conceal. He shakes his head and sits down, pulling a chair for Louis who does the same. "It's a war tactic, actually, to cut the enemy's supply line. Disguising myself as a pirate, that can be done inconspicuously."
"I see."
"And you? There's a reason you came here as an ambassador, isn't it?"
"We're here send by Her Highness, Princess Henrietta, to deliver an important message" Wardes says politely, talking for the first time. Wales looks at him.
"Oh, from her highness; and you are?"
"Captain of Tristain's Griffin Knights, Viscount Wardes" he bows.
"A splendid noble, I'm sure. And this enchanting lady?" he asks Sachiko with a smile. She blushes, now that the fearful pirate has been revealed to be Prince Wales, she isn't scared anymore, and can look at him more carefully. He is really handsome. Her eyes wander over his exposed chest as she opens her mouth, but Louis interrupts her.
"She's my familiar, you don't need to know her name" and he sounds angry. He caught her staring at the prince, and that only makes him feel even more irritated on top of everything else Wales produces on him.
Wales blinks, looking at Sachiko with a frown, whose looking at Louis with one of her own at the way he talked about her. "Familiar? Aren't you a noble?"
"Me? A noble? Oh no, not at all" she shakes her head and hands. Wales looks at Louis.
"Oh, too bad… I thought she was your girlfriend, considering how overprotective you were being…"
"Not in a million years."
"And I was actually feeling happy for you" he sighs regretfully, making Louis clench his fists under the table. "But hey, isn't a human familiar something uncommon? Although coming from you it shouldn't surprise me. You are definitely one of a kind, Louis de La Vallière" he laughs lightly, but there's no malice in it or his tone. Louis still feels offended, so he bites his tongue to stop himself from lashing out at him. "So, with that done, may I know what this message from her highness is?"
"It's a letter" Louis takes out the letter from his shirt pocket, happy the topic of the conversation has moved on, and hands it to Wales.
He accepts it humbly, and for a moment the only thing he does is look lovingly at the letter, before kissing the seal. Sachiko doesn't miss the lonely expression on Louis' face, even though it lasts only a second. Wales carefully opens the letter, and begins to read with a serious expression. After a while, he talks: "Is the princess marrying? That beautiful Henrietta; my beloved... cousin" Wardes and Louis bow their heads silently, and Wales keeps reading. He smiles when the last line is read. "I see. She wants me to return a letter she has written some time ago. That I will do."
Louis smiles, although sadly, and Sachiko feels the sudden impulse of taking his hand.
"However" the prince continues; "the letter is not with me now. I didn't want to bring it here, to this pirate ship, so I left it in Newcastle. Even though it's troublesome, please come with me."
They travel around the irregular coasts of Albion for three hours. During that time, Louis accompanies Wales as the prince enthusiastically talks to him; to because even though Louis treats Wales with the respect expected of someone of his position, he doesn't seem too happy to be spending time with him. Wales either doesn't notice or ignores it, as he explains the last news of the battle, tactics and sometimes completely unrelated stuff, like what they had for dinner last night, to him. Sachiko stays behind them, having nowhere else to go, Derflinger back on her back. Wardes is elsewhere, probably speaking with the other sailors.
"You've never been inside Newcastle, have you?" Wales asks just as they're reaching the palace, built on top of a cliff on a corner of the country. Walls surround the fortress, with a small town inside. The capital, Londinium, it's somewhere else.
Louis shakes his head. "I was here a few years ago with my sisters, but we avoided the cities in favor of the countryside."
"I bet it was Cattleya's idea. She's always liked nature."
"She was in search of more animals for her collection" Louis explains, showing a faint smile, the first in all their time talking. Wales chuckles.
"I wish you would have come then. I would have received you with open arms. A shame your visit has to be under these circumstances."
"A shame indeed."
Sachiko expects the ship to sail on the port besides the castle, but instead, they descend, hiding behind the clouds. "Why are we going downwards?" she asks, confused.
Wales points to the castle. Just in front of it, a huge ship, the biggest Sachiko has ever seen, is carelessly floating. It's heavily armed with many cannons at each side, and a dragon is painted on the hull, giving an ominous feeling.
"Warship of rebels" Wales answers. "This ship named 'Royal Sovereign' once belonged to the fleet of our country. Yet, when rebels took control over it, they changed the name to 'Lexington'. It was named in honor of the battlefield where those guys snatched the first victory from us" he says with a smile. Suddenly, the Lexington fires at Newcastle, crushing a wall and causing a small fire. The shockwave can be felt even in the Eagle, a few kilometers away. Wales sighs. "This warship keeps a constant blockade of Newcastle from the sky. It shoots at the castle from time to time, not in order to do some damage, but just to annoy us."
"I heard the whole rebellion began after they took that ship" Louis comments. Wales nods.
"It has a hundred-and-eight cannons and it really looks like a fire-breathing dragon, sometimes. We can't defeat it; therefore, we hide behind this cloud, and sail on a secret harbor only we know about."
It suddenly becomes dark as the ship goes under the continent. Without the sunlight and surrounded by thick clouds, they can't see a thing, and the damp and cold air hits them on the face. Sachiko doesn't even know how they arrive at the port. A huge limestone cave receives them, and the ship comes closer to the harbor, where people are already waiting for them. They tie down the ship with ropes and then attach a wooden gangway to the quay. The Marie Galante is behind them, its crew already part of Wales'.
The people receive them cheerfully, even more so when they hear the ship is loaded with sulfur. Though Sachiko doesn't understand why the sulfur is so important, she feels happy for them. The journey towards the castle is a sad one, though. It's obvious the battles against the rebels had taken the best out of them, but they're still cheerful and talk and act in a way that literally draws out all the energy from her body.
They finally arrive at the prince's bedroom: a simple, quite ordinary looking room, with a wooden bed, a table and a pair of chairs. Wales sits on a chair and opens a drawer from the desk. From inside it, he takes a jewelry box and uses the key from his necklace to open it. There is a portrait of Henrietta lying in there. Wales notices the intense stare of Louis and speaks embarrassedly.
"Strongbox" he simply says, and then takes out a letter that's inside too. It looks crumbled, like it has been re-read over and over again. He looks at it with love and reads it once more, before finally putting it inside the envelope and handing it to Louis. "This is the letter I got from the princess. I'm returning it" Louis accepts it with a bow.
"Thank you."
"The Eagle will take you back to Tristain tomorrow, as we won't be using it anymore" he says. Louis looks at him with surprise.
"You won't?" he asks. Sachiko steps closer, curious as well.
"Tomorrow the rebels will attack Newcastle. Our forces have three-hundred men, while the enemies have fifty-thousand. There is no chance of victory, so we will die in glory" he says, still smiling. That greatly surprises Sachiko. The prince talking so lightly about death, it makes everything look so surreal. Louis looks down, deep in thought.
"When your highness says die in glory… do you mean yourself as well?" he asks after a while. Wales nods.
"Of course, I, more than anyone else" he responds, matter-of-factly.
"I see…" Wales looks at Louis, waiting for him to say anything else, but he doesn't. He continues speaking then.
"I'll assign rooms to the three of you. You'll have to wake up early to leave tomorrow."
"I will share a room with my familiar."
Sachiko blinks, looking at Louis with surprise. Wales looks a little shocked as well, but after a while, he gives him a small smile.
"Alright then. Tonight we'll have a small feast, though it's not much, as the last guests of our kingdom, I will like you to come" Louis and Wardes bow. Sachiko quickly does the same, even though her eyes don't leave Louis' figure for a second.
The feast is held in the hall. Louis, Sachiko and Wardes are in a corner, watching the party with weary eyes. Though the next day everyone will die, it's still quite a feast, with various treats filling the table. Sachiko sighs.
"They put all the troubles of tomorrow behind and try to enjoy the present" she says with a serious face. Wardes nods.
"They behave joyfully."
"Indeed, 'behave' is the perfect word for what they're doing" Louis deadpans. Sachiko looks at him, trying to decipher what he's thinking, but his expression betrays nothing. She sighs once again.
When Prince Wales shows up, there are some enthusiastic sighs from the ladies. He seems to be pretty popular. He approaches the king, who stands up to greet him but ends up staggering and almost falling. Some laughter can be heard from the people.
"Your Majesty! It's too early to fall!"
"Indeed! Save that for tomorrow!"
The King isn't insulted by such comments and smiles. "Don't worry, it's just my legs were numb from sitting for so long."
Wales comes closer and supports the king's body with his. There are a few more chuckles. The night continues with the Albion nobles laughing and having fun. They look pretty interested in the three guests from Tristain, and keep joking and offering wine and food to them.
"Ambassador! Try this wine! Tell us which country's wine is better!"
"Here! Try this! It's Albion's special - chicken with honey, will make you healthy and strong for sure!"
So melancholic… the hall's atmosphere is affecting Sachiko. It's strange, thinking that this joyful people will inevitably be dead by tomorrow. Louis approaches her.
"Let's get out of here" he whispers in her ear. Sachiko turns to him, and then looks at Wardes, a little away, talking with some nobles by the food table. "He can find his way alone" he takes her hand and drags her out of the hall. Sachiko does her best to keep up with him.
"The atmosphere is affecting you too, isn't it?" she asks. Louis shakes his head.
"Foolish people, and foolish prince, acting so happy while knowing they have no longer a future…" he mumbles, frowning. For some reason, he looks really angry. Sachiko squeezes his hand, and they stop suddenly. He looks at her. "They dance and laugh and have fun, for what? Just to play the act, they don't care what they're leaving behind, the people they're hurting with their decision… they'll die and they don't even care!" he yells.
Sachiko is taken aback. She looks down before talking. "Louis… when you're saying 'they'… are you referring to Prince Wales?" she asks. She thought Louis would deny it and then scream at her for her nerve, but instead, he answers with distant eyes, still holding her hand.
"I can't believe this is how it's going to end. He'll die… even though he has Henrietta… even though the two of us still need to…"
"Louis?" he blinks, waking up from his dream. His eyes suddenly fall on her left arm, and without asking rolls up the sleeve of her parka. She winces as he touches the red skin.
"I almost forgot about your arm. We need to treat it now" he releases her. "Wait here, I'll search for something" he turns around and leaves before Sachiko can stop him.
He ran away… Sachiko sighs and crouches, looking around, just to jump up in surprise at seeing Wales standing in the shadows with a serious expression. He smiles and approaches her. "Seems our dear ambassador isn't too happy with my decision" he says in a calm tone.
"Eh, no, I mean, just…" Sachiko stands up and gesticulates with her hands, but Wales simply laughs it off.
"No need to explain anything. I think I can understand him a little" he sighs; "I just saw the two of you suddenly leaving the hall, and got curious, though I shouldn't have followed you. For that I'm sorry" he bows lightly. Sachiko shakes her head.
"No, you don't have to… a-anyway, we–"
"It's alright; didn't I say it's my fault? But I don't regret eavesdropping. Now at least I know he does care" he looks distant when he says that. Sachiko can't take the mystery any longer.
"Your highness, did something happen between you two? Ever since Princess Henrietta gave this mission to Louis, he's been so… down. And now that you two are reunited he acts like… I don't know, but I just feel something's not right with him. Do you know what it is?"
She knows she's asking too much, and it's very likely none of her business, but she can't help but worry. It makes her sad seeing him like this. Wales only looks at her with tender eyes. He's smiling, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
"It shouldn't be me the one to tell you. This is something you should hear from him."
"B-but…" he'd never tell me…
"I can see you care a lot about him" Sachiko blinks, her head snapping up towards him.
"N-no, that's not it, it's just… curiosity, maybe? But it's not…"
"Louis is very lucky to have someone like you. If it's you… maybe you'd be able to reach him" he steps closer, and places a hand on her shoulder. Sachiko looks at him without understanding. "I leave Louis in your hands. Please, take care of him" he bows his head, leaving Sachiko dumbfounded. First the viscount and now the prince, just what is going on with Louis?
She glances down, but finally nods. If Louis needs support, she will try her best to give it to him. But I still don't know how someone like me would be able to help him… or what exactly I'm supposed to help him with…
"Now, if it's not too meddlesome, can you tell me; where are you from? I think I've never seen anyone like you before" Wales changes subjects, smiling. Sachiko bits her lips.
"It's… really far away" she responds. Wales nods.
"I see. It is not in Halkeginia?" Sachiko nods. "Well, that explains why you look so different. I was having a hard time discerning which country are you from."
They remain in silence for a little while, before Sachiko looks up shyly. "Your Highness, please forgive my impoliteness, but… aren't you scared?"
Wales blinks. "Scared? You mean for tomorrow?" Sachiko nods and he laughs. "Of course I am; who isn't scared of dying?"
"Then why? Why are you acting like this?"
"Because I have something to defend; Reconquista holds to their ideals by force and blood. And although it's not a bad thing to do what you can to reach your dreams, if they continue to force themselves like this, all countries will be ruined. As part of the royal family, we have to show them we're not a weak enemy, even if we lose or if they continue with their ambitions."
"But I don't understand. What's the point of dying here? Can't you plan for ways to defeat them later?" but she's not finished speaking that Wales is already shaking his head.
"It's our obligation, as the Royal Family, to defend the Kingdom to the very end."
"And what about Princess Henrietta?" she asks. She's not so stupid as not to understand what's going on. The letter Louis was sent to retrieve is a love letter, she knows that without anyone else clarifying it. She can see it in the way Wales speaks of her. They love each other, and yet he's dying. Isn't it important to survive for the person you love? Isn't that an obligation as well?
Wales' face softens at the mention of Henrietta, and he smiles while he speaks. "Because of love, sometimes it is necessary to pretend not to know. Because of love, sometimes it is necessary to let go. It would be so easy to escape, to be with her but… it would only give others an excuse to invade Tristain" Sachiko looks down, shaking. Wales squeezes her shoulder before letting go. "Since it is cleared, don't tell this to Henrietta. No need to worry her pretty face with unnecessary worries. She is like a pretty flower. Don't you think so too?" he chuckles, and Sachiko feels like crying. "Just tell her that Wales fought bravely and died bravely; that will be enough."
Louis finds her in their room. She's sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in them. For the way her shoulders shake, he can see she's crying.
"What are you doing?" she looks up with surprise upon hearing his voice. He shuts the door behind him. "I told you to stay where I left you."
"I didn't want to stay in that empty hallway anymore" she dries her eyes with her sleeves. Louis purses his lips as he goes to sit next to her.
"Why are you crying? Don't be stupid" Sachiko puffs her cheeks with anger.
"Is this your way of comforting? Because I have to tell you, you're doing a terrible job" she responds bitterly. Louis sighs.
"I'm just saying; it's not worth it if you're crying for what will happen tomorrow. We can't do anything about it" he takes out a can from his pocket. "I got it from someone. This magical water medicine is very effective against burns. I could get only this but it should be alright" he takes her arm and starts applying it. Sachiko winces.
"That's why I'm crying, because we can't do anything" she sighs, letting Louis scoop a little more from the can and put it on her arm. She closes her eyes. "Louis... do you understand why they're doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why they're so eager to die, instead of running and planning another way of winning, later…"
"They can't run; that would be shameful."
"So you do understand."
"That's not what I'm saying" Louis sighs and puts away the can. "No, I cannot understand why they're doing this, Sachiko. I find it pointless, actually" he stands up, walking towards a desk, where a candle illuminates the room.
"Then, why did you accept it so easily?" she looks at him directly in the eye. Louis frowns.
"Accept it?"
"Yes. I mean, it's not my place to say anything, but I thought you would try to persuade the prince not to do this. That's what I expected from you, since you're not ok with this…"
"Nor is it my place to say something, you know? The princess gave me only one mission: to retrieve the letter from prince Wales, and that's what I did. What happens later is no longer my business" he says, making Sachiko frown.
"Not your business? Louis, I can't understand you at all, are you okay with them killing themselves or not?" she crosses her arms. Louis narrows his eyes.
"I'm not liking where this conversation is leading to, neither your tone of voice."
"And where is this conversation leading to, according to you?" she asks, lifting her chin.
"Sachiko, I already told you exactly what I think, why do you keep insisting on this subject?" he asks, taking a step back and crossing his arms as well.
"Because I want to know!"
"Know what?!"
"Why you don't care!" she exclaims. By this point her voice has grown to a shout. Louis looks at her in shock, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape.
"W-what? What are you talking about?!" he responds, his shocked expression morphing into one of anger.
"You don't care about the prince dying and Princess Henrietta being sad for it!"
Silence.
Then, Louis takes out the letter Prince Wales gave him from his pocket and opens it. Sachiko stands up immediately. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to show you why I don't care what happens with that man!" he yells, stopping Sachiko in her tracks. She looks at him, surprised he would say something like that. "You know what this is?" he asks once the letter is outside the envelope. Sachiko looks at it for a second.
"A love letter" she answers without thinking. Louis snorts.
"You think it's only that? Tell me Sachiko, do you really think Henrietta would send us all the way here to retrieve a simple love letter?"
"But… won't it interfere with her marriage?"
"A simple, stupid love letter wouldn't cause so much trouble" he rolls his eyes before starting to read. Once he finds what he was looking for, he slams the letter on the desk. "This is more than a love letter; this is a declaration of love! Here, Henrietta swears in the name of the Founder that she will only love Wales for eternity! You know how marriages are done in Halkeginia?" she shakes her head; "swearing eternal love in name of the Founder, in other words, this letter" he grabs the piece of paper again and waves it around; "it's an informal marriage certificate! If Germania gets their hands in this letter, they can accuse Henrietta of bigamy, and not only would they break off the engagement between her and the Emperor, but those barbarians would be in their right to ally with Albion against Tristain for such a slight! This is why I don't care what happens to them!"
"Louis… calm down…" Sachiko says; a little scared at the intensity of his words. He shakes his head.
"Calm down? How do you want me to do that when these two idiots were this close to bring my country to ruin?!"
"They didn't know, and wasn't the letter written before the civil war?"
"No, it wasn't!" Sachiko's eyes open wide at this. Louis scoffs; "this thing was written a mere year ago. Probably Henrietta's attempt at giving Wales some courage while in battle. That idiot, writing this kind of thing, and then Wales, not destroying it even in this moment, when they're all but defeated" he brings the letter near the candle. Sachiko gasps. "It's better if we destroy this now."
"Don't!" Sachiko jumps forwards and snatches the letter from him. Louis looks at her in disbelief as she hugs the letter to her chest and steps back. "How can you do something like that? This letter is important! It carries both the princess and prince's feelings for each other! And yet you…!"
"This letter is dangerous!" Louis attempts to get it back, but Sachiko keeps running away.
"You promised the princess you'd bring back the letter intact!"
"I never promised such thing! I only said I would retrieve the letter from Albion!"
"Is it not the same?"
"As long as it doesn't reach germanian hands it doesn't matter what happens to it!"
"Yes it does!" she looks at him seriously. "How can you say you don't care about them at all? The princess is your friend! And the prince… he cares about you. He's going to die tomorrow, and you're trying to destroy the only thing left of their love…!"
"They were never supposed to be together!" Sachiko stops running and Louis manages to get the letter back in one second. "Their love has done nothing else but bring suffering to everyone! And this time they almost managed to ruin it all for real! Something like this should be destroyed!" he holds the letter and starts to rip it, but he's only halfway when suddenly Sachiko slaps him. His face turns to the side at the force of the slap. He doesn't move, doesn't look at her, shocked as he is, and Sachiko uses the opportunity to yell at him.
"The only idiot here is you!" her eyes are full of tears. "Can't you see beyond your own nose? Or are you that desperate to destroy everything that connects those two? I am not stupid. I can see what's going on here. My question is: what did those two do for you to hate them so much?"
He doesn't answer. When a few seconds passes, Sachiko calms down. She suddenly realizes what she's done, and looks at Louis fearfully. Slowly, he turns to look at her. Sachiko takes a step back, afraid of his expression and cold eyes.
"L-Louis, you don't…"
"Whatever happened between us" he says, walking up to her. Sachiko backs away, until her back crashes with the wall. She closes her eyes, but the only thing she feels is Louis pressing the letter to her chest. She opens them and looks at him confusedly, but he isn't looking at her anymore; "it's none of your business. You want the letter? Fine, have it" he turns around and grabs the knob of the door; "you'll be responsible if something happens to it. I'll sleep with Wardes tonight."
And with that he leaves. Sachiko's eyes remain on the door even after a few minutes had passed. She looks at the letter in her hands.
Did I… maybe exaggerated a little?
A/N: That's my question. Do you think I exaggerated with the last scene? Personally, I like it a lot. It may be a little late to say this, but if there's one thing I like more than comedy is angst, and sometimes I tend to exaggerate. I promise the Louis-Henrietta-Wales triangle will be explained soon, just be patient.
The next chapter is the last of this arc. Wait for it!