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The Stray Girl and the Incompetent Mage
Chapter 12: Confrontation
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Louis thrusts the sword in the ground next to Wales' feet, and takes a few steps back. The prince looks at him with wide, confused eyes that only make Louis grip the hilt of the sword he's holding even tighter.
"Pick it up" he commands in a rough voice, inappropriate when speaking to someone of Wales' status. He's royalty, and while Louis' family is powerful, he should still be lowering his head to him. But tonight he doesn't want to do that. He's been letting the little prince play with his dignity far too much to bow down to him in this situation.
Henrietta is at their side. Her hands are clasped in front of her chest. She looks at the two of them with worried, moist eyes. "Louis, please stop this. You are being foolish."
"Me? Foolish?!" he raises his voice, wanting to yell at her, to shake her by the shoulders to wake her up and see what's really happening. "This is your fault to begin with! You promised you would marry me, and yet, it only took him one week to ruin everything…!"
"Louis, we were children! You can't take a child's promise to heart!" she interrupts, her eyes swelling up with tears. Louis scoffs.
"The things you did to me were not very child-like, were they?" the implication of his words and that he's saying them in front of Wales makes Henrietta close her mouth, her face becoming bright red, either from embarrassment or anger, Louis cannot tell. "And make no mistake, it should be you, but we will never stand on the same level, either on magic or swordsmanship, that's why I'm challenging the prince and not you!"
"Does it hurt your pride that much?" Wales speaks for the first time. Louis looks at him, his teeth bared in anger. "Challenging a prince to a duel, this could tarnish your reputation…"
"My reputation is worth nothing!" he interrupts, his voice only raising more and more; "I have nothing to stand for! You took it all from me!"
"Don't exaggerate" Wales says in a forced whisper. Louis laughs dryly.
"Isn't it easy for you to say? You were not the one being lead on all these years, you're not the one who was made fun of behind his back. You have a bright future, my prince and now you have the girl! Now pick up the sword! You do know how to use it, don't you?"
"It's envy then? Do you envy me?"
Louis' eyes narrow. He raises his sword and points it at Wales' throat. Henrietta gasps, but the prince remains impassive, looking at Louis with… pity. Louis swallows thickly before whispering, so only Wales can hear; "if you don't want the whole camp to know of your affair with Henrietta, you will pick up that sword and duel with me" Wales' eyes widen, before he narrows them. They're glinting with anger, just what Louis wanted. He steps back and points at the sword near Wales with his chin. "I won't repeat myself again: pick up the sword."
Wales stares at him for a while longer. He extends his hand, and grabs the hilt of the sword.
Louis sighs, opening his eyes to a dark room. It's not morning yet, but it will be soon. He can already hear the birds chirping outside the window.
"I was such a kid…" he murmurs, glancing around. Wardes is still sleeping on his bed. It won't be long until he wakes up too. He stretches, his arms bumping with the side of the couch where he spent the night. An empty bag slides down to the floor, leaving a wet path on his neck and the upper part of his shirt. He shivers, before sitting up and crouching to pick it up.
Sachiko is really strong… he actually had to use an ice bag over his cheek to keep it from swelling. No wonder Guiche was so angry after she slapped him that time. He looks at the bag, twirling it on his hands without really thinking of anything.
It has been years since he had that dream. Even then he understood Henrietta was right: he was being foolish, guided only by his anger and desire to avenge his hurt pride. It wasn't only because of Henrietta's promise or Wales' false attempts at friendship, it went a little beyond that. It was him being ignored and treated like an idiot, like always. It was them pretending everything was fine, dismissing the role he played in all of that. The worst part is, if they had only come clean to him that first night, nothing of this would have happened.
He sighs again, standing up and leaving the bag on top of the desk. He touches his cheek lightly. He doesn't feel pain anymore, but nonetheless closes his eyes, letting his fingers glide over the place her fingers touched.
'What did those two do for you to hate them so much?'
"I don't hate them…" it's just that sometimes it's difficult to forget. More so because of his pride. But Sachiko wouldn't understand it even if he explained it to her. She would call him an idiot again and to stop caring about his pride. Because everything was always reduced to that: his small, tarnished pride, the one he had to claw to with nails and teeth if he wanted people to recognize him beyond being a zero, to see pass the explosions to what he really is.
'You don't realize it, but you are more than just your magic.'
He does understand that, it's just the others don't.
Do you really?
He shakes his head, wanting to drive unwanted thoughts away. Just in that moment, he hears Wardes stirring on the bed. The older man sits up, stretching. He looks surprised when he sees Louis already up.
"You're awake" he pushes the covers away and stands up, walking towards the desk. He pours some water on a basin and washes his face. Louis observes him silently.
"I'm awake" he says when Wardes is finished washing his face, drying it with a towel he placed near. He looks at him curiously, before going to a nearby chair and grabbing the cloak he left there last night and passing it over his shoulders.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes" he lies. Wardes raises an eyebrow. He grabs the rapier from the side of the bed and places it on his waist. He stands in front of Louis and folds his arms. "What?"
"Nothing, just wondering…"
"About what?"
"The mission is almost over" he says. Louis raises both eyebrows. That's true; he was supposed to give Wardes his answer once they got back the letter. He looks away, biting his lower lip.
"Not yet, we still need to give the letter back to Henrietta" Wardes frowns for a second, before shaking his head and sitting on the bed. He looks at Louis with serious, unblinking eyes. It makes him feel uncomfortable.
"Tell me Louis, do you know what Reconquista is?"
"…" he's surprised at the question. He looks at his hands for a moment before answering; "isn't that what the aristocratic faction against the crown is called?"
"Yes, but you don't think they only call themselves that because they're against the crown, do you?" Louis shakes his head. He pulls out the chair of the desk and sits down too.
"Henrietta told me they're against the monarchy and the church. That they want to conquer the whole of Halkeginia."
"And why do you think they want that?"
"That…" he never really thought about it. He shakes his head. Wardes sighs.
"Their real objective is to retake the Holy Lands. The church and the monarchy are old and they're afraid of the elves; preventing us from taking action to reclaim what's rightfully ours. That's the reason they're deposing them so they can fight against the elves."
Louis is shocked to hear this. "That… that's ridiculous! Retake the Holy Lands? Don't they know every attempt in the past has only resulted in failure? How many lives were lost?"
"Because every country acted individually or in alliances of two. Their plan is to unite the whole of Halkeginia, so this time they don't lose."
"It's madness, that's what it is. This kind of thing… it should be stopped immediately…"
"It's a little ironic to hear this from you" Wardes says, standing up. Louis looks at him with a frown.
"What do you mean?"
"A user of the void, proclaiming that recovering the Holy Lands is madness" Louis blushes at this.
"I don't have the void, and if we talk about that, Reconquista is crazy too. The void users come from the Founder's lineage, the same they're trying to eradicate. Prince Wales and his father are the only two members left of the Albion Royal Family, and neither of them possesses the void. Don't forget that for the prophecy to be fulfilled the four families have to produce a void user, and, if I really have the void, that would mean there's only one."
"But don't forget you are not a member of the royal family, you are a descendant of it. In the same way, other descendants could be in noble families that married with royalty in the past, and they could easily exist in the Reconquista faction."
"Do you think the void user of Albion is in Reconquista?" Louis can hardly believe it. If that's the case, what would that mean for Halkeginia as a whole?
Wardes shrugs, before turning towards the door. "We don't know, we can only assume. Anyway, it's past time we leave this place. The battle will begin at any moment."
Louis stands up, nodding. "You're right. I'll go look for Sachiko" he follows Wardes outside, but the older man places a hand on his shoulder, stopping him; "Wardes?"
"You don't need to do that. She already left" Louis' eyes widen in shock.
"What?! When?! And how would you know? You were asleep…"
"Yesterday, when you were sleeping, she came to the room. She didn't want to wake you up, so she simply told me she would leave first. Apparently she's still angry, and she didn't want to see your face" this makes Louis angry. He touches his cheek and glares at the door of her room, even though he knows she's no longer there.
"She's the one angry? After she slapped me?" he can't believe her. What right does she have? Wardes shrugs, turning around.
"Women are like that Louis, you just can't win with them, you should be aware of that by now" Louis growls, following Wardes. He's too busy complaining about Sachiko in his mind he doesn't notice they are not going to the harbor until they arrive at an unknown hallway. He looks around, confused.
"Wardes, this is not…"
"Before we leave" the man interrupts, walking forward and not looking back; "there's something important I have to show you."
"Something important?" Wardes nods, making him frown; "we don't have time, if it's not that…"
"It is" they go down a flight of stairs, and then turn right; "it's very urgent" Louis stares at him for a few seconds, before shaking his head and not asking any more questions. This is Wardes after all, if he says it's important, then that means it has to be important.
Wales lights up a few candles with his wand. He's inside a small chapel in the farthest part of the castle. He's already wearing his military uniform, ready for battle, but instead of being with his generals, he's here, placing a small candle on an altar, in front of a portrait of the Founder.
The Founder is covered from head to toe with a dark robe, his hands extended in front of him in prayer. Only the lower half of his face is exposed, while the rest is covered in shadows.
"I wonder if after today I'll finally know what you look like" Wales says with a small laugh. It's considered disrespectful to draw the Founder's face in detail. That nobody knows what he actually looked like helps. He kneels in front of the altar and lowers his head, starting a small prayer.
It's usually considered the women's job to pray for their men before a battle, but it's not unseemly for men to do the same, especially the most faithful ones. Wales himself isn't a man of much faith. He could recite by heart passages of the Founder's Prayer Book when he was eight, but he never took the words seriously, thinking it was the job of priests and nuns to guard for religion and its believers. Even now he finds it difficult to believe. Why would he, when the Founder abandoned his chosen ones, just to let vipers and crows destroy what he created?
But he's past the rage stage. He had seen many things in these past years, even before the whisper of rebellion started. He can't say he expected the nobles to rise against the monarchy, but maybe he anticipated it since a few years before. After all, he can still remember her, her long golden hair, with equally long ears hidden under a big-brimmed hat.
I wish I could have saved you, her, and her mother and his uncle. As it is, he can't even remember her name, and that's one of the regrets he will have to take to the grave.
He has many regrets, now that he thinks about it.
His best friend, whom he lost earlier that year, the commander-in-chief of the army, who always behaved like an uncle to him, the head of maids' sons and grandsons, that kind woman who was like a grandmother to everyone and had to bury all of her offspring, while the only thing he could do for her was tell her they fought and died bravely…
The list could go on and on, but he rather not think about it. He had his moment to cry, to rage against the heavens and pray for a miracle, and that moment is gone.
He remembers what Louis' familiar asked him last night. Of course he is scared, and if he could, he would take up the offer of asylum given to him by Henrietta in her letter, but he can't do that. For all the people who died for him, for all the bloodshed he had to witness or that he caused. He owes them that much, he thinks.
Henrietta is sweet, a flower yet to bloom who has never really experienced lost, not in the way he has. Even when they first met she had been so pure, a starry-eyed girl who believed in oaths for eternity and love that lasts a lifetime. Maybe that was the reason he was so attracted to her. She possessed the innocence he wished he could have retained for himself. It was obvious she would ask him to flee, because she couldn't understand the duty he had towards his country, towards his people, who have seen him and followed him to the very end.
But he isn't so good as to believe he would have rejected her offer had she not been married already. And that was the main problem. He knew the moment he put a foot on Tristain, her beautiful Henrietta would do everything in her power to oppose marriage to Germania's Emperor, and Tristain needs that marriage and the alliance it will bring.
In an ideal world and given enough time, they could have married, slowly convinced their parents and the court that a new union between Albion and Tristain was the best. It was not uncommon for cousins to marry, especially when it came to royalty. But the war interfered with that. It wasn't possible for Henrietta to marry the prince of a decaying country after all.
If that was the case… it would have been better if Henrietta married Louis. He's another sweet, not so idealistic but still fairly innocent lad. If it was someone like him… then maybe Henrietta could have find happiness and in her heart to fall in love again. But he knows Louis never loved Henrietta in that way, and in this moment, with that familiar by his side, it's nearly impossible for him to do so.
Maybe it's for the best, he sighs, standing up. But it's not too late to pray for the Emperor's early death. Choking with a chicken's bone at the wedding feast would be ideal, but as long as it happens before the wedding night I'm more than happy.
The door of the chapel opens then. He turns around to see the two new guests, and smiles.
"I was getting tired of waiting, Viscount."
"My apologies, your highness" Wardes bows down, before gesturing towards Louis; "as you asked, I brought him here."
"What is the meaning of this?" Louis asks, looking between the prince and the viscount with a frown. "Wardes, you said you had to show me something important, and your highness, sorry for my rudeness but shouldn't you be preparing for the battle?"
Wales chuckles, slowly descending the few steps between the altar and the aisle. He looks at Louis with a small smile, despite the boy just staring at him sternly. "Are you trying to reprimand me, Louis?"
"I wouldn't dare."
"You don't have to worry, I am ready" he gestures at his uniform. Louis' eyes sweep over him, and he gives a small nod.
"I can see you are. So… you asked Wardes to bring me here?"
"I did. You see…" he stops at the second row of pews and passes a hand over the surface, as if he's gathering his thoughts. He lets out a shy laugh and shakes his head. "I have come to realize, with my death so close, that I have many regrets that I have no way of remediate. I'm ready to take them with me to the grave, but there's one I still can do something about."
With that, he walks towards Louis. The younger boy looks up, as Wales towers over him, like most guys often do, and gives him a curious, if not a bit wary, look. Wales smiles and takes off the wind ruby. He takes Louis' hand and puts the ring on his palm, before closing his fingers around it.
"Is this a memento for the princess?" Louis asks, staring at his closed hand.
"It's actually a gift for you" hearing this, Louis looks at him, his mouth opening in surprise.
"Your highness, this is… I mean, for you to…"
"It's not weird, is it? I really hope not" he laughs lightly, a bit awkwardly. "My regret… the only one I can actually try to mend… it has to do with you and… three years ago…"
"You feel bad for pushing a sword through my stomach?" Louis says in a small voice, not looking at Wales but at his hand. Wales winces.
"When you say it like that it sounds really bad…"
"It was a duel; you only did what you had to win. Nobody can blame you for that, not even I."
"That's the reason you ignored me and Henrietta despite our efforts to get to you?" Wales asks, and this time his voice does carry accusation. Louis raises his head to glare at him.
"I was a kid. I still am… in many senses" he sighs before putting away the ring inside his pocket. "Is that your regret? That's what you want to mend before dying? You want to apologize to me?"
"I want to set things right. Remember the first time we saw each other?"
"How could I forget? It was during Queen Marianne's birthday celebration, three years ago. Many renowned noble families assisted" he looks pass Wales, reminiscing the past. Wales nods too, also looking far away.
"Noble families of Tristain and the royal families of Gallia, Albion and Germania, all reunited at the banks of Ragdorian Lake."
"It was a big surprise because the day before we had been told the Albionese Royal Family wouldn't be able to attend, and yet you appeared with your father and your retainers."
"It was a last minute change, to be honest. It came as a surprise to even me" he looks back at Louis, this time smiling tenderly. "You were with your parents, and they introduced you to me as heir apparent of La Vallière House. You were so nervous back then, stuttering and unable to look me in the eye. It's especially cute because you used to be so much smaller."
Louis blushes and turns his head away. "I wasn't that small, and I don't remember being so nervous."
"But you were; I won't forget that: hiding behind Henrietta and looking at me like I was going to bite your head off. You used to follow her everywhere, like a lost puppy."
"You had her for yourself every night after that, so you can't complain" Louis replies, feigning anger to cover his embarrassment at Wales' recollections. The prince shrugs, but he has a mischievous smile.
"It was not enough, I hope you realize that, but we're not talking about Henrietta, we're talking about you and me. The first impression I had of you was that of a meek, innocent boy, so I was very worried when, later that day, we organized a hunting party and you came with us" he has to stop for a second, stifling a few chuckles; "my god, you nearly scared me to death when you alone managed to hunt down that wild boar. You were only thirteen and yet you could use a crossbow better than any seasoned general in Albion's army could ever hope to."
"My father has a hobby of hunting, and he always took me with him. I can't use magic so of course I had to learn how to hunt without it" Louis explains, smiling despite himself. Wales nods.
"It was impressive! That night we dined the boar you hunted, and everybody congratulated you."
"It was a really good day" Louis says with a sigh. One of the few times people forgot his inability to cast magic, and treated him simply like Louis, not a failure. "And the boar was delicious."
"And then, later that night we stole a few bottles of ale and snuck out to a part of the forest with some of the guys in my retinue. It was the first time you drank ale" he laughs, remembering; "you spit out most of the ale and later complained that our Albionese tongues could never hope to understand the true value of a good old wine."
"You made me drink it!" Louis says, but by now he's smiling. "And I still think the same. You guys might make good wine, but you definitely don't know how to taste it if you prefer to drink that thing."
"Why? People have the right to like different things" Wales sighs and looks at Louis again. "Every day was good during the celebration, not just at night when I got to be with Henrietta, but during the day too, and it was thanks to you" Louis frowns. Wales gives him a sad smile. "I said I have one regret, and you're right, it has to do with the duel. I wish I never picked up that sword. I wish I could have kept a cold head instead of accepting your challenge. If I hadn't done that… we could have become friends… the kind of friends I always wanted… that I always needed…"
"Your highness…" Louis is surprised. He never thought of it like that. Wales shakes his head.
"It sounds stupid, I know, with everything that happened later it wouldn't have made a difference whether we were friends or not, just like my love for Henrietta is coming to an end, but sometimes I still think about it. Henrietta told me you ignored her too and… it just makes me feel bad. I really did appreciate the moments we spent together. It wasn't as compensation for what I was doing with Henrietta or… whatever you thought I was acting friendly with you for…"
"I know. I… I understand that now, and you were never at fault" Louis says, his voice barely above a whisper, but enough to catch the prince's attention. "I'm a prideful person, I admit it. If I ignored Henrietta and you it was because what you did hurt my pride more than it hurt my heart, so even after a long time passed, I still clung to old grudges stubbornly. Especially…" he shakes his head, not wanting to think about it. After all, Wales was always just collateral damage. The one he was truly angry with was Henrietta, but it was so much easier to hate the prince…
As if reading his thoughts, Wales hesitantly says; "the last word of course… it lays with Henrietta, not me, of that I'm aware, but I'm happy I could say this to you, and to hear what you think as well" then he looks up and lets out a sigh. "It's getting late. I really should be going. The battle will start at any second, and I'm sure my men are wondering where I am" he walks pass Louis towards the exit. However, something unexpected happens.
"Wales!" Louis shouts. The prince stops and looks back with surprise. Louis still has his back towards him. He's staring at the carpeted floor with his arms to the side, clenching his fists tightly. He takes a deep breath before whirling, staring at him in the eye. "Come with us to Tristain!"
Wardes gasps, but it's lost to the two young men, who are staring at each other as if in a challenge. Wales can't help but smile. He shakes his head.
"You know I can't."
"Screw honor! Dying here is pointless, you know that as well as I! You need to live, for Henrietta, for your country, for… for me…"
"I can't abandon now. My country is already dead…"
"You will do more good alive than dead! Just come with us, so you can fight when you-!"
"Louis, I'm tired of fighting!" Wales yells, finally losing his composure. He doesn't look calm anymore. He's breathing hard, his eyes tired and his entire frame shaking. "I'm sick of it! Every waking hour, every single second the only thing I've been doing these past two years is fight! There's no hope anymore! You think something will change if I go to Tristain? They will just follow me there, they will attack Tristain and I'll have to fight again! Yes, Henrietta might want to defend me, but do you honestly think the court will support her? That Tristain's nobles will help the fleeing prince of an already overthrown monarchy? They will only sell out their country! And let me tell you, if they didn't help Albion two years ago, when this war started and we still had chances of surviving, they won't do it now, when it's all lost!"
He pants after screaming all of that. Louis can only look at him in shock. He glances down, trembling, and Wales finally recovers himself.
"I'm sorry, it's just…"
"No, I get it. I just thought I could…"
"You can't, that's why…" Wales shakes his head; realizing saying anything else at this point is useless. "I'll fight today, for the last time… and I'll die today, because there is no other way" and with that said, he turns around, finally making it to the door.
A click is heard just when he's turning the knob. He frowns, realizing the door is locked, and turns to see Wardes with his rapier high up. "Your highness, it's too soon for you to leave" he says in a mocking tone. Both Louis and Wales look at him with surprise. Wales' expression soon changes to one of anger, as he takes out his wand.
"Viscount, I have no time for jokes, if this is your way of retaining me here so you can whisk me away to Tristain, then…" he tries to open the door, but Wardes, who already had a spell prepared, blows Wales' wand away, leaving him astounded.
"You don't have to worry, that is not my intention at all."
"Wardes" Louis says, as surprised as the prince; "what are you trying to do?"
"It's time you finally answer me Louis" he says another thing entirely, further confusing Louis. "Before I let the prince go, you have to answer: will you accompany me or not?"
"Where? You never told me that. Wardes, I don't know what you want to do after the mission is over or why you want me to go with you, but let the prince go. He has nothing to do with this."
"On the contrary; he's a key piece in all of this."
"Just what…" Louis doesn't understand. Wales neither, as he walks back, searching for his wand between the pews.
"Your highness" Wardes says, making him look at him with a frown and ignoring Louis' confused expression; "you mean what you said? That you're ready to die today?"
"Of course I am" he says in a strong voice, his tone acquiring a shade of sternness; "viscount, if you have something to say, do it now. Your intention is not keeping me here, so I would be grateful if you do what you want to do now and let me go. I have a battle to fight."
"But you won't" Wardes whispers, and the two teens look at him with surprise; "Louis, let me tell you something. You have a great power, big enough to change the fate of this world. You heard the prince already; he's ready to die at the hands of Reconquista. I know you don't approve, but there's nothing you can do about it."
"Wardes, explain yourself. Why are you saying all of this?"
"I'm stating the facts, so you don't hate me when I do what I have to" Louis looks at him, his stare changing from confused to an analyzing one; "the Albion Royal Family is doomed, and I'm pleased to hear the prince plans to die today, but what you know? Perhaps there are others like you who are just waiting to give their lives to save his, to whisk him away to another country…"
Wales realizes what Wardes' intentions are, and in a second localizes his wand and throws himself at the floor to retrieve it. As fast as lighting, Wardes is already standing in front of him. He kicks the wand away and thrusts his rapier on Wales' back. The rapier is shining, as if enveloped in a silver whirlwind. Louis screams.
"Wales!" without thinking he goes to the prince's side. Wardes steps back, the spell around his rapier dissolving. He holds the dying prince in his arms. "Wales, please, hang in there! I-I…!"
"It's nothing personal" Wardes attracts Louis' attention again. For the first time in his life, Louis looks at Wardes with hatred; "it was necessary for us all."
"Necessary?! What are you talking about?!"
"L-Louis…" Wales says; his voice weak and raspy. Louis looks at him, his expression changing to one of sorrow.
"It's going to be alright" it's the most stupid thing he can say but he doesn't know what else to say. Wales smiles, or tries to, and shakes his head.
"Your… familiar…"
"Sachiko? What's with Sachiko?!"
"Ah, that's… her name…" he closes his eyes. Louis shakes him.
"Don't! Don't close your eyes! Stay with me!" with a last effort, Wales does so.
"Tell her… don't forget what… to… Henrietta…"
"Wales?" the prince doesn't close his eyes, but there's no longer light in them. Louis feels the moment his body stops moving with the rhythm of his breathing. His eyes swell up with tears; "no…"
"Don't be overdramatic" Louis' head snaps up towards Wardes. He doesn't recognize the man who's staring at him with such cold eyes and demeanor, the same who has just killed Wales; "not even ten minutes ago you didn't care if he died or not."
"He was going to die fighting! You stabbed him in the back!"
"I would have done it in the gut but that was the position he was in" Wardes says carelessly. Louis can hardly believe it.
"What's wrong with you?! Are you going to kill me now too?!"
"It seems you have not been listening" Wardes takes out a handkerchief from his tunic and starts wiping off the blood from his rapier. The calmness with which he does this both unnerves and disgusts Louis. "You have a great power Louis, necessary for the purpose of recovering the Holy Lands, and you are not the only one with it."
This completely takes Louis by surprise; "not the…"
"His name is Oliver Cromwell, leader of Reconquista and void user of Albion, apparently" he shrugs, as if that's completely irrelevant for him. "Now, if you would stop holding Wales like you have just lost the love of your life, I can explain to you exactly why I want you to come with me."
Louis stares at him, not trusting him anymore. But he doesn't have any other option but obey for now. Slowly, he leaves Wales' body on the floor and stands up, not taking his eyes off Wardes for even a second. Wardes smiles, but it's an empty gesture.
"It is said that when the four void users reunite, the void will be complete again and we'll be able to recover the Holy Lands. A legend for most, but it comes to question when two of these four users actually exist. To be honest, conquering Halkeginia and uniting the people is just a small benefit when compared to the prospect of going to the Holy Lands, but for that to happen first we need power and influence, and there's no other way to achieve it but to overthrow the monarchy."
"And why do you think I would join you? In the first place, I don't have the void, no matter how much you want to think I do."
"You do, but I won't waste my time convincing you. I thought first that I could get you to join me by using the affection you hold towards me as a big brother figure, but I realized in this trip that you had outgrown that stage. Luckily, it was easy to come up with another plan. Wales' death was unavoidable, but Henrietta's isn't."
Louis freezes at his words. He narrows his eyes and looks at Wardes with bared teeth. "You won't touch her…"
"You don't need to threaten me. What I have to offer you it's not a bad deal. We can prevent Henrietta's loveless marriage and keep your family and her out of harm's way when we move on to conquer Tristain. You only have to join me" Louis shakes his head. His mind is rallying, looking for a way to get out of this situation, but Wardes can see his intentions; "you can't escape Louis, you don't have a way to defend yourself. You are trapped. Look, I even told your familiar to leave without us, so you see I will keep my promise of not touching Henrietta."
"You told Sachiko to leave?!"
"She may be Gandálfr, but she's completely useless. I could have easily killed her, but instead I sent her off on the Eagle to protect her. We can get her back later if that's what you want, although I doubt she'd be able to do more than warm your bed."
Louis feels the blood in his veins boiling. He unconsciously reaches for his wand, but Wardes raises his rapier in a silent warning. Louis reluctantly lets his arm fall to the side.
"Good. With this said, it's time for you to decide. It would be a real waste killing you, your family, Henrietta and your cute familiar when the only thing you have to do is join us, but I will do it if you refuse, have no doubt of that."
Louis tenses. His eyes don't leave Wardes' as he racks his brain for a solution. The more time it passes, Wardes is capable to see Louis is beginning to give in, reluctantly, but he will have time to completely drag him in later. Closing his eyes, Louis takes in a long breath, and nods. Wardes smiles; "you have made the correct decision" he assures him as the boy approaches him.
"Yes… I have!" taking advantage that Wardes has lowered his guard; Louis quickly seizes the rapier and doesn't hesitate to punch Wardes on the face. The older man staggers back. Before he can regain balance Louis slices through his tunic. Unfortunately, he's wearing armor under his clothes so he only leaves a slice across his chest. Wardes immediately steps back and looks at him with anger.
"I left down my guard. It won't happen again."
"Give up Wardes. You can't cast magic, and you can't defend yourself" Louis repeats the words he said to him a few minutes ago.
"Are you going to kill me Louis? Do you think you're capable?"
"I know how to use a sword just as well as you, and you're unarmed. It's obvious I have the upper hand here" besides, he won't let his guard down like Wardes did. He's observing every single one of his movements, his body tense and ready in case he tries anything. Wardes doesn't move.
"Little Louis, pointing at me with a rapier, isn't fate funny?" he scoffs. "I wouldn't recommend you to kill me Louis. Wales is dead, and when they find you alone with his corpse and mine, what do you think the royalists will do?"
"I don't care about that" he's waiting for the exact moment to kill Wardes. The only option he sees is plunging the rapier in his throat, the only spot soft enough and exposed to do that. But if he's too hasty Wardes will be able to dodge him and try to retrieve his sword. He's a more experienced fighter after all, so he has to be careful.
"No? And what about the mission?"
"I'll just burn the letter."
"What about Sachiko?"
"…" he sees what he's trying to do. He's trying to rile him so he gives him an opening, but he's prepared for that. He feigns his words have affected him and the moment Wardes goes after him he dodges. With his free arm, he hits him on the back of the neck and steps on his back once he's on the floor. He points the rapier at his throat and thrusts, but before he can kill him Wardes turns around and blows him away, making him release the rapier as his body crashes with the opposite wall. He moans in pain, looking up at Wardes with confusion.
"Did you really think I only came with that rapier?" he's holding a black wand while slowly walking towards him. Louis quickly gets up and runs to get back the rapier, but he's blow away once more. "I couldn't take out my wand without you attacking me immediately, so I had to wait until you thought you had me in your hands. But you hurt me Louis. After everything we've lived, you would actually kill me without hesitation."
"What about you?!" Louis tries to stand up, but the continued blows have left him severely hurt. Just as he manages to raise his body with his elbows, Wardes uses his foot to kick him back to the floor. "You… what happened to the Wardes I knew?!"
"Years passed, accidents happened. Though it changed me from whom you knew; it didn't change my nature" he sighs, as if truly saddened things have reached this point. "You know, I had three objectives when coming to Albion. One was taking you with me, and I failed. The second was taking Wales' life; and the third…"
The air around them changes. It gets colder. Louis, who's very knowledgeable in wind spell thanks to both his mother and Wardes, quickly realizes the spell Wardes is going to use. He tries to get free, but Wardes augments the force on his foot, preventing him from moving in the slightest.
"The third is the letter in your pocket. I'll get it once you die."
"I don't have it with me!" he yells. This makes Wardes stop chanting, but unfortunately it doesn't surprise him enough to allow Louis to stand up. "I gave it to Sachiko yesterday! By now she must be in her way to Tristain. You lose Wardes."
He smiles despite the pain when Wardes' face morphs with fury. He raises his foot and pushes it down with even more force; enough to make Louis feel like his ribs dig in his flesh after being thrown around the room before. Any more of this and they'll probably break.
"Dumb child" his voice is trembling, and he stomps on his chest again and again; "you should have said you destroyed it. Fine, I'll go look for her and kill her before she can deliver the letter" Louis' gasps, his heart filling with fear. Wardes kicks him a final time and he screams in pain. This time he surely has broken ribs. He can hear Wardes continuing his spell, but he's not thinking about his life anymore. He's just thinking about Sachiko, hoping she can escape before Wardes finds her.
The door of the chapel is thrown open with fierce intensity, enough to stop Wardes from pointing his wand at Louis and look up. Sachiko only takes one second to look at Wardes pressing his foot on Louis before charging, her speed allowing her to be there in mere seconds before slashing her sword in the place Wardes was standing. He jumps up with a spell and glares at her with irritation.
"What are you doing here, Gandálfr?"
"How dare you?!" she shouts instead, throwing herself at him again. The runes in her left hand are shining brightly. Wardes barely has time to dodge her attack, her sword managing to break in pieces the pew behind him.
"S-Sachiko?" Louis says in a weak voice, trying, despite the pain of his broken ribs, to sit up. Sachiko doesn't look at him, blindly attacking Wardes again and again.
"Reunite in the secret harbor?! Don't make me laugh! You wanted to kill Louis all along!"
"So you felt when your master was in danger" Wardes continues dodging. A smirk crosses his features. "Very convenient, now I don't have to waste my time looking for you."
"I saw you killing Prince Wales with my left eye! You betrayed him! You betrayed Louis!" she charges again, but Wardes easily blows her away with his wand. She painfully crashes against a row of pews, but in her state, she ignores the pain and stands up again, although clumsily.
"To achieve a goal, you can't be selective with the means" Wardes explains as he jumps at her, his wand emitting a silver glow. It's the same spell he used to kill Wales, 'air needle'. Sachiko raises Derflinger and blocks the attack, pushing Wardes back a few meters.
"He believed in you! You were his brother figure! How can you be so cold to try to kill a boy you practically saw growing up?!" she runs up to him. Wardes dodges again, and raises his wand to hit her with it now that he's at her back. Before he does, there's an explosion in front of him that sends him and Sachiko flying in opposite directions.
"Sachiko!" Louis runs towards her, ignoring the pain in his chest. His wand is in his hand. "I'm sorry, are you alright?"
"Ugh, yes… what about you?" she asks worriedly, sitting up. Louis winces.
"I've been better. Now listen to me: stop attacking blindly. Wait for an opening, alright? Or have you forgotten what I taught you?"
"But he makes me so angry!"
"Yes, but…" before he can finish Sachiko raises Derflinger again and blocks another attack from Wardes. She stands up and pushes the man away from Louis.
"Run now!" she yells at Louis. Wardes laughs.
"You won't have it so easy!" he steps back, destabilizing her, and with another wave of his wand, sends her flying. "I'll kill him first!" he turns to Louis and recites a spell. Unable to escape, Louis is hit with the full force of Wardes' air hammer, and after everything he's been through, he can't resist any longer. The moment he crashes with the wall, he faints from pain.
Sachiko looks at this with wide eyes. Her body starts trembling. "Y-Y-You… I'll kill you!" she growls. She feels her heart beating at an incredible speed, her body moving just as fast. She attacks Wardes, who can only cast another spell to defend himself. Sachiko raises Derf, aware it's useless, but instead of being blown away, the sword absorbers the attack, leaving both her and Wardes astounded; "D-Derf?!
"I remember now!" he yells happily, its body starting to glow. "Back then, yes, it was like this too! Listen partner, you won't believe this!"
"Cut it out!"
"Ah, but aren't you impatient? It doesn't matter, because you're my partner. Anyway, this is my true form! Gandálfr's left hand, Derflinger! I can suck in all magic around me!" he exclaims joyfully. Sachiko looks at him with her mouth open, while Wardes observes the sword with increased interest.
"Indeed, you're not ordinary sword" he says, before raising his wand again. "Alright, it seems I have to get serious" he utters a spell. In no time, Wardes' body doubles, until there are six of them. Sachiko backs away, shocked. "Ubiquitous Wind. The wind is evenly distributed. It has not only form but power as well" as he says this, one of his copies takes out a mask from his tunic and puts it on. Sachiko rages when she recognizes him.
"You… you're the one who tried to kill me!"
"A nuisance like you should just be rid of. A Gandálfr who can't even use a sword, well…" he looks at her glowing runes before scoffing; "even when they work, there's nothing impressive about you. Slow, dumb, but can't we say the same about the master? Even with all the power he possesses, to be so easily defeated by me is disappointing" he laughs. Sachiko only holds Derflinger tighter. "If it is like this, then it's better to simply kill you two, but look at the bright side, at least you can die together" and with that he commands his copies to attack her.
The six of them surround her, each with spells of their own. Three use air needle, charging at her at the same time. She blocks each one with Derflinger, and absorbers the wind thrown at her by the others. Spinning, she cuts down one of the clones and jumps back, dodging the magic from another. Slicing the air, she liberates the wind from Derflinger and throws it at two of the clones with air needle, eliminating them. Another one attacks her, this time finally hitting her, but she recovers quickly and in one second has thrust Derflinger through his heart. He disappears like the others.
"Impossible!" Wardes shouts, breathing heavily. "How can you be so fast?!" he chants another spell, and this time the remaining copy accompanies him, using their magic at the same time to attack her. Sachiko is blow away, but as soon as she's down, she stands up again and charges.
"Hey, Derf" she says instead, blocking their simultaneous attack.
"Yes, partner?"
"My heart is beating so fast."
"I can feel it. You're enraged."
"I am, and I think I finally understand it, the reason the runes didn't work earlier."
"Do you?"
"Yes" she jumps behind the clone and slices, making it disappear; "it's because I didn't have any motivation."
"That's how it is. Gandálfr's power comes from emotions. Anger, love, sadness, anything is good. As long as it makes your heart beat faster and you want it bad enough, you can't lose!"
"True" she stares at Wardes with a fury so big she can't help but remain calm. He looks at her with the same anger, chanting under his breath, but Sachiko only smiles in a way that looks almost sadistic; "and right now, my biggest desire" she clenches Derflinger's hilt, running at Wardes at an incredible speed, and slices the arm holding the wand. Wardes screams in pain as she turns around, rising Derf again to deal the final blow; "is to kill Wardes!"
But just as she's about to kill him, she trips on a small stone from one of the walls, and once in her knees, she can no longer stand up.
"Careful partner, you're exhausted now. You've used a lot of energy as Gandálfr."
"I… Wardes…"
"This seems to be the end of our fight" Wardes says, standing up and grabbing the wand from his severed arm with the other. He looks at her, showing he's just as exhausted, before looking towards the door. "Do you hear that? That's the clamor of the battle" he says. Sachiko slows down her breathing and listens. Because of her agitated state before, she didn't realize it, but there's a huge battle taking place outside the chapel, inside the castle. "The royalists will very likely arrive here, looking for their prince, and once they find you two with his corpse" he looks at Wales' body, scoffing mockingly; "they won't doubt to cut you down."
He waves his wand, making a hole in the ceiling of the chapel, and flies away. Sachiko can only watch as he escapes. She closes her eyes for a second, hearing the sound of cannons and explosions now intensified because of the hole, before standing up. She leans her weight on Derflinger and walks towards Louis, letting her body fall next to him, and leans her head on his chest. She lets out a sigh of relief when she hears his heart beating.
"I'm so happy you're alive…"
"Partner, what do we do? The royalists will really arrive at any second" Derflinger sounds worried. She bites her lips.
"I don't know. I'm in no condition to fight…" she sees Louis' wand lying a few meters away, and without thinking stands up and goes to pick it up. She's regaining a bit of her energy, but it isn't enough. She looks towards Wales' corpse with a saddened look.
Just then, the ground next to her feet shifts. She jumps up, scared, and grabs Derflinger without thinking, but she doesn't need to worry. From the hole, a brown thing appears and pounces her without hesitation.
"Ahhh! What the hell is this?!"
"Verdandi! You've found her! Good boy!" from the same hole, Guiche's head appears. His cheeks are dusted with dirt, but he has a smile from ear to ear. Next to him appears Kirche.
"Who would have thought, your mole was actually useful for something."
"Of course he is! Didn't you see? He can dig a hole anywhere! And thanks to his fantastic memory he also found Sachiko!"
"Guiche! Get you mole off me now!" Sachiko yells, pushing the animal away from her with her feet. Guiche gasps.
"Hey, don't do that! Verdandi is just being friendly!"
"Anyway, what happened here?" Kirche asks, looking around the destroyed chapel. When her eyes stop on Louis she gasps in horror, and pushes Guiche away to climb off the hole and run towards him. "Louis! What happened to him?! Who did this?!"
"We don't have time to explain!" with the mole off her, Sachiko takes Derflinger and drags Kirche from the arm. "We need to leave this place! A battle is approaching! Kirche or Guiche, please take Louis with you!"
"Wait Sachiko, what are you-?" Guiche tries to ask but shuts up when she turns to glare at him coldly.
"I said we need to leave. Kirche, take Louis away!"
"A-Alright!" she urges Guiche to help her, and together they drag him towards the hole. Sachiko, on the other hand, kneels next to Wales' body. "Sachiko, you need to come too!"
"I'll be there in a second!" she searches Wales' body, looking for something to bring back to the princess, but finds nothing. With a sad sight, she closes the prince's eyes and joins her hands in small prayer. "Brave prince, you won't be forgotten. I swear to you that I'll also defend the things I believe in" she bows her head and stands up, entering the hole just before the doors of the chapel are thrown open in the heat of the battle.
Verdandi was being carried in Sylphid's claws. The poor mole had been whimpering from the moment they got out of the hole.
"Guiche, I swear, if your familiar doesn't shut up soon…" Louis, who had woken up the moment Tabitha started treating his injuries, says in a low, dangerous voice. Guiche gulps.
"What would you do if you were in his situation?" then he looks out from one side. "Please, just hold on a little more, my cute Verdandi!"
Verdandi gives another whimper, but this time it sounds a little more determined. Louis rolls his eyes before glancing up at Kirche.
"I can sit up well enough, you know?" he tells her with irritation. His head is lying on her lap while she gently runs her fingers through his hair. She scoffs.
"You have two broken ribs. Do you really think you should be making any effort now?"
"Tabitha already cured me!"
"She diminished the pain, but she alone can't mend your broken bones, so until we arrive at Tristania, you will stay here" she smiles brightly, just making Louis even more irritated.
"No way, I'm getting off now!" he tries to sit up, but Kirche holds him down; "Zerbst!"
"Why are you being so difficult? I'm just worried about you!"
"I'm perfectly fine on my own!"
"Louis, it's alright, you don't need to pretend to be strong. After what that guy did to you…" she lowers her head, her eyes acquiring a deadly glow. Louis sighs, using her distraction to sit up. "Louis, what did I tell-?"
"Kirche" her name is what does it. He very rarely calls her by her name, so when he actually does, it always manages to send a pleasurable shudder down her spine that completely destabilizes her. She looks at him, her face getting warmer and warmer; "I'm fine, and I thank you for wanting to take care of me, but now it's not the moment. There's not a lot of space up here, you know? And I'm taking a big part just by lying instead of sitting."
"That's right" Guiche agrees, unconsciously caressing Sachiko's hair, who's leaning on his shoulder, completely asleep. Kirche pouts before letting out a sigh of defeat.
"Fine, but you will let me take care of you back in the academy, right?" she asks with hope.
"…If that makes you happy…" Kirche beams and offers her shoulder for him to rest, but he ignores her, instead crawling towards Guiche and Sachiko. "You've had her enough, now it's my turn."
Guiche looks at him, shocked, while Kirche's mouth falls open. "What do you mean 'it's my turn'? I didn't know we took turns to let Sachiko sleep on our shoulders."
"If you don't want me to throw you off Sylphid, you will shut up and obey" Louis says, his eyes cold. Guiche swallows in fear, before carefully handing over Sachiko. When her head rests on his shoulder, Louis winces, but it's not something he cannot take. Although Kirche said Tabitha wasn't able to mend his bones, he thinks she managed to cure them at least a little, as he doesn't find breathing as painful as before. And he would rather stand the weight of Sachiko on his tattered body than seeing her resting on Guiche's shoulder for another second.
Guiche bites his lips, worried about him, but he ends up shaking his head and turning to the front, not wanting Louis to enact his threat. Kirche just looks at him for a while longer, her calculating eyes going from him to Sachiko's sleeping face, before she also turns around, pretending to be interested in what Tabitha's reading, sitting next to her. With no one looking at them, Louis sighs and looks at Sachiko's face.
He cannot put into words what he's feeling at the moment. Too many things happened in such a small amount of time he doesn't know how he can stand without crying or shouting in despair. His conversation with Wales replays in his mind, and it's the only thing he finds he can rescue from anything that happened in that chapel. At least, the two of them made up before his death… death caused by Wardes, whom he always thought of as a brother. His treason was even more painful than the broken ribs he'd given him, and sincerely, the only thing he wanted to do whenever he remembered Wardes' killing intent as he was pressing his foot on top of him, was crumbling into pieces until he could no longer feel anything.
That's why; the only thing he allows himself to think about is Sachiko. Sachiko, who came to rescue him, who beat up Wardes and saved his life. This girl who was sleeping on his shoulder, tired after giving everything of her for him.
It's not worth lying to myself anymore…
He didn't want to either. Her cheeks have dirt and blood on them, so he cleans her face with his sleeve. She sighs, smiling in dreams, and he bites his lips.
He looks at the other three. They're completely absorbed in their own worlds. His eyes return to Sachiko. He nods to himself, before cupping her face with a hand. Slowly, gently, he presses his lips to hers.
Sachiko sighs again, and he pulls away, scared she has woken up, but she's still completely asleep. He sighs and looks away, avoiding further temptation.
It is done, he shouldn't worry, it's just a small crush, he's sure of it.
Then why did I feel like my blood boiled?
A/N: Is it just me who finds Louis' last line incredibly awkward? Anyway, you guys have no idea how difficult it was to write this chapter. I swear I had to rewrite it around ten times before I finally found it acceptable. The fight scene and Louis and Wales conversation were the most complicated, but if you don't like the chapter it's ok, I'm not entirely convinced myself.
So Louis likes Sachiko, don't be so surprised, I've been throwing off hints since chapter six. This turned out much longer than my original draft, why is it so long? Whatever, see you in the next chapter. Oh, and don't think the Louis-Henrietta-Wales thing is completely over. We still need to see things from Henrietta's side.