WHAZZAT?! A CHAPTER NOT A BAJILLION YEARS AFTER THE LAST ONE? *gasp*
I actually made these two chapters in two completely different occasions. However, they were both too short to be acceptable and timeline-wise, happened at nearly the same time so yeah. Enjoy.
PLEASE READ: Before a shitstorm ensues I'm going to say it loud and clear right now and I'll say it this once only: If you want your review not to appear in the pre-chapter author notes, either specify it or PM me. I do read them. Any review posted will be answered publically unless specified otherwise or it's something I feel the need not to answer publically.
Kidemonas: I'm going to leave it as a possibility, like for every other character besides Cordelia and Olivia, but… pedophilia, dude. Sully is like, 23-24 pre-timeskip and the MC has JUST turned 16. It's the same reason I actually didn't ship Lissa directly with Frederick, I find it weird. I'll consider it, but don't get your hopes up.
Clutchvm: That, and would make Owain a not worthless mage in a possible Fates sequel :D but it's still up in the air, though most people seem to be looking forward to a Nick x Lissa pairing.
Read and Review, and don't forget about the Q&A. I'm still not receiving any questions for the characters guys! .
Chapter 18: Aftermath
So… It's been two weeks since the assault on Ylisstol's castle. I'm 16 now, which is nice I guess? I found an elixir lying on the ground like that, and I was feeling much better than usual, ready to kick ass as if the event had just taken place in the game. Actually, it probably had, but I'm digressing. I never told anybody when my birthday was, aside from jokingly telling Lissa that it was on February 31st. She didn't talk to me for the whole day after that. Despite that, I suspiciously got the day off from Robin, and there were 500 more gold than the usual in my bi-weekly pay.
(We receive 1000G every two weeks. It's actually A LOT, it can buy you approximately 534 hours' worth of hookers.)
The sly bastard. I spent the extra money in making some more steel, then transformed said steel into cards. We'll get to that later. I also bought a helmet, since I realized that head injuries are NOT cool. Also it'll hide my horrible hair until I can find a barber, since I hadn't realized until now, but I had let it grow for two months, almost three, and now they reached shoulder length with the upper half being my natural brown and the lower half being the usual dyed grass green.
(Now it looks like we're cosplaying RD Nephenee with shorter hair and white armor.)
I've been chatting a lot more with Law, now that I'm aware of his presence.
Things are much worse than I thought for a huge number of reasons. I hadn't realized earlier just how badly I had fucked things up. Where to begin with…
I guess I'll recap what happened after I passed out. Nothing major really, Severa apparently got the hell out of dodge, Gaius was caught before he could slink away (although I think he made only a token effort). His sentence, thanks to him saving the Exalt (and my good will in not pressing charges), resulted in him simply having to do community service, AKA being a Shepherd. Welcome to the family, Gaius.
(It's actually a lot worse when you think about it. Guy literally got conscripted into the smack dab middle of a war BECAUSE he saved the Exalt. He could've gotten away easily.)
Panne ended up joining the Shepherds since she does not believe her debt to the Exalt paid as she is… we'll talk about that later too.
Me, personally, I got whisked away to the hospital since an Elixir can apparently only do so much to help you recover. I was then healed personally by our favorite short short-tempered blondie, receiving a thwack on the head with her staff that nearly knocked me out. She was building up muscle.
(Rito pls nerf staves)
Then I was kissed on the cheek for saving her sister and wow I never knew that so much blood could flow to your face all at once. I only did what a good Ylissean citizien would do.
(Which, for the record, we aren't. We were surprised too when that wasn't a requirement to being a part of the Shepherds. In actuality, we're treated as if we were an ambassador from a different country, which happens to be Earth.)
Gaius then came in (even though I was supposed to receive no visits) to say sorry about the whole fuck-up, which I was mostly chill about.
(We may or may not have said a few choice words about sticking a lollipop where the sun doesn't shine, but somehow ended up on friendly terms with the guy.)
*snort* on friendly terms until he started calling me Shorty, but yeah.
Surprise among surprises, the next (and last) visitor was Phila. She proceeded to thank me profusely for my "heroics", at which I snorted darkly and told her that running away leaving a friendly behind is no heroic feat. She was surprised, and seeing the look on my face as she had reminded me of Roy quietly left muttering an apology.
Panne won't talk to us. I went and introduced myself and was promptly told to piss off. I think she's salty about me stealing her job in Exalt-saving.
(Because she was doing such a greeeeat job about it.)
Also, in the time where I wasn't hospitalized, I managed to procure myself some blank sealing metal cards, which I can use to seal and then summon stuff with!
The actual process behind it is… painful. Almost as painful as using actual magic, since I'm basically pouring magic and then sealing it into the cards, but at least I do this out of battle instead of doing it in the battle. Then I can summon stuff with my cards, which I now have… four.
(Curiously enough, sealing something draws a pint of blood from your body. Like, you do the sealing process and a pint of blood flies straight out of your mouth and splattered onto the object you wanna seal. If you wanna seal magic, you need a mage ready to fire a spell into you and you have to seal before you get killed by the spell. After that, you get a card that will last for like, 10 uses like a Spectre Card from RD, only it's a "Wind" or "Fire" card.)
We managed to get Miriel to seal a card for each element and a healing staff's use "for scientific purposes". I've found out that if I seal a healing spell into the cards, my lack of empathy will not affect the magic because it's not me doing the healing. So, I can technically use spells now.
What else to talk about…
(We should probably address the three elephants in the room, yeah?)
*sigh* You're right. So, the first and most important, even though all of them are, is Emmeryn.
Emmeryn is… alive. That's where the good news end.
Apparently, she has somehow exhausted herself to the point where she can barely stand lately and sleeps like twenty hours a day. She's fighting, we all know she is, but for now, nobody sees her fit to see the throne. The Ylissean populace however are glad as is to know that she's alive and well, but… it's still a heavy hit. Curiously enough, it was decided that the "culprit" of the Exalt's current state would rule in her stead, so Prince Marth of Altea became Exalt Marth of Ylisse. The people basically lost their shit over the fact that an ancient king came back from the dead to help them in a state of war and Ylisse is fighting twice as hard now against Plegia. Small mercies I guess…
This also means that since we had to take care of Emmeryn, we didn't go to the border pass and rescue Best Waifu Cordelia. That's a really, really concerning issue. When Lucina realized this as well she stopped talking to me altogether and is now throwing all of herself into self-training, especially in trying to learn how to use Aether, which I had just assumed she already knew how to, but… apparently not? It's weird.
(According to Robin's roster, Lucina's a level 17 mercenary who knows Dual Strike+, Charm and Armsthrift.)
The second "Elephant" as Law called it is Frederick. Frederick, because of my negligence, got his leg blown up by Validar. I visited only once and when I did, I couldn't bear to look at him from the guilt. Suddenly, the guilt had hit me like a freight train.
"So you didn't save them because you're selfish, huh?" Lucina said. At first I didn't understand what she meant by these words, because it was not my fault the future me fucked things up. But then, looking at Frederick I realized that I am, in fact, a selfish individual.
I could've saved him. If only I bothered opening my mouth, telling everybody what was to come since I knew it in such a great detail, things would've gone so differently. Emmeryn wouldn't be bedridden, Frederick wouldn't be in such a pitiful state and Roy…
*shudder* I still don't know what happened to Roy. He just… disappeared. Without a trace. I've searched the castle far and wide, every little nook and cranny, even took Miriel and Ricken with me to search for any trace of magic that he could've left. Nothing. He just disappeared into the void.
I still haven't summoned Lilina. I definitely don't wanna be the one to break the news to her that Roy is gone, but I don't know who would. So I'm just keeping her in the card for now…
All these things came into consideration to what I'm going to do. I'm going to leave the Shepherds before I fuck something up more in a colossal way and do things in the background.
I've left a bunch of letters (written by Hauteclere, since I still can't read) to the rest of the Shepherds so they don't worry themselves sick but after that, I'm gone. I can't bear to look at them in the face anymore, knowing how many things I could've prevented. And there's the Aversa problem too. If she's after me, who knows that she won't go after someone I hold dear and use them as leverage? So I have to leave, and I need to do it fast. Now I have to go and set things right.
Dear Chrom,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly.
I've found out that the battlefield isn't really what I'm cut out for, and I didn't want to make leaving all the sadder. I really enjoyed my time as a Shepherd, and maybe one day a time will come where we will once more be allies, although I hope that we never will have to fight a war again. We will meet again, I promise, but until then, farewell. It's been a great time.
PS: Please, don't sic Lissa on me when I eventually do come back. She's really taking this mommy role too seriously.
Nick
Dear Lissa,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly.
We've both seen, from the scars that litter my body, that I'm not that great of a soldier. Perhaps I'll find my true calling elsewhere, and when I do, I promise to come back. I wanna roam this crazy and new world far and wide, and see everything it has to offer. Thank you for saving my life two weeks ago. As a token of my appreciation, please take this Wind card. You can use it to fire spells even if you do not know the actual chant. Just shout "WIND!" and toss the card towards the enemy. It'll be pretty useful since I know Plegia has a lot of wyvern riders. Just don't use it too much. Also, Stahl keeps his cookies on the top shelf of his wardrobe. Hope that helps.
Nick
Dear Frederick,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. I know it may come across as suspect, but know I bear no ill will towards Ylisse.
I would've loved to join your fitness program, if it wasn't too late. Please, go and speak with Hauteclere for a replacement of your leg, I'm sure she'll do a great job. Not good enough to get you running and do all the things you used to do (maybe), but you'll at least be able to keep fighting on horseback. I'm sure you'll be able to kick Plegian ass despite everything. I'm sorry for the loss of your horse, I can't imagine how hard that was on you. If you can't bear (pun not intended) to ride on another horse, perhaps look into wyvern riding? I'm sure that you can wrestle one into submission till it's Toothless.
Try to smile some more, okay? Chrom and Lissa really depend on you, big guy.
PS: Good luck with Emmeryn ;)
Nick
Dear Sully,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly.
I'm really not that good of a fighter, and as the war deepens, I fear I might just be in the way. I've decided to roam the world and see towards becoming a better soldier, or maybe something else entirely. Somewhere preferably far away from the war. When we'll meet again, perhaps do you want to spar? I know you'll kick my ass anyways, but for old times' sake I'll enjoy it anyways. Also, you should probably wear longer hair. You're already pretty as is, but some people just don't see past the immediate appearances and see how charming you truly are.
PS: I've noticed how you salivate after Lon'qu. It's adorable.
Nick
Dear Duke of Rosanne Virion,
Yeah, surprised I know so much? I don't know what exactly you are doing here in Ylisse instead of tending to your people. I also don't honestly care. Just thought I'd toss in that I won't tell a soul, and may best of lady luck be with you. Perhaps you could woo her into helping you? Heh, I'm digressing. Sorry for such a short letter, but I've got tons of others to write. See you sometime!
Nick
Dear Miriel,
Thank you for everything you have done for me in the past months. The amount of things I've learned about this world thanks to your tutelage will surely help me. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, but I've never been one for sappy goodbyes. Also, since I've come to the realization that Steel is different here from my world, I've left along with this letter a 1kilogram… I don't know, give it a sciency name. Anyways, if you wanted to research the material, know that it's iron whose impurities have been removed and has approximately 1,5% carbon. Hope that helps!
Nick
Dear Kellam,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. You've probably seen me pack up stuff to leave too, which is sad because I didn't manage to see you.
I hope you'll find a way to make people see you. Perhaps you should ask Miriel for some help about it, maybe you've been hexed without knowing it? Who knows, perhaps some quality time with her would do you well *wink wink*
Writing wink is not nearly as fun as winking to someone in person is. I've got a tonne of letters to write now, so I'll be brief: thank you for everything. We'll meet again eventually, and when we do, I'll be the one sneaking up on you!
Nick
Heya Donny,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. I actually haven't seen much of you lately at the garrison. Were you drafted into knight training? If so, I'm sorry. Frederick's regime is probably destroying you. I hope that you're not thinking about your family too much, because if you are, stop. Nobody would want to see you brooding over something that can't be changed. I hope that whatever goal you set yourself to you will get twice as much as you hoped for, and I'm sorry for not being there with you.
Nick
Dear Sumia,
Sorry for having borrowed a pegasus. I couldn't just grab Zephyr since he's apparently now Maribelle's but yeah. Thank you for teaching me how to mount pegasi and ride them. I hope we can see each other soon.
Nick
Dear Ricken,
I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. By the way, this is the only letter I wrote myself, and since I cannot read or write in Common, but only in Ancient, this is also partially homework. So, if you manage to read this letter all by yourself, kudos to you. I hope you won't be too upset about me leaving. I couldn't stay here for long. Keep this a secret, but I am a seer. There are people after me, looking to end me because of my knowledge. I can't stay there knowing that any of you will be hurt. I hope you will do great things in the future. I'm sure you'll be the one to restore your house to its old glory. I have faith in you.
Ps: Drink loads of milk. Personally, I loathe it, but if you want to get taller, nothing's best for you. Also work out.
Nick
Dear Robin,
I'm sorry for this. I'm burdening you with much more than you deserve, and it's not fair on you. But you're the only one who can do this. I trust you.
Under your desk and copious amount of paperwork is hidden a letter, containing what I know of the future. I am a seer, and too many times I have refused to act upon my knowledge because I was a coward, and I still am a coward burdening you with this. But I can't do this alone. Do what you want with the letter, read it, burn it, I don't care. But I need your help. The world needs to be saved.
Whatever you do, never, ever, ever trust Grima and the Grimleal. They're not your real family.
PS: Here's the resignation form to leave the Shepherds. I'm sorry, but this whole gig's not really for me. I apologize for the chicken scratch that's supposed to be my signature, but I barely know the Ylissean alphabet.
Nick
With the letter-dropping over, I ran outside where I had "parked" the pegasus. "C'mere, boy." I mounted him the way Sumia taught me, and it surprisingly stood still and let me. I wasn't sure because of the fact that they don't usually let males mount, but apparently I was an exception.
(Where are we going first?)
I snorted as I took to the skies at a moderate pace. Mulling it over, I replied.
"Cordelia by now is probably a red stain on the Bottomless Canyon. And we know only of one person who can help us out now." I got the distinct feeling that Law nodded in agreement.
(To the Twins' turf it is. Victor and Vincent have terrorized enough people as is.)
I chuckled humourlessly "When saving villages from the bandits is only the side effect of your actions, you realized that something's fucked up."
And with the moon shining on the pegasus' armor and mine, we flew towards Regna Ferox.
Chapter 18x: Dry Rose
Warning! Excessive swearing present in this chapter! If your jimmies are easily rustled, please turn back!
'The past month has been a fucking shitshow' she thought drily as she made her way south from her current position, in the west of Regna Ferox where lately you'd see marching soldiers just about every hour, preparing for the war against her home with a bottle of sake as her only companion.
She currently wasn't feeling particularly patriotic, she knew that her country was currently under the thumb of a madman and if things continued the way they were it would probably never be the same as she once knew, but still. It was her home, damnit!
Turns out that she would see it much earlier than she had planned. Perhaps starting from the beginning would've been a better idea.
She was getting to the point where she started to fucking hate her uncle.
After traveling all the way here, to the fucking Regna Ferox, fucking freezing her ass off to take a fucking boat to the fucking Valm to try and foil a fucking conqueror's plans, she was approached in the middle of the night by two very familiar individuals in a town near the Feroxi arena that told her things that she didn't want to hear about him.
She loved him, of course, he was probably the third most important person in her life (second only to Dad and Iñigo) but Gods help her, he was a paranoid bastard.
By now she had come to terms with the fact that he kept his knowledge of the future to himself, that he wouldn't let himself sleep, that the Royal sleeping quarters were filled with more traps than she bothered to count (to the point that she simply avoided walking those corridors altogether and simply warped herself in) but then THIS bullshit pops up!
"What the fuck does it mean that the plan was all fake?!" she shrieked, hitting Iñigo with her staff. He simply jumped back, used to this treatment from his sister by now, dodging her easily before shrugging. "It was all a bluff to make sure that Grima's spies wouldn't know about our real plans. At least on our part, I'm sure that most of the others' information was true." he frowned, thinking about it. "Belle didn't receive them either, but I guessed that was because we would be going together…" the girl next to him shook her head in sign that she hadn't received any information either., before putting a hand on her both her cousins' shoulders in a show of solidariety. "I'm sure Dad must've had his reasons, even if we don't know why. We gotta meet up with Owain and then offer our aid to the Feroxi soldiers so that they may respond better to the future war!" It was honestly a pretty sound argument, and she probably would've felt more inclined to agree was her cousin someone else. As it was, it was pretty hard to take seriously the bubbly who was struggling to reach the shoulders of the two brothers with her 4'11.
"No." She replied simply. "No. I'm sick of this shit. I'm sick of this cryptic bullshit that pops up everytime I round a corner. You know what I'm gonna do? Now I'm gonna haul ass to Plegia and go save my father from becoming one of Grima's puppets, something YOU should've thought about as well." She said, poking an accusing finger at her brother's chest. "Meanwhile you two are going to act like mindless servants to a dead ruler." She said, before her hand flew up to her mouth as she realized what she had said. The deed was already done though.
Iñigo stared at her with a frown that was a mix between disappointment in her and disappointment in the fact that Uncle really hadn't made it. He was aware, of course, that he probably wouldn't, but one could still hope. Belle though…
She looked like a kicked puppy. Had this been any other situation, it would've probably been funny, as she had been rather prone to being childish, but this was just heartbreaking. As the realization that her father was dead sunk in, tears started to well up in her eyes, before she started sobbing loudly. "But how?! Why?! He-he was supposed to come with us… we were supposed to save the future together! But- but-…" She wasn't nearly drunk enough for this. They had all lost their parents, aside from her. They all knew how terrible it felt, to be alone in this world. Suddenly, she felt herself grabbing her cousin and hugging her as strong as she could, though if it was for her sake or Belle's, she didn't know. As it was, Belle let out a surprised gasp before burying herself in her cousin's shoulder while Rose drew soothing circles on her back, the cousin completely unaware of the spell that was being chanted under her breath due to her loud sobbing.
"Sleep, Belle. It'll all be alright later." And suddenly, Belle fell slack in her hug as Iñigo shot a disapproving glare at her. She put her cousin over her shoulder, before turning to her brother "Where are you staying? She's heavy." She then followed Iñigo to the inn where they were staying. Pretty decent place, not as good as the royal palace of course, but what can you do.
"So, what are you gonna do now, sis?" Iñigo asked her, concern laced in his voice. He knew that his sister was headstrong and wouldn't follow the plan, but he couldn't just let her go by herself.
"Probably gonna stick around for a day or two, find the best bar here and get shitfaced" She promptly ignored the scathing look that Iñigo shot her "And then, as soon as the snow lets up, I'm going south and heading home, trying to find Dad. I'm not exactly sure where he shows up, but it was somewhere in the northern area so I won't have to travel too long. And I'll probably feel a sudden spike in mana once he gets here, so I'll just wing it from there." He sighed. "Can't you at least wait until Owain comes? I don't wanna have to break the news to him alone…" He whined, only half joking, but she simply shook her head.
"We've already lost him once, Iñigo. Grima's taken everything we have away from us. I won't allow him to do it a second time. For once, I want to follow my own heart instead of being a pawn at a king's whims." She replied. Iñigo rubbed his hands across his face before muttering to himself "Ugh… What would dad do in this situation?"
She knew it was a rethoric question, but decided to answer anyways. "He would probably cling to me like glue, not willing to let me go, before pestering me about how splitting the party is always a bad idea and-have you been drinking again, young lady?" they both chuckled at her imitation of their dad.
"Nnngh… Dad… no, don't leave…" the greenette muttered in her sleep, hugging the pillow with all her might in a vain attempt to keep her father from leaving. Iñigo ran a hand through her hair before sighing. "Well… If I can't convince you to stop leaving…" and in a burst of speed he grabbed her and hoisted her on his shoulder like a lamb. "then I'll have to kidnap you!" He said, grinning before carrying her out of the room where Belle was sleeping. Despite her shrieking of 'Let me down this instant' it could be seen that she was grinning as well. Iñigo then stopped by the counter of the inn before saying to the man at the counter "Hey, old man! I'm leaving for a while, can you tell Belle if she asks that I've gone to the usual place?" the innkeeper, an old man with grey-ish hair and a grandfatherly smile winked at Iñigo before saying "Sure. Finally found the one, eh?" He winked at them. Iñigo turned a bright red before laughing awkwardly, saying "Ah, not yet, I'm afraid. This here is my sister Rose." However, she started grinning impishly before saying in a sing-song voice "So you're going after girls again, dear brother? Wait until Severa hears of this…" Iñigo turned an even brighter shade of red before suddenly a grin just as devious as his sister split his face.
"Well old man, I'm actually taking her to see the stars since my dear sister has a drinking problem and I have to check that she doesn't get too drunk, you see." This time she was the one turning a bright shade of red, as the innkeeper simply chucked in response. She slammed her fists repeatedly against Iñigo's back but the only thing that earned her was being switched to a bridal-style carrying, her brother still unwilling to let her go.
"Have a great night!" The innkeeper smiled. He eventually took her to a hill that gave a nice view of the whole city and the night sky, before unceremoniously dropping her on the wet grass. She pouted up at him "If I get a cold from this you'll have hell to pay!" she said, half-heartedly angry. "Yeah, yeah." He simply sat down next to her, staring at the night sky.
"This place is nice, isn't it?" He said. She nodded. "This is where I usually take beautiful girls, but today I had to make do." He grinned at her as she punched him in the shoulder, muttering "You jerk."
A few minutes passed by in companionable silence, simply staring at the stars. Suddenly Iñigo sat up and asked: "Do you ever wonder if they're watching over us?" She simply shrugged.
Silence fell over the both of them once again, before Iñigo broke the silence once again, nudging her with his shoulder. "Sing for me."
"Sing what?" She asked. He rolled his eyes at her, making a 'you know what' gesture. She huffed in return. "Why don't you ever sing something, for once?" She asked. "You know I can't sing for shit." He chuckled.
"Fine… you owe me at least a round at the bar." He glared at his sister before sighing and raising a hand in a "Go on" gesture.
"Uff… How did it go again? Ah, right." She cleared her throat obnoxiously in a last attempt at avoiding to sing, before sitting down and looking up at the sky once again.
Wondering just what would I, wish for on the stars above
If a shooting star flew by, travelling across the sky?;
Always thinking about you, and when you left me behind too
Treasuring that promise made, kept deep in my heart
To be honest, it was just a silly song adapted in Common from the Chon'sin, but Iñigo for some reason seemed to love it. Using his words, it was "Oddly in theme with our lives".
On quiet nights when I cannot sleep,
Your voice is what I want to hear so that's why
We just talked until the night sky
Grew bright, with the morning light.
If she honestly thought about it, it wasn't that hard to draw parallels, but she had always hated the notion that such a coincidence would really happen, so she tried to ignore it with all her might.
Sitting next to you, as you're lost in your talking with me;
your face shining so naively bright!
Iñigo for some reason at this point grinned at her, as if he had found something funny. She glared at him as they both knew what part of the song was coming up.
You, who chases after dreams; and me, who's watching over you
I know it's the very same, the starlight falling on us two
I wanted you to walk on, without a reason to look back
So I held back my tears, as I saw you off
She noticed that at this point of the song he was simply mouthing those lyrics at her, and he grinned. She was starting to feel the tears in her eyes well up, but she held strong.
Wondering just what would I, wish for on the stars above
If a shooting star flew by, travelling across the sky?;
Always thinking about you, and when you left me behind too
Treasuring that promise made, kept deep in my heart
Of course, a shooting star decided that moment, right after she finished the song, to pass by.
"Heh, I guess you were right, it is thematic aside from one point." She said, sleepiness starting to kick in. Iñigo turned towards her with a surprised look on his face, before asking "And what would that be?"
She sighed, before replying "Stupid. It's the very beginning of the song." She could see the gears in his head turning as he made the realization.
"After all, we both know what we have wished for."
She leaned her full weight on his shoulder as he leaned back against her.
"Love you sis." He said.
"Love you too." she replied.
The following morning Belle had woken up, a lot calmer if in a slightly apathetic state. It was only understandable, after receiving such news. Still, it hurt to see the usually happy-go-lucky girl turn into such a husk.
At this moment, she was holding two miniature spells in the palm of her hand, one of concentrated darkness and the other one of fire, watching them lazily spin around her fingers and each other.
"You'll be leaving, then?" She asked her. Despite the guilt gnawing up at her, she knew that she couldn't do much about it, so she simply nodded. The girl lying in bed sighed, before sitting up. "You never stay with me longer than a week at most." She pouted, before turning serious once again. "I know it's important to you. I can't imagine losing my father… to be honest, this whole situation seems surreal, like I'm gonna wake up any minute now. But if you're so hellbent on going… can you at least look out for Dad too? I've already lost him once, I can't lose him again. And maybe… maybe after we've saved the world we can all enjoy the peace that comes with it, eh?" The hopeful look on her face was so bright that she almost needed to shield her eyes. "That, I can promise, princess." She held up a pinky to Belle. She giggled and tied her pinky with Rose's. "That I can promise."
The sands of Plegia. Home to raiders, bandits, Grimleal, common plegians, and the occasional mercenary. It also happened to be the one place that she could truly call home. Although a lot of time would have to pass before she could actually call it a decent place if her uncle wasn't about to make any revolutions in this timeline. She sighed.
She was currently situated in the northernmost part of Plegia, just lounging around in the desert as she waited for something. She wasn't sure it would actually happen at all, but she couldn't just disregard that possibility just because of the changes in the timeline. The appearance of a person in the middle of nowhere was a pretty big point, after all.
She spread her senses, trying to pick up on any human signature that could lead her somewhere. Any mage worth their salt knew how to avoid having their mana seen, but it just so happened that her dad wasn't the greatest mage she could think of (or just a mage period). And so she waited.
And she waited.
And she waited.
It took about three days of her staying there, simply meditating while taking breaks in between before she was able to pick up on anything. Sadly, the only thing that she managed to feel was a manakete's signature. But then… the signature of a few men. She focused on them, but much to her chagrin, none of them were her father. However, focusing on the manakete, she realized something.
'Lady Nowi?' she wondered. Wasn't she going to get kidnapped or something? She didn't quite remember…
She noticed that the mana signatures had drawn closer, and there was some spell casting. The manakete took off, and soon, some of those signatures were shut down, simply evaporating into the air, before the dragon was finally subdued and separated into two, the dragonstone and the dragon.
She decided to try and follow them. Maybe she could try and free her or something. A dragon's help would be amazing in looking for her father.
So she stalked them. It was rather easy since most of them were being hindered by the sand and being particularly noisy. Eventually, they arrived at what looked like a natural cave next to a building, the one that had Nowi slung over his shoulder going in as the rest laughed and joked about their recent catch inside the building.
She followed the lone man inside the cave. It looked like, well, a cave. Faintly lit by torches, creepy voices that sounded like people crying, the usual. Nothing really worth noting aside from the occasional cell built into the wall. The man dropped the faking unconscious Lady Nowi into the cell, while she hid behind an indent into the wall, and left.
Rose ran towards the cell that the manakete was being held in, and raising her staff, muttered a "Unlock". The lock on the door, unsurprisingly, came undone.
The prisoner inside perked up and asked "What? Already leaving? Damn, I was getting cozy too." And right before she could tell her to shut up, Rose felt someone grab her wand arm as a gasp left her. "Nuh-uh. But your friend came here to visit you. Since she wants so bad to be with you, then" A kick to the kidney tossed her into the cell, making her let go of the wand. "We decided to put you two together. Ain't that nice?" The bandit sneered, before locking the door.
"Oh." Nowi, plopped back down, disappointed, before perking up again. "Hi, friend! Even though I don't know you. It was nice of you to try and help! Even though you failed. Want to be besties?" Rose sighed from the ground. This was not at all how she imagined things to go. Especially, she didn't expect to have a manakete talk her ear off.
Nah so much fucking owed her. She sighed.
Now it was just to wait for her father to pop up and save the day. It was so embarrassing…
The song that Rose sings is, unsurprisingly, 'Starry Heavens's english adaptation made by GriffinHuntress on DA (I think). I really love that game, alright? Plus it felt really fitting.
I'm still rather undecisive for Nick's pairing. Let me remind you of the pairings that you cannot vote for.
NickxAnyMaleCharacter
NickxAnna
NickxCordelia
NickxOlivia
Future Children pairings are also fair game, but I'll fucking break your legs if any of you suggests a NickxBelle or a NickxRose pairing.
As for Nick's side, as I said, now things are REALLY gonna start changing from Canon. Robin doesn't seem much interested (or aware) in doing the paralogues, so Nick's gonna be the one doing them. Cordelia's dead as fuck by the way. What will happen next? Find out in the next episode of Dragon- The Otherwordly Soldier!
