Conscription of Fate

by Shadow0Fire

Humans often depict their heroes as figures chosen by destiny, warriors of superior bloodlines or power. They fight for justice, freedom or a higher ideal of their own volition. Society's ideal hero. But this individual is none of those things. He is an ordinary man, with traits that would rarely be attributed to a world savior. That is precisely why he is conscripted to do it.

47. Daggers, Deuces, and Trines

Alright people, it has been a real long fucking time since the last update. Good news? The good news is the long wait is because I actually went back and revised the story... again. So all in all this fic was still getting improved, it just took a while because I straight up rewrote a lot of stuff, yet had to fix a lot of really minor things in the rest of the chapters besides. That said, I know by now most of you have probably read this whole story twice waiting for an update sometime over the past few years, so for your convenience I'll just tell you the biggest changes and you can go back and read them if you want.

These are the biggest changes to the story.

1. Church can actually fight now! Woo! You will now find that he actually fought Echidna rather than just get pummeled by her, and a few other scenes where he actually had to fight hand to hand now reflect more skill and training in that regard.

2. Airi's romantic progression is handled in a much different fashion now. Ultimately we still end up where we are now, but the source of her feelings has changed dramatically from cropping up out of nowhere to starting with something small but believable and growing through contemplation. In fact, Airi has probably experienced the biggest change in general, so any chapter with her in it is probably worth looking over again.

3. Nanael is handled way better. In fact, the cringe worthy dialogue of her focus chapters are what spurred me to start this third revision. Long story short? She's been downgraded from easy love to friendship. I felt that she just fell too easily, and that I made her seem like she was someone that had nothing to her character other than being emotionally rescued by someone else. Now she's more of a 'have trouble trusting new people because of my past experiences' type character. Less Damsel in distress. Needless to say the dialogue in the focus chapters is much, much better. If you re-read anything, go back to those.

These are notably smaller changes, but possibly still important if you think them crucial.

1. Some unnecessary scenes were cut out because they literally served no real purpose. This includes the entire existence of that North Realm brute during the Alabaster fiasco. Some of his parts were fun, but ultimately, well, filler. You won't even miss these scenes because they contributed nothing real to the story.

2. Nyx and Church got a little more time to interact before getting split up than they did originally. A little bit more dialogue, Nyx actually gets to know his name, but nothing too serious.

3. A scene has been added to actually give impetus to Nowa's feelings, as they originally just kind of appeared out of nowhere. You can find it in the early 'Elven Forest' chapters.

4. Melona gets fleshed out a bit more over the course of the story. She contemplates her own 'humanity' a bit more, and we get some insight on how she views herself.

There are a lot of other minor changes around, but they aren't worth mentioning. They're just things that affect story quality overall. But do you know what didn't change? Church and Elina in the ravine. Not to sound my own trumpet, but damn I love those chapters. They're just so perfect.

But anyway, now that the revision is over, we're back to regularly scheduled updates, and as compensation for the long wait, this chapter is especially long.

---

Church had experienced a fair amount of defeats in his life. As he lay on the bed of his provided room in Gainos, he admitted that he hadn't always come out on top in the conflicts he had been a part of, especially when he considered past battles that involved Echidna and Elina and technically that redheaded lightning valkyrie.

But never had he been thrashed so thoroughly as he had by Aldra at dinner last night. Not once in his life. They had played two dozen games of chess, and in all of those Church had only managed to take three pieces from her in total. And two of those had been by her design.

How? Church didn't even know there were that many ways to beat someone at chess. Every move he made was perfectly countered. Every feint he attempted was seen through without any effort at all. Aldra had the whole game planned out before the first move was even made, Church was sure of it. On top of that, she had contingency plans for her contingency plans, being ready to react to anything Church may have done. On the bright side he hadn't lost in two moves a second time, though he had lost in four at one point.

Yet despite how soul crushing it was to lose twenty four times in a row, Church had actually enjoyed himself immensely. You wouldn't think it from a first impression, but Aldra was so much fun. And that was weird, because she wasn't especially enthusiastic or anything, but she was clever and witty and sharp. She executed humor in that way that didn't rely on jokes so much as pointing out things that were actually amusing about the world.

And she was so well-versed in, well, everything. They had talked about so many different things last night, never growing bored of their conversation despite the hours put into it. Politics, economy, the human condition, you name it. They had even amused themselves with a contest of obscure vocabulary. Needless to say Aldra had won that without much trouble.

In short, she was not at all what Church had expected out of the fabled Queen of this country. Or the queen of any country really. She didn't even seem like royalty. She didn't act like it. Sure, she had the air of regality about her, but it was mostly due to her intellect and how well her speech and conversation portrayed it. Other than that, there didn't seem to be anything all that regal about her.

Of course, Church supposed it was perhaps because she didn't care to be regal in front of him in particular. He had not seen her actually being in the role of Queen yet, except for when she spoke to Jauffre this past day or so. Church had to admit that she seemed quite regal then, if only because she became as severe as the stony countenance of that statue.

But all in all she just seemed like a normal girl. Well, in a sense. Even aside from her status as Queen of a nation she most certainly was not a normal girl. After all, being Queen clearly meant that she was unbelievably strong. Church was also pretty sure she could officially qualify as a genius, but that was an assumption he was making on his brief experience with her so far.

She was normal in the sense that she was just another person. She was smarter than most normal people, she held a more important position than most people, but she was fairly normal in the sense that she had things she liked, things she enjoyed talking about, and things that made her laugh. It was not the image most people had of royalty, where they existed on some higher, inhuman plane and had no emotions or were some sort of god.

And for that reason Aldra was especially good company. It could have also just been because she was an extremely sharp conversationalist, or maybe the fact that she was one of those few people that was willing to talk about anything and everything, theoretical or no. And of course, it may also have had to do with being a mesmerizing beauty to ogle while being spoken with.

Church felt kind of bad about that one, as he often did at first when he considered a woman's looks, but he had long ago marked himself as free of blame as far as appreciating the women in this world. And though Church would not call Aldra the absolute most unique woman he had met (Melona held that title for obvious reasons), he still admitted that she was pretty high on the list. Her hair was the purest white he had ever laid eyes on, and her fiery red-orange eyes contrasted with that visage of snow beautifully.

That, and she had phenomenal hips. That could have just been accented by her attire though, Church wasn't sure.

Either way, as he lazed around on the softest bed he had ever been acquainted with in the not so early hours of the morning, Church asked himself if he was a bad person for constantly thinking these things. Sure, he didn't think there was anything wrong with finding more than one woman attractive: it wasn't like you could just 'turn off' physical attraction after finding one person that appealed to you, but it was more along the lines of constantly getting ingratiated with new people.

Church knew he had gotten astronomically lucky during his time in Farillia. So lucky that he would even attribute it to something like destiny or fate, despite a lack of belief in such things. After all, what else could explain his fortune in encountering so many wonderful people (who all happened to be smoking hot bombshells) during this journey?

But it was in meeting all of those people that he wondered if he was doing something wrong. In the past he never would have believed himself capable of it, but he was fairly certain he had garnered the affections of a few of these incredible women he had met. Airi had made it very clear how she felt, even if her activities and avoidance of him still remained a mystery.

In fact, the kiss he had shared with her raised a great deal of questions and demanded an equally great deal of introspection. The first thing Church had to ask himself was how he felt about the ordeal.

That answer was easy though. He'd loved it. How could any man look on a kiss from a girl that beautiful negatively, anything and everything else notwithstanding? Airi was gorgeous, sexy, and a wonderful person. There was nothing to frown on in regards to getting to make out with her, especially as passionately as she had made it.

But she was also a liar. Church couldn't deny by now that her constant evasion and deceit in the time he had known her bothered him greatly. He hated being lied to. People usually only lied to you if they thought you weren't trustworthy or that you were stupid enough to be duped. But the worst part was that Church knew neither of those were the reason Airi kept lying to him. She'd made it clear that she was trying to protect him from something.

Church was certain he actually hated that more than any other reason she could have provided. If she had to lie to protect him it meant she was already involved in something dangerous, and Church wanted to help her. He couldn't bear the thought of her in harm's way without him being able to assist somehow. Even if he couldn't help physically, he just wanted to support her at the very least.

There was nothing to be done about it right now, but Airi's kiss that night had raised another good question, and that was how Church himself felt about her, and even how he felt about her relative to the other girls he knew.

On one hand, he wouldn't hesitate for a second to say yes if she wanted to be his romantic partner. What idiot would say no to that? But on the other, he didn't know if it was right to do that. He didn't know if he loved her.

After all, he had not truly known her for very long. And in the time he had known her, he had spent far more of it apart from her than with her. Moreover, he didn't even know that much about her. He didn't know her past, he didn't even know the present. He had no idea what she did, why she did it, or how. She was more a mystery than someone he really knew.

But he knew the things that actually mattered. He knew she was a kind and generous person. He knew she had a good heart, that she cared for others and that, despite her constant deceit, she was still genuine in the most important regards.

Without a doubt, she was beautiful inside and out, and Church liked her a lot. But he didn't know if it was love. Or if it even had to be love to unite with her and have a clean conscience. Besides, he didn't know the depth of her own feelings either. That she felt something romantic for him was obvious. Whether or not it was love was entirely debatable. As much as Church told himself he would be alright with a slightly shallower relationship with someone so attractive, he knew it was untrue. He would never truly be happy in a relationship where he did not love the other person fully or they did not love him.

Of course, he was certain he could foster the feelings of attraction he had for Airi now, and it would one day be love. It was a matter of whether or not he wanted to. It sounded cruel to say, but Church didn't know what his future held, or how he would want it to proceed when he did.

He had met many other people that were by now dear to him. He had not had a great deal of time to get to know them deeply, and for that reason he didn't know what to do about romance right now. How could he feasibly decide who to love if he didn't know anyone that well yet?

He didn't know if he would ever see Alleyne or Nowa again. The same was true of Nyx, Nanael, Hachiel, literally everyone he had befriended so far, there was no guarantee he would see any of them ever again. But if he did, what if one of them ended up being the one he fell in love with?

It sounded silly even as he said it to himself. There were more important things to worry about than romance. He was still in a foreign world, placed there for some cause he was unsure of. His life could be in peril at some point, or he could be dragged back to his world after his goal was achieved. What was the point of worrying about love with those things taken into account?

And yet, here he was, fretting over girls. It was just a field of such uncertainty. Without a doubt, he had romantic interest in Airi. But the same could be said for Alleyne, Shizuka, and many of the other girls. Not only did Church not know what he wanted, he didn't know what everyone else wanted either. Moreover, he had no idea if the future would allow him to even cross paths with those people again.

That said, perhaps worrying really was fruitless. For all he knew Airi was out of his reach forever this time, and then his feelings for her or her feelings for him would be moot anyway. Maybe he would never see any of the people he had met thus far a second time. Perhaps it was just best to let life chart its own course, and react accordingly. That was all he had really done in this world so far, but then again it had served him fairly well.

With his current dilemma laid to a fitful rest, Church glanced over at the handful of paintings he had created last night and early in the morning. He'd mentally scrapped all of the canvasses that portrayed Syrinidell. Of the many places he had seen on the Continent, Church had not found a one of them to be as impressive and beautiful as the forest. That said, he was determined to do the locale justice. So until he actually raised his skill to a satisfactory level, he wouldn't consider anything he had painted in that light worthy.

He had attempted a Gainos piece this morning, and it had admittedly turned out rather well. Church found buildings and structures easier to portray. After all, it was only the unified whole that made the cityscape intriguing. Each individual building was in itself nothing special to look at, and by extension they were rather easy to paint.

He'd even gotten the lighting down fairly well, emulating the rays of the early morning sun on the rooftops of the city. But the notion of lighting had given rise to another idea he wanted to entertain. He couldn't help but think that Aldra was a figure that demanded a piece of art with great lighting. The room they had played in last night was actually perfect.

The dusky tones of the study, lit only by a lone fire, was the perfect atmosphere to frame Aldra. The encroaching darkness served only to make her snowy locks stand out all the more, and the flame of the fireplace was just a pale imitation of her own burning iris. Church could imagine the scene as perfect for a painting, but he did not think himself capable of putting it to a canvas yet.

His somewhat excited thoughts on painting were interrupted when someone knocked on the door to his room. In reality Church may have called it a chamber, but he felt as though he would feel spoiled if he gave the residence such a label.

Rising to his feet to answer the door at a time of day he would usually be considering staying in bed, Church was surprised to find that the person here to get him for one reason or another was actually Irma this time. To be frank Church had no idea what dictated her appearance. Half the time she appeared too busy to bother with him and the other half she actually did bother.

Either way, Church decided that confusion was no excuse for impoliteness. "Good morning Irma."

For the dark skinned assassin, she found it strange to be so frank with an absolute stranger. She was used to never being open with anyone she didn't really know, and that notion seemed like the way everyone should be if they were smart. It was made weirder still because the man before her was, or supposedly had been, an assassin of some sort at some point in time. Yet he did not strike her as such at all.

Still, her own misgivings aside Irma could not simply be rude to the Queen's guest. Aldra had definitely taken some sort of liking to the man, so as her vassal and representative it also became her duty to at least be... mildly sociable.

"Good morning."

Church merely stared at her for a moment upon receiving his greeting back from the woman. From his perspective, Irma had stayed completely stone faced and neutral through the whole utterance. It actually made it even more obvious that she was faking it, though Church got the feeling it was because she did not dabble in something as plebeian as niceties more than anything else. He decided it was best to just roll with it.

"I'd like to think you're here just to see me but I doubt that's really it."

"Good intuition. I'm letting you know there's breakfast available."

While this scenario didn't seem any different from the servant that had come to alert him regarding dinner the other day, for Church it still was. "Well, no offense, but... why are you here to tell me this?"

Apparently Irma really didn't take any offense, but it was actually impossible to tell considering her lack of facial expression of any sort. "Because the Queen asked me to."

Church expected a bit more expansion on that, but apparently Irma had none to give. For the life of him Chuch couldn't figure why the snow haired Queen had specifically sent Irma. Not that he was complaining, since the exotic beauty was by far Aldra's only reasonable competition in this castle.

"Um... will you lead me there?"

"You haven't familiarized yourself with the castle yet?"

"I've been here for less than twenty four hours."

There was another moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other, a silence in which Irma made it clear she thought his excuse had no merit. "Did you not state before that you were an assassin of sorts?"

"I never explicitly said that, no."

"But it was implied. You should have memorized the layout of a new territory within the first two hours of arrival."

Finding himself displeased with this notion, Church sought to clarify what he thought of himself. "I'm not an assassin. And I never was."

Irma wasted no time in disputing him, which seemed strange for a reserved woman like her. "You are too well-versed in the assassin's code to not be an assassin."

Stepping out of his room, Church thought he might be able to spur the conversation away by making it clear he was ready for breakfast. Unfortunately he couldn't simply do that since he still had to give an answer. "I was a sniper. It's not the same thing."

Irma did indeed begin to lead Church down the halls of the castle, but this was one conversation she was surprisingly invested in. "I have never heard of a 'sniper.' What's the supposed difference?"

"Snipers... kill enemies from a great distance, with the intent of remaining concealed."

While Irma obviously didn't get the technical aspects of this, she certainly got the concept behind it. "So you kill people from the shadows. And I assume these are usually important people. These 'snipers' are assassins."

Under normal circumstances Church would have simply been spending his time enjoying the view from behind Irma, but right now he was too miffed by the topic of conversation. This hadn't exactly come up too terribly often during his tenure in this world.

"It's not the same. Snipers are soldiers. And we kill enemy soldiers. Or enemy officers. We do what we do to serve our country or help our comrades. Assassins kill people for different reasons. Money. Politics. Religion. Just because you kill someone with surprise or stealth doesn't make you an assassin."

While Irma rarely had any interest for other people, she found herself mildly interested in the one behind her, as she had never met someone who shared her role yet opposed it so vehemently. Most people who knew themselves to be assassins did not try to dispute the fact.

"You seem extremely agitated by the idea of being labeled an assassin."

Naturally the dark skinned North Realm native could not see the stony expression of the man behind her. "I'm not going to deny that I've killed people. But I don't want to think of myself as a 'killer.'"

At this, Irma actually stopped in her guidance to level a notably flummoxed yet still steady gaze at him. "What you've said makes no sense. You have killed people. That makes you a killer."

For Church's part, he had no trouble in expressing his belief on the matter with a steady blue gaze into Irma's contrasting one. "A killer is someone that murders. Someone that kills others for self gain or pleasure. Whether it's greed or wrath, a killer doesn't murder for the greater good or a higher cause. This is entirely different from a soldier. A soldier kills people because he has to. Because if he doesn't kill that person, they will kill his comrades or his countrymen. A soldier kills because it is the only way to defend his country against people that can't be reasoned with. There's no glee in it. No material gain. It's war. And war is not a matter of murder so much as fighting for what you believe in."

Irma almost scoffed at this entire notion, cynical to the end. But it was a matter she had dealt with herself when she had first killed a man. She had rationalized it differently, but rationalized it all the same. For her, killing was a matter of serving the person she had sworn fealty to. In a sense, this was not so different from Church's interpretation of killing for the sake of one's country or comrades. At the core, they both killed for the good of someone else. Neither did it for themselves.

Personally Irma found the idea of fighting for one's home pointless. She herself only had loyalty to Aldra, and nothing else. She did not care for her own homeland, nor her new home in Farillia. But she did not think Church's reasons were foolish. As one killer to another, she respected his own conviction on the matter. After all, killing without conviction truly did make one little more than a murderer.

"You are fortunate to bear such strong conviction on the matter. But I must say, it does not seem as though you have killed anyone recently."

With that she continued leading the way to breakfast, leaving Church to grimace as he followed after her. "Is killing all you want to talk about?"

"It is all I know. My primary function in life is the elimination of other life. Is it not normal for people to discuss what they are familiar with?"

While he hated to admit it, Church knew she had a pretty fair point in that. All he could do was sigh as he gave an answer. He wasn't one to really shut down a conversation. "I haven't killed another human being in several months. Ever since I showed up in this world in fact. After all, I only kill for my country and my comrades, neither of which exist here. I've had no reason to kill anyone. Not to mention no means..."

The mention of another world earned a suspicious glance from Irma, though Church couldn't see why.

"What, your prodigy of a Queen believes that but you won't?"

Irma almost made a face that could have been described as amused, but it quickly flattened into her usual neutrality. "Surely you don't think it strange that I am somewhat skeptical?"

"Well I mean, if you want I could take hours off your life explaining the technologies, countries, and cultures of my world. Unless you think I actually made it all up before hand just to convince people like you that I'm from an alternate reality."

"You convinced me at 'take hours off your life.'"

Church couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a joke, but he realized that he would almost be irritated if it were. After all, that would make Irma just as talented as Aldra at keeping a straight face during moments of humor, making it impossible to tell if she was actually making a joke or if Church was just reading too far into the dialogue.

"You're really not a time waster are you?"

"The very words 'time waster' imply that no one should be one. Time is not an unlimited resource."

The duo began their long descent down a flight of twisting stairs at this point. "That's true, but they say time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted."

Irma did not seem to support this concept, though Church had not expected her to. "That's naive."

"Is it? It was my understanding that you play chess with Aldra a lot. You could argue that doing so serves a purpose in being cathartic or sharpening one's strategic wits, but ultimately you can't deny that entertainment isn't truly productive."

Admittedly Irma did not have an immediate retort for that. Church had a good point after all. Even her hobby of caring for the cats around Gainos was a waste of time in essence. It did not further her goals nor did it serve any practical purpose. She just did it because it made her happy.

"I concede that point to you. I can see why Aldra finds you so interesting."

"What, it wasn't my dashing good looks?"

Irma glanced back at him again, as if to see if he were joking or not. "I am almost certain the Queen cares almost nothing for romance."

Church tried to ignore the somewhat insulting implication of her gaze. "There's a big difference in not caring for romance and being immune to it. Lots of people that seemingly care nothing for love find themselves falling for someone when they least expect it."

"I find that notion foolish."

"Just wait, you'll see. One of these days you'll meet someone that makes you so happy you won't be able to stop yourself from smiling like a loon. Though admittedly I don't know if you're even capable of smiling. Does anything make you smile?"

"Only the suffering of others."

Church was once again left unsure of whether or not Irma was joking. He found that he really didn't like it when people had mastered a poker face to this extent. It made it so difficult to keep pace with them in these situations.

The rest of their walk was conducted is silence, though it thankfully didn't take long. That being the case Church wondered if this castle was actually just much smaller than it appeared on the outside. Or maybe there was only a small section of it that served domestic purposes. Either way it certainly felt like it should have taken longer to move throughout the castle.

Irma ultimately led him to a very large dining hall that was completely unoccupied. While ornately decorated in marble and red tapestries, the room still had a very out of place vibe, though only because it obviously existed to cater to dozens of people at once.

Indeed, it felt extremely strange to take a seat at the massive mahogany table, akin to floating in the ocean alone. There was just so much empty space. Honestly Church wouldn't have minded just eating in his room or something as opposed to this.

It was made even more awkward when Irma wasted little time in leaving him there alone. She simply stated that a servant would be along to attend to him shortly, then she disappeared into the depths of the castle to go do whatever it was she did with her free time.

As Church sat alone in the dining hall with no one but himself to keep him company, he couldn't help but wonder if this was supposed to be a joke too.

---

If there was one thing you could fairly call Tomoe, it was sheltered. She'd been raised from childhood as a warrior priestess, knowing almost nothing of life outside of that, or anything of the world outside her own country. Even now, as an adult, she was surprisingly naive and uninformed. Definitely not stupid by any means, but lacking in world experience.

Obviously her journey to the Continent to participate in Queen's Blade was the first time she had left Hinomoto. But on top of that, it was one of the few times she had ever really left the shrine. She and her fellow warrior priestesses were part of an order, and that order was both raised and trained at the shrine that was sacred to the Hinomoto people. That place was their home, and they spent most of their lives there.

Needless to say Tomoe had been both nervous and excited to finally go more than a few miles beyond its walls. She did not regret the life she had lived so far; despite having never known her parents, her fellow maidens were her family, and she loved both them and the life she had lived dearly. Even so she was eager to finally get out and explore the world.

Not that it hadn't been rife with its own fair share of hardships so far. Aside from getting lost on her way to Gainos in the first place, she had found the new environment to be entirely contrary to what she was used to.

Climate was first and foremost among them. Tomoe did not know if if was because Hinomoto had more ocean breezes or if was well and truly just warmer on the Continent, but more than once she had found herself uncomfortably warm in her stifling clothes. Shizuka had recommended more than once that she simply loosen her top to allow a passing breeze, but even though she had considered it Tomoe had yet to do succumb to the idea of exposing her cleavage for everyone to see.

She had to admit though that a lack of modest clothing was probably why Shizuka did not seem as uncomfortable as her. Tomoe had already wondered if that was why so many of the warriors in this country were so under-dressed, but she had already concluded that such a thing was only a secondary reason at best. No, it had been made fairly obvious by now that the woman of this country were just proud of their... nakedness. Or at least, that was how Tomoe saw it. She couldn't fathom the idea of willingly exposing yourself to the masses. Not only was it shameful, but weren't they embarrassed? Tomoe could hardly bear the thought of men being able to ogle her body as they pleased.

In fact, the notion was so alien to her that she was compelled to ask Shizuka about it as they ate at a small cafe in the capital's commercial quadrant. "Shizuka-san, I believe you may have answered this question before, but... is there a practical reason to your state of dress?"

The platinum kunoichi finished forking down a small piece of the cake the two of them were sharing as she leveled a curious glance at her companion.
"Well technically you could say it has the practical purpose of distracting enemies... but not really. I just like it."

"Are you not... embarrassed by such exposure? To display yourself so openly..."

Shizuka shrugged as she returned her gaze to the area around her. Gainos had a very different aesthetic appeal to it, but she found that she still liked the clear cut stone that made up every fountain, statue, and wall.

"Should I be? As long as I'm confident in how I look who cares?"

Ironically, that was rather far from the truth. For one, Shizuka was not entirely confident in appearances, at least not in comparison to Tomoe. But along that line, she also liked the gratification that came with people appreciating her physicality. It was truly ridiculous for a ninja to want to be noticed, but even so Shizuka found it difficult to quell the desire when Tomoe was around. She was extremely stiff competition.

That was the other half of the issue. Shizuka knew she often grew jealous of her comrade. And she knew it was petty and foolish and wrong. But knowing all of that still didn't stop her from feeling it.

Of course, there was more to her jealousy than appearances. It had well and truly begun the moment Tomoe had defeated her in battle all those years ago. Shizuka was supposed to be the best ninja. She had been the leader of the most deadly ninja clan in Hinomoto, and yet she had been bested by a warrior priestess.

To say the loss stung was an understatement. She had her pride as a shinobi, and losing to someone who had been nothing special at the time still made her angry every once in awhile. Truth be told she had considered challenging Tomoe to a rematch more than once, but the thought had never gained any real traction. Tomoe was not someone who would fight seriously if there was no point to the conflict. Therefore Shizuka would never be able to fight her at her best again unless she was actually trying to harm her, which was unthinkable at this point.

Yet her bitterness went even deeper than that. Shizuka was jealous of her purity. Tomoe was so innocent. So sweet and gentle and kind. Shizuka had too much life experience to be the same. She knew how the world really worked, how cruel people could truly be. She did not hate Tomoe for holding onto her innocence still, but she was nevertheless jealous of it.

As for Tomoe, her mind was nowhere near such serious places. She was still questioning how any woman could be comfortable with such exposure. "But... were you not embarrassed when Church saw you bathing? You covered yourself just as I did..."

The memory of said encounter did bring a blush to Shizuka's pale cheeks, but it was borne out of something that wasn't quite humiliation. She was honestly glad Church had seen her naked. There was no better way to ingrain yourself in a man's mind than to tease his carnal desires.

"Yeah, but I didn't mind."

"But you had to! Though I do not understand why, since your regular attire is hardly any different from being naked in the first place..."

"I didn't mind because of who it was. Obviously I would have been more bothered if it was someone I didn't like."

While Shizuka seemed to find this answer satisfactory, Tomoe found it even more confusing than her original query. She understood by now that Shizuka had grown quite fond to the man they had met on the road that day. She just couldn't understand why. She could not understand how her friend could get any feeling for him beyond the platonic in so short a time.

"I have been meaning to ask Shizuka... don't you think your feelings for him are... misplaced?"

This choice of words put a frown on Shizuka's face, but she knew that her friend was not trying to imply anything under handed. "What, you don't like him?"

Obviously this was not the right answer, which Tomoe made quite clear as quickly as she could. "It is not that I don't like him; he is obviously very kind. But I can hardly consider him more than a friend. I have not been in his company for more than a day. I do not see how I could feel anything more."

Truth be told Shizuka found the rapid advance of her feelings a little unusual as well, but no much that she thought there was anything wrong with them. "It just happens Tomoe. You meet someone, and you think they're handsome. You get to know them and you find out their a pretty good person too. Then you find out they think the same things about you, and that makes you happy. It's really not that complicated. Besides, it's not like I'm in love. I just like him. And I think you would too if you'd been awake to hear what he said about you."

Naturally Tomoe had not been expecting this answer, but she found herself extremely curious about it. "What he said about me? W-what did he say about me?"

Of course Shizuka knew how to have fun when she wanted to, so an immediate answer was not forthcoming. "Sorry, but he told me in full confidence. Can't share."

"B-but Shizuka-!"

"Don't worry, it was all good things."

Tomoe's cheeks puffed out in annoyance at her friend's evasion. However, she still couldn't rationalize why she was so interested in knowing.

---

Church had not ever really been a big breakfast person. For one, he was not a morning person, and by extension he was not always awake to eat breakfast in the first place. Secondly, he often found the majority of great breakfast foods unappealing. He actually hated eggs, being unable to stand the smell of them. Moreover, he wasn't a big fan of sausage, or even bacon.

He knew that a love of bacon was almost uniform across all of humanity, and it wasn't like Church hated it, but honestly he didn't worship it like a great deal of people did.

But if there was one thing he loved for breakfast, it was motherfucking pancakes. It was impossible to go wrong with pancakes. They were perfect in every sense, because they were so versatile. Chocolate chips in your pancakes? Easy. Blueberries? Done. Strawberries, blackberries, jam, whipped cream; you name it, it went perfectly with soft, fluffy pancakes and syrup.

To some extent Church held waffles in the same regard, but even so they were not equal. You just couldn't beat pancakes. End of story.

That said, he had been deprived of his particular breakfast choice ever since coming to this world, and only now that he was at liberty to choose his breakfast did he consider the need to possibly indulge. When a maid had finally come to his side asking for his earthly desires, he had been quick to ask her whether or not pancakes even existed in this world. Naturally she had given him a peculiar look for asking a question of such a nature, but it had not changed her answer, which was thankfully a yes.

So she'd disappeared in the same manner as she had arrived, and within the hour Church had a plate stacked six pancakes high in front of him. Admittedly it was a fair deal more than he actually needed, but he wasn't going to complain. Besides, getting more food than was really necessary seemed like a pretty castle type thing. Surely no one was allowed to go hungry around here?

Regardless, Church had only made a dent in half of the meal when the ever cool voice of the Queen entered his ears from behind. "I must say, I did not imagine you to be such a ravenous individual."

Swallowing what he still had as he looked over his shoulder to eye the Queen of the whole continent, Church decided against an answer and settled on a comment instead. "You don't look like you slept very well."

Indeed, Aldra didn't look like someone fully rested at the moment. Despite the lack of two eyes to judge by, she was certainly sporting a bit of sleep deprived darkness under one of them, and she just had the look of someone that had not experienced a very good night.

Other than that, she seemed to be herself, even reading some sort of book that Church couldn't see the title of, though he could tell it was much thicker than anything he had read. Honestly, he didn't see how Aldra held the thing up with just one hand without getting tired.

Either way the snow haired Queen did not take offense To Church noting her rather poor state. "Quite. I likely had less than an hour. But I daresay that is normal for me these days, so I operate the same regardless."

"You only had an hour of sleep?"

"Less, most likely."

Church frowned in consternation, wondering if it was his place to chastise someone of Aldra's stature. He supposed if he were subtle about it she wouldn't mind.

"You really shouldn't work so hard. Even geniuses need rest for their brains to function properly."

Amused, Aldra cocked an eyebrow at him. "Genius? I'd hardly call myself that. Besides, my lack of sleep was not from overexertion; this time."

Church didn't know what he was supposed to take from that, but he could definitely dispute the first half of the sentence. "Humility is nice, but I really can't think of you as anything other than a prodigy of some sort."

"Oh? I understand that I throttled you quite severely last night, but surely that is not your sole basis for labeling me as such?"

Her particularly interesting choice of words aside, Church tried his best to remain unabashed by his losses. "Well obviously I'm not calling you that just based on chess. You're just... I don't know, you've got the air of an intellectual about you. Like you're superior to the rest of us."

Despite his intent, this comment actually caused Aldra to frown. "I am sorry you feel that way. I do not wish to laud myself over others."

"Well I didn't mean it in a bad way. Not that you act superior to everyone else, if anything you're extremely modest... I just meant that you're... I mean, if someone that knew you had a serious problem and they needed great advice or a real plan for fixing it, I feel like they would always come to you. You've just got a reliable capability is all."

"Quite the compliment you give me, considering our very brief history."

"You have a very strong atmosphere."

With her expression simply remaining both neutral and tired, Church wasn't sure if Aldra was pleased by his assessment or not. After all, she had not asked for his opinion but he had given it anyway. That said, he decided to turn the topic elsewhere as Aldra decided that taking a seat at the massive dining table was worth the expenditure of effort.

"You said work didn't keep you up. What did?"

The Queen's crimson gaze focused in on her reading even as she answered. Church had no doubt that she was perfectly capable of efficient multi-tasking. "Nightmares."

"Nightmares? That can't be right."

Already intrigued by what Church had to say, Aldra leveled her gaze at him. "Why not?"

Feeling as though he was somehow in the wrong, Church tried to remain casual. "W-well, nightmares would imply that you're actually scared of something... I can't imagine that."

His answer actually earned a slight frown from his conversational partner. "If you think me incapable of fear you hold me in far too high of a regard."

Since a small frown on her face was as powerful as a full on scowl, Church decided to try and rectify his statement. "Well it's not that I don't think you're incapable of fear... but people who are really strong and capable are usually only afraid of really, really bad things."

Nodding at that, Aldra returned her gaze to her tome. "Suffice to say that is an understatement."

Church felt compelled to ask what Aldra's nightmares were about, but he did not think she would give him an answer. Despite her rather cold exterior she did seem rather sociable, but he hardly thought himself close enough to her to risk such personal questions so soon.

"Are you able to, I don't know, just take a nap or something sometime today? It really isn't healthy to go about a full day with such a small amount of rest."

Aldra merely flipped a page as she issued her response. "I'm afraid not. My nightmares are quite frequent and plague me far more often than not. I am better off working myself to exhaustion so I might sleep without dreaming at all."

Surprisingly, Church could actually relate to this answer, though he was still shocked to learn it. "Pavor Nocturnus?"

The Twilight Queen graced him with her gaze again. "So you know of it?"

"I was... subject to it myself for awhile. If that's what it is for you I really do get what you're going through."

"Peculiar. If you don't mind me asking, what brought on your night terrors?"

Apparently Church was mistaken in the level of personal questions that could be asked already. But he found that he didn't mind answering regardless. "Bad memories of the battlefield. Recollections of people dying. Friends. Comrades. Even enemies sometimes. Gruesome deaths stuck with me the most. Sudden ones too. People getting blown away. Friends I was talking to one moment only for them to be a bloody mess the next. Things like that."

Not nearly rude enough to read a book while someone was discussing something so important to them, Aldra had her full attention on Church. There was a certain empathy to her eyes, but it was not sympathy. She felt for him, but did not understand.

"You were a soldier or warrior of some sort?"

"A soldier. An elite one actually, so I saw a lot of action. A lot more than I wish I had."

Aldra looked ruefully up to the ceiling. "Your memories may be painful, but I think your regret is worth respecting. The fact that you lament the torture of war marks you as a kind and empathetic man. I too have waged war, but I feel nothing for the people I killed. They were simply enemies. Foes I had to smite to protect the country. There was nothing else to it."

Hearing Aldra label him as empathetic made Church scoff. "Don't give me too much credit. I say I felt things for the enemy, but not regret for killing them or watching someone else kill them. I meant... more along the lines of physical disgust when they died gruesomely. I didn't care about them though. Like you just said, they were just enemies to me. They wanted to hurt people I cared about, so I wanted them dead first. As far as killing the bad guys goes... I was totally heartless. And I still don't regret being that way."

"Then you are the perfect soldier. I see no crime."

"Perfect soldier sounds like a bit of a stretch."

At this point Aldra returned her gaze to her reading. "Indeed? You fought for all the right reasons to make you a perfect soldier. You fought not to advance your own position in the army. Not out of mindless obedience to your orders. But to the defense of your comrades and your countrymen. Nothing makes finer soldiers. Tactically speaking I would wish all of my soldiers on the battlefield to be the same."

Glad that he had an opening to change the topic of the conversation, Church wasted no time in doing so. "Really? Wouldn't a legion of totally obedient soldiers be better? Soldiers that obey all orders better serve for nigh suicidal diversions."

"Yet being used in such a manner would lower the morale of the army as a whole."

"But if the tactic was successful and scored you a major victory morale would be raised again."

Closing her book entirely, Aldra actually gave him a smirk. "Tell me Church, how would you feel about playing a strategy game that was solely of war? I think you have the aptitude for it."

Truth be told Church was greatly intrigued by the proposition. "You have something like that in this world?"

For the first time in his brief familiarity with her, Aldra donned an expression that was actually a bit... sheepish. "Well, not especially... suffice to say it is a game I created myself. I have not yet shared it with anyone though. I am unsure if it is properly balanced."

"What's it like? How does it work?"

For the life of her, Aldra found herself unusually excited with the notion of sharing this, though it of course did not show on her face. Irma liked playing chess with her, but she didn't have a care for real battlefield strategy. Aldra on the other hand found it extremely fascinating, and so she had no one to share that particular interest with.

"It's supposed to serve as an approximation for battle scenarios. I've construed many already. Some are just recollections of battle that took place during the war with the North Realm. Others are just scenarios I've made for a challenge. And yet others are probable battles that could be waged in the future. I use it for recreation just as much as I do to prepare for unsavory eventualities."

Seeing the young Queen so animated even though she only smiled a bit, Church was suitable roped in. "Honestly you had me at the part about war games, but hearing you talk further I'm totally interested. Show me?"

A more significant smile gracing her flawless features than Church had ever seen on her before, Aldra rose from the seat she had taken and motioned for him to follow her. Naturally Church had no qualms with that, as only from behind could one fully appreciate the full breadth of her pure white locks. He had to admit, the color white had never struck him as so soothing and refreshing as it did now. Though truth be told Nanael's wings would have counted if only they didn't glow blue enough to offset their white base.

Leaving his empty dish behind, Church was lead through more stairs than he was hallways. It was made painfully clear that they were heading up more than anything else, but the sheer number of stairs was actually enough to wind Church before they were even halfway done with them. And unfortunately there were no gusts of wind within the castle itself, so Church was not rewarded for his exertion with any miraculous views of the Queen's royal posterior. Her fauld (he couldn't call it a skirt considering the lack of a front altogether) wasn't actually short at all considering the fact that it went down to just above her knees. That being the case there was no chance of a great view without some sort of impetus to move the crimson cloth in some unnatural direction. Naturally Church lamented this on every step.

Either way he got one hell of a good workout as he ascended to what was surely the highest tower of the castle, or at least what felt like the highest tower for certain. Aldra on the other hand did not seem fazed in the slightest, though she was a hardened warrior and likely in far better shape than her current companion. Still, Church wondered why there wasn't just an elevator for this part of the castle too.

Finally reaching their destination, Church was welcomed by the sight of an extremely large, spherical chamber. It was downright massive really, with checkered black and white floors and a strange, glass sphere of some sort in the center of the spiral ceiling. Church decided to question that first.

"What is that thing?"

Following Church's gaze to the glass globe, Aldra dismissed it with relative ease. "Do you recall my mention of broadcasts during the tournament?"

Church did indeed recall such a conversation. "Yeah?"

"This is one of those aforementioned spheres. I will use it to observe the matches when the tournament begins."

"Nifty."

"Quite."

They left it at that, which left Church to glance around the chamber. There was a very large double wooden door on one of the walls, but Church was left to merely question where it led. As for Aldra, she leaned over the railing that encircled the entire area and separated it from some part of the floor. He could hear her rummaging around back there for whatever it was she desired, and after a moment she had withdrawn an extremely large roll of canvas from somewhere. Naturally Church's interest was piqued.

"What is that?"

Aldra merely gave him a knowing smirk before laying the canvas on the ground and toeing it open with her spiky shoes. The thing unrolled perfectly, revealing a topographical map that covered almost the entirety of the floor in the chamber they occupied. "This is a map of Dunin Field, a battlefield of a war in the distant past before Queen's Blade ever existed. And it is the most recent battleground for my game of strategy."

Church gazed at the extreme detail of the map. Obviously there was a massive plain of grass in the center of it, since the place was supposedly a field of sorts. But surrounding the center field was numerous hills. Truth be told that was all there really was to the map, but it was still incredibly detailed. Church felt as though he would actually be able to count the blades of dying grass if he had a magnifying glass.

"Wow..."

Feeling the need to continue on her explanation, Aldra circled the expanded map with her arms folded behind her backs. "At Dunin Field, the mercenary army of Lord Byron of Gram was ambushed and nearly destroyed by the professional army of Count Sorn of Tigervale. By all tactical assessments, Lord Byron's army should have been obliterated. In fact, they almost were. Yet somehow, even ambushed and outnumbered, they emerged victorious. Barely. I have been playing this scenario for weeks, but I have not been able to figure out how this miracle was achieved. This irks me, as the Battle of Dunin Field is considered the crucial historical event that led to Vance's rise in power. It is of great historical significance."

Always eager to learn more about the world he found himself in, Church wasted no time in questioning what he was being told. "This battle was critical to the current Vance position of strength? How so?"

"As I said, the army of Count Sorn of Tigervale was defeated at Dunin Field. It was the majority of his military strength, and the head of the Vance territory at the time capitalized on his sudden vulnerability and marched into Tigervale, taking it for himself. Being in control of two counties provided Vance with the position they needed to begin picking off other, weaker counties and assimilating them into their own. Eventually they became a force powerful enough to challenge Gainos, which, at the time, was simply a very large eastern kingdom known as Cortaire. It was the war between Vance and Cortaire that eventually lead to divine intervention, the induction of Queen's Blade, and the establishment of Gainos and Farillia as it is known today."

"Not gonna lie, I think Cortaire sounded much cooler."

"Agreed."

Church found it humorous that Aldra didn't mind that he had taken something so frivolous from her history lesson. "So, how do you simulate the battle? Is there, like, pieces and stuff?"

Aldra blushed just slightly at the mention of it. It was hard to tell since she hardly let the blush dominate her features, but even so Church could tell she was slightly nervous. He could understand that though. She was introducing something she had created to someone for the first time. It was only natural to feel a little uncomfortable, even for someone seemingly unflappable like her.

"T-there are, but... are you certain you are truly interested? You do not have to entertain my whims."

For the likes of him, Church found it very cute that the strong, brilliant, and collected Queen of an entire nation was embarrassed over something of this nature. In a way, it was kind of childish. But it was just evidence that she was not a purely analytical, passive woman with no flaws. And to see her nervous was just so gosh darn cute.

"Don't worry, I'm interested, really. I played strategic war games all the time back in my world. I have a ton of fun with them. C'mon, I want to play."

For the first time since he had met her, Church was blessed by a truly wide smile from the Queen of Farillia. It was truly brilliant, and made even more rewarding by the fact that nothing truly demanding had to be done to earn it. She just wanted someone to share a specific interest with her. That was so... innocent. And cute. So innocently cute. It was the last thing Church had expected from her but he loved it.

"I-I see, well in that case, I shall fetch the pieces that shall represent our forces."

The snow haired Queen returned to where she had originally fetched the map, though she ended up returning with an entire chest in her one unbound arm this time. She simply placed it on the center of the map and opened the lid so she could grab one object out of it. This object ended up being a small stone slab with four little stone soldiers armed with swords and shields on each equal slice. There were thin lines dividing the four little troopers, and it looked like the whole piece could be separated into four.

Aldra held the piece in front of her. "Each of these four 'soldiers' represents ten standard armed men and women. The core infantry unit that is the backbone of any army. Alone each 'soldier' represents one squad. The four of them together make one platoon, the most common unit size in my army. As you may have surmised from its appearance, this piece can be split into those four squads respectively, in case the commander, you or I, decides to split the platoon for some purpose, or to represent losses the platoon may suffer. You follow so far?"

Church knew she was only asking to be sure, and not to question whether or not he had some issue with regular learning, so he took no offense to the harmless question. "I do. This is really impressive by the way. Did you make it yourself?"

"Well, I wish I could say masonry is in my list of talents, but I'm afraid it is not. Suffice to say a relatively small yet still significant amount of funding that Jauffre was not happy with went into making a veritable army of these game pieces. Though I did design them, as far as the idea itself is concerned."

"You continue to impress. Alright, keep teaching. I want to play as soon as possible."

"Indeed? Well then, here are the basics. A platoon in this game is referred to as a 'Dagger.' When a Dagger creates a formation with another Dagger, it's called a Deuce. A formation of three Daggers is called a Trine. Of course, you could feasibly unite more Daggers in a single formation, but as far as efficient tactical movement is concerned, I have already determined that three Daggers is the optimal size for any one formation. You can form a Deuce or Trine with any of the troop types I am about to explain to you."

Church merely nodded, totally engrossed with Aldra's lesson and intrigued by the depth of thought she had put into it.

"As I said, the unit I hold here is your basic close quarters infantry. The other core melee infantry type is the Phalanx. Phalanxes are armed with long lances designed with the specific purpose of bracing against cavalry and infantry charges. As you might imagine they function very well against cavalry but are weak in close combat with regular infantry. Cavalry has an offensive advantage against all troop types save Phalanxes, and archers can deal moderate damage to all unit types save standard infantry, since they are equipped with shields for defensive action. Sensible enough?"

"Seems to be to me."

Aldra gave the pleased smile that showed she was having a good time, and decided to move on. "Excellent. So, let's move on to the notion of formation movement and control. If you wish for troops to remain in formation as they move, you will have to employ a tactic called 'wheeling...'"

---

If there was one thing Elina hated, it was waiting. Well, that and anything filthy. And people that were beneath her. And dogs.

OK, so there were a lot of things Elina hated. Dozens of things really. But she hated waiting a great deal because it implied she had nothing better to do, and she always had something better to do. That being the case, waiting for someone else to give her the go ahead to do anything at all was literally maddening for her.

While Claudette had proposed that they wait until Queen's Blade to see if she could win the throne without a war, that did not stop her from planning for that war just in case it came to pass. And what better way to prepare for war than to have a preemptive strike ready to go?

That said the force Elina had led into the Queen's domain was not the force that would do such a thing. They were far too small to pose a threat to the capital even if they caught the enemy by surprise. No, they were just a scouting force, and that irked Elina as well. Scouting was grunt work. The kind of thing you sent nameless, faceless cronies to do. Leaders waited for scouting reports to be given to them by a kneeling grunt, they didn't go out and do it themselves.

And because Elina knew that, it pissed her off that Claudette had sent her to do it. It was a clear sign that despite being sisters, Claudette still viewed her as a subordinate, with the same detached air that a commander was supposed to view a subordinate with. In a light that had nothing to do with family.

The thought of it almost made Elina snarl as she looked out over the fields before her. The only thing between her and the walls of Gainos was a lot of grass and Sheldan Free City. That, and dozens of leagues of course. She was just here to figure a good staging area for the main Vance army if the time came to deploy it. Getting too close to the city, even with her small scouting force, was too dangerous to risk.

So there was no danger, and because there was no danger, she was free to dwell on her favorite thing; herself.

Or rather, her relationship to others. Ironically, Elina was a people person. Everything she did was related to people. For a select few of them, it was about earning their attention, affection, and approval. For everyone else it was learning how to tear them apart, both emotionally and in some cases, quite literally.

And despite how good she was at breaking people down with everything they were and wanted to keep secret, Elina had actually been on the receiving end of it not that long ago. Needless to say she had really hated the experience.

The difference was that, unlike her, Church hadn't been aiming to put her down or get under her skin. For one, she had essentially challenged him to try and pick her apart, but the real evidence was the lack of malevolence in his efforts.

Somehow that made Elina hate it even more. When you were being malicious, you could say what you wanted just for the sake of hurting someone. If you weren't trying to hurt them, what you said was just the honest truth. Or at least the perceived honest truth.

The problem was that Church's perception had been spot on. He'd practically taken Elina's entire existence and put it into a few measly sentences without even trying, and she loathed him for that. Yet she still admired his ability.

Truth be told, as Elina had said herself in that ravine she wasn't the kind of person that deluded herself. She knew that what Church said about her was true, and she had always been aware of it. But it was a subconscious awareness, something she knew but never truly thought about. She couldn't stop thinking about it now.

It was hard to think of herself as... devoted. And loving. But to certain people she really was. She would do anything for her family. If everything else Church had said was garbage, that was the one thing that was true.

Unfortunately, the other things he had said weren't garbage. She gave her full devotion and love to her family, but she was still selfish. She didn't do it selflessly. She wanted them to reciprocate, to give her the full measure of their devotion and love as well. Did she not deserve that? She gave everything of herself to her family. She deserved something similar in return.

Yet what did she get? Claudette rarely said anything to her outside of their station as General and Captain. Her father spent so much time worrying about Leina he forgot he even had another daughter that could be heiress.

And that brought Elina to the most frustrating and worrisome of Church's observations: Leina. Everything was always about Leina. Claudette only cared about protecting and grooming Leina. Her father only cared about Leina as the potential heir to his lands. And Leina, of course, only cared about Leina. Everything in her whole God damned family revolved around that ungrateful, naive, idiotic harlot.

Leina had everything Elina wanted. Everyone gave her their attention and love and acknowledgment, even though she never did anything. Her whole life she had been some meek, useless little court girl with no talent or skill to boast of. She'd been nothing more than a woman in a pretty dress for everyone to ogle and admire, the perfect yet completely useless Princess.

She didn't deserve to have everyone's affection. She didn't do anything to earn it. She didn't even appreciate that she had it. She cared more about fulfilling her own hedonistic desires in the world than her own family. She certainly cared about it a lot more than she cared about Elina.

She hated her. Elina hated Leina for the selfish, stupid bimbo she was.

The vitriol in Elina's thoughts dwindled as the full reality of what she was thinking set in. She normally reserved such harsh words for people she cared nothing for. Rarely did she have such words for her family.

Though that wasn't really true. As she had already admitted to herself, Elina knew she had felt this way for a long time. It was a just a matter of keeping it beneath the surface.

Church was right in saying that even though Elina loved her sister, she also detested her enough to wish pain on her. Or rather, to inflict it herself. She wished she could make Leina feel the same hurt she did. The pain of constant rejection, of having her own feelings constantly belittled or ignored. The worst part was that Elina doubted Leina would even care if she were to be given the cold shoulder by her little sibling. In fact, she would probably be glad to be rid of her attention.

Worst of all, that still wasn't the full extent of everything Church had been right about that day. He was right in saying that she could possibly get what she wanted from a new bond. He himself had said that she wasn't a hopelessly awful person. She could feasibly find someone that loved her to the extent she wanted... provided she found a reason to love them fully first.

That was the core of the issue really. Elina had very high standards in who deserved her attention and affection. Outside of her family, she had never met anyone worth considering in any respectable light.

The veteran soldiers that had trained her in the art of war and tactics were simply servants of her family that should have been honored to teach someone of her caliber. The nobles she entertained at her father's balls were all groveling, deceitful slugs that wanted only to advance their own position. The soldiers that performed admirably under her command were just grunts doing as they should have. No one had ever been worthy of her attention other than her own family, who had truly admirable qualities about them.

Literally, thinking back on the entirety of her life Elina could think of no one that had caught her eye: save one. As much as she hated to admit it, Church had managed to intrigue her. He had so many interesting things to note. He traveled with angels, lived by a code nearly identical to Elina's own, and literally flirted with death. He was... unflappable. Unlike every other man Elina had ever met, he wasn't intimidated by her. He even risked her ire for his own amusement.

And he was sharp. It wasn't every day Elina complimented someone on their acuity, but Church was cunning in a way that charmed her own tastes. He had wit. He knew how to play the word game just as well as she did, and despite whatever else she told herself about the experience, Elina had to admit that she kind of had fun playing that game with him. It was a rare day indeed that anyone managed to match her, or admittedly, best her as competently as he had.

It was weird for her to find being bested somewhat attractive, but she was a strong woman. How could she ever be intrigued by a weak man?

Ironically though, Church was weak. Even though she had tried to seriously kill him on more than one occasion, he had still not killed her when he had the chance. Despite knowing he would get no reward or even any gratitude for helping her escape that ravine with her life, he had done so anyway even though it had hindered his own chances of success.

Glancing down at the arm he had not so carefully diagnosed, Elina frowned at the wounds that had still not healed. The few people skilled in medicine and healing magic in her little troop had dealt with the most serious of her wounds, but some small traces of her ordeal still remained. None of the lacerations she had suffered had been serious enough to scar, but even so they still bore shallow reminders that would need a little longer to fade.

Remembering the wound itself only reminded Elina that she had been essentially helpless during her time in the ravine. After all, she'd suffered some... admittedly arousing harassment that nevertheless would not have gone unpunished had she had not been so seriously disabled.

She hated being vulnerable. Being unable to take care of herself. Really, she just hated to rely on others. It made her feel incompetent and belittled. Like she was suddenly worthless just because she needed someone's help.

She had of course felt that way while in the ravine, but in hindsight her emotions were not so distinctly negative, and she found that a little worrisome.

Normally Elina hated being taken care of out of necessity because people did belittle her for it. When she was bedridden with some sort of ailment she was accosted for taking time out of someone else's day. When there was something she needed help with simply because she didn't know how to do it she was accused of being lacking in knowledge she should have already possessed.

In that ravine, though she had been helpless, though she had needed Church completely and totally in order to survive, she had not felt like she was being mocked for her own weakness. Not even once, even though it would have been ironic justice for Church to rub her face in the fact that she had to rely on him just to make it out of that ordeal alive.

He was kind. So kind that on one hand, it almost made Elina sick. He was the kind of person she would roll her eyes at, the kind of person whose endless charity would strike her only as foolishness and stupidity.

Or that would have been the case, if only he hadn't spared that kindness for her, even after her attempts on his life.

It was something that truly made no sense to her. She didn't understand the concept of being nice to everyone, because it was impossible. Sure, you could be nice to strangers; being nice to people you didn't know was easy. But once you knew enough about someone to know what they were like, there were only two options. You either cared for them or you didn't. Once you got to know someone you were fond of them or you were not. And generally speaking, you did not treat the people you were not fond of with any kindness. Even if it wasn't outright hostility, you didn't go out of your way to do anything for their sake.

Needless to say Church had known enough about her by that time that he should have detested her completely. Yet he had suffered her relentless verbal lashing to ensure she could escape that ravine alive. He'd forced her to wait out the rain with him for her own health, and even elected to try and let her rest as he continued to work, even if his efforts had ended rather awkwardly.

He'd done so much for her even though she had done nothing for him. And it had occurred to Elina more than once already that the scenario was not so different from her own life. All those times she had continued to give of herself for her sisters or father only to be ignored or belittled was the same as Church continuing to aid her even though she did not appreciate it.

That she shared this similarity with him unsettled her greatly. As far as should have been concerned, he was still just a filthy peasant and even a criminal in Vance lands. But she couldn't bring herself to think that after her most recent experience with him.

She wasn't sure what to think. On one hand she still hated him. Hated him for making a fool out of her, for so easily discerning her greatest vulnerabilities, and for daring to mock and harass her as he had that day.

Yet she couldn't deny that he was the most interesting man she had ever met, and she just couldn't stop hearing those words he had said to her.

I didn't and don't think that you're a hopelessly awful person.

Feeling some very small amount of red creep into her cheeks, Elina wondered if it always felt this good to know that someone had faith in you as a person, even if they really truly shouldn't.

Gazing out over the area presented before her and gauging the time it would take a full sized army to cover the distance from her position to Gainos, Elina quickly replaced her minor blush with a marginally forced scowl. It would hardly do to feel anything positive for that foolish, bold, filthy, handsome asswipe.

Even if she had entertained some of the kinkier ideas he had put forward these last few nights.

---

Hours after Aldra had explained the structure of her game, Church and the Queen of Farillia were commanding their fourth battle scenario at Dunin Field. After she had explained everything, Aldra had procured the proper number of pieces to represent the armies of Gram and Tigervale, scaling the number of troops appropriately. Tens became hundreds, in some cases hundreds became thousands. But either way, the two players had units set in stone by historical accuracy.

Aldra had insisted that Church take command of the mercenary army of Gram. Her intent was not for them to play against each other, but for Church to help her discover just how the outmatched forces of Gram had somehow emerged victorious against insurmountable odds. According to her she had attempted to work through the battle step by step from both sides to get her answer, but no matter what she tried the outcome was always the same: Gram lost.

And Church could imagine why. When Aldra had first arrayed the pieces properly on the map that portrayed Dunin Field, his forces had not only been outnumbered by a three to one margin, but also surrounded, thanks to the clever ambush positions of the Tigervale army. Aldra had assured him that this was how the battle had truly occurred, and honestly Church had no idea how Gram could have possibly pulled this one off.

But it had been done, somehow. And Church refused to believe that between him and Aldra, they couldn't figure out how.

Though so far they had certainly had no success. Aldra had taken it upon herself to command the Tigervale forces with strategic skill intentionally akin to an average commander. Thankfully this meant Aldra was not commanding her team with the level of ability she truly possessed. But then again, for now this was not a game so much as an attempt to successfully discern the exact manner in which a real battle had been fought, with its details lost to time.

Unfortunately Church had not managed to lead the mercenary army of Gram to victory yet, though he had tried several different tactics that Aldra had commended him for.

His very first attempt had been to simply rush his army forward at one side of the encircling ring of ambushers. He reasoned that he could annihilate one side of the circle, form a defensive line, and then face the rest of the enemy from only one or two directions at most. Unfortunately, with an army barely a third the size of the enemy, the one front he opened was still a combat against a force as equally large as his own, and he had not been able to defeat them fast enough to form a strong defense before the rest of Aldra's forces closed in.

His second strategy had involved bogging down one front of attackers with cavalry that dashed around the phalanx Trines of the enemy and harassed the archers behind them while the rest of his main force braced for charges from the remaining fronts. His plan had been to encircle the troops that charged his phalanxes with his own infantry, but he had lacked the numbers to prevent them from spilling out. Eventually his cavalry had been encircled or mowed down by archers and his foot soldiers had been likewise encircled by greater numbers and eliminated.

The third attempt had been the best one so far, even if it had ultimately failed. Deciding that offense just wasn't the answer, Church had organized his troops as defensively as possible. His archers formed a tight cluster in the center of the formation. All of his infantry surrounded them in the tightest circle they could manage, and in a somewhat larger circle around them was all of his phalanxes, bracing against enemy charges and generally holding the line as the archers within their formation dealt as much damage as they could from the relative safety provided to them. His cavalry had remained nestled within the circle for a last ditch charge when necessary.

This tactic had resulted in the closest grasp at victory so far. The layered defensive formation had managed to take the brunt of the initial Tigervale charge, then continue to hold the line as the archers whittled away the enemy. Church's forces had managed to take down a whole two waves of attackers.

But it was still fruitless. The enemy archers had focused on killing his own from outside the melee engagement, and as more and more of Church's own bowmen fell the pressure on his melee units increased. When his line of phalanxes broke his cavalry had charged out and trounced a fair number of enemy troops, but they had ultimately bee cut down too, leaving only the regular infantry to duke it out with the surviving Tigervale army and ultimately fall.

"A good effort Church. But I'm afraid I already tried that one."

"I figured you would. It does seem like the obvious choice."

With all of the pieces reset to their initial positions, Aldra circled with battlefield with her one free hand on her chin. "Do you think it is a result of my balancing system? Perhaps I have made the penalty for low morale too high?"

This was the part Church had trouble focusing on. Naturally they couldn't just say 'my troops got yours' only for the other to say 'nuh-uh' pretend finger pistol style. Aldra had set up a very complex mathematical system for calculating everything that needed to be present in a setup like this. Health, dealt damage, bonuses and penalties for certain effects like low morale or getting flanked... it was a game, after all. It was the only way things could be calculated in a scenario like this.

But that could have been the problem in and of itself. As someone who had been on the battlefield personally, Church knew battle could not be whittled down to mere numbers. Some things just couldn't be calculated. The skill of an individual soldier, the chance of a stray arrow hitting an important commander rather than a nameless grunt. Camaraderie and motivation among troops that sparked bravery or courage: these were all things that could not be accounted for in a mere simulation.

But Aldra had put a lot of work into this game, and Church didn't want to outright say anything about it being inadequate.

Apparently though, his expression was readable enough for Aldra to see that he had something on his mind. "You have something to say."

"Ah, well... not especially..."

Naturally his evasion did not work at all. Thankfully though Aldra didn't seem irritated by it. "Church, please. We are here to try and accurately portray something. And also have fun. If you have any input to offer I am perfectly willing to hear it."

"Well, it's just... I was thinking about the things we can't really simulate. Things we'll never be able to quantify that could be the answer to how the army of Gram won."

While he had expected a frown, Aldra actually smiled at him, almost like she was admiring him for thinking of it. "That has occurred to you as well, has it? Believe me, I have wondered the same thing already. Though I admit I did not think about it until a somewhat recent discovery I made."

"And what was that?"

"Well, as you might imagine, mercenaries usually work on contract. Most contracts are kept as written records. I've been dwelling on the battle at Dunin Field for some time, so some weeks ago I had Jauffre acquire the appropriate records for mercenary companies that were around even those four centuries ago. I'll spare you the more technical details, but as I searched for anything revealing in those contracts, I found a very interesting duo working for Fensalir, a guild that's been around for quite some time and one that had provided soldiers for Gram's army at the time of the battle in question."

Genuinely interested in what she had to say as always, Church simply gave Aldra his undivided attention.

"Tell me Church, do you think one or two truly legendary warriors could change the course of an entire battle?"

Church smiled at her ruefully. "Originally, I would say no. In my world, one soldier can make a big difference, but generally they don't change the course of a major engagement. But in this world, where people have insane power or abilities... I dunno. I guess they could."

"A fair answer. I for one am rather convinced that somehow, the presence of a certain pair of Elves managed to change the course of the battle at Dunin Field."

Church did some quick math in his head to make sure what he was saying would make sense before it left his mouth. "I feel like it's a somewhat reasonable guess to assume that a very strong mercenary who just so happens to be an Elf who was around four hundred something years ago would be Echidna?"

For her part, Aldra actually looked moderately surprised. "Oh? Aside from your astute and correct guess, I am curious as to how you knew of her being a stranger in this world?"

Seeing no harm in relaying the nature of his knowledge, Church did exactly that. "I met her once, not that long ago. She pummeled me pretty good, but ultimately we parted on friendly terms. I think. By the way, you said 'pair of Elves.' Who was the other one?"

Finding it amusing that Church thought his encounter with a legendary warrior so easily dismissed, Aldra nevertheless answered his second question. "Understand that this is purely conjecture on my part, but Echidna signed on with Fensalir with only one other person. I have simply assumed that the Elven woman that was with her at the time likewise played a large role in Gram's victory."

Even though no names had been provided, Church's eyes widened in assured realization of what Aldra was telling him. "No way... Alleyne?"

At this point Aldra truly was shocked. It was almost like her newest companion was psychic. "You are not about to tell me you know her as well?"

"Yeah, I do. I spent a whole month with her actually. But Alleyne, a mercenary? That... that just doesn't sound right. She's not the kind of person to ever get involved in stuff like that."

"It's my understanding that she has lived a very long life. People change even over the course of a few years. I do not find it unlikely that someone who is a thousand years old may have been an entirely different person at six hundred."

She had a good point there. It didn't take a long time for people to change. In some cases a single event could cause people to change overnight. Surely over the course of four hundred years someone could change drastically.

Still, it was hard to imagine. Alleyne, a mercenary? The stoic, cool and collected woman living a life of adventure and intrigue? Church tried to visualize the forest beauty he was familiar with as a soldier of fortune. Maybe her hair had been shorter. Maybe she'd worn it in a ponytail like Echidna did because it was more manageable that way? Had she worn armor? Had she used a different weapon? Did she smile and joke and screw around with her comrades?

Honestly Church couldn't picture it. The image he had of Alleyne was pretty set in stone, and he had no desire for it to change. He liked the way she was just fine. Sure, she could serve to smile just a bit more often, but her seriousness did not degrade the value of her generosity or kindness, and it certainly only aided her vast wisdom.

That said, it was still fun to imagine her living a life similar to the one Echidna did. If he had the great fortune to meet her again, Church would definitely investigate. He had really missed a good opportunity back in Syrinidell. How had it not occurred to him to ask someone a thousand years old about cool stories from their past? Besides, if he had asked back then he may have had an answer to Aldra's dilemma now. Provided Alleyne had told him about Dunin Field of course.

"Wow... to think I'm actually friends with someone that played a major role in a historical battle... it's like actually getting to meet someone out of a history book. She and Echidna kind of turned the tide of history itself huh?"

Finding his subtle awe to be amusing, Aldra still had to be the voice of reason. "Perhaps, but as I said this is all conjecture. It is undeniable that the two of them were present at Dunin Field, but there's no guarantee they had anything to do with the miraculous victory of Gram's forces. Though I do find it likely that two warriors of their caliber had some influence on the battle."

"Maybe. I mean, it was four hundred years ago. Maybe Echidna wasn't as good back then? She definitely had less experience."

"Yet being an Elf she still had far more than most of her human allies and enemies I'm sure. Either way, I daresay they actually made more trouble for me if they did help Gram win. If the forces of Tigervale had emerged victorious I could possibly not have Vance to worry about today."

It was obvious that Aldra wasn't really slighting the two of them, so Church took no offense to that. But the mention of trouble between Vance and Gainos brought up some other recent events. He just wasn't sure if he should actually voice them yet.

"They pose some sort of threat?"

"Debatable. As I said, in the past when Vance was much more powerful, they sought to take over Cortaire and thus reign over the entirety of Farillia. The issue is that they very nearly succeeded. The Cortaire army was essentially routed when the agents of heaven put an end to their conquest. Needless to say they've always been bitter about the ordeal. Having come so close to ruling this land, they still believe it is their right to do so. While their forces now are no military match for my own, the fact remains that they are no doubt constantly plotting against Gainos and looking for some way to gain full control of the Queen's lands. In that sense, they pose a threat."

Upon hearing this, Church couldn't help but think about the contingent of Vance troops he had encountered with Elina that day. It was obvious that they were making some moves against Gainos already.

This begged the question of whether or not Church should inform Aldra of it. On one hand, he definitely felt that he should. Through her generosity and nothing else, Church was being housed in a grand castle. She treated him very well despite the fact that she had no obligation to. Church knew something that could be crucial for her to know, so wasn't sharing that something he was obligated to do?

And yet, he was worried what the outcome could be. If he told her about those encroaching troops, would she send out forces of her own to destroy them? If that happened Elina could be killed.

Of course, some part of him told Church that he should have been fine with that. If he dropped all pretenses, he couldn't deny that his experience with Elina so far had been almost entirely bad. Save a few moments in which they had almost sort of bonded in that ravine, all she had done was threaten him or verbally assault him. She had seriously considered killing him even after he had saved her from almost certain death.

And yet the thought of her demise still pained him somewhat. She was far from a nice person. Heck, she was probably a far cry from a good person at all really. But Church had seen too much of her vulnerabilities in that ravine to outright hate her, or even truly dislike her at all. Honestly, he just felt bad for her.

It was ironic when he really thought about it. Her own existence kind of contradicted itself. On one hand she was sadistic and cruel, yet she actually had a very loving heart. It was just that her 'loving heart' only cared for a very, very narrow selection of human beings. But he had been right that day in the ravine. She gave everything of herself for those few people. She loved them with everything she had, gave them the full measure of her devotion, and yet the obvious pain on her face when he guessed at a lack of equal reciprocation had spoken volumes about how things were for her.

Church thought it was truly lamentable to love people so strongly yet not receive the same thing in kind, especially from your own family. In that light, he truly felt bad for Elina. He could even understand why she was so mean and antagonistic. He couldn't even begin to imagine all the pent up bitterness and frustration she must have.

If she would just find some way to release it that didn't include ruining other people's lives, she probably wouldn't be a bad person at all. Maybe a bit snide and snarky, but that wasn't exactly a moral crime.

Either way, the ultimate conclusion of all this was the fact that he didn't know what to do. Warn Aldra of encroaching Vance soldiers and possibly risk the life of someone he may not have called friend but at least didn't wish death on, or stay silent and do nothing, the latter of which didn't sit well with him either.

Thankfully for him, the entire conundrum went out the window for the time being when Aldra tried and partially failed to hold back a yawn. It was at that moment Church recalled that she had supposedly slept a mere hour at most the night before. His thoughts were immediately overridden by concern for the general health of the newest woman in his life.

"I know you said earlier that it doesn't always work out, but I really think you should try and get some sleep."

Even though she had the look of exhaustion about her, Aldra did not seem to share Church's sentiment. "Oh, I'd like to, but it is still the early hours of the afternoon. There is much I still have to do today. I am Queen, after all."

"You can just pass the work off to Jauffre can't you? Or delegate it to someone else."

"That would be quite irresponsible of me. And though I admit I have done it from time to time, it would be truly unfair to pass of my work to Jauffre all the time. It is not exactly what he is being paid for. Besides, I believe I will have no choice but to deal with this business of the Merchant Guild myself. That said I believe it is nearly time for my meeting with their guild leader. If you do not believe you will be able to find your way back I suggest you follow me out."

Though he was not eager to miss out on a chance to spend time with the woman, Church decided to decline. "It's fine, I can remember the route. Besides, I want to try a few more strategies for this seemingly hopeless battle at Dunin Field."

"Very well. I do hope you find more success than I have so far."

With that the reigning Queen of Farillia made her exit, and even though Church really had intended to go back to his musings on Dunin Field, he wasn't left alone long enough to even do it.

"What is your angle in all of this?"

Mildly startled but managing to remain subtle about it, Church looked over his shoulder to see Irma stepping out of shadow. How long she had been there was a mystery. It could have been a few minutes or a few hours. There was just really no way to tell.

"My angle?"

The dark skinned assassin leveled a hard gaze at him, though it was not truly hostile. "I find it hard to believe your intent in ingratiating yourself with Aldra bears no ulterior motives."

Church understood where Irma was coming from, being a vassal and all, but he still found her concerns amusing. "So little faith in me? I didn't even know who she was until she invited me into the castle you know. I could hardly have planned for that. Besides, didn't you say she took an interest in me?"

"Perhaps, but you are awfully... concerned for her well being. It's suspicious."

Church could only cock an eyebrow at her. "Seriously? Is this because I expressed concern for her poor amount of sleep? You're really suspicious of me for that?"

Irma's gaze didn't change. "I might be. You have hardly known her for very long. Your friendliness is suspicious."

Chuckling, Church shook his head. "You're a good friend Irma. Aldra's lucky to have someone like you looking out for her. But would it be so bad if you let me do that too? I haven't known Aldra more than a day or two, but it's obvious that she needs support from people she trusts. I don't know if I count as that quite yet, but I'd be honored to have the position. I think someone as amazing as her deserves more friends."

There was a few moments of silence in which Irma continued to appraise the man across from her, but ultimately she cracked the tiniest of appreciative smiles. "You are correct in that. She could certainly use more people willing to support her endeavors."

Her small smile fell at that. "But mark my words: I won't forgive you if your stated intent is a lie. Her burdens are great enough as they are. Do not think for a minute you will go unscathed if you betray the trust she's putting in you."

With that, Irma made her exit as well, now truly leaving Church alone in the room he had been brought to earlier that morning. Though he could have wasted time feeling nervous about Irma's promised threats, he found that there was no reason to be. There was nothing to fear from someone that would only hurt you if you hurt their friend, and for reasons that involved his own health just as much as anything else, Church had no intention of getting on Aldra's bad side in any way.

---

Stepping into the shadows of the stairwell, Irma frowned to herself in consternation. Aldra told her that she was a scowler, that she frowned even when there was nothing to frown about. It was probably true all things considered, but Irma didn't consider herself that way. She actually didn't frown a lot. It was just the natural set of her mouth.

That said she was frowning right now. She was unsure if she was making the right call in letting her suspicion rest. It wasn't that she really though Church was up to anything he shouldn't have been. It was just that there was the chance he could be. And even if that chance was small, Irma had to worry about it because that was her job.

Of course it was more than just her job. Aldra was her friend. Her only friend really, and her best one by far. Even if she was in a position of subservience, she did not feel like a servant to the Queen of Farillia. It was not their positions that spurred Irma to serve Aldra so devotedly. It was just who she was, to her and to everyone.

So Irma was devoted to keeping her safe in every way that she could. That went beyond the physical. It included emotionally and psychologically as well. Those were actually more important in some regards, as Aldra was more than capable of taking care of herself physically. She was hardly in danger of being bested in combat by anyone anytime soon.

But her psyche was fragile currently. Irma knew that all too well. With her constant nightmares brought on by some evil being that lived inside of her or worse, she was always stressed and always under duress. For all anyone knew, one event could be enough to tip her over the edge of clear sanity.

To Irma, she knew that Aldra thrived almost entirely on catharsis. Her life was really divided into two things rights now. There were the things she had to do as Queen. Her duty, obligations, her work, the stressful side of her life. The other half was her personal entertainment, the things she did to enjoy herself. The second half was the only thing that kept Aldra sane enough to keep going. Without it she would quickly stumble.

That being the case it was obvious that Church's sole purpose for her was catharsis. She had taken an interest in him because he intrigued her, because he could serve as something that took her mind off the stressful side of her life. But since he was a person and not an object, she knew that some amount of sharing would be necessary to draw him in. Aldra had already opened up to this relative stranger to some extent, but it was carefully guarded exposure.

After all, Aldra was not the kind of person to do things carelessly. She was capable of acting on a whim; Church's presence here was evidence enough of that. But she only acted with real calculation.

She had only revealed what she was comfortable revealing, and it was nothing critical to her character. She'd given some of the surface; her interests, her outer personality... things that someone who had just met her could latch onto. Because of that Irma was fairly certain that the Queen couldn't be emotionally or psychologically hurt by her newest companion of intrigue, as she was not invested enough in him to be wounded by anything he did.

But it couldn't be denied that she appeared to be less guarded around him. Not completely vulnerable of course, as she was far too capable for that, but she seemed to be more at ease with someone that shared some of her own traits and interests. The chance that she could get too involved with someone that may not care enough for her well being still existed.

Irma didn't really know if her worry was well founded here though. She had never really considered Aldra getting invested in... people, really. Or a person at all. She was just so coolly detached from everything that Irma had never even considered Aldra capable of getting close to anyone. Which was ironic since Aldra was close to her.

But that wasn't the same. Their relationship was a unique one that had been borne of very specific circumstances. Between any red-blooded individuals of opposite sexual orientations was the possibility of carnal or romantic manifestation. It wasn't always likely, especially in Aldra's case, but the fact remained that there was still some chance.

Irma nearly growled at the thought of it. It probably wasn't healthy to feel this level of protectiveness for another adult, but she couldn't help it. Despite the fact that Aldra was mostly more capable than her in every way, Irma still felt a certain level of protectiveness over her as far as 'romance' was concerned.

Honestly the idea was weird and almost entirely foreign for Irma to contemplate, especially since it was just her fretting over very slim possibilities.

Besides, she had to admit that based on a first impression and a few secondary impressions that Church didn't seem to be a bad person. He was even capable of making Aldra smile, and she only had a smile for people that were actually worth noting. People that had some level of both character and intelligence to them at the very least.

But Irma needed to do a lot more investigating before she could safely 'approve' anyone of her own volition. And even then, she didn't think she would really ever approve the idea of someone being 'with' Aldra. There was no one good enough for a woman like her. Besides, she was probably just blowing things out of proportion. Aldra had brought a person into her fold for her amusement and intrigue. That was the obvious face of her decision, so there was no need for Irma to look deeper into it.

Still, she had to try fairly hard to bury that growl that rose in her throat at the thought of the slim yet nevertheless possible futures.

---

In a somewhat far off future/alternate reality after the events of the current story...

"This is an absolute outrage!"

Looking up from the dish he was currently making alongside Nyx in the kitchen, Church looked back towards the main dining hall where most everyone else was sitting. It was strange to hear Airi ever shouting, and much more so about outrage or anything. He gave Nyx a questioning look to see if she could handle things without him for the moment, to which he received a nod of affirmation from the confident cook.

Going to peek his head into the dining hall, Church focused his eyes on the resident maid. She was holding a small packet of papers that was on the receiving end of a scathing glare from her emerald orbs. "Something wrong Airi?"

She was on him in a flash, jabbing a finger at the lines of text on one of her pages. "The Queen's Blade reboot is ruining my character! Look at this!"

Church took the packet from Airi's slender fingers, identifying it as some recently translated piece for the Queen's Blade Unlimited reboot. He hadn't read it yet, and all he knew was that both Elina and Airi had some role in it. He began to peruse it for whatever had irritated Airi this greatly. In only the first few paragraphs he was already cocking an eyebrow in confusion.

"I don't know Airi, it seems pretty accurate to me. It says right here that 'your body would tempt the reason of any man.' That's totally on point. You are the most gorgeous redhead to ever walk the Earth."

While his genuine praise would have normally earned a blush out of her even though she had heard it hundreds of times, Airi could only scowl. "Only because they redesigned me with breasts three times larger than I am. I look like Melpha! Why? Argh, they ruined my figure and my character!"

Having still not found anything to 'ruin' Airi's character, Church kept reading the piece. It didn't actually take him long to find what was irking her so much. Needless to say he couldn't suppress a blush.

"O-oh... it's not so bad..."

Snatching the papers back from him, Airi shoved the thing in his face, as though he hadn't seen it right the first time. "Not so bad! Look at this! They made me some sort of... some sort of BDSM slave! To her."

With that she jabbed her finger at Elina. The blonde's eyebrows shot up before a sinister smirk crossed her face and she came to stand next to them. "Seriously? If that's what they did everything sounds just right to me."

"As if I would ever wind up your toy. First of all, this asinine story is implying that I lost to you in a fight. That already discredits the rest of the entire thing."

While she could have gotten defensive over whether or not she could take Airi in a fair fight, Elina decided she would be better amused by mocking the other part that was really bothering Airi.

"Don't be so foolish Airi. Your whole gimmick is submission. You're supposed to appeal to people that want a nice, obedient, submissive girl. It makes sense that you'd be the one..."

She took a moment to read a few lines of the pages.

"Licking the heels of a dominant woman like me."

Airi scowled at the thought of it. "My gimmick is that I'm only submissive to the person I'm loyal to. Who happens to not be blonde or a woman!"

Church allowed himself a small smile at the thought of all the bedroom business he had gotten up to with Airi. She was right in saying that she was really submissive where it counted. Not that she was the only one, and he did feel the need to defend her.

"Besides Elina, it's not like you haven't been on the bottom for me in at least half of our... 'activities.' And I'd say you almost enjoy it more than Airi does."

Now it was Elina's turn to blush as she thought back to all the times she had been bent over a knee or just pinned beneath her lover. "Y-yeah, but I've dominated you a lot too! I've been on top for the other half! That's twice as much as Airi!"

The two girls glared at one another as Church continued to read what was left of the story. Needless to say it never took that step into real sex, because Queen's Blade had always been pretty masterful about being borderline. But the final line was just too heavily implied to fully escape the erotic fantasies it brought on.

"So uh... this thing doesn't do a very good job of specifying which lips you're connecting with Airi... I mean, it does say Elina 'lowers' herself onto you-"

Airi leveled her scowl at him immediately. "Do you want to get no sex from me for a month?"

Church just folded his arms and cocked an eyebrow at her. It didn't take Airi long to get his meaning. One, she didn't really want to go without sexual satisfaction for that long. For all the men that were awful at pleasing their lovers, Church compensated for them as well as possible. No woman left his bedroom unsatisfied no matter how hard he had to work for it.

Secondly, he would hardly be going without sex if Airi decided to withhold it. There were lots of other girls that weren't going to forego their pleasure with the man they loved.

"OK fine, but there'll be no kisses for a month."

Now that was a threat that worked. Airi was without a doubt the best kisser around, for she had the most passion for making out in the first place.

"Aw, Airi, you know you can't manage that."

Thinking on the nigh euphoric experience of tasting the love her partner had for her, Airi let out a sigh. Something about a man holding the physical advantage over the woman struck her as backwards. But honestly, she couldn't say that she didn't enjoy it. She wasn't submissive to Elina, but she sure didn't mind being submissive to Church. It gave her a thrill.

"Why not a threesome?"

The trio glanced over at Echidna, who shrugged as she tipped the chair she sat in back in. "What? You know you're fantasizing about it now."

Church couldn't deny that, but Airi and Elina simply scowled at the woman. Their silence was quickly interrupted by Nowa, who sidled up to Church's side and hugged his arm to her body, which had filled out rather nicely as she finished up the age of nineteen. "If they aren't willing, I'll fill one spot."

The girl gave him that coy wink that had grown more and more comfortable on her face over the years, but before he could offer any retort Shizuka was on his other arm. "You know, that doesn't sound that bad. As long as you think you can manage both of us before tiring out?"

He got a flirtatious wink from her as well, and Church simply wrapped his arms around both waists and slowly led them in a backpedal out of the room. "OK, but it's got to be a lightning round. Nyx said dinner would be done in under half an hour."

"Aw, but that's only like, twenty minutes."

"You don't think I can take care of you in twenty minutes?"

"Oh I know you can, but it's so much more fun when you take it slow."

"I don't know, I kind of like that animalistic drive he has when he's being aggressive..."

Airi and Elina scowled after the trio as they made their exit, but soon Airi had directed her ire at Elina again. "Your Unlimited redesign looks stupid."

"At least it didn't come with a collar."

The two growled at each other as Tomoe made her voice known from somewhere else in the room. "Neither of you have room to complain! My Unlimited outfit completely shows off my thighs in their entirety! It's so shameless!"

Considering the nature of everyone else's outfit, they ignored Tomoe as Nyx made her entrance from the kitchen with dishes in hand. "Good news! I finished earlier than I thought!"

"That's actually too bad, Church just left for a lightning round with Nowa and Shizuka."

"What?! They went for a lightning round and didn't invite me?! I haven't gotten any in three days!"

Risty, one of the few people present who had no involvement in the same things most of the other girls did, had something else to say. "Who the hell cares? More of your heavenly cooking for the rest of us! Woo!"

---

Please note that this little excerpt here is in no way a representation of what will happen in the future of this story. In case you couldn't tell, this was just a comedy section here at the end in which I also happened to voice my displeasure with Unlimited's representation of Airi.

Speaking of which, if you want to stay on top of all things Queen's Blade, Queen's Blade Battle has been my long time go-to for that kind of thing. It's hard to find kindred spirits for this series, so that's the place to go if you're looking for it.

Finally, hear me out on this... The adventures of young Echidna and kind of younger Alleyne. Who wants it? Cuz that is totally the kind of side story I would be up to writing. Y'know, just saying.