Authors note: Wow...I am speechless. Thank you for all the support on the first chapter. I did not think i would get this much attention so far. You all are the best.
This chapter was a lot of fun to write, but i feel that a few of you may think that i portrayed the nobles a bit harsher than i should have. I even thought about toning it down a bit after i re-read it a few times, but ultimately decided to keep things how they were. It really gives more opportunity for character growth and development.
I would also like to mention that this story will mostly follow the anime cannon, but there will be some crucial differences. I am sorry if this discourages you from reading, but there many moments in the cannon that i really enjoyed...And some that i really didn't.
Also, the scene with Sylphid and Roxas was inspired by "The Hill of Swords" by gabriel blessing. It was just so adorable that i had to modify it and add it to the story. I just want to site my sources and i am sorry if i bugged any of you who are fans of Gabriel. If you have not read the fanfic, i would recommend it highly.
I also got a comment about Derfflinger. Not to worry because he will play a important role, but not until much later in the story. For me, there was no point in having Roxas wield him.
Also, for those who think i need a beta. I thought about getting one, but honestly, if i did it would just take so much longer to post each chapter. There will be some errors here and there but i am writing this story just for the fun of it. I apologize if not getting a beta bothers you.
Warning: Spelling is the bane of my Existence. Please forgive me for any error you come across.
Disclaimer: I own Nothing.
UPDATE: 9-3-15: Thanks to The Lord Of Pages, the spelling should not be much of a problem anymore. If you didn't know, The Lord Of Pages is my Beta and I am grateful for his hard work in fixing the mistakes I missed. Along with fixing grammar errors, he also fixed up some sentence structures to they make more sense, capitalization of names and specific objects, and much more.
A heart in the Void
Chapter 2
Roxas looked around in confusion. Currently he was back in Twilight Town, right at the train station below Twilight Tower. In front of him were two figures that were wearing the same black coat as him. What was really strange about the scene was that he was one of those figures.
"Is this a dream?" Roxas asked himself as he watched the scene.
The Roxas he was watching was cradling the other figure in his lap, making sure she didn't fall to the ground. The other figure was a girl he had never seen before in his life, but for some reason, felt extremely familiar.
He could tell that they were exchanging words, but he could not hear what they were saying. It was not moments later before ice-like crystals started to spread and cover her body. She reached up and tenderly caressed his cheek before her entire body was encased. Seconds later she completely vanished into thousands of particles of light.
Roxas stared in confusion as the other Roxas gently reached down and picked up the only remains of the girl.
A seashell.
While watching the scene, Roxas felt tears run down his face. He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as he reached up and wiped them away. Curiously enough, he was not the only one. The other Roxas was quietly weeping as well.
Roxas gasped as he jumped awake. He took a few deep breaths before calming himself down. Looking around, he found himself sitting near the pile of straw in Louise's room. The sun was barely coming over the horizon, sending its rays through the window.
"What kind of dream was that?" Roxas asked himself. It almost felt like a memory, but he didn't remember anything like that ever happening to him. Who was that girl?
Roxas shook his head as he pushed those questions into the back of his mind. He looked toward the only bed that was in the room, currently occupied by the person that summoned him yesterday.
"I really was summoned. At least that wasn't a dream." Roxas mused to himself quietly. After a few more moments, he quickly stood on his feet. Truthfully, he was excited. This was a new beginning and he was the author of the story. He was in control of his own fate. There were just so many possibilities that awaited him. Roxas couldn't help but smile as he thought about that. Here, there was no Organization XIII, there were no nobody's, and for now it seemed like there were no heartless. He was completely free, able to do whatever he wanted without anyone telling him otherwise. Just the thought of all he could learn and experienced exited him.
However, there was one thing that he needed to do.
Roxas turned to the girl who had made it all possible. He was grateful for when she did and even though it may have been unintentional. He was going to repay her somehow. Gently, he walked over to her bed and nudged her shoulder.
"Louise, wake up."
"Muuu…"
Roxas cocked his head to the side curiously before nudged her again, a little harder this time. "Louise! Wake up."
"Munay…" Louise groaned as she sat up groggily, her eyes barley open as she looked around. She then looked up at Roxas. "Who are you?"
Roxas blinked a few times before he raised an eyebrow. "Roxas. You summoned me yesterday, remember?"
Louise stretched her arms into the air as she slowly began to rise. "Oh yes, the failure of a familiar I managed to summon." She said as she stood from her bed. "I hope you managed to wash all of the cloths before you went to bed."
Roxas felt his eyebrow twitch. This early in the morning and she was already beginning to piss him off. He pointed to the pile of clean laundry in the basket.
"And you set out my cloths as well?"
Roxas grit his teeth as his eyebrow started twitching uncontrollably. He pointed to the neatly folded pile of clothing on the table.
Louise looked at him with a frown before raising her arms to the side. "Dress me," she commanded.
Roxas stared at her, almost not sure if he heard her right. She couldn't be serious could she? This girl didn't even know how to dress herself? What kind of world was this?
"You need my help to get dressed?" He asked in disbelief.
Louise looked offended. "Of course not! But a noble never dresses themselves when they have a servant around."
Roxas blinked obliviously as he looked around for a servant, but he was the only one in the room.
"I was talking about YOU!" Louise shouted.
"I thought I was a familiar."
"IT'S THE SAME THING!" Louise screeched, finally loosing what little patience she had. "You are my familiar, my servant, my slave. Anything I command you to be, you will be. Anything I command you to do, you will do because I am your MASTER." She spat master out for emphasis. "Now dress me! Or you will get no food and you will stay here until you learn your lesson!"
Roxas stared at Louise, his mouth slightly ajar. He could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Never in all of his time in the organization had anyone said anything like that to him. Even Larxene, who hated his guts for some reason, didn't go beyond insulting him constantly.
But this girl had the gall to actually call him a slave simply because she summoned him to this world.
Instantly, his disbelief turned into anger. "Get real!" he said harshly. "I am not your slave. You have no control over me."
Now it was Louise's turn to stare at him in disbelief. Her familiar had actually gone against her wishes. That was not supposed to happen. Wasn't a familiar supposed to listen to whatever their master commands of them?
She began to shake in anger as she lowered her arms, her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes. "It seems that you don't know your place familiar. I summoned you, therefore I am your master, and you have to obey me. If you do not, I will not hesitate to punish you."
With each word, Roxas felt more anger well up inside him. He swiftly turned around, ready to storm out the door. "And what are you going to do about it? There is nothing you can do to…"
CLICK!
Roxas's eyes widened as he felt something lock around his neck. He stumbled slightly as he was yanked back. Slowly he raised his hand to his neck to feel a collar firmly latched around it. He looked down, only to notice that a chain was attached to the collar. His eyes followed the chain until it reached the foot of Louis's bed. Finally, he looked at Louise, his mouth slightly open as he processed what just happened.
He was chained to Louis's bed by a collar, like he was some sort of animal.
Louise had a smug look on her face as she twirled the keys around her finger. She quickly changed into her cloths as Roxas still tried to get over his disbelief.
"I am going to breakfast now. There will be no food for you because of your atrocious behavior. When I get back, I'll expect to see that you learned your lesson and to hear your deepest apologies for your disrespect." She said with a grin as she exited the room.
The sound of the door slamming jolted Roxas from his befuddlement. He could not understand how anyone could chain someone up like this just for going against their orders. Roxas could feel anger building up again, causing him to question his decision to be this girl's familiar. He knew that he could unlock the collar easily, that's not what was bothering him. What truly pissed him off was the fact that the girl had actually chained him up, like he wasn't even human, like he didn't even matter.
Like he was nothing.
Roxas had had enough of that for one life time. Currently, he was shaking in anger. After finally getting his chance to be his own person, this girl was trying to undermine that by treating him like this.
"Not Happening!" Roxas hissed as clenched his fist. The Oblivion appeared in a flash and he quickly turned the tip of the weapon to his neck. Immediately, the collar unlocked with a click before he watched it fall to the ground. He rubbed his neck a few times before dismissing his keyblade. Right now he needed to cool off his anger, so he turned and walked out the door, not caring what Louise had to say about it.
It was only a few moments later that he found himself outside again. It was a wonderfully sunny day and the small breeze was a pleasant touch as it aided him in cooling off his anger. Despite his eventful morning with Louise, Roxas had to admit that it was nice not having to worry about constantly fighting heartless and nobody's. It was almost unusual how peaceful it was.
Grumble
Roxas's hand went to his stomach. It had been a long time since he had anything to eat. He reached into his coat pockets, to see if he had anything. He felt a few Elixirs that he could only guess were on him when he was finally absorbed into Sora. They had unmatched healing properties and could cure any illness, but they were not filling. Plus, he only had a few of them left, so he needed to save them.
Roxas gave a small sigh as he continued to walk around the grounds, trying to think of anywhere he could get something to eat. He knew that going to Louise was a bad idea, not only because she said she wouldn't feed him, but she still thought he was locked in her room. Also, she was the last person he wanted to see.
As he continued to explore the academy, he spotted a few of the familiars that were lurking around. They came in all shapes and sizes. A lot of them looked like they could be passed off as heartless, but they lacked the heartless emblem. They were also very docile, harmlessly interacting with other people without any problems. He was so focused on them that he didn't watch where he was going, causing him to bump into someone.
"EEP!"
Roxas and the person stumbled, but not enough to actually fall over. Regaining his bearing's, Roxas turned to the person. "Sorry about that…Siesta?" he said, recognizing the cheerful maid from the night before.
"Oh, Roxas. Good to see you." She replied with a smile as she dusted her apron off.
"Sorry" He said as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I was distracted by all the familiars." A giant eyeball floated past them catching both their attention.
"Yes, there are a lot of interesting familiars this year." Siesta commented before she turned to Roxas. "What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be with Louise?"
Roxas unconsciously growled at the mention of her name, still sore from her attitude towards him. "No." He said before his stomach grumbled again. "Louise said she wasn't going to feed me, so I would rather not be anywhere near her."
Siesta frowned before she grabbed Roxas's hand. "That's awful. Please follow me. I will get you something." She said as she began to drag him away.
Roxas blinked a few times. "You will? Why?"
Siesta shot him a strange look. "Why not? You're hungry."
Roxas looked at her curiously as he followed. Why was she so different than Louise. They were complete opposites. While Louise was haughty and prideful, Siesta was happy and caring. From what he could see so far, Siesta was far less privileged than Louise, so why was she so happy, while Louise was just angry.
"This world is so strange." He murmured to himself.
Roxas continued to follow Siesta for a few minutes before she turned to him. "Roxas, you are her familiar right? Why is she refusing to feed you?"
Roxas glared as he remembered the events from the morning. "We had a disagreement. She chained me to her bed and left me there."
Siesta frowned as well before shaking her head. "That's not unheard of for nobles. Many of them punish their familiars if they disobey. Though it is unusual for a familiar to rebel against their master." She said before she raised an eyebrow. "If she chained you to her bed, how did you escape?"
"I have my ways." Roxas replied before he glanced over at Siesta. He reached over and grasped the glove on his left hand. "Siesta, what would happen if Louise didn't have a familiar?"
Siesta looked at him in confusion. "Well, she would end up like the other mages that were not able to summon one."
Roxas stopped himself from taking off his glove showing Siesta that runes were gone. "What? What happens to them?"
"They get expelled from the academy. They will most likely be considered failures and some are even stripped of their status as a noble. Summoning a familiar is a sacred passage, so it one does not show up, it can discredit the noble."
Roxas blinked as he lowered both of his hands back down to his sides. "So, if Louise didn't have a familiar, she would be expelled?"
Siesta raised an eyebrow at his questions, but continued to answer them. "Yes. But Mrs. Vallière would probably have it harder. She was never as gifted with magic as the others, so she may even be stripped of her status as a noble and disowned by her family."
Roxas went silent as he heard that. It seemed like he was hasty when he made his decision to destroy the runes. He had no idea what affect it would have on Louise. Unconsciously, he clenched his left hand as he shook his head.
No.
He made the right decision because the runes were wiping his memory and making him submissive to Louise. He was not going to deal with that again.
However, it looked like Louise would be in trouble if someone found out that he was no longer her familiar, so he was not going to tell anyone about it, not even Louise. He could not ruin her life after she gave him the chance to exist. Even though she was angry and mean, she didn't deserve that, did she?
Roxas soon found himself sitting at a table with a bowl of stew in front of him. Siesta had gone about her daily chores after she brought him to the kitchen. He was grateful for her kindness. In a funny way, her bubbly attitude and kind personality kind of reminded him of Sora. Not to mention she and the other people here sure knew how to cook. Seriously, these were leftovers from the nobles? He had never has such good food in his life.
The chefs were extremely kind as well. They greeted both Siesta and him with open arms. When Siesta told them the situation, they immediately reacted by pouring him a bowl of stew. It was so strange to see the difference between them and his experiences with the nobles so far.
It took only a few moments before he was done. He thanked the head Chef, Marteau, for the meal and was about to leave, but Marteau stopped him and forced a loaf of bread into his hands, telling him if he ever needed a meal to stop by. Roxas was again amazed by their generosity before he agreed. It looked like his food problem was now over.
Leaving the kitchen, Roxas found himself browsing the academy grounds again as he slowly tore off pieces of the loaf and eating them. Despite the rough start, this day was turning out to be pretty nice. He had a nice conversation with Siesta, he met some very nice people in the kitchens, had a great meal, and was now snacking on a delicious loaf of bread. Maybe this world would not be so bad.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. Roxas froze before he looked over his shoulder to see what had snuck up on him. Roxas came face to face with the giant blue dragon he saw yesterday on top of Tristain academy's tower, the one that was carrying the blue-haired girl. The enormous creature towered over him while fixing him with an intense stare.
For a few moments, Roxas and the dragon continued to stare at each other, neither making a move, before Roxas slowly tore off another piece of bread and raised it to his mouth. Curiously, the Dragon followed his every move with its eyes. Roxas blinked a few times before he lowered the morsel. The dragon's eyes continued to follow the chunk of bread with keen interest.
"Hmm." Roxas hummed curiously as he waved the bread in front of the dragon, causing the creature's eyes to follow.
"You want it?" Roxas asked. Interestingly enough, the dragon tore its eyes away from the bread before staring at him with its big green eyes, as if to ask if it was ok. Suddenly, it began to nod its head. Roxas wasn't surprised that the animal could understand him. After all, Sora talked to Donald and Goofy all the time. He gave a small smile before he ate the small morsel in his hand and tossed the rest of the loaf to the dragon. Immediately, the dragon snatched it out of the air and began to joyfully chomp it down. In a matter of seconds it was gone and Roxas was left with a happy, purring dragon. "Ok then." Roxas said as he turned to walk away, ready to continue exploring the academy.
He was cut off though as the dragon quickly darted in front of him, blocking his path. Its massive head moved closer to him before sniffing around his body.
Roxas cocked his eyebrow in confusion as he raised both his hands to the side. "Sorry, I don't have any more." He said. The dragon ignored him as it started to nuzzle his body. Roxas stood there like a stone, having no idea what was going on.
Suddenly, the dragon became impatient. It scooped its head under Roxas's hand before purring again. Curiously, Roxas unconsciously started to scratch the top of the dragon's head with one hand and under its jaw with the other. The purring began to increase.
Roxas was surprised for a moment as he continued to scratch the dragon all around its head. "You…like that?" The dragon nodded as it continued to purr. "Hmm..." Roxas hummed as he continued to scratch the dragon. Truthfully, this was a new for him because he never had that much experience with animals, especially not giant dragons.
Suddenly, the dragon pulled its head away from Roxas and snatched up the back of his coat with its jaws.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
The dragon ignored him before walking around in a circle. It then lay down in a ball and sat Roxas right in the center. The nobody tried to scamper away, but the dragon extended it wing over him, blanketing him warm darkness.
Roxas sat there like a stone as he felt the dragon's rhythmic breathing against his back. It wasn't until he heard and felt the dragon starting to purr that he realized he was not in any danger. Again, this was another strange experience for the nobody. But, however strange it was, at least it was comfortable leaning against the large beast. So much so, that he gave a small yawn before making himself comfortable, thinking about all that he had experienced that day so far. It brought a small smile to his face. "I guess this world is not that bad."
Louise was not in a good mood. Breakfast was uneventful as usual, but the trouble started when she went back to her room. She expecting to see her familiar still attached to the foot of her bed, begging for her forgiveness and proclaiming his undying loyalty to her.
Instead, she opened the door to see and empty room with an unlocked collar lying on the floor. She was beyond furious. Who dare let her familiar out? How did they let him out? She was the only one with the key to the collar and it was on her person throughout breakfast. There was no way he picked the lock because it was magically enforced.
Blinded by rage, Louise was stomping around the academy grounds, looking for her disobedient familiar and thinking of all the different ways she could torture him into obedience. What had happened? When she first summoned him, he was at least obedient. Now he wasn't even listening to her.
Louise looked around at all the familiars and their respected partners. Today was a day that they were supposed to bond with their familiars, but she had other plans when she found hers.
"FAMILIAR! WHERE ARE YOU! COME OUT RIGHT NOW!"
Roxas was shaken awake by a familiar screech. He blinked his eyes a few times before realizing he was still wrapped in a cocoon of dragon. It was so comfortable and warm that he actually fell asleep for a few moments. It sure beat the pile of straw next to Louise's bed.
"COME OUT AND FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT!"
Roxas cringed at the voice. It sounded like nails on a chalk board. Truthfully, he contemplated staying in here so the dragon could continue to hide him and he would not have to deal with her.
"GET HERE NOW!"
Roxas heard the dragon give a small growl, obviously annoyed that it was disturbed by the loud noise. It shuffled slightly before trying to make itself more comfortable. Roxas gave a small smile as he patted the dragon on the side. As much as he didn't want to, knew what he had to do. "It doesn't look like she is going to stop unless I go to her. Would you let me out?"
The dragon gave a protestant warble as it curled around him tighter, causing Roxas to chuckle.
"FAMILIAR! I AM LOOSING MY PATIENCE."
The dragon gave another annoyed grunt causing Roxas to smile. "You know she won't stop unless I go. If we both want to stay sane, one of us has to make a sacrifice."
The dragon gave a sorrowful warble before it retracted its wing from around him. Roxas squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden brightness. He looked around and saw Louise stomping around the grounds looking for him, swinging her little fists through the air. With a sigh, he heaved himself away from the dragon and began to walk over to her. However, the dragon also stood up and followed him.
"Over here Louise."
Louise spun like a ballerina; her face beat red from anger. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? WHO LET YOU OUT? WHO SAID YOU COULD COME OUT OF MY ROOM?"
Roxas cringed again as he felt his anger rising. He didn't say a thing as he watched her throw another childish tantrum. Louise continued to rant before she lost her breath. She looked up at him with a glare, "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Roxas shook his head, trying to crush his anger by forcing himself to remember that she was the one that gave him a chance to exist and if he told her that he was not her familiar, then she would be in deep trouble. She was just making it so hard to be nice. Roxas looked at the dragon behind him, who cocked its head slightly. He then turned back to Louise.
"I had a nice nap and made a new friend." He said simply.
There was silence for a few moments before Louise erupted again, screaming at him almost illegibly for about five minutes before she collapsed on a nearby chair. "Get me some tea while I contemplate your punishment." She growled as she massaged her temples.
Roxas grit his teeth before turning around and leaving, grateful his ears had a chance to relax. The dragon had similar feelings as it followed him. It walked up behind him and gently nudged his back. Roxas turned around before giving the giant lizard a smile. He rubbed the ridge of its eye and scratched under its jaw as it cooed lovingly.
"Wow Tabitha, I am surprised she didn't bite him yet. She doesn't let anyone but you touch her."
Roxas and the dragon turned to the noise. It came from the red-haired girl from yesterday. She was walking next to the other girl from last night. Funny enough, she still had her face buried in a book. The petite girl glanced up from the pages curiously as she watched Roxas pat her dragon.
"Sylphid?"
Roxas turned to the dragon. "Your name is Sylphid?" he asked, causing the dragon to nod its massive head. "I'm Roxas."
Sylphid cooed again and nuzzled him before turning to its master.
"Tabitha, your Sylphid seems to like Louise's commoner." Kirche said to her friend.
Tabitha went back to reading her book before she turned and began to walk away. "Come."
The dragon immediately followed, but not before rubbing her large head against Roxas one more time for good measure. Roxas watched as they walked away before he turned to the red head girl that was approaching him. She stopped right in front of him before bringing one of her hands to her chin, placing the other arm under her chest as she adopted a thinking pose.
"So, you wouldn't mind telling me how much Louise is paying you to act as her familiar?" she asked with a smirk.
Roxas felt his stomach sink. Had someone figured it out already? How? "P-Paying me?" He asked nervously.
"Obviously she didn't summon you, so how much is she paying you to be her familiar?" she asked again as her smirk widened.
Roxas blew a sigh of relief as his panic died. "Nobody is paying me. I was really summoned by her."
The girl laughed before she walked closer. "You don't have to lie to me handsome, did she really summon you?"
Roxas raised an eyebrow. "My name is Roxas, and yes she did summon me."
Kirche raised both her brows as she realized that he brushed off her attempts at flirting without batting an eye. It seemed that she needed to take more drastic measures. "Well, I am Kirche. The person that just walked away was Tabitha. Say, why don't you come and be my familiar alongside Flame. I am sure that I can be better company than Louise." Kirche said as she learned forward, exposing a bit of her cleavage.
Roxas hadn't a clue what she was doing as he leaned back. She was seriously invading his personal space. He took a step back, his facial expression unchanging. "It's not like I want to be her familiar, but I owe her that much at least."
Kirche again raised her eyebrows in shock. He didn't even glance down from her face, nor did he even react in the slightest. Normally, this would have made her furious, but what he said caught her attention. "You owe her? Why do you owe her?"
"That is none of your business." Roxas replied as he took another step away from her.
Kirche was about to retort, but then she noticed her familiar was approaching Roxas. The salamander croaked once to get Roxas's attention. Roxas cocked an eyebrow before he knelt down to get a better look at the creature. It was large and bright red. The tip of its tail was lit up in a small flame.
Wondering if this creature was similar to Sylphid, Roxas reached forward and rubbed the top of the salamanders head. Almost unconsciously, the salamander leaned its head into Roxas's palm causing both Kirche and Roxas to raise their brows in surprise.
"Huh, well if Flame likes you, then you must not be all that bad."
"I guess. Sylphid liked it."
Kirche gave a small laugh. "Sylphid is a nice girl to Tabitha, but she had already bit a few that have tried to touch her. I wonder what makes you so different?"
"Who knows."
"FAMILIAR, WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?"
Roxas, Kirche, and Flame all cringed as they looked to see the pink haired wonder stomping her way over. Roxas stood and braced himself for another screaming secession, but Kirche interviewed.
"Louise, you don't have to yell, we are standing right here."
Louise violently turned to Kirche. "Why are you talking to my familiar?" she shouted. Not even waiting for an answer, she turned to Roxas. "And why are you talking to Zerbst? Are you just going to wag your tail at every girl you come across, you DOG?" she accused while pointing a finger at him.
Roxas felt his anger skyrocket again. He didn't even do anything. What was she so upset about?
"Geez Louise, calm down and try to be civil. Or is that even too much for you." Kirche said with a saucy smirk.
Louise fumed but she grabbed Roxas's sleeve and dragged him away. She plopped down on the chair again before she glared at Roxas. "It seems that I have been too lenient on you Familiar. You need to learn when your master commands you to do something, you do it immediately! Now, GET ME MY TEA!"
Roxas felt like a raging bull, breathing through his noise as he tried to calm down. He quickly walked away toward the table with all the tea cups. Truthfully, he was now debating whether or not he cared if Louise got expelled. If she was going to keep this up, he didn't know if he could handle it. He was moving so fast, that he didn't even see siesta until it was too late…again.
CRASH!
Roxas ran right into her and this time she actually fell down, dropping her cake in the process. Roxas's anger was replaced with guilt. It was the second time he actually bumped into her that day.
"I am sorry, Siesta" He said as he extended a hand to her.
Siesta looked up at him before giving him a smile before taking his hand. "Don't worry about it Roxas, though I do admit, it is funny that we bump into each other twice in the same day."
Roxas scratched the back of his head again. "Yeah, I really need to learn to pay attention."
"We both do." She said before she looked at the cake on the ground. "Looks like I will have to get another one. Please excuse me Roxas." She said as she turned and walked back toward the cake table. Roxas watched for a few seconds before something caught his attention. Siesta was standing near the cake table when she was stopped by briefly by a girl with brown hair. Roxas recognized her as the one that was with the blond hair boy from yesterday, Guiche right? Siesta and the girl shared a few words before the girl gave Siesta a basket before turning and walking away.
Roxas shrugged before he turned back toward the tea table and fetched a cup for Louise. He then walked back to where she was sitting and set it in front of her before taking a seat.
"About time." Louise snapped as she took a sip. There were no words that where shared between them, Louise just glaring at him for some reason. "You were talking to that maid? How do you know her?"
"Who? Siesta?" he asked, causing Louise to nod, her eyes narrowing. "I met Siesta yesterday. She taught me how to clean your laundry last night."
"Last night? You didn't do anything funny to her did you?" she asked dangerously.
"Funny?" asked Roxas, having no idea what she was getting at.
"You did, didn't you? You really do chase after every girl you see. I really need to teach you some decency." Louise accused.
Roxas could not believe that she was angry once again. "What in the world are you talking about?" He shot back.
Roxas saw that Louise was going to erupt again, so to save some sanity, he tuned her out. He had no idea what Louise was talking about half of the time, or why she was always upset at him. He looked around absently, trying to focus on something else.
Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a certain spot. He saw that Siesta had just given a blond hair boy his cake. Roxas instantly recognized him as the boy from last night that was with the girl that had just talked to siesta. Currently he was sitting with another girl, a blond one with big curls in her hair.
After Siesta placed the cake in front of the boy, she shared a few words before she placed the basket in front of him with a smile.
Immediately, the blond girl started to shout at Guiche for some reason. To make things more confusing, the Burnette who had given the basket to Siesta quickly approached and joined the fray from out of nowhere. Finally it all ended with Guiche getting slapped by the two women before they stormed away.
Roxas had no idea what was what was going on nor why they had acted like that, but he didn't really care. However, that all changed when he witnessed what happened next.
Guiche rose to his feet and turned to Siesta. He then struck her across the face. Siesta cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, clasping her cheek. Guiche then started to yell at her.
Roxas grit his teeth as he shot to his feet, surprising Louise in the process. Just as he started to make his way over, he saw Guiche raise a rose and point it at Siesta. His eyes widened immensely when he saw two columns of dirt erupt from the ground and hover over the terrified maid. Immediately, he shot forward like a bullet.
"Seems that you need to be taught a lesson in tact." Guiche said as he raised his rose at Siesta.
"Please Master Guiche. Master Katie only asked me to deliver the Soufflé as a surprise. I didn't know." Siesta cried as the shadows of the dirt columns covered her. She looked up in horror.
"Couldn't you see I was with someone else? You just made those two ladies cry! How are you going to pay for this?"
"I…I…" Siesta stuttered as tears peaked at the corners of her eyes.
"Don't bother." Guiche said as he flicked he flicked his Rose downward. Siesta only looked up in horror as the columns descended upon her. She could only look up helplessly and watch as her life was about to end. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.
Immediately, the columns hit the ground with a devastating force, sending dirt flying in all directions. Everyone around them watched. Most of them felt that Guiche had gone a little overboard, but Siesta was just a maid. They could always get a new one.
"That will teach you." Guiche said as he collapsed on his chair. He flicked his rose once and the dust immediately settled. He expected to see a pool of blood below the columns of earth, but curiously enough there was nothing, not even a shred of ripped clothing.
Siesta's eyes were still closed as she waited. She waited and waited, but nothing happened. Soon, she got enough courage to peak through her eyelids. Immediately afterwards, her eyes flew open as she looked up to see a very familiar face.
Roxas was currently holding her bridal style and both of them were a few meters away from the columns of earth. She looked up in wonder and complete confusion at what just happened. She swore she was dead, but somehow, Roxas had managed to save her.
"Roxas?"
Roxas didn't hear her. Complete fury filled his entire being. He had just managed to save her thanks to him immense speed, but he was almost too late.
Out of everyone, there was only one person that saw the whole thing. Tabitha slowly lowered her staff and dropped her book. She was about to save Siesta herself, but somehow, Roxas managed to beat her to it. Even though it didn't show on her face, she stared in wonder at how he moved so fast. It was almost like he was gliding over the ground at high speed.
Guiche looked at the base of the columns in confusion before he looked he heard Siesta say Roxas's name. He turned to see Roxas standing there with Siesta in his arms. He looked back between Roxas and the columns a few times in confusion before he narrowed his eyes.
"You dare interfere?"
Roxas was shaking in anger. He had been angry quite a few times since he got here, but nothing compared to the blind fury that he felt at this moment. This person tried to hurt Siesta. Siesta was his friend and nobody hurt his friends and got away with it. He was not going to let her end up like Xi…
Roxas frowned as a fragment of the dream he had last night flashed through his head. However, just as fast as it came, it was gone again. He shook his head before he turned and glared at Guiche.
"You seem like you need to be taught a lesson as well familiar. You should not stick your nose into things that don't concern you!"
Roxas didn't say anything as she gently placed Siesta on the ground. He didn't even look at her as his gaze was fixed on Guiche. Slowly, he began to make his way forward.
Guiche saw this and ran his hand though his hair dramatically. "You are quite eager to accept your punishment for interfering. I will tell you what; since I am such a graceful noble I will give you a chance." He said as he pointed his rose at Roxas. "If you bow down and beg for forgiveness, I will let you go and just deal with the maid. If you do not, then we settle this in a dual."
Roxas froze. This boy, Guiche, could not be serious. Did he really expect Roxas to abandon his friend just so he could save his own skin? What kind of screwed up world was this?
"Get real!" Roxas said through his clenched teeth. "Name the time and place."
Guiche had a dangerous glint in his eyes as he plastered a nasty grin on his face. "Vestri Court, one hour." He said as he turned, dramatically flipping his cloak in the process.
"FAMILIAR!"
Roxas viciously turned to Louise and glared at her. He really did not want to deal with this right now. "What!" He snapped.
Louise actually faltered for a second at the pure venom in his voice but quickly shook it off. She grabbed Roxas's sleeve and tried to drag him away. "We are going to Guiche. You are going to apologize and hopefully he will still forgive you."
Roxas finally had enough. He ripped his sleeve from Louise's grasp, causing her to whirl around and glare it him.
"You want me to apologize? You want me to just abandon my friend and let her die? That is not going to happen! I am not losing another friend." He said as another memory flashed though his head. This time, it was one of him and Axel sitting at Twilight tower. However, for a brief instant, there was someone else sitting there with them.
Just as fast as the memory appeared, it was gone again, causing Roxas to shake his head.
"Why does it matter?" Louise bit back as she pointed to Siesta. "She's just a maid. If she's gone, we can just get another one. She is less than nobles. She's a nobody."
Siesta bit the inside of her cheek to stop the tears from coming as she heard that. She knew that was the regular mindset of the nobles, but it still hurt to know that she was seen as the same as a broken teacup.
Replaceable.
Roxas stared Louise before he turned to the rest of the nobles. Most of them were nodding in agreement. He could not believe they would look on existence with such little value. He looked at Siesta, who was still trying to hold back tears.
"No, she is not a nobody. She has a heart, she has feelings, she has memories…She is lucky enough to exist in the first place." He said solemnly before he turned to Louise. "How can you say that you can just get another one if she dies? Do you realize that everyone only gets one life? One existence? What kind of monster are you? How can you and everyone else around here be so…heartless?" he said as he turned to the rest of the nobles with a glare. "Where is Vestri Court?"
Many of the nobles were glaring at his outburst, clearly offended by what he was saying."Over that way." Said a fat blond boy as he pointed in a certain direction. "I can't miss this. Guiche is going to destroy you. Bet that will teach you about respecting the nobles."
Roxas didn't respond as he turned and stormed toward Vestri court.
Louise stared at his retreating form with her mouth dropped open. She could not believe what her familiar just said to her. He dare call her a monster. That was one of the worst insults she had ever heard in her life. What was the deal with just one maid anyway? Louise ground her teeth as she chased after him.
Siesta on the other hand had her both hands over her mouth in shock as she heard him speak. Tears were leaking down her face as his words played through her mind. It warmed her heart to hear that at least someone around here saw some worth in her.
Suddenly, she found herself running toward Vestri court as well, hoping that Roxas could somehow pull off a miracle. She didn't want her new friend to get hurt for her sake.
Authors Note: There you have it. Chapter two down. How did i do? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know. Again, Roxas is sometimes a difficult person to nail because there is very little information about what he actually understands. I have chosen to make Roxas somewhat oblivious because there is not much evidence otherwise. Even his fake life at Twilight town didn't revel much about what he understands. But anyway, thank you for the time you took in reading this chapter. I really appreciate it. Please look forward to the next chapter coming soon.
Thanks again The Lord of Pages for being my Beta.
Until then, Later!
