Authors note: Awe YEAH! 100+ review, favorite, and follow Hype! Thank you for all your comments and support on the story, it really means a lot to me. I am still getting a lot of questions about what Roxas's abilities are, the main one being about his control over the lesser nobody's. Guys please…PATIENCE! A story is no fun if you revile everything all at once. Roxas's abilities will be reviled when he needs to use them. He defeats his enemies with the amount of strength he needs to use.
Now, this chapter will answer a couple questions about what Roxas will be able to do, but you will have to read and find out.
But anyway, this chapter took a while to get out because the rough draft was complete crap. I literally had to gut it in order to make it decent enough to post. And with 12K+ words, this is my longest chapter yet. I don't know if they will continue to be this long or not, it all depends on the ideas I get while I am editing the rough draft. But I can promise you that they all will be over 5K in length. I don't do skimpy chapters. I hope you enjoy it though. I was debating to cut this into two chapters, but you all have been so patient that I decided to post the whole thing.
Warning: It is very difficult to catch all the spelling errors in 12 thousand words, so please forgive me if you find any.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.
A Heart in the Void
Chapter 6
Louise looked around in confusion. Currently, she was sitting in a cage alongside a couple other girls. Why was she in a cage? She looked over to the two other occupants before she tried to demand answers from them, however, no words came forth out of her mouth.
She tried again to speak, but the results were the same.
Louise then noticed the way they were dressed and the physical state they were in. They were in the exact same condition as the girls they found in Count Motts basement. Suddenly, she looked down at herself before gasping in horror. She was wearing the same attire as them and her body was also as malnourished. What was going on?
She was torn from her thoughts when she heard a door to the basement open. Louise immediately noticed that the girls gasped as they looked toward the basement entrance in complete horror before they cuddled together. Soon, Louise turned her head only to be greeted with the sight of Count Mott standing on the outside of the cage with a sickening grin on his face. He pulled a key out of his robes before he unlocked the door.
Louise tried to demand that he tell her what was going on, but no words came out of her mouth. She tried to move, but for some reason, she was rooted in that spot and could only watch as Count Mott grew closer to her.
Soon, the Count roughly grabbed her arm, causing her to wince in pain. She tried to pull away, but Mott grip was unrelenting. She could only watch hopelessly as the disgusting man's face grew closer to hers. Soon, she could feel his hot breath against her ear as his face was right next to hers.
"Scream all you want commoner." Mott breathed into her ear, causing her to cringe in disgust. "But no one will help, after all…" He pulled away and fixed Louise with possessive stares. "Why would anyone care about what happens to you? You're just a peasant, an ant below my shoe…." He brought his face next to hers again before he whispered in her ear. "A nothing."
Louise awoke from her bed with a gasp as she looked around. Cold sweat was rolling down her face as she took a couple breaths to try and calm her beating heart. It was that dream again.
Ever since she had seen what was in Count Mott's basement, she was having that same nightmare for the past couple of nights. Never in her life has she seen something so horrifying. She could not believe how mentally scarred those girls where and didn't even want to think about what Count Mott did for them to end up in that state.
However, the true horror came because of how Mott was able to get away with it. It was one simple reason.
Because they were commoners.
Louise had always thought that Nobles were above commoners, that it didn't really matter what happened to them. But when she saw those women, and all the abuse they went through just because of their social status…It was truly disgusting.
And these dreams…They were making her understand what it would have been like if she was in the same position as those women. Just the thought made Louise cringe.
Slowly, she looked over at the boy in her room. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, sleeping silently. Ever since she had summoned him, her entire world had been turned upside down.
He was her familiar, but he rarely listened to her which should have been impossible. He was a commoner, but he had the ability to use magic. However he only used his power to help people in need, whether they were commoner or noble. He had absolutely no regards for social status and treated everyone the same.
He stood against two nobles to save Siesta simply because she was his friend. He didn't even publicly announce what he had done in order to gain the attention of those around him because he couldn't care less about what people thought about him.
Louise thought back on the time that Kirche had made fun or her and basically told Roxas that he was entitled to be disappointed in her. But Roxas didn't care that she couldn't use magic. He was simply content that he was alive and had people that were his friends.
That was…so different than what she was used to. Nobles usually fought for the sake of their honor and pride, something that Roxas didn't care about.
Louise took her eyes off the strange boy as she tried to go back to bed, thought her mind was still full of confusion. Why was Roxas so content? He had so much power, but didn't flaunt it to get the respect of his pears. He was not a noble, and he was fine with that.
It was almost frustrating because he had so little and could be happy with it while she had nearly everything that commoners could only dream of having, and she was still unhappy.
Louise shook her head as she tried to clear her thoughts. She needed to prepare for tomorrow and hopefully she would get some answers from Roxas. He had been dodging her and Kirche's questions ever since the incident with Count Mott.
Roxas gave a deep sigh as he walked toward the kitchens. The past few days had been a complete and utter nightmare.
Why?
Because Louise and Kirche would not stop badgering him about his abilities. They literally asked one question after another without even giving him time to respond. Then, Louise would throw a fit because Kirche was questioning him when she didn't give her permission to do so. It eventually became so ridiculous that he had to leave in order to keep his sanity. It wasn't very hard to slip away because they were both too distracted to notice.
The next few days consisted of avoiding them and their questions. There was just no need to answer them. Why did it matter what his abilities where? He just used them to protect the people he cared about.
Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha really pushed his patience when Kirche convinced Tabitha to order Sylphid to pin Roxas down so he could not run away. The dragon literally held Roxas down with one of her paws as Kirche and Louise would question him. Tabitha just sat next to her dragon while reading her book. It didn't really look like she was interested until Roxas saw her eyes glance over at him from time to time. He could not believe they would go that far. Why did they even have to know? Why was it important?
Being pinned down was not much of a problem thanks to the corridor of darkness though. Now that they had seen him use it, he was no longer afraid to show that ability. Anytime they would try and restrain him in order to question him, he would just use the corridor to leave. Sylphid learned to never pin him down like that again.
Why?
Because when he arrived on the rooftop to watch the sunset, he didn't bring her a treat from the kitchen. It was a nearly traumatizing experience for the dragon.
After a few more failed attempts at getting information out of him, Kirche and Louise eventually gave up.
Roxas gave a sigh of relief as he thought back on the past few days. It seemed that everything was getting back to normal. The second he entered the kitchen, he was immediately welcomed by all the staff.
"OUR KEY!"
Even since he had brought Siesta back, the kitchen staff treated him like a hero. Marteau was almost crying in happiness when he saw that Siesta had returned.
Roxas scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, a habit he picked up from Sora. He sat down at the kitchen table and was immediately served a dish of eggs, bacon, and a side of homemade bread. A few of the kitchen staff, including Siesta, joined him before they went back to work. They asked questions too, but they were more along the lines of him retelling the story of his triumphant victory over Mott.
Roxas rarely told the story though because Siesta was always more than happy to give the details, something that Roxas was completely ok with. He did notice that she exaggerated some things though, but he didn't really care. He was just glad he made it in time to save her.
On the topic of Siesta, Roxas was very lucky that she was not on the same boat as Louise and Kirche. Siesta had come into Louise's room one day to deliver some tea when she saw Louise and Kirche were in a heated argument about Roxas and his powers. She saw how annoyed the boy was with the whole situation and decided that she would wait for him to open up instead.
However, that was easier said than done. Her thoughts kept returning to the time at the mansion when she saw his incredible agility and swordsmanship. Not only that, but his ability to summon lightning and teleport only served to increase her curiosity. There were so many questions running through her mind that she didn't even know how to organize them.
But, if there was one thing she learned about Roxas, it was that he was very quiet about his life. In all the time they shared together, she realized that she didn't know anything about the mysterious boy.
Roxas quickly finished breakfast before he took a leftover loaf of bread with him. He left the kitchen to join Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha for a couple of classes.
Right when he exited the doors, he was almost run over by an excited dragon as she charged him. The only thing that stopped her from complexly tackling him in a dragon-like hug was the bread that he held out in his extended hand. It was almost a ritual now. If Roxas exited the kitchen empty handed, Sylphid would bulldoze him over and nearly smother him with affection. Food was a wonderful way to distract the massive beast so he could make his escape.
True, he could use the Corridor of Darkness, but what was the fun in that? Besides, he enjoyed the dragons company.
Sylphid eyed the bread like it was the most important thing in the world to her. Roxas could only give a small laugh as he tossed the entire loaf in the air before he turned around and began to walk away, allowing the dragon to enjoy her after-breakfast snack.
After the whole fiasco with Louise and Kirche questioning him, life was very enjoyable for the nobody. Each day he would eat his meals with Siesta and the rowdy kitchen staff, he would attend a few classes with Louise, where he would be either board out of his mind, or trying to diffuse the conflict between Kirche and Louise.
For some reason, Kirche's actions toward him began to be extremely…clingy. She would choose to sit right next to him during the classes, sometime evens resting her head on his shoulder, or grabbing his leg…something that he really didn't enjoy. When Louise would see this, she would get mad and either threatens him or Kirche. It would end up in a verbal throw down between the two nobles before they would get yelled at by the teachers or even kicked out of class.
After the hectic day was over, Roxas liked to enjoy the sunset with Tabitha and Sylphid. It was a nice way to reminisce about the day, and just think back on all the good times he had with Axel, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Truthfully, he really missed his friends, even though three of the four didn't even know who he was.
Tabitha was the exact same as always. She would arrive on the tower a little after he would and either sit next to him, or lean against her dragon while reading her book. They didn't share many words, but they always greeted each other with a nod. Roxas would make sure to grab some leftovers from the kitchen to feed to Sylphid while they enjoyed the sunset, something that the dragon enjoyed immensely.
"You want me to what?" Roxas asked. It was the end of another day and Roxas was in Louise's Room, staring at the girl as she sat at her table.
"I need you to preform something for the familiar exhibit."
"And what is a familiar Exhibit?"
Louise gave a sigh, getting use to the fact that she had to explain every little detain about everything to him. "It's a familiar showcase. Basically it gives the chance for nobles to demonstrate the skills of their familiar.
"Hmm" Roxas thought as he adopted a thinking pose. "So it's like a struggle." He said out loud, more to himself as he thought back on the end of the summer struggle tournaments in twilight town. Everyone would watch the strugglers as they demonstrated their skills in the matches.
"A struggle? What is that?" asked Louise.
Roxas blinked a few times as he looked at the petite girl. "It's nothing. So you want me to show off some of my skills in this…Exhibit?"
Louise thought about it for a while before she gave a sigh. "Yes…and no. It would be the shame of my life if other people knew that my familiar was better at magic that I am."
"And why does that matter?"
Louise growled in annoyance, not having the patience to answer him. "It just does! Besides, Princess Henrietta will be there, and I will not make a fool of myself in front of her."
Roxas looked at her curiously. A princess was going to be there? The only princesses he knew of where the princesses of hearts…But then again, considering the social standards of this world, it didn't surprise him that there was a hierarchy. "Who is the princess?"
Louise was massaging her temples before she looked up at him in disbelief. "You Idiot, its Princess Henrietta. The future ruler of Tristain! How could you not even know that?" She exclaimed before she grabbed her hair in frustration. "Why did I have to get such a clueless familiar?"
Roxas nearly rolled his eyes. The reason was quite obvious, but she didn't need to know that yet. "So this princess is going to be there? Ok, so what do you want me to do then?" Roxas asked. He didn't mind doing a little exhibit. He used to participate in the struggles at twilight town, so how would this be any different?
"I don't know! What can you do?"
Roxas blinked a few times. She brought up a very good point. He had only been alive for a few years, and nearly all that time was spent fighting and destroying heartless. He didn't really have anything else that he was really good at besides fighting.
"I don't have a clue." Roxas said honestly.
Louise face-palmed before running her hand down her face in an agitated manner. "Whatever, I need to go to class. I permit you to take the day and think of something you can showcase. You better think of something…or else." She said, letting the threat hang in the air before she turned and left the room
Roxas huffed. What in the world could she do to him? Starve him? Roxas didn't think she even realized that he was going to the kitchen every day for food. Whip him, Yeah…that was not going to work because Roxas had snapped all of her whips again. He was not going to let her whip him like he had some sort of slave fetish.
Roxas shook his head as he left out the door. Truthfully, Louise had mellowed out a great deal in the past few days. She threatened him less and he was able to get at least a decent conversation in with her before things would go sour.
Roxas soon found himself outside, browsing the academy grounds again while he wondered what he could showcase. It didn't really matter to him if he showcased something or not, but it did get him thinking. He really didn't know how to do anything besides fight.
A cool breeze brushed against his face, causing him to smile. It was a gorgeous day out, and it was too irrespirable to not enjoy. So he fell on his back and lay on the ground, placing his hands behind his head. It was nice to relax like this. It wasn't like in the organization where it was nearly dark outside the entire time, the only light coming from the massive Kingdom hearts hanging in the sky. He didn't have to worry about heartless or nobody's.
A shadow flew over him for a brief moment causing him to look up. The only thing he saw was a streak of blue before a large dragon landed in front of him. Roxas raised his head a little as he saw Sylphid sitting there with her head slightly cocked.
Roxas gave her a small smile before he rested his head back on the ground, looking up into the blue sky.
THUMP
"Ooof" Roxas gasped as he felt a heavy weight land on his chest and a pair of green eyes inches away from his own. Sylphid had lain down next to him and planted her head on his chest, purring up a storm.
Roxas looked at her in slight annoyance before he gave a sigh. He reached up and scratched the top of her head, causing her purring to increase dramatically. It almost felt like a massage as it vibrated against his chest.
"Roxas?"
Roxas looked to his other side to see Siesta standing there with a smile on her face. "Hey Siesta."
Siesta gave a small giggle as she saw him pinned to the ground by Sylphid's head. "You two look comfortable."
Roxas gave her a deadpan look before he glanced at dragon, who was cooing in contentment. "That would make one of us." He said before he looked up at her. "Do you want to join?"
Siesta giggled again before she sat on the grass at his other side and gently reaching over to scratch the dragon on the head, causing Sylphid to purr happily at all the attention. "What are you doing out here? Classes are still going on."
"Louise asked me to think of something to show for the Exhibit, but I don't have any ideas."
"Well, you won't think of something while just lying there." Siesta joked.
"I have little say in the matter."
Siesta laughed as she noticed that Sylphid was rubbing her large head against his chest while purring. "I guess you are excused then, but you should hurry and think of something. The Princess will be attending this time."
Roxas glanced over at her. "It really is that big of a deal, huh?"
"It's because she is the princess. She nearly rules this kingdom of Tristian now. It is an honor to be able to impress her."
"Why?"
Siesta paused for a moment, trying to come up with an answer, but nothing really came to mind. "That's…just the way it is."
"...If you say so."
There was a comfortable silence between them before Siesta stood from her place. She dusted off her apron and she turned to the relaxing duo. "Well, I still have some things to do to prepare for the exhibit. Please do your best Roxas, I am sure you will think of something."
"I highly doubt that." Roxas replied with a small smile.
Siesta giggled again before she left. Roxas watched her walk away before he turned his attention to the happy dragon. Something had been bothering him even since the incident with Mott. When he went to save Siesta, no one knew he had left.
No one except for Sylphid.
That begged the question, how did the others find out about it.
"Hey Sylphid?" Roxas started.
Sylphid cracked open her eyes to spare him a glace.
"The day I went to save Siesta, there was no one that knew I left. But somehow, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha figured it out. You wouldn't happen to know the reason behind that would you?"
Immediately, Roxas felt the Dragons head go ridged against his chest as her eyes widened dramatically. That little gesture spoke volumes to the Nobody.
"So you let Tabitha know, didn't you?" Roxas stated.
The Dragon slumped at having been figured out. She gave a small sorrowful warble before she rubbed her head against his chest, hoping he wasn't angry at her.
Roxas scratched the top of her head. "Well…Truthfully, it was a good thing you did. If they didn't show up, then I don't think things would have gone as well…So thanks girl."
Sylphid's eyes widened slightly before she lifted her head to look down at him. He had his usual smile on his face before he placed his hands behind his head and relaxed on the grass before closing his eyes. He wasn't angry at her. He actually thanked her, even though she basically ratted him out.
Sylphid gave a joyful coo before she once again rested her head on his chest. Roxas really was something else.
It was a nice nap later before Sylphid was called away by Tabitha so they could practice for the exhibit. The dragon departed with her master, but not before giving Roxas a small lick to his face.
Roxas watched the two disappear before he returned to his thoughts. He still had not come up with anything he could do for the exhibit, but his mind was on a different matter. He noticed that everyone was practicing very hard, especially for this exhibit. And there was only one reason for that.
To impress the Princess.
Truthfully, he knew that Princesses were important. Heck, without the seven princesses of hearts, most of the worlds would have plunged into darkness right about now. And Ansem/Xehanort's heartless was just one princess away from accomplishing that goal. Luckily, Sora was able to stop him and free Kairi's heart. He knew that story very well, after all…
That was how he was created.
But thinking about the princesses of heart, because they were the seven pure lights, they were one of the few things that prevented all of the worlds from plunging into darkness. To have the fate of many worlds resting on your shoulders, that was an enormous responsibility.
Roxas had to wonder, was it the same for this princess? Grant it, she was not a princess of heart, but were her responsibilities enormous like there's? Siesta did say that the princess basically runs this country now.
He himself had a Keyblade, and that was all the responsibility he wanted, but having to look after an entire country, just thinking about it made his shutter.
Or maybe he was overthinking this. Maybe the princess was just like most of the other nobles around here. If that was the case, then he really feared for this country.
The sun was setting again and Roxas found himself at his usual spot on the tower. Tabitha was reading a book behind him as she leaned against Sylphid. Sylphid was snacking on a few leftovers that Roxas had brought from the kitchen.
"Hey Tabitha?" Roxas asked as he turned to look at her. Tabitha didn't glance up from her book, but Roxas knew she was listening. "People keep saying that the princess will be there tomorrow for the exhibit. Is she like many of the nobles I have met so far?"
Tabitha slowly lowered her book until she met his gaze. She shook her head once. "The princess is very kind to everyone."
"Hmm." Roxas hummed. "That's good to hear. She basically runs the country now, right?"
Tabitha nodded once.
"Well, it is a good thing she is kind then. I wonder what it would be like to run a country."
"It's an enormous responsibility for someone as young as her."
Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…I already guessed, but how would you know that?"
Tabitha bit her lower lip slightly before she raised her book, cutting off eye contact with him in the process.
Roxas blinked a few times before he turned back to the sunset. When Tabitha did that, it meant the conversation was over. It was weird when she did that, almost like there was something she wanted to tell him, but just couldn't. He shrugged it off though. If Tabitha wanted to tell him something, she would.
It was the next day that Roxas found himself standing on the academy grounds with the rest of the student body. They were lining up around the entrance, waiting for the princess's carriage to appear. Roxas had to admit, he was curious about this princess. Would she be anything like the princesses of heart? From what he had learned so far, she was very different than the nobles he had met. Even Louise, who usually talked bad about everyone, would not shut up about how amazing the Princess was. It was almost like she knew her on a personal level.
Soon a pair of carriages came into view. The student started to cheer even before the princess got out of her carriage. But soon, the doors opened and out came a girl with purple hair and a beautiful white dress.
Roxas raised his eyebrows. Tabitha was right, she was very young. And she had to run the entire country by herself?
Roxas continued to watch as the princess gently waved her hand at the passing nobles as they cheered for her. If she was under a lot of pressure, she sure didn't show it. She was smiling and waving elegantly as she made her way into the academy.
Roxas spared a quick glance at Louise. Louise was looking at the princess with a gentle smile and a peaceful expression on her face. It was so different than the haughty look she would usually ware. He could tell that she really admired this person.
Roxas inhaled the cool night air as he walked across the academy grounds. He had just finished watching the sunset, but stayed out a bit longer in order to enjoy the sight of the two moons in the sky. The cooling night air was also a pleasant touch on his skin. It was times like this that he really enjoyed being alive. It was the kind of life he always wanted. Even when he was a member of the organization, he envied Hayner, Pence, and Olette because they lived the simple life.
That was something that he wanted as well, but never had the chance until Louise accidentally summoned him. Sure there were a few bumps in the road, but for the most part, life was very enjoyable for the nobody.
Suddenly, a swift motion caught his attention. He looked ahead at the academy entrance to see a hooded figure dash through the opening. Roxas narrowed his eyes. It was very rare that he would see someone out this late besides Tabitha. And when he did, none of them would wear a hood and a cloak.
Silently, Roxas took off after the hooded stranger. He entered the academy before he saw the hem of a cloak disappear up a staircase. Roxas quickly chased after before he saw the stranger peak around the corner of a hallway to make sure no one was there before continuing.
That was really suspicious. Who was this person?
Seeing that no one was around, Roxas decided to make his move. Quickly, he summoned the oblivion before disappearing into a corridor of darkness.
Henrietta was exited. She had snuck out of her room and was easily making her way through the academy to see her childhood friend. Agnes would be very upset, but the princess needed this. She was very excited to see Louise after all these years. She missed her friend dearly. She missed all the fun times they shared together as kids, and there continuing friendship today. She, along with Whales, where some of the only people she could rely on since her father had passed away.
Sure her mother was there to support her ever so often, but for the most part, Henrietta had to do everything herself.
And that was very difficult.
She was walking through the halls of the academy, almost shaking in anticipation at seeing her friend again. Suddenly a pillar of darkness erupted in front of her, causing her to yelp and jump back with her wand out. A figure appeared as the darkness vanished. It was a young man with spiky, golden hair. His eyes were crystal blue and in his hands was a dark weapon. He was crouched down in a battle stance that just screamed attack.
Instantly Henrietta raised her wand in warning to stop the boy in front of her. Her eyes were wide in shock at his sudden appearance. Where in the world had he come from? Why was he about to attack her?
…
Well… Truthfully, she did look a little suspicious.
"Who are you?" The boy questioned.
Henrietta blinked a few times as she heard his question. Immediately, she lowered her wand and raised her arms in the air as a peaceful gesture. "Please don't worry; I am not here to attack anyone?"
"And how do I know that? Who are you?"
Henrietta lowered her head to make sure her face was still covered by the hood. "I-I am just looking for a friend of mine. I mean no harm."
The boy in front of her didn't budge a muscle. "If you are looking for someone, why are you in a disguise?"
Henrietta bit her lower lip. She really didn't want to revel who she was to a complete stranger. She didn't have any bodyguards around her at the moment, and this youth looked like he knew how to handle himself in a fight.
"Its just-It's hard to travel without a disguise. I-I don't know who I would run into. Please, I just want to see my friend." She said, almost desperately.
Henrietta could feel a few tears begin to form in her eyes. This was not how tonight was supposed to go. All she wanted to do was visit a friend that she had not seen in a long time, and now she may have found herself in a predicament. What was she going to do?
Roxas stared at the hooded figure in front of him. Just listening to the voice, he could tell this person was a girl. She was suspicious on all accounts, however…the tone of voice she used when she stated her purpose was…oddly familiar. Whoever this person wanted to see, she wanted to see badly. It nearly reminded him of Axel's determination to see him again simply because they were friends. Was this person the same?
"Who are you looking for?" Roxas asked, still in his battle stance, just in case she tried anything.
He saw the hooded girl look up slightly so he could see the lower half of her face. Her mouth was slightly open. "It's a good friend of mine; you might know her as Louise."
Roxas continued to stare at the hooded girl for a while before he slowly relaxed his stance. However he did not dismiss his weapon. "I know who Louise is. If you want to see her, then I can take you…But" He said as he pointed his weapon at her. "If you try anything, I will not stand by and watch."
He saw the girl's mouth open slightly for a second before it morphed into a smile. She nodded her head before she walked up besides Roxas. Roxas stiffened slightly, but led her through the hallways.
Henrietta found herself walking next to the boy who had nearly threatened her. She was shocked that he suddenly changed his mind and was now leading her to Louise's room…How did he even know where her room was anyway?
Stealing a few glances as they walked, Henrietta took note of a few things about this boy. He was barely taller than her, but held himself like a seasoned warrior. Even though he was not in a battle stance, his body was ridged, ready to move at the smallest sign of hostility. Her eyes traveled to the dark weapon in his hand. Never had she seen a weapon like that before. It had an ominous feeling to it, and the boy held it like it was natural part of his body.
Again, she looked up at his face. He was indeed handsome. He had a determined look in his eyes that clearly told people not to mess with him. Just who was this boy? Was he a student at the academy? What kind of magic had he used in order to appear in front of her?
"Why are you sneaking around at night? If you wanted to see Louise, then you could have just walked to her room."
Henrietta was pulled from her thoughts as she heard his question. She lowered her head again before clearing her throat. "Because of my status, it is difficult to move alone."
"Your status?"
She nodded before she turned to him. "What about you? Why are you up so late?"
Henrietta saw the boy scratch the back of his head with his free hand. "I was trying to think of something to do for the exhibit tomorrow."
Henrietta raised an eyebrow. "You're a noble then? What kind of familiar do you have?"
She saw the boy shake his head. "I am not a noble, I am a familiar. Louise's familiar specifically."
…
Henrietta felt her eyes widen as she looked up at the boy. She remembered the report of Count Mott from Professor Colbert's letter, and then the witnesses of the girls in his basement. How one person had broken into the Counts estate, beat all of the guards, and defeated the Count himself. This was that person. The familiar of one of her closest friends. And she was walking right beside him. "You're a familiar?"
The boy nodded, but didn't pay any attention to her reactions. "Yeah, and Louise asked if I could perform something because the princess would be attending the exhibit. She wanted to do something to impress her, but truthfully, I don't know how to do much except for fight."
Henrietta continued to listen to the familiar before she felt herself frown a bit. Even Louise wanted to do something extravagant to impress her. While she was flattered, Henrietta could not help but feel a little downtrodden as well. She and Louise had been friends for a long time, but now Louise felt the need to impress her? Did Louise still see them as friends? Or did she see her as just another figure head that needed to be impressed for the sake of honor?
"What about you? What are your thoughts towards the princess?" Asked Henrietta before she looked at him.
The boy shrugged. "Honestly…I don't know. I would not want to be in her shoes, that's for sure."
…
Henrietta blinked a few times. "What?"
She saw the boy shaking his head. "She has to run an entire country by herself. I have seen other princesses before and the burden they carry. I don't think that would be something I could handle."
Henrietta felt her mouth drop open slightly. He was right on the money about that. The amount of pressure she was under because she had a country to run now that her mother had stepped down, No one could understand that kind of stress. Most people would give everything to be in her shoes, but they didn't understand the responsibility that it came with. They really didn't understand that an entire country depended on you and there are very few people you can rely on.
However, she was standing next to someone that actually understood that.
It didn't take long before Roxas and the stranger were standing in front of Louise's Room. He still had his guard up around this person, but she seemed harmless, plus he was curious as to whom this person was and how she knew Louise.
Gently he pushed open the door and entered, along with the stranger.
Louise was stretching her arms towards the sky, already dressed in her sleepwear before she noticed that Roxas had entered her room, followed by a hooded figure. There was a brief silence for a while before Louise shot Roxas an annoyed look.
"Roxas, who is this?"
"Louise!" The figure cried before she flung off her hood and dashed past Roxas. Both Roxas and Louise were too confused to react before the stranger engulfed Louise in a hug. "I missed you so much!"
"Princess! Why are you here? You shouldn't' come to places that are beneath you." Louise said as she gently pushed the Princess away and knelt down.
Roxas blinked a few times as he recognized the face of the princess. What in the world was she doing here? How did she know Louise?
Henrietta looked a little hurt before she covered it with a smile. "Please don't do that Louise. You are my childhood friend. Rise to your feet and let me look at you."
Louise looked up for her spot before she stood; a gentle smile crossed her features. "It's good to see you Princess."
"Louise, please call me Henrietta."
"I could never"
Henrietta scrunched her eyebrows briefly before smiling again. "I insist. You're one of the only ones I can talk to freely since my father passed away."
Louise gave a small blush before she smiled at the princess as well. "I was really surprised to get your letters Henrietta. I thought you would have forgotten me."
Henrietta shook her head before she hugged Louise again. "Of course I wouldn't forget you." She said before she glanced over at Roxas. "I have to admit, my curiosity was peaked when I heard about your recent endeavors with Count Mott."
Louise lowered her gaze slightly as she remembered the incident. She was still having nightmares because of it. "You heard about that?"
Henrietta nodded. "Professor Colbert wrote us the letter and explained the full extent of Count Mott's crimes. I assure you that his punishment was most severe."
"Good." Roxas said as he crossed his arms. Just thinking about that man got him slightly riled up. He really wished he could have ended the man, but it seemed like he got what he deserved.
Louise suddenly remembered that Roxas was there. She glared at him before she stormed passed the princess and grasped the front of his robe, trying to force him to his knees. Roxas however refused to budge. Eventually, Louise gave up and turned back to the queen. "I am sorry about my Familiar. He is very stubborn." She said before she shot him another glare.
Henrietta laughed into her hand. "I don't mind Louise. I actually find it refreshing that I can speak to someone who doesn't have their face to the floor."
Louise blushed in embarrassment before she realized something. She glared at Roxas again. "Why were you with the princess before you got to my room?"
"I saw her entering the academy. She was wearing a disguise, to I confronted her. When she told me she knew you, I brought her here." Roxas said simply.
Louise's face paled in horror. "You threatened the princess?!" She exclaimed before she turned to Henrietta and fell to the ground again. "I am so sorry for this your highness, I will take any punishment in order to make us for my familiar's actions."
Henrietta giggled against into her hand. "Worry not Louise. Roxas was just looking after you. I actually admire that." She said before she turned to Roxas. "You know, it's not every day that a Commoner defeats a tringle class mage."
Roxas raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"Professor Colbert didn't go into much detail, but I am curious about your abilities. When you confronted me, you seemed to appear out of nowhere. Is that a special ability you have?"
"Yes."
There was silence for a little while, almost as if Henrietta and Louise were expecting him to say something more, but all they were met with was silence. Finally, Louise gave a growl. "I am sorry you Highness, but even I have not been able to learn anything else about his ability's. He is very secretive about them." She said before she threw Roxas another glare.
"Oh?" Henrietta said before she turned to Roxas again. "And why is that? Why don't you tell us about your abilities?"
"What's the point?"
Louise and Henrietta stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"What's the point if you know what my abilities are or not? I use them to protect the people I care about. I fight for my friends. So why does it matter what I can do?"
Louise and Henrietta continued to stare at him, creating an awkward silence between them. It was Henrietta who broke out of her stupor first. She smiled at him. "Well, if that is the case, then I won't worry about it. I am glad you use your unique abilities to protect people. If more people were like you then less people would end up like those girls you saved." She commented.
Roxas thought back on his interactions with the traumatized women. The horrifying looks in their eyes still sent chills down his spine. "Are they going to be alright?"
"Eventually. They are still very scared of men, but they are slowly recovering."
Roxas gave a small sigh of relief. "I'm glade." He said. "Thank you for helping them, even though they are commoners."
Henrietta looked a little confused. "What do you mean? Of course I would help them. Why would them being commoners have anything to do with it?"
…
With that statement, Roxas narrowed his eyes before he glanced at Louise. She was a little pale when she began to see where this conversation was going.
"Ever since I was summoned, I have noticed how the Nobles would treat the commoners. It seemed like they only saw them as something expendable…Or even replaceable."
Henrietta felt her eyes widen slightly. "They do?"
"UMM!" Louise suddenly interrupted, causing Roxas and Henrietta to look at her. She was sweating slightly as she looked between Roxas and Henrietta. She really didn't like where this conversation was going. She knew that the Princess was extremely kind to Commoners and Nobles alike. If the princess found out what she said about Siesta…Louise didn't even want to think about it. "We all worked very hard to help those girls in Count Mott's estate. I am glad they are doing better as well."
Roxas stared at her for the longest time, making Louise feel very uncomfortable.
Henrietta beamed before she clasped Louise's hands. "That is wonderful Louise. I am just glad to see that you don't view Commoners like most nobles do. Most nobles forget that is it the duty of a mage to protect them. That is why we are blessed by the founder. Commoners are the very foundation of our society and without them, we would be nothing."
Louise looked down slightly. There was no way she could meet the Princesses gaze after she said that.
Henrietta didn't seem to notice as she turned back to Roxas. She noticed that there was a frown on his face, but she didn't bring it up. "You seem like the person that will do anything for your friends, so will you continue to protect Louise?"
Roxas looked at Louise. Their eyes met briefly before she turned her gaze away from him. "I'll protect her Henrietta." He forced out.
Henrietta beamed again before she released Louise's hands and walked over to the door. "That's good to hear. Louise is a precious friend of mine, so please look after her." She said before she flipped on her hood. "I have to go now. If I am gone any longer, Agnes may notice. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow Louise. And you too Roxas."
Roxas only nodded before he saw Henriette walk out the door.
There was an incredibly awkward silence for a while between Roxas and Louise. Roxas had a deep frown on his face as the conversation between the three of them replayed through his mind.
"Roxas…"
"You lied to her."
Louise immediately quieted down as he slowly turned to face her. "She said it was the duty of the noble to protect commoners, if that is the case, then why didn't you help Siesta? Why was she in any danger at all?"
"I-I" Louise stuttered.
"You are no different than Count Mott. You said that Siesta was a nobody, something that they could just replace if she died. Tell me, what would the Princess think if she knew that?"
Louise looked up at Roxas in horror. If the princess knew of her mentality toward commoners…again, she didn't want to even think about how the princess would react. "I-Its different now."
Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Oh really? How is it different?"
Louise bit her lower lip as she remembered her nightmares. "Ever since I saw what was down in Count Mott's basement, I could not get the image out of my head. I have been having nightmares about it…" She staid before she lowered her gaze towards the ground. "I questioned why Count Mott had been able to get away with it for so long, but I already knew the answer." She said before she looked up at Roxas with her eyebrows scrunched. "It was because they were commoners. They had to endure all of that just because they were commoners."
"Yeah. They did." Roxas said before he turned and walked to the door. "They didn't deserve something like that. They were supposed to be protected by the nobles according to the Princess herself." He said before he turned to Louise
Louise could only cringe at the look he was giving her.
"But you, along with most of the nobles here, fail to live up to that. You only see commoners as expendable. You don't even care about what happens to them. And you even lied to the princess because you don't want her to feel disappointed in you. You know what…I am not even going to tell her because you are just not worth it." He said before he clasped the doorknob with his hand. "You truly are a monster."
Louise watched as Roxas left through the door, her mouth hanging open. That was the second time that she had heard Roxas say that to her, though this time, it hurt a lot more. Slowly, Louise bit her lower lip as tears started to fall down her face. The one thing she didn't want to happen had just happened. It wasn't because she was bad at magic, nor was it because she was mean to him. No, it had happened because of how she treated others that were below her status.
Her familiar was ashamed of her.
Louise fell to her knees as tears started to roll down her cheeks.
Roxas was furious. He could not believe what he had just learned. It was the noble's responsibility to protect commoners? If that were so, then why did Count Mott do what he did? Why did Guiche try and kill Siesta? Why did Louise not care if siesta died?
The last straw was when Louise lied to the princess. It was obvious that the princess understood her role as a noble. Even with the brief conversation in the academy halls, Roxas had felt comfortable around her, even when she was wearing a disguise.
Roxas stormed out of the academy. There was no way he was sleeping in Louis's room that night. Just thinking about her got him riled up. He needed some cool air to calm his heated anger.
It was the next day that everyone was gathered together to watch the familiars preform with their masters. The tense atmosphere between Roxas and Louise could be cut with a knife. They had not spoken a word to each other since the other night. Roxas even refused to make eye-contact with the girl because he was still not over his anger.
Finally, after a number of performances from the other familiars, it was time for Roxas and Louise to take the stage. Louise was especially nervous because she didn't know what Roxas would do. If he was still angry from the other night, he could easily do something that would either embarrass her, or completely shame her. She watched as Roxas moved onto the stage, nervously biting her lower lip in the process.
Roxas entered the stage and looked around at the crowd. They all waited in anticipation for him to do, or say something. Finally, he opened his mouth.
"My name is Roxas. I am Louise's familiar." He said before he turned around and left the stage.
The entire audience blinked a few times before a murmur ran through the stands. There was neither cheering nor laughter, but a steady whisper fell through the crowd.
A Human familiar?
Is he not going to preform anything?
I have never heard of a human being summoned before.
Well, that was a waste of time.
Louise stood there and watched as Roxas left the stage and walked right past her, not even sparing her a glance. Truthfully, she didn't know if she wanted to be upset with him, or be relieved that he didn't do anything more to embarrass her. She was leaning more towards the latter than anything though. He could have easily showed off his magical abilities, thus showing that he was much more talented at magic than her, and completely shaming her in the process. But no, he just simply introduced himself and left the stage.
After how last night went, Louise chose to be satisfied with that. However, this could not go on. She could not stand the atmosphere between them any longer.
"The winner goes to TABITHA!"
Roxas stood among the crowd with a small smile as he saw two of his friends win the competition. Tabitha had her usual expression on her face, but Sylphid looked like she was soaking in the attention. He watched as Princess Henrietta personally approached the duo and congratulated them.
Suddenly, Roxas noticed that a certain pink-haired girl was approaching him with a determined look on her face. Roxas's eyes narrowed before he turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction. He really didn't want to deal with Louise right now. He didn't care if he didn't perform something, and truthfully, she didn't even deserve it.
Louise saw Roxas starting to walk away from her, so she picked up the pace. She stormed forward until she reached his side and grasped the sleeve of his coat.
"Roxas, Stop!" she commanded.
Roxas tore his sleeve out of her grasp. "What do you want now?"
Louise placed her hands on her hips and tried to look a bit imposing. "We need to talk about this."
"There is nothing to talk about." Roxas said back before he turned away from her. "You, and the rest of the nobles are supposed to protect the commoners, but you don't because you see them as below you. You don't care about what happens to them." Roxas started to walk away again before Louise grabbed his arm.
"Your right, I didn't care about what happened to them." She started.
"See, now that the princess isn't around, you admit-"
"But it's different now."
…
Roxas narrowed his eyes at her. "It's different now?" He said before he scoffed. "And how is it different?"
Louise bit her lower lip. "I began to explain it to you yesterday. Ever since I saw those girls down in count Motts basement, I could not get the image out of my head. I have been having nightmares about it." She said before she lowered her gaze. "I-I never realized what it would have been like if I were in there place. If I had not been born of nobility, would I have gone through the same thing?"
Roxas stared at the pink-haired girl as she continued to talk.
"I realized that the only reason that count Mott was able to get away with that was because they were commoners."
"So what?"
Louise looked up at him. "What do you mean so what?"
Roxas shook his head. "So you realized that they were treated this way because they were commoners. So what? What does that change? If you knew about it, would you do anything to stop it?"
"I-I"
Roxas shook his head. "Forget it."
He was about to walk away again before the ground started to rumble. Roxas looked down only to notice that the ground was starting to crack below his feet. His eyes widened before he turned to Louise and scooped her off of her feet before dashed away from the area.
Immediately, a massive figure erupted from the earth right where they were standing. The figure continued to rise until it was about the size of a Dark side heartless. The massive creature was made completely of rock. As it continued to rise, fragments of earth and dust would cascade down its body.
Roxas placed Louise on the ground, completely ignoring her shocked look before he faced the colossal giant. What in the world was this? Was it the work of a student?
Suddenly, a hooded figure appeared on the head of the golem. It pointed its hand to the side of the academy tower. Immediately, the golem turned toward the wall and drew back its fist. With one motion, it slammed its hand into the side only for a magical field to repel the giant.
Apparently, Roxas and Louise were not the only ones that witnessed this massive creature. The rest of the audience was looking fearfully at the golem as well. Right when the golem smashed into the academy, people started to scream in panic.
"It's Fouquet!"
"She's trying to break into the treasury! Stop her."
A few of the courageous students immediately started to chant spells. Balls of flame sprung forth from there wands and collided with the golem, however, they were easily brushed off.
Henrietta rushed forward with her staff out before she turned to her guards. "Stop Fouquet. She must not break into the treasury!"
Her guard nodded before turning to the other guards. "Musketeers, you heard her. Attack!"
Immediately, the guards rushed forwards with their swords and pistols before they open fired on the hooded Fouquet. Fouquet simply raised a wall of dirt to protect her from the onslaught of bullets. Her golem was not even phased by the firearms as it raised its massive, earthy fist and slammed it down towards the musketeers.
Immediately, they scattered to get a better anger on the thief, however, in the process, they completely left the princess unattended.
Fouquet smirked before she chanted a small spell. Immediately, the golem raised its first again and turned toward Henrietta. Everyone gasped as they saw what the thief was trying to do. She was actually going to kill the princess of Tristain.
With a quick motion, Fouquet brought her wand down, and with it, the golem's fist plunged towards the exposed princess.
Roxas's eyes widened before he immediately disappeared in a corridor of darkness.
Henrietta could only look up helplessly as the giant fist descended upon her. Immediately, she closed her eyes, waiting for the colossal creature to crush her. Suddenly, she felt something grab her around the waist from behind and she was roughly tugged backwards.
The massive fist smashed into the ground where the princess was standing. Dirt and dust flew in all directions as the first buried itself into the earth. Everyone was watching with their mouths dropped open in horror. They princess had just been killed right before there very eyes.
"PRINCESS HENRETTA!" Agnes screamed as she watched the earth golem lift its giant fist. Chunks of earth fell from the hand as it continued to rise. The dust soon settled over the crater that the golem had made, but there was no sign of the dead princess. No body, no blood, not even a speck of torn clothing.
Suddenly, coughing was heard from amidst the dirt cloud. Slowly, the dust began to settle, reveling two figures.
Agnes gasped as she saw the princess as one of those figures. She was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath, but she was alive. The other figure was…Louise's familiar.
Agnes stared at Roxas for a second before she looked back to Louise's side where she saw him last. She then looked back at him. Somehow, he had managed to move all the way over there and tackle Henrietta out of the way. How?
Henrietta was gasping for breath, having the wind knocked out of her from being jerked back by whatever had grabbed her. Her stomach was sore, but at least she was alive. She slowly looked up to see her savior.
…
Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the same man that had caught her last night. Louise's familiar.
"Roxas?" She gasped out.
Roxas had his teeth clenched as he looked up at the massive golem. Whoever this person was, they were going to pay for this. He glanced down at the princess, who was still a little winded, but slowly making her way to her feet.
"Henrietta, I will hold him off. You organize your guards." He said before he stepped forward.
Henrietta only watched wordlessly as Roxas stared down the golem with the famous thief perched on top. How in the word did he plan to take on something like that? Is should be impossible, no matter how good of a swordsman you were.
Roxas paid her no mind as he whipped his right hand across his body. Immediately, the oblivion flashed into existence. He was not done though. Whipping his left hand next, the white Oathkeeper burst forth in all its glory. Roxas spun the two weapons in his hands before making them clash with each other. Small sparks shot of the end as he got into his signature dual wielding stance.
"He has two of those?" Kirche asked in disbelief as she stood by Tabitha and watched Roxas stare down the thief.
Kirche was not the only one that was surprised. Louise was also watching with wide eyes as she gazed upon the second weapon. This one seemed like the polar opposite to the weapon he always uses. While the black weapon was dark and ominous, this one was pure white and inviting. However, in the hands of Roxas, it was obvious that this weapon was meant to be used for battle.
Fouquet was just as surprised as everyone to see that the princess was alright. She was even more surprised to see that the boy who had saved her actually had the balls to fight her directly, even with her golem. He held no fear in his eyes as he readied his stance. The two weapons in his hands were very unique, but they were not going to save him today. She was going to get what she came for.
Roxas suddenly crouched down and shot towards the golem, surprising Fouquet at the speed of his movement. However, the thief was quick to react as she flicked her wand. Immediately, the massive creature plummeted its fist down at Roxas. Roxas simply jumped back right before the fist could make contact, causing the hand to crash into the ground in front of him. He quickly jumped on the arm of the golem and began to sprint up it, heading straight for the thief.
Fouquet adopted a look of surprised before she waved her wand at him. Jagged pieces of the golem's body broke away before they shot at Roxas.
Roxas retaliated by slashing the first rock with his oblivion, then he whipped his Oathkeeper around and destroyed the next. He continued to exchange slashes between his two keyblades as he pressed forwards, not even slowing down his pace as he progressed towards her.
Fouquet didn't expect this. She thought that at least one spike would make it through his defense, but he was still pressing forward easily. It seemed that bigger measures were in order. She waited until he was close enough before she whipped her wand at him and changed as spell.
Suddenly, a massive spike of earth erupted from the body of the golem behind Fouquet. It aimed itself at Roxas before Fouquet launched it.
Roxas saw the massive piece of earth heading his way before he raised his Oathkeeper. "Reflect." Immediately, a dome of light appeared around Keyblade wielder. The massive earth spike hit the barrier, causing the shield to shatter into fragments of light.
Fouquet was about to laugh at the weakness of the shield spell until the particles of light erupted into small explosions. Major pieces of her golem broke before she was also hit with one of the blasts. She stumbled backwards, only to see Roxas shoot right at her. Thinking quickly, she waved her wand right when Roxas swung the oblivion at her. A wall of earth separated them, causing Roxas's weapon to collide with it. Fouquet used this to her advantage to get some distance between them.
Roxas swung his other Keyblade against the wall before it smashed into pieces. The wall crumbled to revile Fouquet standing on the outstretched arm of the golem, quickly chanting a spell. Before Roxas could even make a move, a dust cloud erupted from the top of the golem, complexly obscuring Roxas's view.
Roxas winced as a bit of dust hit him in the eye. He was about to dash out of the cloud before a massive hand appeared in front him and grabbed him from off the golem's head, enclosing its fingers around his body to ensure that he didn't escape.
There was a gasp through the crowd as they watched Roxas get captured by the massive hand. Roxas winced a bit as the fingers slowly enclosed around him in an attempt to crush him to death. He was just about to open a corridor of darkness when he saw a pink-haired girl quickly making her way towards them.
"ROXAS!" shouted Louise as she approached the giant.
"Louise, STAY BACK! RUN!" Roxas shouted as he readied his corridor.
Louise completely ignored him before she raised her wand. "FIREBALL!"
The wispy darkness was just starting to form before Roxas was hit with an enormous amount of pain. The fist that was holding him, along with a huge part of the academy tower, exploded. But that was not the only problem. A small portion of that blast hit Roxas directly in the face.
Blood started to leak down his head as he felt his vision start to fade. The corridor of darkness disappeared before he had the chance to use it. Soon, he hung limply in the hand of the golem, completely knocked unconscious from the accidental blast.
Fouquet blinked a few times as she looked between Louise, the broken academy wall, then to the limp Roxas in the hand of her golem. She could not believe how lucky she had gotten. She was about to cast a spell at the broken wall before a glimmer of blue caught her attention. She turned to see a dragon and its master racing towards them. She gave a small smirk before she looked over to the unconscious Roxas, still in her golem's hand.
With a quick movement of her wand, the golem reached back and threw Roxas in the opposite direction. Just as she suspected, the dragon complexly diverted its attention and sped after the falling body. Immediately, Fouquet waved her wand again before her golem smashed its fist into the academy wall. Instead of being repelled like last time, the hand smashed right through, giving her easy access to whatever she needed.
Sylphid and Tabitha raced towards the falling Roxas. He was plummeting fast, so they went into a nosedive. He was just about to hit the ground before Sylphid extended her hands and caught the limp body. Immediately, she held him close, scared to death that she nearly lost him.
It only took a second for Fouquet to race into the treasury and exit with a small case in her arms. She grinned down at the nobles, more specifically the one noble that made it possible. "Thanks for your help Louise; I couldn't have done it without you." She yelled as her golem began to step over the outer walls of the academy. She suddenly had to duck as the musketeers began to open fire, but by this time it was too late.
"AFTER HER!" Agnes shouted to the musketeers. They immediately started to move toward the exit in hope of catching the thief.
Tabitha and Sylphid landed on the ground before gently laying Roxas down. His face was covered in blood and his breaths were coming out in short, painful gasps. Tabitha jumped down from Sylphid before kneeling down next to the nobody. He looked worse for wars, but it didn't look like he was going to die.
"ROXAS!"
Tabitha looked over to see Louise, Kirche, Henrietta, and Siesta running towards her. Once they were close enough to see, they could only gasp in horror. It actually looked a lot worse than it was because there was a lot of blood seeping from the cuts on his head.
"Is he ok?" Asked Louise shakily. She could not believe what she just did. She was just trying to help her familiar escape, but she accidentally blew him up as well.
Tabitha gave a single nod, causing Louise to sigh in relief.
Kirche however was furious. "What were you thinking Louise? You nearly killed your familiar!"
Louise bit her lower lip. "I just made a little mistake. I didn't mean to." She said as she diverted her eyes.
"Tsk." Kirche said before looking to Tabitha. "Can you wake him up? His healing spell should be enough to fix this."
Louise whirled around, looking at her with wide eyes. "Healing Spell? What are you talking about?"
Tabitha nodded before she waved her staff above Roxas's head. Immediately he gasped as his eyes shot open. Immediately, he groaned in pain before he raised his right hand.
"Cura."
Suddenly, he was enveloped in a mass of green light. All that had witnessed could only watch in amazement as the cuts began to heal. The bleeding immediately stopped as the wounds suddenly vanished.
One green hue of light faded, Roxas slowly sat up. His face felt like it had been smashed by Lexaeus tomahawk, and that was saying something. His mind was still a little fuzzy, but there was no permanent damage thankfully.
"Roxas!" Roxas suddenly felt two arms around his neck and a force hit his chest. He nearly fell back down, but managed to hold himself up with his arms. He looked down to see that Siesta had thrown herself on him in worry. She then pulled back before taking a rag out of her apron and wiping some of the blood off his face. "Are you ok?" she asked as she examined his head.
Roxas froze for a second as siesta continued to wipe the blood off. He blinked a few times before giving her a small smile. "I will be. Thanks Siesta." He said before he turned to the rest of the crowd. "What happened?"
"Fouquet got away before I could organize an attack." Henrietta said sadly.
Roxas frowned. "I see. So I wasn't able to stop him long enough."
Kirche narrowed her eyes. "It wasn't exactly your fault. You were doing fine until Louise blew you up."
"It was just a mistake. I was trying to help!"
"Stop fighting! What's done it done?" Henrietta said as she approached Roxas. She was staring at him, not really knowing if she wanted to question him about his insane abilities, or thank him. After seeing all that he went through today, she decided on the latter. "Thank you for saving me. This battle could have been a lot worse had you not been there." She said with a smile.
Roxas blinked a few times. "Umm…You're welcome." He said, giving her a small smile. "We may not have known each other for that long, but…I feel like we are already friends." He then narrowed his eyes. "And I will not let my friends disappear again."
The people in the current vicinity gave him curious looks, especially from Kirche, Siesta, Louise, and Tabitha. It was very rare that Roxas ever said anything about his past. He would give a few hints here and there, but not much more than that.
Henrietta beamed. "Of course. You are my best friend's familiar, and you said you would protect her. So naturally we are friends. Thank you Roxas." She said before she was ambushed by a fussing Agnes, making sure that there were no injuries on the princess.
Roxas gave a small laugh as he felt the wet rag on his face again. He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to Siesta. She gave him a worried smile as she gently washed the blood off his face before standing up, allowing Roxas to shakily stand on his feet as well. His mind was still a bit fuzzy from that explosion.
He was almost knocked over again through as he was wrapped up in a hug by Kirche. "Roxas darling. That was amazing. You went one on one with Fouquet and her golem. You even had two of those weapons. Why didn't you tell us about that?" She said as she pulled away to look him in the eyes, a small pout forming on her face.
Roxas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion before he gently pushed her away. "Because it doesn't matter."
Kirche giggled into her hand. "I suppose not." She said, already use to these kinds of answers. However, that did not stop her growing curiosity. She would find out more about the mysterious boy one way or another.
"Your name is Roxas?" Roxas turned to see the head guard approaching him. She was a little taller than he was and had a very stern expression on her face. She had blond hair that was a shade darker than Namine's. "My name is Agnes." She said before she gave a small bow. "Thank you for saving the life of the Princess. If I hadn't of left her alone…"
"Don't worry about it. It was nothing." Roxas replied simply, not liking the amount of attention he was getting.
"It was definitely not nothing. This country would fall into chaos without her highness." She said sternly. "Whoever Fouquet is, she is going to pay for what she did. I swear it." Agnes then turned and walked back to the princess before they both left for the academy.
Roxas watched as they departed. He was right about Henrietta. She really did have the weight of the entire country on her shoulders. That was definitely not an easy burden to bear.
"Roxas." Louise started.
"Not now Louise." Roxas said as he stared to shakily walk away. He was nearly followed by Siesta, but he held up a hand to stop her. "I need some time alone…Don't worry, I will be fine." He said as he caught the worried expression on her face. He gave her one more comforting smile before he turned and walked away.
Kirche, Tabitha, Louise, and siesta watched as before he disappeared from sight. Once he was gone, Kirche turned to Louise with a frown on her face. "You really need to control your explosions Louise."
Instead of getting riled up like she usually did, Louise actually lowered her head a bit. "I know. I just wanted to help, but I just messed it up again, like I always do." She said. She tried to hold back the tears, but they would not stop this time. Why was she so bad at magic? What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she do anything right?
Kirche looked at Louise with wide eyes. She had never seen the girl so vulnerable in her entire life. She expected Louise to give a hot-headed retort like she usually did, but it seemed that even Louise had her limits.
Suddenly, Kirche's expression softened. "Louise, would you like to talk about it?"
Louise shot her gaze up at her rival, not even caring that tears stained her cheeks. "What? Why?"
Kirche gave a small sigh. "Because…it just seems like you need someone to talk to right now." She said before she caught the look Louise was giving her. "Don't give me that look, I am not completely evil. So do you want to talk about it, or not?"
Louise lowered her head before she sniffed a little. "Yeah, that would be nice."
Kirche nodded before she turned to Siesta, who was watching the whole scene with wide eyes. It seemed she also did not expect this from someone like Louise either. "Can you bring us some tea?"
It was later that night that Roxas was out washing the blood from off his coat. He really didn't want to walk around with blood everywhere on it. He also needed time to think. Ever since he got here, there have been a lot of people that have come into his life.
People he considered friends.
People he wanted to protect.
Today, Henrietta nearly lost her life, and he was rendered unconscious in the middle of a battle. If someone had died while he was unconscious…Roxas didn't even want to think about it. The more people he met, the more people he wanted to protect. But how could he protect them all? He definitely needed more strength.
Giving a sigh, Roxas looked up into the starry sky. "What would you do Sora? How would you gain strength to protect the people you care about?"
Suddenly, Roxas winced as a searing pain passed through his skull. He dropped his coat as memories began to flash through his head.
"Now those aren't ordinary garments."
"They have very special powers."
"Take the orb dear."
As soon as the memories came, they were gone again. Roxas shook his head as the pain went away. What was that about? Roxas reached down and grabbed his fallen coat.
Suddenly, and arc of red electricity shot down his hand to the coat. Instantly, his coat, along with the rest of his clothing flashed dark read for a brief moment before returning to its usual black. Roxas's eyes widened as he continued to hold the coat in his fist. He paused for a few seconds, waiting for it to happen again, but it didn't. He didn't need to see it again though. He knew what it was.
"Drive." Roxas whispered as her remembered Sora's drive abilities. He gave a small chuckle before he looked up into the sky again. "It seems I learned a few things while I was a part of you, Sora." He said before he clenched the coat in his fist. "I may be able to protect them after all."
Authors Note: Yeah, this chapter took a bit longer to get out, but it is quite a bit longer in length. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review with your thoughts. You could see in this chapter that Louise's personality is changing slightly. I won't give much away though, as you will just have to read and find out. Anyway, how did I do? Like I said before, my rough draft was so bad that I only used the key ideas out of it. That means it takes a very long time to edit. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please look forward to the next update.
Until then, Later!
