Authors Note: First of all, thank you again for all the support on the story. 200+ reviews Hype. I am so grateful for all your comments and your encouragement for the story. It really brightens my day when I see that people enjoy my work, despite the fact that it has mistakes.
But anyway, I was blown away by the amount of names you guys came up with. After much thought, I decided to name it Forgotten Light. It was a name suggested by duskrider. I chose this one for a few reasons. One is because it actually sounds like a Keyblade name that would be used in the game, two is because of duskriders reasoning behind the name, and three is because it fits very well with the Keyblades backstory that I will slowly revel as the story progresses. I will explain a bit more in this chapter, but it felt very appropriate. Thank you duskrider for the name of the keyblade, and thank you everyone else for your input. Sorry if any of you got offended that I didn't use your suggestion.
I got a concern in the reviews about the Keyblade as well. I would have replied, but it was a guest review. It seems that some people think that a Keyblade just becomes a hunk of useless metal when the master dies. I did give this a lot of thought, and it is a very good concern. I won't give any spoilers, but Roxas can use the Forgotten Light for reasons similar to why Aqua could use Master Eraqus's Keyblade after he died. Also, from the teaser trailer of KH3, Sora finds Master Eraqus's Keyblade in the first scene, strongly implying that he will use it for something.
So that is my reasoning, but that was a good concern.
Anyway, "Sigh" This chapter will be a bit dark. You have been warned. There was even a scene that I had a very, and I mean VERY, hard time writing because it was so sad. I hope you can forgive me for that.
Warning: I am a college student, but spelling still gives me trouble, especially with 12K+ words.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A Heart in the Void
Chapter 8
Roxas blinked a few times as he looked around at the unfamiliar scene. He was standing in a large room with two other people in it. One of them was a middle aged man and the other was a young boy with white hair.
"Master Kida, why are you so afraid of the darkness?" asked the youth.
Roxas saw the older man shake his head. "There is no place for darkness among the light, Xehanort."
Roxas's eyes widened as he heard that name. He stared at the youth for a few seconds, completely confused as to what was going on.
The youth gave a smug smile as he stared at his master. "If that is true, then why are you so full of darkness? Why do you fear your own power?"
Master Kida broke eye contact with the youth. "There is darkness within every heart Xehanort. Some people have more than others." He said as he extended his hand. Roxas gasped as his new Keyblade flashed into existence. The older man looked at the weapon distastefully for a few seconds. "The Forgotten Light is a bitter reminder of the darkness that I let invade my heart during a time of weakness." He said as he let the Keyblade vanish. "It is a part of me now, whether I like it or not."
Xehanort shook his head. "If it is a part of you, why not use it for a beneficial purpose? Why do you keep it locked away within you?"
Kida glared at Xehanort. "You can never trust the darkness. True, it may grant you great strength, but if you delve too deep within it, you will lose yourself and do something you regret."
"You seem to speak from experience."
Kida didn't answer that question as he turned his back to the young man. "Xehanort, whatever you do, don't succumb to the darkness. Trust me when I say that it will bring you nothing but misery." He said as he walked away.
Xehanort gave another grin before he gave a small bow. "As you wish, Master Kida."
Roxas gasped awake as he sat up. He gave a couple deep breaths before he looked down at his hand. In his clenched fist was the Keyblade that he, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha had retreated from Fouquet a few days ago. It shimmered out of existence a second later.
"The Forgotten light." Roxas said out loud as he thought of the new Keyblades name. He then turned his mind back to the strange dream he had. It seemed so real, but where did it come from. It felt just like a memory, but why would he have memories of someone else?
Roxas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion before he rested his head back against the wall once again. He thought about the youth in his dream and the conversation he had with this so called Master Kida. There were too many questions to think about right now, so he rested his head against the wall and tried to fall back asleep. He would think about it more in the morning.
"Thank you for what you and your familiar have done Louise. Fouquet is behind bars now, and it is thanks to your bravery. I am proud to bestow upon you the title of Chevalier." Said Princess Henrietta.
Roxas nearly scoffed at the situation. From what he remembered, he was the one that did all the work. He defeated Fouquet's golems and secured the staff of destruction/The Forgotten Light, but Louise was taking the credit simply because she was a noble. Not that he minded that much, but he found it rather strange that nobles got all these special privileges just because of a title.
Louise bowed to the queen. "It is an honor to accept the title from you Princess."
Henrietta smiled down at her childhood friend before she turned to Roxas. "Thank you so much for what you have done as well, brave familiar. Would you please take a vow to protect my dear friend?" she asked as she extended her hand.
Roxas blinked a few times before he raised an eyebrow. He stared between the princess and her hand a few times, having no idea what she was getting at nor what she expected him to do.
"Princess! You can't honor him with that. He is just a lowly familiar." Louise said, causing Roxas to growl. Even though they had turned a new leaf, Louise's attitude didn't change that much. She still insulted him frequently and attempted to order him around. However, she did tone it down a bit and they would occasionally have a decent conversation. But on occasions, she would revert back to her old self, especially when she was trying to impress someone of high social standing.
"Louise." Henrietta said calmly, though Roxas could tell she was a little miffed as well. "You familiar deserves as much. I know how he contributed to the capture of Fouquet. He has done more than enough to deserve this." She said before she looked at Roxas expectantly, her hand still extended toward him.
Roxas continued to stare at the hand in confusion before he looked up at Henrietta. "I…don't understand. What do you want?"
Louise roughly grabbed his coat and forced him closer. "This is a great honor. The Princess wants you to take a vow to protect me. She is giving you permission to kiss her."
Roxas raised his brow again. "I need permission to kiss her?"
"Yes!" louse snarled.
Roxas was so lost. Why would he need permission to kiss Henrietta? He never gave permission when Louise forcefully kissed him, or when Siesta and Ellie kissed him on the cheek. They just went ahead and did it. Not that he minded though because he rather enjoyed the gesture, but why did he need permission to kiss the princess? And why did he have to kiss her in the first place. Just what did a kiss mean?
"Hurry up! You are being rude to the princess." Louise said as she elbowed him in the ribs.
Roxas really didn't want to be rude to one of his friends, but where was he supposed to kiss her? Louise kissed him on the lips while Siesta and Ellie kissed his cheek…Well; it was three to one, so majority rules, right?
Roxas walked up to the princess, completely ignoring her hand as he gently cupped her chin. Henrietta eyes widened as he gently turned her head and gently pecked her right on the cheek. Roxas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, unsure if he was doing this right, so he quickly pulled away with a small embarrassed blush on his face.
He glanced up at Henrietta's face, only to see her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open. It caused him to panic a bit. Did he do something wrong? What did she want him to do?
"What! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Louise yelled as she flailed her arms about.
Roxas frowned as he glanced at her. "What did I do wrong? You basically commanded me to do it."
Henrietta cleared her throat as a healthy blush dusted her cheeks. She gave a small, yet nervous smile. "It seems you are very unfamiliar without customs."
"That is an understatement."
"I am SO sorry Princess Henrietta. My stupid familiar disrespected you. I will take any punishment necessary." She said as she bowed before the princess.
Henrietta giggled a bit as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "Worry not Louise. If he doesn't know our customs, then there is no reason for punishment."
Louise immediately stood before she turned to Roxas. She grabbed the front of his coat and tried to force him on his knees. "You apologize as well! What you did was worth far more honor than you deserve."
Roxas blinked a few times before he easily brushed of her hand. She tried to grab him again, but he simply placed his hand on her forehead and held her back, causing her to flail her arms angrily. "Why do you need me to apologize? You told me to kiss her, and I did. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, I didn't want to offend my friend."
Henrietta giggled a bit as she saw the interaction between her best friend and her familiar. But, in order to get their attention, she gave a small cough into her hand. Naturally, Louise immediately stopped trying to get Roxas on his knees before she turned to the princess. Roxas also turned his attention to her.
"Actually, I have called you here for another reason as well. Since you are a new Chevalier, I have a mission for you." She said with a smile.
"A mission?" Louise said, exited by the fact that the princess already trusted her enough to give her a mission on the first day.
Henrietta nodded. "Do you remember those girls that were in Count Mott's basement?"
Roxas growled. He remembered that day very clearly.
Louise nodded as well, wincing a bit as she thought back on that particular memory.
"How are they?" Roxas asked.
"They are doing much better. Some of them even joined the Musketeers because it is an all-female division." Henrietta said with a smile. However, the next instant, her face turned serious. "But, many of them claimed that Count Mott was not the only one that abused them in their days of captivity. They claimed that another man would sometimes join the Count when he would… have his way with them." Henrietta finished as she gave a small shutter.
Roxas ground his teeth as he tried to suppress his anger. "Ok, so is he taken care of yet?"
Henrietta gave a long sigh before she looked up at them. "No. It is unfortunate and extremely unfair, but because of his status as the royal tax collector, the testimony of commoners is not sufficient evidence to put him behind bars."
Roxas growled as he clenched his fists. "You can't be serious."
"Roxas!" Louise snapped. "Calm down and let the princess finish."
"Thank you Louise." Henrietta said before she turned to Roxas. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to march my musketeers down into Tristania and arrest Turenne, but the royal court would never find him guilty based on the testimony of a few commoners."
Roxas gave a frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ok, so what are we going to do about it?"
Henrietta gave a small grin. "I need both of you to go undercover in Tristania and see if you can find any evidence that supports those girl's claim. The courts may not believe the commoners, but they will most definitely believe your words Louise."
Immediately, Louise approached the Princess and bowed. "Of course Princess. It is an honor to be trusted with this mission, even though I have just become a Chevalier. My familiar and I are honored to be of service." She said before she turned to glare at Roxas. "What are you waiting for, bow down."
"It's quite alright Louise." Henrietta said as she looked at Roxas with a small blush. "As unorthodox as it was, he did vow to keep you safe. So I will trust you two with this mission. Agnes will supply you with the mission funds on your way out. You should take this as well." She said as she handed Louise a small scroll. "Here is a write from the palace. This document will prove your status as nobility when words are not enough."
"Of course Princess." Louise said as she stood on her feet. She retrieved the paper before viscously turning to Roxas. "Let's go!"
Roxas turned to leave, but Henrietta stopped him. "Louise, please go retrieve your funds. I want to ask your familiar a few questions."
Louise halted in her tracks. She turned and looked between Roxas and Henrietta a few times. "He can't be trusted to stay with you alone Princess. Don't you remember what he just did?"
Henrietta smiled. "Trust me Louise, I will not be forgetting anytime soon. But Roxas has done more than enough to gain my trust. Now, do you trust me when I tell you that it will be alright?"
Louise opened and closed her mouth a few times before she turned to Roxas. "If I hear that you have done anything to her, I swear I will find a way to lock you up so you never see the light of day again. You hear me!" She said as threatening as she could.
"Whatever."
Louie stomped out the door, leaving Henrietta and Roxas standing there alone. Henrietta cleared her throat to get Roxas's attention. "Roxas, I know that Louise can be a bit brash sometimes, but please be patient with her. She has been through a lot in her life."
"I know." Roxas said simply before he turned to the princess. "If there is one thing I am learning while being her familiar, it is patience." He said before he gave a sigh. "But sometimes, she makes it so hard to stay by her side."
Henrietta giggled softly. "Then it's a good thing I had you take a vow to protect her. She is one of the few people that I can actually trust and I would be devastated if anything happened to her."
Roxas stared at Henriette for a few seconds. "Henrietta, what did I do wrong? Why did you and Louise act like that after I kissed you, even though Louise told me to do it?"
"Well…" she started as she bit the inside of her cheek. "She meant a kiss on the hand."
"Why would I kiss your hand?" Roxas asked. "It's so confusing. What is a kiss supposed to mean?"
Henrietta was staring at him for the longest time, not really sure that she heard his question correctly. "You…done know what a kiss means?"
"Not really."
"How?"
"There are a lot of things I don't know…and many more things that I don't understand." He said solemnly.
Henrietta could not understand what Roxas was talking about. How could he not know these things? It was basic human instinct. "Roxas, haven't you ever had a parent that would kiss you goodnight? A Lover? Or even a friend?"
"I never had parents. My only friends before I was summoned where a lot like me. I am not sure if they understood either." Roxas said. He realized that Axel had memories of his previous life, but he never really shared them, so Roxas didn't really know what Axel understood.
Henrietta scrunched her eyebrows as she looked at him in pity. "I guess I can understand then. You never had anyone to show you what love is while growing up. Is that correct?"
"I…I guess. Then could you please explain? What is Love?"
This was something that Henrietta was not expecting from this conversation. She had only planned to ask him to be patient with Louise despite her attitude, but then it took a turn in the most complicated way. How in the word did this boy not understand what love was? She saw him rush to protect his friends, face down dangerous foes to keep her safe and even heard stories of him rushing into Count Mott's estate and defeating everyone there just to protect one of his friends. Did he really not understand why he did all of that?
Finally, Henrietta gave a sigh. "I don't think anyone really understand what love is, Roxas." She said with a smile. "Love is more of a feeling that is completely unique to the other emotions. It drives you to protect those you care about. I know you have felt it."
Roxas felt his eyes widen as something clicked in his brain. "Is it because…of love that I want to protect them?"
"Think about it like this, Roxas. How do you feel when you spend time with them? How would you feel if any of them got hurt?"
Roxas thought about it for a while. He spent a lot of time with Siesta, Tabitha, Kirche, and Louise. He was happy when he was with them...Well, maybe not as much when Louise would bicker with him, but just the thought of anything happening to them caused his chest to tighten.
Henrietta saw an array of emotions cross Roxas's face. It really surprised her that he was thinking about this so hard. He truly didn't know what love was.
"You see Roxas. It's because you love and care for them that you want to protect them."
Roxas paused as he thought about it some more. He finally looked up at her and nodded. "I think I understand…But what does love and kissing has to do with each other?"
Henrietta blushed again. This conversation was spiraling out of control. "Um…A kiss can be a sign of love…"
"Then why did you want me to kiss you hand? Is that a sign of love?"
"No-um…" Henrietta stumbled. This was getting really difficult. "Actually, a kiss can mean a lot of different things." She said before giving a defeated sigh. "It is too complicated to explain all at once. If you truly want to figure it out, then keep doing what you are doing. Understanding will come with experience."
Roxas blinked a few times before he nodded. It made sense because everything he learned so far about emotions, he had to experience. And this was no different. However, Henrietta did clear a few things up for him.
"Ok then. Thank you Henrietta. I always wondered why I wanted to protect my friends from danger. I never want to feel the hurt of loss ever again. But now I understand that I felt that hurt in the first place because I cared for the person I lost." He said as he though back on the strange girl that kept appearing in his memories, and how his chest tightened every time he saw her face. "If there is nothing else, I will head out with Louise. We will find this Turenne and make him pay for what he has done." Roxas said as he turned and headed for the door.
"Roxas, can I ask one more question?" Henrietta asked causing Roxas to turn toward her. "Why don't you know what love is? Usually that's something that comes natural to people."
Roxas paused, wondering how he was supposed to answer that question before he turned back to the door. "Never had the chance…or the time to learn…I guess." He said as he pulled the door open and walked out, leaving behind a confused Henrietta.
It was later that same day that Roxas and Louise had entered the small town of Tristania. From the looks of it, nothing had changed much from when they were last there. People were selling items on the side of the road, while countless others were gazing upon the merchandise. Currently, Roxas and Louise were walking down the road, trying to find a place to stay. Roxas was following Louise while she threw a small tantrum about the cost of a hotel.
"I can't believe that hotel cost 200 Écu a night!" she said as she stomped her way down the street.
Roxas groaned as he felt another one of Louise's tantrums coming. "Louise, just find a cheaper hotel."
"I can't! I'm a noble. I can't degrade myself by staying in a commoner's inn!" she fumed.
"Not even if it means accomplishing Henrietta's mission?"
"Gah." Louise said as she stopped. Roxas gave a small grin as he realized her weakness. Louise would complain endlessly about everything, but when it came to the princess, she could never find a retort. She paused for a moment before she whirled around and pointed at Roxas. "Fine, I will find one that we can afford." She said before she turned away and stomped off. Roxas was about to follow her, but Louise spun around and glared at him. "Don't follow me. I permit you to look around, but stay out of trouble!" she snarled before she left.
Roxas stood there in confusion. What did he do this time? True, she had chilled out a great deal since the incident with Fouquet, but sometimes she could still be a pain in the ass. He shook his head as he turned headed down the street in the opposite direction.
"That girl can never be pleased." He said to himself as he wandered the streets for a while, browsing the different shops and stands for anything interesting. He found a few potions shops that were pretty cool, but nothing that would be any use for him. Still, the types of potions he saw were quite strange. There were some healing potions, but Roxas knew that nothing could match the expertise of the moogles, so he avoided them.
But then again, there were other potions that did a variety of things. Some of the merchants claimed that there products could do anything from instant luck, to even forcing someone to fall in love with you.
That last one caused Roxas to raise an eyebrow. It was possible to force someone to fall in love with you? What was that supposed to mean? Henrietta said love was supposed to come natural, so why would you need something like that?
Roxas shook his head as he walked to a few different stands and admired the handy work of home-made necklaces, rings, and other artifacts that people were trying to sell. Each merchant claimed that there was some sort of magical buff that went with each accessory, but there was nothing that Roxas really wanted.
Suddenly, Roxas felt a small tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see a small girl with brown hair. She had a small fistful of his sleeve in her hand as she looked up at him with her bright green eyes. For some reason, she seemed really familia-
"Wait a second…" Roxas said as he recognized that small face. "Ellie?"
The small girl attached to his sleeve gave a wide smile. Her eyes lit up as she beamed at him. "It is you!" she exclaimed before she launched herself up, firmly wrapping her arms and legs around him as she squealed.
"Um…" Roxas said as he blinked a few times. This small girl was latched onto him like a barnacle. He stood there like a rock until he brought his hand up and awkwardly patted the girl on the back. "Its…good to see that you're doing well, Ellie." Roxas said as he tried to peel the girl off his body. However, that was much easier said than done as she squealed and latched on tighter.
"I didn't think I would ever see you again. I didn't even get to learn your name!" The little girl said as she released her hold on the nobody. She slid to the ground before she looked up at him with a small, but adorable pout on her face.
Roxas couldn't help it. He smiled down at the girl before he ruffled her hair, causing her to laugh and playfully bat his hand away. "Sorry about that. I had other things that I needed to do."
"Ellie!"
Roxas turned to see two other women racing down the street. One of them, he recognized as Ellie's mother, but the other one he didn't know.
Just as they approached, the mother gave an uneasy glance at Roxas before she recognized his face. Immediately, the skeptical look vanished before it was replaced by a look of shock. "It's you! You're that boy!" she said as she pointed at him.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you as well; ummm…I never got you name last time though." He said as he bashfully scratched the back of his head.
Ellie's mother smiled. "Don't worry about it. We had other things on our mind last time. My name is Emmy."
"Roxas." He said simply as he looked between Emmy and Ellie. "It's good to see that you two are doing well."
"Ahem"
Roxas, Ellie, and Emmy looked to the last girl who was standing there with her hands on her hips, obviously not liking the fact that she had no idea what was going on.
Emmy laughed a bit. "Roxas, this is my other daughter, Amy." She said before she turned to the girl. "Amy, this is Roxas. He was the boy that saved your sisters life."
Roxas looked at this new girl. She looked like an older version of Ellie, but with longer brown hair. She was looking Roxas up and down with her hands on her hips. "So, he is a noble then?"
"I-" Emmy started before she looked at Roxas. "I'm not sure. Are you a noble?"
Roxas shook his head. "Nope." He said simply.
Amy then smiled. "Then we won't have a problem. I must thank you for saving my sister though. I wasn't there because I had to work."
"And it was a good thing too. Count Mott would have probably taken you to be one of his mistresses." Emmy said as she looked over to her eldest daughter.
Roxas growled a bit at the mention of that man's name, but luckily, no one heard it.
"Yeah, I suppose. But if I saw what he did to Ellie, I would have probably attacked him."
"It doesn't matter. It's all in the past now." Emmy said before she turned back to Roxas. "So, what brings you around here Roxas?"
"Just passing through town, I guess. My sister and I are looking for a place to stay for a few days." He said, using the cover that he and Louise had come up with earlier.
Amy's eyes brightened. "Then I have a great idea. I work for an inn that is not too far from here. They are pretty cheap and will even let you stay free if you work."
Emmy pursed her lip in distaste at the mention of the Inn. "As much as I don't like that place, we do need the extra money."
Amy turned to her mother. "C'mon mom, those dresses are so CUTE!" she said. "And the other girls just love Ellie."
"I like that place too Mom. Mr. Scarron is a funny man." Ellie chimed in.
Roxas looked at the family for a second before clearing his throat. "So they have rooms available?" he asked, causing Amy to nod. "Well, could you put in a word for us? We may need it after all."
"Of course! After what you did for Ellie, it's the least I could do for you, handsome." She said with a wink.
"Umm…Its Roxas."
It was later in the evening that Roxas was looking around for Louise near the middle of the town. The sun was setting, casting a fiery glow across the city. Roxas would have loved to watch the sunset, but he really needed to find Louise. It didn't take that long though because pink hair really stood out in a crowd. He found her sitting next to a large fountain in the middle of town.
"Louise." He called, causing her to turn toward him. She then immediately turned away, refusing to make eye contact.
"So, how did it go? Did you find a place?"
"…"
"What? I didn't hear you."
"I…"
"Louder please."
"I lost the money in a casino."
…
Roxas gave a huge sigh as he nearly face palmed. He knew he shouldn't have left Louise alone. Why didn't he see this coming? "I can see why the princess wanted me to keep an eye on you." He said causing Louise to shoot him a small glare.
"Be quiet. I didn't see you doing anything about it." She said as she crossed her arms.
"Wrong. I did do something. In fact, I even found us a place to stay."
Louise blinked a few times before she looked over at her familiar. "But we don't have any money. How are we supposed to pay?"
"The way everyone else does, work." Roxas said, enjoying the look of horror that crossed the nobles face.
Louse was still yelling at Roxas as they walked down the street in the direction of the inn. Amy was nice enough to give him directions, but the walk was far from pleasant as Louise continued to run her mouth. Something about her being a noble…blah…blah…blah…that work is beneath yadda…yadda…yadda…That she wouldn't do it…blah…blah…blah.
Roxas completely ignored her until they reached their destination. He then pulled out his trump card. "Would you rather go back to the Princess and ask for more money?"
"gah!"
"Listen, since we no longer have any money, it would be best if we worked somewhere. Besides, this is a good opportunity to get some information from the public about Turenne. They might know something."
Louise bit the inside of her cheek as she mulled over the idea in her head. Finally, she gave a defeated sigh as she slumped slightly. "I guess you're right. But where is this place anyway?"
Roxas pointed his thumb over his shoulder, directing Louise's gaze to the inn that was right behind him. Immediately her face paled as she read the sign.
"The…The...The…Charming Fairy INN?" she screeched as she pointed a shaking finger at the building.
"You have a better plan?" Roxas asked as he folded his arms. Louise was about to erupt again before a figure burst through the front doors and leaped at Roxas. The small blur crashed into his back, nearly toppling the nobody over before he regained his balance.
"Roxas!" Roxas heard as he felt two arms wrap around his neck, nearly choking him. "You came."
Roxas chuckled as he reached over his shoulder and patted the girl on the head. "Were you waiting for us Ellie?"
"Yep!"
"Oh, so you needed to take me up on the offer after all?" Roxas turned to see Amy walk out of the front door. She was wearing a light green dress that was showing off a generous amount of cleavage. "Ellie has been waiting for you by the door all day hoping you would show up."
"Is that Right Ellie?" Roxas said as he ruffled her hair. "Does that mean you work here too?"
Ellie nodded. "Mr. Scarron was nice enough to get me a job. But he said I had to stay in the back and wash dishes. I am not allowed up front when the doors open."
"And for good reason. We don't know if there are any strange pedophiles and other perverted nobles out there." She said before she looked at Roxas and Louise. "By the way, is that your sister? She's cute."
Louise was standing there with her mouth dropped open. She was pointing at Roxas, who still had the little girl still hanging onto his back. Her eyebrow was twitching uncontrollably as she forced a smile on her face. "Roxas, how…how…how do you know these people?" she stammered out.
Amy threw an arm around Roxas's shoulder, causing Ellie to drop to the ground. Ellie looked up at her elder sister before she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. Amy ignored the small girl before she turned her attention to Louise. "Roxas here saved my dear sister's life a little while back." She said before she started to tug Roxas toward the entrance. "Come on in. The other girls are dying to meet you." She turned back to Louise. "You can come in as well…Ummm."
"Louise." Roxas said. From the look on Louise's face, he could tell that she was about to explode.
"Alright then Louise, come with me. You will have to work to if you want to stay here."
Louise mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish. Soon though, she dropped her head in defeat before entering the inn.
Roxas soon found himself surrounded by girls. All of them were wearing similar dresses that were very reveling in some areas. The only difference was the color of each dress. But as soon as he entered the inn, they flocked him, asking questions one after another.
"Amy, is this the guy that Ellie won't shut up about? He's cute."
"What's your name?"
"Are you a mage? How did you heal Ellie?"
"Where did you come from?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Uhhh…" Roxas said as he was bombarded with question. He had no idea what was going on, nor how to handle this situation. "I'm Roxas."
"Alright fairies, calm down and give our gest some room~"
Roxas turned to see a very a new person enter the room. It was a man…Or at least that what Roxas thought he was. This man was wearing the strangest clothes he had ever seen on a man before. His arms were very hairy, along with his chest, but he was wearing very short shorts and a tank top that clung to his skin, showing off his rather ripped muscles.
Roxas continued to stare at this guy, not sure what to make of him. He was waving his hips side to side as he approached. Thinking back to his time in the organization, of all the worlds he had visited in the past, there was absolutely no one to compare this person to.
"Oh, Scarron! This is…" Amy started.
"NOOO~" Scarron exclaimed as she flailed his…entire body around. "I said call me Mi-mademoisellle." He said with a wink. Roxas was beginning to wonder if it was a good choice to stay at this inn.
Amy gave a sigh before she pinched the bridge of her nose. She then pointed at Roxas. "This is Roxas. He saved Ellie's life. He was looking for a place to stay with his sister, so I recommended him here."
Scarron turned to Roxas before his eyes lit up. He nearly danced his way over to the stunned nobody before he gazed into his eyes.
Roxas was fighting the urge to turn and run away as this man continued to stare at him. Thankfully, his gaze turned to Louise, who was looking just as uncomfortable as he was. Finally, he beamed again.
"Of course you can stay, but under one condition~"
It was later when Roxas found himself in the kitchen. He had removed his coat and gloves so he could wash dishes while Louise was in the main lobby. Roxas nearly broke down in laughter when he saw the mighty Louise in one of those dresses. The look on her face was absolute priceless. It looked like she was using all of her self-control not to explode at any moment. It didn't help that the rest of the waitresses were gushing about how cute she was in that dress, causing her face to flare up in embarrassment. Roxas snickered to himself as he remembered the first time she entered the lobby in that dress. Her eyebrow was twitching uncontrollably and her face was beat red.
His co-dishwasher noticed his snickering before she turned to him.
"What's so funny?" asked the girl.
"It's nothing." Roxas said as he cleared his throat. He then glanced over at her. She was almost as tall as he was. Her hair color was strikingly similar to Siesta's but it was much longer. She was wearing a green dress and an apron. Currently, they both were washing dishes while Ellie was drying them and putting them away.
"You have a cute sister."
"You think so? You have yet to see her when she in angry."
The girl gave a small laugh before sizing up Roxas. Now that he had his coat off, she could see he was wearing a skin-tight black shirt that showed off a decent amount of muscle. He wasn't nearly as bulky as her father, but he was toned to perfection, clearly signifying that he was built for speed.
"Hmmm…" She hummed with a glint in her eyes.
"What?"
"Oh nothing." She said as she went back to washing dishes. "I'm Jessica by the way."
"Roxas."
"Nice to meet you. If you have any questions, just let me know. Ok?" she said with a wink.
"Thanks." Roxas said as he handed a few clean dishes to Ellie, completely oblivious to Jessica's action.
The night went on without much of a problem…besides Louise being her usual temperamental self. She kicked a few customers when they said her chest was flat, yelled at a few more, and even slapped a man when he touched her. Roxas was able to catch a few glimpses as he continued to wash dishes. There were a few times when customers got really angry, but Scarron was very skilled at handling those people. Seeing him try to calm them down in his very unique way was actually hilarious.
Almost every time he glanced into the restaurant, Roxas struggled not to laugh. Knowing Louise's personality, it was just too funny to watch her try and serve commoners.
"Would you stop doing that?" barked Jessica as Roxas snickered again after he just cleared a table. He made sure that Louise was somewhere else when he did because he still didn't want her to find out about the runes being removed. "What in the world is so funny?"
"My sister is very prideful. She is not use to serving people, so I just find it funny."
"Ohh?" Jessica said as she looked out the kitchen opening. She saw Louise dump a glass of wine on another customer while Scarron frantically tried to clean up the mess and apologize to the man. Jessica laughed as well. "I can tell."
"Yeah, it's pretty funny." He said as he turned to his fellow dishwasher. "Hey Jessica, my sister and I have been traveling for a while now and we are looking for a place to settle. But, most of the places we go, there are corrupt nobles that oppress the commoners. Is that much of a problem around here?"
"Hmm" Jessica thought as she placed a finger on her chin. "Well, there was Count Mott, as you already know, but no one has seen him for a while."
Roxas gave a knowing smile before he nodded.
"But there is this other noble named Turenne that has been causing a lot of problems with the commoners. He comes here every so often as well. All of the other girls really hate him because he comes here, touches us and never leaves a tip."
Roxas blinked a few times when he heard that name. That was the exact man they were looking for. If Turenne came to this inn every once in a while, then that would make their mission so much easier. He gestured for Jessica to continue.
"We can't do anything about it because he is the royal tax collector. If we displease him, then he will raise the taxes to an amount that we can't pay. He will run us out of business, and we could be thrown in jail as well." She said before her eyes narrowed. "But that is not the worst of it. There have been rumors that Turenne started to forcefully take commoners to be his mistresses ever since Count Mott disappeared."
Roxas eyes widened before he ground his teeth in anger. "Are you serious?"
Jessica just nodded her head before she gave a defeated sigh. "In the end, there is nothing we can do about it. Who would believe the words of a commoner over a noble?"
CRASH
Roxas looked at his hands. He accidently gripped a plate so hard that it shattered. A few pieces of glass cut his skin slightly causing specks of blood to leak from his palm. "Oops, Sorry about that."
"Geese, what are you doing? Let me take a look." She said as she grasped his hand to see a few bleeding cuts.
"Don't worry about it." Roxas said as he gently pulled his hand away. "Cure."
Immediately, his hand was surrounded by a green light. Jessica watched in amazement as the cuts began to disappear. It only took a few seconds before the cuts were gone. He then washed his hands in one of the basins.
"Roxas, is that the same spell you used on me?" Ellie asked as she bounced on balls of her feet in excitement.
Roxas smiled as he flicked a few drops of water at her, causing her to squeak and wipe the cold liquid off her face. "Yes, but the one I used on you was much more powerful."
Jessica stared at him for a while. "You really did save Ellie's life. For a while, we thought she was just blowing hot air, but you really can use magic."
Roxas nodded as he went back to washing the dishes, ignoring Ellie as she puffed her cheeks out at him.
"So, how did you lose your aristocrat status?"
"Lose my aristocrat status?"
"Yeah" Jessica said as she joined him by the water. She looked at the basin where Roxas washed his hands before picking it up and giving it to Ellie. "Could you be a dear and refill this for me?" she asked the little girl.
Ellie beamed up at Jessica. "Yep!" she said as she grabbed the basin. She then gave a little grin as she dipped her hand in it and flicked the water back at Roxas. Once she saw Roxas flinch as the water hit gently hit his back, she gave a triumphant laugh before she raced out the back door.
Jessica giggled slightly as she glanced at Roxas. "She really likes you."
Roxas only smiled as he went back to work. Truthfully, he really liked that little girl as well.
"So?"
"So what?"
"How did you lose your aristocrat status? Obviously you can use magic, so you must have been a noble at some point, Right?"
As Roxas continued to wash dishes he pondered how he was supposed to answer that. "It's personal, but I will just say that we chose to be commoners. We didn't want to be molded like most of the nobles are."
Jessica nearly dropped her plate. "Why would you choose to be commoners? It's the dream of nearly every Plebian to be a noble. It's a great honor."
Roxas looked at Jessica. "Is there any honor is what Count Mott and Turenne do?"
Jessica felt her mouth open and close as she mulled over his words. It was true. Count Mott and Turenne were both despicable. There was no honor in what they had done.
"I find that Scarron has more honor than both of them. He helps people who are in need by offering them housing and a jobs. What do people like Count Mott or Turenne do for anyone besides themselves? And Scarron is a commoner. He does not have money, status, or power, yet he does what he can to help people." Roxas said as he went back to his dishes. "He even gave Louise and me jobs when he didn't even know who we were."
Jessica looked to the ground. She never saw it like that before. It was really nice to hear someone say something like that about her father. Usually, everyone that would work for them would comment on how bizarre he was. They never really saw past his flamboyant nature to see the caring person that he actually was.
She then gave a quiet laugh before turning to Roxas. "At least I know why your sister has such a hard time serving the customers."
The rest of the night went by without much problem. Louise was sitting on the bed in there room, nearly in shock at what she had done that day. She was sputtering about how humiliated she was and that those commoners should have been honored to be served by a noble such as her. Currently, she was also complaining about the sleeping situation.
"Why do I, a noble, have to sleep in this ragged old place?"
"Give it a rest Louise. Maybe the princess would be curious as to how much complaining you do about this mission."
Louise immediately closed her mouth before glaring at him. "You really like to hang that over my head, don't you?"
"It works at least." He said as he leaned against the wall of the room, his coat being the only thing that would keep him warm that night. "Scarron was nice enough to give us a room, pay us, and even feed us despite the fact that you basically drove away every customer you tried to serve."
Louise flushed in embarrassment before she glared at him again. "Shut up. You seem to be enjoying yourself, talking with that girl."
"I did." He said, causing Louise to fume. "Speaking of which, I managed to get some information out her."
Louise's glare vanished, replaced by a look of curiosity as she sat up a bit straighter. "What did you learn?"
"From what she said, those women were telling the truth about Turenne. According to her, a rumor has gone around that he has been forcefully taking commoners to be his mistresses ever since Count Mott disappeared."
Louise nodded her head as she adopted a thinking pose. "It's a start, but that is not enough evidence to incarcerate him. I would have to be the one to directly hear it from him in order to accuse him of such actions."
"Then we may be in luck." Roxas said as he gave a small yawn. "Jessica also said that he comes here ever so often…" he said as he glanced at Louise. They stared at each other for the longest time before Louise's eyes widened immensely, figuring out what Roxas was getting at.
"NO WAY!" she nearly shouted.
"Do you want to accomplish the mission, or not?"
"Ugh" Louise said as she massaged her temples. "Why do I have to serve that perverted pig?"
"You just need him to somehow fess up, or even admit his crime. You can let me do the rest." Roxas said as he rested his head back against the wall. "Just get some sleep. We don't know how long this will take, and you have another day of serving ahead of you." he gave a small grin, causing Louise face to turn red.
"Shut up!"
The next day was just as hilarious as the previous. Louise had not learned a thing about service and would constantly cause problems at the inn. It got so bad that Louise was told to actually stand to the side and watch the others preform there duty.
Roxas was doing fine bussing tables and washing dishes. He enjoyed his time in the kitchen with Ellie and Jessica. Amy would occasionally retreat to the kitchen and talk with them during her brake. Mostly, she would brag about all the tips she was getting when giving a little "Extra" service to the customers.
Amy and Jessica would banter back and forth with each other, but it was never really hostile. It was easy to tell that she and Jessica has a friendly rivalry. It was nearly the same kind of rivalry that Sora and Riku had.
Roxas glanced out of the kitchen, only to notice that Louise was standing there, looking slightly disgruntled as she watched the other waitresses do their job. She looked over in his direction, causing their eyes to meet for a brief moment. Roxas then did something that he knew would piss her off.
He laughed softly at her.
He was right on the money because her face immediately flared up in anger. She gripped an empty wine bottle from a table and hurled it at him, though he saw it coming a mile away and simply tilted his head, letting it fly over his shoulder.
The bottle flew past Amy and Jessica while flying over Ellie's head. It finally crashed into a few empty boxes that were stacked next to the back door. The boxes toppled over and the bottle shattered into pieces once it hit the ground, making a lot of noise.
Soon, everyone in the entire restaurant was staring al Louise, including Jessica, Scarron, Amy, and Ellie. Louise's face immediately turned red from embarrassment before she looked back to the ground. It didn't take long before everyone was back to what they were doing. Scarron was going around apologizing for the noise while the waitresses were working very hard to keep the customers happy.
Jessica, on the other hand, frowned as she got a broom and began sweeping up the pieces of glass from off the ground. Eventually, she emptied the glass into a small bag before placing it in a small basin. She then turned to Ellie.
"Ellie, would you take this out please? We also need this basin filled with water."
"Yep!" Ellie said as she took the basin from Jessica. She was about to leave out the back door, but it was blocked by the empty boxes.
Jessica gave a sigh. "Just take it out the front door. We will clean these boxes up later." She said, causing Ellie to nod as she exited the kitchen. Jessica then turned to Roxas, who gave a small sigh before he went back to washing dishes.
"You deal with that often?"
"Oh, you have no idea."
Business went along as usual until the doors suddenly burst open. The staff and other customers immediately turned toward the entrance, only to pale once they recognized who was coming in, especially the waitresses. The sudden change in the restraint atmosphere caused Roxas to peak through the kitchen opening.
There stood an incredibly fat man in fancy green clothing. He was surrounded by other nobles that seemed to be his guards.
Roxas didn't think it was possible, but once that man came in, Scarron's every-so-happy face turned into a sad frown before he approached the man.
"Turenne, good to see you again. How have you been?" He said as he plastered a smile on his face.
"I have been doing much better Scarron. But lately, I have been pretty busy and would like a meal and some…" He turned to a few of the waitresses before he licked his lips. "Pleasurable company."
Many of the waitresses cringed before they returned to serving the other customers, hoping that Turenne would leave.
Roxas stared at the man before his eyes narrowed. "That is supposed to be Turenne?" Roxas asked Jessica, who was standing beside him.
Jessica nodded as she took a step back and moved behind Roxas. "That is him. I just pray that the rumors are false, because if they are true, there is nothing we can do if he suddenly wants to take one of us." She said through ground teeth.
Roxas clenched his teeth as he stared at the man. Somehow, Louise would have to find a way to get him to admit his crime. But how?
Scarron put on a hopeful smile. "I am so sorry, but we are absolutely busy today. Please come later."
Turenne looked around before he gave a wide smile. "You're busy? But I don't see a single person in this place." He said before he snapped his fingers. His guards all raised there wands, causing all the commoners to pale and stand from there tables. They knew the drill. When Turenne would show up, you would have to leave.
Roxas watched as everyone was filed out before he clenched his fists. The fat man sat on the table and looked around expectantly. Just like how the customers were gone, the waitresses seemed to have vanished as well.
Roxas blinked a few times before he looked over his shoulder. There he saw Jessica, Amy, and the rest of the waitresses all in the kitchen, hiding from the man. He then turned his attention back to Turenne and Scarron. Turenne was tapping his foot impatiently as Scarron was doing his best to make the man happy. Finally though, Turenne snapped.
"IS ANYONE GOING TO SERVE THE ROYAL TAX COLLECTOR?" He shouted as he turned his attention to the kitchen. No one refused to budge from there spot.
Roxas looked over at Louise, who glanced over at him as well. Roxas nodded over in Turenne's direction, hoping she would get the hint. He saw her grind her teeth together before breathing deeply, trying to swallow her pride for the sake of the mission.
"SOMEONE COME AND SERVE ME!" he shouted again, still no one moved.
Louise was just about to walk out of the kitchen when the front door suddenly opened. In popped a small girl with a basin of water. Roxas immediately panicked as he recognized her.
It was Ellie.
The little girl looked around in confusion at how empty the place had gotten since she left. Finally, her gaze fell on Turenne and his men, who were sitting at their tables, staring at her. Ellie immediately paled as she recognized the man.
"Excuse me." She said quietly as she tried to slip past them, making herself as small as humanly possible.
"HOLD ON! Grab her." Turenne said. One of the guards jumped up from his table and roughly grabbed the little girl's arm, causing her to drop the bucket of water and cry out in pain.
"Let me go!" Ellie screamed as she helplessly pulled against the stronger man.
"Bring her over here!" Turenne said as he glared over at the kitchen. The guard began to roughly drag the girl towards the tax collector. "I am tired of coming here over and over again only to wait for someone to serve me. You should be honored that someone like me even comes here. WELL I'M TIRED OF IT."
Roxas clenched his teeth as rage filled his entire being. He was about to stomp out there before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He viciously looked over to see Louise standing there. "What!" he snarled.
Louise had the same look in her eye as she watched the scene. "This may be our only chance. If he does anything, and I mean anything, it will be enough to incarcerate him." She said, but even though she said that, it was taking all of her self-control to not march out there and land a kick square in Turenne's face.
Turenne grinned before he looked over at the small girl. She was still helplessly beating against the stronger noble as she tried to pull away. "On your knees!"
Ellie was pushed to the floor, landing roughly on her hands and knees in front of the noble. Turenne then reached down and grabbed a handful of her brown hair as he forcefully raised her head so they were looking into each other's eyes. She cried out in pain, but immediately stopped as she saw the look in this man's eyes. She began to shake in fear. He had the most disgusting grin on his face with an even more frightening look in his eyes. Tears started to fall down her face as she stared up helplessly at the man.
"You know…" Turenne said loudly, so everyone could hear. "Count Mott was a good friend of mine. We would always have a wonderful time when we visited his basement."
Louise and Roxas's eyes widened as they realized what he was implying.
"But now that he is gone, I have taken it upon myself to find…new ways of pleasure. But ultimately, his method was the best. So, I decided to follow in his footsteps." He breathed out as he pulled her face closer to his, causing the poor girl to cry out in pain. "Though my collection is not as big as his was, I have already found a few good prospects." He brought his face even closer to hers.
Ellie tried to move away, but Turenne had her hair in a vice grip, keeping her head in place. She could feel his hot breath wash against her face.
"You will have a lot of potential when you grow older. And you are still young so it will be easy to break you before I build you up to be my best sex toy." He breathed a his grin spread further across her face.
The other waitresses watched in horror at what was happening. They were on the verge of rushing out of the kitchen to rescue the poor little girl, not caring about the fact that they were against a noble.
Louise had her mouth dropped open as he saw Turenne boldly claim what he had done, and what he was going to do to the small girl in front of him. She could not believe that a noble would go this far and that commoners had to deal with things like this. It was sickening. It was truly disgusting.
"Alright Roxas, I think I have hea…" Louise started as she looked up at Roxas. The only problem was that he was gone.
Ellie was sobbing as she struggled to get free of Turenne's grip. He chuckled down at her. "You know the best thing about being a noble? I can say all of this and there is nothing you can do about it. After all, who would believe the words of comm-"
Turenne didn't know what hit him. It was just a second ago that he was about to get another toy, one that he could train to his liking. But then, he was met with a massive amount of pain. He felt his nose and part of his cheekbone completely break as a black weapon briefly crossed his vison.
WACK!
Turenne was launched out of his seat, flying through the air before he slammed through the doors of the inn, completely ripping the doors off the hinges.
The inn was completely silent as they looked towards the broken doors. Slowly, they turned there gaze to the person who had attacked Turenne. Most eyes widened as they saw Roxas standing there with his oblivion extended from the swing. No one had even seen him move. He just appeared out of nowhere.
Slowly, Roxas lowered his Keyblade, his teeth grinding together in pure rage over what he had just witnessed. He glanced down at Ellie, who was curled up in a ball on the ground, sobbing her eyes out. Just the sight further fueled his anger.
"How dare you attack Sir Turenne!" one of the guards shouted as he raised his staff. Roxas slowly turned to look at the man. The guard immediately paled at the amount of rage that was in those crystal blue eyes.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light before the Oathkeeper appeared in his other hand. The guard pulled himself together before extending his staff, ready to cast a spell. Before he could even utter a single syllable, the guard found his staff snapped in half by a flash of white steel. Fear entered the guards being as he saw Roxas standing there glaring at the man. There was a flash of black before the man's was thrown roughly through one of the windows.
"Attack!" another guard said as he and the rest of Turenne's men surrounded Roxas. They began to chant there spells, but Roxas wouldn't let the finish. He glanced around at his surrounding enemies before he raised his Oathkeeper.
"Fire" he said as he swung the white weapon. Immediately, a stream of fire erupted from the Keyblade before it encircled around the Nobody. Everyone within range was hit with the stream before they screamed out in pain. They jumped away from Roxas before running out of the inn and into the street, rolling on the ground in an attempt to put themselves out.
Roxas walked out the front door to see Turenne and the rest of his mean laying on the ground, groaning in pain. Most were singed because of the fire spell, while Turenne was holding the front of his face, blood seeping between his fingers. The men had finally put themselves out, but were lying on the ground, gasping in pain.
Roxas stepped out of the building glaring at Turenne, who had managed to push himself to his knees. He looked up at Roxas. "H-HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO A NOBLE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I CAN DO TO YOU?" He shouted as he pulled his wand out of his robes.
"No" Roxas said dangerously before he quickly dashed over to the man, swinging his Keyblade at Turenne's hand. Turenne screamed out in pain as his hand snapped like a twig, causing him to drop his wand. Roxas stomped the wand half before he pointed the oblivion at Turenne. "But I know what I am going to do to you." He said as he raised his Keyblade. Turenne could only look up in horror, unable to do anything about the current situation.
"Roxas, Stop!"
Roxas paused before he looked behind him. He saw that Louise was standing there, glaring down at Turenne as he sat there holding his hand in pain.
"Why? You saw what he did! He does not deserve to exist." Roxas barked.
Louise shook her head as she approached the Nobody. She gently placed a hand on his arm. "Your right, but there are fates worse than death to a noble. We have seen and heard enough for him to lose his status as a noble. If you kill him now, you will only release him from his punishment." She said as she glared down at Turenne. She then reached into her dress and pulled out the write from the palace, showing it to Turenne.
Suddenly, Turenne's pain was tiny in comparison to the amount of panic he felt. He then realized that what he just said was heard by a noble. One that apparently had a connection to the palace based on the write.
"Please! Anything but that! I will do anything if you keep quiet about this. Here, take this and please keep quiet about it." Turenne said as he pulled out a massive bag of gold. His men seemed to be in the same situation as they too pulled out giant bags of money.
Roxas seethed. "You think this is enough after what you have done." He said as he kicked Turenne to the ground. "After what you were about to do?" Roxas swung his Keyblade again, smacking Turenne over the head and knocking him unconscious. He then turned to the rest of the guards, who were trying to escape. It only took a few more swings of the Keyblade before they too were unconscious.
Roxas stood there, breathing deeply as he tried to calm his anger. He was VERY tempted to end Turenne there, but the fear and panic in his eyes at the thought of losing his nobility was enough for him. He turned to see Scarron and the rest of the Fairies staring both him and Louise. "I will let Princess Henrietta know what happened. Agnes will be here to clean up the mess." He said, referring to Turenne and his men.
Scarron nodded dumbly as he surveyed the scene. The other waitresses as well, through Roxas noted that Amy was not in the crowd. Slowly, he walked back to the inn and gently pushed past the other fairies. He spotted Amy sitting on the floor with Ellie, who was crying her eyes out as she clung to her older sister. Amy was trying desperately to calm the child down, but it was not working. Roxas felt his insides turn as he approached.
"Roxas!" Amy said as she saw him approach, a few tears falling down her face.
Roxas knelt down next to them. He reached over and placed a gentle hand on Ellie's head. She flinched a bit before she looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face.
"He is taken care of. Turenne won't be coming here anymore. I promise."
"R-R-Roxas." Ellie cried as she gently pushed away from her sister and wrapped her little arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.
Roxas bit his lip, as he gently wrapped one of his arms around her while stroking her hair with the other. A couple tears fell down his cheeks as well. It killed him to see her in such a broken state. Everyone else soon gathered around to offer words of comfort to the poor girl.
It was the next morning when Agnes came with her musketeers to gather Turenne and his batch of nobles. Roxas had managed to use the Corridor of darkness to teleport to the palace and explain everything that happened to the princess. Louise stayed behind to watch over the nobles and make sure none of them got away.
Turenne was screaming in fear as he was forcefully shoved into one of the prison carriages along with his followers.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" He screamed before the door slammed shut in his face, curtesy of Agnes. The leader of the musketeers then turned to Roxas and Louise.
"You both did very well. With your testimony, I will make sure this scum will land a cell right next to Count Mott."
"Turenne mentioned that he was starting his own collection as well…do you think…" Louise started.
"We will search his entire estate to see if we find anything. If he did the same thing as Count Mott, then…" Agnes left a dangerous feeling in the air as she turned to the carrage and hoisted herself to the front. "Oh, and Roxas."
Roxas looked up to see a small smile on Agnes's face.
"Some of those girls down in Mott's basement have joined my musketeers. They didn't come here today, but they send their thanks for what you did." She said as she whipped the reins, causing the horses to take off with the carriage. Roxas and Louise watched as the carriage rolled down the dusty road.
Suddenly, Roxas felt something grab both of his arms before he was forcibly dragged into the Inn. Louise snapped her attention to the entrance, but Roxas had already disappeared behind the doors.
Roxas was roughly sat down at one of the tables before he was surrounded by the entire staff. Nearly all of them were cheering about the downfall of Turenne. He felt someone sit on both sides of him and grab his arms. Glanced over, he noticed that Jessica and Amy had sat themselves on either side of him, holding his arms captive. He raised his eyebrows as he tried to pull them loose, but both girls refused to budge.
"Roxas, what in the world just happened? Who are you and Louise really?" Asked Jessica.
Roxas gave a sigh as he looked across the table. Louise had just entered the building and was glaring at him with her arms crossed. "Well, it's not like we have anything to hide anymore. Why don't you tell them Louise?"
Everyone turned their attention to Louise. She hesitated for a moment before giving a defeated sigh. "I guess you're right. The princess heard a few rumors about Turenne and asked us to go undercover to investigate. A commoner's testimony may not be enough to condemn him, but another noble is."
Amy then looked over at Roxas with a frown. "So you two are nobles then."
Roxas shook his head. "No, Louise is the noble. I am just a familiar."
"A human familiar? I have never seen one before." Jessica said as she smiled at him. "We heard what the guard said about Turenne landing a cell next to Count Mott. What was that about?"
Roxas growled a bit as he remembered the story. "Well, Count Mott forcefully took one of my friends to be his mistress. I stormed his estate and defeated him. But in doing so, Louise, I, and a few of my friends discovered what was in his basement. It was enough evidence for him to lose his status as a noble and land himself in prison."
"You're kidding me! That is why no one has seen him for a while? That was you?" Amy asked, her eyes wide.
"Yeah. We all worked hard to get those women out of his basement. They were the reason that the princess sent us undercover. They claimed that Turenne was a factor in their suffering."
The entire staff cringed. "Wow, so the princess really does care about what happens to us." Amy stated as she adopted a thoughtful pose.
"She really does care for everyone in this country, nobles and commoners alike."
"That's enough of that kind of talk fairies~" Scarron said as he clapped his hands. "Today is a wonderful day. Turenne and his men left behind their money and no one said it wasn't for tips. So we are going to close today for a celebration~"
"YEAH!"
Roxas and Louise stayed for a little bit to enjoy the celebration with the rest of the staff. Louise was surrounded by the rest of the waitresses as they bombarded her with questions and gave thanks for what she had done. Louise was a bit embarrassed by all the attention and praise. Surprisingly, she acted more shy than proud.
Roxas sat alone at one of the tables as he sipped a glass of water. The past couple days had sent his emotions on a roller coaster…but that was exactly why he was pondering at the moment.
He was a nobody, a being that was supposed to be without emotion. But it was obvious that he had felt things ever since he had got here. Anger, Rage, happiness, contentment…Hurt. All of these things he had experience. When he saw Ellie crying there, he could not take it. The hurt was so overwhelming that even he shed a few tears.
But why was he even feeling in the first place? Wasn't he supposed to not have a heart?
Roxas thought back to his last conversation with axel on top of twilight tower.
"You know, I have been thinking about what Namine said." Axel said as he turned to Roxas. "Roxas, are you sure you don't have a heart? Is it possible that all of us have one? You, Me, Her? Or is that just wishful thinking?"
Roxas thought about it. What Axel said did make sense, but… "I don't know. I can't just…look inside. But if there was something, then we would feel it, right?
Roxas sat there as he thought about it. He did feel something, so did that mean something was there? Did he have a heart? If he did have a heart, then why were they taught to believe that nobody's couldn't have one?
"Roxas?"
Roxas was pulled from his thoughts as he saw Louise standing there. "What is it?"
"Our mission is complete. There is really no reason to stay here any longer."
"AWW!" the rest of the fairy's whined. "You can't stay a bit?"
Louise shook her head as she blushed in embarrassment. "We have to report back to the princess."
"She's right." Roxas said as he stood up. Suddenly, he felt a small tug on his coat. He looked down to see Ellie standing there, looking up at him with a small pout on her face.
"You are really leaving Roxas?" asked Ellie.
"Yeah" he said, causing her to look down. Her lower lip trembling a bit.
"Will we ever see you again?" she asked.
Roxas smiled as he reached down and ruffled her hair. "I am sure we will, but remember this." He said as he knelt down so he was eye level with her. "What's important isn't how much we see each other, but how often we think about each other." He said, remembering what Hayner said to him back in twilight town.
Ellie bit her lower before she wrapped her arms around his neck for a few seconds. She then pulled away and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Thanks Roxas. You're the best!"
"AWW! That's so damn cute!" Amy squeaked as she saw Roxas stand. She then went over and wrapped him in a hug of her own. "Thank you for saving my sister."
Roxas felt his heart rate pick up a bit before he nodded. "Your welcome. I will see you all around sometime.
Amy released him, but his personal bubble was again invaded by one last person. Jessica had also hugged him from behind. Roxas felt his face grow warm at the amount of physical contact he had just received. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Jessica grinning.
"Don't forget to visit Roxas. You are the Hero of the Fairies."
A hero.
That was something that Sora was called many times during his adventure. But now, someone had called him that and it left a warm feeling in his heart.
"I will visit sometime. I promise."
Louise rolled her eyes a bit before she roughly grabbed his sleeve and dragged him out of the inn. "Let's get going!"
Authors Note: Yeah. A bit dark. Sorry about that. Sometimes bad things happen. However, it is because of bad things that we truly learn to appreciate the good. That is why I made this scene the way I did. I wanted to try and capture the emotion of that scene. Truthfully, it was very difficult to write. Anyway, how did I do? Did you like it? Was it to dark? If some of you are getting offended, should I change this to a rated M fic? There are some dark scenes, but they won't appear very often, but I will leave that decision to you guys. Leave a review and let me know. Thank you for 200+ wonderful reviews. I am very grateful and it is always something I look forward to reading after a hard day at work. Please review and look forward to the next update.
Until then, Later!
