The Familiar of Zero – Trouble In Paradise
Chapter 4 – Welcome to the World
Saito and Louise rushed upstairs to where his parents had been left to rest in the Mansion following Louise's Explosion spell. Siesta had gone back into the kitchen to prepare some more drinks, while Henrietta, Tabitha and Illococoo were sitting patiently in the lounge, making idle chit-chat about various things. They had all agreed to call Illococoo Tabitha's sister, at least until Saito's parents were ready to understand that she was in fact a dragon capable to taking on human form. As they reached the top of the stairs, they saw Agnes looking out the window, keeping an eye on the soldiers under her command. They'd calmed down since the incident with the portal, and had resumed their normal guard duties around the mansion, and Royal Carriages. Agnes turned to face them, and looked to calm any worries they might have had.
"Your parents are fine, aside from the few bruises. More than anything, they are confused as to just where they are, but I guess that's to be expected." Agnes paused for a moment, and then added. "I haven't told them anything yet, only that you would explain things to them. I figured it would be slightly easier on them to hear it from their son, rather than a complete stranger."
"Thank you very much Agnes, I appreciate it" Saito said gladly, shaking Agnes' hand. "Why don't you go and join the others in the lounge, we'll escort my parents down as soon as they're ready."
"I will, I'll see you guys as soon as you're ready." And with that, Agnes walked downstairs and headed to join the other guests. At least this way she could still perform her duties as a Royal Bodyguard, and could catch up with Siesta as well as talk to the parents of one of Tristan's biggest heroes.
Saito took a deep breath to calm his nerves, before knocking on the door. "It's open" came a nervous reply from Mrs Hiraga. Saito slowly opened the door, and led Louise inside. "How are you both feeling?" he asked as they entered the room. They were clearly shaken by the events of a few hours ago. "Where are we Saito?" Mr Hiraga asked. "That woman in the armour said…" Mr Hiraga paused mid-sentence upon seeing Louise. An awkward silence filled the room, to the point where they could hear the rustling of the leaves on the trees outside clearer than anyone normally would. Louise lowered her head. "I'm sorry… I lost my temper and over-reacted... I didn't mean to use that spell, and realised too late… I'm just so relieved you're both alright." She whimpered, struggling to hold back the tears. Saito put his hand on Louise's shoulder to comfort her. Mrs Hiraga slowly walked over to them, before putting her arms around both Saito and Louise and hugging them both tightly, who in turn returned the hug as best they could.
"We've all done foolish things Louise… and we all regret them afterwards. No-one was hurt, so I'm willing to forgive and forget." She said kindly. Saito glanced over at his father, who nodded in agreement with his wife's statement. Louise had also noticed this, and began to cry. Not tears of sadness, or regret, but tears of relief. She was thankful that Saito's parents were relaxed about things as he had said they were… though she did fear that that might change when they saw and heard about the state of the house. After a few moments, Louise regained her composer. Mrs Hiraga sat down on the end of the bed, while Louise placed her arm around Saito.
"So then son… where are we?" his father asked, straight to the point as usual. Saito gulped nervously, praying they would take the news well. "You're currently in our home in Halkgenia" he answered. A pause followed as Mr Hiraga closed his eyes, before opening them and turning to face his wife. "I told you…" Mrs Hiraga nodded. "Well, it was the only explanation for that woman being dressed in armour, and those people outside… Still, you told us that the only people living here was yourselves and a maid… what was her name again?" "Siesta…" Louise answered, taking a deep breath to stop her temper from rising as she remembered about the incident earlier. "She was the one who fell through the portal on top of Saito."
Both Mr and Mrs Hiraga nodded, remembering the scene… it had looked like something straight out of a bad anime or manga, with the magical girl, the woman in a maid costume, and the poor guy who always seems to get himself into the worst situations through no fault of his own. Mrs Hiraga decided to alter the subject a bit. "Not that we wouldn't have asked to come and visit, or to sound ungrateful, but why did you bring us here?" Louise, nervously, went on to explain what had happened after the Explosion spell. "Well…. After I cast the spell, the force of it… pretty much destroyed your house... There were these strange wailing sounds in the distance, and a crowd had started to gather outside. I panicked and with the help of a friend, we carried you through into Halkgenia, and sealed the portal behind us." Again, an awkward pause followed as Saito's parents digested the news that they're home had been largely destroyed by a girl they had only just met, who also had summoned their only son to be her familiar and was now his wife.
"So…" Mr Hiraga began "What you're saying is… a girl with the ability to cast magic, over-reacted because of a scene with a maid who fell through a portal said mage had cast, and went onto cast a spell that had enough power to destroy our home?" he asked. Louise nodded, gripping onto Saito tighter, she was afraid of where this was going. Out of nowhere, a deep laugh filled the room, causing both Louise and Saito to jump slightly. Mr Hiraga was almost killing himself. "Well, I doubt the insurance company will have heard THAT one before!" he roared with laughter. Mrs Hiraga started to chuckle as well, as did Saito, who had thought the exact same thing earlier when Tabitha had told him about the damage. Louise however, was left feeling confused. "What the hell was an 'insurance company?'" she wondered. She'd forgotten just how many confusing things in Saito's world there really were. She decided that this was something else she would have to ask Saito about later.
As Mr Hiraga calmed down, he looked out the window. "Still son, I am impressed. I know you said you owned some land, but you've done well for yourself in these past two years." Saito grinned. "Better than you probably think, I'm technically now a noble. This property, and the town that is being built about half an hour away by horse down the road, is technically on land that I now own." Mrs Hiraga's jaw almost hit the floor, and his father span around quicker than Saito or Louise had ever seen anyone do so. "How the hell did you manage all this in two years!" the both yelled at the same time. Louise spoke up. "Services to the crown… even I still struggle to believe it, and I've been with him for almost everything he's done." She sighed, shaking her head. Indeed, nowhere in the history of any country in Halkgenia had a man risen so far, or done as much in service to a country… even one he technically wasn't born in"
Mr Hiraga looked back outside, he just had to ask. "Tell me… those soldiers and those carriages. Are they yours as well?" Saito shook his head. "No, they actually in the service of to two of our good friends, Queen Henrietta of Tristan, and Queen Tabitha of Gallia." Mrs Hiraga looked confused. "If… they are technically in the service of two Queens, why are they here?" Louise shook her head slightly, still trying to get over the timing of her friends surprise visit. "They're currently sitting downstairs in the lounge… they came over to surprise us with a visit and catch up. We hadn't actually seen them since our wedding day. They came a little while after Saito and myself left to visit you."
Both Mr and Mrs Hiraga looked stunned. "So… you're saying we've got two Queens sitting in the lounge of the house we're in?" Mr Hiraga asked. Saito nodded and grinned. "Yep, and it gets better. They've both asked you to join us downstairs for a chat. They really wanted to meet you while they were here." Saito could see his parents face fill with shock, which then turned into a sense of pride. It was hardly surprising, see as it's not every day you've got two rulers asking to meet with you.
Mrs Hiraga gulped as she stood up; she took her husband's arm in hand. "Well… I guess we'd better not keep Royalty waiting." Saito and Louise nodded. "Then, if you'd like to follow us. Don't worry about being nervous, they might be members of Royalty, but they are also very kind people. Tabitha helped me carry you through the portal into Halkgenia after you were knocked out."
Meanwhile….
The Ostlant was returning from a trip into the Elven territories. It was one of a handful of human ships that the Elven council had permitted to travel into and out of its territory, though all were still subject to various stop and searches before, during, and after entering, on the grounds of security. The same, however, had been applied to the few Elven ships that were granted permission to cross into human controlled lands. It was a necessary agreement between rulers in the hopes of fostering better relations between the two species. After over 6,000 years of distrust, both sides had agreed to begin work on peace between each other.
Professor Colbert had chosen to remain as the ship's captain, and had been given permission by Old Osmond, Queen Henrietta, and the Elven Council to take several students with him on various trips designed to improve relations between the two races. Though these were still in their early phases, the results so far had been promising. On this event, however, it was being accompanied by two Elven ships, due to the V.I.P's that had come aboard for the return trip back into Tristan.
Several figures stood on the deck, looking out onto the human lands before them.
"Humans are just so fascinating… and their lands sure are beautiful from up here!" one said, struggling to contain her excitement.
"They're alright, I guess" replied person standing next to her, who promptly received a hit to his stomach.
"Be a little more excited, or we're getting a divorce!" the first argued, annoyed by her partner's lack of enthusiasm.
A third figure just sighed. "It's been a while since we last saw Saito and Louise." She thought to herself.
Professor Colbert joined them on deck, as someone else took the wheel. "I have to admit, I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing such scenery." He said, his balding head reflecting the sunlight from above him. "I agree Darling, it's just so romantic!" came another voice, as Professor Colbert found his arm being held tightly by Kirche, who still had not given up trying to woo him.
The third robbed figure turned to face the Professor and Kirche. "Umm… Professor, can I make a small request?" The Professor nodded, and found the hooded figure whispering in his ear, much to Kirche's obvious jealously. When she finished, he thought about what she had asked for a moment, and then nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me, however, I need to clear it with our escorts first, last thing we want is a misunderstanding."
The fourth and final figure turned around. "They'll agree, I'll send the word that we'll be going there, and that they won't need to accompany us as it's a social visit." He said simply, apparently having guessed what his friend had asked. "Still, is this what you want Tiffa?" he asked.
Tiffa nodded, removing her hood, and revealing her pointy ears and blonde hair, which immediately began to flow in the breeze as the ship flew through the sky. "Yes, I want to see Saito and Louise…"
Back with Saito and co.
Agnes was leaning against the wall, while Siesta was bringing in a tray with more drinks on it. Tabitha and Henrietta were still chatting amongst themselves, while Illococoo was getting restless. "What's taking them so long…" she grumbled, pouting. Agnes grinned, and petted Illococoo on the head. "Give them some time; after all, they have just woken up in a world they knew almost nothing about. Besides, I doubt they'll be that much longer."
A knock on the lounge door quickly drew everyone's attention. Siesta walked over, and opened it, bowing slightly. Saito and Louise entered first, followed nervously by his parents. Henrietta and Tabitha rose, as did Illococoo, and Agnes stood up straight. Saito took a deep breath and smiled. "Mom, dad, allow me to introduce you to everyone." He raised his hand to gesture "Firstly, we have Queen Henrietta of Gallia, and Queen Tabitha of Gallia." Both of Saito's parents went to bow, but were stopped by Henrietta. "Please, do not. This is not a formal meeting, and even if it were, I feel I would have to be the one who was bowing to you. Your son, Saito, has become one of our country's biggest heroes and a very good friend to us." Tabitha nodded in agreement. "Yes, Saito has helped more than we could ever repay him." This made Saito blush slightly, though he did feel that they'd slightly exaggerated what he'd done by calling him one of their countries biggest heroes.
"Your words mean a lot Your Highnesses, thank you." Mrs Hiraga replied.
"Please, you can just our first names. For meetings that are just between friends or family, we prefer it." Henrietta asked, as Tabitha nodded.
"Next, we have Tabitha's Sister, Illococoo, and the Captain of Queen Henrietta's personal guard, Captain Agnes." Saito said, gesturing towards her. "Pleased to meet you!" Illococoo said. "It is an honour to meet you both." Added Agnes. "It's a pleasure to meet you both" Mr Hiraga replied, and turned to Agnes. "And I must thank you captain for watching over us while we recovered from that minor concussion." Agnes bowed her head. "Anything for the parents of a friend". Louise was surprised by what Agnes had said, that was the first time she'd ever heard Agnes refer to Saito as a friend, she usually just called him a comrade.
"And last, but by no means least, is Siesta, our maid and very good friend." Saito finished as bowed her head. "It's very nice to meet you both." She said warmly. "And you, my dear." Replied Mrs Hiraga.
Louise beckoned them over to some seats, and everyone sat down, while Siesta handed a cup of Tea to everyone, and sat down next to Agnes. Louise noticed that Mrs Hiraga had a tear in her eye. "Is everything alright?" Louise asked. Mrs Hiraga nodded. "Yes, it's fine. I'm just finding it hard to believe I'm sitting here about to drink Tea with royalty, on the same day my son re-appears and introduces us to his wife…" she replied with a chuckle as she wiped her eye.
Henrietta chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Tabitha and I can relate to that. I doubt either of us expected to meet you so soon." Tabitha nodded. "Saito said he'd love to introduce you to us one day." She added.
Saito laughed. "I must admit, I didn't expect things to move this quickly, but I'm glad they did."
Louise nodded in agreement. "Even I feared the worst… Saito had always told me good things about you, but my nerves still got the better of me…" she said with slight embarrassment. "As did your temper…" everyone else thought at the same time.
The group chatted for several hours, and were laughing and joking until dusk fell… most of the joking was at Saito and Louise's expense, but they didn't really care. As the sun set, Agnes saw the guards outside waving her over from the window. "Excuse me one moment" She said, bowing and leaving the room. Agnes hurried outside. "What's the problem?" she asked. The soldier saluted. "Mam, this person here has said the Ornières is currently under attack by a small mercenary band. They are requesting we send assistance to aid them in the defence."
Agnes mentally cursed. "Of all the times, why now!" she thought. "Very well soldier, dispatch around 80% of the troops to go and aid the town. Everyone else will remain with me to keep the Queens safe." The soldier saluted and gathered the troops that would go to Ornières. Agnes hurried back inside to inform Henrietta about what was happening. The wars may have been over… but the battles born from it, we're far from settled.