II: Right Of Frost
Knocking. He heard knocking-knocking as loud as an explosion. Colbert grumbled, and slowly open his eyes. He stared at the ceiling of his laboratory for a while, while whoever that person was persisted. Ah, it was just too much. How many bottels did he drink yesterday? A dozen? Must be.
"Mister Colbert." Someone said, punctuated by another round of knocking. Longeville. Or at least, it sounded like Longeville. He had thought that she was beautiful, just the kind of person he like and had even planned to invite her to the ball. Now, it was getting harder and harder to remember why he should care for such things. Louise was death, and it was all his fault. "Mister Colbert, please. You can´t stay like this forever. I know that..."
"You don´t know a thing!" He screamed, and then grimaced. God, now his head hurt even more. "You don´t know a damn thing. I... I could have save her, done something, but I..."
"Even so, is not your fault, Mister Colbert. That man killed her, not you. And if you want to blame another, then at least blame the healers, who couldn´t save her, not yourself."
Colbert signed, and sat up on the bed. His head spun, so hard he had to grab the bed to not fall down. He felt his stomach twist, and for a moment he thought he would puke right now, but nothing happened after a moment.
"I am coming." He said, got out of bed and walked towards the door, in nearly complete darkness, trying his best to not hit anything. He did it anyway, a few times, but at least he didn´t fall himself. He reached the door, turned all the locks and opened the door. Longeville beamed at him.
"Good, I was beginning to think you wouldn´t show up, Mister Colbert." She said, some warmness on her voice. In any other day, he would have bend over backwards to hear her speak like that, but today he just was not in the mood for pleasantries.
"Yeah, yeah. Just go, and tell the Headmaster that it will be best if I don´t teach today. I got drunk, last night."
"Uh? Ah, no. The Headmaster didn´t order me to come, Mister Colbert." Longeville said, and, despite himself, his heart started beating a little faster. "In fact, he wanted to give you some space. I just thought that... that this couldn´t be good for you, so... Come out, please?"
Colbert signed, and closed his eyes.
"Mister Colbert?"
"You know, hearing that makes me happy." He said, and opened his eyes again. "But if you really knew me, you wouldn`t care in the slightest."
"That´s not true! That´s not true, at all."
Colber didn´t answer, just looked at both sides of the hallway, like he hadn´t not heard he. Empty.
"Come inside."
"Uh?"
"You heard me. There, I will tell you who I really am, and we see if you can say the same things after that. Don´t worry. Is not a long story, and I wont try to do anything untoward."
Longeville just nodded, and stepped into his laboratory. Colbert lighted all the lamps, and then closed the door behind them, but didn´t touch the locks. That would make her nervous, and he didn´t want that. He didn´t know what he pretended by telling her about himself, but he at least was sure of that. Then again, the flame snake and his misadventures would make her nervous anyway, so... Ah, it was so hard to think when drunk. He would never again drink alcohol for the rest of his life. Colbert sat down on a nearby.
"Take a seat, if you want." He said. Longeville nodded, and sat right in front of him, on the same desk. "Ah, how do I start... I am Jean Colbert, and my runic name is Enjya The Flame Snake. I was not always like this, a simply school teacher obsessed with creating things. Long ago, I was a soldier. We were informed that the inhabitants of a certain village, D'Anglettere, were infected with a plague. I was the captain of the troops sent to contain the plague, and I killed, killed and killed without question, ignoring them desperately screaming that there was no plague. I didn´t believe them? Why would I? I was a good little soldier, and I had my orders."
Colbert paused, and looked at her. There was no much change in her expression, but she had bit her lip, and her hands crossed on her lamp. She was distinctly uncomfortable. But he didn´t want to stop, not now. He only had the guts to tell Osmond directly, and that was mostly because he had already knew, so he at least wanted to finish this.
"Want to hear something funny? It was the truth. There was no plague. They were not a treath to our country, or to anybody. The church ordered us to exterminate that village because they were heretics, and nothing else. I found that out, years later. Until then, even if I had the occasional nightmare, I felt proud because I served my country. Do you realize want that means? I am twisted, broken. Can you still say what you did?"
"I..." Longeville bit her lip, harder. "I still don´t think you are a bad person."
"Yeah, right. How can you say that?"
"I... I mean... you didn´t know and even if you say you felt proud about it before you found out, you still regretted it. So, I don´t think you are a bad person. Don´t g-get me wrong, is not like I can look at you the same way I did before, but thats not necessarily a bad thing, right?"
Colbert just stared at her, incredulous, and then looked down. It was pretty much what the head master had said to him, back them but, somehow, those words still ringed hollow to him. So what if he didn´t know? What if he had nightmares? There were so many people, so many, death by the power of his magic. They couldn´t come back, or live happily again. Such a thing as regret was useless; it didn´t change what happened.
"Right." He repeated, bitterly and stood up. "Right. Lets get going, then."
"Mister Colbert..."
"Oh, save it, Miss Longeville. Just save it." Colbert cut her, and grabbed his staff from the side of his bed. Longeville stood up, and they got out of the laboratory. He closed the door behind them, locked it and walked away. He watched Longeville for the corner of his eye, and she seemed about to say something, but she just looked down.
Osmond heard hurried footsteps, close to him. He froze, and listened. It had be a long time since he needed to be cautious, but it hadn´t not dulled him in the slightest. He turned towards the source of the noise, moments before a person appeared behind a corner. It was one of the water mages, and he seemed familiar, but he honestly wouldn´t remembered it.
"Headmaster!" The man screamed, and he seemed terrified. Osmond gripped his staff tighter. That the man that had stabbed Louise had returned was is first thought, but instantly dismissed it as ridiculous. Better to let the young man explain himself, rather that indulge in idle speculation. He-Michel, right?- reached him, out of breath. "Y-You have to come. Please, you have to come."
"Calm down. Tell me was going on."
"The Valliere Girl..." He muttered, looking to the left and to the right like a madman. Or somebody who was checking if he was still pursued. "She is dead, she is supposed to be dead, but, oh god, she is awake! She is awake, and like a vampire! Rotting skin and glassy eyes! She looked at me, Osmond! She looked at me!"
Osmond grimaced. He didn´t think he was lying, but he also didn´t what him to be right. Colbert had told him than that man had claimed to be Undead, and if something like that happened to him after he had killed him, that would mean that it was true. That, in the heart of Tristania, there was an enemy nobody would defeat. Not to mention, the political consequences of such a thing were not any good, either.
"Okay, okay. I believe you? Is she still in the infirmary?" Osmond said.
"Yes, of course..." Edward-yes, that was it- said, and paled. He looked about to throw out. "God, god, I hope so."
"I am going. Stay here." Osmond said. He muttered the incantation for Leviation, and headed towards the infirmary. When he reached it, he lifted the spell and dropped just in front of the door. He opened it, and slammed it shut behind him. The nursing staff heard him, and looked at him, but didn´t say anything more. He ran towards Louise room, the room where she had supposedly breathed her last just yesterday and found the door half opened. He approached, breathed deeply and gave it a little push. The door swung open, and he saw her, sitting on the infirmary bed. What was left on her.
Her face was a mask of tattered flesh, the skin of her forehead split. She was so thin the school uniform hung out of her body like a flag, and he would see the bones of her ribcage against her decaying flesh. She slowly turned her head to look at him, like a defective wind-up doll and didn´t nothing more.
"Louise?" Osmond said, hardly believing it.
"Louise?" She repeated, drowsily. "Is that my name?"
"Yes, it is." He said, feeling out of place and, then, noticed it. A strage, faded design on her neck. "What... what is that?"
Louise-or maybe, it was not even her anymore-looked down.
"Oh. I don´t know."
"Is dangerous?"
"I don´t know." She said, and grimaced. At least, he thought she had grimaced. Looked at her was hard enougth. "Its uncomfortable. Why I am like this?"
"You..." Osmond muttered, at swallowed. He was too old for this kind of mess, damn it. "You were killed, Louise."
"So, why I am alive?" There was no anger in her voice, nor sadness or fear. He shivered, despite himself.
"I wish I knew." He said, and sighed. "I really do. Just... just lay down, and sleep. If you can sleep. We... we get this sorted out."
In the same instant he had spoke, Osmond wished to shallow these words. There was only one way to sort things out, in this kind of situation. Colbert knew about that, and he, in his time, was far for unaware of it. Still, Louise just blinked, and laid down. He got out of her room, and looked the door behind him.
Time felt strange, disconnected from its personal flow. One moment, she was staring at the blank, unfamiliar ceiling and the next she felt hands grasping her shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something, may to ask them to let her go or just kill her right here but then she blanked out again, without knowing if she said anything at all. When her conscious returned she was outside, the wind almost pushing her back, in front of a carriage. They dragged her inside, and shut the door. She drew back, and curled into a ball. Her body shook, but not with fear. No, not fear.
"Look at that wrenched creature!" Someone said- a voice far, far away. For a moment, she imaged her teeth sinking into his neck and tearing off his throat. Just for a moment.
There was a strike, and the carriage started. It bobbed, listed, righted itself again and continued through the messy road that seemingly held bumpsrywhere, towards whatever place they wanted to take her. A flash. She saw herself, or who was supposed to be herself, looking up to a man with a blank face. Her mouth moved, and she mouthed something, perhaps is name. The scene disappears,rots and she...
Opens her eyes. She felts groggy, even more weak that before and realizes that she must have be fallen sleep. There was a crack, letting sunlight into the crapped space of the carriage and those men entered. One of them put a mask over her face, but she didn´t resist. Not even when they dragged her outside, by the shoulders. Silence. She would almost fell everyone turning towards her.
"Oh my god, is... is that a corpse?" Somebody said, and the crowd broke out in frantic whispers. The men grabbing her just carried on, and the people gave them a wide berth. She saw a building in the distance. Its name escaped her, now. Or maybe, she never knew. She dozed off. There were other things to think about that the name of a building, or what would happen her. She tried to remember what she had dreamed, and herself.
She couldn´t.
The Chosen Undead lifted the bottle to his lips, threw his head back and drank, trying to ignore the noisy bar. Escape had be easy. The fire in Court Mott mansion had extended fast, and nobody had even seem it go, not even the servants he had liberated. He had ran far away for Tarbes, two or three villages far away and had walked in like he belonged, his pockets full of money. It had be easy enough, considering he never had to do this sort of thing back at Lordran. For several days now, the locals knew it as a simply commoner called Ryan.
The door opened, and he turned towards it. A tall, hooded man walked into the bar and walked towards the counter. His hands twitched for the knife he had hid in his boot, but no, not now. Giving himself away just because that random person looked a bit suspicious would be stupid. He would do that, no problem, but only if it became necessary. Someone sat at his side, that man, and he prepared for the worst. Nothing happened. The man spoke normally with the bartender, and he served him a drink. He listened closely, but if he had heard that voice before, he didn´t remembered it. Good news. Maybe.
"You are Ryan, right?" The man said, casually. He didn´t show a reaction, but he nearly drew his knife. That didn´t mean anything. He would have heard his name anywhere-it was not a big village.
"What do you want?" He said, grabbed the bottle, took a long ship and send it down.
"Oh." Even thought he was not looking at him, Ryan was sure he was smiling."Straight to the point, I see. Very well. I want to make you an offer."
Ryan stood up.
"Fine, let´s talk." He said, and the hooded man just looked at him for a moment, as if had not be expecting this. Then, he stood up. Great. He didn´t know how, but there was no doubt now: whoever this person was, he was after him. The man followed him out of the bar. He looked around, but he saw no suspicious people. Maybe he was alone; maybe no. He went into the nearest ally, listening closely to the man behind him, all the while. He turned around, and saw that he had draw his wand. "So, is this your offer?"
"This is just insurance. You see, I work for a powerful group-maybe you have heard of it. The Reconquista."
"What do they want? Power for power´s sake?"
"No. Bright down the current government, kill the elves and take back the Holy Land... this is what we what." Yeah, so power for power´s sake. "And you, so called Chosen Undead, would be a good addiction to our cause. So, with the respect you are due, I make this sort. Join us, or die."
Ryan rushed at him.
They got her inside that building, and she was passed down to two other men, dressed in far too bright robes. Priests, she thinks, but she doesn´t even know the meaning of that word. She was put in a cell, and she dropped in and out of conscious for several hours, until the door opened again and the same priest dragged her out of it, and into a large room with some kind of altar in the center, and lots of decorations. One of them held her down on the altar, and the other one took off a rather old looking book. That was when she realized the mask had be taken off.
"Remove, oh Lord, all wicked creatures from this earth. Let your light guide us, so we would turn all those sweet poisons away! Let your words illuminate us, so we can outgrow this hateful existence! Let the power of your Soul cleanse this body, eject all wickedness and malice from this body. Depart to where you came, all of you impure spirits and tremble, for I call by us the sacred name of Brimir, our Fouder. Tremble, infernal adversary's and know the power of the Void, which dragged us into life!" That design in her neck burned, and she gasped, suddenly uncomfortable and far too aware of what was happening. Of the eyes of that priest, looking at her with hatred on his eyes and the hands of that other one digging into her wraits, pushing her down. That she was going to die. "Behold, he sends his own voice. Acknowledge his voice, know his voice and kneel. Kneel. Be humble under his powerful hand! Begone, begone, begone!"
Nothing happened. The words were said, words of power, but nothing happened. The pain slowly faded away, until she was back to numbness. The priest shuffled through the pages of the book, looking a bit pale.
"Why is not working, Alfred?"
"I don´t know; I have to consult this. Make sure she doesn´t move. " He turned on his heel, and went out of the room. She felt the pressure on her wrists slacked. He was being far too. Perfect. She twisted her body, remembering lessons for her (mother) somebody, and sent him stumbling back, freeing herself. She rolled off the altar, stood up and ran for it.
"What the... " He screamed, as the door slammed shut behind her. She had be out of it when they had brought her there, so she didn´t even know where she was going, but she didn´t care. She couldn´t die like this. She turned a corner, there were more priest there. They stood, frozen, looking at her. She turned around, and ran, only vaguely aware of them screaming for help. She fell like she was floating, and as all the priest appeared around the corners, she forced herself to be one step ahead, just one step ahead, because that was enough. She came into what looked like the main room of the building, and slammed the door with her shoulder. It swung open, and she was outside. The glare of the sun settled down on her almost like a physical weight.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Someone screamed, someone so far away they may as well not be in the same world as her. She ignored it, turned around and somehow found the strength to run.
Wardes backed down quickly, an incantation on his lips. There was a flash, and Ryan hit his wand with a knife, knocking it out of his grip. He grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and put the knife against his throat. Damn, damn. Too fast. This couldn´t end like this. He had sacrificed far too much to die like this. Ryan stared at him in the eyes, for a moment, as if hoping to read his thoughts. Then, he put one hand against his chest and pushed. He felt on his butt, completely befuddled and watched impotently as Ryan grabbed his wand from the floor.
"I will not kill you, whoever you are. In fact, I will accept your offer." He said. For a moment, Wardes couldn´t believe it. Then, he understood. He was still being pursued by the Tristanian authorities and, even if they had not cached on to him yet, they would, in time. It was the only reasonable answer. He had lied, then. A being who wouldn´t never die couldn´t be afraid of anything. A shame. But having him in their ranks would still be a great benefit. He broke the wand in two, and the pieces fell to the floor, clattering when they hit the ground. "But I will not bow down to anybody. The second this Reconquista becomes an inconvenience, I kill them. Everyone last one of them. Understood?"
Wardes nodded, just nodded.
She ran through the forest for a long time, without stopping, her whole body aching. She tripping, and fell to her knees upon muddy water. Her chest burned, and she drew in air with short, painful breaths. She tried to stand up, shakily. Footsteps no longer reached her ears, but she had to get as far away as possible. She took another step, her head swung and she had to grab a tree with both hands to not fall.
A breath, she needed a breath and nothing would happen. The forest was as silent as it ever was going to be. She would be fine. She put her back against the tree, and slid down, fighting to keep her eyes open. Still, moment by moment it was getting harder to remember why couldn´t she sleep, even if was just for a moment. She was tired, far too tired.
A shape appeared in the darkness of the forest, and she squinted. Tall, warm and well formed body, brown-red eyes and long, pink hair in two ponytails. That person smiled, and, suddenly, she knew who she was.
"Cattaleya." She didn´t even remember herself, but her sister´s name came easily to her lips. From her dry throat, it sounded raw and almost animal like, but she didn´t care. She extended her trembling arms towards that shape, so achingly close to her. "Cattleya, save me. Save me."
When her finger tips brushed against her sister´s body, she disappeared like she had never be there at all. She let her arms drop to her sides, and just stared, unmoving, hearing the gradually slower beat of her own heart. After a moment, it stopped and she drifted off into the darkness. Her body decayed quickly, like she had spend years buried, leaving her bones almost hanging out of her flesh and her ribcage fully exposed. The darksign burned, and Louise Valliere stood up once more and shambled through the forest, her soul now rotten like her body.
Hollow.
Author´s Notes
I just want to say that yes, there is a canon compliant reason for Louise getting branded with the Darksign. It will be explained in one or two chapters.
