The Regret
Chapter V
Flowers
Lenneth Valkyrie, no longer clad in her elegant armor, but in the simple set of clothes she wore for entering Midgard's cities, sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed. The hotel room wasn't terribly large, though it wasn't cramped either.
They'd decided to go southeast, toward Villnore, instead of northwest to Coriander. Not only did she dread returning to the town she'd once lived in as a human, but they doubted Coriander could provide sufficient lodging. She didn't feel like sharing a room with Mystina that night; she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts.
Not just the town I lived in… she thought darkly, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. The town we both lived in back when we were human…and very much alive. There isn't even a reminiscence of that time left now.
After a long distance Transport spell from Flenceburg to Weeping Lily Meadow, and a successful Sovereign's Rite before that, Lazard and Mystina hadn't felt up to a second Transport spell. Two humans completing a Sovereign's Rite was an accomplishment in itself, potentially a first in the history of mankind.
The Sovereign's Rite was normally performed by Freya in the presence and by consent of Odin. It was highly unorthodox for anyone else to attempt it, whether the person was an Aesir, human, elf, Vanir, or any other race. She'd heard of people trying it, but it always failed miserably usually in the result of a annihilated vessel and corrupted soul.
It reflected Lezard's power and potential to become one of Midgard's most accomplished mages. Since he had no abolitions for such things, it left him as a huge danger to Valhalla and a threat to every world that branched off Yggdrasil and beyond.
She couldn't blame them for being tired; they'd done a lot for her to regain her Valkyrie form. Lezard's motives, though the seeds of corrupted were planted deep within them from the start, were acceptable enough for the time being. She held a undeniable distain for the mage, but would contemplate thanking him for his efforts if the situation deemed it necessary.
Otherwise, if she was in a good mood, she'd simply slap him for being such a low-life pervert. Then again, I think Mystina already had…almost definitely, actually. They did go to school together. They were even taught by the same sorceress. I wonder what Lezard thought to see Lorenta as one of my einherjar.
She stood up and headed to the window on the far side of the room. She slid the curtain open and started untying the small red ribbon that kept her braid in place. She looked down over the streets of Villnore, slowly unbraiding her long silvery hair. They were put on the uppermost floor of the inn, making the view fairly high.
Stagnant and unchanging memories that haunted her like phantoms or undead would form in her mind's eye everywhere she looked ever since regaining her memories. Or more accurately…Platina's memories.
The one that came to mind as she watched the stores and sidewalk merchants close up for the night was relevant to the young woman closing her cart of flowers. Much of it still seemed to be full; it wouldn't be surprising if it had stayed that way since morning. There was very little extra money for frivolous spending in times of war.
It would probably be difficult to make a living off something like that nowadays… Lenneth thought absentmindedly, watching the woman on the other side of the street, a few yards down from the hotel. Many pedestrians were heading toward the residential areas or leaving stores, but they all passed without as much s glancing at the flower cart.
Unlike the last time Lenneth--or rather, Platina, had seen the woman, she was no longer alone. She was a teenager in Platina's memories, but now was a young woman and had a small child at her side. The child tugged at her mother's skirt, looking as though she were asking to be carried.
She remembered the event clearly. Lucian's father had to get a few things in the city and agreed to bring Lucian along. With further persuasion, Platina had also been allowed to come. She remembered how her parents had objected, saying she'd fall behind on chores and other household duties.
Though they were both small, and Platina extremely unaccustomed to the bustle of a city, they'd managed to slip away from Lucian's father's watchful eye to explore more of the city together. Lucian had extricated their successful escape, of course.
Toward the end of the day when the sky was being painted by the calming colors of twilight, they'd finally been tracked down and forced to head to the entrance. They were getting hurried to leave so they could still make it back to Coriander not long after nightfall, when the paths were still safe from the undead. Nevertheless, Lucian had stopped to buy her a flower to remember the day by.
When it started to wilt, I pressed it into a book…it must be long gone by now. That woman I once called "mother" probably burned it after I died.
Despite her dark and borderline vengeful thought, she continued to watch the woman and her child near completion of closing their shop. On a whim with little sense or reason, Lenneth suddenly dashed to the door of the room and down the hall toward the staircase.
Though she ran, she was careful to make sure her boots make little sound against the wooden floor. She didn't need Mystina and Arngrim following her with worried expressions again. It was so silly and pointless, but meant so much…our families could hardly afford enough food, but he still got me that flower just because I'd been admiring them when we arrived….
She reached the bottom of the stairs after a few more moments of running but slowly slight to pass through the lobby. The owner at the front desk hadn't found their unusual group very savory and regarded them with cold looks. Lenneth didn't want to draw any unneeded suspicion.
Once she was on the sidewalk and out of the hotel, she regained her previous pace. Villnore didn't calm completely with the coming of night and the lampposts were being lit. As she crossed the street, a portion of a short conversation between the mother and her daughter reached her ears.
"Mommy, how much did we make today?" the little girl asked her mother with a frown as she looked up to her mother questioningly. "There are so many flowers left…"
Lenneth saw the shadow of worry on the mother's expression as she forced a smile when she turned to face her daughter. She ruffled the girl's long brown hair saying, "We earned more than enough for dinner when we get home."
How much has changed…since I was human…? Not very much, by the look of it…if anything, the poverty that plagued Coriander has spread.
"Excuse me, miss!" Lenneth called, waving to the woman with the flower cart as she hurried down the sidewalk. She was about to close the final compartment of the cart and Lenneth felt a pang of pain fill her heart when she saw they were the same thin but elegant blue and white lilies Lucian had purchased her, all those years ago.
The woman looked up when she heard Lenneth, seeming to look around to make sure the call hadn't been for someone else. Lenneth stopped a few steps away from the cart, slightly out of breath. She still lack her usual stamina; it was an inconvenient side effect of the Sovereign's Rite.
"I'm sorry for coming so late," Lenneth said as the girl ducked behind her mother's skirt. "But how much are flowers?"
"Fifteen Oth," the woman replied, brushing her hands off on her apron. "I have more than just lilies, if you'd like a different kind…"
"No, the lilies are fine," Lenneth replied, looking at the delicate flowers. They were small for their type but their rich dark blue centers that paled before meeting the pure white edges made them beautiful. "How much are in a bouquet?"
"There are twenty," she replied pleasantly, "Since there are so many, we only charge ten Oth each, so the bouquets are two hundred oth."
Lenneth nodded and pulled two silver coins from her pocket. "I'll take both,"
She blinked in surprise then lifted the two bouquets out, leaving the compartment nearly empty. Two forgotten separate lilies and several fallen petals littered the corners. She thanked the Valkyrie profusely as she slid the coins into her pocket.
Lenneth heard the cart's wooden wheels rolling across the cobblestone sidewalks as she headed back to the inn. She crossed the street quickly though there were no carriages coming in either direction, and stared down at the flowers as she entrance. Just as silly and illogical…but meaningless in comparison to how precious the same flowers there then…
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Author's note:I really hope I didn't typo and type "Lazard" instead of "Lezard." XD
Not much to rant about this time; I have to refresh my memory about this area of the VP timeline before I post too many more installments of The Regret. Also, if my prices on the flowers were a bit off from what they were in VP2, blame inflation! XD It's rampant in America…-.-
Anyway, hope you like this one! :D The idea was a bit random, but I felt it could fit in nicely, and I got to write it on notebook paper during math class. My next update in the Valkyrie Profile section will be with Valkyrie's Favor…look for it sometime next week!
R&R please!