Do y'all actually wanna hear how I broke my nose all those years ago in sixth grade bc it is legendary.
In other news! ! We're nearly done with the Four! I mean, I plan on starting the next chapter still in Majula, but nonetheless. Are you stoked or what?
So I hope you like this chapter (and Aslatiel) as much as I do!
Lucatiel wraps you up in her arms, all smiles and laughter. "I have missed you."
You hug her back fiercely, pressing your face into her neck. "Me too."
"You've missed yourself?" Lucatiel teases. Pulling away to simply look you over, her eyes fall on a new scar, slashed across your cheek. One of your rat covenant friends had a thing for aiming great arrows at your face, but the only ones that made contact were grazes. She winces, "What happened?"
"I'm fine, Luca. Just got in a fight... Okay, a few fights, admittedly." You assure, moving to kiss her cheek.
Her eyes narrow, "Your world was invaded?"
"Nah. There's this covenant area that yanks you into other people's world. Straight up lazy if you ask me." Shrugging as if you haven't a care in the world, you continue, "But I got the Lord Soul."
"And I got my brother." She removes one hand from you waist to motion to the other knight, who appears to be purposely giving you two semi-alone time. He's staring at the grass awfully hard, but perks up at the word 'brother'.
You reluctantly pull away from Lucatiel and hold your hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aslatiel." You greet, also giving him you name.
He seems almost amused by your offer, but nonetheless gives you his hand. "Likewise, although most seek me out before courting my little sister."
You gaze flickers to Lucatiel, who's got that smile that means she's less than concerned. Not an actual threat then, you realize. "You're pretty elusive though, I mean..." You say, "I've had better luck finding talking crows."
Your knight snorts, obviously remembering your first ever meeting when you mentioned the crows. Her brother just looks confused, but that melts into a soft smile when Lucatiel rewraps her arms around you.
Awwwww. You bring a hand up to your mouth, knowing without a doubt she's smiling too. You almost feel like you're intruding on their little family moment. Although... If everything goes to plan, you'll technically be part of the family too, right?
"What are you thinking?" She asks him curiously while you consider this, her cheek resting on your head. Too tall.
"They make you happy." His eyes, a few shades greener than Lucatiel's, meet your gaze.
You're too startled to form a proper response, but Lucatiel answers for you with a simple, "Indeed."
"She makes me happy too, just... So you know." You absolutely do not stutter, looking over to the Herald as if she'll give you the moral support necessary. She's returned to her place on the boulder though, and not facing your little group.
"So I see." He snorts. "You're trying to become the next monarch then?"
It doesn't surprise you that Lucatiel mentioned that particular fact, really. "Yeah! I've got one more soul to collect before the Shrine of Winter will let me pass, and then I've just gotta get the king's ring from Vendrick."
"I thought the previous ruler disappeared during the last war?" He raises an eyebrow, and you mentally note that he tilts his hat back farther than Lucatiel. Her plume is practically perpendicular while his looks like its about to fall off.
"He did, into the Undead Crypt. I'm sure you can imagine what's left of him now." You huff, knowing the Shrine of Amana is going to be such a pain. "Nashandra, his queen, is the current 'ruler', actually..." Unofficially, at least.
He must see the annoyance in your expression, because he asks, "Do you not agree with her ruling?"
"God, no. She's a fragment of Manus, which is... Not good." You wonder how to explain the whole Father of Darkness thing to someone who's never heard anything of darkness outside of forbidden hexes.
"I told you they have a strange wealth of knowledge." Lucatiel laughs.
"Do I?" You ask dryly. "What else did you you mention?"
"How cute you are." She hums, pressing her lips to your shoulder in an almost kiss.
Aslatiel coughs, looking anywhere but his sister. "Well then. How long will you be in Majula?" A clear please change the subject for the love of god if you've ever heard one.
You honestly consider it, trying to figure out how long you're willing to wait to finish up the main Four quest. After which you'll have to do what? Visit Drangleic Castle, the Shrine, and the Crypt? All one after another too, unless you want teleport every two seconds. You don't really like teleporting though. It makes your skin crawl.
"I... Probably around a week? The Rotten itself probably isn't going to be that big an obstacle, but the journey down there is going to be annoying. Especially if I want to get all the loot, which I totally do." You're a sucker for treasure, honestly. Which made speed runs pretty tricky.
"Totally." Aslatiel repeats, smirking.
You narrow your eyes in return, "What about it?"
He shrugs. "I expected the accent, but the words you use are a surprise. Where do you hail from, exactly?" Lucatiel digs her fingers into your waist as he speaks, obviously trying to be comforting without interrupting.
"If I lie and say Lanafir, would we be cool or nah?" You reply cooly.
Aslatiel blinks, apparently startled. You almost take it back, only for his boisterous laugh to interrupt you apology. He does the same thing as Lucatiel, folding in on himself and hiding his face.
Oh.
Your knight is also laughing, and you make a face as she presses into the inside of your neck. It's ticklish. "Stop that!" You whine, trying to lift your shoulder enough to get her to move. She responds by pressing a kiss in the same spot. You only grumble in reply.
"I've missed you." She repeats after she calms down a bit, twisting you around. You're facing her now, looking up at her cornflower blue eyes and all thoughts of Alsatiel go out the proverbial window.
"I know." Is all you can manage. You can't put words to how happy you are to be back, truthfully, as cliche as that sounds. You tilt your face up instead, and her kiss is sugary sweet.
Distantly, you hear Alsatiel say something about going to see the Herald, but you don't pay much attention to him as Lucatiel knots her fingers in your hair and presses as close as her armor will allow.
You missed this too.
She pulls away abruptly, and you know just by the look on her face she did so to look at you. She mentioned it once, how much she enjoys your freshly kissed expression, but you have to wonder what that means. Messy hair? Dilated pupils? Or maybe its just the 'that's how I made them look' thing.
Damn Mirran's and their pride.
You smile anyway, biting down on your bottom lip. "So how's Majula been without me?"
"Hmmm," She hums. "Uneventful, for the most part. Rosabeth is trying to befriend me though, something about it making sense because she's your..." Lucatiel makes a vague motion, obviously struggling to find the correct word.
"She's my kid." You supply, only half joking. She needs a parental figure, or at least someone she can go to for advice. She's had a rough couple of years and god knows how long she was petrified.
Lucatiel barks a laugh, "Of course. Which would make me what?"
"That depends on you." Smiling, you raise your eyebrows expectantly. "What would you like to be?"
Your knight falls silent, looking down at you with the most peculiar expression. You can name most of her expressions by now, but the emotions behind this one still elude you.
"Now that, is a question for another day." She finally says.
Laughing as she kisses your forehead, you agree easily enough, "Sure. Now... Tell me more about your brother?"
She rolls her eyes. "Why don't you ask him?"
"Because he won't give me the embarrassing stories. That's what siblings are for, obviously." You gotta get the dirt on him. That's how you make friends, right?
"That is not, in fact, what siblings are for. And you've told me embarrassing stories about yourself." She responds, smiling.
"Okay, first of all, he's not in love with me so he's not gonna be treating me like I do you. And second, you don't know the actually embarrassing stories like the first time I got drunk and how I broke my nose." You fire back matter-of-factly.
She raises an eyebrow. "How did you break your nose?"
"It's a long story."
"We have time."