Natalia was tired.
Tired of thinking up ways to satiate her boredom, cooking notwithstanding. Tired of being cooped up in a cave, with an irate Anise for company. Tired of being treated like a fragile princess incapable of holding her own in battle. Tired of being figuratively locked up in a room located at the highest floor of a tower.
"No, no, no, no, no! The handle turns that way, not like that!"
"I-I'm sorry! I'll be sure to remember that!"
And most of all, tired of listening to a certain white-haired mad scientist scream impatiently at a hapless Guy, who was trying his best to learn how to operate and maintain a hover drive in twelve hours.
In all honesty, he was not the only one who did not approve of Emperor Peony's scheme to get Jade to "go along" with their plans. It was rather heavy-handed of him to resort to such tactics, and Natalia could understand why Dist—nay, Dr. Gneiss—was rather upset. She was not—heaven forbid—in love with Jade as he was, but she knew she would be upset if something to that effect happened to Asch back in the day, even if she knew it was "for the best".
"This is simply unacceptable! And I'm supposed to entrust my greatest creation to date to you?"
"S-sorry…"
He did not have to take it out on Guy, though, who was doing his best, considering that the craft's controls was different from Noelle's Albiore, which was certainly much more used to observing back in their journey. Besides, it was a headache that Dr. Gneiss brought upon himself, considering he wanted to stay behind and tend to Jade instead of flying them to Baticul. Unnecessary as it was, who were they to stand against their sole airship pilot's terms and conditions? Especially when he was—grudgingly—willing to teach Guy, who was admittedly excited about the prospect despite the circumstances surrounding it.
Though Guy, perhaps, was regretting that decision, four hours later and still grounded at the mouth of the cavern. She folded her arms and tore her gaze away from the aircraft, choosing to study a lizard as it crawled up the cavern wall. It would be unbecoming for a princess if she were to join in the shouting, after all.
Then again, was she still a princess? Her lips tugged downward as she retreated into her thoughts, feeling a small pang in her chest as she did so. Declared dead once more and having a war break out because of it, she wanted to rush back to Baticul and tell her father that this was just another plot to incite war between Kimlasca and Malkuth back when she caught wind of the news in Kaitzur. However, as she voiced these concerns, the next thing she knew was that she was in some damp, enclosed space, bordering the realm of consciousness and unconsciousness. Food was scooped into her mouth, she recalled vaguely, but being kept under sedation for Yulia knew how long—Anise said it was just two days, but it felt like forever—messed with her memories of that time.
Natalia let out a deep sigh, watching the lizard skilfully avoid a trail of water dripping along the wall. Still, ever since her rescue, that question lingered at the back of her mind. It was like the time she first discovered that she was "Meryl", and when that bastard Mohs used her existence as a means to an end. Was her life merely a tool for someone else's machinations—first, the Score, now, this?
"Yo, Princess. A gald for your thoughts?"
A different voice rang through the air, quite a pleasant breather from the nonsense she was subjected to earlier. Looking up, Natalia found Emperor Peony grinning at her. Returning his smile, she replied, "I'm afraid my thoughts are somewhat worthless at the moment."
"Then perhaps you need a place to clear them, so to speak. I know just the right place for it," Peony said, doing a mock bow and extending a hand to her, as if to ask her out for a dance. "Care to join me, then?"
Suppressing a giggle at the gesture, Natalia accepted his hand. "It would be an honor to do so."
Chuckling, he grasped her hand firmly and led her deeper inside the cavern and into one of the area's twisting corridors, slowly muting Dr. Gneiss's shouting and Guy's hurried apologies. She followed Emperor Peony's lead until they reached an opening where two Oracle Knights were stationed. Waving at them, he then spoke in a hushed tone, too low for Natalia to catch what he was saying, though her eye caught a piece of paper being slipped to one of the soldiers. After he was done speaking, the soldiers gave him a salute and left their positions, leaving the two of them alone.
Natalia frowned, letting go of Emperor Peony's hand. "Is this OK? I've never been to this area before, and I'm not usually allowed to go out whenever there aren't any soldiers to keep watch…"
"Don't worry, you've been given the clear by Anise." Peony smiled at her reassuringly. "Boy, she's even stricter than some of my advisers back in the day. Anyway, let's go!"
"If you say so," she said, smiling as she followed him out of the cavern.
She felt her breath hitch in her throat as sighted what lay beyond the exit. Blinking several times to make sure it was not a dream—it was not—she hurriedly climbed over the rocks to get a better view of the scenery before her.
The ocean was a glittering expanse, its salty smell wafting through her nostrils. The sun's warmth was beating down her back, though a cool breeze tickled the nape of her neck as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, unable to keep her lips from tugging upwards into the widest smile she has had in a while.
"Beautiful, huh?"
She nodded wistfully. The ocean's breadth seemed to be endless from where she stood; its pristine waters reflecting the orange sunlight. Though it was sunset that was approaching rather than sunrise, the scene reminded her all too well of a time she stood with a certain someone who muttered a promise to her—one that would stay with her forever, even when the said person was gone.
...Some day, when we're grown up, let's change this country.
"Change what?" Peony's question snapped her out of her reverie, blushing in response as she realized that she must have said those words out loud.
"Just… words of comfort," she said, looking out to the expanse before her. "A promise I made with someone."
"I see." He nodded understandingly. "I hope that person's well."
"He's," she paused as she felt a familiar heaviness take root in her chest, taking a deep breath before continuing, "dead."
"I'm sorry."
"No," she hastened to reassure him, flashing him a bright smile. "It's fine. I've come to terms with it a long time ago." She took another breath. "And even if people—like Asch—are no longer here, they live within our hearts and memories, right?"
"Indeed." Emperor Peony turned to look at her, though his expression gave way to that of concern. "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Natalia gave him a puzzled look, wondering why he was looking at her with such worry etched on his face. "I'm fine."
Emperor Peony responded by extending a hand and brushing the pad of his thumb across the side of her cheek. "Your tears say otherwise."
"…Oh." She absently touched her cheek and feeling a familiar wetness, wiped the rest away with the sleeve of her shirt. Strange—normally, a person would feel such a thing happening, but to her, the tears felt relatively out of the blue.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He smiled gently at her. "I may not look like it, but I'm a good listener."
She averted his gaze from him, eyes downcast. "I don't know…" She supposed it was too good to be true when she surprised herself by sounding so calm earlier, and while she appreciated the gesture, she was not entirely sure if she was ready to bare her heart just yet.
"Then allow me to talk to myself, I guess." She felt Emperor Peony shift next to her. "Promises are tricky things. Having been on the giving and receiving end of them countless times, I've learned that there's this one sort I should guard myself against—the so-called 'empty promise'. It's not worth stressing over them, to be honest. While often beautiful-sounding, these words often—"
"It's not like that!" Natalia blurted out, glancing at him sharply before returning to studying the ground. "He… wouldn't say such things so callously."
"Oh?"
"Would you like to hear the promise he made?" she asked, surprising even herself at her daring to share something so intimate to a man she was cordial to at best.
He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind."
"Very well." It was too late for regrets, in any case. "I suppose I could." She took a deep breath to compose herself. "Someday, when we're grown up, let's change this country," she said, smiling fondly at the recollection. "Change it so that no one has to be poor. Change it so that war never happens. Let's work to change our country. For the rest—is something the matter?"
As she said those words, she could not help but notice a hint of a frown on Emperor Peony's face, which piqued her curiosity when she stole a glance at him, at the same time, annoyed her.
He simply hummed in response, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he looked out at the brilliantly orange waters.
Natalia placed her hands on her hips and pouted at him. "I told you what was bothering me! The least you could do is reciprocate."
A sheepish grin crossed his face as he turned to look at her again. "Eh, it's just that… isn't that promise over-idealistic? While it is admittedly noble and beautiful, there's only so much two people could do. Even if they're rulers of a nation. Peace, for instance, takes two to tango. If the other countries don't wish for it, there really isn't much you could do, you know?"
"I know that."
Peony raised a brow at her. "Really?"
"Of course I do." Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Natalia folded her arms as she looked out into the horizon once more. "I've realized a long time ago that there was no point in holding him to a promise that was no longer valid. Though of course, I don't think there's anything wrong with looking back and drawing strength from it."
Peony chuckled. "Of course, of course."
Silence fell over them as Natalia shifted on her feet, gingerly taking a seat on a nearby rock.
"But y'know, Princess, I believe you could change your country. Even without… him, you know? "
"Thank you," she said, smiling without looking at him as she rested her arms over her lap. "But before anything else, we have to get to Baticul. You said that Jade had some sort of plan for that, didn't he?"
"Yeah, but…" A deep breath. "Jade's wrong."
Natalia threw him a puzzled glance. "Huh?" Jade—wrong? It was certainly a strange thing to say, especially in the realm of planning.
Emperor Peony did not seem to take note of her bewilderment as he continued staring out into the ocean. "We're taking the front door."
She blinked in confusion at his statement. "Excuse me?"
"That idiot said something about sneaking into the city using some abandoned factory."
"I don't see what's so unreasonable about it."
"Well, besides volunteering himself as some Yulia-forsaken decoy to distract the patrols, he forgot one important fact." His gaze fell on hers, his gaze a piercing blue. "You are Kimlasca's beloved Princess Natalia."
"But what if they think I'm an imposter?"
Emperor Peony merely laughed. "That's ridiculous. Your citizens will allow you entrance."
"Isn't that a bit too optimistic?" Natalia asked, her gaze turning doubtful. Just what was Emperor Peony getting at?
"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Princess. It was by your supposed death that this all started, and it is by your living presence that it should rightfully end." Upon seeing Natalia's look of horror, Emperor Peony chuckled nervously and began to scratch the back of his head nervously. "That… sounded a bit wrong, didn't it? Regardless, no, what I meant was that you should put a little more trust in your people to be able to tell that you're the real deal. Maybe they faltered a bit when they fell for the lie that you were dead, but when they see you, I just get the feeling that they'll change their tune, you know?"
"You seem… so confident about this."
"Of course. If there's one thing I learned as a ruler, it's that your people's trust is nothing to be trifled with, and you'd be nuts to underestimate or undermine that. Really, it's not about rhyme or logic. You are precious to your people, as much as they are precious to you. Have a little faith in them. Take it from someone who was once an emperor."
"I see," Natalia said, nodding slowly as she took in his words. "But Emperor Peony, that's where you're wrong."
"Hmm?"
"Your people are still out there, right? Fighting to live, one way or another. I do not know the condition of the lands as I have been in here for quite a while, but I believe that part of what keeps them going is the hope—however slim it might be to them—that you are still living and breathing somewhere out there. Or that in one form or another, the empire you worked so hard to build will rise once more." She smiled. "Besides, someone once told me that what makes a princess is diligence, not some silly reason like blood or being born. Or in your case, the lack of a throne to sit on."
"I… suppose so," Peony said, smiling sheepishly. "Your friend spoke wise words."
"It was Jade who told me all that," she said cheerfully, resisting the urge to giggle at Emperor Peony's stupefied expression. "Speaking of which, why did you knock him out, if no fighting's going to be involved?"
"That nut has a penchant of overworking himself," Peony said, managing to recover quickly from his initial surprise. "The trip's unnecessary stress for him, and he's done more than enough for us. He's been also out of it for quite a while, as I'm sure he would've thought of all that I've said before if he were in the right mindset." He frowned as he cupped a hand to his chin. "But for some reason, he was too obsessed with the idea of throwing himself into a possible suicide mission, which leads me to think that something's up. Something he's not telling anyone about. I'm hoping that some proper rest would knock some sense into him, but in any case, he'll have to answer some questions of mine once this is all over."
"Is that so?" She gazed at him in wonder, amazed at how well he read into Jade's words and actions. Truly, the two of them were the best of friends, and she could not help but feel jealous at that level of understanding they had.
"Yep," Peony said. "But say, now that you mentioned it, while I'm no Asch, I could help you with that promise. At least, the no war thing." He beamed at her. "Once I get my empire back, let's build a world where no more war takes place. Let's watch out for each other's backs. What do you say?"
"It would be my pleasure," Natalia said, smiling briefly before eyeing Emperor Peony's outstretched finger in puzzlement. "What's that for?"
"Pinky swear," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "In absence of a proper treaty signing, I've found that this works as an effective substitute."
"If you say so," she said, chuckling as she stood up and linked a finger with him. Funny that he should mention it, considering that the said promise she made with it did not come to fruition. Still, it was worth a try, wasn't it? "It's been a while since I made one of these, though, so pardon me if I mess up my words somewhat."
"Of course."
She took a deep breath. "For the prosperity of Mother Auldrant, I," she paused, swallowing the sudden lump that formed in her throat before continuing, "Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, promise—"
A choked sob escaped from her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks once more as she found herself unable to stop them from flowing.
"Princess?" She could hear the tone of alarm in Emperor Peony's voice. "Are you—"
"I'm fine." She let out an unladylike sniffle, smiling the best that she could as she tried to stopper the dam that was threatening to break inside her chest. Why now, of all times? She did not cry during the funeral for Luke and Asch. She did not cry when she talked to Guy about Asch. She did not cry when she found out about the circumstances resulting into this new and pointless war. So… why?
"Princess, we don't have to—"
"Let's… just finish this promise, OK?" Feeling his grip on her finger go lax, she held by wrapping her finger tightly around his.
"'Kay, then." He relented, though she could still see him wearing a perturbed look through her mist of tears.
She wiped her eyes with her free hand, and continued, "I promise never to wage war against the Malkuth," She sniffled. "Empire and swear on my kingdom's name," And another one, "to look out not only for the citizens of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, but for everyone else in this planet as well."
"I, Peony Upala Malkuth IX, promise likewise, towards the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear."
And so, under the sunset-tinged sky, a promise was renewed, and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear found herself sobbing into the shirt of a certain Peony Upala Malkuth IX, tears of frustration, sorrow, and gladness flowing freely as she finally released the torrent of emotions she kept in since the events at Eldrant.