Chapter 17: Choices
Sheffield bit her lower lip in anxiety and hesitated before the door to her master's room. She did not fear retribution for the bad news; if she was to be punished she would simply accept it. No, she hesitated because she detested bringing bad news to her master in any capacity. Be it her fault or another's; it did not matter. He was King Joseph of Gallia and he only deserved good news.
Shifting her attention to the undead Cardinal behind her, Sheffield focused on the ring she wore. His senses became hers and she felt the strange sensation of a sixth sense fading into place. Though only vaguely, she could feel the blood pumping inside of her, and also within her master in the room before her. She smiled when she felt no other presence nearby. Thankfully she wouldn't have to deal with that viper Wardes this night.
Pushing the door wide, Sheffield stepped into the ornately decorated office and closed the door behind her. Joseph sat at the desk and paid her no mind. He simply continued to read the book before him, idly taking notes as his eyes continued their task. The dark woman waited in silence for his attention to turn to her. When his eyes finally turned to her, she quelled the anxiety in her heart and spoke, "The detachment has returned. According to their report, the queen… disappeared in transit." The man took the information in without reaction. "The elf sends word that he encountered the princess with her mother and was forced to kill both of them." Sheffield shifted under the man's gaze.
Joseph's hand reached up to his beard and stroked it as he thought aloud, "Most likely he is lying, but I would like to investigate anyway. If the elf intends to aid them, I need to know and to what extent." Sheffield held her tongue. Just as an arm did not need to know the mind's reasoning, she did not need to know why her master did what he did; she only needed to carry out his orders. Her heart dropped slightly when her master's eyes shifted from her to the thrall behind her. "How much progress has been made with him?"
The deep, unnatural voice of the undead Cardinal replied, "All are imperfect before the Founder." Joseph recalled the scripture from his childhood lessons. Should he smile or frown? As he pondered, he simply could not remember whether he enjoyed those lessons or not.
Mouth going taut with annoyance at her thrall, Sheffield replied. "It is as you see. I have finished restoring the body, and it will obey any order. Yet when I question it over the details of Romalia's security-"
Again the thrall spoke with limited provocation. "When the Founder laid down to rest, angels watched over him." Silence followed the unnatural voice's statement with only Sheffield's annoyed huff filling the air.
Clearing her throat, Sheffield continued, "It responds with useless scripture. My deepest apologies, master. If I had more time I am sure I could find a solution." Dipping her head, Sheffield bowed in apology.
The King merely waved his hand in dismissal, "The man spent his life battling the undead. I doubt there is another body more warded against undeath in all the world. It is a boon enough that you have brought him to heel." Sheffield's heart soared at the praise. "With that in mind, I would like you to lend him to Damien and his siblings."
Sheffield paused, stewing on the request for the briefest of moments. "As you wish." When Sheffield next spoke, it was without her master's provocation. "My master, I do not see why you rely on those mercenaries and their ilk. They hold no loyalty to you, only to your coin." She should be enough for her master.
Joseph regarded his servant and replied, "You aren't worried about them. You are trying to get me to think of my employment of Wardes by proxy." Sheffield said nothing; there was no hiding her intentions from her master. "I have sent him on a mission to clean up after your mistakes." Anger sparked within Sheffield at the thought. "That makes you feel angry? Annoyed? Frustrated?" Joseph questioned. Though his familiar only nodded, it was enough for Joseph. Such a small thing sent his familiar's emotions tumbling. It was perplexing. Turning back to his notes, Joseph dismissed his familiar with a wave. He still couldn't empathize with his familiar, but maybe what lay before him held the solution to his problem.
Despite the numerous air vents, Louise felt uncomfortably warm in the dimly lit underground safe house Eleanor had transmuted. There was no helping it, really, the only other solution would have been to construct the temporary residence above ground but that would defeat the whole purpose of the structure. From above, the residence was almost unnoticeable. Any servants of the Sheffield woman or patrolling paladins would have to stumble onto their hideout in the middle of the woods at random. So though they hadn't travelled far, they were most likely safe for the time being thanks to Eleanor's transmutation skills.
Said sister sat down next to Louise as if summoned by the younger girl's annoyed thoughts. Eleanor was probably the only one of the group that was comfortable in this dungeon of a hideout; being surrounded by earth imbued with her magic. Louise looked to Eleanor and found the woman intently staring forward. Following the elder Valliere's gaze, Louise spotted the object of Eleanor's attention. Under the vent and as close to fresh air as possible, Saito lay still. Tiffania sat next to him vigilantly, only glancing away from her familiar when Montmorency came to check his vitals once again. After a moment, Eleanor broke the silence, "It's been two days, Louise. This was supposed to be a temporary solution." Closing her eyes, Louise nodded in agreement and looked to their other source of worry.
Tabitha, no… Princess Charlotte held her mother's arm and carefully helped the woman along. Simply walking across the room winded the poor woman. Though Kirche's wish had healed the woman's mind, her body had weakened from years of inactivity. The woman's muscles had naturally atrophied; something neither Louise's magic nor Montmorency's potions could fix. Only exercise and time could mend that. Louise had always respected the blunette for her skill with magic, but never had she dreamed that the girl was royalty. Louise remembered talking with the girl after learning that.
"Tabitha." After the bunker had first been created Louise was gone to ask the girl to manage Sylphid.
Raising her eyes to meet Louise, Tabitha corrected, "Charlotte." She would not be called Tabitha again. It was an alias chose by a girl desperate for her mother's love. Those days were behind her, she was Charlotte and she would never hide that name again.
Though Louise could only guess Charlotte's reasoning, she could feel the severity of Charlotte's request. With a nod Louise continued, "Princess Charlotte." Etiquette lessons kicked in and Louise instinctively respected the crown, even of another nation.
Etiquette aside, Louise was corrected by Charlotte once again. "Charlotte." Though this correction held less severity, the request held import for Charlotte as well. Louise who by all rights should have been her enemy had chosen to forgive and help her. Charlotte would not allow her friend to refer to her by such a title.
Once again Louis had to ponder what her friend met, but the tiniest of smiles could be seen on Charlottes face, something Louise knew had been missing from the girl for far too long. "Charlotte then."
Now Louise knew her best decision could rob Charlotte of her smile. Glancing up to Eleanor, Louise met her sister's eyes. "I know. Trust me, I know. That woman has the prayer book and we still need to go to Romalia." Louise broke eye contact to rub her eyes in exasperation. "I can't decide what to do next and I'm using Saito as an excuse to do nothing, I know." On the one hand, Gallia was closer, even on the way to Romalia; but they still knew very little about King Joseph and what they would be up against. At least in Romalia, they knew what they were up against.
Sensing Louise's concern, Eleanor offered, "I could take them and anyone else back to the estate with me. Alistair will be in travelling shape soon enough." Silence fell over the two sisters. Until now, Eleanor had not said whether she planned to come with Louise or not. "Louise…" Eleanor began, thinking on a better way to explain her reasoning. "To anyone else, I would say that I will return home because mother and father should be informed, or that I am heir to the Valliere estate so my actions can put the whole of our family at risk of reprisal." Both were indeed good reasons, but there was actually something else. "But in truth, it is because I am weak." Once again Louise's eyes looked to Eleanor, surprised that her prideful elder sister would admit a fault so readily.
Closing her eyes, Eleanor dipped her head and weakly smiled. "I was never interested in magic as a weapon, only as a tool for research. I am a triangle mage and can outclass many square earth mages when it comes to enchanting and transmutation, but a mere line mage could defeat me in a duel." Even in the vast structure she had made, Eleanor understood her weakness. "Louise, I am a scholar, not a soldier. I would only be a burden." Though the thought saddened her, Louise knew it was the right decision and was happy her sister confided in her.
Looking to the room around her Louise spoke, "You have already helped me more than enough, Eleanor. Without you, we would still be floundering with no hope. Now we at least have a plan."
Eleanor huffed as her pride flared, "O-of course I helped you plenty! I am Eleanor the Artificer after all." Louise said nothing, knowing not to risk injuring her sister's pride when it was so sensitive. Instead she took a page from her other sister's book and just smiled as warmly as she could; something that only embarrassed her eldest sister more.
Cutting off the blonde woman's stuttering, Louise let her mood dampen somewhat, "Thank you for the offer. Give me some time to think on it." Indeed, there was much to think about. Like what Tiffania would do if Saito was sent with Eleanor.
Across the room, Tiffania looked down to Saito with undisguised worry. His skin was still ashen and he remained unconscious, but he no longer grimaced and broke into cold sweat. It seemed that whatever ailed him was fading; hopefully, at least. That hope weakened whenever her eyes caught the deep black rune etched into Saito's chest. It was only the first of the markings, but that made it no less ominous.
There was one other beside Saito. The sword Derflinger lay next to his partner. "You know," the sword spoke up, "The boy would hate to see you so worried. This is not your fault." Derflinger wasn't exactly good with people, being a sword and all. He preferred stabbing his problems when given the choice, but his partner was out of commission at the moment so he had to fill in for the stupid brat.
Tiffania bit her lip and shook her head, "If I hadn't made him my familiar, this wouldn't have happened to him." Even though she hadn't actively summoned him, even though sealing the contract had been a freak accident, even though she had no way of knowing that her familiar runes would do this to him; Tiffania blamed herself. She allowed Saito to come with her. She selfishly relied upon him. He had accepted her heritage without even the slightest of reservations. He shared the joys of raising the orphans with her. He had supported her and now he lay motionless because of her.
As a sword is wont to do, Derflinger cut in, "Oh stop already." His annoyed voice stunned Tiffania. "The boy takes every opportunity he can to say how happy he is that he is your familiar. I can just hear him now. 'Oh, how useless and pathetic I was back home. I'm so happy I'm not a useless meatbag now thanks to my master. Oh the joys of having flesh-legs!'" Derflinger's jealousy of legs aside, his exaggeration of Saito's words froze Tiffania into a stupor.
Before Tiffania could snap from her stupor, Siesta cleared her throat to announce herself and sat with them. "While I think Mister Derflinger should choose his words more carefully, I believe he is right." Tiffania's eyes looked to Siesta and the maid continued before the sword could retort. "Miss Cattleya granted me the power to chart my own course in this land." Looking to the runes on her hand, Siesta clenched her fist and continued. "I feel like I could do anything, go anywhere, but all I want to do is stand by Miss Cattleya. I think the desire to support someone dear to you is something Mister Saito understands well." Siesta's words comforted Tiffania's heart where the sword's failed to. Managing a weak smile, Tiffania looked beyond Siesta causing the maid to turn and see what had caught the half-elf's eye.
Standing behind Siesta, Cattleya smirked devilishly. "Stealing my first kiss then talking about how dear I am to you? My Siesta, you are quite the rogue." While Siesta blushed red and floundered to manage a single word through her stutters, Cattleya used the time to walk around to Tiffania's side and sit. Gesturing to the still flustered maid, Cattleya asked Tiffania, "You mentioned that familiar runes have a mental effect? Would you mind removing it from Siesta?" Tiffania blinked at the requested favor, still recovering from her earlier depression.
Leaning forward, Siesta cut in hurriedly, "Miss Cattleya, is that really necessary?" Though she didn't really understand the magic, she instinctively wanted to prove her honest intentions to Cattleya.
Shaking her head, Cattleya calmly smiled, "Siesta, If you are going to support me, I want it to be one hundred percent your own intentions." Though her warm disposition hid Cattleya's worry, she still disliked the idea that her relationship with Siesta was altered by magic.
Raising her hand, Tiffania cut in gently, "Ah, the magic just helps a familiar acclimate by reducing homesickness." In Saito's case it had been a big thing, helping him acclimate to a completely foreign world. Tiffania doubted the magic was altering Siesta's state of mind that much. That aside, Tiffania understood the innate dislike of mind altering magic. Her own spell 'Mind Wipe' was something that could be easily abused.
The maid and noble looked to Tiffania, then back to each other. After a moment it seemed Cattleya had won the debate. "Ah, maybe you could teach me the spell instead?" Cattleya raised her wand in example.
Surprised, Siesta questioned, "Your magic has returned, Miss Cattleya?" As she understood it, the woman had been unable to cast after a strenuous battle.
Tilting her head, Cattleya pondered for a moment before realizing. "Did I not mention it?" There was a pause as the other two hesitated. Did the pinkette really put so little stock in her magic returning that it was an afterthought? "It has been getting stronger ever since I contracted you, Siesta. Maybe a little exercise was all it needed." Muttering a minor cantrip, Cattleya let a tiny crack of an explosion pop above her wand. "Though it still defaults to explosions, sadly." Frowning a little, she looked at her wand.
That last bit caused Tiffania to hesitate. She and Cattleya had practiced quite a bit and found that Tiffania's magic did not explode when miscast, she assumed it was a degraded form of mind wipe as that was the void spell she used. "While I would be happy to teach you my spell, if you miscast it and your magic defaults to an explosion while in Siesta's mind…" At the implication Siesta paled, imagining the results.
Placing a hand to her chin, Cattleya thought aloud, "That could be problematic."
Realizing that Cattleya was still thinking on the matter, Siesta's survival instincts bade her cut in. "Miss Tiffania, if you would?" With one eye on the still-thinking Cattleya, Siesta edged slightly away from the woman.
Silently, Tiffania agreed that it was best to just hurry up before her fellow void user did something foolish. With practiced ease, she spoke her incantation and waved her wand. The old words echoed lightly in the underground hideout. "Mind Wipe."
Tiffania completed her spell and felt her magic meld into Siesta's mind. Finding the alteration caused by the familiar contract was easy. As the sole magical alteration in the maid's mind it was like finding a lit candle in a dark room. The task was far easier than removing the memories of bandits when they discovered Westwood Village.
In moments, her task was completed, "Done." Tiffania informally declared.
Cattleya leaned in, looking at Siesta. "Feel any different?"
There was a pause as the maid thought. "I… I guess I want to go show off to my younger siblings at some point?" After the buildup she expected something… more. She had already moved out of her home so it wasn't like she felt the need to rush back to the vineyard. Spying slight worry in Cattleya's eyes, Siesta smiled and declared. "I'm still your handmaiden though, so maybe we could go once all this is over."
Three smiles formed as a friendship was affirmed. A fourth joined them as Saito's dry voice spoke up, "Ninja maid, nice." Though his body felt like a ton of bricks and it hurt to laugh, he still chuckled when three surprised sets of eyes snapped down to him.
Tiffania clung to him instantly, her eyes tearing in joy and relief. "Saito!" She cried aloud, announcing the news to everyone. Suddenly Saito understood just what marshmallow hell was when Tiffania gripped him to her chest with desperate strength. In the end, he decided that the pain and suffocation of being trapped in her bountiful chest was definitely worth it.
Even as cheers resounded and the others hurried over, one person was instantly pulling the happy half-elf from the familiar. In full healer mode, Montmorency chastised Tiffania, "Stop that. I need to check on him." She at least had the courtesy not to mention that the girl could possibly harm Saito like that.
From the dumb smile on his face, Montmorency knew to disregard the flushed face as a symptom. Men… She grumbled to herself. With a bossy air to rival Eleanor's, Montmorency set about glaring at the jovial crowd and checking on her patient. After looking him over briefly, she checked his vitals, listened to his breathing, and checked for other possible issues. In a few moments, she was satisfied that there was nothing requiring immediate attention and so turned to the others. "Just be careful with him." She huffed, allowing the crowd to once again cheer.
As the others crowded around Saito to wish him well and enjoy in the good news, Montmorency drifted back to where Eleanor and Louise stood with somber expressions. Catching Louise's eye, Montmorency gestured for an explanation with a quirked eyebrow. In return, Louise shook her head, now was not the time and she still hadn't decided what their next course of action should be. Instead, she just studied Saito and pondered further.
The boy did his best to placate the emotional Tiffania. Now sitting upright with a makeshift chair of sacks to support him, Saito patted her head. "I'm feeling better already. So no worries okay? Really, if anyone should be sorry it's my stupid sword." Tactfully shifting blame, Saito gave an annoyed look to Derflinger. "You could have warned me about whatever the hell that was a little earlier, Derf."
Rattling in his sheath, Derflinger shot back, "I forgot, asshole! You try remembering things from six-thousand years ago!" Even without eyes it was particularly obvious that Derflinger was trying to glare at Saito.
Mildly annoyed and mildly annoyed that it was mildly annoyed, Id interjected. "Inefficient construct. I can easily recall memories twice that age with perfect clarity. Upgrade yourself and explain why that magic interacts with grief seeds." Still mildly annoyed twice, make that thrice, over; Id decided that this was definitely one of the cons of its research into emotions.
Surprised by her familiar's words, Louise spied the beast sitting near Saito and walked over. "I too would like an answer." Innately Louise understood that this mystery was linked to Bidashal's strange actions and spiritkin.
Rattling even louder now that more flesh-legged people were teaming up on him, Derflinger snapped at them. "I'm telling you I only remembered when I saw Saito looking at the grief seed." Lowering his volume Derflinger explained, "As far as I can recall, the Lifdrasir runes were made to absorb the grief seed's darkness, but the Myozunitonirun is supposed to regulate the transfer and it was originally intended for elves. So I was pretty sure the process could be dangerous." The sword paused, realizing everyone was staring at him. "Don't be surprised, I was the first Gandalfr's sword. It's only natural I should know this stuff." Slightly miffed that his intelligence was being underestimated, the sword huffed. "Just because I don't remember anything else, don't forget I'm still the great Derflinger."
Giving up on the hope that the construct could illuminate the many mysteries, Id turned to Louise. "At the very least, that confirms a relationship between Void magic and grief seeds." Of course, that itself raised many new questions.
Louise nodded, "Back when I first summoned you, you told me there were no witches around, but grief seeds come from witches and the church has plenty of those." Though she originally knew them as Void Stones, Louise was familiar with the churches practice of collecting them as 'holy stones'. "Were you bending the truth back then?" She knew better than to straight out say 'lying' lest she get another lecture about Id's view on deception.
Even with Louise's tactful words, Id's tail still swished at the implication. "I was not. From then until now, I have detected no witches, no magical girls, and no others of my kind. If any of the three exists in this world, I would have detected them." Tail still swishing, Id pondered.
Charlotte interjected in her usual minimalist manner, "Spiritkin." Indeed, the Elf had seemed to recognize them as something other than magical girls.
Id's tail stopped swishing. With its excellent research into emotions, it was able to estimate some negative reactions from the next part of his explanation. Regardless, information must be shared. "The term 'magical girl' was chosen specifically to be understandable and to generate desired responses from candidates back on earth, specifically Japan." Id looked to Saito.
Realizing he was being promoted, Saito cleared his throat, "Louise, remember that story I told to the children about the girl, Nanoha?" Though Louise had only caught part of the tale, she remembered well enough to draw connections between the girl and her own magic. "There are a lot more stories like that one where I come from; stories where a young girl is given the ability to transform and defend the public from monsters. Usually a cute little animal companion gives them their powers and acts as an advisor. We call them 'magical girl' stories." As people thought on Saito's words, the more sharp witted among them found their eyes once again resting on Id.
The familiar nodded in confirmation, "Both the terms I use and the body I inhabit were designed in accordance with those tales. In the past, other variations were used for the same purpose. I suspect the term spiritkin might have been developed in the same way." Id's tail renewed its swishing.
Breaking the silence, Montmorency deadpanned, "Every time we find out something new about you, I find it harder and harder to believe you are 'incapable of deception.'" When Id's eyes turned on hers, Montmorency just gave the familiar a challenging glare.
In desperation to not end up with the migraine an argument between Montmorency and Id was sure to cause, Louise cut in, "But you say there is no sign of your kind here, Id." She tactfully moved the conversation back on course.
After a moment's hesitation, Id turned from Montmorency, "I can assure you there is none of my kind within this solar system; which is why I am not confident in my hypothesis. Nevertheless, the similarities should be noted."
In her usual irreverent manner, Kirche raised her hand and asked, "Am I the only one lost here?" From beside her, Charlotte's mother smiled weakly. She understood that all this related to her daughter somehow, but she was far past confused. Yet before anyone could further agree with Kirche, Saito's stomach let out a growl to put bears to shame.
Siesta lightly interjected, "Maybe an explanation over dinner would be best, the stew is almost ready!"
The stew was delicious as usual. Saito suspected that Siesta used some kind of hidden magic to turn spare ingredients into pure perfection. The first half of the meal made him feel like he was back in kindergarten, though. What with Louise and Id explaining what they knew and answering questions in an orderly manner while Montmorency continuously chastised him for eating too fast. As the meal wound down and his sated appetite left him eating at an acceptable pace, Montmorency left him alone.
Taking a breath, he asked a question that had been on his mind, "Derf," he began with slight hesitation, "You want to be given to Siesta, right?" Several seats away, Siesta stopped her conversation with Tiffania, hearing her name. The sword lying next to Saito remained silent, prompting Saito to continue. "You always said you were meant for the Gandalfr's hands, and well… there she is." For once, the two weren't at each other's throats.
Getting no response, Saito reached down to grab the sword. As soon as his hand closed around the blade, he felt the familiar feel of magic rushing into his body. A force within his arm wrenched the blade up and smacked the hilt right into his face. "Oi oi! You think you can get out of my training brat! You aren't getting rid of me until you're a master swordsman!" The blade yelled and forced Saito to press his hilt into the boy's face until the kid fell back into his little throne of sacks.
Pushing against Derf's magic, Saito's muscles slowly overpowered the sword's magic and pushed the hilt back a few centimeters. "Stupid…. Sword…." He ground out in exertion.
Putting on a burst of strength, Derflinger once again pressed into Saito's face, easily overpowering the boy's still-weak body. "Yeah, well, you are stuck with this stupid sword." Releasing his magic, Derflinger let Saito push him away and spoke in a more jovial tone, "Got that, partner?"
For a moment Saito sat with a dumb look on his face, and then smiled. "Got it, partner." Pumping his fist Saito declared, "I'll be up and training in no time."
Healer senses flaring, Montmorency immediately rained on the camaraderie parade. "Not until I give you permission. Absorbing that grief seed put a huge strain on your body. In fact, you should probably still be resting." If she was feeling charitable, Saito would be allowed to walk on his own power tomorrow.
At the mention of the runes, Id spoke up, "On that subject, it would be advisable not to use that ability again under any circumstance." Red eyes locked to Saito's chest.
Montmorency paused in surprise, then turned to Id. "Now I know you aren't saying that out of concern for Saito and I'm fairly sure you would like Louise to be using as much magic as possible, so why exactly is using Saito to cleanse grief seeds not advisable?" Id acting in a purely benevolent fashion raised way too many alarm bells for Montmorency.
Id glanced to Louise, correctly assuming the girl had taken notice. "On earth, there is a witch called Walpurgisnacht. It is so powerful, it is better understood as a natural disaster. Any city it appears in is quickly destroyed." Id paused to let the humans process the information. "The Walpurgisnacht was created when several witches fused into one being. When Saito absorbed enough despair to resurrect one witch, one of nine runes turned black." Id looked to the boy in question. "I worry that a witch similar to the Walpurgisnacht could possibly be born if more grief seeds are cleansed." Even a fusion of two witches could prove too much for magical girls unused to fighting witches.
Saito raised his hand, "Do I get a say in this?" He understood all too well his limitations and just how much stronger Louise and the others were compared to him. If he could help-
Tiffania latched onto the boy from behind. "No." She answered his question. "You are not allowed to do that again." Saito was slightly surprised at the direct command from Tiffania. "We agreed that no one sacrifices themselves. Even if it is slow, that's what the runes are doing, right?" Her voice softened. "When you fell… I almost couldn't handle it. I thought you had died." A wet feeling dripped onto Saito's neck and he realized why Tiffania hid her face behind him. "Promise me you won't do it again." The words were whispered, but to Saito, they were louder than a hurricane.
Placing his hand on Tiffania's own, Saito nodded. "I promise."
Smiling, Louise spoke to lighten the mood. "Good, because that was the plan regardless, right Montmorency?" Turning to her friend, Louise found both approval and relief in Montmorency's eyes.
Glad that Louise was sticking to her rule, Montmorency repeated the creed. "A path where everyone survives."
Looking to Saito, Montmorency noticed his empty bowl and once again felt her healer instincts activate. "Speaking of surviving; you need some sleep." Saito and Tiffania looked up to Montmorency, yet their drama filled moment did little to affect the blonde magical girl. "No buts. You can have your lovey dovey time tomorrow." Those with the will to argue with Montmorency happened to also be the ones with the sense not to, so as dinner was wrapped up, people began to quiet down and turn in. Now that Saito's welfare was not in question, several were looking forward to a restful night's sleep.
In time, the group settled in for the night. Only one remained awake as the rest slept and recovered. Trotting out through the sole entrance to the hideout, Id scampered up a tree and looked out to the stars. All evidence supported that magical girls existed on this planet at one point in time, yet that required the existence of his race. An existence disproven with the lack of any network or signal. If there was another race of incubators, like there was another race of humans on this planet, their network would be detectable, even if not accessible. Yet, there was nothing.
Id thought, its tail swishing in the cold night air.
Kirche stirred early. Though she usually preferred to sleep in, she had never quite gotten used to sleeping in the rough like Charlotte. Instinctively, she knew she wasn't getting back to sleep, so she might as well just rise.
Sitting up, Kirche stretched and stifled a yawn. Looking around, she spied even Siesta still asleep. That didn't bode well for how early this was. In the far corner, she noticed Sylphid sleeping near Alistair. The stubborn manticore still hadn't forgiven the dragon, despite the young lizard's best efforts. Kirche's expression fell as she thought about familiars. Though she didn't regret her own familiar's courage, she still missed the salamander.
Turning her attention back to the others, Kirche was surprised to find another among the waking. Charlotte's mother sat with her daughter's head in her lap. One hand gently pet Charlotte's hair, lovingly confirming her daughter's presence. In silence, Kirche offered the woman a smile. "Queen Orleans…" She whispered to get her attention.
Turning her eyes on Kirche, the Queen returned the smile. "Please, call me Helene." Her whisper was soft, and Charlotte wasn't going to wake easily. Even as irreverent as Kirche tended to be, she still found it slightly disarming to speak to a queen on a first name basis. Still, she nodded in silence. "Thank you for taking care of my Charlotte." Helene's eyes fell once more to her daughter.
Kirche shrugged off the praise, "I just did what I could to support her…" Keeping her voice low, Kirche looked to Charlotte and smiled.
Helene looked to her daughter's friend and tried to read the girl. "Make sure to take care of yourself as well." The whispered words came to Helene out of a mother's natural worry.
As sincere as the words were, the redhead blushed and shrugged them off. "Of course." Though Charlotte didn't even stir to the two's whispered words, the sound of rustling drew Kirche's eyes behind her.
Rising from her bedroll, Montmorency sent a venomously annoyed look Kirche's way. Did the woman enjoy waking her with idle chat? Nevertheless, it was indeed time to rise. With a grumpy huff, Montmorency grabbed her bag and made for the exit. This lot went through her potions faster than she could make them, so she would use her time in a reagent filled forest to at least partially resupply. Pausing next to Kirche, Montmorency gave in to her grumpiness and met Kirche's apologetic smile with a stubborn frown. As Montmorency ascended the stairs to the forest, Kirche decided she was happy to no longer be the blonde's enemy. She was seriously scary with that hammer.
Kirche took the hint and remained silent for the rest of the morning. It wasn't long before Siesta rose and started cooking breakfast. The smell of which quickly roused the rest of the group. Within an hour, all but a heavily sleeping Saito were up and about. How the boy was still snoring through the idle morning conversation, Kirche had no idea. When Charlotte finally awoke, Kirche was treated to a rare blush as the girl realized her position. Rising in mild embarrassment, Charlotte looked to her mother and shyly returned the woman's smile. It was only a slight smile, but practice makes perfect.
By far, the most chipper morning person was Cattleya. "Charlotte." She spoke to the princess. The name still caused unease and hesitation in the blunette, but she cast aside the name of that doll when her mother finally recovered. Still, she made no move to correct Cattleya. "I was hoping you could teach Tiffania and me hexagon magic." The ridiculous query caused even Charlotte to show some surprise. "Well, we were planning on teaching each other our spells since Sheffield took the prayer book and I thought blending magic might help us guide each other!"
Charlotte opened her mouth slightly, and then stopped. Formulating the response to such a request took a second. When she had begun learning the magic, she was sworn to never teach a non-royal the technique to mixing triangle spells with another's. She turned to her mother for advice. Helene merely held up her hands, "I married into the royal family, dear." Charlotte frowned slightly as Helene washed her hands of the ordeal.
Looking to Kirche, the one other person Charlotte implicitly trusted, Charlotte found her answer. She had already taught Kirche, so breaking to oath twice was hardly a problem. "Very well." She quietly replied.
At Charlotte's acceptance, Cattleya introduced the girl to the dangers of her energy. "Right then!" Grabbing the blunette's hand she forcibly dragged the girl off to Tiffania. There were spells to be learned with no time to waste! Charlotte looked back to her trusted friend and mother for help only to find weak waves. Traitors…
Eleanor watched as her sister dragged a princess off like a new toy. If things ever returned to normal, Cattleya was going to need some strict etiquette training. Again. Shaking her head, Eleanor made her way over to her objective. "Siesta." She spoke to the maid, drawing the girl's attention from her task of cooking. Not bothering to wait for the maid's superfluous reply, Eleanor continued. "While nobles can accept favors in stride from one another, it behooves me to repay the debt the Valliere family owes to a commoner." She had already granted a reward to Saito for his part in Cattleya's rescue, but Siesta remained unpaid. While the maid was now Cattleya's familiar, she had begun the task as a simple maid applying for the position of Cattleya's handmaiden. "I would take this day to transmute you a weapon. As I surmise that a Gandalfr without a weapon is a sorry sight, indeed. However, I know not what you would prefer, and I am assured a Gandalfr can wield any weapon, so I seek your preference." Eleanor delivered the offer of a gift like one would command surrender.
The Valliere's intense presence caused Siesta to hesitate. Her initial instinct to humbly decline was squished by Eleanor's deadly glare. The crackling of the morning fire threatened to burn her food, yet Siesta dare not break away from Eleanor. "Well, I could always use a new knife." Her current cooking knife was wearing out after all.
In her own world, Eleanor nodded and walked off. "Obviously she would be most comfortable what she has used before." She began mumbling to herself different ideas. Siesta merely smiled after the intense woman. Mildly, Siesta wondered if the Valliere sisters' parents were as odd as their daughters were. Eleanor was so intense and strict with everything she did, Cattleya was twice as intense but far more informal than anyone Siesta had ever met, and Louise… Well, Louise was odd in her own way. Siesta's eyes found the girl in question and her summation was proven. Louise sat with her back to a wall with her eyes closed and a look of deep meditation on her face. As well as her familiar sitting atop her head motionless, the two made for a rather eccentric sight. Siesta decided to keep her observations to herself.
Deep in concentration, Louise's eyebrow twitched when Id dug its claws into her scalp ever so slightly. Not enough to be painful, but noticeable. Its words didn't help the matter. "How annoying was that?" It asked while carefully monitoring their empathic link.
Gnawing on her lip, Louise responded in thought, "About a seven. How much long-"
Her question was cut off by the familiar, "And how annoying is interrupting you?" Louise had to have imagined the chipper tone Id spoke with, she was sure.
Teeth locked, Louise replied, "An eight. Are we done?" Id pulled its claws back and Louise let out a breath. Normally she would not have agreed to an experiment in annoyance, but Id had actually used the word 'please' when it asked. That had been enough for Louise to agree out of sheer curiosity.
Still perched atop Louise's head, Id spoke, "An eight seems to be about my level. I am annoyed." The last statement was as much a revelation to Id as Louise. Id had used the experiment to confirm the hypothesis, but the idea still required further contemplation.
Louise took a breath; her head rising as she did. Id remained in spite of the movement. "Okay, I'll bite. Why are you annoyed?" Though she was unsure if the familiar realized it, Id wanted to be asked.
When Id swished its tail, Louise felt the weight atop her shift slightly. "The construct's corrupted data bothers me. If it was built properly then no doubt many of our questions would be answered and the best course of action would be easier to determine."
Louise cracked an eye open and looked up to Id. Though she could barely see the familiar, she could tell it showed no outward signs of frustration save its swishing tail. Still, that subject raised a curiosity of Louise's, "You said that you had no trouble recalling memories from twelve thousand years ago. Is that an exaggeration or…" Louise trailed off.
Id knew enough to know it was being prompted. "Twelve thousand years ago my earliest consciousness was exchanging data with a server while in transit. It was an update on the integrity of an automated mining drone's engine. Everything was preforming optimally." Both of Louise's eyes were looking up now, and Id leaned over to look back.
Quirking an eyebrow, Louise asked, "I'll buy that you could be ageless, but you said yourself you can be killed. Are you telling me no one has killed you in twelve thousand years?" That was unbelievable, especially with how tempting the prospect had been at times.
Ever the efficient one, Id responded and conducted research at the same time, "Your deduction is inaccurate. Of course this body will age and expire. I would simply be transferred to a new platform." There was barely a response in their connection. No doubt Louise's confusion was suppressing her emotional response. "I will explain. I am not this body. I am the consciousnesses that inhabit it. As long as a sufficient amount of physical matter is left, another unit can reclaim me. Naturally, the oldest consciousness takes control of the current platform and the others process data. It is only efficient that the consciousness with the largest accumulated data sets make the decisions." Id generalized the explanation a little so that Louise's less than optimal intelligence could process it, but not as much as it would have for another human. Louise had shown some aptitude for data processing after all.
Furrowing her brow, Louise tried to make sense of what Id had said. "So, you have multiple you's inside you? Like an anthill?" She understood that people sometime referred to worker ants as drones and Id had mentioned drones earlier.
Explaining things to humans was definitely a six on the annoyance scale, Id decided. "If all the ants are an entity unto themselves and all one entity, and your analogy relates the anthill to this body, then yes." Actually, that explanation was far from perfect, but Id supposed that was the best it was going to get.
Louise seemed proud of herself for some reason. "So whenever someone kills you, another you will show up and rescue your soul, er, souls. That's why you remember things from so long ago, because you keep being resurrected?" Louise smirked, "I just found out something embarrassing." Id prepared the annoyance scale. Last time Louise got like this she assigned him an improper identification. "You are an old codger." She said with a mocking smirk and sighed out, "It explains so much." Id decided that Louise's improper comparison of it to an old man was a seven out of ten and cut off communication. To study the data of course, not out of spite.
After a short moment, Louise pondered, "So what happens if you die here?" Louise pondered aloud.
Unable to deny the requested transfer of data, Id replied, "Without another of my race to retrieve me, my consciousness will exist in the inert remains until they wear away over time. Then I will be deleted." The words were spoken with Id's normal tone, as if there was nothing special about them.
Louise was surprised once again by her familiar. According to it, Id was a functionally immortal being facing actual death. "And you are okay with that? Aren't you afraid?" Mentally she knew that Id probably didn't know much about fear, still learning emotions one by one after all, but it was still the best word for her question.
Rather than chastise Louise's improper analogies, Id simply replied, "No."
With a huff, Louise accepted the response. Pressing Id when given such a direct answer wouldn't yield more than some condescending talk in hopes of eliciting an emotional response. Id just didn't fear its death. Or rather, it couldn't comprehend the fear of death.
Before Louie could think further on the matter, Siesta began calling everyone over for breakfast. With a light hop, Id propelled itself to the floor and trotted over. Louise followed, thinking she understood her familiar just a little better.
As breakfast was served, the group kept in good spirits; chatting happily amongst themselves. The only ones missing were Montmorency, whom would likely be back only when her stomach demanded it, and Eleanor, who was busy drawing a magic circle off on one side of the hideout. Saito was doing better; walking around on his own power just fine. This, combined with Tiffania's own morning cheer, put a bounce to her step as she arrived to stand behind Eleanor, her nurturing instincts driving her to take an extra plate over to Eleanor. The elder woman ignored the half-elf in favor of finishing the rune in the ground. Pointing her wand, she moved the point and an invisible hand cut through the earth, shaping it how she liked. Still cheery, Tiffania cleared her throat. "Ehem." The noise drew Eleanor's attention.
Looking to the food, Eleanor took offered plate. "My thanks." She offered informally and returned to studying her circle. She hadn't created weaponry since she her days of supplementing her allowance back in the academy. The whole process was rather nostalgic.
Tiffania looked at the circle, "Would you like some help? I have read some of the books my sister keeps, so I know the basics." Taking a piece of her own food, Tiffania tried and utterly failed to recognize the advanced runes.
Quirking an eyebrow, Eleanor toyed with the idea of experimenting until she remembered how one of the base forms of Void magic exploded. Putting that magic into a circle with an amplification ring could be a very dangerous, very fatal mistake. "No…" Eleanor paled, "Just, no…" Maybe after Louise's journey was done, she could sequester the half-elf for some experimentation, but priorities must be managed for the time being.
Even with the rejection, Tiffania remained in a chipper mood, in stark contrast to the blonde girl walking down the stairs from the entrance. Montmorency, still grumpy from the morning, took one look at Tiffania and averted her course. She wasn't about to snap at anyone, but morning people were the bane of grumpy people everywhere. Tiffania wasn't the only one to notice Montmorency's arrival, however, for as soon as Louise spotted her friend she called out, "Montmorency, you're back! Everyone, if I could have a moment." Even as entrenched in her project as she was, Eleanor knew what was coming was important, so she put her work on hold and gathered with the others.
When she had the collected attention of the others, Louise took a breath and chose her words carefully, "Now that Saito is feeling better, I plan to leave tomorrow morning." Her steady tone impressed sobriety upon the others, "I will be heading for Romalia. The grief seeds the Pope has are our immediate concern and more than that, I think the Pope might be convinced to work with us. Montmorency and I overheard him talking about Gallia's Void mage being uncooperative, and now that we know more about that Void mage, I'd say it's safe to assume the two are enemies." Taking another breath, Louise looked to Montmorency and found comfort in the girl's nod. "Furthermore, the Pope has the Founder's journal, which we need to use the Prayerbook and could very well hold answers to several questions." Louise knew her logic was sound. Going after King Joseph with so little information and only one grief seed could very well prove fatal. Now for the hard part.
"Eleanor is returning to the Valliere estate with Alistair. Any of you are welcome to go with her. My family's resources can see you anywhere you need to go from there, or provide you with shelter." Though she doubted Charlotte or Kirche could be sheltered in the main house, her family's lands were vast indeed. "If you come with me, I want it to be with no regrets. The challenges we will face will be dire. The possibility of taking on both Romalia and Gallia is a distinct possibility. Let me know your decision by the end of the day, thank you." With a polite bow, Louise turned and left for the wagon. She needed to take inventory before they left, but that was really an excuse to immediately leave. This way, there could be no impulsive joining out of bravado. Now they would be forced to think the idea over. They dispersed soon after, each with a destination in mind.
Charlotte walked with her mother, leading the woman outside for some fresh air. The single story of stairs to the outside left the woman taking breaths even with her daughter to support her. A scene that told Charlotte what she knew all too well. Her mother would have to go with Eleanor. Hand clenching, Charlotte felt the soul gem around her finger. Her mother would go with Eleanor, and she would go with Louise. Tears formed in Charlotte's eyes, only to be wiped away by the caring hand of her mother. Helene spoke serenely in spite of her momentary exhaustion. "I know it hurts." Her heart hurt as well. The queen knew what had to be done. If Charlotte didn't seek a cure for her current state, she would die. If Helene went with her, she would just be a burden. Bringing her daughter's head to her chest, Helene let her tears flow. No words needed to be spoken between mother and daughter. Even separated for so long, they still understood each other, and knew that they would be together for at least this day.
Saito and Tiffania found themselves outside as well, sitting against a great oak tree. They had seen just how dangerous the world was, and now they had a chance to go back home. Back to Westwood, back to the children. Yet, even knowing all that, even tasting the danger of the world, Tiffania knew she could not back down now. "Saito," She summoned her courage as she began, "I am going with Louise. I need to know how I fit into all this." She thought to her magic. The Void. Until she met with the Pope himself, she knew the church would keep searching for her and by proxy, Westwood Village. "I want you to-"
Raising a hand, Saito cut her off. "If you are trying to get me to turn back, don't." Smirking, he continued, "I know I am weak. I know I will hardly be much use compared to the others, believe me, I do. But I won't leave you. I'm just stubborn like that." Glancing at Tiffania with the most confident smile he could muster, Saito stopped when he saw her shaking her head.
Though Saito's words warmed Tiffania's heart, he was wrong. "I wasn't asking you to leave." A look of confusion crossed Saito's face. "I am asking you to stay. I want you by my side." They were honest words of pure intention.
Though his cool moment was ruined, Saito didn't care. "Of course, my master." The blush of indignation on Tiffania was worth the following rant about not calling her master. She was cute when she blushed.
Cattleya knew she would follow Louise, but she also understood that meant leaving Eleanor and her parents behind again; she wasn't so irresponsible as to make that decision instinctively. Instead, she made her way to where Eleanor had returned to crafting her enchanting circle. "Sister Eleanor." She announced herself.
Already at a good stopping place, Eleanor turned to her sister and spoke. "You are here to tell me of your intention to go with Louise and ask me to convey your well wishes to mother and father." At Cattleya's look, Eleanor elaborated on her deduction, "You chased Louise across Halkeginia, the only reason you didn't immediately go to her and exclaim your intention to follow her was out of respect for my feelings." Patting off her dress of dirt, Eleanor looked Cattleya up and down. "You are far from the sick child you once were, Cattleya. Naïve as you may be, you are strong, brave, and determined. After spending time with Louise, I feel confident entrusting her to you and you to her. Just keep each other alive until I find a solution to our younger sister's mess." Even if her role wasn't flashy or heroic, Eleanor understood that she was far more useful to Louise at home studying than running around adventuring.
Eleanor was reminded of her sister's strength when Cattleya nearly crushed her in a hug. "I love you, Eleanor." Though Eleanor had said everything on Cattleya's mind, she had forgotten that one bit.
Arms closing around Cattleya, Eleanor returned the hug. "I love you as well, Cattleya." After a moment, the two broke apart. With a dismissive wave Eleanor turned back to her work. "Now I know I am not the last stop for you. Go and try to dissuade the servant." Tilting her head at the abrupt dismissal, Cattleya turned to leave.
Indeed, Cattleya did have another stop. She found Siesta washing the travel ware in a bin aboveground. Reaching for a plate, Cattleya hesitated when Siesta snatched it away and cleaned it. Again Cattleya reached for a plate, only for it to be snatched away as well. Siesta spoke, knowing Cattleya would continue unless chastised. "Miss Cattleya, I thought I was your handmaiden. Do you wish to dismiss me already?" With practiced precision, Siesta blazed through her chore, doing the work of five helpless nobles alone.
Unable to properly rebuttal, Cattleya hesitantly began her prepared speech. "If you return with Eleanor then I'm sure mother could find work for you." Siesta's past with Count Mott could be overlooked in light of the maid rescuing Cattleya from certain death.
Siesta stopped the elder woman with a look of pure conviction. "Then I would be a maid. But I am not just a maid. I am your familiar, so I will stay with my master. Before that, I am your handmaiden, so I will stay with my lady." A smile formed on Siesta's lips and her conviction was replaced with warmth, "Before that, I am your friend, and I will stay with you."
Struck speechless by her friend's sincerity, Cattleya had no words to reply with; though an onlooker did. One hand locked with Tiffania, Saito held out his other palm in a pleading gesture. "How come she gets to have a cool moment and I don't?! Seriously!" Here had been walking back with Tiffania and he gets totally upstaged by Siesta. The giggles of the three girls did little to soothe his ego.
Back below ground, Kirche sat against the wheel of the wagon waiting. She knew Charlotte needed time with her mother, so she waited with Louise instead. The busy Valliere was going through their foodstuffs at the moment. "You know I'm coming along, right?" Kirche called out over her shoulder
Louise offered only a portion of her attention. "I assumed. Most everyone is along for their own reasons; I simply want them to be sure of their decision." Her voice was slightly monotone due to most of her attention being on the shortage of fruits and veggies.
Across the hideout, Kirche watched Sylphid inch closer to Alistair, only for the manticore to give the dragon a begrudging look. Each time, the look had less venom in it. Silently Kirche cheered the dragon on.
Still bored, Kirche idly looked to her right where Montmorency leaned against the other wheel, her attention focused on the mortar and pestle before her. "What about you?" The Germanian asked, more out of boredom than actual curiosity.
Once again, Kirche was spared only a portion of attention. "I go with Louise. Someone has to keep her thinking with her head." Kirche briefly considered responding with an uncouth joke.
Sighing, Kirche complained aloud, harkening back to the days in the academy. "You two really are just sticks in the mud. Why did I have to be stuck with the musclehead and the flat-chest?"
Kirche smiled when two cries of, "Who are you calling musclehead/flat-chest?!" Were returned in unison to her.
That smile faltered when a high pitched, monotone laugh filled their heads. "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Very humorous." Louise's head leaned out the wagon and she craned her necks with the others to look at where Id stood perched atop the wagon. Sensing the humans' absolute bafflement, Id decided to confirm. "That was humor correct? You caused another mild psychological harm without ill intent. That noise is the customary response." Louise, having the most experience recovering from things like this, simply shook her head and went back to work. Let the other two deal with Id's emotional "experiments".
Helene spent her day trying to be with her daughter as much as possible, listening to any of the tales of her daughter's tumultuous childhood that she could coax out. For Charlotte, it was a trying exercise, speaking so much went against her self-enforced stoicism. Long ago, she had decided to forgo words and focus on actions to protect herself. But now her mother was here, asking her all these questions. It was like being pulled in two separate directions. On the one hand she wanted to please her mother, but after years of holding her words and emotions back she instinctively resisted confiding in her mother.
In stark contrast to Helene, the only other person headed home busied herself with work. It was a full day's labor, crafting a properly enchanted weapon, and she had exactly that, a single day. It had taken the previous two to properly saturate the earth she was using with her willpower. Rather than spend the time trivially easing her worries, she focused on creating something that would help protect the source of them. A proper weapon for the Gandalfr would do leagues more for her sisters than a pep talk from herself.
When the day drew to a close and the colors of dusk settled across the landscape, the group once more assembled. Only one other responded to Eleanor's call for those returning to safety with her. Helene thanked Eleanor with a proper bow, one that was returned even deeper by the etiquette conscious woman. Anything less would not do, the elder woman was a queen, after all.
Louise looked over to those that planned to continue the journey with her, then nodded. "Before we sleep tonight, I think it is important to reiterate Montmorency's pledge. In this group there is no sacrifice. We always look for the way out that leaves everyone alive, no matter how slim that chance is. We take the path where everyone survives." The unanimous agreement both filled her with hope and steadied her resolve. She knew the pledge was a dangerously naïve one, but she also understood what it protected against. If Montmorency sacrificed herself for Louise, Louise was sure she would despair, possibly lose hope and transform. The same was true of the reverse. As Naïve as the pledge was, it protected them against what could easily be the worst outcome. With that in mind, Louise dismissed everyone for bed. They would need their sleep for the road ahead.
Parting the next day was a slow and emotional affair. Even with a day to be together, Charlotte and Helene clutched each other tight in the morning air. Louise gave them the time they needed and turned her attention to Eleanor. The woman placed a cloth-wrapped bundle in Siesta's outstretched arms. "Keep my sisters safe." It was as much an order to the bundle as it was to Siesta. Eleanor had poured everything she had into crafting the exquisite weapon. It was the one physical piece of power she could protect her sisters with.
Accepting the bundle, Siesta nodded. She didn't need Eleanor to tell her to protect her friends, but she would not trample on the elder woman's feelings. Unwrapping the cloth, Siesta paused. This was not a knife. "An axe?" She questioned, looking down on a steel battle axe as long as her own arm.
Adjusting her glasses, Eleanor informed the others of her genius. "You asked for a knife on instinct, thinking for something you can comfortably use. However, a knife simply is not a weapon of war, tis a sidearm at best. As a commoner, I assume you have cut wood before, so I created an alternate arm for you in line with your preferences." It was true she had cut wood many times before, but this battle axe was balanced completely differently. Not to mention the axe back home didn't have a point for thrusting or a hooked spike opposite the axe head. Gripping the weapon, Siesta felt its weight quickly diminish when her runes flared to life and the knowledge of how to use all three points of her weapon filled her mind.
"No doubt you'll notice that I've balanced the axe closer to the hilt, as is common with war-axes. In battle, the speed of a proper balance far outweighs the usefulness of a woodcutting axe's power, but that is where my ingenuity shines." Pointing to the hilt, Eleanor explained, "If you grip it with both hands and twist your grip like so, the weight will shift to the end of the axe head. Of course, that is in addition to the standard sharpening and hardening enchantments."
Siesta looked down on the weapon and then up to Eleanor. Rather than the self-satisfied smirk Siesta was expecting, she found a cold, calculating look evaluating her. It took a moment for Siesta to realize Eleanor's real intentions. More than a weapon that Siesta was familiar with, Eleanor had created this axe to test Siesta's resolve. A knife was something used in the kitchen. A sword had an air of nobility and symbolism about it. An axe was meant for cleaving flesh. By making Siesta an axe, Eleanor was forcing Siesta to choose to take a path of violence when she had a level head. Not in the middle of battle, and not with her emotions tumbling around Cattleya. No, Eleanor wanted Siesta to take up a weapon with a sound mind. Letting the cloth fall, Siesta returned the hard look with one of her own and tightened her grip on the axe. "Thank you for the axe. I promise it will not go to waste." She accepted the gift with a solemn voice.
Satisfied, Eleanor nodded, "Good, because any further help falls under your duty as a familiar. You shan't be receiving any more boons from me." Completely disregarding the tone she had used, Eleanor dismissed Siesta from her mind and moved to bid her sisters farewell.
The goodbyes went about how Eleanor expected. She tried to remain proper only for Cattleya to throw etiquette to the wind and attempt to hug the life out of her. Louise was far more reasonable, if only by comparison. The youngest Valliere held her sister for several moments before breaking away, "Take care, Sister Eleanor." Louise impressed.
Eleanor scoffed, "I'll be fine. You are the one we should both be worrying about. Just keep your head about you, Louise. You have a sharp mind, use it." For Eleanor to directly compliment her… Louise smiled as her eldest sister expressed her love in her own roundabout way. Taking a breath of the crisp morning air, Eleanor turned to Alistair and pointed to the ground.
Though the beast still looked ragged with several tufts of missing hair and the rest matted with dirt and mud from spending days underground recovering, its wounds were closed and Alistair was ready for travel. Kneeling low, Alistair let Eleanor pull herself atop his back. With a huffed breath, he showed his concern for the other Vallieres he would be leaving behind. The two tiny humans hugged him in affection. As odd as humans were, Alistair did not dislike the affection.
Helene cleared her throat politely. "I am ready." She spoke with reserved acceptance. A quickly cast levitation spell from Eleanor raised the queen into the air and placed her behind the other woman atop the manticore. Looking down, Helene gazed lovingly upon her daughter. "Come back to me, Charlotte." She pled.
Holding back her tears, Charlotte nodded. "I will." Things were different, now, her circumstances have changed. Now she had something – someone – to come home to. No matter what might happen, Charlotte swore to make it back to her mother.
Taking that as her cue, Eleanor nodded to her siblings and patted Alistair upon the head. "Take me home, Alistair." With a mighty flap, Alistair was in the air, soaring up and away from those below; leaving them to their own travels.
The fastest way to Gallia would be to simply follow the roads. However, that carried an unacceptable risk of discovery with it as well. With Joseph no doubt aware of their escape from the elf, he would have made precautions. Instead, Louise and the others elected to travel through the forest. It would be a painfully slow journey, especially with the wagon, but it would be safe.
Several times, it took a careful coaching from Charlotte to get Sylphid to help drag the wagon from mud. The poor horse pulling the wagon was, at the very least, a patient beast, it took the rough travel in stride, never locking down stubbornly. The few times the horse grew irate didn't last long as either Louise with her knowledge of horses or Cattleya with her love of animals could coax the mount onward. In comparison, Sylphid was far more difficult to manage.
Despite Montmorency's grumbled protests regarding his health, Saito walked alongside the wagon, every so often scouting ahead. If the stubborn healer didn't have him tied down to a bed, he doubted there was anything serious to worry about. Though not one hundred percent, he felt much better than the day before and he couldn't just keep sitting around. Besides, scouting was one of the few things he could do to contribute to the group.
Inside the wagon, Montmorency looked to where Tiffania and Cattleya practiced blending magic. Every once in a while, Cattleya would call Charlotte over with a few questions, and then leave the princess to tend to her dragon. Between managing a ground-locked Sylphid and helping Cattleya learn royal family secrets, Charlotte rarely got the time stew on her mother's absence. Mildly, Montmorency wondered if Cattleya was intentionally keeping Charlotte active to keep her mind off things.
Sitting at the front of the wagon, Louise and Kirche had the honor to guide the entourage through the dense forest. Back straight, Louise held the reins and guided the wagon forward, keeping a deep focus on the path ahead. In contrast, Kirche slouched over and idly studied Id. The familiar sat on the footrest between them. "So we are going to steal that silly hat from the Pope? This feels like a cheap heist novel." Pursing her lips, Kirche blew a puff of air to push aside the tuft of red hair that had fallen in front of her eye.
So as to let Louise keep her attention on the wagon's movement, Id replied, "Correct. The hat itself had seven grief seeds set in it. With four of you, that will not be enough to live out your lives, even if you refrained from using magic and limited yourself to only moving your bodies when necessary. However, it will at least provide you with a significant reserve and alleviate the immediate lack of resources." Louise noted the contradiction in Id's explanation from back at Westwood Village. No doubt it had bent the truth to 'elicit desired responses'. However, that didn't change the fact that this was still the best course of action so chastisement could wait. "If this fails, we could take Bidashal up on his offer."
Louise stole a glance at her familiar. "That's a last resort. Colluding with elves will only give the church more reasons to outlaw us for life." Not to mention Bidashal had nearly succeeded in killing both her and Charlotte, so she understandably was hesitant to trust the elf. Turning her attention back to the forest, Louise spent the waning hours of the day focused on staying on course and decidedly not thinking about homicidal elves.
The woods were just beginning to fall into darkness when Saito once again found his way back to the wagon. "We are just under a mile from the forest's edge." Stretching his weary limbs, Saito peeked over to the inside of the wagon where Tiffania sat peacefully.
Pulling back on the reins, Louise stopped the wagon under a great tree. "We'll stop here for the night, only a small fire; I don't want anything visible from above." Her orders given, Louise set about unhitching the horse and getting him some feed. The animal deserved more than merely an apple, but it was the best treat she had to offer.
With haste hampered by weariness, the rest set about making camp and organizing watch. With all the working hands, their camp was set up in no time and Saito sat down on his bedroll before the tiny fire. The others gathered around, sharing simple jerky and fruits. Siesta needed more than a tiny, sheltered light source for cooking. Map in hand, Louise sat across from the fire and worked out their position. It was a far easier task thanks to Saito's scouting keeping them on course. "Thank you, by the way, for scouting." Louise offhandedly remarked.
Saito shrugged. "Like I said, I'll contribute what I can. I may be weak, but I'm still useful, right?" He laughed off his own insult, trying to keep his tone joking.
However, Id saw through Saito, "You call out your weakness as humor to hide your feelings of inadequacy," The blunt statement drew Louise's eyes from the map. Even for Id, that was harsh. "You are weak. Weaker than any of the females here that should be weaker than you by societal standards." Red eyes stared intently at Saito.
The anger that swelled within Saito puttered out in his own self-doubt. Still, indignation forced his lips to move, "I know, okay? I'm doing everything I can to get stronger so just shut the hell up." He knew he was weak, he hadn't hidden that fact.
Id shook its head, "Not everything. You could become a magical girl." The following confused, bewildered silence was so strong that the crackling of the fire died down in surprise.
Raising a finger to tick of his single and very valid argument, Saito stated, "You know I'm a guy, right?" Had the Kero knock-off honestly missed that little tidbit?
Id's eyes did not waver. "Of course, that is why your wish would have to change your gender." Taking the following silence as cue, Id continued, "Your real objective would be a magical girl's magic, so the wish would be worth it. Those terms would be agreeable, yes?" The swish of Id's tail ruffling the air could be heard in the dead silence of the night.
The proposal was so outrageous, so completely logic defying that it stunned the weary travelers. Montmorency didn't even manage to recover and realize that Id was blatantly ignoring its promise. Saito was the only one whose mind was processing even slightly properly. He had decided to protect Tiffania no matter what…. But becoming a girl? Such an action removed certain… possibilities from his future. Sure, there were alternatives and the idea itself is… Saito blushed and pushed the thoughts from his mind.
As the sole human male in the group thought, Id turned to a stupefied Louise. "I seem to have made an error." Louise squinted in confusion. That was putting it lightly. "Why is no one laughing? I was certain that this joke fell within the customary humor framework." There was a beat of silence.
Then another.
The third was broken by Saito. "That… was a joke?" He asked in a weak voice.
Turning back to Saito, Id nodded. "Of course. You have to be a girl to wish, so naturally you can't wish to be a girl. My joke both inflict mild psychological harm while pointing out a flaw of yours. Directly defying the laws of causality is just another layer in my joke prototype." Id opened its mouth to mimic a laugh. "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Very humorous."
Saito saw red. "You little asshole!" Id's agility was more than enough to evade the boy's grasping hands as the earthling chased it around the camp. Montmorency broke first, her guffaw stifled by her hands. The first laugh broke the dam and soon enough the rest were tilting over in relieved laughter as Saito tumbled around after Id. Even the stoic Charlotte bit the inside of her lip to maintain her composure.
Dodging another grasp, Id surmised, "Failed application of physical force is needed as well then Louise?" Though his question remained unanswered, Id was fairly sure its experiment was a success.
With cheer in their hearts, the girls giggled their unease away and soon enough night set in on the forest. Tomorrow they would make their way to Romalia, but tonight their hearts held cheer.
A/N: So I couldn't find Tabitha's mother's name anywhere. So I have named her Helene which is Tabitha's middle name. That's as close to a canon name as I can get.
Also, I got this out to my beta reader on the 11th, which technically meant I was done before a month passed. I count that as a win. This time I'll try to have the next chapter out even sooner.