Alright, I'm back, and its time to finally wrap up Hoshido. Not really much to say except that I'm sorry it took so long for me to come back. Ultimately I have no excuses for my actions and that I will try my best to upload as fast as possible –ArcanaHermit
Chapter Thirty: Memory (Corrin x Rhajat)
"Rhajat, are you sure we should be- "
"Quiet, unless you want to meet a gruesome end." Said the dark diviner, cutting off her husband mid-sentence. "We'll just get what we came for a get out."
Corrin quietly followed along the hallway, trying his best not to trigger any traps that may lie before him. They were in what appears to be an old Hoshidan ruin, where Rhajat said a certain valuable magic scroll lay there.
"How long until we get there." Corrin said nervously. He insisted on accompanying his wife there, and to protect her. In the end however, the roles seemed to be reversed, as Rhajat had to carefully explain to him the numerous magical traps that littered the place. To his credit, Corrin did managed to get through them alive…save for a few cuts and some singed hair.
"The chamber should be right to our next left." Rhajat said, almost cackling. "Soon that scroll will be mine. Mine!"
"Why do you want the scroll anyways?" Corrin said. "I don't recall the army giving you this assignment."
"Oh, I'm doing this for my own reasons, dear Corrin." Rhajat said. "That scroll will allow me to project memories as vision, and I will kill whoever I will to make it mine."
Rhajat continued walking along the hallway, softly laughing the whole time. Corrin, used to her tendencies by now, followed closely behind her, making sure to mimic her movements as to avoid further traps. Soon they found a junction and turned left, and almost immediately they're right in front of the scroll, floating ominously on a pedestal.
"You're all mine." Rhajat said, snagging the scroll and immediately putting it in her robe, smiling darkly all the while. "Now let's get out of here before the temple kills us."
"K-kills us?" Corrin said, but all Rhajat did was walk past him without saying a word. He quickly followed.
Despite the ominous sentence, the return trip was fairly uneventful save for some more singed hair for Corrin. Once they were out of the perimeter, Rhajat immediately pulled out the scroll and started to read it, her face mere inches away from the lettering.
"Um…would you like to study that back home?" Corrin said, a little worried that Rhajat was getting more obsessive than usual.
"Nonsense, I can perform the feat right now. I just need a suitable area…that will do." She replied, pointing at the nearby cliff. "We'll go there to test out the new spell."
Immediately after she said that, she ran off towards it, with Corrin unenthusiastically following her. Once they reached the top of the cliff, he finally asked. "So why is that spell so important to you? I don't get it."
"How soon we forget…" Rhajat said faintly as she began chanting the spell. She started to glow a light green aura, and soon that aura grew brighter and brighter, until Corrin had to shield his eyes. Once the light faded, Corrin opened his eyes and noticed and immediate difference.
There was a single girl on the edge of the cliff, looking down and smiling. She had dark hair and a cheerful demeanor, and was gleefully giggling as she looked down below. It was in that instant that it all clicked together, and that the girl they were currently looking at was in fact-
"Me" Rhajat said, smiling slyly as if she read his mind, which was not an unrealistic possibility now that Corrin thought about it. "I was so foolish then, actually liking the outside world and talking to actual people. What was I thinking back then?"
The young Rhajat looked deeper, peering her head down more and more until she accidentally fell down. Another person appeared now, a man Corrin knew all too well, as that person was himself. He quickly ran over and caught the girl's hand before she completely fell, and pulled her up. The now crying girl was hugging Corrin tightly, and the illusory Corrin was now patting her head in comfort.
"So you came all this way just to see this memory again?" Corrin asked, sitting down on the grass.
Rhajat nodded, a creepy smirk on her face. "This was a really fond memory, for more than one reason. I figured I can simply see this again and again, as much as I want to. And besides, I wanted to show you. You never seem to think much of the moment where I took an interest in you, so I figured I'd show you first hand why."
Corrin looked back on the scene. The illusions of Corrin and Rhajat were walking away from the cliff now, hand-in-hand and smiling, and suddenly they blurred and eventually faded. Rhajat stood up and began walking away, snapping Corrin out of his thoughts.
"Hey Rhajat, wait!" Corrin called out, rushing towards her and hugging her from behind. Rhajat immediately let out a low growl followed by silence, before asking with not a little bit of nervousness. "W-why are hugging me like this? Y-you know I'm not good at this "affectionate" stuff."
"I know, but you showed me this memory, didn't you?" He said, still hugging her despite her glare and protests. "Admittedly, I didn't think anything of that moment, but seeing it now I can finally see what you see. And I think that was really sweet of you. Thank you."
"Say this to anyone and I'll vaporize you." Rhajat threatened softly, though that threat lost most of its edge as the normally gloomy priestess was now sporting a smile. A warm, genuine smile that resembled the girl from the spell. "But if you really want to do this, let's at least go back home first. The temple trip has made me yearn for a bath."
After pulling her out of his embrace, they both headed back towards their camp. It was a calm silence between them, no words exchanged but the feelings between them clear as day. As they walked, Rhajat would occasionally let out a soft giggle. Corrin let curiosity get the better of him and asked. "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, just another spell that I'll get tomorrow." Rhajat said. "One that's actually for the army this time. It moves the enemy's innards around, causing intense pain. Useful for some…aggressive persuasion. I heard it was buried deep within a cave, with all sorts of traps and countermeasures. Feel like coming along?"
Corrin raised his hand in defeat. "N-no thanks. I think I've had one too many experiences dealing with magical traps."
"Suit yourself." Rhajat said. "Just…wait for me when I get back, or I'll test out the spell on you."
They exchanged a smile as they walked back, the sun leading them home. As they did, Corrin mused a bit more about the past, and decided that it was those memories, as well as any future ones, that are worth fighting for.
And done. Sorry it took so long, but I've finally done with one kingdom of Fates. Next up is Nohr, with one of our last chapters. Till then -ArcanaHermit