Coco: Hey, hey, everyone~ I'm back with chapter 2 of Doll Eyes. I hope you enjoyed the first. I know I'm having run writing them.
Now, without further ado, let's jump right in!
"Asta! Yuno!" Maryam called as she came out from the church. "Come get your dinner!"
She was met with no reply and sighed as she guessed the two weren't back yet. Yuno had gone into town without even following them home after the awarding ceremony, and Asta took off into the forest just after returning to the church. And now, neither of them was back. It was starting to worry Maryam. The sun would be setting soon, and she didn't like the thought of them being out alone in the dark. She knew they could take care of themselves, but still…it was worrisome.
"Still no sign of them?" Lily asked as she stepped out of the church.
Maryam looked to the nun and shook her head. Lily gave a sigh of her own as she looked worried as well.
"I know Asta is upset and why he might stay out late…but Yuno…this isn't like him," Lily said.
Maryam hummed in agreement as both women looked towards the path that led up to the church. When more minutes passed and they still didn't see any signs of the boys, Maryam let out a sigh.
"I'm going to go and look for them." Maryam said.
Lily was about to express her worry in Maryam leaving as well but paused. She knew the girl would leave no matter what she said, so Lily kept her mouth shut. But just as Maryam was walking away, both women blinked when seeing the very two they had been worried about. Maryam's eyes widened when seeing how beat up Asta was, which had her running to their sides.
"What happened?" She demanded to know as Lily ran to get Orsi.
She gently cupped Asta's face to look over his injuries, but the boy just smiled at her.
"I'm fine." Asta assured her. "Just a little scuffle is all."
Maryam looked at him as if he was crazy before she turned to Yuno in worry. She saw no physical marks on him, but still reached towards him to double check. As one of her hands cupped his cheek, his hand came up to cover hers.
"I'm not injured." He promised as he gently removed her hand from his face. "Asta saved me once again, I'm pained to admit."
"Just what happened?" Maryam asked. "Who attacked you?"
"Some chain guy but forget about that!" Asta said as he grinned. "Look at this, Mary! I have a grimoire!"
Asta shoved a filthy book in her face, and Maryam blinked as she gently took the odd grimoire from Asta. She looked it over to notice it bore a five-leaf clover. Something about it didn't sit well with Maryam, but ignoring that for now, Maryam smiled at Asta.
"That's wonderful, Asta!" She said as she patted the boy on top of his head. "I knew your dream couldn't be over so soon. I'm so happy for you."
Asta's grin widened as he took back his grimoire to hold against his cheek. As the others came out to see the boys, Maryam looked to Yuno. She reached out to pat his head as well. He looked down at her in question as she smiled up at him.
"I'm happy for you as well, Yuno." She said. "I'm excited. Excited for the journey I'll get to take with the both of you in the months to come."
Maryam let out a breath as her grimoire floated alongside her and glowed a pale purplish color. Around her dark swirling vines wrapped around her target, which was a large boulder. The vines were tightening around the large rock, which started to shake and crack before shattering. Maryam smiled at her handiwork as the vines retreated back to her side and curled around her gently.
"Nicely done." She said while feeling exhausted. "We've definitely become stronger."
The plants seemed to sway as if in agreement as Maryam took in the destroyed rocks around her. That boulder not being the only one to be crushed today. Her magic has definitely grown since she's first gotten her grimoire. She used to have trouble controlling her magic and would accidentally cause so much trouble.
—FLASHBACK—
"She ruined the crops again, Father Orsi!" An angry villager shouted as Maryam stood partially behind the Father while clutching onto his robes. "Her plants keep overtaking everything else whenever she walks by."
Maryam looked down with her eyes watering as she didn't mean to cause so much trouble. Whenever she was really happy, flowers and other plants would just start to grow around her.
"Her plants aren't even normal." The villager added. "One bit one of the village children just last week! Bit him, Father! It's bad enough they kill off the other plants, but to actually attack someone?!"
"I'm very sorry," Orsi said. "Maryam doesn't mean any harm."
He placed his hand on top of said girl's head as the villager just sighed and shook his head.
"I know that, Father, but…just…just keep her away from the fields," The villager practically begged. "At this rate, all of Hage is going to go hungry this winter."
He then left as Maryam began to sniffle. Orsi looked down at the girl gently as Asta, Yuno, and Recca watched from the inside of the church. As Orsi knelt down in front of the girl, he wiped away her tears.
"I don't mean to cause trouble," she said.
"I know, Maryam." Orsi assured her. "You'll get the hang of your magic soon enough. Just…just try to stay away from the rest of the village until then."
—END OF FLASHBACK—
Maryam used to hate her magic. Thinking it was more of a curse than anything else. She didn't grow pretty flowers or anything like that. Her plants were usually sentient in nature and mostly…carnivorous. It had taken so much time, but after getting her grimoire, she had begun to master her magic. Now, she felt at peace with it as if the plants her magic grows are a part of her…she knew now that she just wouldn't feel right without them.
"Should we call it a day?" Maryam wondered out loud. "I should probably get back soon to help Sister Lily with dinner preparations. Father mentioned celebrating our departure, after all."
The plants swayed in reply as they wrapped warmly around her as if in affection. Maryam chuckled as she stroked the vines.
"I know…I'm excited too." She said. "Soon, we'll be leaving home for the first time. So, let's head back to get a good night's rests."
She then closed her grimoire with the vines disappearing from around her person. She placed the grimoire away before she turned away from the rumble left behind by her training.
"I wonder if Yuno and Asta are still training." She said then chuckled. "Yeah, they probably are…I should probably go and collect them."
She jogged down the small mountainside to leave the forest behind. She reached the road that would take her home as she wondered who she needed to go and grab first. Yuno would probably be the easiest to convince, but Asta was closer to where she was. Perhaps by the time she convinced Asta to stop his training, Yuno would already be heading back. With that in mind, Maryam headed for the remains of the demon that rested on the outskirts of their village; where she knew Asta did his training.
As she made her way there, she looked up at the setting sun while thinking it looked particularly beautiful this evening. She might be excited to start her journey, but she also knew she was going to miss this place. The place she grew up with her family.
—FLASHBACK—
Maryam laughed as she rolled down the grassy hill not far from the church. Her dress became covered in blades of grass, but she didn't care as she stopped rolling at the base of the hill. She sat up while looking up at the others.
"Asta, Yuno, come on!" She called. "You guys try!"
Asta grinned excitedly before he gave a laugh and soon rolled down the hill as well. Yuno watched nervously as Asta went down the hill after their sister. Orsi and Lily watched on with smiles as they watched over the younger children. Recca ran to the edge of the hill to look down as Asta rolled right into Maryam. The two laughed happily as Maryam wrapped her arms around Asta who wore a big grin.
"I wanna try!" Recca said. "Come on, Yuno!"
Recca quickly jumped over the hill to roll as Yuno looked at her with wide eyes. Asta made sure to stop the girl when she made it to the end of the hill with Recca smiling and giggling. She was obviously having fun.
"Yuno, it's okay," Maryam called up to him as she held out her arms. "I'll stop you down here, okay? I promise, I've got you."
Yuno still looked a little unsure, but nodded his head as he sat down on the ground. He took a deep breather before laying on his side. He then rolled himself over, which sent him rolling down the hill. And as he reached near the bottom, Maryam caught him like she promised. She smiled down at him as he looked up at her with wide eyes.
"See wasn't that fun?" She asked.
Yuno blinked for a second but then smiled as he gave a nod. He then let her pull to his feet as she held his hand tightly in her own.
"Then let's go again." She said with an excited grin. "Asta, Recca, you too! Let's go!"
She laughed as she hurried up the hill with her younger siblings running after her.
—END OF FLASHBACK—
'We never had much, but I wouldn't trade anything for how I grew up,' Maryam thought as her smile turned soft. 'After all, how could I ask for more when I was given such an amazing family?'
Maryam came to a stop to look at a member of said family as she arrived to Asta's little training grounds. Said boy was still training as she knew he would be. Swinging his new sword and breaking things as he went. Maryam shook her head at the boy fondly before giving a sharp whistle. Asta stopped mid-swing. He turned around to spot Maryam as the girl clasped her hands behind her back.
"It's getting late, Asta," Maryam said. "Time to call it a night."
"But, Mary, I still have plenty of energy left!" Asta protested as he swung his sword as if to prove his statement. "Can't I train a bit more?"
"No," Maryam said firmly. "We have to leave early tomorrow, and we need our rest. Besides, do you really want to be late for tonight's dinner? Father Orsi mentioned a feast before our departure. You don't want to waste all of Sister Lily's hard work to cook said feast, do you?"
Those were the magic words since Asta, who put his sword away in his grimoire, was already running by Maryam before the girl could finish speaking.
"Hey, at least wait for me!" Maryam called as she hurried after Asta. "It's rude to just run off when someone was nice enough to come and get you, Asta!"
Asta just shouted about hurrying to Lily's cooking as he completely ignored Maryam. Said girl sighed though soon smiled as she shook her head at the energetic boy. As they ran down the dirt path, they came across Yuno who was walking on calmly as he carried another large load of wood via his magic. He blinked as both Asta and Maryam passed him.
"Gees, Yuno, don't you think you're overdoing it with the firewood?" Maryam called over her shoulder.
Yuno didn't reply as he just hurried to catch up to his rival and his older sister. The three teens ran alongside each other as they hurried home.
"I'm going to win!" Asta shouted as they neared the church.
The younger kids were waiting outside as always with Hollo and Aruru cheering the three on as usual. As they were coming to the gate, Maryam jumped forward to push herself past the boys. She laughed as they gasped at her sudden move while tripping over themselves. Yuno managed to catch himself as Asta faced planted on the ground.
"Looks like I win!" Maryam declared.
"Yay, Mary!" Aruru cheered as Hollo laughed.
"Saw that coming." Recca said with a grin. "Mary always wins when she gets involved."
Nash just shook his head at the scene as Maryam did a little dance of victory. He really had to wonder how his older siblings were…well, older than him sometimes.
"I'll get you next time, Mary!" Asta declared as he sat up. "I'm going to be the Wizard King, after all! I can't be losing to you or Yuno!"
"You're wrong, Asta," Yuno said after he sat the wood pile down. "I will be the one to become the Wizard King."
Before Asta could argue back, the doors to the church opened to reveal Sister Lily. She smiled at the children warmly.
"Good, you three are back." She addressed the eldest. "It's time to eat, so everyone needs to wash up."
"Okay!" Most of the kids called back before everyone headed inside.
Maryam brought up the rear though paused to look back out at the sunset as the sun was finally disappearing over the horizon.
'My last sunset here at Hage,' Maryam thought. 'Tomorrow my last sunrise. At least for a while.'
Maryam looked at the feast before them looking quite impressed. This even beat the feast that Father Orsi and Sister Lily put together to celebrate the boys getting their grimoires. Though the Father claimed it was all for Yuno.
"Well, now," Orsi began. "Asta and Yuno are headed to the Royal Capital tomorrow after all. I thought we'd send them off in style."
Maryam's brow twitched when Orsi didn't add her name to the mix. After failing many times to convince her to stay, the priest has hit the denial stage. Acting as if she wasn't going to leave them, would somehow make it true.
"Father, I'm leaving as well." Maryam pointed out.
Orsi pointedly ignored her comment, which had her brow twitching even more. Lily chuckled at the pair before she smiled at the others.
"It's quite a feast." Lily said. "Father went to a bunch of villages. He bought all the tatoes he could."
"Father," Asta sniffled as he looked to Orsi with a sparkle in his eyes.
Orsi, who huffed slightly, looked away from the smiling boy as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Don't look at me like that," Orsi said. "It isn't just for you. Honestly, I mainly did it for Yuno."
"Father," Asta and Maryam huffed in unison.
"It's true," Orsi insisted. "Yuno just might make it into the Magic Knights. But you, Asta…"
The old man then winced when Maryam threw flower bud at the man to hit him square in the nose. He held said nose as it started to turn red. The kids laughing as the old priest frowned at Maryam.
"Asta and I are both leaving, Father Orsi." Maryam told him as she narrowed her eyes. "Asta is going to become a Magic Knight and I will too. I'm not going to be a nun."
"But Sister Lily made you this nice veil to wear, Maryam." Orsi said.
He held up said black veil, which had Maryam giving him an annoyed look. Her gaze so intense that it had him looking away and coughing into his hand nervously.
"A-anyway, Asta," He addressed the shorter male. "It's a tough exam. There's no shame in failing, Asta. It's not like anyone expects you to pass."
Orsi grinned at Asta as he spoke, which annoyed the short, ash-blonde even more.
"I can't even tell if you're cheering me on or putting me down right now." Asta practically growled.
"You'll aways have a place here, alright?" Orsi continued as if Asta hadn't spoken at all. "No matter what…this is your home. Even if it is a crumbling dump, it's still your home."
"Yeah, and don't ever forget it." Recca added.
"I'm going to miss you so much while you're gone Asta." Aruru added.
She then turned to look at Maryam and Yuno who sat near the end of the table.
"And Yuno and Mary too." She added.
Yuno and Maryam both smiled at the young girl as Hollo stood up in his seat.
"Yeah, cause we're family." Hollo said.
Nash just remained quiet. Not adding his two cents as Asta pointed over at Yuno.
"You're going to say all that stuff to Yuno too, right?" Asta asked. "And Maryam? About how they can always come back."
"Uh, yes, well, he'll be fine." Orsi muttered as he turned away from Asta. "As for Maryam, she isn't going—!"
He cut himself off when feeling Maryam's intense glare back on him. Deciding to play it safe, he simply coughed into his fist once again and averted his eyes even more. Maryam sighed shaking her head at the man before smiling at Asta when he started his usual antics. The feast soon became lively as the little family of misfits dug into the food.
As the next morning rolled around, Maryam was kneeled in front of Aruru and Hollo. The prior of the two, clinging to her arm as everyone was gathered to wish her and the boys goodbye.
"I'm going to miss you, Mary." Aruru whimpered.
Hollo nodded in agreement with her as Maryam reached out to stroke Aruru's hair back from her face.
"I'm going to miss all of you too." Maryam told them. "But this isn't goodbye. Just a see you later, so don't you worry."
Aruru nodded her head then released Maryam, so she could stand between Asta and Yuno.
"Take care, you three." Orsi said.
Maryam smiled glad the man wasn't trying any last-ditch efforts to get her to stay. He might not be happy about it but looks like he's finally accepted that she's leaving.
"Yuno, you'll write us, won't you?" Recca asked. "And you will too, right, Maryam?"
"Of course," Yuno replied as Maryam nodded.
"I hope you guys have fun." Aruru said.
"But come back soon, okay?" Hollo added.
"Asta will be back soon enough." Nash said as he put his hands behind his head. "Don't you worry."
As Maryam sweat-dropped at Nash's typical pessimistic comments, Asta frowned at the boy.
"Come on, Nash," Asta gripped.
"But listen," Nash continued, which had Asta looking at him curiously. "If by some chance—some very small one—you actually manage to join the magic knights, then I'll start believing that dreams really can become true. That I can become anything I want! Maybe one day I'll become a magic knight too!"
Maryam looked at the boy with wide eyes before she gave a sniffle. She quickly knelt down to throw her arms around Nash before she rubbed her cheek against his.
"Oh, Nash, I'm so happy." She said. "Look at you, you're actually sounding optimistic for once. Your big sister is so proud of you."
As Nash blushed in embarrassment at the affection, the others laughed. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he pushed Maryam away from him. Despite being shoved away, Maryam continued to smile at him, which made his blush worsen.
"Tch, whatever," he said.
"I'll be waiting for you," Asta told Nash as Maryam stood up on her feet once more.
Yuno then hurried the two along, and though Asta scolded Yuno for being cold, Asta and Maryam followed after him. Asta turned and waved goodbye to their family one last time, as the rising sun marked the beginning of their journey to the capital. Maryam looped her arms with both boys, which had them giving her curious looks. She smiled at them both.
"Are you two ready?" She asked. "The capital awaits!"
She laughed as she spoke and both Yuno and Asta smiled at the older teen between them. As Asta spoke excitedly with Maryam about their journey, Yuno's expression softened even more.
'Finally,' He thought. 'She gets to follow her dream. She's had to wait a long time.'
He remembers how upset she had been when Father Orsi had practically forbidden her from leaving the village when she received her grimoire two years ago.
—FLASHBACK—
Yuno watched from a distance as Maryam huffed in exhaustion as her plants had overtaken the area around her. The thick, dark plants crushed rocks and tore down trees in her anger, but now that she wore herself out, things were calmer. Yuno knew she'd be like this after the fight she had had with Father Orsi. The man telling her it wasn't safe for her to leave the village on her own, but Maryam argued back that the man was more worried about her accidentally hurting others than her own safety. Maryam's magic was still a bit on the uncontrollable side. Many theorizing that being because her magic dealt with sentient plants with their own thoughts and desires.
It left many people scared of the girl, but even so it was her dream to become a magic knight to support them…to give them a better life. So, when Orsi told her she couldn't go out on her own and even suggested Maryam stay at the church as a nun, things had led to an argument. The argument had gotten so bad that Maryam had run out of the church in anger. That had been hours ago, so everyone went looking for the girl after the sun had gone down. Which led Yuno to discovering the scene before him.
"Maryam," Yuno spoke up getting her attention.
He stepped forward but paused when Maryam looked back. His eyes widening when he saw the tears running down her face. The entire time they grew up together, Yuno had never seen Maryam cry. Not like this. She might tear up when she was gushing over him or their other siblings, but this was different. Maryam looked so hurt.
"Why?" She asked. "Why doesn't he believe in me?"
Yuno's gaze softened as he continued walking towards the distraught fifteen-year-old.
"I just want to support and take care of all of you," Maryam continued as Yuno kept walking towards her. "It's not a big dream…but it's mine. Why doesn't he understand that?"
Yuno didn't reply at first as he finally stopped next to Maryam who wiped at her eyes. Yuno then put his arms around the girl to pull her into a hug.
"I believe in you, Maryam." Yuno said. "Besides, Father said you can leave when Asta and I become of age. He probably just wants you to take the time to practice your magic. So…don't give up."
Maryam pulled back to look up at Yuno as he gave her a small, yet encouraging smile. Maryam sniffled once more before a small smile finally appeared on her face.
"You're right," she said as she wiped away the rest of her tears. "I'll spend these two years training. I'll get control of my magic before you know it and then become a magic knight. After all, I need to be there when either you or Asta reach the top and become the Wizard King!"
—END OF FLASHBACK—
She always supported their dreams, and Yuno—though he didn't express it often—wanted to support her as well. After all, he and Asta owe her a lot for looking after them all these years. She might be their older sister, but even she needed support from time to time.
"I'm so ready!" Asta's shouting broke Yuno from his thoughts. "I'll be the Wizard King soon enough! You just wait and see!"
"That's my line," Yuno scoffed.
As the two argued over who would become the Wizard King, Maryam smiled broadly. The path to their dreams started now and all three were excited to see how things would go from here on out.
Coco: And that is the end of chapter 2! I thought about having her fight alongside Asta in my first attempt of this chapter but decided against it in the end. It was an important moment for Asta in the canon, and I didn't want to take away from him. So, I skipped over it. That and I kind of wanted to wait and show off Maryam's powers later on. I've shown bits and pieces of it, but the more exciting stuff will come later on.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.
And if any of you have any suggestions for pairing-ideas, let me know. Someone has already made a Luck or Mimosa suggestion. Honestly, I hadn't considered either one of them. So, it's something new to think about. But I'd love to hear more from you guys. I've kind of thrown around the idea of Magna in the beginning before I had gotten too far into the anime. Then I thought maybe her and Klaus. But as of right now, I'm just loving Leo so much XD So, I'm all over the place. But nothing will be decided until much later on since I'm not too focused on romance in this story and I kind of just want to see where the story and Maryam take me.
Now, as always, I'll see you guys next time. But until we meet again, remember to stay safe and keep being your beautiful, wonderful selves.