Over the neatly carved wall of her own parapet-veranda, a sigh, fundamentally resembling her own frustration, yet confident in its content, exhaled southward, toward the sun-streaked vista that was Tristain. Up in her castle, on the lookout of the conference room, where many of Her Majesty's closest advisors, and members of her court have come up with the most important decisions in her history. Only this solace would not withstand the looming pressure she felt, along with a tremendous, heartfelt anxiety.
"Your Majesty? You have a visitor, forgive me for my insolence."
Henrietta looked down at the kneeling figure, a simple page. A quick glance behind her, toward the interior of the warm, wooden conference room, and her heart jumped.
"Wales-sama…!"
Surrounding him, were two of Henrietta's royal musketeers, her personal confidants. The tall, fine-looking blonde man, with seductive, blue eyes, walked toward her, through the windowed doors.
Weeks earlier, Henrietta had sent out a letter to her cousin, the Albion Prince, detailing her recent anxieties. Without revealing much, the letters mostly consisted of her heartfelt concern in having to enforce so many sudden policies across her country, including all the fiefdoms, and territories within borders, along with a "very private matter" that only she, her mother, Marianne, Karin, Duchess de la Valliere, and a select few royal battlemages were aware of.
"Henrietta… It's good to finally see you again."
"Please, if it's quite alright, I would like to request some privacy."
After a hearty salute, upon exit, the love-struck gaze met Henrietta's once again, and the two shared a quick glance.
"What brings you here? Everything feels so… Tumultuous at the moment, this is the last thing I expected to happen…" Henrietta says, longingly.
"Your letters, remember? I thought that you might be in trouble, or something happened. I spent too much time worrying, so I had to come."
The seductive young blonde man draws closer to Henrietta.
"You mentioned a… Private matter. The way you worded it, too…"
Henrietta suddenly dons a look of disappointment, and turns away, facing the edge of her parapet again.
"Wales you mustn't… It's a matter that involves very few people I'm connected with, and it must stay that way."
Wales's eyes light up in curiosit, and he utters, laughingly, as if to himself.
"A royal conspiracy, eh? How interesting."
"Something we're all accountable for, and we must remedy it ourselves."
A moment passes.
"Henrietta?"
Henrietta suddenly fights a mental urge, clenching her fist, then says with a fierce, meaningful attitude onward.
"This must not leave the palace!"
She lets out a large sigh, and looks upon her city, for a few brief moments, as if reflecting.
Out on the grassy, dry fields of the courtyard near the palace, the sun shined down almost perfectly. The sky was an endless, picturesque blue, with very sparse clouds. The castle walls, along with the castle itself, felt and looked monumental when looking up on these paths so near it. The two walked side-by-side, Henrietta's confidante Agnes several meters back behind, unable to hear their exchange of words, as per requested by Princess Henrietta. As they drew nearer to the frilly, white gazebo, over the cherry boardwalks, Henrietta began to speak, and the two stopped as Henrietta gazed into the shallow, yet brilliantly clear water below.
"Several months ago, a book, a very special, but very dangerous book, containing many spells inscribed within, spells that none of our mages could make sense of, was stolen. This book was supposedly lost in time after the death of Brimir, and remained in possession in the great hidden libraries underneath Romalia, as requested by their pope at the time. It stayed there for many, many ages, until it somehow found its way in the possession of Karen Valliere, who held onto it, realizing its importance. During a meeting with my mother, Marianne, she had it sent to our palace, with the intention of making sense of the contents. After none of our own elder mages could decipher it, we eventually found out what those spells were. Void spells."
Wales's eyes light up yet again.
"V-void spells?!"
"We had no use for it, so we planned to have it sent back to Romalia only… Someone had stolen it. Someone deep within the ranks of our own mages regiment, someone who was a very loyal, and trusting Germanian wizard of high-ranking noble blood who had pled loyalty to our kingdom for many years. Lord Lars von Algonacz."
"A Germanian wizard…? Was he caught?"
"No. And that's not all. He's been using that book, and is causing terrible things to happen with it."
Wales looks downward, in a vexed, yet puzzled, daze.
The princess continues.
HENRIETTA: It shouldn't be possible, no one on record can use such magic, let alone one we've known for so long.
"What sort of… Things?"
Henrietta softly turns around, somberly, looking defeated.
"We don't know. There have been reports of strange-looking sylphid-like creatures, not like any we've seen before, flying around. I have issued nationwide sanctions against flying of any kind unless granted special permission from a Captain of each of our flying regiments, who have been ordered to protect our skies from these strange creatures, in case they pose a threat to any of us. And since bandit numbers are growing exponentially, I'm issuing extra soldiers to safeguard our towns, and academies. Wales…"
Henrietta with that last utterance, shifts herself tonally, sounding more meaningful than ever, and steps towards him, clasping his right hand between hers, gazing him in the eyes, with her impassioned, gentle fixation.
"This blunder must not escape this palace. No one must know of this, we cannot risk the turmoil this could generate."
Wales didn't have words, he felt utterly stupefied by this newfound knowledge, but deep within his heart, with the look she had been giving him this whole time, he knew how important this was, and felt as if with every fiber of his being, that he should abide by her words. Not only was this important to her, this was important to Tristain as a whole, but if she felt this was something her court alone could fix, then perhaps it was best to leave it at that. He stared at her with a rich meaningfulness that warmed her soul.
"Of course, Henrietta."
Henrietta beamed with a smile and sincerity that could touch anyone's soul.
"That makes me very happy… Thank you, Wales."
The limber horse she had bought with its bridles and saddle attached firmly, trotted at a medium pace, with her as its sole passenger. A mysterious woman hailing from the Northern tip of Germania, right along the border of Nordland.
Her destination was toward the entrance of the academy resting on the lowland plateau surrounded by great foothills. The rolling green decorated with a scant variety of evergreens, and berry bushes seemed fleeting as she rode by, her long, lavender hair flowing against the kind winds.
Her black bag, slumped around a safety thong wrapped across her horse, accompanied by a sheathed greatsword, dangled and thrashed gentler against the muscular thighs of her steed, as she tugged the rein on the firm steeds bridles to slow it down as she drew closer to the entrance.
Now, standing before the base of the large castle within its ground, she looked up, and scanned the building in deep thought. She wasn't sure what had drawn her here, aside from the letter of induction she had received from a passing courier the day prior. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea; what would an academy dedicated solely to the teachings of magic to nobles want with a woman such as Ignis?
If you look beyond her appearance; lightly muscular, fit-bodied with a respectable chest size, taller than most women around her own age, you can see where the discrepancies lie in place.
Ignis was a twenty-five year old former mercenary, former Captain of the 28th infantry regiment in Germania's royal knights, and had been loyal to Emperor Albrecht for over 7 years.
She couldn't make sense of it. What could they possibly want, or how could she possibly serve them? She was far too old and past her prime to be within the vicinity of a foreign magical institution.
As her large, red-purple eyes scanned further outward, spanning each direction of the large courtyard, she suddenly remembered that certificate of identification Princess Henrietta had given to her, with orders to deliver it to the census office just outside of Tristain Palace. She never looked at herself, but she was now officially, under the signed permission of Henrietta herself, an official naturalized citizen of the kingdom of Tristain. She began to debate in her mind what exactly that entailed, and if in any way, it was somehow related to this.
Inside the center building, she passed by a large dining room, fitted with enough seats to feed an entire platoon. Upstairs, she had located what she could only assume was the entrance to the headmaster's office, since it was one of the only rooms, and the first she found on the very top floor, of the center building.
Inside, an older, wise looking man, with a long, gray beard and matching hair, an ivory pipe in his mouth, sat lounging, chatting with his attractive assistant Miss Longueville.
"Hmmmm…. Miss Longueville, tell me…"
The green haired woman sitting before a desk, stamp in hand, looks up at him with a slight look of disdain, speaking and progressively getting more annoyed as her words draw on.
"Osmond, if you plan on distracting me again while I work, so you can order your rodent familiar to spy on my lingerie again, I highly suggest you don't. These budget forms are two days to expiry, and I don't feel like arguing w-"
Osmond cuts her off.
"No, n-no, no, not at all. Surely you're mistaken, only an old, lonely pervert would do such things."
She closes her eyes in doubt, and continues stamping various papers.
"I was simply going to ask about Professor Colbert. Don't you agree he seems a bit… Off lately?"
He strokes his beard in thought as he speaks.
"Osmond, I suggest you refrain from gossip, especially about your subordinates."
She sighs, as she realizes she's being a bit too deflective by her own standards.
"He's likely just experiencing seasonal depression. He's always been a closed-off, absent-minded man, I don't think it's anything t-"
Suddenly, the door is forced open, slamming into the wall, and causing Longueville to flinch, nearly making her heart stop. A strange, lavender-haired woman in a white button-up shirt, and a dark skirt looks on, her eyes in astonishment.
"Uh, sorry."
The green haired woman spits.
"Y-you can't just barge in here like that! Who are you?"
"My bad, I wasn't sure if this was one of those magical doors, which are really hard to open."
Miss Longueville looks ready to blow a gasket, when Osmond interrupts, in a pleased voice, surprising her.
"Ah! Lady Ignis, I've been expecting you. I can forgive your tardiness, and eh, the colorful entrance if you will, for now. Please, come in."
As she approaches the desk, she notices his eyes fondling her breasts, perhaps unintentionally, his face with a lecherous countenance, to which she doesn't react all that much to.
He sits back, and sets his pipe aside.
"If you would please spare us a moment, Miss Longueville, erm, my assistant. I wish for this to be a private discussion."
"Hm…? Of course, Osmond."
After she exits, he peers back up at the lavender haired woman again.
She shrugs.
"What's going on?"
"Hm..? Is it not obvious? I have selected you for induction into this academy!"
"What…? Why?"
Her eyes open wide in surprise.
"After a recommendation and reasonable financial accommodation were sent out by the newly established noble Blaudgust fiefdom you belong to. You ARE Ignis Blaudgust, after all, yes?"
"C-correct. And you… Accepted? Because I'm a noblewoman…?"
The old headmaster looks at her in a serious bewilderment, as if reacting in genuine disappointment at her confused tone.
"Are you saying you DON'T want to attend the Academy? You children these days are getting stranger, and stranger."
Her surprised expression doesn't falter with this influx of newfound information being conveyed at speeds greater than she can absorb.
"This must be a mistake. I've never even been much of a magic user, let alone I've never attended any sort of academy, even when I lived in Vindobana."
"Hmmmm…? Interesting, I suppose that means you have quite a lot of catch up to, Lady Blaudgust."
The old pervert stares her down, his eyes seemingly undressing Ignis. Alas, she was far too much in a state of pure confusion, and shock, to react to it. Was this a part of the agreement? Aren't these academies designated for 14-18 year old students of nobility? Why are they suddenly accepting 25-year-olds? Newly established Bloodlust fiefdom…? Just what the hell is happening? She thought.
"So… If you decline the admission offer, I'll be forced to blacklist you from the Academy, and you won't get a second offer. What's it gonna be?"
She looks down for a moment. What, honestly, would she gain from this? On the other hand, what would she gain by declining? Ignis had enough supplies worth selling that would keep her held over for an extensive period of time. But a part of her felt like this was somehow important. She had never received notice from Her Majesty, any statesman, or anything, however. Princess Henrietta had mentioned that if Ignis had declined the offer to become a citizen of Tristain, she would be forced to imprison her "for her own protection". Perhaps this was a part of the plan to protect her from Zanhaust…
"I suppose I accept the offer."
He suddenly picks his staff up, and waves it. A breeze washes over the two, and Ignis turns around and notices the door flung open. The woman outside takes notice, and walks back in.
"Of course, I must remind you, there are certain rules that all students must abide by. I can have Miss Longueville relay them to you as she shows you to your living quarters."
Ignis looks revolted, and annoyed at the thought that she might have to spend the remainder of her time here.
"Living quarters…"
"Well… You best be off. I'll be keeping an eye on you, Ignis. Miss Longueville, please show Ignis to her dormitory, if you can."
"I have to retrieve my stuff, first, if that's alright… I arrived here on horseback, you see."
The pair look at her strangely, turning toward each other, then shrugging, before turning back.
"Very well."
The friendly green haired assistant was kind enough to tour and systematically label sections of the school, but was in a hurry, and wasn't able to finish.
"Unfortunately, since we're at maximum capacity for the time being, you will have to do with sharing a room with one of the occupants."
Ignis shrugs.
She was used to the company of boorish, animalistic criminals, after being surrounded by such men for several years as a mercenary. So she assumed it wouldn't be nearly as awful rooming with a noble, no matter how snobby, and annoying they are, despite being one.
The woman knocks on the door.
"Miss, please come out if you can!"
The door opens after a scramble of footsteps, and wood-against-wood is heard.
A young blonde women, her coiffure a series of well-maintained drills, and with pulled back bangs, donning academy uniform complete with emblem, steps out curiously, and immediately eyes Ignis.
"Miss Montmorency, sorry to bother you. You will be receiving a temporary roommate. She is a transfer from Germania, and will be here for the next couple of months. I apologize if this is inconvenient."
The blonde glares in surprise.
"Eh…? A Germanian woman? M-Miss Longueville, I-"
"I hope that you two get along, I must return to the headmasters office and finish stamping our budget forms. Farewell."
Footsteps grow quieter as the woman leaves, leaving just the two, and a door ajar.
The girl scowls, and crosses her arms, heading into the room. Ignis follows suite, cautiously, looking around. It's rather small, well-lit as the sun beams through the tile patterned windows. A dark wooden bunk-bed with jade mattresses lay in a corner of the room, along with a dark chifferobe, and a table with a vanity mirror. The faint aroma of the girls flowery perfume, and ground-up vinteflower overtakes ones senses.
"I suppose you're allowed to enter, even though I never agreed to this."
"I didn't either."
Ignis glances over at the bed, in the corner of the room, right-hand side.
"Eh…? A bunk-bed? Don't tell me two people already occupy this room…"
Montmorency pipes up.
"No. My room is the only one with that type of furniture in the entire school, as far as I'm concerned. Anyways, I am Montmorency Margarita La Fere de Montmorency. You may address me as Montmorency. I will make some room in my dresser for your belongings, but don't touch any of my wares."
"How noble of you. Don't worry, I pack light."
Ignis crouches, to unload items from her unusually large, heavy black shoulder bag, dumping pairs of lingerie on the floor and offloading them to the bed.
"Your accent is unusual, for a Germanian."
She was right. Her ancestors hailed from the borders of Norge, and Germania, so she was partially of Norse descent, (hence the last name, Germanian for Icewind, an old Norse surname).
"It's Northern Germanian. It's not that well-populated, so you probably never heard it before."
Ignis's eyes suddenly grow larger, as she pauses and remembers that she had somehow never received a uniform.
"Eh… I forgot to bring my uniform with me… Do you know where I can get a spare…?"
"You… Forgot? How useless are you, exactly?"
Ignis scoffs.
"Huh, that's funny, turns out I was right after all."
The blonde girls hair drills bounce upward as she turns her head sharply.
"Huh?!"
"Tristains nobles really are the most rude, and obnoxious out of all Halkeginia nobility."
They glare at each other in contempt, before she begins again.
"I suppose you could ask Kirche for one. Her room is upstairs, and to the right."
"Kirche… Certainly not… Kirche von Zerbst, right?"
"Correct."
Buried somewhere in her mind, she remember a specific incident that she had been responsible for instigating that took place in the Anhaust- Zerbst region, several years ago that directly involved the humiliation of a certain red haired girl, who was much younger at the time. Their families shared no history or bad blood with one another, but given the Anhaust- Zerbst duchy has a reputation for their outspoken fervor, it would be safe to assume confronting her would be a bad idea.
Ignis starts toward Montmorency, very suddenly, startling her slightly.
"Wait! Could you… Perhaps ask her for me instead? There's something that happened between me and her many years ago, that I'd rather not make the mistake of bringing back up to light."
The blonde girl looks at her, curiously.
"That's fine, I suppose. But in exchange, you have to tell me what happened between you two. Deal?"
"Fine."
Ignis felt an awkward surge of dread just then, as she reflected.
Just what the hell has she gotten herself into? She thought.
A/N: This story takes place in the original FoZ canon timeline, but is an entirely separate, original story, entirely unrelated to the original plot. It retains the bulk of the original characters, but the original story's main characters will either have small cameos or only act as mentions from other characters.
The story will attempt to stay as true to the original material as possible (this is partially with respect to the original author posthumously).
It tells the story of a woman named Ignis Blaudgust, A Germanian Imperial military captain who was inducted as a student to the Tristainian Academy of Magic through mysterious circumstances, and her various trials, and tribulations in the form of violent adventure throughout the world of Halkeginia, as she inadvertently uncovers a discrete royal conspiracy in Tristain which leads her to seek out a lost relic of Brimir of great importance to Princess Henrietta.
The first goal of this story is to have a character who exists in the ZnT universe, who is capable, balanced, and interesting enough, while also respecting the continuity of the original canon characters.
The second is to drive a plot that respects the continuity of the original timeline and does not impede it in any way, so that the original story can smoothly take place as an unmentioned side-plot, while also building upon the world of Halkeginia.
I do not own, nor am I affiliated with any company, entity, organization, or person associated with the Zero no Tsukaima franchise.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
Ignis Blaudgust (Main Protagonist) (OC)
Montmorency La Fere de Montmorency (Secondary Protagonist)
Prof. Colbert
Princess Henrietta
Wuillame Zanhaust (OC)
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Svellhomme DeChauer (OC)
Karin Valliere
Guiche de Gramont
Kirche von Zerbst
Julio Chesare
Bridgette von Derich (OC)
Samuel Longston (OC)
Agnes Chevalier de Milan
Prince Wales