"They can't be gone."
The words came out of Lionel's mouth almost as if by reflex. He looked around at the people gathered in the tent, his breath labored and eyes wide. There stood Alcryst, Céline, Hortensia, and Fogado, all of them avoiding Lionel's gaze as if doing so would render them guilty of some kind of crime.
On the desk laid an Emblem Bracelet - the same Bracelet that Jack had gone into Elusia Castle with. It was a golden band with a blackened outline around the edges, and seeing it made the hair on the back of Lionel's neck stand on end.
"There was no sign of them," Fogado said softly, being the first to speak up since the end of the battle. "Nobody found anything except for this Bracelet. And the most the Emblems inside can tell us is that they were all engulfed in a big white light. Beyond that…"
"That does not mean they are gone," Céline said, wrinkling her nose. "I hope to the stars above that you are not implying that."
"We should've been there," Hortensia said, "We should have been there but we weren't and now they're wherever Sombron took them."
"The altar, did the retainers find anything?" Alcryst asked tentatively. He had been the only one to not enter the chamber beneath Elusia Castle - something that Lionel thought he must've been regretting by that point.
"I saw it with my own eyes, Alcryst," Fogado sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It's been broken into pieces. I asked Hector if he could feel anything just in case, and he told me that there was nothing. Not even a whisper of what had happened to them."
"But they are not dead," Céline insisted. "Sombron would not have done something that stupid - not so long as he thought he still had a chance to weasel his way out of it."
"It wasn't like a regular explosion, apparently, so you might be right," Fogado conceded.
"I'd rather keep believing that they're out there, somewhere," Hortensia said.
"If that's true… then how could we possibly reach them?" Alcryst asked.
"Started the meeting without me, have you?"
Lionel spun around to see Queen Lumera walked into the tent. Rain and snow mixed together and fell on the ground behind her as the tent flaps went back to their previous position.
Fogado stayed in place, but Céline bowed her head.
"My apologies, Queen Lumera," Céline said. "It is just that… well, the past few hours have made our hearts disquiet."
Lumera held up a hand as Lionel stepped away, grumbling to himself. "Peace, Princess Céline. I understand your concerns. Truly, I do. My own child was within the radius of that 'explosion'. If he had died, I would have felt it."
"Do Divine Dragons have that power?" Fogado asked.
Lumera tilted her head. "My child and I are connected far more closely than that. This is unique to me and him. Whether or not other Divine Dragons could do this, I cannot say."
Well, isn't that just great.
Lionel wondered if anyone else could do such a thing. As Lumera's words faded into the background, and the others began to talk amongst themselves - no doubt figuring out what to do, Lionel wondered just what hell had happened. None of the others dared speak about it again, instead simply asking questions such as 'where can we go to help' or 'can we figure out where they went'. Lionel wondered, wondered, wondered-
"I need to go," Lionel said, bowing out of the room. He growled and pulled up his hood as a slurry of rain and watery ice fell from the sky. The fact Elusia Castle and its surroundings weren't completely covered in snow was probably a testament to the season. Although it would be Fall soon, for the moment it wasn't too terribly cold.
Lionel needed to get away because he knew what was about to happen. He had half a mind to go and look for Jack at the castle, hoping that he would've suddenly reappeared out of nowhere, completely and utterly fine - maybe even with Ivy on his arm, and it would've turned out that the white light hadn't come to take him and everyone else away and they'd just had some 'alone' time. Every could use a bit of that and Lionel was no different but he didn't want to deal with that because when he did so he'd start talking too much and he wouldn't be able to hide the boiling and the boiling would continue because everything on the outside was just skin and flesh and bone but it was all meaningless, meaningless skin, flesh, and bone.
He really, really wished Jack hadn't gone into the castle. He wished everyone had left it alone. He wished that everything could go back to the way it was. He wished and wished but just like everything else in his life he wished it would just end-
You can make it end.
"...It's happening again, isn't it?" Seadall asked. Lionel didn't know how or why, but he found him. Seadall was wearing something different from his usual dancing attire - he had to, considering just how rugged and cold the Elusian landscape was. Jack would like it, once he became the prince-consort. Maybe he'd visit him and his family once he and Seadall settled down, too. That would be nice. That was worth living for.
"Yes," Lionel replied. They had found themselves outside of a tent, beneath the overhang of its entrance. Seadall shivered, and Lionel wanted to reach out and hug him but he stopped himself. He didn't deserve it.
"I know that things are not looking good right now, Lio," Seadall said, "But we will find them. I was not in that meeting earlier, but we know what we can do. The Divine Dragon Shard in Lythos."
"I miss him, Seadall," Lionel said. "I didn't think about how much I would until he was gone again. He… He and I are all that's left of Earth."
"And his son? What about him?" Seadall asked, wincing as Lionel's eyes widened.
"Fuck," Lionel cursed, rubbing his face with one hand as he turned around to look at the rain and snow - it mixed together on the ground like a slushie. "I can't take care of a kid, Seadall. I never wanted one, and Connor deserves better than to have some idiot like me constantly thinking that he's somehow trying something."
"Is that not an exaggeration?" Seadall asked. "Even at your worst, you are not-"
"It's not about being at my worst, it's just…" Lionel trailed off, letting out a sigh. His breath fogged up the air before him. "Sombron is gone. All of his minions are dead. Yet all of the nations - their heirs are gone. Firene and Solm still have their leaders, but Elusia and Brodia have lost another notch on the ladder of succession, and those other royals, they might not be up to the task of leading a bunch of war torn nations back to glory. All the others were determined, you know? And now that might as well be a pipe dream."
"You're worried about Elyos itself? I am… surprised."
Lionel snorted, turning around. "This is my home now, too, Seadall. I wanted to settle down with you in some far-flung Solmic village somewhere, or travel with you around the world looking for something that'd make this-" he pointed both of his forefingers at his temples, "-better! And if not better, then, you know, something that'd help!"
Rubbing his mouth, Lionel looked around at the people who walked to and fro at the camp. Despite the victory, there was a somber air to the way they walked, the way they talked, all of it - they should have been celebrating, having feasts in honor of the defeat of Sombron, and instead they were mourning the loss of such potential.
"I don't need to explain how bad this all is, do I, Seadall?" Lionel whispered.
"It does look grim, I will admit," Seadall conceded, nodding his head. "The cards have been mum on where our destiny leads us."
"The… cards, yeah," Lionel replied, scratching at the stubble on his chin.
"But even so, I already told you: we have a plan, Lio. Queen Lumera has a plan. And even if the worst has come to pass, you know that I will always be by your side," Seadall said, stepping forward.
"Well, that's good. At least in the chaos that's coming we can hold each other. That's always nice. I always enjoy that," Lionel replied. "I hope they can find a way. If not the ones here, then Jack and the others who got taken. And while he's gone, I'll… I guess little Connor might be as close to being an orphan as one can possibly get. Fuck, I gotta do something about that."
"And so we shall. I admit, I've never even thought about raising a child, but at least this won't be for too long," Seadall said, shrugging.
"We'll see about that," Lionel muttered darkly.
At one point, Alcryst had hated the sounds that firearms made.
With a pull of the trigger, an explosion would fire off in the weapon, and less than a second later, a projectile would leave the front, alongside a brief cone of fire, and it would all sound like lightning that had struck right beside him. But at that moment, as he test fired one of the weapons, he couldn't help but like it.
It gave voice to his anger in a way that his actual voice couldn't.
One final shot, and the training dummy he had been using, meant for swords and maybe bows and bolts, collapsed to the ground in a heap of straw and cloth. There wouldn't be a use for them anyway, considering that Sombron had been dealt with - or as 'dealt' with as he could be without outright killing him - so there was no need to be careful or gentle anymore. They would be used for fires to survive the cold Elusian nights for a while longer.
Soon, they would be marching to Lythos again, to use the Divine Dragon Shard. What Queen Lumera was planning to do with it, Alcryst had little in the way of figuring out. Although he would put his trust in Queen Lumera, that didn't mean that he understood everything she meant.
She'd led the main religion of most of the world for over a thousand years, after all; she would know what to do next better than anyone. That didn't mean that Alcryst was in a good mood, however.
Diamant…
Thinking about what could have possibly happened to his brother made Alcryst shiver as he lowered his rifle. Taking a shuddering breath, he placed it on the perishable table nearby and leaned on it for support. His ears were ringing; ordinarily he would've gotten ear plugs or some other kind of ear protection, but the gunshots drowned out how much he just wanted to break something.
When the gunshots finally stopped, the world was dead silent. Snow was on the ground in rough patches, and dried, dead grass was everywhere else. It was merely the end of Summer in Elusia, and already it felt as if Winter had come. At least the sky was spotless, Alcryst thought. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun shone brilliantly.
"Prince Alcryst?"
Alcryst looked up with wide eyes. He turned to see a tanned woman with long white hair and a wizened face approach. If it wasn't for the heavy armor she wore, he would've thought she was an old cleric. Of course, recognizing who she was, Alcryst realized it wasn't because of age that she looked like that - those lines were the result of a life hard lived.
There was someone else too, though. Lapis was beside Saphir, looking away from Alcryst as if she was ashamed. That caused Alcryst to tilt his head, but nonetheless, he let out a sigh and pushed himself away from the table.
"You've come to escort me back to Brodia so that they'll have a king, haven't you?" Alcryst asked. "If so, then I think I might have to disappoint them. Again."
"Oh, and why's that?" Saphir asked, crossing her arms. "I haven't even said anything yet. You have no idea what I was gonna ask you. I could've been here to assassinate you."
"L-Lady Saphir! You wouldn't dare!" Lapis said, her hand reaching reflexively for her sword as she bared her teeth in a sneer.
Saphir laughed. "Good! Good. I was hoping that would get a rise outta you. Don't worry, dear, I know better than to tangle with a girl who fights bears for a living."
"That's…" Lapis sighing, rubbing her forehead.
"If you came to assassinate me, then go right ahead," Alcryst said, holding his arms out. "I won't even defend myself. You could probably even make a case to become Brodia's queen right then and there. The nobles wouldn't like it, but if you killed the last of the royal family, then the only one who has more of a claim than you would be Citrinne, and she wouldn't be able to keep a hold on it for long, I don't think."
"Alcryst…" Lapis said quietly, stepping forward. "We came to see how you were doing. Despite what Lady Saphir just said, that's the truth. It can't be easy… I don't even want to imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling, and yet you've lost so much more."
Alcryst sighed, placing his hands on the table again. "The worst part of it is, Lapis, that I-I… I barely even feel it anymore. When we couldn't find Diamant or the others, I just felt empty, as if something had completely carved out my chest and left nothing behind. Just a void where my heart should be. I can't even muster the will to tell myself off."
"I can understand that feeling better than most," Saphir admitted, "the Elusians killed my family and burned down my village when I was barely five years old. That sort of thing sticks with you. I can't comment on how you're feeling right now, but, Prince Alcryst, I would let you know that there are many ways to deal with these sorts of feelings, or lack thereof."
There was a pang in Alcryst's chest as he looked at Saphir and Lapis. "How?"
"Letting those who remain close to you in," Saphir said in a hushed whisper, looking at Lapis who jumped at her intense stare. "Letting out your pent up anger on training dummies is all well and good, but to those who still care for you… they will only see that. Let them show you how much they still love you."
Saphir turned around.
"That's all I wanted to say. Rest well, Prince Alcryst."
And then she was gone, and Alcryst could see Lapis twisting her foot in the ground nervously. Their relationship had been strange ever since he and Jack had spoken to each other about it - it was like they both knew they liked each other, but neither had the will to break the awkward silence that had formed between them whenever they were alone.
Alcryst wanted that to end, one way or the other.
"You can leave, Lapis," Alcryst said, looking away and letting out another shuddering breath. "I wouldn't blame you if you did."
"I'm not leaving, Alcryst," Lapis replied, and though Alcryst couldn't see her anymore, he knew she was slowly approaching him.
Alcryst didn't know if what he was saying was true to himself or not. In fact, a part of him wondered if he was saying it because Lapis expected it from him, or if he really would be okay with her leaving. Nonetheless, Alcryst continued to speak.
"You would be better off with someone else than with a failure like me. There is no future for me. I…"
"Then I'll help you find a future."
Alcryst let what happened next come naturally. And for a brief moment, he didn't feel like putting himself down.
"Fogado, I wish for you to be honest with me regarding what your intentions are."
Fogado placed a hand against his chest as he looked out over the camp. What few tents remained were quickly being packed up, and he and Céline watched the soldiers below scurry around like ants. A cold breeze swept across the remains of the battlefield as Fogado shivered before speaking.
"I've been completely honest from the onset, Céline," he replied. "And you know it. I've been completely and utterly truthful in everything I have said, and I swear that upon my family's name."
"Hmph. Good," Céline replied, her arms folded as she looked at the soldiers below. "Apologies if I said that out of nowhere, but I needed to make sure. As I am certain you know, these past few days have been… stressful."
"Oh, you don't need to tell me twice," Fogado said, rubbing his forehead. "Losing my sister and your brother to whatever it was Sombron did wasn't easy, and it's only gonna get worse without closure. So I say we cut this short and get the troops moving as fast as possible back to Lythos. After talking with mom a bit, I'll be sure to get back to you."
"Get back to me regarding what? You may as well speak now. I want to hear from you before the others catch wind of it," Céline said, and Fogado couldn't help but laugh imagining her with a fan and hiding her face behind it. "Oh? Is it really that funny?"
"A little bit. But you know what? Yeah, I'll play along," Fogado said, coughing into his fist before placing his arms behind his back. "Princess Céline of Firene, I would like to propose a union of our nations that will ensure our continued existence as well as forming a bond between them that will not be broken for many years to come."
Céline's lips thinned. "Say the other words."
Fogado chuckled again. "Will you marry me, Princess Céline?"
There we go… I'm glad I had Rosado and Goldmary to help me with this. It would've taken forever if they weren't here.
Before Elusia Castle, in the fields that had, just a few days prior, seen the biggest battle in the last thousand years of Elyosian history, Hortensia had constructed a cairn.
They were ancient, small monuments that were part of a time before Sombron and before Queen Lumera had ascended to the throne of Lythos. They were piles of stones, crossed atop each other in a way that made it seem like they were stacked haphazardly, but they were sturdy and would withstand the test of time; there were some cairns further up north that had been there since before Sombron had arrived, even if the people they commemorated were long forgotten.
Out of all the things that Hortensia had been taught about pre-Sombron Elusia, she liked the cairns the most, and even though they weren't particularly ostentatious or ceremonial, it was the best that she could do.
"Ah, I'm all sweaty now," Goldmary groaned, wiping her forehead. "Very well, so long as it is done now."
"I think it's sweet," Rosado said, "I mean, I would've maybe put a few flowers in there to really make it contrast against the gray, but for now it's good."
"This is the best I can do right now. I would've made a grave for all of them if I could. For father, for the Elusians who lost their lives fighting for the homeland… it would be impossible, but I wish I could do that," Hortensia said, wiping her eyes.
"Oh. Hmm," Goldmary said, looking up at Elusia Castle. "The castle was basically empty when we first went in, but I guess it's going to be deserted for a little while longer, huh?"
"Goldmary!" Rosado said.
Goldmary shrugged. "What? I was only- Oh. Hortensia, I'm-"
Hortensia waved a hand as she stood up. "It's alright. You're right. After the war, Ivy would've become queen, or at least acted as one until she went through the coronation ceremony. Then she probably would've married Jack and had a lotta babies or something stupid like that. Then I would've just been another hang up of the old kingdom. So basically, nothing would change."
"How could you say something like that about yourself?" Rosado said, marching forward in front of Hortensia. "There are plenty of things you could do, let alone the fact that Princess Ivy would never see you like that!"
Hortensia let out a sigh, looking back up to the castle. "Even so, without her, Elusia might fall to ruin, you know. She had the drive that I don't. She could get a bunch of broken peasants to fight for the glory of their country that doesn't even technically exist anymore, and she did it all while being a magical prodigy that hasn't been seen for generations. What am I compared to that? Seriously! Look at me! I put on all this stuff just to stand out yet right now I just feel… so out of place. Out of my depth."
Goldmary spoke next. "You'd be right to be worried if Princess Ivy was dead."
Hortensia rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Goldmary."
"I wasn't finished, Princess Hortensia. Please be a bit patient so I may finish, please?" Goldmary said before standing up straight. "We have a plan, don't we? You were there when Queen Lumera explained it."
Hortensia breathed in. "Yes, she did. Do you know what it is? 'Go back to Lythos and get the Divine Dragon Shard'. I don't even know what that is, Goldmary."
"Queen Lumera hasn't led us astray yet," Rosado pointed out. "I mean, I can understand being a bit wary. It wasn't too long ago that we were sworn enemies, but maybe we should put our trust in her for now."
Hortensia snorted. "Yeah, sure. Maybe you're right, but I still don't like it."
"And even then," Rosado continued, "maybe Princess Ivy and the others are alright. You know they could be looking for a way home from wherever they are right now. We already know that Sombron didn't kill them."
"Says her," Hortensia mumbled. "Look, I really wanna believe you're right. That she's right, but until Ivy's right in front of me, telling me about what she and the others went through, I'm still gonna sit here and brood about it. I can't help it."
"Perhaps we can brood elsewhere then? It's getting cold out here," Goldmary said, rubbing her shoulders.
Rosado snickered. "Goldmary, we're in Elusia; it's always cold!"
"Oh, I know, but I was sweating earlier and now there's a breeze coming in," Goldmary said, shivering slightly. "So now it feels even colder than it actually is."
"Maybe you should've put a coat on," Rosado pointed out. "In fact, there're plenty back at camp that would fit you, actually. I could help you pick it out if you want."
"Oh yes, a coat while we're hauling a bunch of heavy rocks. Why did I not think of that, Rosado? This is why I am the brains and beauty of this operation."
"And I'm the cuteness! We make a good team," Rosado said.
"What does that make me?" Hortensia asked.
"Well, we wouldn't be here if not for you, I suppose. And I consider you a very close friend. Does that help?" Goldmary asked.
"No! I won't stop until I'm the cutest! Do you hear me!?"
"Oh? Am I being challenged?" Rosado asked, crossing his arms. "I accept your challenge, Princess Hortensia!"
Hortensia giggled. "Yeah, you better prepare yourself! I'm gonna knock your socks off!"
While descending into a giggle fit, Hortensia reminded herself how lucky she was to have Rosado and Goldmary. Without them, she probably would've collapsed long ago.
Just thought I'd write one more Chapter before Starfield comes out because it's less than a week til then and I'd feel bad leaving this fic dormant for a month lol.
Anyway, here's a link to our Discord: discord. gg/u89gs745fn
See you guys next time!