The party of eight rushed out of the room, Princess Emille in the lead, most of them frantic to reach the throne room. Emille barely looked at them as they went, clearly still uncomfortable in their presence, but Dart almost laughed to watch Albert follow her like a lovestruck puppy. He almost couldn't take his eyes off the princess, entranced as he was with her, and Dart wondered if his feelings would be reciprocated. What was a lovesick king like? What was a brokenhearted Albert like?
Still, the urgency of their situation mostly overpowered these wayward thoughts, and Dart kept pace with Emille with a determined step.
As they crossed the courtyard, they received innumerable glances and hushed tones, but most of the workers seemed confused to see Emille there. Of course, they had already watched her head toward the throne room with Lisa only a few minutes earlier, and now she was dressed differently and walking with the odd bunch of people that guards had stopped earlier. Thankfully, the presence of Emille was enough to silence them for now, though there would be much explaining to do later.
Dart wondered if the people could tell the difference between the real Emille and the imposter. The contrast was more than apparent to him; the false reproduction of the princess had almost always slouched, even if almost imperceptibly, and she held a general demeanor of judgment and disdain. This Emille had a gentler way of speaking and moving, and her head was held high and her shoulders held back as she gracefully swept across the courtyard. Dart was happy for the change.
They entered the castle proper and ascended the long staircase leading to the ballroom, which was decorated with as much splendor as the courtyard below. About twenty people milled about adding final touches to decorations, and every single one of them turned to gawk at Emille as she passed by. Whispers abounded, and eyes cast glances toward the throne room, but Emille pushed forward unperturbed.
"Excuse me!" called a guard from the hallway that stood between them and their destination. "Excuse me!"
With a small huff, Emille stopped as the guard approached, and she frowned at him.
"Am I not allowed to attend my own reception?" she demanded.
Raising an eyebrow, Dart exchanged a glance with Haschel. Despite her words being much smoother and kinder than those of her counterpart, Emille's voice commanded authority and clearly communicated her desire and frustration. Had he not seen it for himself, Dart may have doubted that this Emille would be capable of such presence.
"I, uh…" stammered the guard. "Nobody is allowed to go in until… the Moon Dagger has been passed on."
"Don't you think it would be difficult to pass on the Moon Dagger if I am not in the room?"
"I don't…" The guard glanced among them all, eyes lingering last on Kongol.
"Just get out of here," encouraged Dart. "And we won't have to kill you. The jig is up anyway."
Apparently agreeing with Dart's assessment, the guard backed away in terror, ran around them, and sprinted down the stairs.
Without waiting for approval, Emille pushed forward and commanded the two guards by the throne room doors to open them, which they did without question. Both had stupendous grins on their faces, and Dart suspected that these two men recognized their true princess and were all too eager for her to supplant the imposter.
As the heavy oak doors opened, all eyes in the throne room turned to them. Perhaps a hundred people stood cordially on either side, leaving a long, carpeted aisle empty along which the fake Emille had been walking. Up on the dais that held the thrones was a pedestal supporting a decorative dagger, and on either side stood King Zior and Princess Lisa. Even with a hopeful gleam in their eyes, both were still taken aback at the odd sight they saw. And odd it was to see two perfectly identical Emille's now glaring at each other from across the room.
Taking advantage of the attention, the real Emille stepped forward and lifted her chin.
"I have something to say," she called into the room as whispers erupted among the crowd. "My name is Emille. I am daughter to King Zior of Tiberoa and sister to Lisa. We are of the Kilimia line, descended from the heroes of the Dragon Campaign." She pointed angrily to the other woman. "This person is a fake, and Tiberoa does not tolerate the deception that she has put before our people."
The imposter turned sour, nose curling at the statement. The princess then strode forward with purpose, the rest of the group following closely behind. Zior and Lisa exchanged a worried glance, but they were daring to smile in spite of it.
"For six months now, this person has been imitating me," continued Emille as she walked. "She has appropriated every aspect of my life, and now she intends to take the Moon Dagger for herself. Such despicable actions are not to be overlooked. Justice will come to you now."
With that, Emille planted herself before the pretender, challenging her to dare to oppose. The similarity of their stormy eyes was eerie and off-putting.
"Reveal yourself!" demanded Albert. "There is no more room for games."
The imposter chuckled. "You all think you're so high and mighty, so righteous. You're nothing but meddlers! If you want to see me for who I am, then I suppose there's no reason to say no."
She closed her eyes for just a moment, waving her hand side to side, until there was a bright flash of light. It reminded Dart of a dragoon transformation, but it lacked the warmth of dragoon magic. The light was empty and hollow, unlike Shana's. An instant later, the light was gone, and the fake Emille had been replaced by a completely different woman.
Her outfit was no longer an elegant dress, but rather tight, black pants that matched her leather jacket. Her short hair was encased in a red bandana, but locks of silvery hue poked out from under it. The woman now smirked at them, clearly expecting some sort of awed reaction. This she received heartily from the audience, who all gasped and began murmuring among themselves.
"You have nowhere to go," warned Rose as she drew her sword and leveled it at the usurper. "You might as well give up now."
"Ha!" spat the woman. "We'll see about that."
Holding up her hand and leaning forward facetiously, she brought her fingers together before flicking them at Princess Emille. A thunderous clap rang out as she did so, and within an instant, the entire throne room was filled with thick, dark smoke. Sputters and coughs resounded around them, and Dart tried in vain to wave the smoke away from his face, squinting desperately to see the woman through the haze. He stumbled forward, but everything appeared as mere smudges of darkness inside a larger swath of darkness. As the people began to scream, Dart heard glints of a metal blade near the thrones as a powerful gust swept in from the right balcony, and the room began to clear.
As vision returned, Dart peered toward the pedestal. The woman stood next to King Zior, but he wasn't pulling away as Dart would have expected. His face was contorted in pain and surprise, and the woman turned, holding the Moon Dagger that was now covered in blood. Zior slumped to the ground.
Lisa and Emille screamed in unison and rushed forward as the woman smirked and sprinted past them toward the balcony.
Dart pursued, Rose in step next to him, and they both shot pulses of magic toward her. Dart's struck her back, and she screamed before falling to the floor as the onlookers scurried out of the way, panicked and flailing about, charging toward the doors en masse. Rose generated a cloud of darkness around the woman, and she screamed in terror, swatting at the magic as if it were a swarm of horseflies, eventually collapsing to the ground and covering her head with her arms.
As they reached her, Dart grabbed her arm and lifted her up, but the instant that Rose's magic dissipated, the woman threw out her hand to the side, and a fiery explosion sent several guests flying through the air, landing hard on the stone floor twenty feet away. Screams rang out, and Shana lit the room with healing light as best she could, but her reach was limited in her human form.
"Help!" cried a voice from the banister.
Struggling to find the voice amid the chaos of the room, Dart finally set his eyes on a man dangling from the edge, barely keeping himself from a two-hundred-foot drop into the ocean below. Releasing the imposter, he rushed over, cringing to see the burns on the man's neck and hands. Grasping the man's arm, he hoisted him up until he was safely on the floor.
Dart tried to tune out the shrieks that continued to pierce the air, and he spun back to see a furious Rose holding the woman at sword-point up against the railing. A small dribble of red came from the sharp end that pushed lightly against the woman's collarbone. The Moon Dagger was held fast in the woman's left hand, but her reach fell short of Rose's arm.
"There is no reason to fight anymore," said Albert as he stepped forward. A hint of wrath lay in his voice, something that Dart hadn't heard since their encounter with Doel.
He glanced toward Zior and saw Shana hovering over him, light radiating from her palm as she cast worried glances to the injured guests across the room. Emille and Lisa sat nearby, holding each other and crying softly, though Emille's wide, reddened eyes were watching the room and the people fighting to flee.
"You have no escape," said Haschel.
"You there," said the woman, nodding toward Meru. "You have anything to say about that?"
Meru didn't respond, but her expression was curiously somber. Or perhaps there was a hint of anger behind her eyes. Dart didn't have time to decide.
"Coward," accused the woman. "You're a disgrace."
With nothing more than a frown as a response from Meru, the woman turned her attention back to Rose.
"Even a pretty little thing like you can't hold me here forever," she said.
"And why is that?"
"You're alone," said the woman carefully. "Sure, you hang out with these people, but you know it won't last forever. Love has abandoned you before, and it'll do it again."
"You don't know anything about me," replied Rose, her voice low and dangerous.
"Maybe, maybe not." The woman shrugged. "But I know what love is. I have it, and you don't. That's what drives me forward, keeps me going. I'll get out of this for him. You have nothing else to fight for."
Rose's hand trembled in her fury.
"Rose," said Dart, moving forward slowly. "Lower your sword."
Her grip only tightened, and her jaw locked in place. Another drop of red beaded down, staining the woman's blue shirt.
"Do not let this fiend take control of your emotions," added Albert. "She is powerless against you."
"The name's Lenus, by the way," said the woman casually.
"Rose," breathed Dart again, placing his hand on Rose's shoulder.
Slowly, Rose began to relax. Her arm lowered, sword falling to hang at her side, but her eyes did not leave the woman named Lenus. The corner of Dart's eye saw a swirl of magic about Rose's fist.
"Come on," urged Dart, tugging lightly on Rose's arm.
At that moment, Lenus grinned and flipped backward over the railing, and everyone gasped. Dart rushed forward, but when he looked down, he saw nothing. She had disappeared.
"Up there!" called Meru, and Dart craned his neck to see Lenus hovering fifty feet away, cackling as she looked down on them. From her back were sprouted wings, but not those of a dragoon. Rather than the shimmering, leathery wings that Dart was used to seeing, these appeared almost like jets of colorless energy spewing into the air behind her.
"The look on your face!" she laughed. "Bye, now!"
She turned to leave, but hesitated.
"Wait, my bad. I couldn't leave without giving you a goodbye present!"
Holding her hand out next to her, Dart's eyes grew wide to see a small bead of fire grow quickly into a ravenous flame. When it was the height of her entire torso, she hurled it toward the balcony.
"Watch out!" cried Dart as Albert grabbed Rose and yanked her backward.
Planting himself in place, Dart positioned himself in the fireball's path, steeling himself for the force of it, though the flames themselves gave him no hesitation. If he could absorb the worst of it, everyone else would be safe. He threw his hands across his face as his mind reached out to try to grab hold of the fiery energy in hopes that he could divert it, but there was nothing there to grab. He could sense the energy, as he had sensed the mirror holding Emille, but the fire was not his to command. Dread settled into his stomach, but it was too late to move.
As it struck him, all breath left his lungs as it exploded. Fire washed over him and threw him backward, but he rammed into someone he could not see, and his head hit something hard and solid. Cascading toward the floor, his vision blurred and a high-pitched ringing sounded in his ears. Oversized hands tucked under his armpits and helped him slide downward slowly, and he peered above him to see Kongol, one of his pauldrons on fire. After Dart had been deposited on the floor, the giganto patted his shoulder, and the fire was snuffed out instantly.
But this pain… It was as if a hot iron were being pressed to his forehead and arms, and he was reminded of his time of humanity in the barrens and the sun's merciless wrath. Shakily, he lifted his right arm and tried to focus on it, and he was barely able to make out the burns that now adorned his skin. It was pink, raw, even black in some places, and the pain seeped deeply into him.
The ringing subsided, and he placed a burned hand to his scalp as a pounding pain took over his brain. Shana appeared before him, and she hurriedly ran light over the worst of his burns. A soothing feeling replaced the stinging pain as she worked, as if she had spread a cooling gel over his body.
"Are you okay?" asked Shana, her voice still oddly distant to Dart's ringing ears.
Nodding weakly, Dart rasped, "Go take care of the others." A metallic flavor rang in his mouth as he spoke.
She cast him a sympathetic smile before standing and rushing away.
Slowly sitting up, Dart observed the aftermath and waited for his hearing to fully return. The stone floor had been charred black, a thousand charcoal lines pointing to the epicenter of the explosion about fifteen feet away. His blurry eyes made out two banners and a fringe of carpet that had also caught fire, and he waved his hand to eradicate it. Cautiously standing, he winced at the pain in his head and the throbbing that now pulsed through the wound in his left arm. He glanced at it; it was oozing again.
He turned to his companions, and he saw several burns on Haschel, Kongol, Meru, and Rose, but the others seemed unharmed. Zior, Lisa, and Emille were each nursing minor burns, but Zior was by far the worst off on this side of the room, still unable to sit thanks to his stab wound. Though he was no longer bleeding profusely, he flitted between moments of consciousness. Emille and Lisa attended to him carefully while Shana ran frantically to the guests scattered about the room.
Seeing the crowd brought a sinking feeling into Dart's stomach. Lenus's first blast had knocked several people unconscious, and many more were now bleeding from striking the wall or floor after the second. Many of them that had been unable to reach the doors in time sported burns much like those of Dart's companions. Two women and a man were lying in small pools of blood, and it was these that Shana had turned her attention to first. She worked hurriedly, fighting to keep herself calm despite the chaos, crying, and weeping. Dart stumbled toward her, unsure of how he could help but determined to try, just as a swarm of guards entered the room. Each of them was bewildered at the sight, but a captain took charge and began barking out orders. Several men rushed to the royal family while the rest began to attend to the injured attendees, pushing Shana aside as they did so. She diverted and began helping those with minor injuries, determined to help as much as possible.
For a long moment, Dart could do little more than watch. He was overwhelmed. Zior now lay unconscious on the floor before the throne as four men rushed off to get a stretcher to transport him out of the public eye. Albert spoke softly to the princesses, no doubt assuring them that Shana's magic had saved their father's life and that he was going to be alright. Lisa wept openly; Emille appeared to be in shock. She said nothing, but her eyes were unfocused and directed toward the open balcony.
Haschel helped Rose to a pillar, where she sat down and leaned against it. A burn over her face became obvious, but she merely leaned her head back and closed her eyes, allowing Shana to work on her own time. Haschel then glanced around helplessly, unsure of what to do, and eventually sat to the side of Rose, regularly casting her worried glances. Kongol stood in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, watching the events with a perceptive eye, and Meru followed Shana closely, helping her whenever she could.
Dart slumped to the ground, bile rising in his throat as he did so. He swallowed his nausea and tried to wish away his headache, but eventually it overpowered him, and he rushed to the balcony and heaved over the side. With his head pounding in tune with his frantic heart, he fell to his knees helplessly, watching the empty skies above him. What were they to do now?
At the heart of all this turmoil was the unseemly fact that Lenus had escaped with the Moon Dagger. It should have been easy to apprehend her, but they had all been outsmarted. Flight and magic were two things they had not expected, and that had been their downfall. They had thought she was cornered. He shook his head in frustration.
What was Lenus? How could she accomplish these things without being a dragoon? Not to mention that the fire magic had actually burned Dart, though he felt confident that the blast could have killed any of his other companions. Still, had her magic been tied to dragoon power or even that of nature, he should have been able to control it. The heat would have left him completely unaffected.
A cruel understanding reached him as he considered her magical disguise and the prison of Princess Emille. In all his years, he had only heard of one other being besides a dragoon who could fly and use magic.
Lenus was a wingly.
The cataclysmic realization crashed onto his mind, and he tried to understand the implications. If Lenus was really a wingly, did that mean that they had not died out eleven thousand years ago, as he had been taught? If Lenus existed, how many others?
And if Lenus was working with Lloyd…
"He's a wingly, too," he breathed. "Lloyd is a wingly."
Images raced through his mind faster than he could process them. Lloyd's incredible speed at the Hero Competition, his ability to rip the Moon Gem from Albert's body, being able to reach the top of Hellena Prison from outside, his possession of the ancient Dragon Buster sword – the evidence abounded, and he nearly hit himself for not considering the possibility sooner. Suddenly, it made sense that Lloyd would want the three Divine Moon Objects, each said to be a lingering artifact of the winglies. Was he reclaiming the race's long-lost possessions? Or was he gathering them to perform some ritual to make himself powerful enough to bring back the wingly empire?
Dart's eyes snapped to Rose, but she appeared to be asleep, and at the very least, she was purposefully ignoring her surroundings. Though Dart hadn't expected her to help the wounded, he would have expected her at least to watch the events unfold. Something had impacted her deeply. He fought to remember what Lenus had said.
Love has abandoned you before, and it'll do it again.
Did Lenus know something about Rose that her friends did not?
The questions that swirled in his mind only lent themselves to his headache.
Just as he was about to fight to his feet and tell the others about this revelation, a piercing wail resounded through the throne room. A woman in a stately dress cried out from near the door, running into the room and collapsing to the floor next to a nobleman whose eyes were wide and fixed onto the ceiling. She lifted him into her lap, but he did not respond to her touch. He was dead.
She screamed in protest, holding the man and rocking back and forth as she cried, her howls muffled as she buried her face in his neck. Several others gathered around mournfully, and another woman knelt close by and held her. Emille, hearing the commotion, quickly stood. Lisa and Albert held their hands out to stop her, but she ignored them and rushed over to the woman, who was so overcome that she did not notice the princess fall to the ground beside her and begin to console her through her silent presence.
Tears streamed down Emille's face to see the carnage that had befallen her people. Beyond her, Dart could just make out Shana, sitting behind the throng of people, knelt against the wall, sobbing into her hands. He thanked all the gods he could think of that Meru was there too, holding Shana and weeping with her.
Later that evening, the party had settled into their old room, each silent and pensive after the events of the day. Shana, Kongol, and Meru had made their home on the floor-recessed couches in the middle of the suite, though Kongol did not fit as well as the other two. After spending several minutes trying to find a comfortable spot, he ended up sitting on the tile with his feet alternating between the couch itself and the recessed floor. Meru chuckled occasionally and appeared quite amused to watch him struggle, but Shana sat somberly, eyes focused on something far beyond the room.
Rose had hidden in her bedroom, though Dart considered calling her out to speak to her about Lloyd. In the end, he had decided to wait. Haschel, Albert, and Dart had found a place on the balcony; Haschel sat in a chair, and Dart and Albert leaned against the railing. For a time, they, too, stayed silent.
The day's proceedings had rattled their minds. Though it remained unspoken, Dart supposed that they each pondered the idea of having met a wingly, another creature of ancient history. First dragoons, then dragons, then virage, and now winglies – each of the players from the Dragon Campaign were springing back to life in and around them, and Dart had begun to grow terrified of the implications. He hadn't voiced his realization yet, but his knowledge of Lloyd's being a wingly had shaken him to his core. Surely, the dragoons had arisen once again to stop him. Were they about to witness another epic of history, unfolding in their very lives? Were they going to have to stop a wingly invasion? A full-fledged empire?
If two winglies existed, there must be more. It was simply implausible for only two to have survived for eleven thousand years. Although he wasn't sure of the lifespan of winglies, he felt certain that it couldn't be that long. Or could it? Could Lloyd have been an ancient wingly leader?
He glanced behind him, but Rose was still sequestered away. He needed to talk to her. Why was she avoiding them again?
"We should convene a group meeting," said Albert suddenly, speaking aloud Dart's own thoughts. "We have much to discuss."
"Agreed," muttered Dart.
He tried to turn his focus back to the ocean far below him. The moon now shone out over the waves, and he watched its reflection beat about on the water's surface. The image of Lenus flying brought chills to his body, and he forced more heat into himself to combat it. What a powerful being a wingly was! If Lloyd could command that same kind of magic, what hope did they have?
"The fire burned me," he whispered, stretching his hand to see the place where he had carried burns before Shana had healed him.
"Yes, I noticed that, too," breathed Albert. "Although I would wager that it would have been far worse an experience for any of us. I believe we all owe you our lives once more."
"I couldn't control it, either. It didn't feel like fire to me."
"Indeed." Albert sighed. "I could do nothing to divert its path with wind, either."
"And it had that metallic taste after it exploded," inserted Haschel. "Like what Rose was talking about earlier."
Nodding, Dart turned around to face the old man. "I could taste it," he affirmed. "It must be the same kind of magic."
"Maybe all magic acts like that. Unless you're the one who cast it."
"Or at least cast from one among your own kind," added Albert.
"Right," said Haschel. "But who can use magic besides dragoons, anyway?"
Dart met Albert's gaze, his solemn eyes revealing his understanding of their foe. Surely Haschel knew the answer. Maybe he was just fishing for them to speak it first.
Just then, a knock came on the door, and they jumped slightly. Kongol made his way over and opened it, bending over to see through the doorway. The servant who appeared there was terrified momentarily, but quickly spoke her message of the princesses requesting their presence in ten minutes. Kongol nodded and closed the door on the poor girl, and her echoing footsteps scuttled away down the hall.
"She didn't say where to meet with them," Haschel pointed out as the trio made their way toward the others.
"You're right!" exclaimed Meru as though he had pointed out some unbelievable truth.
"Kongol's beefy arms probably distracted her," laughed Haschel.
"It doesn't help that he closed the door in her face," said Rose sourly as she emerged from her room.
"I thought that she was done speaking," protested Kongol. "She stopped speaking."
"It's okay, big guy," said Dart, tapping Kongol on the arm. "I thought she was done, too. We'll just go to the throne room and work from there."
"Rose," said Albert quietly. "You do not have to come with us."
"I'm fine," she snapped.
"Occasionally," growled Meru, "you could consider that maybe we're just being nice to you when we say stuff like that."
Rose's eyes turned fiery. "I don't need your pity."
As Meru riled herself up to respond, Dart rolled his eyes and stepped between them.
"Let's not do this right now," he warned, glancing between them. "We have more important things to deal with. And it's not… a good idea to try to solve a problem when you're already upset."
The two women seemed to calm down, though it was always hard to tell with Rose. Meru crossed her arms and pouted like a reprimanded child.
"Let's go," urged Dart, and he dared to cast a glance at Shana as he pushed toward the door. She had been watching him carefully, but now she looked away, her face impassive.
Frustrated, he shook his head as he led them down the corridor. With shame, he remembered a time that he and Shana had shared their innermost thoughts with each other. Now, he realized that he hadn't spoken with her more than a passing comment since their time in Bale. Just as he was beginning to believe that he may be able to be what she needed, she pulled further away than ever. The image of her crying on the throne room floor came to him, and he sighed. What was she going through? Would she ever tell him? Why had she been so impacted by that event? Was she still battling with the incident with the virage? Or was it something else?
He knew that something was wrong with her. There had to be some explanation for her dormant and impressive power, but he couldn't fathom what it could be. And he knew that she must be wrestling with the same thoughts. Why hadn't she come to him? Did she believe him to be indifferent to her struggles?
"Greetings," said a servant, and Dart halted in his tracks. "I have been sent to take you to the princesses. Follow me, if you will."
Grateful for the guidance, the group followed the young man down another wing of the castle into what appeared to be a conference room. A large, round table with enough room for at least fifteen sat in the middle, decorated with a carving of the sun and moon in the middle and stars along the periphery. In two of the seats sat Lisa and Emille, each of them visibly weary of the day's events. They were now dressed in simple dresses, no doubt much more comfortable than their party attire, and both had their hair pinned back haphazardly. The dark curls of Emille fought to escape their confines, many bouncing loose around her shoulders as she turned to see them enter. Once more, Dart was struck by the subtle differences between the imposter and the woman now before them; even in her current state, compassion still radiated from her features and filled the room with a sense of comfort and stability. Dart hoped they would be able to bring the same feeling to the princess in time.
"Your majesties," he greeted, bowing his head slightly before seating himself across from them.
The others offered similar greetings before finding seats, Albert on Dart's left and Rose on his right. Kongol, after squeezing through the door frame, chose to stand in the corner with his arms crossed rather than sitting in the undersized chairs.
"Allow me to offer our deepest apologies for the tragedy that occurred today," said Albert, leaning forward earnestly. "We are, in some small part at least, to blame for these events."
"While we are grateful for your apologies," replied Emille with much less zeal, "please do not believe that this was your fault. Indeed, I fear that if you had not intervened, the outcome could have been much worse."
"How is your father?" asked Dart.
"Resting peacefully," said Lisa. "Thanks to you." She turned to Shana. "I am not sure that he would have survived had you not saved him. We are eternally in your debt."
"I'm sorry that I couldn't save everyone," whispered Shana, eyes focused on the table.
Without thinking, Dart spoke, interrupting Lisa as he did so.
"You did what none of us could. Without you there, we would all be nursing burns, and there are others there that would have died. You saved so many lives today."
As she looked up at him, he saw tears welling in her eyes. He wished that she was next to him so that he could wrap her in his arms, but instead, Meru placed a hand on Shana's shoulder.
"Dart is right," said Emille. He was surprised that she remembered his name. "We owe you many lives, not just that of my father."
"You did well," inserted Kongol from the corner.
"Thanks," she whispered as she wiped her face with her hand.
"But we have called you here for a different purpose than giving out gratitude," said Emille. "We need to talk about what happened and how to move forward. I am still… adjusting to having been unconscious for six months, but that does nothing to lessen my responsibilities. Lisa has already filled me in on the role that you all have played so far, and you have done such tremendous things for my people. But I am afraid that we must ask something else of you."
"We need you to chase down Lenus and reclaim the Moon Dagger," finished Lisa.
"We expected nothing less," nodded Albert.
"It's true," agreed Dart. "We planned to follow Lenus for our own reasons, as well as for yours."
"Yes, you believe she has a connection to this… man you are chasing, correct?" said Emille.
Dart nodded. "Lloyd. He took the Moon Gem from Serdio and we believe that Lenus is taking him the Moon Dagger. We don't know what he plans to do, but it can't be good."
"Perhaps…" said Albert carefully as he watched Dart for guidance. "We may have some insight into that?"
So the king is thinking like me, considered Dart, and he nodded.
"We think that Lloyd and Lenus are both winglies," Dart announced.
Rose merely twitched, but the others turned to him with wide eyes, some shocked and some afraid of this affirmation of their worries.
"That's what I was thinking, too," agreed Haschel. "I was just hoping I was the only one who saw her flying and that maybe I was going crazy."
"That does make sense," whispered Lisa.
"How can you be sure?" asked Meru. "I thought winglies were all extinct."
"You saw her flying," said Dart. "And who else can use magic besides dragoons and winglies?"
"Dragoons?" asked Emille. "Are you talking about the heroes of the Dragon Campaign?"
The group fell silent, and Dart looked to Albert once again. The king nodded slowly, and Dart sighed in preparation.
"The dragoons were the heroes of the Dragon Campaign, yes," he began. "But they exist beyond that now. We are the dragoons." He reached under his tunic and drew out his dragoon spirit, which he held out as it glowed softly in his hand. "That's why Shana was able to heal your father and all the other people. She has healing magic."
"All of you have this power?" asked Lisa incredulously.
"Well, except…" Dart turned to Meru.
"I haven't joined the cult yet," grinned Meru, though Dart could see a veil of sadness cross her features.
And for the next ten minutes, Lisa and Emille asked endless questions about dragoons, which the group were all too happy to answer. Each gave a small demonstration of their abilities, save Kongol, and Dart explained how he was able to survive the blast from Lenus. Lisa was enchanted by the tale, but Emille appeared overwhelmed once again.
"No wonder you were able to defeat the bandits!" Lisa sang. "The dragoons have returned and they're on our side!"
"I wish I had been here from the beginning," said Emille quietly, her eyes on Albert. "Things could have gone much differently."
"As you have made it clear that today's events were not our fault, so I will make it clear that your absence was not yours," said Albert. "You cannot take the blame for the actions of Lenus on your behalf."
"My people trusted someone that they thought was me," she protested.
"It is because of your indomitable character that they trusted you even after she took your place. The past cannot be changed, but the future can. Move forward. Show them that you have returned. We will do as you have asked and follow Lenus. And gods-willing, we will bring her here to face whatever justice you deem appropriate."
"Do we even know where she went?" asked Rose.
"… No," admitted Emille. "She could be anywhere by now."
"We can't just wait, either," pointed out Dart. "She could already have given Lloyd the Moon Dagger."
"Maybe she went north," suggested Shana. "Surely a third Divine Moon Object is in Mille Seseau."
Dart looked to Haschel, who returned an eager eye. They both had their reasons to visit the northern country, beyond that of Lloyd. Perhaps they could get what they wanted while still preventing the potential world crisis.
"We have fleets that could transport you there," offered Emille. "One is stationed in Illisa Bay, and I'm sure the commodore wouldn't mind taking a detour to get you where you need to go."
"Perhaps the best course of action is to meet with the queen of Mille Seseau and warn her of Lloyd's treachery," said Albert. "If and when he reveals himself in that country, we would be ready to intervene."
"We could leave as early as tomorrow," said Dart.
"Please take whatever time you need to prepare," urged Lisa. "You have been traveling for at least a couple weeks now, and you are welcome to stay as long as you would like so that you can fully recover."
"A few nights in a castle might not be a bad idea," mumbled Meru.
She stretched her neck to one side and then the other, and Dart watched her for a moment. He hadn't been paying attention, but now he could see the dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't held up to the endless battering of the barrens as the rest of them had.
"We can decide tomorrow," he said. "Maybe a good night of sleep will give us some discernment."
All in agreement, they stood and prepared to part ways.
"Have you all eaten?" asked Emille. "Should I order food to your rooms?"
"No, milady," said Dart. "We were brought food earlier. Your staff is exceptionally insightful and responsive."
"Very well. I myself have not eaten in, say… six months or so." She chuckled lightly with a hand over her stomach. "Shall we?"
Lisa nodded, and the two left, headed toward the kitchens as the dragoons and Meru found their way back to their quarters. Upon Dart's request, they settled in on the sofas before heading for bed, and he was finally able to express his worries about Lloyd.
"Revive the wingly empire?" repeated Haschel. "How could anyone pull that off?"
"With the right amount of power," shrugged Dart. "The Divine Moon Objects must be powerful if he's willing to go through all this to get them."
"I don't know about all this," said Meru. "Seems like a stretch to me."
"Surely whatever winglies still exist are spiteful about what happened during the Dragon Campaign," suggested Albert. "To have been displaced and cast to the fringes of the world would not be a pleasant experience. One can imagine the bitterness they must harbor toward us humans."
"We don't even know how many of them are out there," said Shana. "If Lloyd and Lenus are the only ones, I don't think they could pull that off."
"Rose, how long do winglies live?" asked Dart.
Rose, who had been staring contemplatively at the wooden table in the center of the couches since their arrival, now raised her eyes and watched him carefully.
"I don't think anyone really knows," she replied. "But I don't think they could survive eleven thousand years, if that's what you're asking. Even with magic, I can't imagine them living past five hundred or so."
"That's what I was thinking…" Dart's voice trailed off.
"So, they couldn't be the only ones," concluded Shana. "Unless they're the last of their species."
"Also possible," said Haschel, pointing at Shana. "Maybe the Divine Moon Objects have a way to bring dead winglies back to life."
"There's no way to know for sure," said Dart. "All we can do is whatever it takes to stop them. Why else would we all have been brought together?"
They all watched him, offering no response. Eventually, Albert requested clarification.
"Rose once said that fate draws dragoons together as they're needed," explained Dart. "The last time that happened was during the Dragon Campaign, when they freed humanity from slavery and oppression. Who's to say that the same thing isn't happening again? Why would fate drag us out of history now? I had never thought about it, but one civil war hardly seems like something that demands dragoons. If Lloyd isn't the problem, I don't know what is."
"Well said," commented Haschel.
"Indeed, you may be right," remarked Albert.
Meru sighed.
"No matter what happens, we need to be on our guard," said Dart. "Whatever Lloyd is up to, it's demanding the strength of the dragoons again. That means that it's our fate to stop him."
"We will," said Kongol.
"Can I go to bed now?" asked Meru forlornly.
"Yes, I think we can call it a day," chuckled Dart, and she immediately stood and ran into her room. A muffled oof coupled with the fluffing of a comforter sounded out as she jumped onto the bed.
A few minutes later, they were each lying in their respective places, eager for a full night of good sleep. Kongol had been excited to have a bed that was large enough even for him, though he still had to lie diagonally to be able to stretch out. Once he had figured out how to get comfortable, Dart had left the others to their own devices, stripped down to his trousers, and tucked himself into bed.
He lay there on his side, eyes on the open window at the end of the room. Far distant sounds of waves crashing onto rocks lifted themselves across the sill, greeting him heartily and causing serenity to wash over him. It had been many days since he had been this comfortable and calm. Although the dragoon spirit had granted him enhanced stamina, he now felt the weight of their two weeks of travel crash onto his mind. It was not long before he slipped away into slumber.
Albert stirred. He could not sleep. Thoughts of Dart's suppositions plagued him, but equal in strength were his thoughts of Emille. She haunted his waking dreams.
After being certain of Dart's slumber, he cast aside his coverings and planted his feet on the floor. He glanced at his boots and wondered how many people would be about the castle at this hour. Surely he would not need shoes.
Running his hands over his face, he sighed. He had to see her, somehow. Tomorrow, she would be rightfully caught up in the swirl of the everyday, coupled with the need to tend to her father. And they could be long gone by tomorrow evening.
He supposed that only an hour had passed since they had parted ways; perhaps she was still in the kitchens.
Making his decision, he stood, leaving behind his boots and cape in favor of a flowing tunic which he quickly tucked into his cotton pants. Formality was not his goal.
Quietly closing doors behind him, he sneaked into the hallway and stood for a moment, trying to decide which way to go. His loose hair bounced around his shoulders as he turned this way and that, finally deciding that he would simply wander. If fate decided that he should meet Emille, he would find his way to the kitchens. If not, he could find a balcony and perch there to allow himself some time to think. One of his favorite things about the Twin Castle was its openness to the fresh air.
A quarter of an hour passed as he meandered down the halls, observing tapestries, paintings, carvings, and whatever other decorations struck his fancy. Blue banners dangled from the ceiling every fifty feet, each of them sporting the shining star of Tiberoa. The splendor of the castle brought to his mind the comforts of home, and he found himself longing for them more than ever. Even the cold stone on his soles brought back memories of running through the halls with Lavitz. Perhaps he should send a letter to Bale before their excursion in hopes that one would return before he did.
After another fifteen minutes, he decided that he was completely lost. The eventuality of having to ask someone to lead him to his room despite his casual appearance was not something he savored, but he began searching for a guide nonetheless. He poked his head into rooms with open doors, expecting to eventually find servants' quarters or anyone that might help, but instead happened upon an open balcony just off one of the main corridors. Eagerly, he stepped through the large doorway and paused as a natural breeze played across his face, tousling his hair. He breathed deeply of it and grew jealous for it the moment it dissipated. Approaching the railing, he summoned the wind once again, feeling the coolness of the ocean beneath him, and soon he was nearly overcome by a desire to fly up into the sky and watch the world exist below him. He wondered what the air was like that high up, so high that any normal person might lose their breath to the slightest motion.
"Oh!" said a small voice in surprise. "Your Majesty, I didn't recognize you."
Albert jumped and turned to see none other than the object of his undying thoughts, Princess Emille. He had interrupted her own time of reverie on the balcony. The moonlight shone on her face, brightening her wide eyes with its radiance. Her hair was down and free-flowing, Albert's own gale tossing it about her collarbone. She was no longer in a dress, but a simple cotton shirt and trousers. Clearly, she had not expected to be disturbed.
At the sight of her, Albert nearly froze. Fate, it seemed, had played to his advantage.
"My lady," he said, hurriedly dropping into a bow. "I did not mean to disturb you."
Her eyes took in his appearance, glancing as far down as his exposed toes, and he felt suddenly shameful.
"I had not expected to run into anyone," he said hurriedly. "Forgive my intrusion; I can leave you—"
"No, please," she interrupted. "I don't mind. You've as much a right to be here as I."
He smiled. "Very well."
As calmly as he could manage, he stepped toward her and took a place next to her watching the sky. For a long moment, they stood in an awkward silence, and Albert scrambled for things to say. Unfortunately, the only things that came to his mind were scientific presentations on aerodynamics and the rhythm of ocean waves.
"Is this your first time in Tiberoa, Your Majesty?" asked Emille, and Albert nearly toppled in relief.
"No, it is not," he replied, fidgeting with his hands now clasped behind his back. "Although you need not address me so formally. I am simply Albert to those I call my friends."
"And do you call me friend?" she asked, turning to him with a mischievous eye.
He could not help but grin as he met her gaze. "Of course, my lady."
"Then you can return the favor and call me Emille."
"Of course, Emille."
She turned away with a laugh. "Now, Albert, tell me about the last time you visited my country."
"It was many years ago," he began. "I admit that I do not recall the fine details, but I do know that my father had business with yours. I was excited to visit such a distant realm, and your mother was quite hospitable. I believe she and my own mother corresponded quite often."
"You met my mother?" she asked, wonder filling her eyes.
"Yes, I did." He leaned his hip against the rail so that he could watch Emille better. "I wish I could remember more about her; I was only a boy at the time. But I recall her kindness quite well. And I believe…" He furrowed his brow as a new memory surfaced. Vague it was, though pronounced. A child – a baby – had been there, and he had been excited to see her. "I met you as well."
She beamed up at him. "I didn't know that we had met before."
"I admit that I had forgotten."
"Why did you never come visit after that?"
"Things in Serdio have been… unstable ever since my father died. I was hardly ten years old when it happened. I found it necessary to stay so that I could maintain peace. It wasn't until several months ago that true peace was finally established, and it is only now that I have been able to leave. I only wish that it were in better circumstances."
"I remember your letter, the one you mentioned earlier," she said, watching him carefully. "I… think I still have it, actually."
Albert's heart leapt to hear those words, and he felt foolish to feel his cheeks spread into a smile that he could not control.
"As I have kept yours," he finally replied. "Your encouragement has meant so much to me. Whenever I felt unsure, I would retrieve it and read over it again."
"I have done the same," she grinned.
"I was so nervous to meet the one who had written such lovely prose," he confessed. "Coming to the Twin Castle held such mixed emotions for me. All I hoped was that I would be able to speak with you."
A shadow passed over her eyes. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to greet you."
"You mustn't blame yourself," he said, placing a gentle hand on her face. He was pleased when she did not recoil. "What Lenus did is treachery of the highest order. I am only sorry that you are having to deal with losing six months of your life."
"I'll find my way," she assured him, setting her hand over his. A pleasant shiver ran down his spine at the touch. "It will take time to adjust, but I am confident that I will." She pulled his hand away and held it in both of her own. "Perhaps over the next few days, should your party wait that long before you leave, you could help advise us through the recovery process. My father will need his rest, and a mind like yours would be a welcome addition for my sister and me."
"I will help as much and as often as I can."
For a moment, they stood in the moonlight, hands and hearts wrapped together. Albert had never known such peace and such thrill as Emille now offered him. To find that his longstanding and distant attraction had been reciprocated was almost too much for him, and now his heart soared to learn the truth. The importance of their ranks and responsibilities escaped neither of them, but the prospect of the future had become a bright and happy thing, darkened as it might be by the imminent departure of the dragoons.
Though their lips shared no kiss that night, Albert skipped back to his room wearing an inescapable grin, following her prescribed direction down the halls. If anything, he now could move into tomorrow with the promise of seeing her again.
He had a feeling that his life would never be the same.