A/N: I'm caught up with Arc 8 and recent chapters make me want to do it, so say hello to a new and recurring/updating fic that will be prevalent throughout it, as well as the Theresia one, which will be a few chapters. Yorna!SI. She still doesn't have a name yet, but we'll go through her life as Iris, then Sandra, and then Yorna Mishigure. In which you should probably never tell your beloved that you come from another reality, beyond the Great Waterfall, because that will end very badly. In which Eugard prevents her from dying and going BACK to the Great Waterfall altogether. Her name is still...out there. But maybe it doesn't matter. Because the one we know now is different. And ye, same rules apply, no knowing about RBD. You know the drill. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Yorna could guess it simply because she has an ability like it, just moreso reincarnation than time travel. Also, I'm still not inclined to hate him entirely, Eugard I mean. He seems to genuinely care for her, maybe in canon he's just "ending" her suffering, like he's sick of seeing her suffer through this curse. Or else he just wants her to himself. IDEK. Anyway, will be making up a lot of details on Iris as canon details on her life are still so woefully short. We get like two chapters on her.

Chapter 4: A Wilting Iris (YORNA!SI) Part 1

Voices. Voices, all around her.

People talking, people laughing, people screaming her name.

What was her name again?

Her head spun.

She couldn't think straight.

"-ris!"

A voice. A rough, deep voice.

She knew this voice, it was the voice of the one dearest to her above all else-

"Iris!"

She must come to the voice, she thought.

"IRIS!"

She opened her eyes to find that she was lying on the ground outside.

The hot rays of the Vollachian sun beat down on her skin as birds chirped outside.

Did I pass out?

She didn't remember going to sleep, she had been out here fetching water for the two of them, in order to feed her cows.

Living in a village wasn't easy, after all. You had a lot of hard work to do.

She could never call it easy, but nor was it boring to her. It just was what it was and nothing more.

Above her, she saw him.

The green hair of someone she loved dearly, and those beautiful, handsome eyes she loved so much...it was Eugard.

"Iris! Why are you like this? Did someone push you?"

"No..." She muttered, rubbing her head.

"Did you trip and fall?" He asked, helping her back to her feet, always the considerate gentleman.

"No...my head hurts, though."

He touched her forehead. "You do have a bump, Iris. Maybe you should rest inside where it's cooler. I'll get things set up. Go lie in bed for a while."

"But I was supposed to make the dinner for tonight!" She protested, that was a woman's place, after all, caring for and looking after her husband.

She gazed over at the garden of roses that she had been tending to when it had happened.

She had pricked herself on a thorn and it had bled the other day, reminding her of a story she had heard somewhere, long ago, about a woman who pricked her thumb on a machine-and fallen into an eternal sleep. What kind of fantasy was that?

What even was a machine?

"You can do it once you've had a little rest, my little star." He assured her. He called her that because of the blue of her eyes.

It was like staring into a starry sky.

Iris didn't really think that highly of herself.

She was rather plain-looking, and her orange hair didn't help matters. It didn't help her at all and attracted strange stares.

"It doesn't matter what they think, my star. I love you the way you are." Eugard had said to her once when she'd come home complaining of some wolf men in the market glowering at her.

Wolf folk didn't like humans, or anyone for that matter. Still, Iris tried to be friendly to them despite the way she was raised to distrust demihumans.

Not all of them were like the Witch.

She decided to take his advice and go inside, into their nice little cottage.

It was a small, two story house that had nothing like modern conveniences-but it was sufficient for her happiness and his.

Eugarde simply loved plants, so they had them in their house with them, and he even had a greenhouse for his own plants.

She didn't mind them herself, but she didn't like getting pricked by thorns. They hurt.

Of course, Iris was a simple village girl, what did she know of the outside world?

She knew there were other countries, but she had no need and saw no point in learning more about them.

She was content where she was, right here, right now-even if that wasn't where she belonged, right?

Her head hurt, again. Iris steadied herself, wondering what was happening now.

Had she-had she been cursed by a shaman? A ninja?

Could one be hiding in the shadows, somewhere?

Could it be the doing of the Witch herself, with her miasma?

The Witch was sealed, she couldn't escape her prison.

Impossible.

She lay down on her bed, and rubbed her aching temples.

She wished she could ignore the voices.

Those irritating voices that kept echoing in her head.

Visions of things that were impossible kept playing in her head, but Iris paid it no mind and tried to rest and relax.

Iris. Iris. Iris. You must pay attention, or else misfortune will befall you. Not all will last. Vollachia will fall into war.

"No!" She cried at the unknown figure before her. "I won't listen to you!"

"You must listen to me, Iris, or else you will know hell like no other. You are from beyond the Great Waterfall. You are not like the rest of them!"

Her head spun. "No, this is some vile vision, a trick played on me by a shaman! I know who I am!"

"You must hear me out. You must know about the world you came from!"

She shook her head angrily.

Something burned, burned, burned and her eye felt like it was burning forever.

"Iris! Were you having another nightmare again?" He was there, thank god.

He wasn't dead like he had been in the vision.

Iris calmed herself.

Nothing bad would happen. Nothing bad could happen.

"Eugarde, I...I had a bad dream." She confessed.

He looked at her. "What about?"

"I...I think...someone spoke to me. But I don't remember. I don't remember and yet it hurts. It hurts. My eye hurts."

"You're fine. Nothing is wrong with your eye, my star. Remember what we do when we're stressed. We calm down."

She did as he instructed, he always knew what to say to make things right.

Where would she be without him?

She shuddered, not wanting to even imagine that thought.

What kind of life would that be, without him?

"Iris, tell me what really happened." He said seriously.

His stare could cut through rocks if he willed it to.

"I...I...I think I'm from the Great Waterfall." She confessed.

He stared at her seriously. "Iris, you must be really sick. You've always lived here."

"...I don't know why I feel that way, but it must be true." She said, but Eugarde shook his head.

"My star, we'll see a stargazer. They might know the answer to your plight."

The stargazers were like Delphi-they could read your future, see your past and tell you details to things you didn't even know they knew about. They were the people that others sought out for advice to ailments, dream problems, or curses.

"A stargazer..." She muttered. That sounded like a bad idea.

If her parents caught wind that their daughter was seeing a stargazer, they would flip.

They didn't believe in the ways of the Empire, but kept that to themselves. They believed they should flee the Empire and go somewhere else.

But she?

Iris...Iris...Iris loved this land.

She loved the people, the sun, the heat. She loved the rain, the ground, the soil, the plants. She loved everything so, so, much.

She loved Eugarde.

She loved the other villagers.

She wanted to protect everyone and everything that was hers.

"Don't worry, my love. You're just imagining things. You'll be fine."

She allowed herself to calm and fall back asleep.

Eugarde lay awake, staring at the ceiling. If his love really was from beyond the Great Waterfall...what if she wanted to leave him and go back?

No, that was impossible. No one ever came from there except Flugel.

That was absurd thinking.

Yes, yes, Iris just must be tired from the stress of working.

Maybe a child would do her good, maybe it was time to think of helping her have one.

He blushed as he thought about that.

Would they be able to make it?

Maybe this time-he cast a glance at the tree outside that was a small sapling.

Maybe this time, he wouldn't have to bury a son.

Maybe this time, the two of them could successfully have a child.

The village noticed how happy they were and jokingly called them the king and queen of flowers.

"Iris...I swear to always protect you from everything and everyone. Don't worry, my love. Everything will be fine."

Little did the two of them know that circumstances would eventually rip the two lovers apart and ruin their kingdom beyond repair.