Interlude 1

I watched in giddy joy as another bubble popped upon my nose. Giggling, I lightly reached my hands towards it as the soap and bubbles continued to pop around me. It was a mesmerizing sight, like when one first experiences the first snowflakes drop from the sky. I remember those days. Those nights when the cold was still manageable, and when they would still allow me to frolic and make indents in the snow.

Those were better days of the many I shared. Of the many I experienced.

It's when I would just smile at the little things, the joy enrapturing my heart like a loving embrace. It was there I would simply stare into the heavens, imagining myself a home that I would be welcomed with, a fire where I could keep myself warm and cozy, and people who truly cared for my wellbeing.

I would often talk to myself on those days. Oftentimes the village folk would scold me, and be angry with me when I made noises just simply playing by myself as I make voices of characters that I dreamed to be with me. Where I would be engrossed by those dreams as if I were living them.

Now, as I happily giggle as more bubbles pop around me, I feel blessed…

"You were never this quiet when we used to take a bath together," Victoria said with a smile as I turned my head to her.

…and at the same time, I feel guilty. Torn, that I am living this lovely, beautiful dream of a girl that I have essentially robbed of ever experiencing.

Dear Victoria, the sister of this Amy, a caring, beautiful person that I found myself calling my sister was the real Amy's sibling. Yet here I am taking her place, her situation like a fairy evicting one who has forgotten their name into banishment.

My heart beats slightly faster at those thoughts as the guilt grabs onto my soul.

Victoria continues to massage my head as she applies this "soap" and "shampoo" to my hair. It was very fragrant, the smell akin to flowers that I would rarely see in the open. Flowers that I only get to see within the homes of famous people. The fact that she goes the extra mile to even apply it to my unworthy head, I could just watch in pure, unbridled guilt.

I hope she does not notice it.

It was bad enough with Mark, whom I still could not tell if he believed my story. Dear Mark, whom I was ashamed and proud to call… father. I just don't feel worthy of being placed with all of this affection. All this love and care.

When I knew deep down, I was not worthy of it. I was a pretender. An unworthy soul that has robbed a second chance from an innocent girl, that I'm afraid…

Is long gone.

I feel so terrible being so happy when they shower me with this love. Because it's not… for me. It's for Amy and even when I want to be truthful, they would just shower me with more love, even if I cry about it, speak my words in honest truth, they would always, always love me as if I were their own.

Why?

And yet, even as I feel this guilt I fully embrace it.

Like a selfish, petulant child like those Faeries with big names all because I found my dream was turned into reality. A selfish girl who is unworthy of such affection in the first place.

"Ames?" Victoria's voice calls out to me. It takes me away from my thoughts I stare at her. Her face wrought with concern and worry as she looks at me intently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" I suddenly spurt out as more bubbles pop around me. She blinks for a few moments until she sighs, her shoulders drop slightly while she frowns.

"Just… don't think about Mom, I mean, Carol for a moment. I'm sure… I'm sure she didn't mean it." Victoria says to me, completely misunderstanding my silence. It… it makes my dear little heart beat a bit faster.

"I don't. Why would I?" I ask, genuinely curious. Admittedly, it… it hurt hearing that conversation Mark had with Carol. The main reason for it being painful was the fact that it reminded me of those villagers. My mother that used to argue with the many Fae about what to do with me. Many of them thought I was oblivious, and many of them thought that I could never hear what they were talking about.

It tore me apart as well knowing I was the cause of the argument in the first place.

Yet…

I do not blame Carol for her outburst or her confused state. I was simply reminded of a time when the worst of days were cast upon me, and my nightmares simply returned because of it.

I know this, because well… she was there when I woke up from those terrible dreams.

Crying, touching me as if I were Amy herself, and sleeping right beside me in order to keep me safe. I also cried at that moment, knowing that they were forcing themselves too much for my own sake, and that I felt so useless in return. Still, I am thankful… very thankful to embrace Carol within her arms.

Like Mark and Victoria, I just felt safe. Happy.

I just did not want it to end. E-Even at the cost of the life I have completely replaced.

Curse it. Why were things so complicated?

"Ames you don't have to pretend. I was there you know, I haven't heard you cry like that since…
Victoria paused before pressing her lips together, displaying a degree of difficulty. "…since you were alone when you woke up, being confused and lost from your memory being gone."

Victoria sighs again. "It was just painful. I couldn't do anything when you stopped breathing. It was the scariest moment in my life… because I didn't know what I would do if I lost you again."

Immediately, that guilt skyrockets within me as I quickly reach out and touch Victoria's hand with my own. "N-no… p-please don't be sad. None of it was your fault, I was just-

Suddenly, despite me being this wet, vulnerable, and unprepared, Victoria placed me in her arms. Embracing me with all the care and love she could muster a small tear escaped her closed eye.

"You scared me… please… please don't leave me like that again."

My heart began to burst as I leaned my soap-filled head into her embrace. Smiling with a tear as well as we both relished in each other's arms.

Eventually, we managed to release ourselves from each other's holds…

And Victoria suddenly splashed the bubble-filled water back into my face.

I started sputtering in surprise and shock as I pouted at her.

"W-What was that for?!"

"You dummy! Look at me! I already took a bath today and you just ruined my favorite shirt." She exclaimed as she wiped her tears off, a smile gracing her face again as I could not help but follow suit.

"Y-You started it! I just played along." I said as she playfully laughed at me before quickly rubbing my soap-filled head. The bubbles, the beautiful bubbles flying everywhere as we started laughing.

"It's your fault for making me so worried!" she said while laughing.

I could not help but laugh back as well and joy started manifesting within my heart again.

I don't deserve this joy… but, I wish to still experience it. I want all of this to be real.

Not just as a dream, but as something I can wake up knowing that I belong.

Victoria laughs in excitement and glee as I splash a rather large volume of water on her. It bathes her completely, making the entire portion of her head all the way to her abdomen wet as we both giggle.

"I just had my hair done for today Ames! Don't you know how long that takes?"

I manage to stick my tongue out in defiance as she smirks. "Your fault for volunteering my bath duties for today. I already told Mark I want to do it myself!"

"Pfft… last time you did that, Dad had to redo you again because you literally just took a dip in the water and dried yourself after." Victoria snarked as I quickly blushed.

"No! Don't you dare pull that up! I was… I was-

I did not expect her to jump like a cannonball into the tub a second later. The water splashed around us, removing much of the soap off my head and many of the bubbles as the entire room started to smell fragrant from the water spreading everywhere.

We both laughed together as Victoria and I once more exchanged a much-needed embrace.

We loved it. I loved it.

I will not exchange this moment with anything in my life within the village.

I sincerely hope this is not a dream.

"I like that you're growing your hair out now. It… it suits you." I hear Victoria say behind me as I lean my back to her. She continues to wash my head as I close my eyes to relax.

"Also, is it just me… but is your hair turning lighter in color?"

"Has it?" I ask innocently as I open my eyes.

"Hm. Must be the water." Victoria said as we both let the comfortable silence reign. The bubbles, still making me mesmerized as I watch some pop against the wall.

Then as she reached forward to clean my arms, I quickly noticed one of the fresh burns near the end of her elbow. I quickly worry as I look at her.

"Hm?" Victoria then noticed that burn patch on her skin as she smiled and kissed the top of my head. "Oh, don't you worry about that, I just got nicked. Scary as that whole thing was, we managed to beat the big, scary dragon away."

My eyes widen. "You beat a mighty dragon?" I asked. Pleasantly excited and disturbed.

"Well… I was part of it, not one who vanquished the Dragon, you should thank Alexandria and Armsmaster for that. Could have escalated a lot if it weren't for them."

"B-But you still took part! That's good enough for me. I would be proud to have a sister that's a Dragonslayer."

She quickly laughed at my words as I slightly tilted my head in confusion.

"That does sound quite badass. Glory Girl, the Dragonslayer. Has a nice ring to it."

"I would knight you if I were royalty. Like… like how Queen Morgan chose her knights!"

She then rubbed my head as we both giggled.

"Milady Ames of Brockton Bay… Princess of the Dallon Household, Beloved shrew of New Wave-

I then started to blush madly as I turned around and started pounding her with my fists as she continued unphased.

"Why a shrew?!"

"Because calling you a lion is stupid and dumb."

"Not it isn't!"

"Yes, it is."

Our bickering continued to go on for a few minutes and eventually, we finished bathing together. While Victoria finished drying me up with a towel, so that she would lift me back to my chair, I started forming a definite plan in my head.

I could not repay this family enough for their love.

The best I could do…

The best I could do is to do something that will in essence honor them for all their love and hard work.

"Victoria?"

"Hm?"

"Can you teach me how to be a hero?"

I placed the candle right down into the center of the table.

Sticking an angry face drawing on it with paper and some of this "tape", I quickly rolled myself in position.

With a determined face, I took a deep breath before looking at my target.

I… I will need to train. To be a hero.

To be something my family will be proud of.

I know I can do it. I can make it.

It's a responsibility, right? One that's smaller than that being the Child of Prophecy, but at least I can make sure that it would be a reality.

People believed in me.

I… I should believe in myself.

I remember one of the spells Merlin taught me. One that conjured those beautiful discs of light. I had mastery of them… a bit. Good enough that I could hit a target from yards away with some accuracy.

If you can call a thick tree back good accuracy…

But oh well, you can't know if you haven't tried.

A leap of faith, as one of those good books I read from this house said.

I squinted my other eye and felt the mana build up in my arms. My hands glowed. This was easier if my staff was still around, but… but I was sure that I could control it enough with just my hands. I managed before with what I showed my family, and I can do it again.

The disc forms in my hand, brightening the room even against the morning light seeping from the windows. I smile in glee as I see it then I look at my target.

With confidence I never knew existed within myself, I threw the disc towards the candle. It's angry face like a bad man in one of those movies and shows I watch so fondly. The bad guy will be vanquished under my-

BRWOOSH!

The disc launched itself from my hand and flew forward, without fail. Decapitating the candle and everything behind it. This time, both the window and the faucet of the sink.

I screamed as a fountain of water started rushing out to flood the place.

"AMY! What's wrong?! Did something happen?! Did-

I froze in shame and embarrassment as I turned my head towards a disheveled and worried Carol wearing her nightrobe staring at me. She looked immensely scared and worried as she quickly went to me and started looking for any injuries.

Then, a degree of shame and an aura of awkwardness started to dawn on her as I felt her trying to not meet my eyes. "A-Are you o-okay?" she asked.

"I… uh… I'm sorry." I said before I took charge and hugged her in shame.

We remained like that until she inevitably needed to turn the water main off.

I think I goofed myself with that.

Sarah Pelham started noticing Mark frowning before making a smirk as he just finished talking to someone on the phone. He started walking back to her as Sarah remembered that the man had a large argument with her sister recently and since it was an internal affair, she dared not to go into it, unless the two needed someone to talk to.

This was not one of those times. Seeing that she was the leader of New Wave, especially with their recent re-introduction to hero work, she was needed for an important meeting with the PRT and Protectorate given recent events. Specifically with the one regarding Lung.

Normally, it would be Carol and her being correspondents for this job, but since Carol was indisposed, it was her and Mark. Both being representatives of the two families involved in the team. Of course, she would do most of the talking, but given the sudden appearance yet again of the Triumvirate heroine, Alexandria, Sarah started to doubt that this was just about Lung.

She was not as smart nor efficient at reading people compared to her sister, but Sarah knew enough in her decade of experience as Lady Photon that this had an underlying, subtle reason.

And given how uneasy Mark was, they both started to suspect what it was.

"Everything alright?" she asked her sister's husband.

"Nothing terrible. Amy had sort of an accident."

Sarah's eyes widen.

"Is she alright?" her dear niece was someone that she loved dearly. She was one of the ones that worried a ton when the accident first happened.

"Like I said nothing too bad. She just broke our faucet that's all."

"She broke… the faucet?"

Mark started smiling. A rarity back in the old days that was no longer applicable now. "She tested her powers."

"Oh." Sarah said. Speaking of that, they were still not sure what to do with those revelations. Mark had an understanding and eye witness to Amy's new, abilities but seeing first-hand was different. It was something that the entire family still had no discussions on.

Given its repercussions, Sarah knew that they needed to table it soon for all of them to talk about.

As they both waited for the Director and probably Armsmaster, Mark looked at Sarah again.

"Did they tell you about what happened to that Tattletale girl?"

Sarah frowned. Recalling how badly injured the girl was from that night. Had they not responded, she would have been another casualty amongst others done in by the ABB's leader. Even the girl's own team was forced to abandon her as she nearly burned to death.

"She's still in intensive care. Militia told me she'll pull through, but they're not sure when she'll wake up." She said with a sad tone to her voice as Mark frowned.

With a sigh, the man started to look away, deep in thought.

"I can't imagine if it was Vicky, Eric, Crystal… or even Amy again." He lamented as Sarah felt the same. Their family was already broken quite well after Amy's accident and having to experience it again would be terrible.

"We'll make sure it doesn't go that far, Mark."

"Yeah, I hope the same." He then nods at her as they both smile at each other. "Thanks, Sarah."

She nods back with the same gratitude until the door opens…

The person coming through it to greet them, was none other than Alexandria herself.

"Greetings."

AN: A taste for the Castoria POV… and I don't know, a cute training arc? Maybe… I won't rush this of course, but these are baby steps. Small, simple baby steps.

Hope you all enjoyed! Also, for my readers who have read my main fic, Narcissus' Folly, I thank you all for staying with me and enjoying this story as well! I will legitimately be finishing a Worm fic soon with that main fic, a rare thing I realize in this fandom, so I'm a bit proud of it.

The final chapter hopefully becomes something special.

Hopefully, I can do the same for here too. As brightly and as hopeful as Castoria was when she finally takes her steps into the light.

Have a good day to you all!