Chapter 1: Cassandra de Rolo, Lady of Whitestone
If there was one thing Percy was sure of, it was that he had no right to be standing where he was today. The Briarwoods were gone from his home, his friends were alive after what was the closest brush with death to date, and his sister Cassandra whom he'd presumed dead for so long had finally gained her freedom after being a prisoner for years. More incredible than all of that was that Vox Machina had stood by him through his darkest moments. Such friendship was rarer than the refined residuum that had come hauntingly close to ending them all in that nasty acid trap. While it may have been his family crest the people of Whitestone had rallied behind it was his friends who had carried him through. While he had been focused on vengeance they had put themselves on the line and found a way to save what he had nearly destroyed.
"What now?" he asked himself as he stared at his hands. They were usually what he trusted the most but at present...the memory of what his hands had nearly done was tormenting him. Flashes of the fight barraged him: Cassandra's name on the gun, Vex falling from the sky and crumpling to the ground, a mad rush to try and escape the null magic of that soul sucking black orb, and Orthax finally unleashed and defeated after a bit of clever thinking from Scanlan. Watching the pepperbox dissolve into the acid was like losing a limb, but as much as it hurt he knew just how much it had needed to be done. It should have been done by his own hand, Orthax should have never been given a foothold in the first place. Where death and despair had scoured him raw with the cruelty of fate he had turned to dark dreams of exacting his toll on the creatures who had caused his family's execution. In chasing after it blindly he'd nearly shot his only remaining sibling. A sibling he had seen shot with arrows and presumed dead. She had turned to him for protection and was instead left in the Briarwoods' clutches as he ran away like a coward. Cassandra was so much stronger than he could ever be.
"If anyone here has earned the right to lead these people it's certainly not me. Cassandra understands the needs because she was here right alongside them. Maybe one day I can come back, but not yet. For one thing Ripley certainly needs dealing with before she unleashes chaos upon the world and for another I have a debt that needs paying. My friends might not call it that or even acknowledge the existence were I to voice my feelings on the matter, but I'll never be able to look any of them in the eye if I don't try my best to atone for this hell we've all been through." he said to himself, before going quiet as he remembered the desperation in Vax's voice as they tried desperately to revive his twin. It wasn't something he could ever forget or forgive himself for, all he could do was choose to walk a better path in future.
He dipped his hands into the cold water in his wash bucket and splashed his face before going still as he stared at his reflection in the water. It took a few moments for the ripples to calm but when they did he felt as if he was staring at a specter. Percy had always been pale, but now it was a sickly white that made him think of the infirm. His eyes were sunken with dark shadows under his eyes, and his hair looked lifeless. How long it would take to recover from this ordeal he could only guess at, and he could only wonder if it was even possible. Then again, defeating the Briarwoods had seemed equally impossible in spite of his craving to put bullets through them so maybe there was an outside chance of improvement.
He dipped his hands in the water again before taking a bar of soap and scrubbing them as clean as he could get them. Once that was done he went left his old bedroom and went to find the rest of Vox Machina. They were with his sister enjoying a meal of whatever had already been made. There was a good variety and the sound of friends joking with each other where his family had used to dine made a hint of a smile tug up just one corner of his mouth. While it was true the manners of some leaved quite a bit to be desired he much preferred this to a stiff formal dinner. Percy's eyes found Cassandra and he instantly sensed that she approved as well and he inclined his head in a nod to her before grabbing a plate of his own and loading it up.
Food had been the last thing on his mind until he walked in the room, but the smells had instantly changed that as they wafted towards him from the various dishes. Once he'd heaped up with his plate with a bit of everything and poured himself a glass of wine he froze as he tried to decide where to sit. Next to either of the twins seemed like a bad idea as he didn't want to add any more strain to an already fragile situation. Percy had no clue how to thank Scanlan for what he'd done even though it would take a while to craft a new gun. Keyleth, who had been his closest friend for so long despite their differences would draw out the truth of how he was feeling about things and he didn't want to put a damper on the mood. How could he sit next to Cassandra after coming so close to putting a bullet in her head. Would she even want him to if he did, or would she turn him away?
He bit his lip in thought as he tried to decide before a drunk Scanlan pulled out his lute and began to play a ridiculous song about a water nymph being chased by various animals, fish, men, and women. It was just the distraction he needed at the moment and before he knew it some of the pressure he'd felt himself carrying since the nearly disastrous battle underneath their feet lighten. Instead of dreading how they might react he simply pulled out a chair next to Grog and started to eat as some of his friends started clapping along to the beat.
Scanlan went played for them for a good half hour before finally tucking his lute away. By then even Grog had eaten his fill along with everyone else and the room fell quiet before Cassandra spoke from her spot at one end of the table. "You've all earned your chance to enjoy yourselves, and a meal like this is the least we can offer to the saviors of Whitestone. I have to ask, though...what comes next?" she queried, looking over the party before focusing in on Percy. "Brother, you are the next in line. Is it your time to take charge?"
Percy could see in her eyes she wasn't trying to force him into this, but this was the logical conclusion most would assume was the correct course. He was the next in line of the remaining De Rolos. He held her gaze and didn't turn away, even when a brief flash of her frightened eyes as he held his gun between her and Delilah tried to suffocate him with a wave of guilt. "I appreciate the faith you have in me, but I think my taking charge would be a mistake. I fled this place, and when I came back years later it was with hatred in my heart and an oath of vengeance sworn to some demon I don't know if I'll ever understand. It took a dark part of me and made me its pawn. While I might be the next in line of succession, I think circumstances warrant we choose a different path. Neither of us were trained to lead with so many others ahead of us in line, but I think you are the right one to forge a brighter future for our people. You know what they've been through in ways I can never fully understand, Cassandra. I think Whitestone would be lucky to call you Lady Cassandra De Rolo." he finished, before taking a long drink of his wine.
There was a silence as they all digested what he'd told them, before a shaky breath left Cassandra and she shook her head. "I don't know why you think I'd do a better job than you. But you already have a purpose, and forged your own family with this group of yours. Perhaps finding a way to bring joy back into Whitestone can be mine. And to start off, I think I have an idea. What do you all think of having a winter's crest festival to celebrate the change in regime?" she asked them.
Grog let out a whoop as the others voiced their agreement on the fine idea. Percy walked over and put a hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "I think that sounds lovely. Want some help with the planning?" he asked.
She smiled just a little and stood up. "We've got some work to do. Percy and I will get the ball rolling but I have an important mission for all of you tonight. I order you ragtag adventurers to get some proper rest." Cassandra told them in a tone that brooked no arguing.
"You heard the new Lady of Whitestone. Rest up, so we can use you all to help on the morrow." Percy told them before heading to join Cassandra as they walked off, quickly starting to discuss details of what would need to be done to make the event happen.