A/N: EDIT: Well, that's not a lot of feedback. Ah, well. I tried.
If by some miracle this gets a lot of feedback, it'll be upgraded to a weekly/bi-weekly update with the rest.
I'm not feeling well, apologies for the short chapter. Its a bit of an interlude this time. I just keep falling asleep...need to stay awake...not used to being this tired...
I nearly retired with the site breaking, and though it appears to have broken once more, I'm still here and still writing...for now.
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look ahead to the future days and wonder what will become of things when I'm, well... gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
In other news, depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head. I don't even know why! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. Its rather annoying; like I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes. Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. My doctor is of no help at all.
*siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough, methinks. Enough of this old man's rambling; you're here for a story.
Once more, I own nooooo references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one. Nope.
They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I. Hope you're ready for some surprises~!
Be assured, the chapter title will most certainly make sense by the end.
"Its not what a man fights with, its what he fights for that counts.
I fight for my friends, for my family, for my kingdom.
To have and to hold...forever."
~?
To Have and To Hold
Three days.
Seventy-two hours.
Four thousand, three hundred-and-twenty-minutes.
And yet despite the passing of time, Marika was still at a loss for words after what she'd witnessed.
What was the word she sought? Baffling? Yes, that was it. Baffling. Truly baffling. Completely, utterly baffling!
Try as she might, she couldn't make heads or tails of the situation she found herself in. Long had she looked through the eyes of her little offshoot, tacitly observing Melina's every waking and dreaming moment. She had been both amused and humiliated and overjoyed and belittled, enraged and saddened. In truth, it was a heady cocktail of conflicting emotions she couldn't hope to make any sense of and the fact that all of it -all of it!- was presently transpiring at distant Raya Lucaria only made it all the more baffling. Even now she struggled to make sense of it all and failed spectacularly.
It was maddening!
All told, her "child" had done well to kept the new Elden Beast from the Erdtree. Thanks to her, "Naruto" felt quite obligated to remain in Raya Lucaria for the time being. All to the good. But so it must remain or she would surely be supplanted and all would come to naught. Rennala -and she felt Radagon stir within at the mention of her name- would be good for him in that regard. Another bond to bind the boy and keep him from ever going anywhere near the capital...ah, but Ranni! She'd no idea that sneaky snit of a girl was still alive. It had given her a fair bit of pleasure seeing her reduced to a child, but again, she wondered how.
More than that, she found herself curious.
Seeing through the eyes of her child was one thing, but she desired a clearer picture.
After all, it had been some time since she visited little Melina in her dreams. Perhaps she could supply the answers she sough tnow.
She did so now with a thought, piercing the veil of the Erdtree with her mind, leaving her body behind and using the connection she had with her little sapling to slip into her dreams. It wasn't all that difficult. A tug and a twist and she was through, entering her mind to see what the little seedling was up to. Radagon could stay behind and sulk for all she cared.
In nearly no time at all, she found herself standing amidst a sunny field of flowers, the afternoon sun warm against her bare shoulders.
The ghost of a smile touched the corner of her mouth. How quaint that a child would dream of such.
It felt rather nice to stretch her legs, even if only in a dream.
Now where was-
"MAMA!"
A little blur struck Marika's knees from behind at speed, bowling her over. Down she went. Her face struck the field and she found herself with a faceful of flowers. She spat out out a few petals, thrashing her way upright in a sputtering mess. No hop of preserving her dignity now. She could only hope that no one else was here to see her indignity-
An insistent tug brought the Queen back to the present. She looked down and sure enough, there she was.
"You finally came back!" Melina had latched onto her legs when she wasn't looking and now she held tight, beaming bright, "I missed you lots and lots!"
Marika's heart twitched. No. Stay strong she must. Don't falter now. "I merely wished to check in on you, child. Are you certain your father has no plans to leave for the Erdtree?"
"Nope!" her daughter looked up at her, head bobbing in a nod. He's happy with mama Rennala."
The twitch in Marika's heart became a tug. This was her child, not Rennala's.
How dare the Queen of the Full Moon rob her of...
.
..
...Oh.
Oh, dear.
Oh very dear indeed.
Had she gotten...dare she say it, attached?
She released Melina with a jolt. "I must be going."
Melina made an unhappy noise. "But you just got here."
"And I cannot remain long, little one. Now be a dear and let go-
Melina's lower lip quavered just so, promising a teary tantrum should she leave.
Marika heaved a sigh and patted her head. "...I suppose I shall stay awhile. How have you been?"
Her daughter chirruped happily and launched into a long tale; one full of wild gestures and spectacular noises only a child could make.
(.0.0.0.)
The Greater Will sneered at the insipid scene below. Let them have their moment. It wasn't so foolish as to put all its eggs into one basket. Not this time. It had learned its lesson with Godrick.
Force of arms meant naught when assailing a fortified position. Nay, this time it would be subtle. Insidious. This time, it would be CLEVER.
The third time, as they say, was the charm. And so the Greater Will moved anew.
Unaware of the disaster it courted, it barreled onward.
Perhaps, had it been wiser, it would've waited.
What a fool it was.
(.0.0.0.)
Ranni was not used to being quite so...small.
Or perhaps it was not simply she who was small, but that everything else was so blasted big? Yes, that had to be it. She refused to accept anything else and no one could tell her otherwise. For this was her life now, make no mistake. Free from the foul finger's influence though she was, she'd at a dear price for her freedom, one she would've preferred not to if she could help it. A second childhood hadn't exactly been in the cards for her, or so she'd thought, yet here she was.
Worse still, she was the smallest of the lot by far!
T'was not fair! No, nay, never, none of this and not a jot!
She glared up at the ceiling and tucked the sheets over her chin.
It held no answers for her. Night had come, but sleep refused to do the same.
Her thoughts whirled and churned like a witch's cauldron. Why did she have to be the littlest -was that a word? Blasted childish brain!- in the first place?!
Certainly she was the fourth to suffer such a fate but the unfairness of such rankled her all the same. Yes, she was glad to have made up with Mother, but she was used to having power. Prestige. Pride, at the very least. Now quite suddenly she was the lowest on the pecking order and not at all liking it. Melina seemed a sweet child with not a mean bone in her body, but the other two...Milicent was quite quiet but Sellen was a smug little shit and she'd immediately sworn vengeance against that meanie.
Wait...meanie? Bah.
Being a child was baffling.
Her mind was...mostly her own but her emotions ran amok, even now.
Humiliated though she was, there was a treacherous part of her that found all this...comfortable. This was her home, after all, and it brought back fond memories. She did not particularly enjoy being babied overmuch, but there was something gratifying about it all the same-what was that?
She'd heard something just now...hadn't she?
Ranni rolled over in bed with a growl.
Someone prodded her ribs.
She ignored them.
Another poke.
Ranni kept her eye closed.
Someone thumped her over the head.
"Cease!" She bolted upright with a hiss, four hands crackling with icy magic. "Or I shall smite thee!"
Sellen stared back at her, eyes wide. The little sorceress was distraught. "Milicent's missing!"
Ranni heaved a sigh. "Oh, bother...
(.0.0.0.)
"Are we running an orphanage now?"
Naruto turned away from the window with a rueful smile and a shake of the head. The full moon held no answers for him of course, but he hadn't been speaking to it in the first place. Well, not to that full moon. Rennala's laughter was his reward, and a sweet one it was. She sounded happier than than she'd ever been, and she looked it, too as he lounged in bed. Besting Ranni and bringing her into the fold had done wonders for her mood as much as her health. Her eyes sparkled, her dark hair almost seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, and her smile haunted him.
"You make a good father, beloved."
Heat speared up his neck. "Not you, too!"
Her laughter redoubled, and finally subsided with a smile, "We've truly done the impossible, haven't we?"
He looked away with a sigh. "Feels like it, sometimes. We've gotten really luck so far. I'm hoping that luck will last, ya know?"
As such, he nearly missed the whisper that followed. "I wonder if it might be possible to save my other children in such a manner...
He flopped down into the bed beside her. "Pardon?"
"Nothing!" She laughed just a little too quickly." I shouldn't be greedy. You've already given me so much. It would be foolish of me to reach for more."
Speaking of reaching. "Um, so Blaidd mentioned a little something while you were busy with Ranni...
A slow blink was his reward. "Did he, now? Whatever for?"
Here at last, his nerve failed him. A healthy relationship was all well and good, but this was marriage he was thinking about. She might not have meant it. But if she did...
Rennala beat him to the punch, albeit not at all in the way he'd expected. "...no, I can't. I wish to save them after all."
He blinked quickly. "Tall lady say what now?"
Oh, you." she tweaked his arm. "I speak of the rest of my children...and perhaps Marika's as well, given that she's clearly cast them aside. I've had some time to think on this. What say you?"
"That's a mighty tall order."
"Perhaps," she allowed, "But even so, I feel I-we!-must try. You and I may be the only ones who can do so. If we leave them be, they may come for us instead."
What could he do but shrug? "Maybe we can talk them around. What're the chances of a miracle like Ranni's happening again?"
Rennala raised a dark brow. "Thou should know not to tempt fate."
"Meh," he waffled a hand, "That's what I do. Tempting fate is my bread and butter, defying it is...well. He gave a shrug. "You know how I work."
"Hm." She gave a little hum and stepped to him, linking her fingers with his. The runes on his back tingled at her touch, giving him a burst of courage. "I suppose I do. We would not be here if you took the easy path now, would we?
The path he was about to take might be the most dangerous yet. Full steam ahead! "So," his thumb stroked her palm, "About that sword you gave me...
Rennala's gaze fixed on his, her eyes widening just a touch even as his face went red from embarrassment. "Is it not to your liking?
"No, no! It is, really. Its just...well, Boggart and Blaidd told me that its a tradition for a Carian Queen to give a blade to-
"Hold that thought!"
Quick as a flash she whirled away, marching a chest nestled in the corner of the room.
She knelt before it, uncaring of his lingering stare, and withdrew a long wrapped object from within.
"I have something else for thee. It was finished only just this morning by...an old friend." She stepped back to him, cradling the beautifully wrapped parcel to her bosom as one might a babe to their breast. "Hewg may be a surly old Misbegotten, but he does his work well even after all these years, and an ally of his was kind enough to deliver this." She held out her hands, presenting it to him. "I have only ever given a sword like this to one man, as you well know. He betrayed me and reforged it into a wretched thing of Order. This...I would not see it go to waste. I dearly hope it is to your liking.
Naruto took ahold of the cloth and peeled it back...
.
..
...it was a sheathed greatsword.
Curiosity reared its head.
"May I...?"
A nod.
Numbed, he drew it freely from its sheathe and nearly gasped at what he found there.
Rennala smiled softly at it. "It is not the Darkmoon Greatsword, unlike my daughters, but the Moonlight Greatsword."
That was putting it lightly. The weapon -and he hesitated to call something so magnificent as this a mere tool- was a beautiful blade of bluish green, one that seemed to sing for him and only him. If Kaimon was a blade of death, then this blade was life. He accepted it with all the reverence it was due, swung it once to test its weight, then sheathed it and slung it across its back. It rested perfectly against his other blade. But still, it begged a question:
"Why give me another sword?"
Rennala's smile was a small, shy thing indeed. "Well, I could hardly give you such an ominous blade as Kaimon for an engagement gift now, could I?
Naruto's jaw clicked open. He snapped it shut, but only for a moment. "Aha! I knew it!"
Rennala blinked innocently. "Knew what, beloved?"
...shit. He'd said that aloud, hadn't he?
"Well," he gave the back of his head a rueful scratch as she looked on, "Blaid kinda mentioned that the whole gifting a blade bit was part of an engagement ritual...?
"Did he now?" The Queen touched one hand to her cheek. Her smile promised pain, but not for him. "Bold of that pup. No dinner for him tomorrow. That said...
Without warning, she brushed her gown back and bent down.
His eyes bulged in their sockets.
She wasn't gonna.
Rennala dropped to a knee before him and conjured a small box of deep blue velvet to her right hand.
Yup. She was gonna.
As he looked on in utter shock, Rennala opened it to reveal a ring of deepest blue set in a band of flawless burnished silver.
Naruto's heart slammed to a halt in his chest and he felt his brain fizzle out at the sight of it. "Bwuh...?"
Bwuh, indeed. Much bwuh. Great bwuh was to be had.
She granted him a beatific smile. "I have little to offer beyond my heart, body, and soul, but know that they are yours as they have been for quite some time. Will you be mine?
Question of the hour, there. Would he? Did he want to be?
The answer was obvious, at least to him.
...I think I already am."
His words freed a lone tear from her eye and sent it racing down her cheek. "Truly?"
"Yeah...but...why me?
"Why not you?" she remained calm and implacable as ever. "I could not think of anyone else I would rather have by my side. Have you any other objections?
"Well, usually the guy proposes to the girl...
Rennala tilted her head. "Is that a tradition from your home land?
"Something like that. But this is fine!" he flailed his hands at her when she looked confused. "I'm flattered...and a bit shocked." by the sage, his face was so warm. "So how do we...?
"You have but to place the ring on my finger."
"Okay." he gulped, momentarily overcome. "I can do that.
Oh, jeez. His hands were trembling. Miraculously, he managed somehow. It was a perfect fit.
The moment he placed the ring upon Rennala's finger, her face lit up with sheer, unadulterated joy. It made her seem even more radiant than before. She practically glowed.
"Ah, such a lovely feeling." Her words were a feather's brush upon his ears. "I'd almost forgotten what this felt like."
It was more a first for him than anything else.
"So are we...married?
"We are engaged at present, with an eye toward marriage in the future." She raised her hand, admiring the ring on her finger; for a moment he thought she might squeal, but she managed to master herself and continue in the face of her giddiness. "While I would like nothing more than to drag you to a chapel, I think we should wait for the wedding until things settle."
Fair enough. "Do I get a ring?"
A impish gleam shone in her eyes. "Wouldst thou like one?"
He considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I think I would, actually."
Rennala made a pleased noise. "I shall see to it. Now, then. I've already put the little ones to bed, dear. We finally have a moment to ourselves."
"You have? That's...oh." his eyes widened as she ran a hand down his bicep, then lower. "Oh! You mean...
She kissed him slowly, softly, lips lingering on his. "Yes. Unless you have any objections?"
"Nope!" He laughed between kisses. "None at all...
A noise caught his ear.
Naruto pivoted toward it without thinking.
Milicent stood in the doorway, red-eyed and sniffling, clutching a little straw doll to her chest.
Compassion kicked to life in his chest. "Hey, kiddo. You alright-
He was still speaking when she leaped into his arms in a rush of red hair and damp silk...wait. Had she been crying? He barely had a chance to ponder that before she was upon him. A single leap carried her forward with speed born of desperation and fear. She didn't so much lunge as she did rocket into his arms, little legs all but kicking their way up him to get off the floor. He stumbled back from the sheer force of her tackle and held her close as she sniffled against his neck.
"Whoa, hey!" he steadied himself with arm and held her with the other, rocking her absently. "What's wrong? Why ya cryin'?"
"I saw them!" She wailed against his arm, legs still kicking against his chest. "They're coming for me!"
"Who?"
The little one only whimpered and clung close to him.
His heart softened, curiosity forgotten. "Its alright. You're okay."
She hiccuped. "I'm really not...I remember...I don't want to remember...
And just like that, it was back again. His brow furrowed further. "Remember what?"
It was no use; Milicent clammed up again, buried her head in his shoulder once more, and went right back to bawling her eyes out.
"You poor dear!" Rennala crowded in on his right, all too eager to wrap her arms around them both. "There, there, you're safe. You have nothing to fear. You shall sleep with us tonight."
Little Milicent needed no further encouragement; she clung to them like a limpet, quivering from head to toe. She was clearly done speaking for the night. Naruto settled in and held her with a sigh.
Rennala flicked a mildly bemused look his way. "It would seems our moment shall have to wait for another night.
Naruto shrugged once shoulder and began rocking Milicent in his arms. That was fine. He could be patient.
He would do whatever it took to make her happy. To be there for her, as Radagon hadn't been.
To have and to hold.
Always.
A/N: Aaaaand scene.
I think we all know what's coming next.
Or do ye? You never know, Slifer and I might surprise you...
As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't. If folks don't like this...well, we'll not continue it. Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule, I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
Reviews are my lifeblood. Without them, I cannot write.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Revieeeeew, Would You Kindly?
They keeps an old man alive.
And enjoy the previews.
As ever:
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Get ready to smile~!
Obvious references are obvious~!
(POTENTIAL!) Previews! What can I say? We've been busy.
Rennala was all smiles as only a mother could be. "Hush, little culver, you need not fear either of us. You are safe here.
The little girl warbled once, hiccuped, and broke. Then she rushed into her open arms with a wail.
Naruto sighed. "Well, we've got another one...I don't even know who she is...
Little arms reached for him. "Up!"
"Um...can you see me?" he waved a hand warily before her face, squinting in the rain. "Hello?"
"I cannot." the blindfolded woman wobbled on her feet. "Pray tell, who is there? I seem to be quite lost. Is this castle Mourne?"
Naruto and Rennala exchanged a baffled look between themselves. The latter found her voice before the former. "It most certainly is not, dear girl."
"Oh." Her voice warbled a little. It looked like she might cry. "I'm sorry. It seems I'm lost...
"Do come in.
Naruto arched a brow.
"What?" she hummed a little. The little ones could stand to have a babysitter now and again.
Talked to her, did you?"
"Shut up, Blaidd. You're still in the doghouse."
Naruto flung up his arms in a huff, glaring at the enemies assembled before him. Right, that does it. Give you all a spanking.
He flung an arm forward and a golden tether of chakra snared the nearest knight.
Then he reeled them in like a fish. "GET OVER HERE!"
EDIT: Hey, you made it!
As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't. If folks don't like this, if people don't enjoy...well, I won't continue it. What's the point in writing something no one likes? Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule -two jobs!- I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
Looking forward to chatting with you all~!
R&R~!