The Final Act
After a light breakfast, Furina stood before the mirror in her apartment. Her physical appearance was to her satisfaction and there was nothing remotely out of place. Meanwhile, her thoughts remained on something for a change, focused on only one thing: another day out with her good friend Drakonov.
The excitement over spending an entire day without having to worry about anything had taken over her and she was smiling pleasantly, fully prepared to leave her apartment to head straight for the aquabus station in the middle of the city.
She closed the door to her apartment behind her as she left, holding on tightly to the bag she had with her before locking her apartment after which she faced the outside environment.
Another bright and beautiful day greeted her. The usual ambience of the city had never been as melodious as it was on that particular forenoon and she was extremely glad that the weather would not be a cause of concern. The citizens passing by gave their usual greetings which she happily returned.
"Maybe it was the right choice not looking up what kind of a place Rocherfleur is…it'll be a nice surprise!" she thought to herself as she left the vicinity of her home.
Furina was not bluffing when she told Drakonov the previous day that she had not been to Rocherfleur before and as it was their destination for later, she had put off doing any research of her own regarding the small town in advance.
She was excited by the prospect of checking out a part of Fontaine she wasn't too familiar with. These ventures with Drakonov by her side had always ended with her learning about new things she never had the thought to learn about or try during her years as the Hydro Archon.
There was no reason for her to keep any thoughts of uneasiness in her mind as she was certain things would go smoothly as always.
Since the aquabus they were required to take was located on the third floor of the Waterway Hub, Furina headed first towards the elevator by herself, trying not to lose her focus by not engaging in long talks with the citizens who were still treating her like she was the head of the entire nation.
Drakonov wasn't present on the lower floors so she figured it was best to ascend to the upper floors. Even if he wasn't there yet, he'd be able to meet up with her at the Navia Line as the aquabus there went to and from the area near Opera Epiclese.
She was used to taking the lift often when she held her previous position, often with the company of Neuvillette or one of the melusines under his supervision. Nowadays, it seemed like she'd take it alone or with Drakonov as her companion.
Once the elevator stopped, Furina figured it was her cue to step off and see if her friend was already there.
"W-What?"
"Eh?"
"Huh!? Traveller, it's…Furina!"
To her surprise, Furina found Aether and Paimon right next to a parked aquabus the second the elevator doors slid open. Of all the people she could've run into at that particular moment, the duo was not on her list.
It seemed to be a chance meeting though as they did not appear to have expected her appearance as well. Aether nearly dropped the newspaper he was holding while Paimon was staring at her with widened eyes.
"What are you doing here, Furina?" Paimon asked, floating towards her.
Since the Traveller's perennial companion was genuinely curious, Furina opted to give a proper answer.
"I was supposed to meet Drakonov here" she told them, "We have…plans for the day."
She had no intentions of letting anyone know how excited she was for the day ahead of her and that included Aether and Paimon. They might have been two of the most trustworthy people she knew currently but they were not required to know anything too personal about her.
"Drakonov? Really!?" Paimon exclaimed.
"Ahem…is it that surprising?" Furina narrowed her eyes at her, "I have said that he is a dear friend of mine before, haven't I?"
"Er…it's just kind of coincidental…hehe…" Paimon sheepishly explained.
The former Hydro Archon raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
""Coincidental"? How so?"
"We were also ready to meet him here" Aether replied, "We have something to speak to him about."
Upon hearing his explanation, Furina realized instantly that it might have to do with what the duo had told her some days earlier.
"…did you two discover anything new about him?" she asked with a strong hint of concern, putting her hands together.
Aether understood that she was still in the dark regarding what was going on with Drakonov, the Fatui, the treasure hoarders and the people of Rocherfleur. However, he knew he couldn't tell her the truth for now as she might get in the way of the Snezhnayan's plan to help boost her reputation…whatever that plan entailed.
"Oh! Right! We should've told you this earlier" Paimon smiled happily, keeping Furina slightly at ease, "There is nothing to worry about. What Drakonov is doing with the Fatui and the bandits is nothing to worry about. Right, Traveller?"
Her partner was about ready to cup her mouth if she accidentally started revealing crucial information that Drakonov had wish to keep from Furina. Luckily, Paimon had said nothing that needed to remain unknown to her.
"Yes" he said, smiling as well, "Just trust our word on this."
Furina tried to say something but instead, she let out a sigh before hanging her head slightly.
"Ugh…I do wish your words could quell my worries but until I can see with my own eyes that he's not involved in anything worrying, I can't help remain concerned" she admitted.
"There's nothing wrong with that" Aether assured her, "But from what we've seen, we can safely say nothing bad is going on."
"Mm-hmm! We're really good at figuring out stuff like that" Paimon added proudly, "So, try to believe what we're saying."
"…I'll do my best" she replied while nodding.
Suddenly, the elevator began to move within its shaft again, taking their attention. As they watched closely, it stopped right at the floor they were on. A couple of seconds later, the doors opened, revealing a certain blonde man that they were all very familiar with.
Drakonov stepped out of the lift, his smiling widening upon seeing Furina, Aether and Paimon all in one place. For once, he was without his black cloak but still, he was recognizable at first glance.
"Why is it that I am always the last one to arrive at meetings like these?" he asked while chuckling.
"Drakonov!" Furina's smile returned upon seeing her friend, "You're here!"
"I am" he replied before addressing the other two, "Traveller and Paimon! Good morning!"
"Good morning, Drakonov!" Paimon greeted him.
"Morning" Aether nodded and smiled.
"Well…quite a quartet we are" the Snezhnayan stated, "And quite a gathering we have here. I feel rather insignificant all of a sudden" he joked.
Furina, Aether and Paimon all looked at one another for a moment before the former Hydro Archon spoke up.
"I ran into them here" she told him, "By total coincidence."
"It's the same for us" Paimon added, "We didn't know she was coming here as well…"
"I knew" Drakonov said with a grin, "It was completely intentional on my part."
They all looked at him in surprise.
"W-What!? You were responsible for this?" Furina said out loud in disbelief.
"I was" he replied calmly, "I wanted the Traveller and Paimon to accompany us to where we're going today."
"You wanted them to join us?" Furina still wasn't sure that what she was hearing was correct, "…they're coming along as well?"
Paimon immediately zoomed forward and got right in front of Drakonov. She was rightfully perplexed that he was the one who had asked Furina to be at the aquabus station. Considering the fact that he didn't want her to know about any of the plans he had in mind, it was bizarre that he was fine with her being there.
"Paimon thought the meeting was supposed to be here!" she whispered to him, "What if-"
"We'll have that once we reach our destination" Drakonov assured her in a composed manner before speaking to his friend, "Furina, I take it you know why they're here?"
Furina hesitated, glancing briefly at Aether. She wasn't certain that speaking the truth was the right way to go as she was afraid she might let slip that she had been inquiring about him to the duo.
"…they're here to meet you as well" she replied, looking away.
"That is correct" Drakonov chuckled, "Traveller, Paimon, will it be alright if we have our talk once we reach our destination?"
Aether had already expected that their meeting would take place in a different location given that Furina had now joined them. Wherever the other site would be, he had enough trust in the maestro to know that it would be where they could have brief separation from Furina.
"I don't find any problems with that" he told him.
"Paimon has no problems either" Paimon chimed in.
"Wait!" Furina interjected.
All eyes were now on her.
"I…" she stammered before clearing her throat, "I…I thought it was just going to be the two of us today."
"Ah! I forgot to tell you that yesterday" Drakonov laughed, glancing to the side, "An honest mistake."
"An honest mistake, eh?" she narrowed her eyes, "Hmph! Had you not forgotten I might've been prepared better to be with them, you know?"
"Again…my honest mistake" he sheepishly chuckled.
Sighing, Furina put a hand to her forehead in resignedly. It was just an over-exaggerated reaction which she knew Drakonov probably already saw through.
She then turned to Aether and Paimon.
"If I had known someone else would be joining us, I would've brought a couple more Conch Madeleines" she told them, holding up her bag, "Unfortunately, a certain person forgot to inform me."
"I have no excuses" Drakonov shrugged and smiled.
"It's alright, Furina" Aether said, "We can always whip up something for ourselves if we ever get hungry."
"Huh!?" Paimon looked a tad disappointed, "What can we find that's better than Conch Madeleines where we're going? Don't tell Paimon you're planning to give her something you've improvised."
"After all this time, you still doubt my culinary skills?" Aether chuckled.
"…w-well, Paimon's just making a point that there won't be anything better than Conch Madeleines!" she asserted.
"Haha! Settle down, you two" Drakonov laughed, "Paimon, you can have my share."
"Oh? Really?" Paimon's eyes beamed with joy.
"Yes" he nodded.
"WHAT!?" Furina interjected, appearing quite irritated, "I bought those specifically for you, Drakonov!" she said with a huff, "It's for you only!"
The Snezhnayan met her stern look with a calm smile.
"Hmm…well, Furina, will it be alright if I shared it with Paimon?" he asked.
Furina clenched her fists, ready to say something but in the end, she relented. Letting out a sigh of annoyance, she turned her head away, waving dismissively at him.
"Fine…it's your choice…" she replied.
Their conversation was then interrupted by the unmistakable sound of an aquabus docking at the station; a pinkish melusine guide standing on top of it. As there was no one else at the Navia Line besides the four of them, it was assured that no one outside of the current party would be joining them.
"We should take the first aquabus here" Aether suggested.
"Oooh! Elphane's going to be our operator again!" Paimon said gleefully, waving at the melusine.
"You can pick the first seat, Furina" Drakonov told his friend.
By now, the agitated expression on her face had disappeared and she smiled pleasantly.
"Thank you!" she replied, stepping onto the aquabus.
A couple of seconds later, all four of them were on the way to the other end of the waterway which was located a short distance away from the Opera Epiclese; towards the Marcotte station. As soon as they left the terminal station, they could feel a light breeze blow past them, reminding them all that a mini-adventure had just started.
Aether spent the initial stages of the ride, listening to Elphane go through the standard procedures of talking about the various landmarks of Fontaine one could observe while travelling through the Navia Line. He also didn't intrude upon the conversation that Furina, Drakonov and Paimon were having regarding a topic of common interest: food.
He could tell it was going to be a pleasant ride but the events beyond that were dominating his mind all the while.
It was fairly a surprise to see Elphane being so professional throughout the entire journey from the Court of Fontaine to Marcotte Station. Aether was certain most denizens of the region would've lost their composure if they were to be the guides for not only their nation's former archon, but also two famous travellers and their Grand Orchestra's maestro. However, Elphane did not even stutter once and she basically treated them like she would any normal passengers.
After touching down on Marcotte Station, they disembarked, chatting all the while about trivial matters such as upcoming plays, recent arrivals at Bertin's House of Curiosities, different breeds of cats and most importantly, which Fontaine specialty tasted the best.
Had they not been embroiled in the situation occurring near Rocherfleur with the crystal cave, the Fatui and the treasure hoarders, Aether would've assumed the whole thing to be just four accomplices enjoying the day.
Upon reaching the Fountain of Lucine, they took the left path which lead to the Foggy Forest path south of the Weeping Willow. In front of the Opera Epiclese, like always, a decent number of people were present. There were a lot of surprised and puzzled faces as they passed by, almost all of them wondering what they were doing being together.
Without stopping by though, they all continued through the path.
"Oh! This is indeed a lovely sight, Drakonov! How have I never thought of coming here before?"
Furina clasped her hands together, delighted to be blessed with the beautiful scenery of an extended body of water with the peaceful Lumidolce Harbor as well as the magnificent mountains of Liyue in the distance. She appreciated the fact that Drakonov had found a place where she could at peace, enjoying the tranquility of the location along with the company of friends.
Aether promptly sat on the same ruined wall from the previous day, waiting with Paimon for the window that Drakonov could give them so as to divulge the next phase of his plans. For now, he was standing next to Furina, speaking to her.
"Sometimes Blubberbeasts get beached on the shores here too" Drakonov explained to Furina, "Bubbler Seahorses can be spotted surfacing in the weekend."
"Amazing! If I could see them and a couple of more sea creatures around here, it would definitely add to the presentation!" she said happily, "But even without them, I can tell why this is such a perfect place to just relax and gaze upon the natural beauty of Fontaine! We should come here often!"
"I agree" the maestro nodded, "The town of Rocherfleur is just over there as well."
He then gestured to the path that Aether and Paimon were sitting next to. Furina immediately took note of how the path continued beyond a nearby hill, indicating that Rocherfleur could be a short distance away.
"Is that so?" Furina asked while smiling, "I haven't seen any of the townsfolk if they're that close."
"I'm fairly certain that'll change if we stay here for a bit" he chuckled before directing her towards the shoreline, "If you look closely, you can see the holes left behind by crabs burrowing underground."
"Hmm…I can make out a few…" she nodded.
As they were watching Drakonov and Furina interacting, Aether and Paimon suddenly picked up the sounds of hasty chatter and footsteps on the hill behind them; perpendicular to the path leading to Rocherfleur.
"What's that?" Paimon asked before turning around.
"Huh!?" Aether gasped.
Some distance away from them, they noticed a group consisting of both Fatui and treasure hoarders, preparing to travel further up the hill. They all seemed to be quite in a hurry and they all had weapons in their hands. After what appeared to be a quick discussion, they continued their ascent, not realizing they were being watched.
Furina and Drakonov also had noticed them and they walked towards Aether and Paimon while keeping the sights focused on the group. While Drakonov was staring with a neutral expression, Furina looked completely stunned.
"T-The Fatui!? And some bandits? Working together?" she asked in surprise, "W-What's going on here?"
She discreetly glanced at her friend, unsure what was now going on. Due to her past worries resurfacing, she had no idea what the appearance of the two factions meant.
"Drakonov, what should we do?" Paimon immediately asked, "Oooooo…Paimon really has a bad feeling about this!"
"Should we investigate?" Aether asked as well.
Drakonov nodded, maintaining a firm gaze.
"Let's head up the hill stealthily…we could see what they're up to from there."
Treading carefully, Aether and Paimon followed the Snezhnayan as he walked up the hill, making sure to mask every sound he made behind the natural ambience of the area. Furina, though concerned, followed close by as well; a bit relieved that her friend wasn't acting like he knew the group they had seen.
Before long, they made it to the top of the hill, hiding behind some shrubs as they put their full attention to the path the Fatui and the bandits had taken.
"They're just standing and talking now…" Paimon whispered to the others, "…where are they heading to?"
"I don't know" Drakonov replied, keeping his voice low.
"T-They're on the move again" Furina stated as she saw them continue onwards, "What shall we do?"
"We should continue following them, right?" Aether asked Drakonov.
The maestro took a moment to think before he gave his answer.
"We should do that, yes" he replied, "Aether, Paimon…we'll trail them and make sure they aren't involved in anything shady."
"Alright" Aether nodded.
"Mm-hmm!" Paimon voiced her agreement as well.
Furina blinked in surprise, wondering why her friend had not mentioned her as well. She looked at him in puzzlement as he turned to face her with an engrossed gaze.
"Furina…I need you to stay here, alright?" he told her.
"What!?" she nearly exclaimed out loud, "Stay here? Why can't I join you?"
Especially after being bestowed with a vision, Furina had no doubts in her capabilities when it came to combat and she was more than certain that she could take down even two dozen foes all by herself. She simply found it preposterous that a friend she cared for had asked her to stay behind.
And to add to that, it was a chance for her to possibly repay the friendship that Drakonov gave to her through something she was very capable in.
"I can take on any enemy! And you know I can handily protect all of you as well!" she asserted, "I should also be coming with you."
"I don't doubt that" Drakonov said coolly, "Don't worry about me either. I have the Traveller with me after all."
"B-But I can't just be left here doing nothing!"
"We'll watch out for him. I promise" Aether assured her.
However, there was no time for Furina to present another argument against what Drakonov had suggested as Paimon frenziedly floated around all of them.
"They're on the move! We have to follow them now or we might lose them!" she said.
"Right. Good call, Paimon" Drakonov said, ready to move on as well.
"W-Wait! You can't just-" Furina tried to say.
"We'll be back in one piece" Aether told her as they began their descent down the hill, trailing the Fatui and the bandits.
"Stay there" Drakonov told her one last time.
With no time left to say anything else, Furina could only watch on in concern as Drakonov left with Aether and Paimon, swiftly running down the hill in order to keep their eyes on the suspicious group.
The former Hydro Archon was left standing on top of the hill alone, unable to do anything except wait for when they would come back. Silence surrounded her the moment they disappeared behind a patch of forestry, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
"…at least, I know the Traveller and Paimon won't let anything happen to him…"
That was the only thing she could console herself with. It seemed like she had lost the chance to give back to Drakonov in a way but at the very least, he was with people she trusted.
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on a rock, placing her bag on her lap.
"Uhh…do you know where this road leads, Drakonov?" Paimon asked.
As they were already aware that the Snezhnayan had known the layout of the region quite well, she was curious as to where the Fatui and the treasure hoarders were heading to. There was a possibility that he had only feigned ignorance about it earlier since Furina was still with them.
"To the crystal caves" he told them as he slowed his pace for some reason.
"Really?" Paimon asked, "Oooohh! Are they trying to fight the Hydro Phantasm again?"
"Yes" he replied with a smile, "Great work making that guess, Paimon."
"Awww! Thanks!"
Aether, on the other hand, had a question to ask about something strange he had noticed just now.
"Why are we moving slower now?" he asked Drakonov, "We might not catch up to them at this rate."
Steadily, the smile on the maestro's face widened and he let out a chuckle. Instantly, Aether and Paimon knew some shenanigans were going on again.
"It's because we don't need to catch up to them" he told them, "In fact, we won't be going that way at all."
"Eh?" Paimon raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"
The Traveller appeared to figure out the reason behind that.
"Were you just taking that chance to isolate ourselves from Furina?" he inquired.
"That's part of the reason" Drakonov nodded.
"Oh! So that's why, huh? Errrr…what's the other part of the reason then?" Paimon asked.
"Let me reveal what happened while the two of you were at Rocherfleur fighting off my scout" he said with a smile, "And also beyond that."
Aether and Paimon leaned in a bit to listen closely.
"While you were at Rocherfleur, I had a meeting with the representatives of the treasure hoarders" he explained, "I told them that the Fatui will take over Rocherfleur come the next day and that we'll finally have a chance to take down the Hydro Phantasm together and then gain access to the crystal cave."
He then put a hand to his chin and closed his eyes.
"The group that we just saw were simply following the routine procedure of trying to get around the Hydro Phantasm using newer methods" he continued, "The important group from today will be the ones passing through the road leading to Rocherfleur before long. After all, I suggested going into town with larger numbers in case the Traveller showed up again. The scout I sent yesterday was also staunchly on my side regarding that."
"Oh right! You did say you sent that agent yesterday…and you disappeared when we came back because you were talking to them afterwards, huh?" Paimon nodded, "But why did you tell them to bother the poor townsfolk of Rocherfleur again?"
"Hmm…do you want us to get rid of them again or…?" Aether inquired.
Drakonov smiled and shook his head.
"We won't be doing anything" he told them.
"Eh!? But what if…what if the Fatui take over the town then? We already know the townsfolk can't fight back!"
"Don't worry, Paimon" Drakonov assured her calmly, "Someone will indeed be there to stop them. After all, the group that's heading into town is all made up of pushovers. In facts, all of the Fatui I've been deceiving all this time have been."
"Oh! That's a relief!" Paimon wiped her brow, "So, who's stopping them if it's not us?"
From the smile that was on the Snezhnayan's face, Aether already knew what the answer was going to be. However, that didn't stop him from looking rather surprised by the lengths that he had gone to plan that exact scenario.
"It's Furina?" Aether asked.
"W-Wha-?" Paimon exclaimed as well.
"Yes…" Drakonov nodded and grinned, "It's nearly time for the third protagonist in this little play to take center stage."
Furina was growing impatient by the minute. She was no longer able to see where Drakonov, Aether and Paimon had gone off to and she couldn't leave her current spot to pursue them. She had no idea what was going on outside her field of vision and her anxiety grew and grew as she hoped for the best.
The only positive thing she found out of her current situation was that the view from the hill was rather vibrant, giving her a brilliant scenery to observe, consisting of the Weeping Willow, a bit of the Opera Epiclese and the main city of Fontaine in the far distance.
However, her attention was abruptly taken by a commotion occurring down below on the opposite side of the hill.
"Fatui!?" she said in shock.
On the path leading to Rocherfleur, she saw half a dozen Fatui Skirmishers heading in the direction where the town was. They were all armed, primed and ready for combat it seemed, and they were walking with intent, talking among themselves in a stern manner.
From her vantage point, she was able to clearly see that they were walking straight towards Rocherfleur.
"This is…this is bad…" she muttered to herself in a panicky way, "They're surely up to no good…"
She glanced back behind her, trying to see if her companions had returned yet. Unfortunately, there were no signs of them anywhere nearby.
"Those Fatui…t-they have their weapons drawn…"
Caught in a dilemma, Furina knew she couldn't stand by idly, watching the Fatui march right into Rocherfleur and cause disruptions at best to the citizens of a nation she used to look over. On the other hand, she couldn't go anywhere else in case Drakonov and the others returned while she was away.
"…No! I…I must do something!"
Making her decision right then and there, Furina placed her bag on the ground before drawing her sword; her expression shifting from indecisive and nervous to focused.
"Surintendante Chevalmarin!" she said out loud.
At her command, the Salon Member manifested right in front of her. The Bubbly Seahorse levitated in front of her, giving her a confused look.
"Surintendante Chevalmarin, I require an important task for you to fulfill" she stated while smiling.
The Salon Member stared intently at her, as if awaiting a command.
"I am going after those people" she said, pointing at the Fatui who were now approaching to entrance to Rocherfleur, "Wait here for Drakonov or the Traveller and tell them where I went. Understand?"
The Seahorse bobbed its body up and down as if to give her an affirmative answer.
"Thank you!" Furina smiled, hugging the Salon Member tightly for a moment before letting go, "Right! I'm off!"
Without waiting another second, she dashed right down the hill in a hasty manner. From the foot of the hill and right next to the path, it was difficult to see the Fatui. But judging from where their position was the last time she saw them, she knew she couldn't hesitate any longer if she wished to put a stop to any conflicts that could arise.
Gripping her weapon as tightly as she could, she kept a firm look on her face, reflecting the resolve she had to make sure her nation's people were placed under no danger. If push came to shove and the Fatui proved themselves to be quite violent, she wasn't afraid of fighting them by herself.
The blessing she had received in the form of a vision had allowed her to act with belief in herself after all.
"Wow! She really did go back like you said, Drakonov!"
Paimon's awe was evident as Aether and Drakonov followed her out of their hiding place behind a tree upon witnessing Furina leave the spot they had left her at.
"How did you predict she'd do that?" she asked in amazement.
The Snezhnayan chuckled, fixing the sleeve of his shirt.
"Well, now you know I told her to wait for us there on purpose" he replied, "I wanted her to see the Fatui storming into Rocherfleur. I've known her enough to know that she truly wants to do as much as she could for the people of Fontaine…and that includes jumping into action for their sake without a second thought."
"She did leave behind Surintendante Chevalmarin behind though" Aether said, "She does have the other Salon Members with her then, right?"
"I believe so" Drakonov nodded, "Even without them, I don't think she'll have a problem handling them."
He then walked right into view of Surintendante Chevalmarin, leaving the Bubbly Seahorse rather astonished the moment it saw them. Immediately, it frantically moved around in the air, almost as if trying to tell them something.
"Ehhh…Paimon thinks Surintendante Chevalmarin might be hungry…" Paimon remarked.
Drakonov calmly placed his hand on top of the Salon Member, patting it.
"I don't think that's the case" he smiled, leaning down a bit to grab the bag that Furina had discarded, "But you can have this, Paimon."
He reached inside and took out a Conch Madeleine which Furina had bought for him. He then tossed it at Paimon who caught it.
"Ooooh! You're really giving this to Paimon?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes, you can have that" Drakonov chuckled.
Aether crossed his arms and smiled at his companion just as she was about to dig in.
"Save that for later, Paimon" he told her, "After all, we've got something to deal with first."
Paimon pouted for a second before moving the delicacy away from her mouth.
"Fine…but Paimon's not giving you any, understand?" she said.
"That's understandable" Aether couldn't help but a laugh.
Drakonov then turned his attention back to the Bubbly Seahorse, staring at it closely.
"Don't worry, Surintendante Chevalmarin" he smiled, "We're going to follow her."
The Salon Member appeared to understand what he said, looking rather pleased before it nodded in response. It then floated alongside Paimon, eyeing the Conch Madeleine all the while.
"Do we need to step in and help her then?" Aether asked as they began to head right for the path to Rocherfleur.
"No" Drakonov replied.
"No? But why?" Paimon inquired.
A confident grin formed on the Snezhnayan's face.
"This final act is a solo performance from the third protagonist" he told them, "And not only us…the town of Rocherfleur will be witness to what she does for them."
Author's Note: This is the penultimate chapter for this story. Thank you all for sticking around. The next chapter will be a long one and an epilogue will follow the final chapter