Chapter 15: Shattering of Gold
"So…? About last night…?"
"Stop."
"I only want to know…?"
"Please don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't keep asking me personal questions," Alphinaud snapped at his sister as he tiredly flipped through a book, barely able to remember what it was that he read despite having scanned over the page twice already. He had come to the library in that afternoon, planning on finding a good book to cozy up with in front of the fireplace for a little while as Ryne all but dragged Claire outside to play in the snow. He couldn't say that he was interested in getting cold and wet right now, but if he had known that he would be interrogated by his sister like this, he would have gone with them.
Alisaie had been smug the moment that she spotted him today and was strangely eager just to follow him around the castle. At first, he didn't mind, at least until she started asking him questions on why he was so late to return from the ball last night and where he was all morning.
"Brother, I know you," Alisaie reminded him pointedly. "You are normally an early riser yet you didn't come down until long after the sun was over head. Not to mention, I happened to see you two through the window, hurrying back to the tower well past midnight so I can't help but wonder what was taking you so long that…?"
"Everyone was up late last night, Alisaie," he reminded her, "I doubt that I'm the only one who slept in. But what were you doing staring out the window all night?"
"Just up late talking with Krile and I happen to glance out the window to see a familiar pair coming in from outside the city. I could recognize your hair anywhere, you know? And I couldn't help but wonder why you would be coming from that direction? As if you were coming in from wandering across the snow-covered fields of Kholusia?" she answered with a shrug, before pausing there as if expecting him to confess to something. When he didn't, she went on, "But that's not the point, Alphinaud. Normally, I would have taken such thoughts into consideration and just cast it from my mind, but…?"
"But what?" he asked irritably. "We were both just tired from being up on our feet all night."
"And I would have an easier time believing that if not for the fact that your neck is covered with love marks," she pointed out and his hand instantly flew to his neck.
He stared at her smug look before he got up and went to the nearby window to get a better look at himself. His reflection was foggy from the misted up window; but as far as he could see—he made sure to wear a high enough collar to cover the marks when Claire pointed them out to him this morning—there was nothing that gave away anything.
"I thought so," Alisaie smirked and he rolled his eyes in understanding.
"I thought that we outgrew such childish pranks, sister," he stated sourly.
"If nothing happened, you wouldn't have reacted in such a way," she pointed out with a triumphant grin. "So… what did happen last night that kept you occupied all morning?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking that something was on my clothes, that is all you need to know," he countered stubbornly as he made to return to his seat and book. At least until…?
"Well, I don't know, I thought that you were both pretty loud when I went up to talk to you last night," she shrugged in an unconcerned way. "I am dying to know what it was that was that you were doing if it counts as 'nothing'."
His fingers fumbled the book he had just picked up and it fell to the floor with a dull thud but he barely noticed it as he stared at her in horror. There was no way he could hide the bright redness across his entire face so that he looked like a tomato and she grinned at the sight of it.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to cast his mind back to remember hearing someone at the door last night…? Not that he had been paying any attention to anything else but…?
"I didn't see anything," Alisaie informed him with a light shrug. "But brother… you hound. I never would have guessed that you would be such a generous lover."
"What did you hear?" he whispered, looking around, terrified that someone would be listening in.
"Ah ha! So I was right! Something did happen?" she asked, her eyes glittering and he realized that he fell for it once again.
"You didn't come up last night? You were just saying that to see if I would confess?" he asked, lowering his head in humiliation as she blinked innocently back. He then hissed her name angrily, his face still red as she grinned widely.
"So my dear brother let his reasons give way to passions then?" she laughed out, clapping her hands together. "I thought that you seemed unusually satisfied about something when you finally came down earlier. I couldn't think of anything that happened recently that would cause you to strut around like a peacock like that… which means that it had to have happened between yesterday and last night… and well…?"
He glared at her as he grabbed his book and just chose to leave the room, hearing her amused laughter in his ears as he walked away. He was never going to hear the end of this one now… and he dreaded to think of what she could say to embarrass him with this kind of ammunition at her disposal. He should have guessed that Alisaie had just been baiting him, trying to find out why he looked a little 'too satisfied' for some reason, whatever that meant. It was his fault for falling for it, this he knew. She certainly knew how to wind him up. He would have to warn Claire about this when he next saw her and apologize for having such a nosy sister.
He was passing through one of the corridors that overlooked the courtyard and he paused there to gaze down at the snow filled landscape where he spotted two familiar figures directly below him. He ran his hand over the fogged glass to see better and spotted the two princesses throwing handfuls of snow at the other, both looking like they were laughing and having the time of their lives.
His eyes feel upon his wife, whose face was the picture of delight, red from the cold and eyes twinkling even from here as she pulled off her thick mittens to better form the ball with the white powder. Seeing her smiling face caused a sense of peace to wash over him and he leaned against the windowpane to just watch them as his mind drifted back.
*That Morning*
Sunlight shone through the frost-covered window as Alphinaud's face screwed up against it, slowly coming out of his deep slumber. He had tried to ignore the brightness through his eyelids for as long as possible, merely trying to dig himself deeper under the covers and ignore it. Soon enough though, he was forced to at least see where it was all coming from and why. He opened his tired eyes and immediately saw how sunlight filtered through, turning the room in a chilly white from the frost. Now that he was awake, he absent-mindedly glanced around the room, finding remnants of clothes flung all over the floor—which confused him for a moment.
Once his memory of the night before came back however, he turned his head to find that, sure enough, lying next to him was Claire's sleeping form. Seeing her peaceful expression and long hair tossed over her pillow took him by surprise—for he had never seen her look so deceptively vulnerable like this. Unable to help himself, he reached out to gently tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear so that he could get a clear look of her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek as he glanced at the marks he left upon her throat. His muscles were all sore and he winced when he noticed the ache left from the night before. But the feeling—and the memories that came with it—pleased him to no end.
Instead of pain, all he could think of was how beautiful she looked to him last night. How she laid bare before him, with eyes full of trust, as her strong arms held him through the cold night… with only that twisted collar ruining the near perfect image in his mind's eye. He remembered how he had to kiss around that cruel metal, wanting more than ever to break it apart with his own bare hands.
Rather than dwell on that, he instead remembered how he had captured her mouth with his; how she matched his pace with her own even as his vision became blurry with pleasure. Every touch, every sensation, the sounds of his moans and her gasping for air only continued to drive both of them closer to the edge. He felt a shudder of pleasure across his body at the thought of how her hands were tangled in his hair, raking over his back…? How it felt as if his entire body was set aflame as their dance continued on through the night, rising to an ever-rising rhythm to become an uncontrollable crescendo at the finale until both of them were spent.
Now though, as the sunlight continued to shine into the room, revealing a clear sky this day, which shone directly onto Claire's face this time. At that, she groaned and pressed her face into her pillow, trying to ignore the light like how he had. He smiled warmly at how cute she was as he continued to stroke her cheek, playing with her hair, until she was able to finally open a tired eye to gaze at him.
"Good morning," he said softly, his voice a bit hoarse.
"Good night," she muttered back, closing her eyes again, clearly wanting to drift back off. He chuckled at that before rolling over onto his back again, realizing that a little more sleep sounding did sound appealing. But before he could do so, she rolled over on top of him, surprisingly him as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck.
He couldn't deny how good it felt to have her warm body against his own once more and he enjoyed her weight pressing down against his chest. His hand instinctively rested upon her lower back and began to draw idle circles upon her bare skin.
She seemed to enjoy it as well for she hummed in a contented way before pressing her lips against the pulse of his neck, lingering there as if her lips were a hot brand. She then settled there, tucked perfectly against him as she drifted back to sleep.
He was tempted to explore her body again while she slumbered, but he didn't want to risk ruining the content look on her face. He was alright with the idea that they would have time to be able to explore his emotions. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him, a selfish part of his mind thinking that she was now completely his.
With that pleasant though, Alphinaud closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep himself, just as the sunbeam cutting across his ceiling faded.
*Present*
Never did he ever imagine feeling this way. Never did he think that he would find someone whom he felt so perfectly at ease with as he did with her. He knew that they were both still inexperienced with the concept of love and romance, but he was eager to see where this road would lead them to next.
"I think that it's really cute."
He sighed, mentally praying to the Twelve for strength before he turned his head to see Alisaie leaning up against the wall as she looked at him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you," she said and for the first time there was a hint of an apology in her tone, "Well, not completely anyway. I just wanted to make sure of things."
"Make sure of what?" he asked, turning his gaze back to the courtyard. "You seem a bit too interested in my love life, sister."
"It is my business in a sense because as you are my brother and I want you to be happy," she offered. "It's just that ever since I first learned that you were forced into this whole marriage with someone you didn't even know, I couldn't help but feel a certain bit of resentment towards this princess who sunk her claws into my dear brother."
She glanced outside the window with him before finishing, "But after meeting her, and seeing how you two getting along, I didn't know what to think. She wasn't the evil seductress that I was afraid she would be."
Well, he wasn't so sure about the seductress part but… she wasn't evil.
He couldn't help but smirk slightly as Alisaie shrugged and finished, "I got to know her and Ryne pretty well over the last few days and it's clear to me that they aren't anything like what you would expect a princess to act. Look, I'll just come out and ask you a question and it would make me happy if you give me an honest answer."
He looked up at her as she took a deep breath and asked, "Do you love her?"
"Well, I…?" he began but she was shaking her head.
"It's a simple yes or no question, Alphinaud," she cut him off. "You aren't back in class trying to impress your peers with a philosophical answer. Just answer me simply. Don't over complicate it."
He thought it over for a moment, his eyes never leaving her as every moment he shared with Claire replayed themselves over in his mind and the answer seemed obvious to him now that he was faced with answering.
"Yes," he finally said. "I think I truly think I do."
He leaned against the wall, his gaze turning to the clear skies as he went on, "I wasn't sure what to think of her at first either. But let's just say that I was surprised by how much she was capable of. And upon seeing her, all forms of her… how could I not fall in love with her?"
He felt his sister's gaze, as if she was trying to see past his words and look into his heart to discover if he was telling the truth or not. But upon seeing the look on his face, her own melted into a loving smile. She had never seen her brother looking so at peace. Gods, he really was smitten? Despite this particular circumstances, who would have thought that he would have fallen in love with some rebellious princess of all people? She still wasn't completely sure what to think about this whole situation, but to see how happy that she made her brother was all it took for Claire to earn her approval.
Now the big problem was with their parents? She was sure that their mother would accept her once she learns that her only son truly does love her… their father on the other hand…?
Well, that's another problem for another day.
"I guess that's it then," she shrugged. "If she is who you want then I'll say no more about it. But are you sure, brother? It does seem that there is much more to her than the guise of a princess?"
Alphinaud smirked at that as he watched a couple of guards suddenly enter the courtyard and the girls waved them over to join them, resulting in a couple teams now throwing handfuls of snow at each other.
"My dear sister…" he said, taking his time in thinking of an answer, "That's what I like the most about her."
*Later*
Alphinaud spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening with his sister and Krile, and told them that he had wanted to speak with them both before dinner about an important matter. Alphinaud felt that he needed to tell them what they were planning in terms of the collars, especially since Krile had mentioned that they would be returning to Sharlayan at the end of the week to discuss with father on their next course of action. Alphinaud told her them to meet him in the tower room so that they could talk without fear of being overheard.
He did want to talk to Claire about letting the two of them in on the Exarch's plan—he knew that they could trust them, but he did want her to be aware of what he was doing. But when he went to look for her, he found that she and Ryne were no longer in the courtyard.
And when he spoke to the few guards who joined in on the fun, they all appeared surprised when they explained how they witnessed the princesses returning to the castle hours before. Alphinaud bit his lip as he looked to the sky to see that it was getting late and the first stabs of anxiety were settling in when he couldn't recall seeing either of them at lunch and had just assumed that their snowball fight was running longer than they expected.
Rather than go to the tower to clear out the scattering of clothes all over the floor, he began to wander the castle, wondering where they went.
"Have you seen Claire or Ryne lately?" he asked Thancred, whom was also searching the halls with an absent-minded look, as if something was weighing heavily upon his mind.
"I saw their snowball fight earlier," he admitted slowly, "To tell you the truth, I'm looking for them too. I've been teaching Ryne a little bit about knife work—you know, just in case she needs it and I'm not around—but she never showed up to our lesson. That's never happened before. She's never late for our lessons. I'm going to go see if I can find out. I'll send Claire your way if she's with her."
Alphinaud nodded gratefully before moving on, speaking with some of the other servants and guards, hoping that they could tell him something. He wasn't sure why he was so worried all of a sudden, but it was as if there was a whisper in his gut that something bad was about to happen.
He continued going through the castle, asking everyone he saw for information and got nowhere. At least until he ran into one of the maids, with a heavy frown and deep concern across her features. He didn't even stop to think about it and asked what the problem was. She jumped and looked nervous at his questions but she then whispered she couldn't hide it anymore. She confessed that she had seen the princesses earlier when they had come inside from playing in the snow… but they were met in the entrance hall by Ran'jit of all people before being escorted up to the lift.
Upon hearing that, he felt as if ice sank into the pit of his stomach, fearing that the girls were faced with yet another punishment for no reason.
He thanked the girl, promising her that he wouldn't mention this conversation with anyone, before he went running off, heading to the lift himself. He feared that he would be getting punished as well for this, but the idea that he was leaving the girls to deal with that monster on their own while being tortured was more than he could bear this time. He had to find out what this was for, for his peace of mind if nothing else.
He felt only a growing sense of dread the further up he went in the lift, wondering just what was going on now. Just what did Vauthry wish to discuss with them so suddenly? He couldn't think of anything that they had done… could he have known that they were so late returning to the castle last night? Well, that seemed a bit petty, but this was Vauthry they were talking about so who knows what was going through that man's head?
But even as he arrived at the top to the Canopy, that feeling of dread didn't disappear, in fact, it only grew with every step closer he took to the large doors. By the time that he pushed them open and walked inside, Alphinaud knew that something bad was happening.
And he wished that this was one of those times that he was wrong.
At the end of the hall was Vauthry, though this time he had been moved from right in front of the balcony and instead was lounging off to the side of the dais that he usually sat upon. He was surrounded by mountains of food and drink, and it seemed that he had an easier time reaching for it while there as the final beams of sunlight cast shadows across the floor. As for Vauthry himself… he seemed to be enjoying something other than the food and drink in his hand as his gaze was drawn to the floor in front of him… and that was when Alphinaud spotted them.
Claire and Ryne were both on the floor before him, but his eyes were focused upon Claire first and foremost. She was lying face down upon the marbled floor with her hair a mated mess as it fanned out about her head. Her dress was torn in places and he could see spots of blood upon the cloth—even now he could see that she was struggling for breath, wheezing out air as she laid there.
"As you can see, she has been very difficult," Ran'jit commented to another figure laying at his feet, though Alphinaud didn't register what he was saying as he just stared ahead, not sure what was going on. How…? How could this be happening? She was just fine this morning! She was out in the courtyard throwing snow at Ryne for gods sake! How could she be here now and like this?!
His entire body trembled as he took an unsteady step forward, his mind slow to register what was going on. He was vaguely aware that others were speaking to him but he didn't pay any attention as there was only one thing on his mind.
"Claire!" he yelled as he ran to her, his brain finally catching up and he moved towards them, taking both Ran'jit and Vauthry by surprise to find him there. He was shaking violently as he ignored them, instead skidding to a stop on his knees and instead turned Claire over to get a look at her face. Blood was dripping down from her forehead as some of the open sores and wounds dripped onto his hands.
"Claire? Claire!" he gasped, not even trying to force his panic down as he immediately began casting a healing spell.
But no sooner did he raise his hand to finish the incantation, a loud voice barked, "I gave you no such permission to heal her! Nor do I recall even giving permission for you to be here, boy!"
At the sound of Vauthry's command, a hatred he never felt before rose up inside him and he glared over at Vauthry, who continued to look on as if his own niece wasn't dying in front of him.
"Why did you do this?!" Alphinaud demanded, for despite the frighteningly calm tone, fury coursing through him as Ran'jit watched on, standing guard over the young form of Ryne, who was curled up in a tight ball at his feet.
"Why are you here?" Vauthry demanded, "This better not have to do with anymore unexpected guests! I was just getting to the bottom of some questioning before you came waltzing in."
"Questioning?" Alphinaud growled through gritted teeth.
"What's with the angry look?" Vauthry asked, raising his eyebrows as Alphinaud held Claire's body closer to him, as if he could somehow protect her from being hurt any further than she had been. But upon hearing the unconcerned tone in his voice, it was more than he could take at that moment. For then, all the anger, all the hatred, he had bubbling inside him for the last few months rose to the surface and it was unleashed as he finally shouted out, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, YOU ANIMAL?!"
"Hold your tongue, boy," Ran'jit warned, "If you wish to be angry at someone for the girl's current state, then be angry at her. She is the one who refused to say a word to us when we asked a few simple questions."
"What questions could possibly justify this?!" he demanded.
"We know that she has something to do the resistance and the Warrior of Darkness," Ran'jit spoke up in a business-like tone, as if they were having a regular discussion and that there wasn't a woman bleeding all over the floor right now. Upon hearing that, Alphinaud felt his heart beat a little faster and a cold sweat began to break out as his anxiety grew.
"How much she is connected to them, we are not yet sure of," Ran'jit went on with a frown. "So we convinced her to come here to discuss things. But no matter how many times we asked her, she insisted she knew no more than anyone else. Even when Lord Vauthry had to resort to more drastic measures to get her to talk."
At that, Alphinaud's eyes flickered down to her neck to where the bruises could easily be seen beneath the gold. He traced his fingers between her skin and the choker, feeling himself shaking at the deep impressions that were made there.
"And then what?" he demanded. "What about these other wounds?"
"Again, she refused to say anything to us about the matter and we had to continue to use more dramatic tactics," Ran'jit went on. "It got to the point that she could either fight back or take any punch or blow from me… but if she were to fight back, then I would be forced to hurt this one."
He nudged a toe at Ryne, who was shaking and crying on the floor, unable to move. She then raised her head so that he could see her and he had to bite back a gasp. He stared at Ryne, not understanding what was going on. Her copper-red hair had suddenly become a shining blonde like the rays of the sun and her dazed eyes blinked over at him where he had to fight back another gasp upon seeing eyes that were of a solid, crystalline blue.
It took a few minutes for him to fully get hold of his tongue before demanding, "W-What did you do to her? There is no need to go this far! You think that if you torture someone long enough then you will gain the answers you seek? No! If anything, this will only bring you to the wrong answers! What is going on here?"
Vauthry rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, "Very well. Since you've come this far, we might as well tell you. You see, there was a reason that I ended up taking in both of these troublesome girls five years ago. And let me tell you, it wasn't at the kindness of my heart."
"Then why?" Alphinaud demanded, still holding Claire protectively to his chest.
"You see, it all has to do with something that Venat left behind," he answered as he tilted back his head and swallowed another mouthful of food. He swallowed the bread-like substance with one gulp before glancing back to Alphinaud, who was trembling with anger. "You already know that these two women are the last living descendants of the famous Venat? Do you not? As such, they hold a very special hold over the legacy that woman left behind. As such, I decided to bring them here so that I may have access to it."
"Access to what?" Alphinaud demanded, completely at a loss here.
"Not that you need to know, but if it will get you to stop yelling, then fine. We seek the Mothercrystal," Vauthry answered back.
He said this so calmly, with such certainty, one would think that what he said was common knowledge. But Alphinaud was momentarily taken aback by this so much that he had forgotten his anger for that split second. He cast his memory back to everything he knew of the famous adventurer and scholar from long ago, but he couldn't think of ever hearing of this 'Mothercrystal'.
But that wasn't important now. He had to get them out of here somehow. So, really more of a way to buy them time than to actually find out the truth, he asked slowly, "This Mothercrystal. What is this thing? What is so special about it?"
As if Ran'jit knew what he was thinking, he answered, "There is no need to worry about it, for you aren't leaving here either. You should have stayed down below if you wanted to avoid punishment. We had hoped to be able to use you, but alas, we didn't count on the two of you being so stubborn about your duties."
"Then what about me? What was I here for?" he demanded.
"You were a tool, nothing more," Ran'jit answered, not going into real details. "The fact is that it doesn't concern you any longer."
He moved forward, leaving Ryne behind, who was still struggling against her bonds and Alphinaud held Claire tighter to him as he warned, "Don't you dare take another step!"
"And what will you do to me if I do?" Ran'jit asked, not halting in his movements towards them. But as he was near, reaching out a hand to grab either him or Claire, he didn't know nor care, Alphinaud went to his belt where his grimoire was waiting for him. He cast a quick Ruin spell at him, causing Ran'jit's eyes to narrow and he moved back to avoid the spell.
Alphinaud gritted his teeth, still holding his beloved to him with one arm while he held the book in the other. He knew that he was outmatched here, but he had to do something, he couldn't allow this beast to touch either one of them ever again. He had to get them out one way or another.
"You would go so far as to protect this woman who all but stole your life from you?" Ran'jit asked, sounding curious now. "If not for her, you wouldn't be here."
"You were the ones who did that!" Alphinaud snapped back ready to cast another Ruin spell, maybe throw in a Bio spell as well to try and weaken him.
"You know of my reputation, boy. You know that I am the finest warrior in this kingdom. That I can finish you off with one hand behind my back and yet you are willing to fight for her?" Ran'jit asked darkly as he stepped forward. "You love her that much that you would be willing to die for her?"
Alphinaud glared back, ready to give a retort, but then a hand suddenly came into his line of vision and he immediately looked down to see that Claire was awake, gazing at him with exhausted eyes.
"You're here," she sighed, though he couldn't tell if she was happy to see him here or not.
"Of course," he said softly, gently stroking her face with his other hand, long past caring who saw them like this. "Are you in pain? I'll take care of this."
But she was shaking her head insistently at this before whispering, "You can't. Ran'jit… isn't the General… for nothing. You are… no match for him… not yet."
He knew that. He knew that if he were to fight him, then he would surely be overpowered. But he had to try. There was no way that he couldn't try.
He just forced a smile as he gently set her down, even as she weakly tried to grab him, a dribble of blood falling from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. He just stood up, stepping out of her reach as he turned to face Ran'jit.
"I will regret it if I don't try," he said firmly.
Ran'jit just looked at him, as if impressed that he was brave enough to even raise a weapon at him. But upon seeing the two facing off, Vauthry let out a loud laugh.
"Not only do you sneak uninvited into a private gathering: you make violent threats against the ruler of this land, himself?" he demanded, as if he hadn't heard anything funnier than this in a long time. "But, I will be gracious and allow you both to fight it out. Though why you would hold such feelings for a good-for-nothing girl like this one baffles me. But the fight will be short and simple. You will be given a chance to defend yourself against my general. If you can hold your own, I may concede to letting you go. Try anything funny though, then I will have no choice but to summon the guards. Now, pray put on a good show—I have a reputation as a host to uphold."
As if his hatred for the man wasn't already overflowing. But what other choice did he have? He needed time… and though he didn't think that Vauthry was the type of man to keep his word, perhaps he could try and find some inspiration in this fight. He gulped down, moving sideways as he prepared himself for the fight as Ran'jit sighed, as if he had better things to be doing right now.
It was almost insulting to him to think that he would be fighting against an old man—who was using nothing more than hands and feet no less—and he was armed with a book that suddenly felt no different than a handful of paper against a cannon.
Still, he was up against a rock and a hard place and had to try something. So he immediately cast his spells, using Ruin and Ruin II in quick succession as Ran'jit dodged around them. He cast Bio and Bio II as well, but Ran'jit was ahead of him, ducking underneath his arm and delivering a solid kick to his stomach—which knocked the wind right out of him. He coughed and slid backwards as Vauthry laughed and clapped, like a child who was playing peek-a-boo.
Alphinaud ignored that as he got up, casting a quick healing spell to his stomach to heal the damage there, but Ran'jit was already moving towards him, forcing Alphinaud to duck and roll. To his surprise though, Ran'jit cast a spell of his own, creating balls of explosive aether between them and brought down lightning upon them. Alphinaud gritted his teeth as he felt the heat from the bolts, but he refused to allow the old man to gain the upper hand.
"You have yet to answer me, boy," he stated, as Alphinaud hit the ground hard, crying out as he held onto his shoulder where he could feel it burning and blister. "Do you really believe this woman to be worth this pain? Is sharing her bed really worth it?"
He raised his head in fury at the insult and cast another spell, which took Ran'jit by surprise this time for it came so quickly that he didn't dodge this time around. He was hit with a poison spell and he staggered for a moment before he caught his footing.
"So you do have teeth," he stated darkly.
"Insult me all you want," Alphinaud snarled, "But when you insult my wife is when I get angry." His eyes cast to Claire, who remained still on the floor, breathing hard from the many injuries and new resolve rose inside him. "For her sake, if nothing else…"
He pushed himself back up even as more lightning fell down around them and he had to learn very quickly where to avoid the attacks if he wanted to have a chance to deal some kind of damage to Ran'jit. His damage over time spells were his best option right now and he knew it. They hardly needed any casting time and he could move about freely while doing so… and so he kept moving, dodging, and avoiding all of Ran'jit's attacks that he could while the poison did its job.
The only problem was that such spells did only minor damage and it would be a long time before he would start to see noticeable effects on just a normal person. Whereas his foe was anything but normal.
But it seemed that Ran'jit was only growing angrier and angrier the longer that the battle went on, for his stoic expression soon gave away to frustration.
"Vanity…" Ran'jit snapped before using another blast of wind aether to force him back and held up his hand. "Beast of my blood, answer my call!"
Beast? Alphinaud wasn't sure what was going on at first, but then another blast of wind blew him back and almost hitting the wall behind him before it appeared. He gasped when he saw the long dragon-like drake appear before them. He had heard the stories that the General was a deadly beast in battle, having tamed even a legendary creature to call upon in battle whenever he chooses… he had prayed that it had been just a rumor. Yet then swirled around the old man, aether suddenly erupting like a volcano as a blast made his head ring and revealed the armor. Somehow he had merged with the serpent dragon and was garbed in crimson armor and tattered garments with a gleaming red scythe in his hands.
"Rend my foes and ward their blows," he cried as Alphinaud felt himself shaking in fear as he rose to his feet. But Ran'jit had already moved, quick as lightning, and before Alphinaud knew it, he was struck by the General once more, being hit in the chest by the dull side of the blade. Though he didn't feel blood warming his clothes, he did feel as if every bone in his chest suddenly broke from the fierceness of the blow.
Bile and blood burst from his lips as he fell back, dazed and in pain as the scythe's blade came down at him again. Instinctually, he held up his grimoire like a shield, hoping to put a stop to it. And though he was spared a critical blow, he could only watch through blurry eyes how his grimoire was shredded right in half and paper went flying all over.
Upon rendering him weaponless, Ran'jit's boot came down upon his ribs and Alphinaud cried out in agony, every part of his body in terrible pain as a ringing echoed in his ears.
"Is she still worth it?" Ran'jit asked softly, his voice laced with disappointment.
Alphinaud couldn't answer as he struggled for air, but Vauthry was still laughing at his complete defeat and humiliation as if he had just witnessed a grand show.
"Ahh, that certainly was exciting," he sighed and Alphinaud turned his head, forcing his vision to clear as he glared at the fat man, wanting nothing more than to rip his mouth off. "You certainly have some talent to have gone toe-to-toe with my General for as long as you did, I'll give you that, but you are still far too weak and inexperienced to be of any use in my army. I shall judge you here and now. For your crimes against the head of state, I sentence you… to death! General! If you would be so kind?"
"Yes, my lord," Ran'jit said almost mechanically as he held up his blade. Alphinaud could see the scythe rising above his head, seeing his own bloody face reflected in the blade itself, before he closed his eyes, thinking of the night before instead. Of being held by warm arms with lips as sweet as honey against his own…?
"STOP!"
His eyes snapped open and he turned his head as much as he could from the floor to find the owner of that voice.
"Wait!" Claire gasped, raising herself up onto her knees, blood dripping about her. "I'll talk. I'll tell you everything. I know who the Warrior of Darkness truly is. You were right."
Both Alphinaud and Vauthry stared at her, but for different reasons.
"No, Claire! You can't…?!" he tried to call but Ran'jit held the scythe to his throat, hissing to be silent.
"You do?!" Vauthry demanded, his eyes flashing as any good mood faded at once upon hearing of his foe. "Then out with it girl! Tell me what I want to know and I may spare his life!"
"I have a condition," Claire snarled back, struggling to get back up, despite how much pain she was obviously in and Alphinaud could only watch on in awe as she slowly found her footing and pushed herself up so that she was standing, though it was clear right away that the effort to do so was causing her limbs to shake.
"What was that?!" Vauthry demanded, spluttering into shock upon hearing that she was talking back to him now of all times.
"I'll tell you," she wheeze as Ryne struggled against her bindings. "But only if I can speak with Alphinaud and Ryne first. Let me talk to them… and I'll tell you what I know."
"Claire…?" Ryne whimpered as Vauthry raised his eyebrows.
"You are in no position to be making demands girl," Vauthry reminded her angrily.
"Maybe not yet… but I do have one last trick up my sleeve to get you to listen," she stated and slowly she began to back away from them.
"Ha! Running from your problems?" Vauthry cackled as she continued to move slowly backwards, moving closer to the dais where Vauthry usually sat upon and pushed herself up onto it—not taking her eyes off any of them the entire time. Alphinaud didn't understand what she was planning, even Ryne seemed confused to what was going on. But Claire still kept moving, Ran'jit not releasing his hold over Alphinaud, clearly convinced that there was nothing she could do.
But still she kept moving back farther and farther until she was out onto the balcony itself. By that point, Ran'jit was the first one to realize what she was doing and ordered, "STOP!"
Alphinaud didn't understand… until Claire reached the railing and lifted one leg up and pushed herself up onto it—where his own eyes widened in horror.
"NO DON'T DO IT!" he screamed in panic.
At his cry, Claire finally stopped but it was a narrow thing. For now she was standing upon the railing that overlooked the entire cliff where the castle stood, directly above the ocean. Just one more step—hells, one strong breeze—and she will go tumbling off to the frozen waters below them. It seems that Vauthry and Ran'jit both were taken aback by her actions, realizing that she was willing to risk her life.
"That is enough playing strong!" Vauthry snapped at her, "Get off of there, or else your punishment will be even harsher!"
"Hmmm, your threat is making it all the more tempting to step backwards," she said with a slight wheeze to her voice. "If you aren't careful, uncle, you might make me fall. And I know that you wouldn't want that. Not because you care about me, but because you're afraid of losing the knowledge that you think I have."
"Why you little…?" Ran'jit snarled, finally stepping off of Alphinaud, who could finally suck in a full breath of air with the foot off his ribs. "You would go so far? You expect us to believe that you would be willing to throw your life away like that?"
"You really wanna test me?" she challenged, still standing upon the railing and Alphinaud could only watch on in terror, fearing that she would fall over at any moment to the icy waters below them. "Then go ahead. And then you will be left no closer to finding your Warrior of Darkness."
Alphinaud bit his lower lip, knowing that she was playing a very dangerous game. Vauthry and Ran'jit didn't know she was the Warrior of Darkness—not yet—but they feared that if she died without telling them the truth… then they will never get the answers they want. She was making a very risky gamble here and it all depended on what Vauthry was willing to do now.
The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, everyone looking from Claire to Vauthry before looking back to Claire again. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting to see whose will would win out. Finally… Vauthry leaned back, looking angry, but it seemed that he realized that she wasn't kidding here.
"Alright, tell me what it is that you demand," he huffed, waving his hand over at her. "I'll not promise anything, but tell me this boon of yours."
"I wish to speak to Alphinaud and Ryne," she said firmly.
"You are free to do so!" Vauthry shouted back, anger back in his voice as he waved his massive hand over to Ryne on the floor and Alphinaud, still being held down by Ran'jit.
"I mean you are to release Alphinaud and cut Ryne's ropes so that I can talk to them privately," she retorted. "We will speak out here so that you can keep an eye on us. You let me do that… then I will tell you what you want to know."
"Claire… you don't have to do this," Alphinaud wheeze, pushing himself up onto his knees, on hand holding onto his ribs, which he feared were broken at that point.
"Please…" Claire said, ignoring him, still addressing Vauthry.
Vauthry's eyes were narrowed. It was clear that he smelt a rat here, but he couldn't seem figure out what else she could possibly be planning. So in the end he waved his hand for a third time at Ran'jit, who arched his eyebrows.
"My lord?" Ran'jit warned but Vauthry snorted.
"If this will give us our answers, then we will entertain this tantrum of hers," he said unconcerned. "Besides, where will they go? I just need one word to get them to behave."
Ran'jit still looked suspicious, and it couldn't have been any clearer to Alphinaud that, unlike his master, he didn't trust Claire not to do something crazy at this point. He seemed to have a better understanding of her nature and that she still posed a threat to them. But unable to ignore Vauthry's orders, he ignored Alphinaud and walked over to Ryne, holding up his scythe to cut her free.
Alphinaud staggered to his feet as he made his way limping over to Claire just as Ryne rolled over and scrambled to follow. Claire finally stepped down from the railing and all but collapsed in his arms, her body still in bad shape from the beating she took before.
"Are you alright?" she whispered softly, her eyes looking glazed over.
"I should be asking you that," he whispered back, his mind working furiously as he tried to think of a way out of this mess. What were they to do? "Claire, you need to lie and tell them you don't know anything about the Warrior of Darkness and…?"
"That won't work," she wheezed back, "They know that I know something about it and they aren't letting me go. Besides, even if I do lie, they won't let Ryne go either."
"Why? What did they do to her?" he asked as Ryne joined them, her blonde hair shining in the light as her usually empty eyes seemed to pierce right through to them as she all but ran to hug Claire, shaking like a leaf.
"I'm sorry, I should have known that something like this was going to happen sooner or later," she whispered to the girl, who only shook her head, tears shining in her strange eyes—once again causing Alphinaud to wonder what happened in the hours they were held here.
"Listen to me," Claire whispered, "You both must get out of these lands as quickly as possible. If you have to, go to the Crystarium. Raha will be able to provide both shelter and protection to you both. Make sure to take Thancred, Y'shtola, Tataru and anyone else that you know can help you and just flee this place."
"But… but how?" Ryne whispered.
"He'll never let us leave, and even if we did, we can't leave you behind," Alphinaud whispered as well, wincing in pain and she raised her hands, one to grip Ryne at the back of the head, and the other placed tenderly upon Alphinaud's cheek.
"That was a very brave thing you did there," she told him sincerely. "And though you may not be strong enough to face him yet, I know that you will be one day."
He stared back before lowering his head in shame and self-loathing. What good was he? He had tried to help them, only to be beaten within an ilm of his life?
But Claire turned back to Ryne, and told her, "Alphinaud can't swim to save his life, you be sure to help him, alright?"
Ryne blinked in confusion before Claire raised her head, smiling faintly at them both.
"Trust me," she said, "And be ready to brace yourselves."
Alphinaud didn't like that smile one bit… it was like a scream in his gut warning him that something bad was about to happen.
"What are you planning?" he asked as she stared into his eyes once more and he found himself momentarily speechless. He wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't find the words that he so desperately wanted to say. For that look in her face could only say one thing… that what she was about to do was both stupid and reckless.
"Alright, time's up! Hurry up and tell us what you know!" Vauthry demanded as Claire stood.
"Whatever happens, don't leave the balcony," she told them both firmly before moving to stand out in front of them, facing Ran'jit, still carrying his scythe, and facing against them.
Everything that happened after that was so quick that if you blinked you missed half of what was going on already. The second that Ran'jit moved towards them, Alphinaud planned to rush at him instead, somehow hoping that he could give the girls time to escape. But Claire moved faster, moving directly to Ran'jit, taking the old man by surprise by her sudden speed. There was shouting from Vauthry as she grabbed hold of the pole of the scythe and suddenly the two of them were fighting over the weapon.
Vauthry was screaming out her name, both clearly astonished and shocked that she was fighting off the restricting collar even as her face was turning blue from lack of air. In a panic, Alphinaud reached for his torn grimoire but knew not what to do until Ryne shouted, "Stop him! Stop Vauthry!"
As the two warriors continued to fight over the weapon, Alphinaud directed his gaze to Vauthry and cast his spell, knowing that with it so badly damaged the most that he could do was one thing. He summoned forth his carbuncle.
"Ruby!" he called and the glittering creature emerged from the ruined pages and as he willed it, it launched itself directly at Vauthry's face. It was complete chaos as Ryne screamed and Alphinaud steadied her as he could only watch the madness continue.
Vauthry was howling as Ruby slashed at his head, using its claws to dig into his face even as Vauthry was trying to grab at it, but was unable to reach it probably due to the fat in the way. With a great heave, he slowly began to rise from his cushioned seat, roaring out in rage as he continued to try and shake the creature off. Alphinaud was honestly stunned that Vauthry was even able to do something as simple as stand… he had not seen him do anything but sit the entire time he had been here and so to see the massive man rise to his feet was akin to a miracle in his eyes.
Meanwhile, the fighting between Claire and Ran'jit was getting extreme, for with Vauthry now focused on his own pain, whatever spell he had seemed to be connected to the collars was temporarily broken because Claire sucked in a lungful of air, still fighting with Ran'jit over the scythe. Alphinaud was in wonder at the sight as the two were tossing the other about, crashing into the furniture and walls, neither one of them willing to let go of the only weapon between them.
As Vauthry shouted out in pain with Ruby still clawing at his face, Ran'jit looked back to his master, distracted for just a split second, but that was all the time that Claire needed, for she delivered a hard kick to his middle, causing him to splutter and she wrenched the scythe away from him as she swung it about expertly in her hands.
Alphinaud felt hope rising inside him at the sight, thinking that they had a shot at this even as she ran towards Vauthry now, swinging about the blade as she brought it down at the oversized man. It seemed that she was planning on brining Vauthry down right then and there, but to his surprise, she seemed more focused upon the silken pouch at his side and with one quick cut, she was able to slice through it, where two small metal objects fell out.
Alphinaud didn't understand what was going on as he watched her scoop the two devices up and bolted straight back to him and Ryne, even as Ran'jit ran after her.
"Brace yourselves!" Claire yelled at the two of them and he blinked, not sure what she was talking about as she spun about to face Ran'jit once more holding the two devices in one hand and pointing his own scythe directly at his head in warning.
Ran'jit slowed considerably but he still moved, yelling out, "YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THIS WORSE FOR YOURSELF!"
"I lived in hell every day for years from you! Believe me, this is nothing!" she yelled back wildly as Ryne clutched at Alphinaud's front as he cast his mind about, desperate for a way out of this mess.
"A deal is a deal though! And let no man say that I go back on my word!" she added out loudly, as if hoping that the entire castle were to hear her words. "You wanted to know the truth? Then here is my truth! Though I think that you already know what I am about to say, Ran'jit!"
The old man's eyes narrowed dangerously as power seemed to be surging through the air and Alphinaud stared at Claire's back, as she once again took a protective stance in front of him, shielding him and Ryne from the danger facing them.
"Claire…" he whispered as her shoulders slumped when she heard her name, but her aether was blazing bright and fierce, alarming Ran'jit, who took a step back and Vauthry was finally able to grab hold of Ruby and tossed the carbuncle across the room. The man's face was swollen and covered with cuts from tiny claws as he glared over at Claire, whose aether continued to pour out of her and soon surrounded the scythe.
"Claire! Don't!" Ryne yelled, making to run forward as if she understood exactly what her cousin was about to do. Alphinaud was too slow to grasp it until his wife held up her blade towards the sky, the light from her aether so bright now that it was blinding. It was then she finally spoke:
"I am the Warrior of Darkness!" she called out proudly as she brought the blade down upon the floor, unleashing a surge of dark energy that caused it to crack and crumble behind her, in fact the entire room began to shake as she stood tall, glaring at her uncle without a shred of fear or regret.
"I am the nightmare that you have been dreading!" she went on as Vauthry's eyes went wide with fear and panic at the display of power, casting aside any and all doubt from their minds as she finished, "And mark my words, I shall see this land delivered from the tyranny of light!"
She then turned as the balcony floor began to break away and suddenly he was in the air. She remained standing upon the part of the balcony that was connected to the Canopy when she turned and he could only stare up at her, unable to believe what was happening even as he fell backwards through the open window. The last thing he saw before he went over the edge of the balcony was a sad smile on her bruised and beaten face.
"Love you…" he saw her mouthed as she pushed the two buttons on the devices at the same time.
He was still so stunned by everything that happened in the last few minutes that he didn't notice the cracking sound in his ears until there was a loud noise that cut through to him at last. But as he falling through the air as everything had slowed to a crawl about him, he saw them… the shattered pieces of gold flying about his head—it wasn't until he hit the frigid waters below them did he realize what it was… the shattered pieces of his collar.
(OMG! They're free! At least, Ryne and Alphinaud are! But it seems that one of them is still imprisoned behind them. Typical of our WOL in freeing the others at the cost of her own freedom. Assuming that the winter water's don't kill them instead. So sorry about taking so long though, had a lot of different projects going on at the moment so had a lot to do. But I do hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait! As to what happened in that room before Alphinaud came in? You'll find out soon enough!)