Night had descended upon the town as it always had, the streets had become silent as death save for the faint scraping and scurrying of rats and cats, with the only light being the moons, the stars, and the occasional candle-lit window. The alleyways were darker still, their contents overshadowed by the buildings that surround them, even in the light of day. It was in one such alley that four youths discussed their future.
"So what's the plan then?" the first asked, impatient to get to the point.
"We could try highway robbery again," the second replied, "It has a certain daring elegance to it. And must we discuss this in such a filthy place?"
"It's not like there's anywhere else we can go," the third and largest of their number said, "Besides, what's even the point in trying? We'll just mess up like always, let's just give up and go home."
"We are not doing any such thing," the fourth and leader of the group said.
"Come off it, Alain. You know we're a lost cause, nothing we do ever goes right."
"I said no. I know that we haven't been very good at... well, anything, but that's no reason to give up. Those two could have easily had us killed, but they spared us, out of nothing but kindness. It was the first kind thing that anyone had done for us in a long time, so we can't just throw that away. We'll find our place in the world, I know we will."
The journey to the headmaster's office was one plagued by a sense of deja vu. Tommy's presence had been requested by the older man and he couldn't figure out why, the whole thing reminded him of when he was a kid and had gotten in trouble with the principal. He hadn't done anything wrong, as far as he knew, yet he couldn't shake the feeling. He approached the wooden door and knocked, hoping that this would be quick as there were still preparations to be made and they would be leaving tomorrow.
"Enter," the voice from inside commanded.
Tommy did so, turning the doorknob and pushing it open to reveal the office, exactly as it had been the week before. Shelves filled with all manner of books and scrolls lined the walls of the circular room, save for the tall window directly opposite the office door and the large wooden desk that sat before the window, as well as the tall, ornate standing mirror that sat to the side of the desk. The owner of the office stood behind his desk, gazing out the window at the midday landscape that lay beyond.
"You wanted to see me, Headmaster Osmand?" Tommy asked as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Ah yes, right on time," the old man replied, not taking his eyes from the window, "Please, take a seat."
Tommy knew this tactic, he had used it a few times himself. He was definitely in trouble. He did as he was instructed and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, and began to wait. Seconds turned to minutes as he sat, the headmaster still entranced by whatever he was watching, if he even was watching anything. Tommy tried to figure out what he had done, had Jean told the headmaster about everything that they were doing?
"You broke your promise," Osmand finally said, still not turning to face him.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Tommy replied.
"The promise you made to not divulge the academy's financial woes, you told the princess of our troubles."
"How did you know that?"
"She told me," the old man said as he finally turned around and took his seat, "She came to speak with me after she had spoken to you and Miss Valliere. Tell me, why did you see the need in doing such a thing?"
"It was the right thing to do, if anyone could fix the issue it would be the princess."
"On that second part, you were correct. She told me that she would see that our funding is reinstated."
"And the first part?"
"Doctor Oliver, when I first took your measure, I determined that you are a man of strong moral fiber and stronger determination, and it is these qualities that I wished to speak about."
"I'm still not sure I understand."
"You accepted, without hesitation, a mission to go into a civil war without considering the ramifications that one such as yourself could cause, and without any benefit to yourself."
"The people of Albion need help, are you saying that I shouldn't try to help them?"
"Oh heavens no. By all means, do what you must to help them. But I am advising you to be cautious in doing so. Power breeds influence, especially power such as yours which is unknown to most. There are those in power that are quite comfortable with their status quo, and do not take kindly to its disturbance. Be aware that you may make unintended enemies in your endeavors, both current and future."
"I'm afraid that isn't something that I can consider, people's lives are more important than someone's toes getting stepped on."
"Which brings us back to the initial point of this conversation. You made a promise to not reveal the academy's financial struggles, yet you broke that promise in your belief in doing what is right. Now, I understand your reasoning and I am grateful, but others may not be. What you believe to be right may cost you any alliances that you make, especially in this Power Ranger business that you and Jean are getting up to."
"How do you know about that?"
"Do you see this mirror?" the old man said as he gestured to the standing mirror to the side.
Tommy turned to look at the mirror and as Osmand waved his hand, the image in the mirror changed. He now looked upon Jean and Alpha conversing as Alpha continued diligently working, their voices coming through the glass loud and clear. Osmand waved his hand again, and the image changed to that of Louise, studying in what he guessed was the library.
"A remarkable artifact, if I do say," the headmaster continued, "It was dug out of the academy's archives by one of my predecessors. It appears to be magically bound to whoever is the headmaster of the academy, or rather, whoever is master of this castle as it was not always a place of education."
"You've been spying on us," Tommy replied.
"A good headmaster knows what goes on under his nose," the old man said with a chuckle, "Though I must confess my surprise at learning of the existence of other worlds, the ship from the other day certainly did not resemble any from this one. I do not pretend to know how things work where you are from, but we have a saying here: the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
"Funnily enough, we have the same saying back home."
"Then you understand what I am trying to impart upon you. In the eyes of those in power, you will be a rogue element, uncontrolled by any known vices. You do not follow their rules, you do not serve any known master. They will fear you, they will fear that you will come for them for the crimes they may have committed, or simply that you are trying to take power for yourself. If they cannot control you then they will attack you, and if they cannot harm you, then they will bring harm upon those close to you."
"I'm fully aware of the risks, Headmaster, but this is something that I have to do. Their precious status quo isn't going to mean much if everyone is enslaved or dead. Besides, I prefer to think that people can be more reasonable than that."
"Then you are a more idealistic man than I," the Headmaster sighed, "You truly believe that these monstrosities you spoke of will come? What proof do you have?"
"Right now I don't have any proof, but these things tend to happen in sequence, and Rita's staff was just the beginning. Believe me, I would be perfectly happy if nothing happens and the Rangers are never needed, but it never works out like that. Is there anything else you wanted to speak about?"
"You are free to go."
Tommy gave the headmaster a final nod before he rose from his seat and made his way to the door.
"You walk a dangerous path, Doctor Oliver," Headmaster Osmand said from behind his desk.
"It's the only path that I've ever known."
"Then I hope that you walk it successfully, for all of our sakes."
Tommy opened the door and stepped into the corridor, the empty secretary's desk that sat nearby catching his eye, and a brief sense of melancholy settled upon him. He was all too familiar with the casualties that came with this life, he only hoped that he could do enough to keep everyone safe. He turned and made his way back to the workshop, there was still much to do and time was almost up.
It had been three days since Alpha 7 had arrived in Tristain, three days of nearly non-stop work, but Alpha was happy with it because it was for a good cause. He was overjoyed when Tommy had asked for his help in creating a new team of Power Rangers, and overjoyed to make new friends in the process. Jean had wasted no time in asking question after question and Alpha was happy to answer, it was always good to see someone so enthusiastic to learn something new. Louise, meanwhile, was far more hesitant in their interactions but Alpha didn't hold it against her. Everything that she thought she knew had been upended in rapid succession so it was completely understandable, but he did hope that she would eventually come around. The other students of the academy had a variety of reactions to him, in the brief moments that he stepped out into the sun to recharge. Some had seemed curious as to what he was, while others seemed to act entirely dismissive of him, though it was probably because they didn't know any better.
The micro-servos in his hands adjusted as he placed the transmitter into the tiny device in front of him, held steadily between two miniature clamps attached to a stand, his magnified vision allowing him to see that it had connected accurately. Working with small components was nothing new for Alpha, and the beacons that they had built were no exception, thirty-six in total as of current with hopefully more to come before the mission got underway. The beacons were disk-like objects about the size of a cookie, colored black save for a small red light when activated. As Alpha was about to connect another component, the door to the workshop opened and Tommy stepped through.
"The antenna's been installed, it should give our signals more range for now," Tommy said as he approached the table, "How are the communicators coming along?"
"The first six have been completed and we should have enough supplies to make a few more," Alpha replied without taking his optics off his work.
"What about the micro-beacon?"
"Nearly finished, I just need to add one last piece and it should be functional."
"Good, that's going to be crucial in completing this mission, one way or the other."
Tommy grabbed some tools and the pair began to work in companionable silence, with Tommy beginning the construction of a new beacon as Alpha finished his own work. The micro-beacon now complete, Alpha placed it in a case for safety before walking to the terminal to continue improving on their mapping algorithm.
"How have you been holding up, Alpha?" Tommy asked as he continued to work.
"I am doing quite well, thank you," Alpha replied, "Although, I will admit that I'm a bit homesick, but all of the work we've been doing has been keeping my mind off of it."
"Thanks again for helping with all of this, hopefully we can finish everything before too long and you can get back to the Megaship."
"It's no trouble at all, I'm always happy to help my friends."
Silence mostly resumed with the only sounds coming from Tommy's tools and the keyboard in front of Alpha, his golden digits moving with pinpoint efficiency as code streamed across the screen. He then paused in his typing to look around the room, trying to find the source of the interference. This was the tenth time in three days that he had felt it, like a faint buzz just barely within auditory range. It wasn't major by any means but it was just noticeable enough to be distracting. Perhaps it was simply the ambient magic of the academy coming into contact with his sensory array, he hadn't had much exposure to magic while aboard the Megaship so he probably just didn't recognize it. Assuming, of course, that magic did cause interference and it wasn't something else he was detecting.
"Do you hear or feel anything odd, Tommy?" Alphas asked.
"Nothing that I'm noticing at the moment, is something wrong?" Tommy replied, looking up from the nearly assembled beacon.
"For the last few days, I've been detecting some faint sensory interference and I've been unable to pinpoint the source."
"That's weird, have you only felt it in here, or is it in other places too?"
"I can't say, I haven't gone anywhere besides just outside. The interference isn't constant either, it comes and goes without any pattern that I can discern."
"I think I have a hunch as to what it could be, but we'll have to check to be certain. When we have the time, I'll go grab a frequency detector so we can track it down."
"Thank you, Tommy. It's been getting on my nerves. What was your hunch, by the way?"
"It's part of what the headmaster wanted to talk to me about earlier, turns out he's got a magic mirror that apparently lets him see anywhere in the academy and he's been watching us work."
"Oh my, should we be worried?"
"I don't think so, he didn't seem mad about what we're doing when he brought it up. And to be fair, it is his castle and we have been squatting here so I don't blame him for looking in on us. Though I am concerned about what else he might be using the mirror for..."
"Oh, I think I get what you mean..."
"Unfortunately, we don't have time to look into that, at least not yet. We've got precious few hours left before we head out."
The pair then resumed their work, but not before Alpha tried one last time to determine the source of the interference, which had thankfully disappeared while they talked.
Guiche walked hesitantly to the spot where he had trained with Sir Thomas the last two days. Where he had once been confident in showing the magic that his family had prided for generations, and proving his worth for all to see, he now felt that his Bronze Valkyries and even he himself might not be of much use on the mission. He still wanted to go along, he needed to go along, but a part of his heart feared that he may be more hindrance than help. It was once more nearly sunset, and the radiant natural beauty that so often reminded him of his darling Montmorency eluded him in his inner conflict.
Sir Thomas soon came into view and Guiche noticed that he held something in his hand at his side. As he drew closer, he could see that it appeared to be a sheathed sword, but unlike the ones Sir Thomas had used before and unlike any that Guiche had ever seen. The sheath was a simple black in color and seemed to be made of wood, but was slightly curved in a manner that he was unfamiliar with. He drew closer still and could now make out a simple pommel, and in place of a traditional crossguard was what appeared to be a disc of some sort.
"Right on time, Guiche," Sir Thomas said as he got close, "Are you ready for more?"
"I believe so, but if I may ask, what is that sword?"
"It was mine when I was your age, now I want you to have it."
Guiche was taken aback by the sudden proclamation. He was, of course, honored to be given something like this, but he could not understand why. He had not done anything to deserve such a gift. Sir Thomas held the blade out to him and Guiche carefully took it, noting how light it was for its size compared to other swords. The sheath was indeed made of polished black wood, while the hilt was wrapped in a kind of black leather unlike any he had felt before. Slowly and carefully, Guiche drew the sword from its sheath, revealing a curved, notably thin single-edged blade as long as his arm that gleamed in the setting sun.
"T-Thank you, but why?" Guiche asked as he continued to examine the sword.
"There will come a time when you will face an enemy that will get past your golems, and you won't have time to redirect them or cast a new spell. That sword and the technique associated with it will be your last line of defense."
"I see, but isn't the blade too thin for such a thing?"
"The thin blade is by design. The place where these swords were made didn't have high quantities of high-quality metal, so they made do with what they had. A direct hit against an enemy's weapon or armor may damage or even break the blade, but you won't be aiming for those. All armor, no matter how strong, has weak points, whether those are gaps that allow for movement or the fastenings that keep it in place. The greater agility and cutting ability the thin blade provides will allow you to strike at those weak points, and the technique that I'm going to teach you will allow you to strike fast. May I?"
Guiche carefully resheathed the sword and handed it back to Sir Thomas before stepping back. Guiche then realized that he had been so focused on the sword that he failed to notice the five tree leaves that Sir Thomas clutched in his other hand. The older man threw the leaves in the air then dropped into a stance, and he drew the blade faster than Guiche's eyes could follow. It was a second before Guiche had realized that all of the leaves had been cut in two in the instant the blade had been drawn.
"If you can cut a leaf as it falls," Sir Thomas said as he righted himself and resheathed the blade, "Then you can strike an enemy's weak point while they're in motion."
They began in earnest, Sir Thomas showing him the proper stance and guiding him through the motions. Guiche drew and resheathed the sword again and again, slowly so that he would become accustomed to the motions and to not hurt himself, all while Sir Thomas corrected his technique where necessary. They continued for nearly an hour, and though Guiche had paid attention to Sir Thomas' instructions, the repetitive actions allowed Guiche's mind to wander back to his doubts. Why was he doing this? There was no chance that he could master such a technique in the little time that they had. He wanted to be part of this mission, to do his part and prove himself worthy of the Gramont name, but what could he do that couldn't already be accomplished by another? Sir Thomas had proven that handily these last few days, and while he claimed that his skills were advantageous, Guiche doubted how much they could really be of use.
"Focus, Guiche. Your footing is slipping."
Guiche did as was instructed and adjusted his stance, but did not continue and merely stared at the blade in his hand.
"Is something wrong?" Sir Thoms asked.
"What is the point of all this?" Guiche asked in turn, "Why give me this sword and teach me this technique? Why have me throw my Valkyries at you?"
"You said that you wanted to be part of the mission so I'm helping you prepare for it. Are you having second thoughts?"
"Of course not!" Guiche retorted and turned to face the man, "But these last days have shown that I am not nearly capable enough."
"That's not true, you've shown that you're more skilled than you think, and you've kept up with me quite well the last two times we trained."
"You were obviously holding back."
"Of course I was, I'm always holding back. In every battle I've been in, I've held back so that no innocents would potentially get hurt. But I haven't been holding back as much as you think I have, you've been keeping pace with me far better than most ever could. When we eventually face enemy combatants, you should have no trouble against them. And if you do, remember that you'll be part of a team, you can rely on us as much as we'll rely on you."
Guiche once more gazed at the sword in his hand, the sword that was given to him in recognition of his prowess. But was there truth in those words? Before he would have accepted such praise without a second thought, as it would have been obvious for all to see, at least in his mind. He was of noble blood, a scion of the distinguished Gramont lineage, he would have gloated and sung his own praises to the heavens. To think that so much could change in so little time.
"It's getting late, we should head back," Sir Thomas said, shaking Guiche from his musings, "And bring Montmorency to Professor Colbert's workshop at around midnight, we'll be meeting to discuss the plan for the mission."
Guiche simply nodded in acknowledgment, his thoughts still burdened by doubt. He resheathed the sword and began to walk back to the castle, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Sir Thomas looking into his eyes, his gaze serious yet reassuring.
"Remember what I told you, Guiche. True courage is choosing to act in spite of fear or doubt. If going on this mission is what you want, not what's expected of you but what you truly want, then don't let doubt hold you back."
"Thank you for the kind words," Guiche replied, "Thank you for all of this."
Sir Thomas simply nodded and Guiche resumed his march, his heart now slightly less heavy than before. Though doubt still lingered, he would forge through it, and he would not be alone.
The sound of a quill scratching away at paper was the only sound within Louise's room, a letter to inform the princess that they would set out tomorrow. It was her fourth attempt at writing it as her hands would not stop trembling. She dropped her quill and clutched her hands to steady them, taking deep, calming breaths. She had not felt this way since just before she first came to the academy, the anticipation of the mission was playing havoc on her nerves. She knew that they would succeed, they had to, so much depended on it. Yet the fear of disgrace and failure still clung to her heart.
Louise shook her head and reached for a fresh sheet to begin her fifth attempt at the letter. It didn't matter how she felt, she would not let fear hold her back. The princess trusted her and depended on her out of everyone else in the kingdom, and she would not let it be in vain.
"Louise?"
Louise nearly jumped out of her skin and frantically turned around, only to find Tommy standing there, a look of concern on his face.
"Would you stop sneaking up on me like that?!" she admonished, "What is it? I'm busy writing to the princess about our imminent departure."
"I came to tell you that we'll be meeting at Professor Colbert's workshop at around midnight to discuss the mission. Is everything okay?"
"I'm fine! I just... It's nothing."
"Aren't you worried that someone might intercept your letter?" he asked, thankfully changing the subject, "If the princess is right and there are spies in the government, they might be monitoring any communications."
"I would not put it past such filth to act so low, which is why I'm writing the letter in a secret language that the princess and I invented when we were children," Louise replied proudly, 'To anyone else, it will look like nothing more than pleasantries but the princess will understand the true meaning."
"That's pretty smart, and it gives me an idea. I'll be right back."
Tommy pressed something on his 'communicator', as he called it, and vanished in a burst of light. A few seconds later, another burst and he reappeared, placing a small black disc on her desk.
"And this is?" she asked dubiously of the strange object.
"That device is part of how we'll be expanding the range of the teleportation system. If you send that in your letter to the princess, we'll be able to teleport directly to her the second the mission is complete. And if she needs us for another mission, we'll be able to respond in an instant."
Louise picked up the disc, her opinion of it now more positive, and placed it in the envelope before resuming her writing. As Tommy made to leave, it occurred to Louise that her goal from the previous day had gone unfulfilled.
"Thomas," she began, her voice shaky despite her best efforts to control it.
"Yes, Louise?"
"Did... has Professor Colbert found anything in the library from when we tested my magic?"
His silence and the conflicted look upon his face said it all. Louise's heart began to beat rapidly, her hands clenched and began to tremble more than ever, and her mind raced with thoughts of doom. Was something truly wrong with her? Was she broken, was she ill? What else could possibly cause him to react like that?
"P-p-please, I m-must know," she stammered out despite her best efforts to maintain dignity, "I d-demand to know."
"I know," he replied with a sigh, "I told him that you had a right to know. What we have is only a hypothesis, and we were hoping to conduct more tests before coming to any conclusions. But based on what we observed that day, and what professor Colbert found in the library, we believe that you might be a void mage."
"...no."
"Louise?"
Louise stood and began to pace around her room, her heart now beating in her throat and ears, her hands running through her hair as her mind frantically tried to deny it. No, it couldn't be possible, they had to be wrong! It wasn't... she couldn't...! O Founder, what if people found out?! If she wasn't a disgrace before, she certainly would be if anyone knew. What would happen to her family? Cattleya couldn't survive on the streets, or worse, in prison! The sudden feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her jump and turn, the concern on Tommy's face brought her racing thoughts to halt.
"Are you certain!?" she demanded.
"As I said, it's only a hypothesis," he replied calmly, "We can't be sure until we do more tests, and even then information on what to look for is almost non-existent."
"No one can know, ever!"
"And no one will. The only ones who do are myself, Professor Colbert, and you, and we have no intention of telling anyone unless it's okay with you."
"Well it isn't and will never be okay with me! Do you have any idea of what would happen if I went around proclaiming myself to be a... a...!"
"Professor Colbert told me of what could happen, but I won't let any of it come to pass."
"...You're mad. You must be truly out of your mind if you intend to go to war with the church just like that! Just because of...!"
"I've spent my life fighting in defense of others and that isn't about change. It doesn't matter who comes after you, they can try and they will fail. I swear on my honor as a Power Ranger that no one will know what you are until the day you decide to say so yourself. And if that day never comes, then so be it."
Louise could only stare at the man before her, she had always suspected that there was something fundamentally off about him and this proved it. It wasn't even a surprise at this point, just the latest in a long line of absurd things to spill from his mouth. She wondered what sort of world could produce someone like this. He had only known her for two weeks and yet here he stood, declaring his intent to defy a foundational institution, all based on a hypothesis! Louise began to pace again, trying to come up with something, anything, for an alternate explanation. Maybe she truly was ill and he was trying to... she had no idea why he'd be telling her that if she was sick! What if it's part of some sick joke? All this time, everything was some elaborate ruse just to mess with her. It was certainly more plausible than being a void mage!
"Just breathe, Louise. Sit down and try to calm yourself."
"Why should I?! How can I know that anything you're saying is true?!"
"Because we're setting out for the mission tomorrow and we don't need you panicking until you're sick."
The mission, right. She couldn't let this distract her, Princess Henrietta needed her. She sat on her bed, head resting in her hands, and tried to breathe. Her hands still trembled, though now for an entirely different reason. She had to put it out of her mind, she couldn't let it compromise her.
"Are you going to be okay?" Tommy asked.
"I need to be alone," she ground out, still trying to breathe, "Just... just leave."
Louise did not lift her head, merely watching from the corner of her eye as Tommy left the room and closed the door behind him.
It was a beautiful day at the Tristain Academy of Magic, one that Louise sought to take advantage of. She sat at a table in the courtyard, enjoying the gentle breeze that offset the heat of the day as a maid brought her a fresh cup of warm tea. As she was about to take the first sip, something caught her attention: there was no sound. She looked up and found that not only had the sound stopped, nothing was moving. All she saw was her fellow students frozen mid-conversation, frozen mid-bite of their lunch, she looked up and saw that even a bird was frozen mid-flight. As she set down her tea to investigate, the cup disintegrated as soon as it touched the table and the tea along with it, the dust then evaporating into thin air.
Louise stood suddenly, knocking over her chair and it too turned to dust, followed by the table. It then began to spread, across the ground and consuming the grass as it went, followed by the students, the servants, even the walls and the castle itself began to crumble. Louise ran but the ground itself began to fall beneath her feet. She ran faster and faster, trying to escape as her mind screamed in panic, but the crumbling would not stop. A figure then entered her vision and she stopped in her tracks, trying to understand what she was looking at. Nothing, absolute nothingness in the vague shape of a person, like a walking hole in the world. It raised its arm to her, almost as if holding out a hand, beckoning her forward. Louise hesitated and took a step back, and began to fall.
She fell into darkness, the world falling with her into oblivion. She then opened her eyes and saw something shine against the all-consuming black. It was a strange orb, simply hovering there. It was colored in blues and greens with spots of brown, all while white streaks spread across its surface. It was then that she spotted two smaller orbs circling it, and something became familiar about the orbs. She took a closer look, at the way the small orbs moved and the shapes of the colors, almost like...
Was this her world? Louise turned and found herself standing in a field of stars, and around each star circled more orbs, more worlds. Was this what was out there? Where Tommy was from? It was breathtaking. She stepped forward and reached out to touch one, to hold one, and right as she made contact, it crumbled to dust. She watched as one by one, each world and every star began to disappear. She turned back to her world, only to watch as it too faded away. Everything was a void, and Louise screamed forever.
Louise's eyes opened as she shot up, frantically looking around, only to find her room, just as it always was. She let out a ragged breath she didn't know she was holding and fell back onto her bed. She must have fallen asleep and all of the stress had given her a nightmare. She sat up and looked out her window to find it pitch dark out, it had to be nearly midnight. She stood and walked to her mirror to see if she was presentable, then walked to her door. She opened it, and briefly paused to make sure it wouldn't crumble under her touch, before stepping into the corridor. She crept her way past the doors and down the stairs, as quietly as she could so as not to wake her fellow students. As she stepped out into the fresh night air, she spotted two other figures already outside, and upon closer inspection, she recognized them as Guiche and Montmorency.
"Valliere," they dryly greeted her.
"Gramont," she replied in kind, before turning to Montmorency, "Flood."
"I am not the flood!" the blonde girl hissed, "It's Fragrance! I am Montmorency the Fragrance!"
"And I'm not the Zero, but I guess neither of us can get what we want," Louise retorted, "Besides, at least I stopped wetting my bed when I was two."
"By the Founder, I will find whoever started that slanderous rumor and drown them!"
"Don't we have somewhere to be?" Guiche interjected.
The two girls glared at each other one final time before the trio made their way to Professor Colbert's workshop.
"Valliere, have you seen Katie anywhere?" Montmorency asked as they walked.
"Katie?" Louise replied, "You mean the first year that Guiche...-"
"Yes, yes, that one!"
"No, I haven't. Why?"
"We've been looking for her so that I might apologize for my actions toward her," Guiche said, "The last time we saw her was just as we escaped the battle but we haven't found her since."
"People have said they've seen her around when we asked, but we have yet to find her," Montmorency continued, "We've even checked her room multiple times but she's never there and the door is always locked."
Louise thought harder, perhaps she had seen her at some point? Plenty of people came and went during all of her time in the library recently, and Katie could have been one of them. She did recall seeing what looked like a head of long brown hair behind a bookshelf, but that could also describe many of her fellow students. They had then reached Professor Colbert's workshop so Louise stowed that thought for later. She reached out and knocked on the door, only for Tommy to open the door, a serious look on his face.
"Right on time," he said with a nod before stepping aside to allow them entry.
The workshop looked the same as the last few times that Louise had been there, but she watched as Montmorency and Guiche stared in bewilderment as they took in everything, from the screens, to the strange tools, and especially to Alpha. She allowed herself a small smile, enjoying the knowledge that she knew more than them. Professor Colbert stood to the side of the room, his features a mix of pensiveness and conflicted emotions. They gathered around a table laden with maps and awaited what was to come.
"Before we begin," Tommy said, "I'm going to give each of you one final chance to back out of the mission."
"What?!" Louise exclaimed.
"What about all our training?" Guiche protested.
"One final chance," Tommy continued, "Think it through and choose carefully, there will be no turning back once we set out. If I haven't made it clear before, we will be walking into a war. This won't be some pleasure trip, there will be no soft beds once we're in Albion, no warm baths, no servants to wait on you hand and foot. There will be dirt, sweat, pain, blood, and death. Should we come under attack, our enemies will try to kill you. Are you willing and able to accept these risks?"
Louise wanted to protest again, this was ridiculous! She was needed for this mission, the princess asked her! But his words made her pause, was she prepared for this? Was she prepared to experience these horrors? She looked to Montmorency and Guiche and saw that they too were lost in thought, no doubt thinking the same as her. She didn't want to bleed, she didn't want to be in pain and she certainly did not want to die. But if she didn't take this risk, if she didn't go on this mission, then so many more would suffer instead, so many crushed beneath a tyrannical bootheel.
"I will not back down," Montmorency declared.
Louise turned and looked in shock at her classmate, she was the last one Louise expected to speak up first, certainly the last one to accept such dangers.
"It would seem my decision was made for me," Guiche said, "Where Montmorency goes, I go."
Louise turned to look back at the table, then looked up into Tommy's eyes as he looked into hers. Eyes that held no fear of doom, eyes as strong as steel, eyes that believed in her.
"I will not back down either," Louise declared.
"Then let's begin," Tommy said, "Alpha?"
Alpha walked over with a tray containing what looked like three ordinary bracelets, pale in color with what looked like a long, flat, green gemstone embedded in each.
"And these are for?" Montmorency asked, giving the bracelets a dubious look.
"While they may look like bracelets, they are in fact communication devices to be used in case one or more of you is separated from the group," Alpha replied, causing Montmorency and Guiche to jump slightly, "Simply press on the gemstone and speak the name of who you wish to speak to and it will connect you to them."
They each took one and affixed them to their wrist, Louise noting how they were much lighter than they looked.
"The mission is simple," Tommy continued, "We ride out for La Rochelle at dawn, stopping when necessary, and we will charter a ship to Albion. Once there, we will make our way to Newcastle without drawing attention to the best of our ability, while helping any innocents along the way. Upon reaching Newcastle, we will gain an audience with Prince Wales. We will retrieve the letter, and then we will rescue Prince Wales and his people."
"But that wasn't what the princess asked us to do," Louise said.
"That's right, she didn't. But we don't leave people to the wolves, we will evacuate them to Tristain so that they can plan a counterattack against Reconquista with the aid of Tristain's forces. Are the parameters of the mission clear?"
The three of them nodded, but Louise remained unsure. What if the spies within Tristain tried to assassinate the prince while he was here? But then again, they couldn't just leave him to die, could they?
"Next, we'll discuss supplies," Tommy began again, "I've gone ahead and acquired food and other traveling gear that we'll need. If the three of you have sturdier and more nondescript clothes, wear them. This is primarily an infiltration mission and we don't want any enemies to possibly recognize that we're from Tristain, plus I don't think your uniforms will stand up to the conditions we're heading into. Is there anything that the three of you would like to add?"
"I was able to brew six doses of a healing draught, should they be needed," Montmorency said, "I had intended to make more, but I lacked the time to do so."
"If everything goes according to plan, then that will be more than enough. Anyone else?"
The three looked between each other before shaking their heads in response. Louise then looked back to Professor Colbert who had not said a word the entire meeting, his expression unchanging. She knew that he was against them going on the mission, and that the guilt of his acquiescence must weigh upon him.
"We set out at dawn so get as much rest as you can," Tommy said, "You're going to need it."
As the three made their way to leave, Louise paused to look at Professor Colbert once more.
"We will not fail, Professor," Louise said.
"Your reassurance is appreciated, Miss Valliere," he replied with a sad smile.
Louise simply nodded and made her way to her room. Sleep had not come easy, as was usual for Louise. Yet as she woke before dawn, she felt oddly invigorated. This was it, the day she had been waiting for, preparing for. This was the day she began to prove herself. She took a shaky breath to calm herself as the thought set her nerves trembling anew, and she began to dress. The only clothes that she had that were sturdier than her uniform were for riding horses, so that would have to do. Black riding pants with matching boots, along with a long-sleeved, white buttoned blouse, and she tied her long, pink hair into a ponytail.
She reached for her cape and broach but did not wear them, she simply looked at them. She remembered the day that she first arrived at the academy, the hesitation and fear of being away from home for the first time, but also the pride she felt when she first wore the cape and broach. Of course, it was not the same cape as first years wore capes of brown while she now wore a cape of black, signifying that she was now in her second year, but the meaning stayed the same. She had worn them both for so long that the thought of not having them felt like a piece of her was missing. She knew that she would return and wear them again, she would succeed so that she could once more wear them with pride. She ran her finger along the pentagram engraved into the broach, then placed them back in their drawer. With one last, deep breath to ease her nerves, she grabbed her wand as well as the bracelet she had been given the previous night, and walked out of her room.
Louise marched through the halls and down the stairs, making a slight detour to send out her letter to the princess, before continuing her march out into the courtyard as the first rays of the sun began to rise above the horizon. The early morning air was crisp, and the grass was still wet with dew, all the more invigorating her. The hole in the wall that passed for the front gate came into view and she saw that she was the last to arrive, Guiche and Montmorency were dressed in riding clothes similar to hers, though Guiche carried with him an odd-looking sword and Montmorency wore a satchel slung over her shoulder, and Tommy was once more wearing the clothes that she had bought for him with what appeared to be a belt of pouches. Along with them were Professor Colbert, Alpha, the maid Siesta, and four horses.
"Good, everyone's here," Tommy began, "Let's get ready."
They gathered their supplies, consisting of hooded cloaks, as well as rucksacks of a design and material that she had never seen before, with strange metal fastenings, and a large, soft bundle rolled up and strapped to the top of each that she assumed was a bedroll. Louise donned her cloak and then her rucksack, just as the others did, and was momentarily caught off guard by the weight. Louise then mounted her horse with practiced ease, taking the reins, ready to set out. She allowed herself a bit of pride when she noticed that she had gotten her horse under control before the others.
"Please be careful out there," Professor Colbert said.
"And good luck on your quest," Siesta chimed in.
"We'll be back before you know it," Tommy replied before turning to the three students, "Let's move, we've got people to save."
They guided the horses through the makeshift gate and onto the road, picking up speed as they went. Albion and destiny await.