Louise had been dreading this since her feet once again met Tristainian soil. She stood outside the throne room's doors, breathing deeply in anticipation of the task ahead of her, and pacing. Siesta, adorned in a more proper outfit befitting one visiting the Queen, watched as her girlfriend was slowly unraveling the longer they waited.
"It's not your fault, Louise, she won't blame you," Siesta assured, tracking Louise's pacing.
"It was my responsibility, I volunteered, and I messed everything up… I'm such a zero… I don't know what I was thinking," Louise lamented.
"Hey," Siesta began, softly, as she grabbed Louise's hand, "no matter what, I'll be right by your side." Siesta's comforting smile worked on the pacing pink-haired noble as she smiled back contentedly.
"The Princess will see you now," an approaching servant announced.
The couple looked at each other and nodded in affirmation as they strode into the throne room.
Upon seeing Henrietta's face, Louise's heart once again became heavy with guilt. Once she was close enough, she kneeled respectfully, Siesta following suit, and outstretched her hand with the air ruby, which Zeratul had already examined to his liking and determined it was, indeed, also Khaydarin crystal.
"Your Highness," Louise began mournfully. With her head bowed, she could not see her old friend's face fill with dreadful anticipation, "This is all that remains of Sir Wales…"
The Princess took the ring from her hand and stared at it sorrowfully.
Louise, sensing the need to elaborate, continued, "The Prince was assassinated in front of us, and the letter was stolen," Louise could once again feel herself becoming overwhelmed with guilt and fought to hold back the tears she knew were coming. "I'm responsible for all of this. Because I couldn't see through Wardes…" at that, the dam she had made for her tears cracked as they streaked down her face. Before she could continue, she felt a warm sensation of embrace begin to engulf her as the Princess had knelt down to hold her.
"Please, lift your head up, Louise Francoise," Henrietta requested. Louise, obliging, lifted her head to meet the Princess with her tear-streamed face only to be taken aback by the Princess' matching tears. "Thank you. For bringing me this memento, my friend," Henrietta said in a manner that comforted Louise as she wrapped her arms around her and both cried. Siesta, witnessing this display, found it hard to fight her own tears, as well. "Truly, Louise. I thank you," the Princess whispered in her friend's ear. At that moment, Louise became a sobbing mess, joined soon after by the Princess. Siesta wondered if she should have come, but after their quick, loud sobbing, Henrietta rose and stood before Siesta. "And I thank you, too, noble Siesta," the Princess said with genuine gratitude in her voice as she held out her hand to offer Siesta the chance to stand before her as an equal.
"Your highness," Siesta remarked aloud as she took the Princess' hand and stood. The two met eyes, and the Princess embraced her as well. Siesta, once the shock had worn off, reciprocated, as tears began to flow from her as well.
The couple left shortly after that brief meeting, opting to take a carriage back to the academy. Sitting side-by-side, Louise took Siesta's hand. Siesta, in response, smiled warmly at her.
"I still can't thank you enough for the dress, Louise," Siesta said gratefully as she itched at the dress's collar.
"Oh," Louise said dejectedly as she noticed the small scratching, "you don't like it, do you?"
"No!" Siesta genuinely denied. "I love it, it's just that I'm not used to wearing something so formal and tailored, is all," Siesta assured her girlfriend with a small laugh.
"I see," Louise replied, relieved. A short silence followed as the carriage moved steadily to their destination, when Louise cleared her throat. "S-Siesta," Louise stammered as she blushed.
"Yes, Louise?" Siesta replied in as comforting a manner as she could to assure her girlfriend she had nothing to fear.
"I've been thinking…" Louise began as she struggled to keep eye contact. "About what Zeratul and Derflinger said… about the power of the Gandalfr…" Siesta gave her an imploring look, but was mindful not to pressure her. "I-I…" she stuttered, as she began to tremble with anxiety. Siesta took Louise's hands in response and looked her directly in the eyes.
"Louise, whatever it is, I promise you, nothing will change between us. I never expected my life to be like this, but it's the happiest I've been for as long as I can remember. So no matter what, it's going to be okay," Siesta assured her, "and, besides, we don't have to talk about anything hard right now if you don't want to. I'm just happy being with you." Siesta gave Louise a joyful smile.
"Siesta," Louise replied, much calmer now and smiling back warmly. A moment later, she shook her head, and her face became serious. "Siesta," Louise began again, once again clearing her throat, "I hereby offer you the honor of being my Gandalfr." Louise declared, proudly. Siesta, feeling a bit anxious herself now, and internally rolling her eyes at her noble girlfriend's bombastic choice of declaration, chose to smile and chuckle at her.
"Miss Valliere," Siesta replied as she bowed her head. "It would be my honor." She then raised her head to meet Louise's starstruck eyes and blushing face, as Louise began to lean in to kiss her. Siesta leaned in as well and the two shared in yet another passionate kiss. Upon the ending of the liplock, Louise and Siesta opened their eyes, with Louise's face becoming scrunched up with annoyance.
"Wait…" she began as she suddenly leaned forward once again and kissed Siesta without warning. She once again pulled back and seemed to growl in annoyance. "Why isn't anything happening?" Louise wondered as she rested her head in her hand and stared forward in the opposite wall of the carriage.
"I'm sorry, what was supposed to happen?" Siesta asked, the delight from the sudden passion still tingling within her.
Louise sighed, "Well, I thought it would work like binding a familiar, y'know? Say some words, give the kiss, and then you get the power."
"Perhaps it is because I'm a human and not a creature?" Siesta replied, slightly irritated at feeling like the kiss was more formality, and confused.
Louise, not registering that, sighed once again, "Maybe? I don't know, I guess we'll have to figure it out back at the academy."
"About that, Louise…" Siesta began, her tone becoming serious.
"Could we please enter the grounds together this time? All the authority figures already know of our relationship, so it's not like my job matters anymore," Siesta pleaded.
Louise looked away from her, feeling guilt begin to bubble up within. When they initially returned to the academy, they had decided to spend the night together, as they felt exhausted, emotionally drained, and did not want to be away from each other. Unfortunately, the next day, they were seen by one of Siesta's coworkers, who relayed this to Headmaster Osmond. When the couple was called in to explain, they both admitted they were in a relationship, and Osmond terminated Siesta's position due to "conflicts of interest" but allowed her to stay at the academy as he stated he was "a champion of young love".
As everyone in the academy had now had their rumors of the two of them confirmed, the hostility behind their backs had, somehow, reduced, with simple avoidance being the new norm for the couple from everyone but Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche (when Montmorency wasn't around, as she disapproved due to her thinking nobles and peasants shouldn't mingle). Still, though, being out in the open had not lessened the shyness of the pink-haired noble, who still insisted on both of them being as subtle as possible as it was "unbecoming of nobles" to do public displays of affection. Siesta had not worked up the courage to talk to her about that, still being insecure at the freshness of their relationship and the taboos that surrounded it, beyond them both being women.
Louise, snapping back to the conversation, but still being unable to bring herself to make eye contact, replied, "No, I'm sorry, it just doesn't seem like something a noble should do."
"But I'm not a noble," Siesta replied, feeling a twinge of defiance that made her wish to push the issue. "Besides, our relationship is more than just that of two people dating, I'm also going to be your partner, who defends you and is there for you for the rest of your life." Siesta said persuasively.
Louise fidgeted in her seat as anxiety began to take complete control of her. Siesta, noticing this, felt regretful and relented.
"I'm sorry, Louise," Siesta apologized as she turned away from her anxiety-ridden girlfriend and placed her hands in her lap, removing them from Louise's, "I didn't mean to push you to do anything you're not comfortable with."
"No, it's just…" Louise began quietly, as she worked up the courage to look into her girlfriend's eyes, "Okay." Louise looked determined as she confirmed Siesta's hopes.
"Y-you mean?" Siesta stammered as she turned back to Louise's determined, smiling face, blushed, and felt a rush of butterflies.
Louise smiled and nodded as she snatched Siesta's hands into her own.
"Yes. Let's go in together," Louise proudly confirmed.
This time, the boastful declaration hit Siesta just right, knowing she was the object of her girlfriend's pride.
As they arrived at the academy and disembarked the carriage, Siesta and Louise spotted the teacher Colbert loading up a cart. Siesta, curious, walked over to him, a confused Louise in tow.
"Lord Colbert?" Siesta asked in greeting.
Colbert, in the midst of hauling a heavy crate, grunted with effort as he loaded it into the cart and turned to the couple.
"Oh! Hello Miss Sasaki, Lady Valliere," Colbert greeted back cheerfully, wiping sweat from his reflective, bald head. "I'm about to embark on an important expedition! I think I've found one of the legendary dragons that appeared in the sky during the last solar eclipse!" Colbert was positively brimming with excitement as he spoke.
"Oh well how wonderful! How did you find it?" Siesta asked, curiously. Colbert, not one to miss an opportunity to talk about his findings, scrambled through his packed belongings to find what looked to be a small, sealed, glass cylinder with a swirling green gas within it.
"You see this? This, my young one, is the blood of the legendary dragon!" Colbert exclaimed with pride. Louise, intrigued, craned her neck to get a better look.
"Oh how interesting!" Siesta responded, her interest piqued, "So where are you going, then?"
"My research indicates that the dragon made its home somewhere around Tarbes," Colbert proudly announced.
"Tarbes?" Siesta replied with surprise.
"Oh you know it?" Colbert asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Of course," Siesta nodded. "It's my home village." Louise looked at her in surprise.
"What a coincidence! You know…" Colbert began as his voice betrayed a hint of request, "It would be very helpful to me to have you along, as a guide."
"It'd be my pleasure!" Siesta replied without thinking, her people pleasing skills putting her on autopilot. Louise shot her a dirty look at her sudden volunteering.
"Excellent! It's very lucky, I guess, that Old Osmond delayed my vacation until exams were over, something about 'I always get lost'," Colbert chuckled, with Siesta following suit. Louise, for her part, looked completely unamused as the two seemed to ignore her and squeezed Siesta's hand in annoyance.
"Oh, well, we really should be going, see you tomorrow?" Siesta hastily said.
"Of course! See you tomorrow!" Colbert answered excitedly as he returned to loading his cart.
Louise and Siesta returned to their shared room without further interruption, save for watching Guiche attempt to explain, again, to Montmorency that he was not cheating on her during the trip. Despite your best efforts, Siesta thought to herself as the couple gleefully ignored the philandering, blonde noble's pleading looks for backup.
"Can't we just have a little time to ourselves without going off on any other missions?" Louise asked with exasperation after the two entered the room.
"I'm sorry, Miss Valliere, I didn't realize visiting my home and helping your teacher would be so burdensome," Siesta replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"No, I didn't mean-," Louise began. "Nevermind," Louise finished, unable to find a suitable way to explain herself.
"It's alright," Siesta sighed, "I understand. There's been a lot going on, recently, but this 'dragon' Lord Colbert is talking about has to do with my family."
Louise's eyes widened at that explanation.
"You see, as you might know, during the last solar eclipse, two dragons came from the sky. One of them was lost, the other? My great grandfather was riding it," Siesta told the silently stunned Louise, "It's been kept in a secret location as a family heirloom of sorts."
"So… it's not an actual dragon? Louise asked.
"No," Siesta shook her head, "but we don't really have another name for it other than what my great grandfather called it. 'Viking'."
Louise was perplexed by the strange word.
I know of this thing you speak of, Zeratul chimed in, revealing himself to the couple. It is an Airborne Terran Starfighter. The gas, which I know as Vespene, your Scholarly Colbert showed you was very likely its fuel.
"Is it like that 'breath of creation' stuff?" Louise asked.
Indeed, though its practical applications are much wider to not just Protoss and Terrans, but Zerg as well, Zeratul nodded, it would be wise to travel with this Colbert, and discern the true nature of the Viking. Louise, already resigned to this task, now sighed to indicate she had fully relented.
"I guess that seems like a good idea," Louise said, defeated.
"Well you don't have to sound so down about visiting my home, Louise," Siesta replied with annoyance in her voice.
"I'm sorry," Louise replied apologetically as she went to take her girlfriend's hands and look into her eyes, "I would be honored to meet more of your family." The two smile at each other.
"Geez, I'd say get a room but it looks like we're past that," Derflinger chimed in.
Louise, gritting her teeth, started towards the old sword, but Siesta gently grabbed her arm to stop her. Feeling calmed by Siesta's touch, she took a deep breath, and released her anger-induced tension.
"You ever gonna learn how to take a joke, pinky?" Derflinger chided, as Siesta, realizing she had been too merciful, let Louise go with a small nod of approval.
It was a good thing the academy gardener had already quit, but even as he settled into his new job working for a noble, he felt a chill down his spine as though he had just narrowly avoided death once again.
Later that evening, the couple and Zeratul, after collecting Derflinger from the academy grounds and having him go back into Zapper, were sitting on their bedroom floor attempting to discern how the power of the Gandalfr could be passed on.
"Well, did you try kissing again?" Derflinger asked, obnoxiously.
"Obviously!" the couple responded in harmonized annoyance.
"Did you do the binding words?"
"Well, sort of," Louise replied sheepishly.
"What do you mean, 'sort of'?" Derflinger asked incredulously.
"I mean, I said some words and I asked her to be my Gandalfr, but…" Louise trailed off. "It just seemed kind of rude to use the same words on her that I'd use on something expected to be my lifelong servant."
Siesta was touched by her concern and smiled.
"Look, rude or not, that's what Zapper here determined. Just that you gotta be touching them at the same time, Zapper, I mean," Derflinger elaborated. Louise turned to Siesta, feeling unsure of what she was about to do. Siesta, in response, gave her a reassuring smile as she took her hands.
"It's okay, dear, I know you don't look at me as just a servant," Siesta assured. Louise, now comforted, took Siesta's face in one hand while she laid her hand on Zapper with the other. At that, Zapper's rune began to glow.
"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière," she began as she looked lovingly into Siesta's eyes, "Pentagon that governs the five powers, give this being your blessing, and make them my familiar spirit." At the end of the incantation, Louise planted a kiss on her girlfriend, who, this time, began to feel a tingling beyond the normal excitement she experienced when kissing Louise. Siesta's body began to feel hot both to her and in Louise's hand, "Wait, wha-what's happening?" Siesta asked as she could feel the heat becoming overwhelming.
"It's gonna be okay, just stay still," Louise reassured, as the heat became more intense.
Siesta felt a searing sensation on her left hand as it glowed. It was all she could do to not cry out in pain, instead gritting her teeth and hissing as tears began to well up in her eyes, "L-Louise, it hurts. It hurts so much," Siesta managed to whisper out from behind her gritted teeth.
"I know, dear, it's going to be okay, I promise," Louise replied as comfortingly as she could as she became wracked with guilt over the pain she was seeing her girlfriend experience. In a few moments that felt like an eternity, the burning suddenly ceased, as the runes that were above Zapper's lens were now on Siesta's still steaming left hand. Siesta collapsed forward into Louise's arms from the pain, and fought to retain consciousness.
"Hey, it's okay, Siesta, it's over," Louise cood to her reeling girlfriend.
"That was… much more intense than I thought it'd be," Siesta gasped as she breathed heavily and felt the pain start to ebb away. After what felt like a minute of rest, Siesta leaned back and looked at the runes on her hand.
Akhundelar, Zeratul announced as he took Siesta's relatively tiny hand in his and read the runes.
"Is that what it says?" Siesta asked.
"I thought it would mean 'Gandalfr'," Louise commented.
No, these 'runes' are, in fact, Khalani, my people's tongue, Zeratul pointed to the freshly-seared characters on Siesta's hand, the Akhundelar are templar sent as the first wave in a ground assault to pave the way for additional forces. Such is the nature of their task, their lives are often cut short. Siesta, fear welling within her, took her hand from the old Nerazim.
"That's not gonna happen, Siesta," Louise said comfortingly as she shot Zeratul a dirty look, "just like you'll protect me, I'll protect you." Siesta, somewhat comforted, gave Louise a small smile.
"Okay, Louise," she responded with a nod. Louise, in response, kissed her once again, and the two headed off to sleep, with, thankfully, no tormenting visions.
As dawn broke, the group moved sluggishly as they packed and went down to meet Colbert. They found him sitting atop his cart positively beaming with energy. The girls, a little confused, then realized they were meant to ride separately from him as they went to the stables to fetch a horse. Siesta was beginning to get used to being atop horses by this point, though the uncomfortable sensation of riding one was still just that. Still, she appreciated getting to hold on to her girlfriend for the long period of time they would be riding. It was an uneventful trip, thankfully, as they reached the hill overlooking Tarbes.
"I'm excited for you to meet my family, Louise," Siesta whispered into Louise's ear. She could see goosebumps forming on her girlfriend's neck and shoulders as she said that, which gave her a rush of butterflies. The two pulled up beside Colbert to let him know their plans.
"Ah, I understand, you two have a good time, I'll wait here!" Colbert responded joyfully as he produced a book and began to get himself comfortable for the wait. The couple rode into the village, passing many people who looked up at Siesta and gave cheerful greetings. Louise began to feel slightly out of place as the greetings continued, realizing this was not her world. Siesta, sensing this, hugged Louise tighter.
"It's alright, I'm sure everyone will love you," Siesta reassured. Soon after, Siesta told them to stop as they approached a modest-looking two-story house at the other end of the village, near the edge of the forest. Outside, Louise could see two children, both bearing similar hair and eyes to Siesta, running around the yard and playing.
"I got you! You're dead!" one of the children, a boy, by the looks of it, yelled.
"Nuh uh! I have a shield!" one of the other children, a larger boy, retorted.
"You're not playing fair! You never play fair!" the first boy yelled as he stomped his feet.
"It's totally fair! I said I had a shield when we started!" the second boy replied, defensively.
"Now, now, you two play nice!" Siesta called after them as she dismounted the horse, helping Louise to dismount after.
"Siesta!' Both boys yelled as they ran to the couple and wrapped themselves around Siesta.
"Hello, Jean, Geoffery," Siesta greeted as she rubbed their heads.
"We missed you so much!" the shorter boy declared.
"Did you bring us anything?" the larger one asked.
"Of course! But remember, you gotta pay the big sister tax!" Siesta replied, jokingly as she reached into her bag and produced two small bags of candy, possibly made by Marteau.
"We will!" both boys replied joyfully as they ran off back to the house with their spoils. Louise, overwhelmed by the energy of the two boys, stood there and pondered what else awaited her in that house. As Siesta and Louise entered, they were greeted by a ruckus from the inside as yet more children were found.
"Sorry, I probably never told you… I'm one of eight children," Siesta informed Louise with a nervous laugh. On the floor, before them, were what looked to be three girls, no older than toddlers, babbling and playing with simple wooden toys, while one taller, lankier girl, who Louise assumed was not much older than them, watched over them from a nearby chair, enthralled in a book. Not a moment later, the couple was noticed, and each and every one of the four observed children squealed with glee as they ran up to meet Siesta.
"Siesta! You're home!"
"I missed you so much!"
"Look! I lost a toof!"
"Come play!"
The voices of the children overlapped in a cheerful din, causing Louise to smile nervously, hoping they would not notice her.
"Hello, Trin, Alice, Donna, Ellie" Siesta greeted each of them, from youngest to oldest, as she scooped them all up in a big hug.
"Hey! Who's this?"
"She's pretty!"
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"You wanna play, pink girl?"
The rapidfire excitement from the girls was now squarely on Louise as she raised her arms, attempting to show surrender to these little girls and keep them from touching her too much. Her lack of height, however, was proving to be a problem as the tallest of the girls, who looked to be no older than ten, almost met her eyeline, which caused Louise to feel a pang of self-consciousness at her miniscule form.
"C'mon girls, leave your sister and her friend alone," a kindly, matronly voice declared from what seemed to be the kitchen in this one-room bottom floor. Standing there was a middle-aged woman, silver streaks in her chestnut-brown hair that was tied up in a messy bun as she worked at the old stove. She turned to face Siesta and Louise, revealing her dark brown eyes that were alight with kindness with a noticeable trace of exhaustion, and a slightly wrinkled face that betrayed many moments of genuine joy and happiness. Her warm smile, Louise noticed, was exactly that of Siesta's and made the connection of their relation to each other immediately.
"Hello, mother," Siesta greeted with a genuine warmth as she strode forward to embrace this woman she was slightly taller than. "How are you, how is everyone?"
"Oh, you know, just as busy as ever, heh," Siesta's mother laughed softly.
"I didn't see Julien, is he around?" Siesta inquired. At this, her mother's face fell, causing Siesta's follow suit.
"You'll have to talk to your father about that…" Siesta's mother replied, gravely.
"Where is he?" Siesta asked urgently.
"He should be in the back, as usual," Siesta's mother informed. Quick as she had done so, Siesta turned to grab Louise and the two began making their way to the back door.
"Oh, sorry, this is Louise, we'll have proper introductions later, yes?" Siesta asked as she opened the back door of the house."
"Oh, of course!" Siesta's mother answered, back in her cheerful state, before wiping her hands on a nearby rag and offering one to Louise, "Hello, I'm Lucille, but you can call me Lucy." Lucy smiled wide at Louise as the two shook hands, Louise still reeling from the extreme pace at which this home visit was moving. Once again, quick as that interaction was over, Louise was dragged out the back door. The backyard was not strictly defined, same as the front yard. A short perimeter fence was built around it, but it could easily be stepped over by anyone and would allow them to walk into the woods behind.
"Papa," Siesta greeted warmly as she turned to a truly massive-looking man, with a broad torso, large arms, and a thick neck, who was smoking a pipe, with a tattered blanket covering his lower half. Upon seeing his daughter the man smiled wide as he put down his pipe.
"Oh! My baby girl is home! Safe and sound!" he practically shouted as he reached for a nearby crutch and removed the blanket to stand, revealing he was missing his left leg below the knee. With some effort, he walked to Siesta and hugged her close with his one free arm.
"Papa, you don't always have to stand up for me, I know it's hard," Siesta said with concern in her voice.
"Of course I do," Siesta's father wagged his finger in her face. "All my children are worth all my effort," he declared, proudly, as he sat himself back down. Siesta gathered up nearby stools and motioned for Louise to take a seat. "And who's this? A friend of yours?" the man asked excitedly as he held out his own calloused, massive hand to Louise. "Takeo Sasaki, nice to meet you! Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine!" he declared excitedly as his grip and forceful shake made Louise feel as though her arm were about to come off.
"L-Louise Fr-," Louise began, stopping herself before she gave away her noble status, thinking it might be abhorrent to Siesta's commoner family. "I'm Louise, nice to meet you, too. Thank you for having me in your home," Louise replied, being as humble as possible as she bowed her head.
"Oh there's no need for that," Takeo replied as he waved his hand dismissively, "we're all family here." His wide smile was alight with genuine compassion that Louise could never have fathomed before meeting Siesta. In her home life, everything was about performance and appearances. Here everything was just about… being together and enjoying each other's company. She felt a pang of jealousy and longing, thinking of how she wished her home life could be.
"Papa," Siesta began, a grave tone in her voice, "where is Julien?"
Takeo's face dropped as he leaned back in his chair and heaved a great sigh.
"He's been drafted," he began with a grave tone, with Siesta and Louise's eyes widening at the statement. "War's on the horizon. I can feel it in my leg," at that, Takeo slapped the thigh of his missing lower leg. "Soldiers and emissaries from the palace been comin' 'round, recruiting boys barely into manhood. Not like they usually do, there's an urgency 'bout it. Must have to do with that business in Albion," he heaved another heavy sigh, before giving a wry smile. "But Julien's a strong boy. He's grown into a fine young man, he'll be okay," he said, with no discernible way to tell if he was convincing Siesta or convincing himself.
"I'm sorry, if only I was here, I would have…" Siesta cut herself off, realizing there was nothing she could do that would not mark her and her family for blasphemy. Takeo reached forward and patted his daughter on the shoulder.
"It's okay, Siesta, he'll be okay. We'll be okay, I reckon," Takeo attempted to say convincingly. He then shook his head and took a deep breath, "But I don't think that's why you came by, is it?" Takeo raised an eyebrow.
"You know me too well, Papa," Siesta replied with a small chuckle before leaning forward and giving her father a serious look. "We wanted to ask for the map."
Takeo's eyebrows raised high, almost into his receding, silver and black, combed back hairline, "And what would you want with that, little miss?"
"My teacher," Louise butted in, "Professor Colbert, he wanted to see it, study it, archive it, he's a curious one."
Take cocked an eyebrow at Louise, "A noble, huh?" he asked, turning to Siesta, who, along with her girlfriend, became noticeably red and unable to keep eye contact. After a moment he sighed and smiled at his daughter, "You always could make friends with anyone." Siesta, feeling relieved, returned her eyes to Takeo's. Louise, still feeling called out, continued to observe the dirt beneath her.
"Look, babygirl, I can give you the map, it's somewhere in the shed back here, but you also gotta promise to come back later for supper, ya hear?" Takeo requested. Siesta responded with a wide smile and a nod, "Good to hear it. We all missed you so much. And, uh," he began again as he looked to Louise, "I don't mean to be rude or nothin' but could I have a moment alone with Siesta? Just gotta talk about family stuff."
"Oh! Of course," Louise responded affirmatively as she stood up, "I'll just go watch the horse." As she walked away, she absent-mindedly drew her hand across Siesta's shoulders, to which Siesta briefly touched her hand and gave her a loving look as she walked back through the house.
As soon as the door shut behind Louise, Takeo gave Siesta a grave look as he leaned in close to her.
"I'm so sorry, babygirl," he lamented as he patted her knee.
"What? What do you mean?" Siesta asked, confused.
"An old soldier like me can see it. You got the look. I'm so sorry." Siesta, still momentarily confused, felt the pieces fall together as the weight of the events of Albion hit her. Wardes' severed head, eyes wide and frozen in terror, lying before her as the blood pooled from the neck, occupied her mind.
"I-I didn't mean… he just… and he was…" Siesta stuttered, unable to fully explain the full depth of her emotions and the situation. Takeo, with maximum effort, stood once again and placed his free arm around his daughter, who began to cry.
"I'm sure you did what you had to do, babygirl," he said to her in his fatherly, soothing voice. "I wish we had more time to talk, but y'know? I'm still proud of you, I still love you, and no matter what? You can always talk to me about anything, okay?"
Siesta, tears flowing freely, looked up at her father and buried her face in his massive stomach, "Thank you, Papa, I love you too."
Takeo gently patted his distraught daughter's back, looking down on her with warm, parental love. After a few minutes of this, Takeo cleared his throat.
"Now, I don't wanna rush you, since I miss you and want you to stay, but you an' yer girlfriend better get goin' before it gets too late," he advised as he patted his daughter's back.
"Oh, right, wait…" Siesta took a moment to think about what her father just said. Once she had processed it, she blushed a brilliant red, "Oh, s-she and I a-are-."
"A father knows," Takeo guffawed as he slapped his daughter's back, hard, causing her to wince in pain, "just make sure you bring her 'round later, okay?"
"Yes, Papa, I'll see you later," Siesta confirmed with a smile as she stood to go meet Louise.
Louise, upon entering the house, was immediately accosted by the children once again.
"Come play!"
"You wanna see my toy?"
"Are you and Siesta dating?"
The voices of the children overlapped once again as Louise was overwhelmed with the rush of attention.
"C'mon, girls, go get ready for lunch and leave the nice girl alone," Lucy said without turning her attention away from the counter at which she was fixing sandwiches.
"Okay!" all the girls shouted as they rushed outside, possibly to wash their hands at a water pump.
"Ah, that youthful energy, isn't it lovely?" Lucy commented to Louise.
"Y-yeah, it sure is," Louise replied, not actually knowing what it was like to be carefree at any point in her life.
"I'm sorry, it must be overwhelming for you, being a noble and all," Lucy said with a knowing smile.
"O-oh, I'm-," Louise began before Lucy turned to her with the knife she was using to cut sandwiches still held firmly in her hands.
"Oh there's no need to lie, it's fine," Lucy said as she drew closer to Louise, who could start to feel herself tremble. "But just so you know, if you want to be part of this family, you shouldn't lie," Lucy's statement bore an overtone of menace as she raised the knife and pointed it at Louise. "My daughter deserves the very best after all! Unless you have… impure intentions," at those last two words, Louise could see Lucy visibly tighten her grip on the knife.
"N-no! No impure intentions here! Just friends out on a trip is all!" Louise awkwardly laughed as she looked anywhere but at Lucy's piercing gaze.
"Hmm…" Lucy replied, unconvinced. Their standoff was interrupted as Siesta stepped back into the house.
"Mother! What's going on?!" Siesta demanded as she quickly fled to her girlfriend's side, with Lucy quickly putting the knife down.
"Oh, we were just having a friendly little chat, weren't we, little Louise?" Lucy said threateningly.
"Y-yeah! Just chatting!" Louise replied with a fearful laugh.
Siesta shot her mother a dirty look, "Louise, just wait outside with the horse, I'll be along shortly." Louise nodded and briskly walked out the front door, and as the door was shutting behind her, she could hear raised voices beginning to speak.
"You don't always have to be so protective of me, mother! I can take care of myself!"
"I know, dear! I just wanted to make sure she understood how much you mean to me."
"You do this with everyone I've ever brought home! Can't you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you, dear! I'm just a typical mamabear, I suppose."
Louise fell out of earshot at that, standing near the horse and patting its neck as she shivered at the thought of what might have happened had Siesta not intervened.
After acquiring the map to their goal of the so-called "Dragon", Siesta said her goodbyes and the couple departed back for Colbert, who they realized had probably been waiting quite a while for the girls' return as the sun had moved well past its high point.
When they had reached him, it was about mid-afternoon, and the bald professor was right where they left him, nose-deep in a book.
"Oh! Welcome back! Do you have the directions?" Colbert asked enthusiastically.
Siesta nodded and opened the map in front of him, "This was pretty well hidden in the shed, but my father helped me find it."
Colbert looked at the map in awe and reached out to take it without thinking. Siesta quickly pulled it away, "Oh, sorry, I was just overcome with curiosity." Colbert laughed nervously.
At that, there was a rustling in the nearby bushes, causing each of the group to be on their guard. Shortly after, a massive, familiar, red salamander burst into view.
"A salamander? Ugh, then that means," Louise sighed in exasperation.
"Yoo-hoo! We finally found you!" A familiar, cheery voice announced as Kirche revealed herself, Tabitha once again closely in tow. As this happened, the ground before the girls' horse rumbled and out popped Verdandi.
Ugh, and him too? Louise thought to herself as the ostentatious Guiche revealed himself flamboyantly as he ever did.
"And I am here as well, of course!" Guiche announced, unnecessarily.
Louise heaved a heavy sigh, "And what exactly are you all here for?"
Kirche walked up close to the couple and gave a knowing smirk, "What else could we be here for? For that dragon you're all talking about, of course!"
Siesta gave her a puzzled look, "But I didn't sa-"
"We just happened to overhear you, Louise, and Colbert talking about it yesterday and couldn't pass up this rare opportunity to meet a legendary dragon!" Kirche explained quickly and excitedly. Louise and Siesta sighed as their quick trip had become ever more complicated.
Later, it turned out that having the rest of the group around was a good idea, as they were able to ride Sylphid to the cavern entrance on the cliff of a mountain they would have had to climb vertically. As they all looked into the pitch-black cavern, each of them was alight with curiosity.
"So this is the cave…" Colbert remarked as he put his hand on his chin.
"Isn't this exciting?!" Kirche exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the cave.
"We're not here to play around, this is serious historical work here!" Siesta chided.
"I agree, I'm here to help be part of this discovery and be back in my Montmorency's good graces," Guiche declared with inexplicable pride.
"What a great motive…" Kirche rolled her eyes in response.
"I can't wait to do this," Guiche continued, not registering Kirche's snide remark as he tossed his hair, "Since I couldn't do much in Albion." The lament on his words and face was laid painfully bare for all.
At the mention of Albion, Siesta pondered what had become of the country with its last monarch having died and Le Fils D'Aleks assuming control of the government. There had been no general news, but the ramping up of Tristain's army indicated to her that the new Albion's intentions were hostile.
Colbert was the first to step forward, using his staff to light the way, as Kirche and the others quickly followed. After walking until the light of the entrance was no longer visible, Kirche began to grow restless.
"Geez, how much deeper does this go?" Kirche exclaimed with frustration.
"I don't know," Colbert replied, still confidently marching forward.
"The villagers never come through here, so I'm just as lost," Siesta informed. Louise, feeling anxious at the oppressive darkness, was holding tightly to her. Siesta then felt a twinge of anxiety as she remembered she forgot to mention something, "It's said that the oak demon lives here."
The entire group, sans Colbert, stopped to look at her with fear.
"Couldn't you have told us that before we came in?" Kirche asked exasperatedly.
Louise gave Siesta a dirty look as well, which caused Siesta to give a nervous laugh.
"I-It's just an old legend! Nothing more!" Siesta quickly said in an attempt to comfort everyone. The light was growing dark as Colbert marched on, and the group had to lightly jog to catch up.
A short while later, the group could begin to see natural light once again as they neared the end of the tunnel. Stepping out into the light, the group was awestruck by a serene setting of lush, untouched forest in the midst of this mountain. Walking through it, they could not help but eye their surroundings.
"It's certainly a suitable place for a dragon to be hidden," Guiche remarked, "So where is it?"
Siesta stopped and looked at the map, "It should be around here, according to this." Siesta looked around, hoping to spot any sign of anything out of the ordinary. The rest of the group followed suit, looking all around them for anything that looked out of place.
"Wait, that's…" Colbert began as his eyes locked onto something in the distance. The group turned and looked, and, with enough focus, were able to see what looked like a manmade structure in the midst of the forest, covered in vegetation from being untouched for years. Its size was deceiving, however, as only when approached were they able to comprehend its true scale.
"That certainly looks big enough to have a dragon in it," Guiche remarked as he drew his rose-tipped wand. The rest of the group readied their respective magical instruments as well, including Louise.
"Wait, I think there's been a misunderstanding," Siesta began as she walked in front of the group, sans Colbert as he was already approaching the tall, sliding, wooden doors of the barn-like structure that had a lock upon them, "It's not ACTUALLY a dragon." The group, with the exception of Louise, looked confused at the statement. "You see, it's actually-"
Before she could finish, a metallic thump could be heard as the large lock on the doors was opened by Colbert's magic. The group looked to him as he threw open the doors and stepped into the dark building. The rest followed suit, and before their eyes adjusted to the darkness within, they could already hear remarking from Colbert.
"So this is it, The Great Dragon Sky Fury," Colbert stated with awe. As the rest of the group's eyes adjusted they could now see it. A hard-edged, angular, metal construct, with not a speck of rust upon it, despite its age, and adorned with red and black symbols on what looked to be its wings resembling an arm holding a whip. Siesta, almost instinctively, stepped forward and placed her hand upon it, and at that moment, a foreign sensation flooded her body as the newly-acquired runes on her left hand began to glow. The moment she made contact, she knew everything about this vehicle. How to fly it, how to transform it, how to fire its weapons, even what it was...
"Dominion Viking Fighter, Sky-Fury class of the Royal Guard," she said in a flat tone as though someone or something was speaking through her, "Armaments: twin lanzer torpedo launchers in fighter mode with twin fifty caliber gatling cannons in walker mode." As the words finished, Siesta felt herself come back and was shocked at her own words. "What? How did I-?"
"It's the power of the Gandalfr, partner," Derflinger, who had been silently perched on Siesta's back the whole time, informed in a low voice so the others could not hear him clearly, "Anything that was made to be a weapon? All you have to do is touch it and you got all the knowledge in the world about it and can use it like an expert." Siesta stood there, along with the rest of the group, in stunned silence both at her words and the vehicle before them. Luckily, Colbert, being all too fascinated with the discovery, broke the silence.
"Is this some kind of sealing magic?" he pondered as he looked at the expert welding on the Viking's chassis. The rest of the group drew in close to examine this beast of a machine. Louise had wished she brought Zapper along for the ride as she bet they would be furiously shining their light everywhere on it. "Siesta, what else do you know of this?"
"O-oh! Well, I know my great grandfather, Takeo Sasaki the first, came to this land in it on the day of the solar eclipse, but I didn't really get to ask him much since he was very old by the time I was born," Siesta replied.
"I see…" Colbert mused as he returned his attention to the fighter. After a moment he turned back to Siesta. "I'm so sorry for your grandfather, because if he had lived until the next coming solar eclipse? He might have been able to return home."
Siesta was stunned by these words. Going home? To where all those horrific beasts are?
"The legends say there were two dragons that day, and one flew back into the eclipse and disappeared," Colbert elaborated. "Therefore if this were flown into the eclipse, I believe he would have gone home!" Colbert sounded excited at the prospect of other worlds and what marvels they may have. "Though why he didn't leave himself right away, I'm not sure," Colbert pondered.
"My grandfather told me that his father had circled around for a while but eventually had to land," Siesta answered.
"Ah!" Colbert snapped his fingers, "My guess is that the timing was off. The eclipse must have ended just a moment before he could make it."
Siesta and the group stood in stunned silence at this revelation.
"Of course it's only hypothetical… but the possibility is there!" Colbert exclaimed excitedly as he went back to examining the Viking. "Oh I must send word to Old Osmond about this! He's going to choke on his pipe!"
As Colbert and the others closed up the makeshift hangar and began to leave, Siesta spotted what looked like a marker with strange writing upon it. As she approached it, she placed her hands on the characters and wiped away some of the growing moss that had obscured them. As she did, she realized she was able to discern some of it, based on her grandfather's teachings.
"Takeo Sasaki," she read, being unable to read any other characters. She remembered something her grandfather had taught her that he told her his father taught him, and got on her knees and bowed her head respectfully. Louise, approaching from behind, placed her hand on Siesta's shoulder.
"What is it?" She asked, being unable to decipher the text.
"My great-grandfather's final resting place," Siesta replied as she put her hand on Louise's after she sat up. With a small smile, she stood and joined the rest of the group as they exited the valley, and parted ways. Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche took Sylphid to go back to the academy and relay word to Osmond about the discovery. Colbert elected to stay in the village for the night. As for Louise and Siesta? They had a dinner to attend.