Chapter 2: The Seventh Heaven
Grandfather's funeral was as humble as Alisaie expected it to be.
While she would have wanted it to have been a grand event, something fit for the funeral of an elderly sage or wise king… she had to admit that Grandfather would have approved of it.
They arrived two days ago and Alisaie remembered how she was jostled awake when the car came to a stop and she blinked sleepily while looking around; only to notice the large house of white marble standing almost directly next to the thick forest of pine.
The second that she stepped inside, the achingly familiar scent of smoked campfire and old paper filled her nose which caused her to have to blink away the tears while she wrapped her arms around her shaking frame. Being here, in his home, surrounded by his scent made it all too real to her that Grandfather truly was never coming home again.
She wiped at her tears, hiding them from her family as they wandered about the kitchen, peering around mountains of books and stacks of parchment that had been set upon the table. Grandfather was a scholar and she paused to admire his slanted handwriting as he made notes in some of the books margins.
"Father? Could we take these…?" she began but her father heaved a sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Alisaie, but we simply can't take everything here will us," he reasoned and she looked down, feeling a stab of anger, even though she knew that he was right.
"How about the children take a few with them and then the rest we can donate to the library," Mother asked, interrupting them when she saw the dejected look on her daughter's face. "While I would love to take them all home with us, I agree that we just don't have the space for it all. But the Great Gubal Library is still here in the Hinterlands, and I think that it would have made him happy that some of his beloved books will be enjoyed by others.
"Ah, that is a marvelous idea, Ameliance," Father said, brightening up before looking back to Alisaie, asking, "Don't you think so, Alisaie?"
Alisaie thought it all over before giving a slight nod. While it wasn't necessarily what she wanted, she was comforted by the idea that the books would be well taken care of at the library. But she would make sure to take as many of them with her as she could.
They moved to a smaller dining room area, where they began to settle down their bags, everyone looking forward to getting some food and sleep—there came a knock at the door. She looked up in surprise as her Father crossed over to the door and opened it to find a man standing there, about her father's age, and dressed in white.
"Ah, Theopauldin!" Father cried out with a hint of laughter in his voice as he clapped the man on the shoulder in a welcoming way. "It has been too long. I almost didn't recognize you."
"And tis good to see you as well, old friend," the man, Theopauldin, spoke up with a chuckle, as he stepped inside.
At the sight of him, Ameliance smiled and walked over to give the man a hug, which he was only too happy to return, and Father turned to her and Alphinaud.
"Alphinaud? Alisaie? This is an old friend of ours, Theopauldin," he explained as the man looked up to see who he was talking to. "We grew up together and lives here in town. I had been hoping that I could reintroduce you while we were here."
"Ah, are these the twins?" he asked as he drew away from Ameliance and looked over them both with an eager eye. "Yes, I remember you both. We met the day you were born! You should have seen Fourchenault! I do believe that was the first time in living memory that he was seen skipping down the street."
Alisaie blinked in surprise, sure that she heard wrong. Her father? Skipping down the street? As long as she could remember, her father had always been the stuffy, stiff type—hardly giving anyone a smile apart from mother…?
"Theopauldin," Father muttered, his cheeks and ears turning a darker shade of red at the confession.
"Oh, tell me I'm wrong, old friend," Theopauldin grinned teasingly. "But I jest of course. It's just that I was coming here to check up on a few things when I saw your car out front. You arrived earlier than I first thought. And let me be the first to say that I am truly sorry for your loss. Louisoix was a good man. And he will be sorely missed by many in town."
Her father gave a tired smile and muttered quietly, "Thank you. I was told that it happened so unexpectedly…? Do you know…?"
"I'm not sure," Theopauldin stated with a shake of his head. "All I was told that it happened unexpectedly and suddenly. By the time that I had heard of his admittance to the hospital, I fear that there was nothing else that could be done."
Alisaie had such words echoing about in the back of her mind since then, her heart weighed down with grief as tears threatened to burn her eyes once more. She didn't want to cry in front of a stranger, but neither did she know her way around the house either…? Thankfully, her mother saw how her eyes were watering up and made the suggestion that she and Alphinaud go get cleaned up for dinner, telling them where the bathroom was and even escorted them out of the room to look around.
Her brother was the first to take the bathroom before Alisaie was guided to one of the bedrooms.
"Oh, this takes me back," she sighed, looking around with a fond smile. "This was the room that you both shared when we lived here."
Alisaie glanced around the dusty carpets, seeing the two twin beds on either side of the room with matching side tables and Alisaie even spotted some childish drawings hanging up on the wall on one side while the other half was neatly arranged with nary a book out of place. It didn't take her long to figure out whose side was which.
"Will we be sharing this room as well?" she asked, trying to hide the slight whine in her voice at the thought of sharing with her stuffy brother.
"No, there are three bedrooms in this house, so if your father and I share the room where your Grandfather slept and you each could have…?" she began before Alisaie interrupted.
"Would… would it be alright if I have grandfather's room?" she asked, uncharacteristically meek.
She knew that she had a problem here, but she was just so desperate to hold onto any traces left that her Grandfather left behind that it was making her hate herself. She just… wasn't ready to let him go yet.
Thankfully, her mothers' eyes were kind and understanding rather than judgmental.
"Alisaie, you don't ever need to worry about hiding how you feel," her mother said kindly, her hands on her shoulders. "If you ever feel the need to talk, you know where to find me."
Alisaie nodded only once as she was led out of the room and to another at the end of the hall where she cautiously stepped inside. It felt almost wrong to be in this room without Grandfather here—as if she was intruding upon his space. But after getting a good look around, she instantly felt so much better. It was rather simple with a large and comfortable looking bed with a large wardrobe in the corner and more books stacked up on the desk where a large window was position. Meanwhile there were even more books scattered about with more of his papers even tapped to the wall, as if Grandfather didn't have the patience to hunt for a spare sheet and decided just to have them set up and good to go on the wall in case of a breakthrough.
The idea caused her to smile as she moved towards the desk while she heard her mother walking back down the hall to inform her brother of the new sleeping arrangements. Alisaie gazed out through the glass to see the forest instantly, stretching out before her like the ocean, and even the very edges of the mountains just sticking out of the corner of her eye.
Did Grandfather wake up to this sight every morning? She could get used to it if so. She spent a few minutes gazing out at the vast wilderness, almost too stunned for words to actually voice how she felt to be so taken out of her element.
She squinted, trying to make out the trees closer when a few nearby branches twitched as if someone had moved them. She leaned closer to the glass… but when she next blinked… she suddenly saw eyes looking back. Dozens of them. Round and full, staring wide, staring at her, all-knowing and unblinking, a horde of eldritch creatures perhaps…? She nearly cried out in surprise and alarm before realizing they were marks on the trees, whorls in the trunks where limbs had fallen off, leaving the impression of eyes in the wood.
She sighed, her hand over her heart, mentally kicking herself for where her thoughts took her all of a sudden. She set down her bag, rubbing her tired eyes and trying to cast the thought of the forest staring back at her from her mind.
*Days Later*
A couple days after their arrival was the funeral and a sadder occasion, Alisaie couldn't remember having. She stood there to the side of the casket, dressed all in black, besides her brother who was glassy eyed and looking as miserable as she felt. Alisaie wasn't able to hold back her tears this time and they fell hot and fast down her face as she stood among a crowd made of almost entirely strangers.
But afterwards, a few people stood up to speak, telling stories of the friend and neighbor that they had all been fond of and how deeply he was going to be missed. During this, she would play around with the earring that her grandfather gifted her, its twin hanging from her brother's ear, and wondering more and more about the life that Grandfather had here.
Why couldn't they have come out to visit them more often? Once or twice a year at least? There was so much bonding they could have done… so much she could have learned from him…?
She felt a sense of something else through her grief… a biting anger that they had to leave Grandfather behind.
She didn't say another word for the rest of the service and just stabbed at her food later that evening as Theopauldin paid them another visit so that they could talk about holding a Memorial Service in a few weeks' time for the ones who weren't able to make it today.
"I think that it would be a lovely idea," Mother chimed in as she served some mashed potatoes to their guest. "I think that we can postpone our return trip by a few extra days for it."
"We would be glad to have you," Theopauldin nodded. "By the way, have you decided what to do about the house yet? If so, I would love to be of some assistance."
"Did my father ever say what he wanted us to do?" Father asked curiously.
"Not in his Will," he answered back before pulling out more paperwork. It turns out that Theopauldin was representing Grandfather's estate and had brought the papers that needed to be signed as well as a copy of the Will. The Will that Grandfather left behind, that she and Alphinaud just learned about, was very simple. Almost everything that Grandfather possessed, the house and everything inside it, as well as the land that it was on, was left for his only son. Whereas the money he had accumulated was to be split into trust funds for both of his grandchildren for their futures.
"All in all, it's a fair amount and will be held at the bank until the twins finish their schooling," Theopauldin finished up as Father looked over the paperwork. "Like I said, your Father knew how to prepare for just about everything. The only thing that we weren't sure what to do with was the house. He didn't give any preference if the house should remain in the family or sold off. He seems to have left that entirely up to you to decide. I think his words were 'so long as it can benefit my family in some way, then it is all fine by me' or something to that affect."
"That sounds like something he would have said," Mother said with a sad smile as she finished brewing up a cup of tea for them all and began to pass them out on the table. "Family was always important to him. We did decide that most of the books will be donated to the library, but we haven't decided yet upon the house. I guess that it all depends on its condition, though it seems to have been well-kept."
"That is true," Theopauldin agreed as he gratefully took a cup from her. "Louisoix was able to keep everything up to date for the most part and we are grateful for any donation that you are willing to part with. But please, take your time and don't feel that you have to do anything here that you are not comfortable with. You are already going through a tough time and the last thing you all need is unadded pressure."
Alisaie smiled at that, finding herself like Theopauldin more and more.
"Though, by the way, I'm curious to know. Do either of you remember me?" he asked as he turned his gaze back to her and Alphinaud. "I used to visit this house all the time when you all lived here?"
"Nope," she said brightly and she could have sworn she heard her father heave a sigh from next to her as Theopauldin laughed.
"Its fine," he chuckled at her bluntness, "The two of them were awfully young when they were last here. Truthfully, I would have been surprised if they did remember. Well, it's a small town with not much to keep young folk like them entertained for long, I suppose. There isn't much else here to do unless you're looking for a fun time at the Seventh Heaven."
"The Seventh Heaven?" Mother repeated thoughtfully, "That sure takes me back."
"I can't believe that little tavern is still there," Father laughed at the thought. "I think we can stop there for a quick lunch at some point. We might even be lucky and find one of their storytellers there."
"Storytellers?" Alphinaud asked with a tilt of his head.
"It's a tavern we have here in town, but they serve some pretty good food," Theopauldin answered with a fond look in his eyes. "Back when we were children, we used to sneak over and listen to the people standing up at the front and play music, recited poetry, and tell all manner of stories. There is this traveler who has been staying for the last few days and he tells the most marvelous tales of heroes from olden times. I think he's planning on staying for only a few more days, so you should come before he moves on."
"We are starting to run low on a few things too," Mother said with an imploring look to her husband. "How about a family outing tomorrow? I think that we could use the fresh air and it would be wonderful to explore the town again."
Father looked ready to decline but upon seeing the eagerness in his children's faces, he heaved a sigh and nodded, bringing a few smiles to them all.
"Damn, you're still as whipped as you were the first day you two met," Theopauldin said, having waited until Father took a sip of tea, causing him to choke and ears turn red as everyone laughed.
*The Next Morning*
After a late start the next morning, they all got ready to head off into town while Ameliance finished making of list of everything they would need. Since it was already nearing midday by the time that they left the house, they decided to stop by the Seventh Heaven first for lunch before shopping. Alisaie had her face pressed against the window to look at all the tiny shops and people bustling about the square as they looked for a parking space.
Whereas everything in Sharlayan looked bright, clean, and new—the streets here looked old and worn down, giving it an almost charming quality to it. They quickly parked and came out to a rather shabby-looking restaurant/bar where there were already a fair amount of people inside. There was a rather worn-out bar area with some faded stools and a cluster of tables scattered about the place as she looked around. Yet, what drew her attention was to the stage at the other end of the room with rather dusty curtains, and that seemed to be the place where most of the people were seated.
"Oi! Is that Fourchenault Leveilleur? In the flesh?" the bartender called out in surprise, getting the attention of just about everyone in the bar. "And… don't tell me… is that our lovely Ameliance with you?"
"It's lovely to see you again Baderon," Ameliance smiled, "It has been too long."
As her father went to the bar to speak with Baderon for a moment, Ameliance guided them to a table so that they could go ahead and order some food. Soon enough, their father joined them and their food arrived at lightning speed, causing her parents to look on with surprise.
"I see he finally got the speed of his service up," Father said as he looked over the food, as if thinking there may have been something wrong with it. "Last we were here, it took us nearly half an hour for our food to arrive."
"Now, we both know it was because he was the only one here at the time," Mother reminded him patiently. "Now, what about this storyteller…?"
"I did ask about that, and we're in luck," Father replied as he began to stir his tea about, "Turns out that today is going to be his last performance before he moves on. So he should be here in just a few minutes to tell some of his best tales as a way to thank the town for being such an amazing audience.
"Oh, lucky," Mother chirped up eagerly and looked around.
It took a bit longer than a 'few minutes' but that did give them enough time to enjoy their meal and drinks. Just as they were getting ready to leave though, Alisaie heard clapping and whistling—causing her to look up as a man stepped up onto the stage. He had light brown hair, streaked with grey, and a pair of glasses perched on his nose while dressed in light, travelling gear and even a small harp in his hands as he turned to face them.
He took a sweeping bow with a big smile, as if nothing in the world pleased him more than to be standing before them and called out, "Thank you one and all for allowing me the honor to perform for you! Join me in a world that exists outside your reality. Could it be a dream? A flight of fancy conjured by your weary minds? Perhaps… or perhaps not."
Everyone, including Alisaie, clapped at that though she could have sworn she heard her father give an exasperated click of his tongue. She chose to ignore him as the storyteller went on.
"Thank you all kindly for your warm welcome," he called out. "You may simply refer to me as the Wandering Minstrel!"
"What a strange moniker," Alphinaud muttered from next to her as she felt the corner of her mouth curl at that before the Minstrel went on, running his fingers over the harp, getting their attention once again.
A sweet but somewhat melancholy tune reverberated in the air before the Minstrel sang out:
"Young adventurers, all brave true,
Did stand together near the water blue.
Stood for our future and the world's light,
And banished a creature, whom took flight!"
He then smiled peacefully at them all as everyone settled down, listening in awe to his many tales of the Warriors of Light. Those who travelled the land, slaying fiends and helping countless people before their adventures led them to these very lands where they faced off against monsters of all shapes and sizes. Alisaie was on the edge of her seat, enjoying the ice cream that Mother bought them for dessert, and found herself enraptured by such tales of magic and fiends. Finally, as the hour was counting down, the Minstrel was wrapping up his tale with the most dangerous of foes.
"They say that this enemy was the cause of much suffering across the realm," the Minstrel continued on. "But no one could ever agree upon either the form or even its name. Some referred to it as the Shadowkeeper in the form of a monstrous wolf… others say that it was known as the Endsinger and took on the form of a figure with black wings…? The only thing that they all agreed on was the fact that this was a foe that threatened all life in the world and needed to be brought down. And it was on that day did these warriors step forward and put an end to its reign of terror once and for all. Thank you."
He then took a deep bow as everyone began to clap loudly, some even let out sharp whistles of approval as the Minstrel looked ready to leave. But he headed off the stage, Alisaie called out, unable to help herself, "Wait! What became of the warriors after the final battle?!"
As if he had been waiting for that question, he paused and gave a dramatic turn with a knowing smile in her direction.
"Ahhh, you wish to learn of their fates?" he called with a grin, suddenly getting everyone's attention as the entire tavern fell silent. "Well, there are several rumors to what became of them after the battle. Some say that they died from their injuries… others say that they went into hiding to live out their days in peace… but the most popular theory is that they were granted a place among the kingdom of the Fae Folk to be able to travel for all of time. All anyone can say for sure is that they disappeared from these lands as well as the last few rays of magicks. Though they do say that if you were to venture close to Handmirror Lake on the outskirts of the valley… you may see some remaining traces of magicks that were left behind. Just be wary, for legend has it that beings roam the woods themselves… so always be on your guard… least you catch the attention of the less savory spirits."
Everyone applauded once more at that, Alisaie among them, unable to keep the excited smile off her face as she thought more of the miraculous tales that she had heard. She knew that they were most likely just some exaggerated tales that someone's ancestor boasted about though—seriously, who could imagine someone being brave or strong enough to fight a god of the sea or fly upon the backs of dragons? Such a thought made her laugh…? But the way that he told those tales made one really think them over and long to see such sights.
Alisaie couldn't help but smile even as her father finished paying the bill for their lunch and they were heading out the door. She heard her mother mentioning needing a few supplies from the stalls and her family decided that they would just venture on the streets right now.
It was only about ten minutes later did the talk turn from the stories to more of Grandfather's estate and what to do with it.
"At this rate, going through everything isn't going to take just a few days," her Father said, and it seems that the stress of going through his father's belongings, was getting to him.
"It's not like Grandfather had a lot of items, apart from his books," Alphinaud pointed out.
"In terms of possessions, perhaps not," he sighed, "My father was a humble man and didn't feel the need to surround himself with material wealth. But you clearly haven't see his office. There are so many papers that going through each one will take days at least. So I say that we leave that one for last."
"What of the house?" Alisaie asked suddenly, her mind coming back from the thought of pixies and spirits to join the conversation. "Are we really selling it?"
"Eventually, I think," he answered back. "The problem is that the house is at the edge of the woods and so far enough away from Idyllshire that one will have to drive to make it from there and back again. So that may be a bit off-putting for some. I believe that it will be in our possession for the time being until we can find a buyer. But even then, that might take months or even years."
Alisaie frowned at the idea of getting rid of Grandfather's house. How could her father be so callous at selling his childhood home without a second though? Still, she knew better than to argue about that right now and decided to just change the subject as they walked through the crowded streets together.
"That would be amazing though, don't you think?" Alisaie asked them as they waited for mother to finish haggling over prices at a nearby stall that sold jams and home baked goods. "I mean… living in a realm with gods and dragons? With brave warriors fighting to save the world? It sounds like an amazing place to be."
"I think that I prefer this time period without such dangers as those," her Father stated stiffly.
"I know, I'm just saying that it would be amazing to be able to see such a thing back in those days," Alisaie said with a roll of her eyes. "I know that it's not going to magically come back."
"Must have been a rough time for all involved if the world needed to be saved multiple times though," Alphinaud pointed out good-naturedly. "Glad that we don't need such warriors to save us in this day in age."
"Is it true that there are more ruins scattered around here?" Alisaie asked her Father, who nodded back.
"I remember exploring them myself when I was younger," he confessed, "But I also remember there was an accident years ago that created unspoken rule not to go exploring in those ruins for your own safety. Save for the ones at Handmirror Lake—and even then they picnic on the hills, they don't venture inside the ruins themselves."
"What of the ones near this Handmirror Lake? Where is it?" she asked curiously.
"I have only been there once when your grandfather took me there in my youth. It's on the very edge of where the mountains and the forest meet, where there is a deep valley and the lake itself. They say that it used to be part of the Kingdom of Veoburt," he answered back, "A kingdom that vanished centuries ago. Apparently, it was spirited away from this world by the Fae Folk, leaving only little traces of it behind."
"Why do they call it Handmirror Lake?" Alphinaud asked in interest.
"According to legend, a beautiful princess had once stopped and admire herself in the lake whenever she ventured out from the palace," he answered back, "And the people would proclaim that she would use the water, which is unusually still, as her own handmirror."
"You mean there's a palace out there?" Alisaie said in surprise.
"Not anymore. You see there had been a flood several centuries back and caused the lowest part of the valley to sink, forcing the people to leave out of necessity rather than being cursed by spirits," he answered. "You can see the remains of the town under the surface. But as far as I am aware of, the palace was destroyed for I don't recall ever seeing such a structure while I visited."
"Could we take a look at some of them before we go back home?" Alisaie asked eagerly, her heart beating a little faster at the thought. But upon the suggestion, her father's eyes flashed and she knew what was coming before her mind fully registered what was about to happen.
"Absolutely not! It was considered to be dangerous to explore the ruins, do you not listen?" he snapped in a stern voice.
"But you said so yourself that people still visit it," she pointed out imploringly as her brother looked from her to their father with that familiar nervousness. "What's the harm in admiring it?"
"My answer is no, Alisaie," he responded coldly, "And I will not hear another word of it."
"But why?" Alisaie demanded with a stamp of her foot, not caring if she looked or acted like a child at this point, "Why can't we visit it? It's not like we'll be attacked by some evil, vicious monster or…?"
"Alisaie, I will not have this discussion now," he interrupted firmly. "This is final. We are not going there and we will be returning home once everything has been settled. Don't make me send you back with your mother by morning."
"Oh, you'd just love not having me around, wouldn't you?!" she snapped at him before she left in a huff, her anger back as Alphinaud let out a startled cry.
"Alisaie?!" Alphinaud called and followed awkwardly behind, but Alisaie just gave her father a mutinous look before she marched off, leaving Fourchenault wanting to slam his head against the wall out of frustration.
"Fourchenault?" his wife's voice spoke up softly and he turned to find her there with a small basket of groceries tucked under her arm.
"I'm sorry you had to hear all that," he muttered quietly before looking up to see the direction his wayward daughter went off in. "I just fear that I don't know what to do anymore."
She stepped up and linked her other arm with his as he looked down at her with a lost expression that broke her heart. She always knew that her husband was protective over their children. But those feelings had only grown stronger over the years, especially when it came to Alisaie.
Not that she could blame him…?
Her daughter had always been one to want to wander and that often got her into trouble. She remembered the many times that Alisaie couldn't sit still or stay with a group without walking off somewhere on her own. She would always be found though, and when asked why she wandered off, Alisaie just seemed confused and muttered she didn't know. Just that she couldn't sit there any longer and needed to move.
She frowned at the thoughts. She understood Fourchenault's worry and irrational anger at times. She knew that he was just doing what he felt was best for the family—though she had hoped that in light of Louisoix's funeral, it would serve to bring the family closer together… not continue to drive a wedge between her husband and daughter.
"I know that there must be something that you both can compromise on…? Surely a quick visit to those ruins on our way back would do much to show how much you listen to her and take her wishes into account?" Ameliance said softly, but when he didn't answer right away, she decided to take the plunge and asked, "Dearest? Perhaps… now is the time to tell Alisaie the truth?" Upon hearing that, he looked down at her in surprise before she finished, "It's been well over a decade since all that happened. And I think that if Alisaie were to learn the truth then…?"
"Do you think she would even believe it?" he asked her as they walked, arm-in-arm, down the street as they looked for their children. "I hardly believe it myself and I was there. If not for my father's insistence I may continue to have thought that it had all been a dream."
"She will never understand your worry for her if you keep insisting on keeping her in the dark like this. It's not like when she was a child and didn't know better," Ameliance reminded him gently. "It may serve to save your fragile relationship. I know that you don't want to see her leave and never come back once they finish school?"
Fourchenault frowned at that as he thought back to the warning he had been given so long ago. He almost lost his daughter once and the thought that he would push her so far away that she never wished to see them again…?
"But she said…?" he began but she held up her hand.
"And that is all the more reason why Alisaie should know the dangers that could be out there for her," Ameliance cut in, as if she knew exactly what he was talking about. "We owe her a great debt… but she never said anything about never telling Alisaie the truth when she was older, did she?"
He sighed and gave it some thought before finally nodding.
"Alright," he agreed, "Perhaps you are right. I shall talk to her about it when we return to the house tonight. Though, I fear she may struggle to believe it. I struggle to believe it still."
"At least she will understand your protectiveness," she reassured him.
"You weren't there, Ameliance," she heard her father, "It's hard to forget a warning like that. It's the main reason why we left. To keep Alisaie from that forest. I explained this all to you back then."
She looked down at the reminder. Alisaie was not aware of this, but her safety had been the deciding factor when her husband agreed to take the job offer in Sharlayan to begin with. She had mixed feelings about leaving where she grew up, but she remembered how her father-in-law had been most insistent upon it.
"It would be safer for one who is one step off from being spirited away," her father in law had said to them the morning that they left these lands for good.
She slowly looked back up to her husband's unhappy face but he had a grim set to his jaw as he finally nodded and muttered, "I'll think about it."
*Later*
They continued to walk the streets, getting reacquainted with so many older and familiar faces, smiling as they pointed out some favorite spots to their children. Such as the café where the two of them used to frequent when they were still dating… or the tree where Ameliance once climbed to the very top of on a dare—only to take a tumble and break her ankle on the way down.
"And that was the day that I decided that looking into medicine and healing was my calling," she recalled fondly as Alisaie and Alphinaud both laughed at the thought.
She then guided them a little further away to where a massive building—easily the largest in Idyllshire—towered over them.
"Is this…?" Alphinaud asked slowly.
"It is indeed! The Great Gubal Library!" Ameliance looked up fondly at the building with a faraway look in her eyes. "I remember how I once left a report undone until the last moment and realized that I still needed a specific book to finish it…? Even though it was so late, I decided to pay it a visit and…?"
"You snuck in the library in the middle of the night?" Alphinaud said in a startled tone.
"Well, it was for school," she answered as she gave a quick glance around. Her husband had gone off to put some of their bags in the car so he was nowhere to be seen at the moment so she turned back to them.
"Don't tell your father about this," she whispered mischievously, "But when he stepped out of the shadows like that… he about caused my heart to stop. I thought that he was some sort of phantom here to attack me before I recognized him from class."
"Wait, did I hear that right? Now it was our father who was there? You caught each other sneaking around the library in the middle of the night?" Alisaie said, now she was the one startled as mother grinned.
"Yes," she confirmed. "Oh, the look on his face as we all but ran into each other…? If I hadn't been scared out of my mind a second before, I think I would have burst out laughing at the stunned expression. He then started to beg, "Speak of this to no one. I beg of you!" before I realized that he must have been sneaking around some forbidden archives or something for him to be so worried."
"He could have been kicked out of school had he been caught!" Alphinaud pointed out in stunned disbelief. "Possibly gotten into some real trouble beyond that."
"Yes, I realized that as well. So I agreed not to say a word of this little nighttime stroll to anyone," she confessed. "On the condition that he take me out to dinner after class the next day."
"You blackmailed him?" Alisaie laughed, trying to imagine that.
"What did Grandfather say about all that?" Alphinaud asked eagerly.
"He just laughed and was beaming with pride," Mother grinned, looking almost guilty at that before her husband returned. And at the sight of him, all three burst out laughing, leaving Fourchenault completely at a loss.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon out but as the sun moved overhead and slowly began to sink, Fourchenault called that it was time to return to the house. So they made their way back to the car, with the twins settling in the back and his wife was still going over the basket of goodies she bought today.
Once everyone was buckled in, they waited, expecting Fourchenault to start the car. But to their surprise, he just sat there, his hands on the wheel for a few minutes without saying a word, as if he was fighting within himself over something.
"Sweetheart?" Ameliance asked in worry, putting a hand on his shoulder before he turned to look back at them.
"We still have a few hours before it gets dark… there is still time to do something else if… if you are all up to it," he said stiffly.
"What do you mean, Father?" Alphinaud asked.
"Alright, Alisaie," he said grudgingly, "If you can promise me that we will make the visit short… we can visit the valley before we go home."
"Really?" Alisaie asked, her eyes lighting up at once and a smile spreading across her face.
"Yes, but it will be a quick visit," he reminded her firmly. "It's not that far out of the way from your Grandfather's house. But we are to leave before it gets dark and when we get home, we need to have a talk."
"Talk about what?" she groaned out, fully expecting another lecture.
"You will understand when we get there," he said firmly. "Rest assure it's not because you are in trouble." His eyes glanced to his wife, as if asking for support, and she just smiled and nodded before he finished, "But there is something that I feel that you need to know about. It was when we still lived here and the reason why we left."
"Then why not tell me now?" she asked and Fourchenault had to silently beg the Twelve for patience.
"Just promise me this much or we can cancel the visit all together," he warned and Alisaie immediately apologized as he held back his temper.
As he started the car, however, his heart was filled with worry. While he would have much preferred to just go straight home, he knew Alisaie was still angry at him. He knew his daughter's anger well enough at this point and knew that if they returned with her in such a foul mood then she would never take what he had to say seriously. As he hated to admit to it, he knew that his wife was right. They couldn't keep this hidden for much longer and Alisaie needed to know the full truth if she was to understand the risks involved.
The valley seemed like the perfect plan to get his daughter to enjoy herself and be more amenable to listen to him when they got home. Not only that, he knew that many from the town still visited the lake from time to time and nothing bad had ever happened to them…? If they just stayed away from any of the ruins and they left before dark…? Surely, she would be alright if he just made sure to keep an eye on her?
He gave his head a little shake as he pulled out, trying to ignore the sense of dread that had suddenly settled in his heart.
(What do you all think so far? I had to add in the Wandering Minsitral here, I just couldn't help it. But yes, we are starting to get hints of a much bigger picture here. As for who this mysterious 'she' is, you will find out. Also, if you are wondering why Alisaie seems to keep losing her temper, especially towards her father, please remember that she is still grieving over the loss of the person she looked up to the most. Since she and Fourchenault have such a strained relationship, she is taking her anger out on him. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to what comes next.)