A Ballad for Icarus - A Historical Pokemon Quest

GrayGriffin · Nov 9, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Water, near the northern sea, Siren's Call.

Mostly voting because Suicune's my personal favorite Legendary Beast.

barty · Nov 9, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.

Wobblegonnabe · Nov 9, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Fire, past Kael's Stand, Mallus.

Lyosha · Nov 9, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Water, near the northern sea, Siren's Call.

Dubious Wisdom · Nov 10, 2024

Woo chappy. Now starring a secret conspiracy of mysterious individuals, and the Duke having an ambiguous and dangerous figure after Aria, one who knows the truth. The plot hits the next step.
Great job showing off his dangerous vibes Elpis.

As for the vote, I don't have a preference toward the types, nor the legendary beasts, so I'm just gonna pick this one for proximity to Kael's Stand. Hope the history and local culture is interesting.
[X] … towards the city of Fire, past Kael's Stand, Mallus.

UARTman · Nov 10, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Fire, past Kael's Stand, Mallus.

Half Moon · Nov 10, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Fire, past Kael's Stand, Mallus.

Oddicly · Nov 10, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.

UARTman · Nov 10, 2024

Having read through this quest (what there is of it so far), I loved it in whole and in its many parts - its worldbuilding (and that's with me being completely ignorant about Pokemon stuff), the way it goes about exploring the fundamental themes, how it ties them off to the central question of Aria's identity - what she has been and what she is becoming, and the way all supporting characters challenge or shape her and our understanding of it. The romance angle is also cool, though I'm maybe not the best person to appreciate that, having missed a bunch of romantic subtext with Sophia. All great.

Honestly, the highest-impact part of the story for me is the portrayal of Marchioness Flamberg - it's just so chilling and contemptible. Among the shadowy conspiracies and poachers that torture little animals, she's the darkest element of the story by far. Even the shadows she casts on Aria's present state are distressing to read, never mind the flashbacks. This feeds into Aria's heart-rendingly tragic backstory working a lot more effectively than it otherwise might. The on its face fairly archetypal fairytale-ish set of tropes (secret princess, wicked stepmother, et cetera) are given weight by the way they tangibly shape and affect Aria. That fairytale aspect is then highlighted and further developed by the story framing Aria's actions in parallel and contrast to the legendary heroes of ages past, and by implicitly all but stating that Aria's own heroic legend is being shaped by our every choice.

Don't know what else to add. The quest is great!

sheep-dodger · Nov 11, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Water, near the northern sea, Siren's Call.
[X] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.
We shouldn't grab another fire type imo, as has been mentioned we have a Growlithe waiting for us to liberate them already after all.

RiceRockRekt · Nov 11, 2024

Today was a day of Mundo Power for me, so I have enough juice to get started on our wonderful chapter 10, Onward!

Elpis said:
Nobody in the villager quarter makes a comment about Sophia moving in with you. In the end it happens so quickly you don't even have time to really process the idea that there is a person who has sworn to follow you.

You do have time to establish boundaries, however. You do establish, quite clearly, that you're not interested in being idolized. In the same vein, the relationship between you and Sophia is not that of a lady and her knight, but of two friends who have, at this junction, decided to walk their future path together.

. Did you. Uh. Establish the boundaries of "Not Sharing The Same Bed"? Aria???

Elpis said:
It does not help, however, to see the joy in her eyes at your gift. You didn't think too much when you bought it, but somehow it seems to have invigorated her. The necklace you gave her hangs around her neck, shining in the sunlight reflected on top of the omnipresent snow. The one you bought for Capella hangs around your neck, until it's time to meet again.

You do not feel guilt anymore over the joy that you have when Sophia is with you.

...Someone is setting out to have the wrong interpretation of what this relationship is, and it. Probably isn't Sophia.

I can't believe it. I cannot.

YOUR NECK.

ARIA.

HAVE YOU TOLD.

LITERALLY ANYONE.

THAT YOU'RE HOLDING ONTO THAT NECKLACE FOR ANOTHER WOMAN???

Don't even have words there are like two different layers of insane and stupid going on here.

Internal mental war between "Oh so you wanna keep it warm for Capella do ya" and "YOU ARE GONNA HAVE TO HAND THIS NECKLACE OVER AT SWORD POINT AND PISS OFF TWO WOMEN FOR YOUR UNFAITHFULNESS ARIA."

Honestly the #Yandere tag is doing a lot of legwork because I really want off of Capella's Wet and Wild NTR Ride.

Elpis said:
Today you're trying to take it slow. Sophia and you have found yourself in a park, sitting and watching some of the children play in the snow, making sure nobody gets lost.

She looks much better already, though you can still see the way her hand crawls to her belly whenever she thinks you're not watching, her breath growing shallow whenever the thought of her injury and near-death returns.

It's the first time you truly feel like you can relax, though the dinner at the pastry restaurant was already a solid step in the right direction. Unwinding always feels like a bad idea, hoping for a better time is usually met with some form of approaching conflict.

Let it come, you say.

You will not cower from adversary.

Profound nightmare tension of red eyes in the distance aside, I do think this is nice. Babysitting Date! For once Aria isn't the person having PTSD in the scene!

...Why is it always Aria's love interests who get PTSD in a scene when she doesn't...

Elpis said:
The big ball of snow that Lisa is holding in her hands though, you might cower a bit from that.

Oh okay it's the job of this child to give Aria PTSD for this scene, false alarm folks.

Lisa, Lisa, the silliest traitor in Aria's court.

Elpis said:
"Do not," you say, trying to sound stern. Unfortunately she does not seem willing to listen, as whatever authority you have is challenged by the desire to throw frozen water. "Lisa, you will regret this."

She smiles so wide it might as well split her face in half. "Regrets are for old people!"

You don't have time to wonder where a girl this young learned to say something like this, because the ball of snow was thrown with all the power of a small child on a mission. Fortunately, Sophia steps between you and the vicious attack.

Unfortunately there was an attack from the back! One of the boys had his own snowball ready and hit your back, causing you to jump up and forward, slamming into Sophia and falling on top of her into the snow.

Now you're both freezing.

How can you live with this.

Either of you.

Laid low by the small team tactics of toddlers.

You know I'd assume Sophia would have a psychological episode about being pitched into the snow but I think the Aria Impact 3rd of it all would make Sophia more focused on lesbianism than the encroaching horns of mortality.

Elpis said:
"Well," you say, slamming both fists into the ground and shoving off it, righting yourself up. You grab Sophia's arm, helping her up, and give the children a stare.

Some of them do notice that they have gone too far. Some don't. One of them throws another snowball, which you slap out of the air with your palm, then bend down to gather your own weapon. The girl that threw the ball looks a little concerned before trying to run.

You don't let her, your snowball thrown with all the precision of a true knight. It hits her square in the back, shattering into dust and sending her face first into the snow.

The war is on.

What happens next is not something one can put into words. Battles fought over the border could not compare to the viciousness of two trained knights having a fight with a dozen children in the snow, the sheer destruction wrought inside Wallburg is akin to the scars left by Drake's own destruction of Kael's Stand.

Ariaaaaaaa. You just. Special person you.

Love how she will Epic Monologue literally the dumbest things and also needs you to know that she did live up to her dad's acclaim on the snowy fields of the border.

Aria: [Karate Chops An Actual Snowball] That's right kid. You're fucked.

Elpis said:
Unfortunately, it was treachery that did you in. Sophia, realizing that there is no worthy adversary among the children, decided to challenge you instead.

You lost in five seconds flat when she grabbed you from behind and threw you into the snow.

Wowwwwww, Sophia Judas-ing Aria that fast, a knight's oath is like cheap tissue to her, huh?

Elpis said:
It ends up with laughter and joy. Everyone is soaked and shivering, but that is nothing a warm bath will not be able to fix. Sophia, the only one that has taken very few actual hits, ends up joining you in the snow by lying down next to you.

The children go their own ways back home, and you decide to take a minute to catch your breath before joining them.

: )

Elpis said:
"Why did you want to become a knight?" Sophia asks. Her injury forgotten, the girl next to you is badly out of breath and clearly unable to stand up by herself.

"I don't know anymore," you answer, your breath visible in the air as you sigh. "At first it was so I could make Drake proud, then to stand side by side with Capella, my best friend. Then… then I wanted to stand side by side with my other friends, too, with the captains that helped and taught me."

"You no longer want that?"

"I do," you say, shaking your head. "But I don't know if I want it in the way the Glastrier Order wanted it from me. Now that Drake is dead, it feels like I've lost my home. Even with my friends there, I don't want to dedicate my life in service of the Duke to be with them, I want our friendship to go beyond such borders."

This is the most straight up healthy Aria has ever set her expectations for herself and it's literally "Hey I just want my friends to be my friends and like. Not the reason for my employment."

LITERALLY asking herself why does she have to have a job to hang out.

Elpis said:
"It's admirable," Sophia says. You notice your eyes, your stupid, stupid eyes, losing focus again as they start stinging. They blur because of the winter air and nothing else, you tell yourself. "I understand why you are full of hurt being apart from them, it'd be lovely to meet them one day."

"You'd get along with them for sure," you say. Well, maybe not Capella. But then again, that girl doesn't get along with anyone that isn't you.

Yeah Capella will definitely have a Capella Standard dislike of Sophia, the random bitch who became her girlbestfriend's sworn knight while she wasn't looking and has matching necklaces that Aria says she was Definitely saving the one she's wearing for her. Yes.

Aria babygirl you're allowed to cry. Crying adventurrrrrrrrre.

Honestly, nothing more funny then Sophia "Hey I think your friends are Neat" the Knight being the bitch Capella has to live up to.

Like you made her in a lab to ruin her life.

Elpis said:
"What about you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why did you become a knight?"

She looks a bit lost at the question, not in the way someone without a proper answer does, but in a way that someone who is unsure just what the answer is. The conflict in her eyes makes you hesitant to continue, but before you find the courage to tell her that it's fine, she does give you an answer.

"Money," she says, her voice a bit low. "To be honest with you, it was always money."

She looks embarrassed of all things. Sophia's face is slightly red from the cold, and the way her eyes move away from yours you know for sure she is ashamed. Despite the heaviness of the conversation, you can't help but laugh.

When she starts pouting, you laugh even harder.

. Wow.

WOW.

Sophia: [Acts like she was carved from solid birch with that chivalry boner installed]
Aria: So what's your motivation?
Sophia: ...Cash.

Like this definitely tells you she committed to the bit regardless of her original motives, but—Wait a damn minute.

"Perfectly altruistic professional protector who feels bad for having a genuine need for money as her reasons to start" Elpis you bastard you've just made Uraraka again.

This definitely has no implications in this quest starting one month and five days after MHA ended, none whatsoever.

Elpis said:
"It's not very noble, I know!" she says. "But my family grew up poor, and I wanted to have something for myself in the future. The knights pay better than anyone else!"

"It's not that," you say, your shoulders still shaking in joyful laughter. "With how you hesitated I thought it'd be something weird, but money's probably the least weird thing there is."

You are not escaping the allegations Elpis, not in the least.

The amount of fun Aria is having with this is incredible in light of how much she fumbled her own motive roll was back when with Lissy and Ruby.

Elpis said:
"Whenever I told anyone else, they mocked me," she admits, her hands balling into fists in her lap. "They said without a proper reason, I could not be a proper knight."

"Well screw them," you say, putting an arm around her shoulders. She goes rigid, but does not push you away. "There's no such thing as a wrong way to be a knight, if there's one thing I learned over the years with the Glastrier Order is that as long as your actions speak for themselves, nobody may criticize you."

You stand up again, once more reaching out to Sophia to help her up. You pull her from the snow and give her a smile.

"You still helped people," you say. "Your reasons for doing so are your own, but the effect you've had on others will remain the same."

One cannot eat honor, or live on fame alone. Your own reason to join the patrol was money, and in the end you've succeeded in not just earning that coin, but also saving a life.

And then she looks at you, and you see in her eyes those were words she clearly never heard before but always wanted to hear.

"Now let's get ourselves warmed up," you say at the same time as she makes a noise to speak. She does not continue, her mouth closing. She just nods, holding your hand on the way back to the villager quarter.

Incredible how many profound Ws Aria is stacking to go with the basic ass Ls to actually get any amount of a clue what she's doing in this relationship.

This is how you microwaved Capella Aria. How do you not know people are gay.

Anyway THAT aside I'm just very charmed by the earnest replay of Aria and Knightly Reasons and how quitting has let her discover that on her own time instead of having to measure up Fast Fast Fast, passing that on to Sophia makes you feel like—

Elpis said:
"What are your reasons," Lissy asks, polite enough not to speak with a full mouth. "You don't really talk much with anyone that's not Pelly, so nobody knows what you're about."

There's no doubt in your mind as to your answer: "I want to repay the debt I owe Commander Drake."

"Well, that is kinda boring," Lissy says. Ruby nods for a moment before shaking their head way too fast. "What, without ambition, you're just going through the motions? Drake's not gonna live forever—"

"Lissy!" Ruby shouts.

"So when is that debt repaid? Are you going to live for someone else the entire time?"

You draw your lips into a thin line. Again, your image of Lissy begins to shift a little. She's not quite the dumb brute that Capella presents her as, but short bursts of insights don't make a genius yet.

Nevertheless, the question is completely valid.

"I don't know," you admit. "When he brought me here, I had given up on a lot of things. I didn't expect to get this far."

"Everyone got their own reasons," Lissy says, shrugging, "but those got to be your reasons. Did the commander ever say he expects you to follow in his footsteps?"

You shake your head. "It is my reason, but I don't disagree. I know that there's much more out there than the Order. I want to see more of Gildera. I want to keep staying with Skiddle and winning fights. I want to make a name for myself. All of these are me."

Lissy hits the table with her fist. She smiles at you. "Well, until you find something big, that's more than enough, ain't that right, Ruby?"

"Y-yes!" Ruby says, shouting to meet Lissy's cadence. "We're g-going to protect people soon, that's one step of many!"

The three partners shout in agreement. You don't raise your voice, but you find your heart beats louder.

If you stand for nothing, Aria, what will you fall for?

—Everything she took from Ruby and Lissy coming full circle.

Elpis said:
It is Leif that ends up breaking your routine at the quarter. He appears like usual, in full armor and on top of his Rapidash, though this time he looks slightly less upbeat than usual. You know that the past few days, he's been taking more and more responsibility on. Sophia is getting her affairs in order, so you're alone when he asks to meet you.

"Hop on," he says, without much of an option to say no. While you're the last person to just accept a demand, you know that this man has helped you more than enough to get the benefit of the doubt. You take his hand and he swings you upward, letting you settle down behind him on the Rapidash.

Leif Time! A situation seems to be abound.

Elpis said:
Rapidash says something that you can't quite make out, and he laughs as if his Pokemon just told a joke. "I guess it's a bit late for introductions, but what's his name?"

Leif hums. "Right, I knew there was something I forgot. This is Bernard, softest mount in all of Gildera."

You can't disagree. Though the saddle under you is somewhat solid, there's a feeling of lightness that surrounds you.

BERNARD! MY MAN!

Love how Leif is about his magical unicorn (*Halfway through an inside joke only he and Bernard know* "Oh wait I forgot to tell people your name, my bad").

The subtle implication this fucking horse is using psychokinetic fey chicanery to keep his passengers comfy.

Elpis said:
"So where are we going?"

He tilts his head toward the castle. You frown.

"We're not visiting the Marquess, right?" you say. You have the letter on you at all times, but there's no way you have enough clout with them to actually meet the nobility that governs these lands and this city. Especially not during such a difficult time, in a harsh winter, while there's conflicts at the border.

"No, no," he says, shaking his head. "The Knight's Quarters. You're invited to a meal today, our treat."

Well, you can't say no to a good meal. While you love the villagers' foods and ingredients, they don't have much in terms of variety. After seven kinds of bean soup, you do feel like you could eat something else today.

Leif: [Coming in with a tangible sense of Omen]
Aria: So what's all this then?
Leif: There's free food.
Aria: [Forgetting all about the tangible sense of Omen] Oh I'm in.

Honestly mildly deranged it's like "Oh I can't just Show Up, I need to build up reputation points on the war table first" when Aria could literally just gamble on Drake's name to get some attention, it's not even that this isn't sensible or clearly going to benefit her with being Around the people she's been around with the time she has, but it is really funny that such a first act move is being passed up for caution's sake.

Elpis said:
The rest of the trip is quite quick and quiet. You don't see much that you haven't seen before, passing by the first watchtower and then toward the main road that leads up all the way to the castle itself, built into the mountains. Calling it a castle feels wrong when you're this close, staring up at it. A fortress, maybe. A Wall.

Yes, yes, the very Wall of Wallberg!

Elpis said:
The knight's quarters aren't inside the castle itself, but to the right of the gate and further towards the end of the edge of the city. It does look similar to what you're used to, at least. You can immediately tell where the barracks are, what places are there for Pokemon, and what places are there for feeding the poor and downtrodden aspirants ready to prove themselves.

The dark horse mirror to the knights on a white horse.

Things about that last line that's just "You good Aria???"

Elpis said:
You dismount next to the dining hall, and Leif gives Bernard a nod, sending him off toward the stalls instead of using his Pokeball. You enter mostly unseen, finding yourself staring back at a few curious knights who are clearly wondering about the civilian that just came with one of their knights.

"See you around the office Bernard." "[Nods in Horse]"

The way various people are Like about their pokemon, like the way the class structure of even having a pokeball exists, versus "Oh, it takes paperwork to even have a pokemon hanging out outside in this city", and also the fact This Is A Horse.

Probably letting him eat hay and oats by giving Bernard leave of duty.

Aria the Ninja tbf.

Elpis said:
It's still a mystery to you just what rank Leif actually has. While ranks in the Glastrier Order are depicted by stripes and symbols, the Spectrier Knights have their armor in lieu of a uniform. You can tell the difference in some armors, but Leif is wearing the same that Sophia wore. He's wearing different ones from the lightly armored young men and women who must be aspirants, so—

Love how we're introduced to Leif has just the first guy in front of patrol who Old Bea grifted Aria past, and then she's just "What a scrub, just shouting out (not) secret information for all to hear", and then he's apparently the one leading the evacuation—

Elpis said:
"You're Sofia, right?" he asks. You almost speak the truth, suppressing the reflex at the last second as your lips part. Your teeth slam together with a loud click, and you nod instead of speaking. "I am Leif, Knight of the Spectrier Guard. I lead this evacuation effort."

"You do?"

That's not the right tone, is it? You open your mouth to apologize, but the man just shrugs.

"I know I'm too young for it, but age matters little here," he says, laughing it off. "I used to grow up in a village, so I know the people and the paths better than some knights who've been around longer."

"That's… fair," you say. Experience can be useful, but the different kinds of experience are often difficult to weigh against each other.

—And Leif smoothly lets "Sofia" think it's just a matter of him being a village local, all the while poking out all the details about Aria that seems necessary before giving her blanket approval despite just about half his screentime being "dopey", and huh, weird?

Elpis said:
Three knights are there with you, led by Leif. You're not the only one who's decided to join the patrol, however. Two other villagers with their own Pokemon, as well as five unknowns make a total of eight with you included. All of them are quite young, with the oldest maybe in his mid twenties.

"A criminal has been sighted near the city," he says. You purse your lips. The situation has been making you too nervous so you've stopped reacting, at this point you can't change anything. If the Glastrier Knights decide to report your alleged misdeeds, they'll do it. Until then, you can relax. Kind of. Maybe. Possibly. "He's not too much of a threat, but the last group that went out to look for him hasn't returned so we're assembling this group to find them. Four knights are missing."

This does raise your nervousness somewhat. The Spectrier Border Guard are not pushovers, and none of their knights should be threatened by some petty criminal. This either means something else is out there, or that petty criminal has more tricks up his sleeves.

"This is important, so listen up," he says loudly. The others in the group turn to him, while you stand up straight, squaring your shoulders. He gives you an appreciative nod, and you wonder just how many faux passes you'll make before the day is over. "Wilhelm is a petty thief and possibly still out there, but he's not our priority. If you find him, do not engage unless you have no other choice. If you find any of the knights, you use these."

He hands everyone strange sticks. They brim with energy, warm to the touch and strangely enticing to look at.

"You point them at the sky and pull on that string," he says, pointing at the string at the top. "Once it's drawn all the way down it'll release a flare up into the sky, we'll be able to find you then. So do not move until we arrive, is that understood?"

He's the guy leading the group of knights Aria interacts with even they're back in the city.

Elpis said:
"Leif says you came here with the villagers from Traviolle," she says when she finds her voice again. "Though you're from further away, right? That sword of yours couldn't have been forged in the Marquisate."

"No," you say, avoiding her gaze. "It's from… from the Duchy. I—"

"You don't need to explain yourself," Sophia says quickly. You blink. "You've got your reasons, so just talk about it when you feel like it. I owe you that much. If Leif lets you enter the city, you belong here either way. No way he'd have given you one of the Spectrier Pokeballs if that wasn't the case."

What a simple way to make decisions. No doubts that even Leif could make the wrong choice, or that you're a deserter of some sort.

And Sophia is like "Leif trusting you means you must be the real deal" that's like. Just a bit more weight to give any random knight, even if everyone refers to him perfectly casually.

Just a little itty bit feels like Aria has stumbled into "Taken by the local super knight just because she's Pretty Neat" like she did with Drake again, which kinda reflects how the Wallburg Arc has pretty notably been a distorted mirror of Arc 1 and implicitly Aria's backstory in Caer Rivenhold (and WHAT do you know, she's gonna go on a journey with a green girl she rooms with).

Elpis said:
[ ] … not really your cup of tea. Your second hand is for a shield. The other wields a short blade that makes up for its lack in range with speed and dexterity. Capella was carrying these back when you traveled together to the Caer.

(This has never happened before.)

Anyway, yeah, funny how Aria cannot for the life of her figure out the Spectrier Guard's chain of command, no implication at all that Sophia wore armor exactly like the guy who's randomly in charge of a lot of things.

Elpis said:
You don't have time to ask any questions before you're seated. The hall itself is quite warm and cozy, the candles everywhere give a warm red glow to your surroundings.

"Wait here," he says, moving toward the kitchen window. You don't need to be told twice, sitting down on a bench. The table is empty, while the hall itself is filled with a good two dozen knights and aspirants, as well as some older men and women in the back, there's enough space so you don't have to share or meet anyone new.

That's good, you're not really in the mood to meet anyone new.

Aria: I'm at max capacity of goobers I'm willing to know the names of.
Leif: I feel like you say that a lot.
Aria: Listen here Scarred Goober.

Aria is so good at people, and yet she always tries to interact with the least amount of people she can get away with, it's funny.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown, especially if the head is an introvert who's bad with people's names.

Elpis said:
Leif returns with two plates full of grub, balanced on his forearms, and two mugs full of… well, something. You're not sure what he gave you, but whatever he has is alcoholic for sure. The plates on the table, he sits down across from you, the bench under him creaking. It really can't be comfortable to always walk around in that armor, but considering Corviknight flies with it, it can't be that heavy either.

It's hard to miss once you spot it, but you can certainly tell the Marquess is proud of his order by the massive painting of him in the hall. The man is sitting, fully armored, in a rather simple chair. Next to him is the Marchioness, a woman with pale blue hair and deep purple eyes, dressed in such a simple dress it would be easy to forget she once was a princess.

If not for her smile. You don't know why it feels so familiar to you, but though her appearance is royal and dignified, the way she smiles just feels warm and welcoming for some reason.

"Comparing it to your old place?" he asks. You roll your eyes.

COMPARING IT TO YOUR OLD PLACE.

YEAH.

DEFINITELY TALKING ABOUT THE GLASTRIER ORDER HERE.

ARIA DOESN'T KNOW THAT BLUE WOMAN.

Also wow I didn't realize Marchioness Reichert's hair was blue, I thought it was white.

Elpis said:
Zack, Aria's Champion

Marchioness von Reichert, Once-Heir to the Throne

Some quick drawings for the final dawn of the vote. There's a tie, this better not be there when the vote closes tomorrow

Red and Blue Fambly...

Old Bea: [Gives a very strongly politically motivated breakdown on what it suggests to prioritize weapons over armor in the Glastrier Order]
Aria: Well I'm glad I never had to wear that, looks like it chafes.

Elpis said:
"A bit," you say. "You know we had something good here, right? I pretend to be some villager girl and you don't reveal my darkest secrets? Whatever happened to that?"

"Well, you happened," he says, his hand reaching up to his hair. He loosens the string around his ponytail, clearly bothered by how it pulls on his hair as he raises his glass with the other hand. "It's easy to play pretend until you start swinging around Skarmory steel weapons and declaring your name in front of poor Sophia."

THIS IS SO FUNNY.

"Didn't we have some real spy talk 'I know you know I know' on our hands?" "Girl you basically started shouting your Noble Phantasm."

I love how Aria and Leif are. Also I really like the physical motion of Leif making his ponytail tug less, he's so animated.

Elpis said:
You groan, your fingers tracing over the hard wooden table. "You knew from the very start, you don't need to pretend."

"This is this and that is that," he says, shrugging his shoulders again. You bite into the… cob of sorts. You don't actually know what it is, but it does taste sweet. Perhaps not knowing is better considering it looks like it came from a very questionable plant. "I'm sorry to tell you, but you're the worst actress I have ever seen. Hell the way you talk already tells me you've had some noble upbringing."

You try to resist the urge to flinch at the abrupt reminder of your past and succeed in part only by hiding your face in the giant mug of— apple juice? Does this man think you're a toddler?

Owned.

Usually smooth secret unveiling operators let alcohol loosen the lips of their informants. Aria is a clear glass window so Leif is just letting her damn herself wholly sober though.

Aria: You know you don't have to pretend.
Leif: Well excuuuuuuuuuse me princess.
Aria: Pretend more.

You ever think about how Aria gets exposed for blueblood like literally the instant she interacts with anyone for more than five seconds.

Elpis said:
"I don't know what you mean," you lie with the grace of a child caught with its hand stealing sweets from the pantry.

Her eyes narrow further. "You're a good liar, but not good enough. Spill it."

And how Capella says she's "a good liar."

Sure uh. Layers to how those two let deceptions that wasn't even effective keep hanging between them.

Aria lovvvvvvves lying to people who can obviously see through her (she doesn't chat).

Elpis said:
"You… Can you tell?" you ask, your voice quivering slightly. Wait, if he can tell… did people in the Caer know? Were you always this obvious?

OH WOW YOU LITTLE FUCKING BEEPO.

Aria, eyes wibbling: I can fake people out, right?

Elpis said:
"Little bits," he says, smiling softly. "It's some stuff you just pick up after a while, you know? People usually prefer one leg or another when they stand, but nobles are used to standing straight so they use both feet. Sometimes you use words I know a villager would never use, even knights would be hard pressed to add them to their vocabulary."

Leif: You're just a little too Excellent Pedigree, sorry.

Elpis said:
"And the fact that you probably know most villagers if you lead the evacuation efforts," you say.

Aria: I was damned if I did or didn't because you're too much of a people person and country boy, wasn't I.

Elpis said:
"And that." He nods.

Leif: Lol. Lmao.

I love how these two talk. Microwaving her.

Elpis said:
"In part that's courtesy, Old Bea isn't someone you really try to challenge when she's made a choice. I let you go, then observed, and realized you're not a threat. If anything, I'm glad that you've joined up with the patrol. Sophia would be dead if it wasn't for you."

"The fact that Sophia could just leave makes me wonder," you say. He tilts his head. "About loyalty, about duty. A knight whose heart is not in it surely does deserve no place, but one whose heart bleeds with her people, would you not try to keep her with you?"

"The Marchioness Reichert has a good heart," Leif says, nodding at the painting in the hall. "'Knights are not pawns,' she once said in an argument with some other nobility. 'If one is forced to fight when their heart is no longer in it, surely the time arguing about right and wrong can be spent better by refitting their armor on someone else.'"

"Nobles and pragmatism," you murmur. "I suppose it's better than the alternative."

I love how "Pragmatism" and "Good Heart" are keywords here, because it's kinda clear that Aria is unconsciously scraping against "Wow how weird is it that ~~I'm~~ Sophia's being given the benefit of the doubt and shit" and Leif tells her that his boss has a good head on her shoulders in the same breath he points out his own grace led to Aria returning his faith threefold.

Honestly so funny that Old Bea did this. "I'm gonna give you and the boy an excuse" and everyone had to roll with it.

Elpis said:
"Well, I do know that your former order thinks differently," Leif says. You sigh, of course they do, to him there was power in numbers, after all. "What we grant you in the Marquisate is not quite amnesty, of course if you were truly guilty of a crime against the crown, then we'd have to arrest you. The joys of borders between landed nobility is that jurisdictions become more complicated."

"Do the Marquess and Marchioness know I am here?"

"Not in detail," he says, shrugging. "In essence you're just a number on a list of refugees, with the special note on it that you're a former knight. Where you came from, what you do, it's largely irrelevant as long as you behave appropriately and don't cause trouble for our people."

"Knights and pragmatism," you say, slightly louder. "Thank you, Leif. For giving me the benefit of the doubt."

"It's my privilege to aid a lost child," he says. You purse your lips. You're practically an adult, there's no need to make fun of your size. "I'd like for you to tell me your story one day, but I'm not really so curious I'd force you to. If nothing else, that benefit of the doubt has extended into unconditional trust."

This is just charming okay.

"Thanks for uh. Giving me a chance." "Bro you literally used the most expensive damn rock on the continent to save a stranger you earned it."

Honestly, incredibly funny how Aria is like tight with Leif here, has fostered a real mutual trust, and she's not gonna just ask "Hey can you get me to the Marchioness I need to deliver a letter", it's so funny, the plot conspires to lengthen because the current shenanigans are That fun.

Aria: I'm an adult.
Leif: You're like a baby. I'm gonna give you noogies.

Insane how Aria having no grasp on how old she should be taken is like a prevailing theme of this fic.

Love how we have no idea how, exactly, Duke van Kesteren is gonna shake out, but four chapters straight it's been "He's kinda full of shit huh?"

Elpis said:
"I've spoken with Sophia about it, and the more I think on it the less sense it makes for me to really hide it," you say. In the end, the more people know your story, the more people will help you if you're still charged for that crime. "Commander Drake's death, I was the one who… who found him. The guards thought I did it."

"Oh," he says, and you do see the way he tries to process the information by drinking more of that beverage. It gives him time to think, for sure, and in the end his response is as short as you expect from him. "That's messed up."

THAT'S MESSED UP.

Leif you are the funniest motherfucker in this country.

Love how much "We're choosing the Trust Button" is letting Aria actually articulate what the hell is going on and maybe get some actual overview of the situation separate from "People DEFINITELY think I killed Drake and I have to figure out ALL OF THIS by myself."

Imagine being told you have an actual spark for war across the continent on your hands (for more reason than Either of them know) and your first impulse is "Well damn good thing I already have alcohol on me."

Elpis said:
Well, the second worst day of your life being summarized in three words might be slightly less than stellar, but it's not wrong. It is messed up.

Gsgehyw.

So bothered. So miffed.

Elpis said:
"Typhon, that's Drake's Dragonite, got me away," you explain further. "Then I traveled, nearly froze to death, and the villagers saved my life."

Leif is uncharacteristically silent for a good minute, and you wonder for a moment if your decision to share your situation is wrong.

Then you give him the benefit of the doubt, and wait for that extra minute he takes to formulate his own response.

"They've not sent out information about the assailant, and there is no bounty with your description," he says. You nod. The recruitment center was devoid of anything that could lead to you. "This means they either have the true assassin, or you have people who don't want this information to leak."

That's about where you are, yes. You nod again, happy that someone else has come to the same conclusion.

Love how they need just like a second to lock in. Leif having the same braincell as Aria is SO relieving for her and also pretty directly states how hard specced for Wisdom Leif has to be to process this in like. A minute.

Anyway yeah some. Fucking thing is going on in Caer Rivenhold and the fact we have no idea what makes the dramatic tension Fester.

"I think I'll show Leif the trust he's shown me" Aria I love you.

Elpis said:
"The trust between me and them, it's not going to be restored so easily. There's no way I can return to where I was, even if I miss my friends. I know I will meet them again, just not now, or maybe not even for a long while."

"I suppose your approach here also has a purpose," he says. You hesitate for a moment before you nod. Though you can give him the benefit of the doubt, that letter is something you cannot share with anyone. Even Sophia, as much as you can trust a girl who seems even worse at lying than you, cannot know. "I won't pry, as I said. If you are willing to share, I will be here to listen."

He takes another swig.

This is just sweet. And funny.

Leif: I'm here for you if you need me.
Leif: [Immediately chugs more alcohol because this is Some Shit]

Anyway, yeah, again, even when Leif fucking Calls Aria on the fact her being in Wallburg specifically is no accident, she's like "Well I trust you as a person but I kinda need to do a thing and I need it to work or I will never live with myself."

Definitely not super fucked up about Drake dying because they knew he was gonna give her this letter. Nope.

Elpis said:
"So as for this dinner here, it's obviously not only about food," he says. You nod, the cob forgotten on the plate. Without any appetite, it's hard to swallow.

"Is it about the thief?"

"Okay, then let me explain," he says. "Wilhelm used to be an entertainer. He traveled through the continent, earning money with his shows, but somewhere along the way something happened. Wherever he had a show, things went missing. Minor trinkets at first, then major treasures."

"What happened? That just sounds like a long con."

"No, it's more than that," Leif says, shaking his head. "At the same time we had reports of some strange happenings, initially thought unrelated. A magician who appeared in towns where kidnappings happened, a priestess who healed people who got sicker after she left. While we still don't know how they connect, we know that they're all part of one group."

Wait what. Do we have Medieval Action Team Rocket on our hands???

I can't believe it this is straight up some JRPG midboss bounty board.

A literally fucking Faith Healer Priestess. WOW you REALLY wanted us to pick the "Knows The True Name Of Gods" option huh Elpis.

Elpis said:
"Do they have a name?" you ask. Information like this no doubt has reached the ears of the Duke, so why weren't the knights of the Glastrier order involved? Why did nobody know about these happenings?

"No, and worst of all is that every time we capture one of them, they find their way out of prison," he says, shrugging his shoulders as he takes another swig of his drink. "Wilhelm broke out four times, though the fifth will be hard considering what you did to him."

You open your mouth to defend yourself, but somehow it feels childish to argue about how badly you injured a thief and would-be murderer. "And none of them have been killed either?"
"We don't try to kill on our lands. That is not justice. Executions may only happen after the approval of the Marquess, and for those who haven't really committed crimes that warrant such, the prison is all we truly have to deter them."

You suppose that is the way of fairness, and though you do wish that some could be dealt with easier, as someone who has already felt the blade on the neck for a crime, true or false, it is not hard to approach this situation with the idea that even criminal life is sacred until their acts grow beyond the pale.

"Have you considered killing the Joker?" "Settle down Jason Todd."

It's always funny when Aria takes the devil's advocate side of these debates and it's clear that baby would like some bloodshed.

Like she wouldn't like it but she'd do it.

Leif has basically given the go ahead that unnecessary brutality keeps rodeo clowns in jail!

Can't believe Aria spent their entire fight convinced Wilhelm was just some guy when he really was not just some guy she's just deranged.

...

Elpis said:
It's strange how much easier this seems compared to the poacher. Perhaps that is what Leif meant. He's a petty thief, he makes for good theater and little else, though his ambush against the knights using the flute and the Tauros does point to a slightly more intelligent criminal.

You know I was already under the impression that random sickle poacher was part of some greater plot to rile up the Ursaring on purpose, but this sure does clarify that Aria straight up doesn't know jack about the antagonist scale because she keeps fighting elite killers before she ever ran into a normal robber.

Elpis said:
"Now I know that after whatever happened at the Glastrier order, you won't join up with us, no matter how much we would want you to," Leif begins again, changing topics with only a slight bit of hesitation in his voice. "But right now the situation in the city is quite challenging, and you've been such a great help that the upper ranks want me to ask anyway."

"No," you say, not hesitating in the slightest. "I've realized that there's no life for me in the hierarchy of knights, I'm sorry, Leif."

"Ah, to be so young and know what one wants," he says, leaning back into his chair. "You're truly one of a kind, Aria of Rivenhold. What a life you must have lived."

"Not one I can recommend, Leif," you say, "but one I do not dare regret."

Awwww, this is sweet.

Literally knew he wouldn't get to be her senpai but was ready to roll with it, and I love that for all her problems Aria is immeasurably confident about the fact her life is worth living.

Elpis said:
"Aye, what a good attitude!" His voice echoes over the hall. He stands up, the bench under him falling over as he raises his glass. You can see he's barely drunken anything, so either he's playing the fool or is a lightweight. "Hear me, Spectrier Knights!"

The people pay attention. You can even see some of their captains, people with much more imposing armor and aged faces, turn to you.

"The world of knights is too small for this one, but in her I see a good friend!" His words are met with cheers. You try to make yourself small, but there's nowhere to hide here. "So it is my honor, in service to Wallburg and the Marquess, to offer this!"

He pulls something out of his pocket. It's… an emblem, of sorts. It looks like the Spectrier emblem, but in the middle there is a small gemstone embedded.

"Where the Spectrier Order walks, you will never need to fear solitude, Aria," he says, handing you the emblem. "From this day onward, as approved by our Commander, you are an honorary knight."

YOOOOOOOOOOO, THE EMBLEM, AT LAST!!!

The fact Leif came prepared for this even before he got a rundown on how much Aria Would Not. Really good.

Leif: Everyone this is my friend Aria I want you to clap and cheer!
Aria: Shut uppppppppppp I hate you god fuck. [Is discovering the experience of cringe big brothers again]

Love how all of this is because Aria saved like one knight and beat up one guy but that really means a lot because the weight of a life is sacrosanct.

Elpis said:
"I can't accept this," you whisper. He grins at you, forcing your hands closed around the emblem.

You know the meaning, the presentation, the importance. You know that the Glastrier Order itself has only five honorary knights in its history, only one walking around right now. While the Spectrier Order is slightly more liberal with these, you also understand that the privilege of holding this emblem comes with certain conditions.

Catching one thief, saving one life, that's not— wait.

"The flute," you say. That bastard's grin widens.

"For securing the Marchioness' beloved flute, gifted to her by the late princess Isabella!" he calls out. "Thank you, Honorary Knight Aria. The Spectrier Order will forever be in your debt."

"You bastard," you whisper, your grip around the emblem tightening. You can't say no anymore, not when your entire plan to meet the Marchioness is tied to your good standing in Wallburg and the Order. Not when he drags you across the city to make the award a public matter in front of dozens of knights.

Ohhhhhhhhh, the flute, riiiiiiight the flute literally that I forgot.

This is so funny "I need to be famous to deliver this damn letter" "Hey I'm gonna make you famous" "Fuck you stop putting attention on me."

Hates Leif soooooooo bad for thinking she's the specialest girl around.

...Wonder who the fuck "The only living Honorary Glastrier Knight" is?

Elpis said:
While this isn't enough to ask for an audience, it's essentially a free pass through the Marquisate and a promise to help you if you're troubled as long as it's within their jurisdiction.

It can be taken away if you abuse it, but Leif knows you're not the kind of person to do it.

The crowd around you cheers so loudly, you go deaf.

Honestly what the fuck is gonna take if "Hi, saved a precious memory of your sister" isn't enough.

Anyway I love how Aria is in a hell of her good choices.

Elpis said:
The bulk of that warm bread you were just holding rolls over the ground, trampled by the heavy crowd that surrounds you as your entire body coils like a spring. You're ready to maul that man in front of you in broad daylight, but you're uncertain just how much collateral damage you could bear.

The name he called you by is known to only three people, including you. Your hand is twitching toward the sword on your hip, your eyes narrowing at the bastard across you.

. Hm!

You know I respect that you've taken off the training wheels of "Flashbacks are in all italics" Elpis because that means I got kinda face blasted by "Aria is now a mongrel undeserving of grace right after she became a hero to the people" and that's clearly the very effectual intent.

Elpis said:
The man stands out, yet people seem to ignore him as they pass him by. His stature is not very tall, but the air around him makes the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. He is not a noble, the way he leans and the way he gestures have none of that grace you've started to look for after Leif mentioned it to you. Though he's very close to it. Someone who stands with nobility, whose very presence commands respect.

He stands like Drake.

. Oh so it's not a flashback!

And. This is someone who knows Aria's like. Pre-Aria name!

Okay wow Aria is never too far away from a psychotic episode is she.

Who the FUCK is this guy.

Elpis said:
"Aria, Deserter of the Glastrier Order," the man says, as if using your chosen name is meant to calm you down. If anything, it makes you even more willing to risk everything to drive that sword into his throat and stop him from speaking. "Your sentence has been deferred. I am not here to take you in."

This does not calm you any. You already knew something was wrong when no word of Drake's alleged assassin had reached the border, but to hear it spoken out loud just makes your suspicion even greater.

"The men who framed me are dead," you say, frowning. "Are you responsible?"

"We are not executioners, all our deeds are in the name of the Duke van Kesteren," he says. His voice does not rise at all, and though there is a sizable distance between you his every word is so clear it might as well be a whisper next to your ear. "Our lord requires your presence at his castle. You are invited to attend."

Who the FUCK is this guy.

Also wow I'm realizing this isn't actually like. During the party. How the fuck is he like this.

...The fact he knows Aria's original name...Like he says his deeds are for Kesteren, but this sure smells of Flamberg.

Elpis said:
"And if I say no?" you ask. Inana is angry, wiggling around in her ball at your hip. Despite that strong emotion she does not come out, knowing that it would just make this situation worse. The man himself has six Pokeballs at his hip, not that you'd risk a battle in the busy street.

"Then we will have to aid your way."

The threat hangs in the air.

OH OKAY WE'RE FINALLY RAISING THE POWER LEVEL HERE, ALRIGHT.

"Inana, the specialest special girl, FINALLY returned" the foolish buffoon says before he witnesses like full stage boss fight in the waiting.

Elpis said:
It is four weeks now since you've entered Wallburg. Since you joined the patrol, since you saved Sophia and captured Wilhelm the Fool. Leif mentions that the man had accomplices, that in Gildera there's a group of people causing chaos everywhere, each stronger and more capable than Wilhelm himself.

While the Border Guard is occupied keeping the peace in the buffer zone between Sol and Gildera, these people have started to spread their influence across the kingdom, and now that you're aware, your ears are honed to listen and react to rumors about them. Fortunately it seems Wilhlem's injuries remain too severe for him to break out or receive help from his allies.

The way we slip in the timeline here...

Also "Wilhelm the Fool" is a rad titlecard.

Didn't save him from getting his whole ass broken!

Elpis said:
"How much time do I have?"

"Little," he says. He does not sound like someone who bluffs. "One week from now, we will receive you at the gates. If you're not there, we will find you."

Your hand moves toward the emblem in your pocket. For one moment, you think about calling for Leif. To tell him what happened, to ask him for protection. But the way he says your name, the certainty in his voice, the ridiculous way he holds himself.

"If you think about calling your new allies, I will have to move earlier," he says. "And though I find it beneath me, you will see that in the name of the Duke, even these borders will not protect you, or those people who have taken you in, Sofia of Traviole."

The noise that comes from your throat is nowhere near human. As the crowd starts to become even more busy, he vanishes between them, simply walking away.

Your fist lets go of the sword hilt.

Kesteren my man you're not looking good when your guy opens like this to a girl you have apparently determined did not, in fact, kill anyone!

...Yeah this is probably the Honorary Glastrier Knight, huh!

"So how do you feel about your predecessor?"
"I'm gonna hang him by his entrails."

Elpis said:
The threat of the Glastrier Order hangs over you like the Sword of Damocles. You are not someone to run from your troubles, but you are also not someone who would ever bend the knee to someone for no reason other than their title.

For some reason the Duke van Kesteren wants to see you. He sent an operative so skilled, he managed to sneak into the city without anyone raising any flags, so if he truly wanted to take you by force he wouldn't have taken the time to introduce himself.

In the end, the choice is yours. You…

~~[ ] … follow the Glastrier Knight back to the Duchy.~~
There is no world in which you will entertain the idea of service under that man's banner again. Not until you know who killed Drake, and even then, that newfound freedom will never be easy to let go of.

~~[ ] … ask Leif for help.~~
The Spectrier Order is stretched thin. Whatever the Duke's men have planned, it'll become worse when you involve the knights that are currently fighting at the border. Wilhelm alone was almost too much, you can't imagine what they could do.

[X] … you refuse to kneel.

You shake your head.

Wow. You KEEP doing this format vote denial trick Elpis, fantastic.

I do think, though, it's funny that Aria's like "You know what I'm literally not gonna ask for help. I'll tell you to go fuck yourself with these two hands."

I'm actually struggling between "Okay I guess Aria's making sure there's a proper timeskip between her return to Caer Rivenhold, jeez" and "Okay but aren't you just a little curious about what the game here is?"

Like why the hell is Kesteren playing this like some super spy invitation, Aria is in this to Always dodge the draft, yes, but I don't think this is strictly about her being a member of the Glastrier Order again, is it?

Elpis said:
What a foolish notion. While your feet moved away from the Caer due to the accusations, now that you've seen the world outside you cannot simply forget just what happened. You cannot forgive the Order that could not protect your father, and whose inability to choose proper aspirants has led to those conspirators pointing their fingers at you.

And now that you know just what the state of the rest of the country is, how can you truly believe that you can make such a difference in the service of a lord like van Kesteren?

No.

You are not going to be anyone's knight anymore. You're going to be a knight of the people.

You have to go where the Duke can't reach you. Where your mere presence will not cause conflict in Gildera.

You have to go to Sol.

WOW.

THAT'S A FUCKING TABLE FLIPPED.

"You can't force me to serve my country. I'm gonna fucking leave my country."

This is well and truly the best way to keep this plot going before Aria even knows a damn thing about what the letter she's carrying actually says, huh.

Can't believe she's gonna be in her father's homeland with not even the slightest fucking clue it's her father's homeland.

Elpis said:
Oh you anguished traveler.

The way east is treacherous, and where the snow starts to melt, the sun will be harsher than you've ever felt.

But this is the path you have chosen, rebellious dame.

Toward Sol there are three cities, built in the faith of three loyal beasts. Your status as Honorary Knight means nothing to the people of Sol, but your deeds reach across the continent. If you become someone whose name is in everyone's mouth, whose deeds aid those downtrodden and too powerless to aid themselves, then even the Duke cannot touch you.

The cities you can reach just across the border are named after the types of Pokemon that surround them.

You go…

WOW. YOU ACTUAL FUCKER. YOU METAPHOR: REFANTAZIO LIKING PIECE OF SHIT.

THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY.

We're doing the Tournament for the Throne before Aria even knows she's in the running, insane.

[ ] … towards the city of Fire, past Kael's Stand, Mallus.

[ ] … towards the city of Water, near the northern sea, Siren's Call.

[ ] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.

Elpis. This is rad.

So the Three Sacred Beasts, Entei, Suicune and Raikou are represented by three major cities of faith near the other side of Sol's border, very interesting.

[X] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.

I have the feeling we're getting a big hint on which Type Aria's next Partner will be, so I'm going with Olympia!

Oh, how dearly this is a chapter that earns the "Rebellion" that kicked off the rest of A Ballad for Icarus.

NemoMarx · Nov 11, 2024

[X] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.

Agree on not doubling up on fire.

Elpis · Nov 11, 2024

Adhoc vote count started by Elpis on Nov 11, 2024 at 11:52 AM, finished with 20 posts and 18 votes.

8 people have voted
[X] … towards the city of Lightning, southbound near the mountains, Olympia.
- sickdoc4452
- Homestuckian
- barty
- Oddicly
- RiceRockRekt
- NemoMarx
- Axel Fones
- sheep-dodger
7 people have voted
[X] … towards the city of Fire, past Kael's Stand, Mallus.
5 people have voted
[X] … towards the city of Water, near the northern sea, Siren's Call.

Elpis · Nov 11, 2024

She is Capella.

Once her family owned a mansion in the capital, though they were not nobles. Rich merchants whose guile and competence sent them on the path to fortune are a rare breed, especially in the quasi-isolated kingdom which imports many wares from an ostensibly enemy country.

But Capella lived her life in peace, and that was all that mattered.

Until her parents passed. That was when she lost her faith.

Then things started to take a turn for the worse. Her uncle took over, sending her to a boarding school. To take her mind off things, to keep her safe, to make sure that she studied hard and could take over the reins once she's matured.

And for a time, she enjoyed it. She had many friends, she studied diligently, in one of the most expensive schools that money could afford in between noble scions and future officials.

It was two years after her parents' death that even that was taken from her. Her uncle wanted to become a noble, so he had to grow even greater wealth. So he risked it all, and lost it. The tuition wasn't paid for, and though the teachers were sympathetic they were not able to keep her at the school.

Her friends didn't even look at her anymore. A poor heiress, who owns nothing, was not worth befriending.

That was when she lost hope.

Until one day, a hand reached out to her. An old friend of her parents, from the time where her father was a soldier. Drake's hand was big, and it felt like he could hold the whole world in his hands.

But something was still missing. She had lost so many important things, there was a pit inside of her. Nothing could fill it, no matter how many smiles she offered Drake when he made a bad joke. No matter how many warm meals filled her belly, and no matter how validating the pain in her fingers was when she swung a sword.

Until she met Aria.

The girl was beaten down and bleeding. Bruises and cuts marred her arms and legs, her eyes lost all shine, and yet her presence was different. She stood tall, using a broken sword to keep herself upright, unwilling to cower or flinch in front of Drake's imposing figure.

It took many years for her to realize what love was, but in that moment, Capella knew that Aria had to stay at her side.

And now she's gone. So Capella lost her love as well.

###

The days after the murder of Commander Drake were difficult, Lissy admits. Though she's not the kind of person that lets grief and worry stop her, it was Aria's disappearance and the subsequent accusations leveled at Drake's favorite child that made her pause.

Objectively speaking, she hasn't known Aria that long. Outside of occasionally finding her in a class they shared, or some exercise, until that day they all received their partners they were not even acquaintances. Now Lissy will not hesitate to call her one of her closest friends, forged in the fires of a village, drawn in the blood of a poacher group.

So when the guardsmen, who had initially pointed their fingers at Aria as Drake's murderer, were found dead, it didn't take much thinking to figure out there was something foul going on in the Caer.

Capella comes back holding a broken Pokeball, her skin as pale as the snow, and her eyes red from crying. Though they're not friends by any means, and some would even describe them as enemies, Lissy is the one that catches her when she collapses.

Despite knowing the answer, Lissy asks the question burning on her mind anyway.

"Where is Aria?"

"Gone," Capella says. Her fingers grip Lissy's sleeve until her nails draw blood. "She left me. She said we'd die if she came back."

Lissy does not know if that's true or not.

###

Skiddle understands there are things going on which she does not understand. Though she is someone that knows how people feel, the whys and hows are difficult to grasp. She is, after all, not human.

Humans and Pokemon do things differently. The way they communicate, the way they trust each other, and work together. It's a concept that Skiddle appreciates greatly, as it allows her to see so much of the world. It allowed her to feel all those things Aria feels.

But now Aria is gone.

And where she was a beacon of warmth and joy, now that connection is thin and brittle. As if the wrong wind could shatter it.

But Skiddle cannot allow herself to wallow in misery and get her feelings down. Aria is still alive, she is still around, and she will come back for her. She knows this is the truth, because it feels good to think.

The problem is that until that day, she has a just as important task to fulfill as waiting for Aria.

Aria's best friend, Capella, who sometimes scares her and sometimes becomes all she thinks about. She's a whirlwind of emotion now, unstable in some ways that makes Skiddle uncomfortable. But an adversary is not something that one must cower from.

Aria has taught her that.

So when Skiddle walks up to the girl as she is using a small tool to repair the Pokeball, she does expect the frustrated grunt and angry throw of the Pokeball at the wall. She picks it up, taking it into her mouth and bringing it back to the table where Capella's shoulders are shaking.

Capella falls off the chair, onto Skiddle and holds on tight. Her fingers pull on the fur, trying to become one with it.

"She left us," Capella says, whispering into Skiddle's fur. "She left us, she left us, she left us…"

'She didn't,' Skiddle says, bah'ing her words. 'She's going to come back.'

"We won't see her again," Capella says, her voice breaking. "Not if we wait for her, no, we have… we have to go after her, right?"

Skiddle isn't sure if that's the right course of action. She heard the whispers of the Murkrows in the woods, speaking of the plum girl. They said she's gone east, towards the sunlight. Far, far from their home.

'What about Lissy and Percy and Ruby and Opal?'

"Yes," Capella says, shaking her head. "The knights were the ones that made her leave, we can't trust them. We have… we have to leave soon."

Skiddle shakes her head, her horns softly touching Capella's forehead. She tries to convey meaning, in a way that Aria always understands, but Capella seems to actively ignore. The way Capella connects to people is alien, something Skiddle has never seen before. Rather than connections that grant understanding, her emotions are like hands that will not let go.

The finger named 'Drake' is gone. And the finger named 'Aria' is broken.

"Come," she says, holding up the Pokeball. A click, a whirr, and some sparks when she pushes the tool against the ball again. It's repaired, though it'll forever look broken. Skiddle does not know if she is making the right choice.

But she does know that Aria will be sad if something happens to Capella. So Skiddle will protect her.

###

The assembly at the end of the week shows a force of a thousand men and women. The Caer is filled to the brim, all those who have been too busy were forced to come back.

There is important visitors, after all.

The Duke stands tall, though his age is beginning to show. Streaks of white in his hair, tired eyes, and though his hand looks like it can still grip a sword, Capella can see the way it shakes on the hilt.

The assorted knights have taken the field in front of the podium. For some reason, Lissy and Ruby decided to take the places next to her, standing at attention to hear the man's speech. They say nothing, yet she can see it in their eyes. The anxiety, the fear that grips them is the same as Capella's.

Next to him is his son, the Heir van Kesteren. A young man, who looks every bit like his father. Eyes like ice, hair so dark it might be the night sky.

Capella hates them. She hates all the nobles, but these especially. Someone who would have earned her loyalty for the rest of his life if only he was able to keep Aria right here, but this incompetent order could not even manage that. No, instead they made her run, accusing her of a crime she could never have committed.

It's been a solid week since Drake was murdered. Since then, the things at the Caer are moving to normalcy. As significant as the man was, the administration of the aspirants has never been something he was actively controlling.

The appearances of the Duke and his heir are not surprising, order requires leadership.

"My dear knights," the Duke begins. His voice is loud, yet soft. Though Capella does not like him, it is hard to hear the affection in his voice and accuse him of disingenuity. Skiddle wiggles. Though the man looks cold and hardened by a lifetime of strife, his heart is in the right place? Is that what she's trying to say?

Capella shakes her head.

"The tragedy of the past week is something that affects us all. You have lost your commander, and I lost a good friend. While the winter takes our warmth, and seasons change, our memories of him will not fade."

The people cheer. Capella holds back, her own heart gripped with fear and uncertainty.

"Though I am still filled with grief, I know that an order without a commander will not be able to function," he says, his arm reaching out to touch the shoulder of his son. "Noah van Kesteren, my son and heir, will take over the duties of the commander. I know he is young, though his skill is undeniable."

Capella does not need Skiddle's help to see the young man's pride at the words. Though he is clearly happy, and though he is clearly proud, there is something else sitting on the top of his brow. Worry, uncertainty that she is all too familiar with. Noah, too, must have admired Drake.

"Thank you, Father," Noah says. Though his steps are slow, his hesitance vanishes when he summons his partner, a massive Beartic that towers behind him. He walks forward, projecting his voice. "The shoes I am meant to fill are larger than life. I know that the duty that my father has given me will not be easy to fulfill, but I know that with the help of those assembled here today, our duty to the Duchy will not be a Herculean task. I will be meeting the captains tonight, so we can establish where we are and where we want to be."

Not here, Capella thinks. Everywhere but here.

"But this also means we must discuss the Donphan in the room," he says. Capella's jaw locks up. Ruby, too, looks on the edge. "Aspirant Aria, accused of the murder has fled. The initial report from Captain Redwood has laid doubts on those claims, not just due to the lack of proper motive, but also the means."

Someone like Aria could never dream of defeating Drake, not in a million years.

Capella disagrees. She knows the truth after all.

If Aria held a sword to his chest, he would impale himself on it. That is how important she was to him. That is how important she is to Capella.

"The truth is that Drake was murdered by someone who wanted to harm the Duchy," Noah says. "My father is about to reveal something to you that cannot reach the ears of our enemies, something that will not just endanger that young woman, but also the Duchy as a whole."

Then he should not share it at all.

"He's telling us to find the traitors," Ruby whispers. Capella nods, her jaw still locked up. "They'll start moving to share the information with their true leaders."

"So he'll tell a lie?"

She glances up at the Duke. No, Capella thinks and shakes her head. "He will tell the truth. Because that'll be the most effective."

"Drake was doing his duty when he was murdered," the Duke says. He is holding something. Capella recognizes the Arcanine seal on it. "Protecting one of my house, the future Duchess. My son's fiancée—"

He opens the scroll, and though it is not large the words 'marriage' are clear and bold and red and so loathsome.

Capella's body tenses up to such a degree, a Tauros could not move her from the spot.

"— the girl who was once of the Flamberg Marquisate is to be wed to my son, Noah. She is not a common criminal, or a murderer. When she is found, she is to be treated with the utmost respect."

Attached to the scroll is a picture, a small portrait of Aria, ten years old, looking so joyful in that dress. So different to how Drake and Capella found her.

A hand comes down on Capella's shoulder, gripping so tightly there was no way to move away. Her head turns slowly to the person stopping her from bringing that bastard to justice, but something in Lissy's eyes makes her feel at ease. The sheer fury and disdain that must be visible on her face is mirrored in the woman who claims to be a future legend.

"Not now," Lissy whispers, looking around at the knights around, many who are doubtlessly just as confused at the strange twist that the assassination of Drake is taking. "You have to stay calm."

Capella does, even when it's the hardest thing she's ever done.

NemoMarx · Nov 11, 2024

Elpis said:
"Drake was doing his duty when he was murdered," the Duke says. He is holding something. Capella recognizes the Arcanine seal on it. "Protecting one of my house, the future Duchess. My son's fiancée—"

He opens the scroll, and though it is not large the words 'marriage' are clear and bold and red and so loathsome.

Capella's body tenses up to such a degree, a Tauros could not move her from the spot.

Oh her Yandere trait is getting like, activated activated here. She is going to kill some people.

Axel Fones · Nov 11, 2024

Elpis said:
'She didn't,' Skiddle says, bah'ing her words. 'She's going to come back.'

Skiddle's bahs fill me with happiness.

Elpis said:
But she does know that Aria will be sad if something happens to Capella. So Skiddle will protect her.

I miss Skiddle and I'm glad we got to see them again. Real trooper, best companion a trainer can have if they're willing and able to listen.

Elpis said:
"— the girl who was once of the Flamberg Marquisate is to be wed to my son, Noah. She is not a common criminal, or a murderer. When she is found, she is to be treated with the utmost respect."

Attached to the scroll is a picture, a small portrait of Aria, ten years old, looking so joyful in that dress. So different to how Drake and Capella found her.

Well. Welly well well then. That certainly casts an interesting light on things.

Half Moon · Nov 11, 2024

I hope Capella and our companions can learn to get along. Skiddle seems to be helping with that much, at least.

UARTman · Nov 11, 2024

Elpis said:
A hand comes down on Capella's shoulder, gripping so tightly there was no way to move away. Her head turns slowly to the person stopping her from bringing that bastard to justice, but something in Lissy's eyes makes her feel at ease. The sheer fury and disdain that must be visible on her face is mirrored in the woman who claims to be a future legend.

"Not now," Lissy whispers, looking around at the knights around, many who are doubtlessly just as confused at the strange twist that the assassination of Drake is taking. "You have to stay calm."

Capella does, even when it's the hardest thing she's ever done.

The rivals seem united in (if maybe for different reasons) making sure the Duchy doesn't lay its hand on Aria. Capella because she's madly in love with her. Lissy because she knows something of what horrible price Aria paid to escape her noble life.

I don't think I have enough information to make a hypothesis about what politics are going behind the scenes, but one thing seems clear to me. Aria has most likely never truly left the grasp of whoever wanted to control her. People in charge knew who/where she was all along. And, besides Drake's patronage, one depressing reason they let her stay where she was is that she would stay there. Tied to a narrow road by debt and choice both.

Really, whatever the true sequence of events, I don't think it went quite to anybody's plans. And, frankly, someone's almost certainly fucking it up further. I'm not even sure whoever delivered the ultimatum to Aria in the last chapter is necessarily a Duke's man! Driving the (from their perspective) potential future Duchess directly into the territory of his country's largest enemy is such a big unforced error that it almost but not quite defies belief that someone of (in Aria's opinion) Drake's caliber would make it. Not quite because heavy-handedness and secrecy are common to behavior of the powerful, even when counterproductive.

NMS · Nov 11, 2024

Elpis said:
"Drake was doing his duty when he was murdered," the Duke says. He is holding something. Capella recognizes the Arcanine seal on it. "Protecting one of my house, the future Duchess. My son's fiancée—"

He opens the scroll, and though it is not large the words 'marriage' are clear and bold and red and so loathsome.

Capella's body tenses up to such a degree, a Tauros could not move her from the spot.

"— the girl who was once of the Flamberg Marquisate is to be wed to my son, Noah. She is not a common criminal, or a murderer. When she is found, she is to be treated with the utmost respect."

Huh, so was the Duke in on the murder, then? That's kind of the vibe I'm getting. Like, "Bring me the girl. Alive!"

UARTman · Nov 11, 2024

NMS said:
Huh, so was the Duke in on the murder, then? That's kind of the vibe I'm getting. Like, "Bring me the girl. Alive!"

I'm not sure if that's the case, because there are some alternate possibilities, but if so, I think Noah isn't in on the conspiracy, and his father is basically setting him up for... something. Which, if true, opens a hilarious possibility of Noah having a wildly inaccurate understanding of the situation in general and Aria's character and circumstances in particular. But maybe it's just me being a sucker for characters whose arc is "delusional romantic nonsense in their head collides with harsh reality".

Dubious Wisdom · Nov 11, 2024

My theory is that Drake was going to stand in the way of putting Aria in a forced marriage, back under the name she has run away from. So they killed him, but she wasn't supposed to be framed for it, that wad either stupid guards or a different plot.

Also Skiddle is best goat.

Elpis, is Noah actually a knight? How pure is the nepotism here for him to be put in charge.

barty · Nov 12, 2024

I think Aria's mother didn't know Drake had her daughter, but the duke did.
If I'm right, her mom was the one who didn't want Aria to be the future Duchess, presumably because she knew her mistreating her kids would then bite her in the posterior.

Elpis · Nov 12, 2024

Dubious Wisdom said:
Elpis, is Noah actually a knight? How pure is the nepotism here for him to be put in charge

He's a capable and well trained knight, the Duke loves his son but wouldn't leave an idiot in charge of his knight order.

Illunima · Nov 12, 2024

:hype: hell yeah chapters!

Couldn't vote in time, but I agree with the result. In any case... honorary knight! Aria fleeing the country and going to Sol. And the interlude, love seeing how the gang is doing and the stuff happening.

Elpis, you cooked. Cooked yuri too, congrats!

Elpis · Nov 13, 2024

Winning Vote:
[X] Olympia.

Drawing of the day: Heir van Kesteren

###

You will miss it, you realize. More than you miss the Caer Rivenhold. Maybe even as much, but not more, than you miss Capalla, Lissy and Ruby.

The warmth and smiles that Wallburg and its citizens have offered you are memories so precious you will carry them with you across the continent.

Your deadline is fast approaching, so three days after the man threatened you, and all that has come to be dear to you, Leif greets you at the knight quarters. Though the man had snuck into the city during a crisis, even he could not so easily find himself among the Spectrier Knights without cause.

Sophia came with you, there to say goodbye to old friends and comrades. She sits at the table far from you, smiling and laughing with the knights that were with her in that hospital bed. Garry is telling another strange joke.

"I need your help," are the first words out of your mouth. And for all his jolly mood, Leif immediately turns serious, his eyebrows furrowing and his hands on the table.

"What do you need?"

Not a single moment of hesitation, not a thought to what you are asking for could be trouble. His friendship moves you to tears, but today is not the time to give in to emotion.

"I need permission to leave Wallburg," you say. He frowns. "To the east."

His frown deepens. "That's a huge ask, but why?"

"The Duke's men are in the city." You raise your hands the second his eyes move towards the door. "I can't fight them here, and I can't ask you to fight them for me. I am asking you not as an honorary knight but as your friend, if one drop of blood touches the snow in Wallburg over me I will not be able to carry on."

Leif looks so tall when he is angry. His presence, his strength that is clearly above the average knight, it makes for a reminder that the man in front of her is a warrior and not just the fun man who makes bad jokes.

His hand reaches out to your shoulder, heavy but comforting. For a moment he looks like he's thinking about it, about simply ignoring your words and raising an alarm. There's no need for that, there's simply no need to pick this fight.

Because there's more than just your desire to escape the Duke, there is the wanderlust.

"Are you sure that's the Duke's man? Why'd he have given you a deadline instead of just grabbing you?"

"Whatever's going on requires me to come willingly, to a degree," you say. Though the weeks here in the Marquisate have given you quite a different view of the Duke, you do know that Drake always held that the man was not a monster. If there is any trust in Drake, then at the very least you can assume that they don't want to cause a scene. They do not want to tarnish the Duke's honor.

"We would help you."

"You would, but I cannot have a conflict between Reichert and van Kesteren on my conscience, not during a harsh winter, not in a city filled with the people who have shown me nothing but warmth and love."

"So you'd run."

"I would, because far outside of Gildera there is no Duke van Kesteren. Nobody knows my face or my name, and to be honest with you…"

You glance over to Sophia, who is so far she cannot hear the conversation. She waves at you, smiling brightly.

"I do want to travel, I want to see the lands that my grandmother used to live in," you say. "To meet those who share colors that I bear, and to see what lies beyond those mountains."

That is the truth. You know because it hurts. Somehow, your blood calls to the world outside of Gildera.

"I can get you a letter from one of our captains, some excuse as to why you can cross. While there are some skirmishes outside, Sol and Gildera are still allies on paper. Few would stop your approach into the empire."

He sounds off. Upset about his own words, and with your choice. Somehow, just as you came to know him as a friend, his own emotions betray him. To him, you are someone he would see more than a few weeks before your journey continues.

You agree, of course. If it wasn't for the threat of the Duchy, you'd likely have stayed until winter ends. To see one last spring in Gildera before your feet carry you forward.

"If I may ask you to pick a fight for me," you say, and he perks up, one hand near the blade he always carries on his hip. "It'd be to become a shield to the villagers. I don't believe the Glastrier knights would be so foolish as to attack them to get to me, but better be safe than sorry."

"No, they would not be," he says, his agreement sounding more like a threat for them to dare. "But nevertheless, we have been pulling more forces back from the border. Increasing patrols around the villagers' quarter is not hard to justify."

You nod. "There's something else, though. Something I want to trust you with."

His frown softens, and for a moment his hair is red. You shake your head, letting that vestige go as you find yourself across your friend once more.

You'd love to hesitate, to find an excuse not to give him your trust. But that's just now who you are anymore. The letter comes out of your bag, the seal of the Flamberg house glaring up at Leif who clearly recognizes it. The confusion that becomes visible on his brow becomes exasperation as you press the letter into his hands.

"This letter was the last thing Drake left me," you say. "It's written by my grandmother, for the eyes of the Marchioness only."

"What's in it?" he asks.

You shake your head. "I don't know, but it must've been written over ten years ago now. It's been sealed since then, and even if curiosity is killing me, I cannot betray the trust of my grandmother or the man who raised me by reading it."

"The fact that we could not make you stay will be my greatest shame," Leif says, laughing softly. You find yourself relaxing. "Your loyalty and discretion would put many captains to shame, Honorary Knight Aria."

"Even if there wasn't an Order after me, I could not stay."

"I know," he says. His hand moves from up to you again, but instead of touching your shoulder, he pushes down on your head, his fingers in your hair. "If only the world was smaller, then perhaps your curiosity could be sated by the Marquisate alone."

"If the world was any smaller, I would have died from starvation," you say, smiling up at him. For once, being the smaller one doesn't bother you one bit. "There's so much to learn, Leif. I will tell you all about it when I see you again."

"The Marchioness could make time for you," he offers, one final time. You shake your head.

"I will not be able to meet her," you say, gently letting go. Nothing that is in this letter would make the conflict the Duke and the Marquess could suffer from your mere presence worth it. "I have not told anyone about this, Leif. As you say, I cannot give it to anyone who lacks a speck of that loyalty and discretion you have."

Such is the way of the Wise. To know when to trust is something you have learned from Skiddle. It is something you can never let go of. Constantly jumping at the sight of your own shadow, the paranoia that the world is out to get you, that's not a way to live.

No, you are going to trust your instincts.

You have so many questions for that woman. You have so many questions you'd love to ask your grandmother. You know already, you'd be a fool not to know that you're not just some commoner who your grandmother adopted on a whim.

But that changes nothing. Not your current and not your future path.

You're going to write your name in the stars, and the truth will follow.

"The Marchioness will be lesser to not have met someone like you," Leif says. You smile brightly, standing up. The sounds at the dining hall are dying out as eyes begin to follow you.

"Then tell her I will come back one day to read that letter with her," you say. "Tell her I am Aria, and I would love to meet a princess one day."

###

You sit with Old Bea. The woman does not look sad, but her fingers are gripping the cup tight as she hands you the tea. The news that you're leaving soon can't be spread too far, for fear of the knights moving before their own deadline. You know that they're not stupid, after all. You know for sure that they will expect you to make a run for it.

But until you're out of the city and where they cannot touch you, Leif has given you escorts. Knights dressed like civilians are following you here and there, and though it makes you feel stifled you know he does so out of concern for your well-being.

"The world is not kind to you," Old Bea says. "I know your feet cannot stay idle, but to have those dogs at your heels…"

You couldn't not tell her, so Old Bea is the only one who knows. The others will be informed once you're past the gate.

"It was inevitable," you say, finding yourself smiling into the cup. "Perhaps it's premature, but I cannot say I feel chased as much as encouraged to continue my path."

"A life well lived deserves a moment of respite."

"I have been granted more than a moment with you and the others at my side, Beatrice. If anything, the debt I owe you is not something I can repay in a lifetime."

"A foolish notion," Old Bea says, finding herself smiling as well. "Gratitude is its own reward, no amount of gold and labor will make us happier than you being with us."

Whatever joke you try to make is caught in your throat. It rises up your face until your eyes sting.

"You barely know me," you manage to say, but somehow that feels wrong. If anything, Old Bea seems to be one of the people that knows you better than you know yourself some of these days.

"I know children like you," she says. "I know what it feels like to run, to find the world that you love so much shattered. I know nothing of the burdens you carry, but I know the strength it takes to carry them."

"You are kind to everyone, aren't you?" Your words are strained, the energy it takes to hold yourself back from becoming emotional taking a toll on you.

"I wasn't always, dear," she says. "Once upon a time, kindness was not a virtue I could afford."

"Times were different," you say, remembering your grandmother's lessons. "People were struggling during the wars, it's what you did to survive. Isn't becoming kind much harder than having a kind nature?"

"It's a struggle, that much is true," Old Bea says. "I asked a priest once, I said I lived a life devoid of virtue, how am I meant to become better? Is someone like me, who has been taught that grace is weakness, even worthy of it?"

"Everyone is," you say, the words coming out a bit strong. "No one is beyond redemption. My grandmother—"

The once Marchioness Flamberg, the epitome of grace and kindness. Your dear grandmother, who has taught you to be good, and whose soft hand continues to guide your actions for over ten years now.

"My grandmother once said to me that if I can't find myself being kind," you begin. "Forgiving someone one thing every day will make you kinder."
"She sounds like a wise woman," Old Bea says. "I'd have loved to meet her."

"She would have loved to meet you, too," you say. You set the cup down, the tea almost untouched, and reach out your hand to grasp the woman's. "Even now, I sometimes wonder if I can forgive myself for the things I have done, but with that advice, I think I can. And if it works for me, surely it'll work for you."

"Aria."

Old Bea's hands feel cold around yours. For once, the old woman's eyes are not focused on you as she speaks, but on something that only she can see.

"You mustn't worry for us, we are strong," she begins. "You mustn't look back, we will be the wind that pushes you forward. You mustn't feel grief or longing when you remember us, but know that we are better for making you one of us, and will remain better now that we have known your warmth."

The stinging in your eyes returns, and though you try, it is impossible to stop the emotions that rise up in you. Inana spoke of feathers, and somehow as Old Bea reaches into her bag you already know that this will be a goodbye you will never forget.

Why is it that you become so attached to things so easily? Is this how Capella feels all the time? Or is it perhaps that disgusting hole in you left by Skiddle being ripped from you after such a beautiful time together?

But it simply doesn't feel wrong, who is to say that it's a mistake to be trusting? Did you not build your strength to defend yourself and others when even words will not reach your enemy?

She hands you something metal and sharp, and on it you can see dozens of little etchings. They're names from all those villagers you have met and who you have taken into your heart. You can see the effort it took for even the children to get their names on the small trinket, the heart and love that went into a farewell gift that they didn't even know was one.

Not being able to say goodbye properly will be even harder now. Old Bea grabs your head and pushes it into her shoulder. Once the flood starts, it's already too late to build a dam.

###

There is an outpost at the gate, at the western edge of the buffer zone that is already Solian territory.

Through one of the knights hidden among the villagers, Leif informed you that the Duke's men have been identified and are being tracked. Though the man's threats seemed quite pointed, their behavior proves that they've never had any intention of truly starting anything in the city.

Which either means they were confident you were going to play along, or they never had any intention of forcing your hand.

Which… which can mean a lot of things. Thinking about it from the perspective of the fact that the man who approached you knew the truth of your heritage, and Drake's letter that your grandmother penned a decade ago, perhaps calling them the Duke's men was not entirely accurate.

Maybe, just maybe, they were Drake's men.

And Drake would never let you come to harm, that much you know.

If anything, even with your status as honorary knight, there's no way the Marquess would protect your status in the city if the Duke genuinely came knocking. The reason they gave you time to get your affairs in order was to avoid having to take the official way.

You think.

You shake your head, there are too many could have beens and would have beens again, so many variables you can't truly grasp as a pawn on a chessboard the size of a continent. It is your unfailing trust in those who have given you nothing but warmth that carried you this far, and you will continue onward knowing that they are the wind at your back, as Old Bea had said.

Sophia stands with you, half a step behind, as you continue to the border control.

They are, as expected, Spectrier Knights. Most of the people moving in and out of the border seem to be merchants, some earning a bit more scrutiny depending on whether they're Solian or Gilderan traders. Trade ledgers, explicit permissions, there are some wares that the Marquisate has forbidden from export, and it makes you more and more curious just what kind of reasoning exists for such restrictions.

Sophia, as if reading your mind, speaks up. "Certain goods can't be traded for health reasons, but most of the regulated goods are about avoiding loss of value."

"Loss of value?" you ask. "What'd cause that?"

"Well, Sol exports sugar, for example," she explains. "But if they sold the material to make sugar of, or seeds which we could use to grow them, it'd eventually make the price of sugar plummet."

You nod. That makes sense, though you're not sure if the example is that good considering the climate in Gildera makes growing any crops that grow in Sol quite hard. The book that you've received from Penelope has given you a greater understanding of plantlife.

"That makes sense," you say, realizing that getting trapped in your own thoughts will not make the line go any faster. "The letter we got that lets us through doesn't give a reason, I'm not worried about the Spectrier Guard here, but what about the Solian Border?"

"The wall built around the buffer zone has multiple entry points to cross over." She grabs a piece of parchment from her bag and a pen, drawing a rough sketch of the border. A single line that represents the mountains and Wallburg, and a half circle that forms the rather obvious border to Sol. "Here is the one for merchants, that line's always full and takes forever, this one—"

She points at the northern part of the half-circle.

"This one's for diplomats, nobles, it gets you closest to the ports which have ships. Those get you to the capital faster than anything outside of having a flying carriage."

You are certain you know what a ship is, they're not exactly common in a place like Gildera but there are enough illustrations of them in books that you've read in the knight's library. Though something else moves your attention to it. "Flying what now?"

"Flying carriages," she says again, laughing at the look you must be giving her. "They're useless in Gildera, as the clouds are always thick and heavy. The Skywrath will not permit anyone else to take to the skies. You know Mudsdale carriages? Imagine that but with Pokemon capable of flight."

"That seems… unsafe."

"It's statistically one of the safest ways to travel," she says. "Very hard to intercept, as they're very fast. Very expensive, too, the carriages are made from materials that keep the people inside warm and safe."

You squint. There's no way anyone thinks that's safer than keeping your feet on the ground. Absolutely nothing could ever move you into one. Shaking your head, you look at the map again. "What about the south entrance?"

"That one's ours," she says. "Officially it's called the 'tourist gate'. It's for anyone who doesn't fit into the other two categories, though. Leif's letter mentions we're on our way to visit relatives, which won't be a hard sell."

Of course it won't be. Sol is the land of the sun, and even those who aren't born with a darker complexion end up visibly tanned by the sunlight of the eastern empire. As the border had many people born with mixed blood, nobody will doubt the request to pass through the gate on the way to the place that must be homeland to one of your parents.

Your mother loved you so much, Aria. Your father… he loved your mother.

It was the only time your grandmother spoke of your father.

You still wonder what kind of man he is. Or was. Whether alive or dead, you do know that he could not be worse than the spineless coward that called himself your father until the Marchioness Flamberg tried to pawn you off.

But that has never been something you truly cared about. Whoever your parents were, it matters little now. In a grave, buried under snow, the man you'd proudly call father will have his eternal rest. Under stone, held warm by the howl of Arcanine and Growlithe, your grandmother, who raised you more than your actual mother ever did, can dream of a beautiful world knowing you are safe and happy.

"Have you been to Sol before?" you ask. Sophia shakes her head.

"We had to learn all these things, they're important to our job." Sophia pockets the map. There's still space on the parchment, perhaps you can ask her to map out your path through the continent. "Some knights are tasked with helping important nobles to the gate, or merchants carrying the king's seal. I was never picked, my tasks usually were in and around Wallburg."

"Ah, I guess you won't make a good guide then," you say, crossing your arms in thought. She pouts, then starts laughing again when you pat her shoulders, swatting your hand away. "What about the—" you lean in, your voice low. "—the skirmishes."

"Mostly minor," she says, her voice dropping in volume as well. "The truth is that this is kind of a game to Solian nobles. They provoke fights by clearly violating the border treaty, so knights clash and end up injured, then to avoid war everyone pretends nothing happened."

"The Marquisate can't do anything about it?"

Sophia shakes her head. "No, the king is… too attached to peace. Too full of grief for his lost daughter to accept that negotiations are failing and that war might become reality in his lifetime once more."

You clench your teeth. Over what? What does Sol lack so much that they want from Gildera? What grief must Gildera have caused in the past to warrant such hostility? Is this truly the way of mankind? Is this what Redwood meant to say?

"To the credit of the emperor, he tries to keep that treaty intact as much as he can," Sophia continues. "The issue is that the further away from the imperial capital they are, the bolder the landed nobles are. Even if they're caught, they'll sacrifice a knight or two, take a slap on the wrist, and pay some fine."

"Nobility doesn't change, does it?" you ask. "No matter what king or emperor, no matter what weather or what lands."

"Not all nobles are like that," Sophia says, though her retort is weak.

"And yet, when a noble is like that, it is rarely them who suffer for it." You purse your lips, not wanting to start an argument with your friend over class. Of course, the two of you have completely different views, as you have lived completely different lives.

A village girl who became a knight for money, and works for a Border Lord that, by all appearances, tries his best for the people of his territory could never share the views of a girl who was raised by scoundrels who call themselves nobility.

"I'm sorry," Sophia says. You frown, ready to give up on the conversation, how could she think of apologizing to you just because you're a little bit upset? She's not the target of your ire! But before you can speak up, she continues. "I agree, blood makes none of us better. But no one chooses who they are born as, Aria. Do they not deserve the benefit of the doubt?"
"They do," you say, feeling small. Your disdain has been far from productive, and while you find yourself ever annoyed by the concept, it's true that your expectations of them are higher than normal.

But isn't that what Noblesse Oblige is supposed to be about? Even if you believe that everyone should help everyone, is it wrong to think that those who have more and expect more can, in turn, have those expectations set on their shoulders?

"If I stayed with my family, I wonder what kind of person I'd be now," you say, a shiver running down your spine at the mere idea. "And maybe that's why I am harsher on them. I see what I could have become in them."

"I don't believe you would have," Sophia says. Her hand grasps yours, squeezing softly. "I think no matter what life they'd have forced on you, you'd have become a good person. And those nobles who try their hardest, who you never hear about because their deeds are not grand gestures or nefarious plots, I think you'd have become someone like the Marchioness."

You laugh. "I don't think the princess should hear you compare her to me, she'd be appalled."

"I've met her once," she says. "And I think you'd get along splendidly. You have the same kind of eyes."

Well, they're both the same color, though it's not like it's that rare of a color, is it?

You're sure you've seen a few others with it.

"The kindness, I mean," she says. "Not the color."

"Can you read my mind?" you ask, tilting your head.

"No," Sophia says. "You just have the most obvious of thoughts."

You don't know how to respond, so you just pout, much like she did before. The line slowly moves onward.

###

At the border, it's no surprise to see snow once you're through the gate.

The buffer zone, in between the Solian and Gilderan walls, has weather not unlike Gildera proper. Of course, the one major difference you immediately notice is the lack of dark clouds. The Skywrath Sovereign travels over the kingdom, and with it go the clouds, so there is never a day where you can't see clouds far in the distance.

The trip to the wall's south gate was not difficult whatsoever, the ground so even it feels wrong and artificial, but easy to traverse. On the one side of the wall, Spectrier Knights stand at attention, back to back, one looking toward Wallburg, and another keeping an eye on the gate.

They do not stop you as you approach, giving you a nod instead and letting you walk through. Sophia gives one of them a smile, no doubt recognizing him from their time in the same Order.

The gate opens slowly, and two Solian soldiers stand at attention. Their armor is… bronze and gold and all kinds of colors you've never seen in Gilderan steel. The helmets they wear have masks, stern faces etched on them.

You recognize the depictions. Old heroes, like Achilles and Penelope. They are wielding spears, rather than swords, but that's where the differences end. They hold themselves like knights, their presence is enough to put you on edge.

"Speak your names," the knight in the Achilles mask demands. You grab the letter, holding it up, the Spectrier seal at the bottom in wax declaring you are vouched for by allies of Sol.

"I am Aria, and this is Sophia," you say. No titles, no village names, no families. "We seek entry into Sol, to visit the land of my ancestors and meet family."

The man stills for a moment, then turns his head to the Penelope masked woman. She whispers something, and he nods. He hands her his spear, then spreads his arms. "Welcome home then, child of the sun. Know that the empire's laws will not have mercy for your blood, but feel the warmth of the emperor as you return to us."

"Are they always this dramatic?" you whisper to Sophia. She shrugs. You take another step forward, crossing the gate. The man ends up throwing his arms around you, giving a hug in greeting. That's… new. And kind of cold, considering the metal of the armor must have been suffering the freezing cold for hours. The noise that comes out of your mouth in surprise is not something you'd like to repeat, but you resist the urge to lift the man up and throw him as far as you can.

He lets you go quickly, and Sophia is slightly less surprised though still uncomfortable at the cold hug by the woman. You're not sure if that's a prank or genuine, though, as the Spectrier Knights behind you are laughing rather heartily at the sight. You shake your head, deciding to just accept the quirks of foreigners.

"Thank you," you say, trying to keep the frown out of your voice. "We're on our way to Olympia, would it be possible for you to show us the way?"

"Of course," Achilles says. You really need to start asking people for their names one of these days. "The road here forks at the end, if you keep the mountains in sight as you travel south, Olympia is not far. Be careful, though, as the weather near that city is quite dangerous."

You know the stories, the eternal thunder growl, the beast of lightning that once devoured an evil king and married his wife— well, legends are legends, and you are not one to believe every fairy tale.

"If your journey leads you to Olympia despite the peril, I would ask you a favor, child of the sun," Achilles speaks up again. "On the road is a small grave, a hero to me. My path so rarely crosses there, could you pay my respects forward?"

"I don't see why not," you say. Who'd say no to something like that? Sophia smiles at you for some reason, as if to say that you'd probably agree to any kind of request as long as someone had the decency to ask. But that's not true, you're certainly not going to help everyone you meet!

She laughs, as if your thoughts are obvious to you.

"Thank you," Achilles says. He takes a small pouch from his hip, it's so light you wonder if it's filled at all. "Give this to her, it was her favorite."

Your breath runs short, and the wind feels so much colder now. The minor request feels like such a monumental task all of the sudden. Achilles grabs his mask, pushing it down until it unlocks from the helmet and reveals his face. He's older than you, his skin mirroring yours, and though his armor is could to the touch, the smile on his face is truly warm and welcoming.

"If you don't mind me asking," you say, giving him a nod. "Why me?"

"Why not you?" he asks, smiling. "You're the first person I've seen here in weeks, what answer can I give but a whim?"

You can't help but laugh at this. Perhaps years of hearing about Solians from Gilderan elderly has made you a bit more jumpy, but in the end, people are people.

"I am Uten," he says, knocking on the chest of his armor twice. "This is Perella. We are captains of the Border Guard, Solian Infantry, of the Emperor's First Knights."

"Captains?" you can't help but ask.

"The ranks of the Solian army are different," Sophia says. Perella takes her mask off, nodding along. "Captains are more like squad leaders, the size of their army requires far more ranks to reach the top."

"Still," you say, the word always demands respect, regardless of the nation. The First Knights, though, should not be at the border keeping an eye on things, which means that the emperor is trying to keep the conflict contained. "I'll be sure to visit that grave, Captain Uten."

He simply nods again, putting the mask back on as the gate behind you begins to close. From now on, every step will be the furthest you've ever been away from home.

A short goodbye, and a reminder by Inana to let her out, lets your journey begin.

Sol awaits.

Welcome to Sol, Aria, Child of the Sun.

The world of snow and ice is behind you, now. You walk in the sun, and the sky looks so open and free—

The grave you are meant to visit is as small as Uten says. It bears no name, it has no real marker. It is a ring of rocks, and around it are withered petals, untouched by the strong wind that rolls down from the mountains. You empty the bag on top of the grave, and color fills your vision, sparking shards and petals that should dance on the wind, but instead settle down and refuse to move.

You spend some time with Sophia cleaning the grave before continuing.

Your legend grows. What you feel are minor deeds become who you are, who people know you as, who people want to meet and see.

Olympia awaits.

[ ] A priest needs help. Objects of worship have been stolen, and while he knows who did it the guards are too occupied to help.

[ ] A philosopher approaches you. She asks a question that you have no answer for. A wealth of cryptic knowledge awaits.

[ ] A prostitute calls for the guards. There are dangerous people around, a woman has been found heavily injured.

A Ballad for Icarus - A Historical Pokemon Quest

Flat Snark

In the end, there is no end.

Flat Snark

Backalley Watchdog

Ostensibly Hope

Ostensibly Hope

Backalley Watchdog

In the end, there is no end.

Flat Snark

Flat Snark

Ostensibly Hope

Ostensibly Hope