The fuck is going on here?
The Steep Path Ahead [Familiar of Zero AU]
- Thread starter shadenight123
- Start date
Evil twin detected? or Tabitha need an alibi.
Possible but unlikely; this girl knew that Luise was dressing as a man when she came to Tristain.
But we don't know that Tabitha is on the side of the angels here.
My question is, what is she supposed to be trying to achieve by sleeping in the same room as Saito?
Ruin her reputation?
What kind of half-assed railroad are the Tristainians running when a foreign royal knows ahead of time what room your guests are going to be shown to? No fucking wonder Reconquista gets in and out of the palace at will.
Gain an alibi in case anyone wonders, in passing, if she was the one that skewered her uncle? And I think in this fic Tabitha don't give a fuck about her rep.
Chapter Fifty-Five
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Fifty-Five
When Saito woke up, he realized he had been moved from the plush armchair to the bed. Since there no longer was Charlotte in the room, and the window had been left open, it was highly possible the girl had left early in the morning.
Unless he had been dreaming that, of course.
"Strangest dream ever," Saito mumbled as he stood up and walked towards the water bowl by the drawer. Near it, he frowned at the sight of a small blue handkerchief. "Keep me for good luck?" he mouthed as he read the words that had apparently been written with snow. "Did-Did I end up in a fairy-tale or something?" he hazarded to his reflection, who didn't really answer.
Still, it meant Charlotte had slept in his bed the night before, and left at the crack of dawn. He folded the handkerchief and pocketed it. The reason he had woken up so suddenly had been a knock at the door, but by the time he reached the doors, the knock had been substituted with a hurried knocking, and then a 'stomping' on the door itself.
Someone had apparently melted the door's lock-no, not melted, but 'frozen over'. Puzzled, but armed with a dagger, Saito proceeded to crack the ice on his side of the room and then move aside as the door opened to admit a red-faced -from the effort- Louise.
"You locked your door for the night?" Louise asked, gasping for air. Her strawberry blond hair was gone, replaced with dark raven locks, and the mask of iron she used to wear was slung beneath her neck. "At least hurry up opening it when someone knocks! What if it had been an important noble?" she huffed. "Come on, settle your dress a bit -did you sleep on the chair or something? We need to-" then Louise blinked, and drew near Saito, sniffing him. "Saito," she said sweetly. "Since when do you use perfume?"
Saito blinked. "Uh?"
He sniffed the air around him a bit. "What perfume?" he furrowed his brows.
Louise, for her part, walked towards the bed and sniffed it -kind of like a dog- and then tapped her chin. "Why do you have scented sheets?" she asked next, stepping back towards Saito. "Did you perchance let your nobility get to your head? You didn't do anything silly with a maid did you?" Louise was smiling, but it was more similar to the Joker's smile than the kind, angelic smile of a loving cute girl.
It was the sort of smile that made even Batman's soul freeze.
Saito had read many comics, and he knew just where that smile would send him if he allowed this to continue. "I slept on the armchair!" he said, getting down on his knees and holding his hands up in a sort of 'mercy, my lord' gesture. "It was Charlotte! She came in through the window because she couldn't sleep alone! She was afraid and-"
"Oh," Louise blinked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" she added, her crazy-smile now gone and replaced with a giggle. "I thought it was something like that. I'm glad you were a proper gentleman. That's just like a knight should be." She began to walk towards the door, but stopped just in time to give Saito a wink. "Let's go gallant knight Ivaldi, did she give you a handkerchief professing her love for you, your pretty blue princess?" she added with another giggle, shaking her head in disbelief.
Saito blinked, and never in his life had he been gladder he had put the handkerchief in his trouser's pocket, rather than in his shirt's breast-pocket.
The Cardinal's office had been apparently refilled during the night with all the missing paperwork. It was as if the man, expecting the Heavy Wind's retaliation, had removed all important documents that could have potentially been torn to shreds.
"Let us dispense with the pleasantries," the Cardinal spoke as he stood up from his desk, his expression perfectly leveled. After everything he had drunk the night before, he still seemed outright unfazed. Even the wounds on his body had disappeared -probably through magic. "The last known owner of the letters was Prince Wales, the cousin of Henrietta. Those letters must be found, and they must be destroyed. There are a total of five letters," the Cardinal added, "At least, hoping the Prince did not lie. The Reconquista assaulted his camp while they were moving, and managed to steal them from his personal secret hideout," the Cardinal actually snorted. "He should have burned those letters rather than keep them as keepsakes."
Shaking his head, the Cardinal took a deep breath. "There is a blockade set up by the Reconquista, and the major ports are all in their hands. However, as adventurers you will have an easy way in. The island is one whole battlefield," Mazarin sighed. "But you managed quite the list of feats, and I am sure you will prevail once more." He inclined his head to the side. "We may have our divergences, and we may not see eye-to-eye, but if the Crown falls, then no one will win."
Mazarin opened a drawer, and pulled out a large bag which he handed over to Louise. The purse jingled with coins. "This should be enough to buy you passage, and weapons. For all purposes, the Kingdom of Tristain will know absolutely nothing, and cannot be connected to this. Find the five letters, destroy them, and then return. The letters should have the signature and the royal symbol of Tristain waxed on it. It is imperative those are destroyed."
He clasped his fingers together. "From what I heard, you are capable of great amounts of destruction, not unlike your mother," he took a deep breath. "Frankly? If destroying an entire city will allow you to destroy the letters too, then do so. There is nothing worthy more than the Crown. As a noble of Tristain, I hope you will come to understand this."
"Isn't that...a bit too harsh?" Saito hazarded, only for the Cardinal to glare at him.
"No."
"But my magic is easily recognizable-"
"It is not Wind, thus no one will connect you to the Heavy Wind," the Cardinal said. "Depending on the strength, they might simply think it was an Elf."
"Simply think-just who would think that!?" Louise's voice came out shrill. "I will not destroy a whole city! That's-That's monstrous, Cardinal! Founder Brimir would never approve, and neither would the Gods!"
"The Royals we serve are Brimir's descendants," the Cardinal said crisply. "They are Brimir's law upon this land, and they must be protected. That is how we ensure ourselves a heaven, no matter our sins. Serve the Crown, and in turn, it will be as if you were serving Brimir himself. Certainly, Father Christoff taught you that?"
"He did," Louise nodded softly. "But I won't do that. Even if it comes to the point where I might be cast out as a heretic, I will never do that."
"That is fine," Mazarin said. "I was merely stating you are allowed to do so."
"Where should we start looking?" Saito asked next, even as Louise remained quiet, still clutching on to the pouch with the ecus.
"I have developed an extensive network of like-minded people over the course of the years," Mazarin said. "You will embark on a ship from La Rochelle and reach the port city of Scarborough, from there, you can make your way to Newcastle where the last remaining forces of Royallists stand, or head to Londinium, where the command structure of Reconquista is hiding. Meanwhile, I'll make sure to alert my men in Albion. Perhaps some of them have already an inkling of where the letters are. Act swiftly, recover those letters-and may the Gods save the Crown."
When they both stepped out of the Cardinal's office, there were far more questions than answers.
"So..." Saito said softly. "We're going on a letter hunt, without even knowing where those letters are."
"And the Cardinal did say he had men in Albion already," Louise mumbled. "Perhaps he already knows where the letters are, but didn't want to tell us outright?"
"You think he's afraid the walls have ears?" Saito quipped dryly, only for Louise to snort in reply.
"Walls can't have ears, Saito. That's silly." She sighed. "We'll have to go without the cloaks. We can't be adventurers and knights of the North Parterre."
Saito scratched the side of his head. "There's something wrong in this. There's something really wrong in all of this and I can't seem to understand what it is."
"I don't know either," Louise said, her shoulders slumped. "I mean, the Cardinal hates my mother, but he apparently entrusted the safety of the Queen to her. I just don't understand. After everything he said and did-I'd expect him to do something else."
"Maybe he's gone senile?" Saito hazarded. "He is old."
Louise scrunched her face up in thought. "It could be that," she said. "Then, perhaps...we should pray for his well-being?"
"After everything he did?" Saito asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Forgiveness is the quality that the Founder preached the most," Louise said. "At least, at first. Then he moved on to say that all Elves must be purged with the holy fires of Heaven's Judgment, but...for the most part, I think forgiveness should always be considered. Which is why I forgive your perverted thoughts day after day."
"You still kick me in the shins though," Saito pointed out.
"Even forgiveness has limits," Louise replied icily. "We don't have to like the Cardinal, Saito. We just have to restore the good name of the Valliére-"
"That the Cardinal dragged into the mud, he said so himself-"
"All the more reason! He is clearly willing to forgive the Valliere by giving me a chance to redeem it! And you heard him when he said he was sure of our strength? He was praising us. Come on Saito, we'll bring the Valliére name back to its past splendor."
Somehow, Saito wasn't feeling as optimistic as Louise.
Perhaps he was being biased, or maybe Louise was the one with a bias.
Yet, the sense of wrongness intensified.
When Saito woke up, he realized he had been moved from the plush armchair to the bed. Since there no longer was Charlotte in the room, and the window had been left open, it was highly possible the girl had left early in the morning.
Unless he had been dreaming that, of course.
"Strangest dream ever," Saito mumbled as he stood up and walked towards the water bowl by the drawer. Near it, he frowned at the sight of a small blue handkerchief. "Keep me for good luck?" he mouthed as he read the words that had apparently been written with snow. "Did-Did I end up in a fairy-tale or something?" he hazarded to his reflection, who didn't really answer.
Still, it meant Charlotte had slept in his bed the night before, and left at the crack of dawn. He folded the handkerchief and pocketed it. The reason he had woken up so suddenly had been a knock at the door, but by the time he reached the doors, the knock had been substituted with a hurried knocking, and then a 'stomping' on the door itself.
Someone had apparently melted the door's lock-no, not melted, but 'frozen over'. Puzzled, but armed with a dagger, Saito proceeded to crack the ice on his side of the room and then move aside as the door opened to admit a red-faced -from the effort- Louise.
"You locked your door for the night?" Louise asked, gasping for air. Her strawberry blond hair was gone, replaced with dark raven locks, and the mask of iron she used to wear was slung beneath her neck. "At least hurry up opening it when someone knocks! What if it had been an important noble?" she huffed. "Come on, settle your dress a bit -did you sleep on the chair or something? We need to-" then Louise blinked, and drew near Saito, sniffing him. "Saito," she said sweetly. "Since when do you use perfume?"
Saito blinked. "Uh?"
He sniffed the air around him a bit. "What perfume?" he furrowed his brows.
Louise, for her part, walked towards the bed and sniffed it -kind of like a dog- and then tapped her chin. "Why do you have scented sheets?" she asked next, stepping back towards Saito. "Did you perchance let your nobility get to your head? You didn't do anything silly with a maid did you?" Louise was smiling, but it was more similar to the Joker's smile than the kind, angelic smile of a loving cute girl.
It was the sort of smile that made even Batman's soul freeze.
Saito had read many comics, and he knew just where that smile would send him if he allowed this to continue. "I slept on the armchair!" he said, getting down on his knees and holding his hands up in a sort of 'mercy, my lord' gesture. "It was Charlotte! She came in through the window because she couldn't sleep alone! She was afraid and-"
"Oh," Louise blinked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" she added, her crazy-smile now gone and replaced with a giggle. "I thought it was something like that. I'm glad you were a proper gentleman. That's just like a knight should be." She began to walk towards the door, but stopped just in time to give Saito a wink. "Let's go gallant knight Ivaldi, did she give you a handkerchief professing her love for you, your pretty blue princess?" she added with another giggle, shaking her head in disbelief.
Saito blinked, and never in his life had he been gladder he had put the handkerchief in his trouser's pocket, rather than in his shirt's breast-pocket.
The Cardinal's office had been apparently refilled during the night with all the missing paperwork. It was as if the man, expecting the Heavy Wind's retaliation, had removed all important documents that could have potentially been torn to shreds.
"Let us dispense with the pleasantries," the Cardinal spoke as he stood up from his desk, his expression perfectly leveled. After everything he had drunk the night before, he still seemed outright unfazed. Even the wounds on his body had disappeared -probably through magic. "The last known owner of the letters was Prince Wales, the cousin of Henrietta. Those letters must be found, and they must be destroyed. There are a total of five letters," the Cardinal added, "At least, hoping the Prince did not lie. The Reconquista assaulted his camp while they were moving, and managed to steal them from his personal secret hideout," the Cardinal actually snorted. "He should have burned those letters rather than keep them as keepsakes."
Shaking his head, the Cardinal took a deep breath. "There is a blockade set up by the Reconquista, and the major ports are all in their hands. However, as adventurers you will have an easy way in. The island is one whole battlefield," Mazarin sighed. "But you managed quite the list of feats, and I am sure you will prevail once more." He inclined his head to the side. "We may have our divergences, and we may not see eye-to-eye, but if the Crown falls, then no one will win."
Mazarin opened a drawer, and pulled out a large bag which he handed over to Louise. The purse jingled with coins. "This should be enough to buy you passage, and weapons. For all purposes, the Kingdom of Tristain will know absolutely nothing, and cannot be connected to this. Find the five letters, destroy them, and then return. The letters should have the signature and the royal symbol of Tristain waxed on it. It is imperative those are destroyed."
He clasped his fingers together. "From what I heard, you are capable of great amounts of destruction, not unlike your mother," he took a deep breath. "Frankly? If destroying an entire city will allow you to destroy the letters too, then do so. There is nothing worthy more than the Crown. As a noble of Tristain, I hope you will come to understand this."
"Isn't that...a bit too harsh?" Saito hazarded, only for the Cardinal to glare at him.
"No."
"But my magic is easily recognizable-"
"It is not Wind, thus no one will connect you to the Heavy Wind," the Cardinal said. "Depending on the strength, they might simply think it was an Elf."
"Simply think-just who would think that!?" Louise's voice came out shrill. "I will not destroy a whole city! That's-That's monstrous, Cardinal! Founder Brimir would never approve, and neither would the Gods!"
"The Royals we serve are Brimir's descendants," the Cardinal said crisply. "They are Brimir's law upon this land, and they must be protected. That is how we ensure ourselves a heaven, no matter our sins. Serve the Crown, and in turn, it will be as if you were serving Brimir himself. Certainly, Father Christoff taught you that?"
"He did," Louise nodded softly. "But I won't do that. Even if it comes to the point where I might be cast out as a heretic, I will never do that."
"That is fine," Mazarin said. "I was merely stating you are allowed to do so."
"Where should we start looking?" Saito asked next, even as Louise remained quiet, still clutching on to the pouch with the ecus.
"I have developed an extensive network of like-minded people over the course of the years," Mazarin said. "You will embark on a ship from La Rochelle and reach the port city of Scarborough, from there, you can make your way to Newcastle where the last remaining forces of Royallists stand, or head to Londinium, where the command structure of Reconquista is hiding. Meanwhile, I'll make sure to alert my men in Albion. Perhaps some of them have already an inkling of where the letters are. Act swiftly, recover those letters-and may the Gods save the Crown."
When they both stepped out of the Cardinal's office, there were far more questions than answers.
"So..." Saito said softly. "We're going on a letter hunt, without even knowing where those letters are."
"And the Cardinal did say he had men in Albion already," Louise mumbled. "Perhaps he already knows where the letters are, but didn't want to tell us outright?"
"You think he's afraid the walls have ears?" Saito quipped dryly, only for Louise to snort in reply.
"Walls can't have ears, Saito. That's silly." She sighed. "We'll have to go without the cloaks. We can't be adventurers and knights of the North Parterre."
Saito scratched the side of his head. "There's something wrong in this. There's something really wrong in all of this and I can't seem to understand what it is."
"I don't know either," Louise said, her shoulders slumped. "I mean, the Cardinal hates my mother, but he apparently entrusted the safety of the Queen to her. I just don't understand. After everything he said and did-I'd expect him to do something else."
"Maybe he's gone senile?" Saito hazarded. "He is old."
Louise scrunched her face up in thought. "It could be that," she said. "Then, perhaps...we should pray for his well-being?"
"After everything he did?" Saito asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Forgiveness is the quality that the Founder preached the most," Louise said. "At least, at first. Then he moved on to say that all Elves must be purged with the holy fires of Heaven's Judgment, but...for the most part, I think forgiveness should always be considered. Which is why I forgive your perverted thoughts day after day."
"You still kick me in the shins though," Saito pointed out.
"Even forgiveness has limits," Louise replied icily. "We don't have to like the Cardinal, Saito. We just have to restore the good name of the Valliére-"
"That the Cardinal dragged into the mud, he said so himself-"
"All the more reason! He is clearly willing to forgive the Valliere by giving me a chance to redeem it! And you heard him when he said he was sure of our strength? He was praising us. Come on Saito, we'll bring the Valliére name back to its past splendor."
Somehow, Saito wasn't feeling as optimistic as Louise.
Perhaps he was being biased, or maybe Louise was the one with a bias.
Yet, the sense of wrongness intensified.
Dimensionist
Grandmaster of Apologism, Keeper of the Faith
- Location
- Bangalore, India
Believe in the wrongness, Saito! It is truer to you than anything else in this world!
Rep matters.
You rule by the consent of the governed, and if you lose their respect, well....
So he just sent them into a country at war, to find five letters, with no better directions than "I have trust in you"?
And Karin let them go? The fuck?
And what achievements?
They hunted for reagents, they weren't fucking secret agents.
The ability to blow shit up has no bearing on being able to find secret documents. Especially since he SHOULD know her magical education was sketchy, at best.
Dude is trying to get them killed. Or is senile.
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- Location
- The Old Dominion
In the words of a overlord the trouble with common sense is it is not so common.
- Pronouns
- she/her
Five fucking letters??? Tristain is completely screwed if they arent being kept in one place. Reconquista will release the other letters when it becomes clear someone is trying to destroy them. If it were two-three there might have been a chance of pulling it off before they realize. Five though, there is no way it won't be reported. Even if they nuke the locations as Mazarin wants, anyone passing by would report the crater.
This isn't a job for two rookies knights to bumble through. If he wants the letters destroyed quick enough to prevent a leak he should have sent Karin or those vampires. Louise's magic is still incredibly distinctive even if its not Wind magic, it will be obvious she was in Albion when she starts becoming more known in Tristain.
At this point I'm strongly suspecting the "friends" Mazarin made over the years are Reconquista.
And that line about the royals needing to be protected says bad things about the way he controls the crown. Instead of encouraging the royals to be better leaders, the Cardinal decieves "to protect them" and takes control himself.
This isn't a job for two rookies knights to bumble through. If he wants the letters destroyed quick enough to prevent a leak he should have sent Karin or those vampires. Louise's magic is still incredibly distinctive even if its not Wind magic, it will be obvious she was in Albion when she starts becoming more known in Tristain.
At this point I'm strongly suspecting the "friends" Mazarin made over the years are Reconquista.
Did he have the Father purposefully indocrinate her or something? The instant forgiveness of the Cardinal and agreement to perform services for the crown are extremely suspect.
And that line about the royals needing to be protected says bad things about the way he controls the crown. Instead of encouraging the royals to be better leaders, the Cardinal decieves "to protect them" and takes control himself.
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Chapter Fifty-Six
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Fifty-Six
Louise had already said her goodbyes to her family the previous night, so they simply headed for the stables, took one horse and headed off into the city first, and then the countryside in the general direction of La Rochelle.
"Just how is the Cardinal supposed to warn his men that we're coming?" Saito asked.
"Pigeons, perhaps?" Louise hazarded. "Father Christoff had this very smart pigeon that would always go back and forth. They're also really inconspicuous, so nobody bothers with them unless they're told to look out."
Saito held on to the reins, the wind striking his face. "It just keeps bothering me," Saito said. "I mean-It's like he's sending us to Albion just to drive us away from Tristain."
"You think the Cardinal's working for Reconquista?" Louise asked. "By the way he acted, he'd rather die than let a single hair be cut from the Queen or the Princess' head."
"I'm not saying that," Saito said hastily. "Just-what's the point of sending us unless he's expecting us to fight? We're strong, but we don't need strength for this mission. Wouldn't his spies be better suited for this task?"
"Maybe they aren't. I mean, maybe they're people like...like Siesta, or like a wealthy and pious merchant who is too fat to even walk up the stairs. Their hearts might be in the right place, but their physique isn't."
Saito clicked the back of his teeth with his tongue. "Still not convinced."
"It's not like the Cardinal hurt you, Saito," Louise said hotly. "I'm the one who was hurt the most from this, but if I can forgive him, then I see no reason why you have to keep disliking him."
"How can you forgive him, faith or not, is something of a mystery," Saito muttered.
"Well, you forgave me, right?" Louise asked. "And isn't the situation similar? Why did you forgive me for taking you away from your family?"
Saito bristled. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't really mean to do it. You took responsibility. And, well, you promised you'd bring me back home."
"The Cardinal was not the one who kidnapped me. He hid me from my mother. He hurt my family, but he was hurt in turn. He was willing to take responsibility back there. If mother had cut his head off, he would have probably died standing. He was taking responsibility, and he even allowed mother to guard the Queen again, which means he is trying to make things better. So...why should I not forgive him?"
"Because he's not feeling guilty for what he did?"
"Saito...then you should not forgive me either," Louise muttered. "Since you're the best thing that happened to me since I have memory, I'm not feeling the slightest bit guilty at having summoned you. I just can't."
Saito's cheeks heated up as he looked away, stuttering slightly, "T-That's kind of a con-confession! L-Louis! Please!"
Louise giggled. "It's the truth," the back of her head hit Saito's newly bought breastplate. "And now, partner, let the horse gallop! We're secret agents for the Crown now, so let's go!"
The two days trip to La Rochelle passed without a single accident. No bandits, no gryphons, no patrols stopping them. The news of the King's death hadn't yet spread to the border, or perhaps it was being kept secret to prevent widespread panic. As it was, the real problem turned out to be finding a ship willing to head over to Albion.
"Look, even if you paid my ship's worth in gold ecus, I still wouldn't do it," a captain said gruffly. He stood by the counter of an inn overlooking the pier, a pier that was surprisingly devoid of water and instead had ships neatly resting on wooden surfaces, with pillars to hold them firmly in place. "Last time I did a run, those Reconquista bastards took everything from the ship except what I had nailed down. You'd have better luck buying a dragon and going with it."
This hadn't been the first captain they had asked, and as it turned out, it was a common sentiment shared by many others.
Louise's shoulders slumped down as the duo ended up spending dinner at a nearby inn. "Damn it! We'll really end up having to buy a boat if people keep refusing us," she crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed, letting her mask 'thunk' against the table's surface.
Saito chuckled nervously. This was quite the problem, but they were nothing if not resourceful, so perhaps-
"E-Excuse me?" it was a timid voice, which seemed to come from a young girl holding on to a staff, and with a pair of black-rimmed glasses on her face. Saito blinked, for a brief instant pondering why the face looked familiar, but then quickly ignoring the thought. The girl had long and shiny black hair, and was also wearing a simple, but pretty thick, black shirt and a pair of trousers quite a few sizes too big for her.
The way her hair shined, it was similar to that of Louise's own, so perhaps magic had been used to make it look all the prettier. "I-Am I correct to assume...you are looking for a passage to Albion?" the girl asked, shyly twiddling her fingers together. "Because-"
"Not interested," Louise said flatly, making the girl blink.
"Louis?" Saito said.
"Look, we're not third rate adventurers who let any pretty face twiddle us around their pinkie fingers," Louise said roughly, her eyes glaring at the girl. "So scram-this scamming attempt of yours has failed-"
"I-it's not that!" the girl exclaimed, quite red with her face. "I-I just wanted to tell you that there's a captain by the docks who'll sail tomorrow morning for Albion," she took a deep breath. "I'm not-not really used to speaking with people. And-and I just wanted to be nice. The captain's name is Morgan-his ship is 'The Petite Chevalier'. Just-just so you don't get lost, if you want I can show you tomorrow morning?"
She clutched on to her staff tightly, looking down at her feet and fidgeting a bit more.
Saito gave one look at Louise, who in turn was torn between claiming that she was faking it, and actually wondering if anyone could fake so badly.
"I'm sorry for my partner," Saito said. "He's always been wary of strangers," he added. "So-what's your name? I'm Saito, and this is Louis."
"Oh-I'm Josette," the girl with long black hair said with a small smile. "I'm going to Albion with my friends-we heard there's a lot of money you can do if you're good, and the abbess will be happy if we bring her back some coins-"
"That is very nice," Louise grumbled with her 'manly man' voice, "But we don't care."
The girl actually looked hurt, as if somebody had snapped the neck of her favorite bunny.
"Louis!" Saito snapped curtly, earning only a click of the tongue from Louise, who crossed her arms over her chest tighter and looked away. "Forgive him, we traveled a long distance to get here, and he's still sour from being tired."
"Ah-No, you're very kind, mister adventurer," Josette said with a small smile. "I'll be going back to my friends now. I'm sorry for bothering you this late-"
"Tomorrow," Louise said curtly, "Wait for us," she added, looking at the girl with a snort. The girl simply smiled cheerfully, and after bowing to them both, she returned happily to where her 'friends' were. There was a light purple haired girl with green eyes wearing a simple black dress, without any frills, and a large muscular man with white hair and red tattoos over his face.
"She looked nice," Saito said simply.
"I didn't know you liked them so young," Louise growled, clutching the handle of her swordwand.
"But my heart is already taken," Saito continued, a hand to his chest. "My dear princess-"
"That would explain everything," Louise said with a chuckle, a smile once more set on her face. "Ah, Saito-seriously, you shouldn't joke on something like that," she shook her head.
As the dinner passed, they ended up sharing the same room -and the same bed- once more.
This time though, Louise's fingers clutched firmly against Saito's chest while falling asleep. Usually, she'd just give him her back or something similar.
Sighing, Saito's arms proceeded to engulf Louise's lithe body. Even if she put up a strong front, whenever she was scared, she'd end up showing it in her sleep. He didn't know when he had taken to hold her during her sleep, but one thing was sure.
He wasn't the only one suffering from nightmares.
Louise's at least stopped when she was held in someone's arms.
Louise had already said her goodbyes to her family the previous night, so they simply headed for the stables, took one horse and headed off into the city first, and then the countryside in the general direction of La Rochelle.
"Just how is the Cardinal supposed to warn his men that we're coming?" Saito asked.
"Pigeons, perhaps?" Louise hazarded. "Father Christoff had this very smart pigeon that would always go back and forth. They're also really inconspicuous, so nobody bothers with them unless they're told to look out."
Saito held on to the reins, the wind striking his face. "It just keeps bothering me," Saito said. "I mean-It's like he's sending us to Albion just to drive us away from Tristain."
"You think the Cardinal's working for Reconquista?" Louise asked. "By the way he acted, he'd rather die than let a single hair be cut from the Queen or the Princess' head."
"I'm not saying that," Saito said hastily. "Just-what's the point of sending us unless he's expecting us to fight? We're strong, but we don't need strength for this mission. Wouldn't his spies be better suited for this task?"
"Maybe they aren't. I mean, maybe they're people like...like Siesta, or like a wealthy and pious merchant who is too fat to even walk up the stairs. Their hearts might be in the right place, but their physique isn't."
Saito clicked the back of his teeth with his tongue. "Still not convinced."
"It's not like the Cardinal hurt you, Saito," Louise said hotly. "I'm the one who was hurt the most from this, but if I can forgive him, then I see no reason why you have to keep disliking him."
"How can you forgive him, faith or not, is something of a mystery," Saito muttered.
"Well, you forgave me, right?" Louise asked. "And isn't the situation similar? Why did you forgive me for taking you away from your family?"
Saito bristled. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't really mean to do it. You took responsibility. And, well, you promised you'd bring me back home."
"The Cardinal was not the one who kidnapped me. He hid me from my mother. He hurt my family, but he was hurt in turn. He was willing to take responsibility back there. If mother had cut his head off, he would have probably died standing. He was taking responsibility, and he even allowed mother to guard the Queen again, which means he is trying to make things better. So...why should I not forgive him?"
"Because he's not feeling guilty for what he did?"
"Saito...then you should not forgive me either," Louise muttered. "Since you're the best thing that happened to me since I have memory, I'm not feeling the slightest bit guilty at having summoned you. I just can't."
Saito's cheeks heated up as he looked away, stuttering slightly, "T-That's kind of a con-confession! L-Louis! Please!"
Louise giggled. "It's the truth," the back of her head hit Saito's newly bought breastplate. "And now, partner, let the horse gallop! We're secret agents for the Crown now, so let's go!"
The two days trip to La Rochelle passed without a single accident. No bandits, no gryphons, no patrols stopping them. The news of the King's death hadn't yet spread to the border, or perhaps it was being kept secret to prevent widespread panic. As it was, the real problem turned out to be finding a ship willing to head over to Albion.
"Look, even if you paid my ship's worth in gold ecus, I still wouldn't do it," a captain said gruffly. He stood by the counter of an inn overlooking the pier, a pier that was surprisingly devoid of water and instead had ships neatly resting on wooden surfaces, with pillars to hold them firmly in place. "Last time I did a run, those Reconquista bastards took everything from the ship except what I had nailed down. You'd have better luck buying a dragon and going with it."
This hadn't been the first captain they had asked, and as it turned out, it was a common sentiment shared by many others.
Louise's shoulders slumped down as the duo ended up spending dinner at a nearby inn. "Damn it! We'll really end up having to buy a boat if people keep refusing us," she crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed, letting her mask 'thunk' against the table's surface.
Saito chuckled nervously. This was quite the problem, but they were nothing if not resourceful, so perhaps-
"E-Excuse me?" it was a timid voice, which seemed to come from a young girl holding on to a staff, and with a pair of black-rimmed glasses on her face. Saito blinked, for a brief instant pondering why the face looked familiar, but then quickly ignoring the thought. The girl had long and shiny black hair, and was also wearing a simple, but pretty thick, black shirt and a pair of trousers quite a few sizes too big for her.
The way her hair shined, it was similar to that of Louise's own, so perhaps magic had been used to make it look all the prettier. "I-Am I correct to assume...you are looking for a passage to Albion?" the girl asked, shyly twiddling her fingers together. "Because-"
"Not interested," Louise said flatly, making the girl blink.
"Louis?" Saito said.
"Look, we're not third rate adventurers who let any pretty face twiddle us around their pinkie fingers," Louise said roughly, her eyes glaring at the girl. "So scram-this scamming attempt of yours has failed-"
"I-it's not that!" the girl exclaimed, quite red with her face. "I-I just wanted to tell you that there's a captain by the docks who'll sail tomorrow morning for Albion," she took a deep breath. "I'm not-not really used to speaking with people. And-and I just wanted to be nice. The captain's name is Morgan-his ship is 'The Petite Chevalier'. Just-just so you don't get lost, if you want I can show you tomorrow morning?"
She clutched on to her staff tightly, looking down at her feet and fidgeting a bit more.
Saito gave one look at Louise, who in turn was torn between claiming that she was faking it, and actually wondering if anyone could fake so badly.
"I'm sorry for my partner," Saito said. "He's always been wary of strangers," he added. "So-what's your name? I'm Saito, and this is Louis."
"Oh-I'm Josette," the girl with long black hair said with a small smile. "I'm going to Albion with my friends-we heard there's a lot of money you can do if you're good, and the abbess will be happy if we bring her back some coins-"
"That is very nice," Louise grumbled with her 'manly man' voice, "But we don't care."
The girl actually looked hurt, as if somebody had snapped the neck of her favorite bunny.
"Louis!" Saito snapped curtly, earning only a click of the tongue from Louise, who crossed her arms over her chest tighter and looked away. "Forgive him, we traveled a long distance to get here, and he's still sour from being tired."
"Ah-No, you're very kind, mister adventurer," Josette said with a small smile. "I'll be going back to my friends now. I'm sorry for bothering you this late-"
"Tomorrow," Louise said curtly, "Wait for us," she added, looking at the girl with a snort. The girl simply smiled cheerfully, and after bowing to them both, she returned happily to where her 'friends' were. There was a light purple haired girl with green eyes wearing a simple black dress, without any frills, and a large muscular man with white hair and red tattoos over his face.
"She looked nice," Saito said simply.
"I didn't know you liked them so young," Louise growled, clutching the handle of her swordwand.
"But my heart is already taken," Saito continued, a hand to his chest. "My dear princess-"
"That would explain everything," Louise said with a chuckle, a smile once more set on her face. "Ah, Saito-seriously, you shouldn't joke on something like that," she shook her head.
As the dinner passed, they ended up sharing the same room -and the same bed- once more.
This time though, Louise's fingers clutched firmly against Saito's chest while falling asleep. Usually, she'd just give him her back or something similar.
Sighing, Saito's arms proceeded to engulf Louise's lithe body. Even if she put up a strong front, whenever she was scared, she'd end up showing it in her sleep. He didn't know when he had taken to hold her during her sleep, but one thing was sure.
He wasn't the only one suffering from nightmares.
Louise's at least stopped when she was held in someone's arms.
- Location
- The Old Dominion
Well the whole the Brimiric country's royals are Brimir's descendants and have the sacred right to rule is something even the Halk version of protestants believe in, they only question the authority of the church not the right of the nobles and the royal lines to royal.
Wait, what?
You know, that's actually quite impressive to have your own "extensive" spy network and where the fuck were those spies before you useless twit. Geez, what's the point of having spies if they can't bring vital intelligence to you like that the King of Gallia is known for his atrocities or that things stranger than a mere rebellion are happening in Albion, or that the Knights of the Northern Parterre are or were a secret knight order rather than a public one...
Took the words right out of my mouth, Saito.
I'm telling you, Charlotte is neck deep in whatever plot is going on.
And her other knights. Super suspicious.
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At this rate, I'm half expecting Charlotte and Josette to be working together via twin swap.
I'm kind of agreed. Imagine that Charlotte was the favored twin. One could conceive that she'd help out her sister and that she'd work to foil her uncle's plans.
Or possibly they're both evil or working for selfish or nefarious purposes
- Pronouns
- she/her
If "like-minded" is defined as Mazarin's willingness to go behind the royal family's back for his own pursuits, this spy network might be more aptly described as a secret alliance of corrupt nobles. Seeing as it may include men like Mott, who blatantly abuse the powers vested in them by the crown, I do not have much faith in this network's intentions or ability to provide intelligence.
By this point the Cardinal's actions make so little sense he has to be sabotaging on purpose or mind-controlled. He was rather enthused by the idea of the Queen's death hurting Karin more. I would not be too surprised if he was still more focused on hurting Karin than saving Tristain. Though it would come off as less stupid if he had ulterior motives besides hurting her again.
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- Location
- Somewhere on the flat earth
- Pronouns
- she/her
I'm getting a strong Danzo vibe. Sadly, Danzo!logic would not actually exclude the possibility he is incompetent or helping Reconquista in some way.So... I'm trying to figure out if Cardinal Mazarin is pulling a Danzo, just that incompetent or actually in fact in the side of Reconquista...
- Location
- Somewhere
That'd be more in line with Joseph... or his delusions, at any rate.
Onmur
Archangel of Nutella.
'cause Louis is an adventurer, not an important noble.
- Location
- The Old Dominion
Joseph's motivations though was more trying to do something that would cause him to finally feel regret because he felt no regret when he offed his brother so he sought to do something so terrible that it wouldl cause him regret to feel regret rather than trying to control everything everything.