Devoted Rigelian Flower

Meanwhile, Rinea was trying to figure out why did that guard said that Chrom was her brother? In fact why were some of the guards who did see her treating her like she's a princess? Did she pick the wrong door?

"Where is the portal door?" Rinea said quietly as she touched the wall where the light should have been. "Azalea? What are you doing-...wait that dress....Rinea?!" Bercutio had been sneaking to Azalea's room like he usually did but he ended up finding Rinea instead. "L-Lord Berkut?...Wait...you're not him! Oh no...I did pick the wrong portal door!" Rinea said as she wanted to escape. "Bercutio? Is everything alright?" Azalea said as she came out of her room as she heard him. Azalea then took one look at Rinea and promptly fainted from shock but luckily Bercutio was there to catch her in time. "O-Oh dear! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to frighten her. Goodness she really does look similar to me except with darker blue hair." Rinea said as she realized that Azalea was the princess everyone mistaken her for.

The portal light suddenly reappeared and familiar hand pulled Rinea into the door. "Rinea! What were you thinking-" Berkut said before looking at a very shocked Bercutio holding an unconscious Azalea. "...This was the door we were told to avoid..." Berkut told Rinea who gave a sigh. "...I didn't mean to...they all looked the same. I just wanted to wish Lord Chrom a happy birthday." Rinea said feeling a bit embarrassed. "...We'll just find a version of Chrom that's in Askr..." Berkut said before looking back at his descendent? Reincarnation? He was not sure but at least Berkut was glad to see that the bloodline had carried on. "Sorry for the disturbance...You saw nothing." Berkut said before shutting the portal door leaving a very confused Bercutio (and Chrom lol) behind. This was an event that Bercutio was going to try to forget ever happened...for his and Azalea's sake.

//Happy Birthday Chrom. Wanted to do something funny for his birthday so here you go.

~*~

All is well and going as smooth as he hopes. Parties were not his thing but he would still find them enjoyable to a degree when most eyes are looking away from him after a while.

Chrom kept moving around the ballroom, thanking and greeting guests when he noticed a long blue haired girl leave the ballroom. "Azzy?" he raised an eyebrow. Was she feeling unwell? because it is unlike her to do so. If anything, she is the last one to leave the ballroom. Eyes quickly scanned for another person--he's not here as well. Ah ... well, makes sense now. They are newly married couple, for sure they want their time alone even in a party like this. Ahh..youth.

As he went around, one of the guard told him that his dearest sister had gifted him another gift but she left on a hurry. "Azalea? Gods, she didn't have t--huh ...from Ri-- (Rinea!?)" He quickly looked up at the guard, "Erm, don't speak about this to anyone else, understood?" and there he goes quickly to follow his Askr guest.

Though he was a bit late for Rinea was guided back with Berkut back to Askr. "Wait--!" his steps were halted when he saw his own sister laying between Bercutio's arms. "Azalea!?" he was reassured she was ok, just shocked to see Rinea. "Tell me about it ..." he had seen some...other versions of himself. Not to mention one he rather not mention to poor Azalea--his fallen version. She's probably cry her eyes out for that Chrom. "So, uh ... let's ...pretend this didn't happen, yes? It would be difficult to explain that world to Azalea," a world where her sister is ... her big sister is alive. She's not theirs but ...it is Emmeryn alright.

Chrom looks at the wall where the portal was open briefly, "Thank you ... Lady Rinea. I'll treasure your gift."

"...Good idea..." Bercutio said before gently tapping Azalea's cheek to see if she would wake up. Nope, she was out cold and seemed like the shock of seeing Rinea was too much for his beloved. Bercutio gave a sigh as he lifted her up bridal style with no trouble at all. "I'll take her to bed and watch over her. Good Night, Chrom." He said before going to Azalea's room. He placed her on the bed and held her hand for the moment. So much for spending the night cuddling but a part of him wondered which path that Rinea was going to end up with. Would Rinea end up in a world where she lived or face the tragic fate that Bercutio and Azalea had nightmares about. Bercutio stayed close to Azalea for the rest of the night and would be relieved in the morning that Azalea would not recall the incident that happened last night...

A knock was heard on Alm's personal office door before two familiar noblewomen entering the room. It was Rinea with Josephine following her close behind with a carrier bag. "Hello Lord Alm. Countess Josephine came here to meet with you about finalizing the wedding plans for Lord Berkut and I. Oh and also to get ahead of her own wedding with Lord Hunter!" Rinea said as she did know Alm's schedule and there was a slot open for him to have a meeting. Rinea looked over to her friend whom she was worried about since Josephine was in a dark red mourning dress. "Thank you so much for helping Lord Berkut and I with the wedding plans but are you sure you will be alright Countess?" Rinea was worried about Josephine since she knew this was not an easy time for Josephine. "I will be alright Rinea. This will be a good distraction for me. Besides I feel like Alm would understand..." She said before looking at Alm as she sadly knows if there was anyone who understood what she went through it was Alm. "...If you say so. I will leave you two be." Rinea said but before she left the room, she quickly took one pile of paperwork away from Alm. "Lord Berkut said that he would deal with the minor issues and he will not take no for an answer. Please don't overwork yourself or I'll... I'll let Lord Berkut scold you again! " Rinea said as Berkut did tell to be a little bit stricter with Alm about overworking. "I'll be sorting paperwork with Lord Berkut nearby if you need us!" She said before shutting the door behind her.  "...Rinea's still using the titles huh." Josephine said with a small smile before giving a sigh. "I had hoped she told you about the true reason she has that habit...but that will have to be another time. There are more important matters to discuss." The Countess said before taking her seat on sofa used for private meetings and breaks for tea. She started taking out the wedding plans but she took out a card that looked normal playing card at first but she flipped it around for him to read first. 'I found evidence of assassination plot and a coup. Is this room safe to talk about it out loud?' Josephine knew she had to be very careful when it came to these kinds of things. One wrong move could cause the deaths of Berkut and Rinea earlier than anticipated. ~*~

Alm's visitors find him with a large compendium on his desk, cross-referencing material on it compared to a missive in his hand with a growing scowl. The door opening would have startled him, but his guard had already informed him of his incoming visitors. As such, Rigel's Emperor simply sets down the missive atop the book and looks up with a wan smile. "Hey, Rinea. Josephine. Have a seat." It hadn't been a particularly pleasant day, considering his own fiance's recent departure back to Zofia (among other events of late, that was but a nail on the mood's coffin), but at least he does his best to look the most pleasantly neutral he can manage.

The smile, however, goes from struggling to sympathetic to the woman before him. All things considered, it was in fact a pain he was regretfully familiar with. Keenly so. "If there is anything within my power to help ease that pain... well, you have me here at your disposal, you know? Maybe some time off for your husband...?"

Of course, it is then Rinea snatches a paperwork pile. To which he can barely protest aside from an indignant squawk. The small woman's threat, however, stops him from making pursuit (playfully, if anything, he wouldn't dare spook the woman), and the Emperor instead raises his hands in mock defeat. "Alright, alright. Tell that grumpy fox he's got his way today." At the very least, it took some of the work off his shoulders, none of which he considered particularly pleasant.

And then, Rinea was gone, and it was just them. He sighs into his chair, eyes darting back to his guest. "It's a hassle to constantly correct her, but one day, mark my words, she'll feel comfortable enough to drop those pretenses around family someday." At least, he hopes so, reasons she may have notwithstanding (and perhaps, someday, she'd tell him?). Shutting the compendium with the missive inside, he sets it on a side-table to make room for the Countess, only to... frown at the presence of the playing card. A fire lit within, and yet the Emperor's next move is to press his index fingers to his lips and stand.

The fireplace crackled pleasantly, and it is to where he went first, grasping a kindling stick and lighting it, then... proceeding to light the candles around the desk without a word, then those around the room. Putting the fire on the stick out, he then moved to the window, that overlooking the gardens and training grounds below, and closed thick, heavy drapes. Alm's next movement was to a bookcase, which he firmly secures, and finally walking to the door to the study. Opening it, he quietly asks his guard to keep vigilant guard, and confirms his room is also guarded. Door closed, another thick drape is dropped from the side to cover it. Aside from the light the candles and fireplace provide, it is now.. incredibly dark. The Emperor returns to his seat.

Josephine watched as Alm made the proper preparations needed to make his office secure to share the documents. She stayed quiet as she threw the playing card into the fireplace for the card to be burned. She got her message across but also the card needed to get destroyed so the message would not fall into the wrong hands after the meeting. The passing of messages through playing cards was something her grandfather taught her in case she worked in the Rigel Castle. She then went over to take the wedding plans and put them on the side of sofa for now. Those plans had played as a decoy so she was able to get this far without being detected by other nobles.

Once Josephine saw that Alm secured the room she went to take her seat closest to him with the carrier bag as she had to be close to show him the documents. She took a deep breath and began telling Alm what she discovered. "…As you were told by Berkut a few days ago…my aunt Edith was the Witch that summoned many terrors. Berkut got the basic report of what happened in the battle from Hunter…What we didn’t report on was that we first discovered her in a hidden area of my basement. To make matters worse after the battle…Hunter and I went to check on the basement again only to discover a hidden war room." She told him before showing him that the carrier bag had a hidden pocket under what should have been the bottom of the bag. She then placed the bag down to show him main folder that when opened would show multiple dividers with many documents within. The first thing Alm would see is the note left from Edith. 'To my dear Josephine, While my mind is clear, I leave you all the proof of what some nobles and members of the cult are doing in the shadows. Those who mocked our family behind our back because we felt sympathy for the less fortunate will pay for their crimes. I watched over you while you were in the Deliverance and I was worried that Hunter would betray you just like I was with my husband. Pretending to love me dearly, only to sacrifice me once I was no longer useful. I know I was not the only woman who was tricked and suffered this cruel fate. All I can do is give you all the information I gathered over the years and you do what you feel is right for a better Valentia. You are always in my heart my little bow knight. Love, Edith'

“…My Aunt Edith, before she was a Witch, was the one who taught me how to gather information… mostly for blackmail purposes but it was an unfortunate skill to learn if you want to protect your family from higher rank nobles.” Josephine said before moving to the first part of the documents which showed in full detail of the assassination plot. “They are going to attack on the day of Berkut and Rinea’s wedding believing it’s the most vulnerable moment. The targets being Berkut, Rinea, you and Celica.” She turned the page to show the map with detail of the castle rooms where the wedding and reception would take place. “They have info on how many staff and guards will be there. The positions of where they all will be…they were quite thorough.” She then turned the divider that showed the coup part of what their plans were after that. “To sum the 20 pages worth of laws they wrote, they are going to turn everything back to the way it was with Rigel in control and enslave the commoners and those who refuse to be loyal to their cause.” She hated reading every second of what those jerks wanted. Then Josephine turned the page with a small smirk on her face, “And here is the list of names of all the nobles in on the coup sorted by district.” She said knowing Alm would very much appreciate that info. Her smile faded as she turned to the next divider with the title of ‘Cult Activites’…knowing this part would break Alm’s heart…

He did learn a little more about Josephine's family history. Edward seemed to be the name of a warrior but records would be spotty at best if they were to try and find it again. Perhaps it would make a good name for a child if they decided to have them and if the child was male.

When Josephine started to search through the papers and notes that were scattered around the room, Hunter would join her by trying to collect as much as he could and try to organize it while handing papers that she requested. He would organize it from repeated names, locations, and other mentions of importance. It would help if he had S.T.A.R here to categorize and store the information from each page. She would have also been able to find repeats in information to narrow down possible leads but it seemed like it was up to Josephine and Hunter to do some good old fashion detective work. He looked over to his fiancé when she began to put the pieces together.

"Loss of power is a leading cause for people to do drastic things." He commented.

He nodded at the comment about having to split up to not draw attention to the fact that they knew that a coup was being attempted. This would take a lot of maneuvering and sheath if they were to be successful and Josephine also had a way to inform the emperor about it too with the wedding plans.

As a Spartan, Hunter had been sent on some covert missions such as reconnaissance and assassination. The Spartans that worked closely with ONI were more selected for those types of missions. He thought about ways to conceal a message with the more limited resources they had here than what he normally worked with in the UNSC.

Never in her wildest dreams did Josephine ever imagine that she would have to stop a coup. She knew that many of the nobles were not happy having to share power and would have preferred if Berkut had become the emperor instead. However, since Berkut was helping his cousin, perhaps many did not like this change of heart. “As much as I would love to talk to Rebecca about this, time is not exactly on our side. Perhaps having a compartment that looks like a bag’s lining might work. We did find some old carrier bags used for holding books.” Josephine did have some sewing skills so she felt she could handle the task. She picked up one of the carrier bags near her and took a look inside. “Oh! This one has a hidden compartment!” Josephine showed the inside of the bag to Hunter. There was a hidden flap that was used to hide documents. It was empty because it seemed the people wanted to move them to a safer location which in this case was the secret hideout. “Well, I suppose now we know how they managed to steal stuff and not get caught.” This made things easier for Josephine to go to meet with Alm. “Alright. First this is getting the main documents to show Alm into the bag. Then I finish the rest of the wedding plan while you work on the report of the last battle. I think Alm would be understanding why you did the report instead of me.” Josephine said as she still lost her aunt and while she felt better many of the others would know she would be in mourning.

“Be sure to make the report as basic as possible without revealing the full truth that we know now. So, let’s just say we met the Witch at my family gravesite and I recognized right away who the Witch was. We prepared ourselves for a battle and realizes we needed blessed weapons and thus we had to run to the base and she was following us. Then we can tell the truth from that point and end it when the battle finally ended.” Josephine told Hunter as she felt that was the best plan to go with. “To throw the suspicious people off we should wait at least two days before I make the long travel to Rigel Castle the normal carriage way. You can go back to work at the base as normal.” It could take up to a day or two travel if there is no rush to get there. Wedding planning was not a necessary rush but a royal wedding was still important. Plus, everyone who was at the battle would know that Josephine would want Hunter to comfort her for at a day. “We should at least get the main documents ready first.” Josephe said before getting the documents needed in a folder with dividers and made sure to test the bag to make sure the bag was good to go.

Josephine started to feel the tiredness from not getting enough sleep. “We should get some sleep but let’s put the rest away in their original locations. We are going to be very busy for the rest of the week.” Josephine knew the next two days were critical to get the wedding plans done. It will be a nice distraction but there was that fear that perhaps getting caught by a member of the group. She had to take that risk in order to save not only the royal couples from an assassination attempt with but the lives of the commoners who were being cruelly mistreated depended on her. Alm and Celica were working hard to try to make Valentia a better place for everyone and it would be a disaster if the corrupted nobles regain their power once more…

Those two days flew by as the couple prepared on the surface preparing to the wedding plans for Berkut and Rinea’s wedding and Josephine getting ready to travel to Rigel Castle. Her family’s home would be on the way there so she knew she would have to stop by and tell them some of the news about the Witch. She brought the purple necklace that her aunt Edith always wore to give to her father. That would be imitate proof that she was telling the truth as Edith was supposed to have been buried with it. Josephine was dress in a darker red color than normal as to indicate that she was in the process of mourning. She had woken up early in the morning to finished packing a traveling bag typical for trips that take more than a day and was now waiting inside her manor for the carriage. She made sure to have the carrying back with Hunter’s report, wedding plans and secret documents to show Alm inside. “Well since my family’s manor is the half way point to Rigel Castle, I will have to tell them what happened to Edith. Since it is common for me to always stop there before going to see Rinea…it makes sense.” Josephine was making sure this looked like a normal trip to see Berkut and Rinea at the castle. This was not going to be a fun trip for her but it was something that had to be done. “Oh, I can see the carriage and our mission begins the moment I open the door.” Josephine said before giving Hunter a small smile before opening the door to see the coachman and footman ready to take her travel bag. She got to hold onto her carrying bag and they didn’t ask to see into it. If they did, they would first see fabric examples for wedding dresses. Before she got onto the coach, she turned to look at Hunter. “I’m going to miss you but I know it’s only going to be a few days. Good luck with work. I love you!” Josephine said before giving him a quick kiss on the lips before going into the carriage. At this point everyone around them Josephine was sweet to her soon to be husband. As the carriage started to move, she gave a wave to her beloved before settling down at her seat and looked up at the blue sky. She hoped that her grandfather and aunt Edith were watching over her knowing that Josephine was going to be successful on her mission to protect Valentia...

When the reached the back into the hidden room, Hunter's eyes scanned around. He was looking for any trap that may be waiting for them. Any hiding place that may be used for an ambush. He didn't see anything but that didn't mean much when it came to magic as he learned. Still it seemed that the only magic being used was to remove obstacles in their way.

"Josephine be careful." He uttered as she moved to another hidden door.

What was reviled to them was something far worse then either of them can imagine. Hunter's eyes traced the string that connected pictures and documents. All of it coming to the conclusion spoked by Edith. The emperor's family was in danger. Things just went bad to worse. They would have to do something now armed with this knowledge. If needed, Hunter could assassinate the coup's leader. It wouldn't take him much to get through any guards that were around the leader nor would it be particularly hard for him to kill the leader. But a brazen attack such as that might make the coup leader a martyr and as such strengthen the legitimacy of this coup. This would need more tact then the ex-spartan could provide on his own.

"It would be the perfect time to strike. Everyone would be busy or preoccupied with the wedding that defenses would be down."

When the two appeared to the couple, Hunter had put his combat knife back into its sheath. The threat was over and the blade unneeded for now. He listened as Josephine and Edith talked to him soon being addressed by Josephine's grandfather.

"Of course sir, I will do everything I can for her."

The comment about naming their firstborn Edward seemed out of left field to Hunter. They were barely married. He wasn't even thinking about having children just yet. It would have to be discussed with Josephine before any of that became serious. When they left, Hunter turned to his beloved and asked a question.

Josephine watched as the spirits of her grandfather and her aunt fade away. It did give her the peace in her heart that she knew she did the right thing. Although she did fell a little embarrassed from her grandfather talking about a firstborn child. “The name Edward has been a middle name for two generations of the head of the family. From what I remember my grandfather told me is that my great grandfather Benedict Reginald Sherington gave him that middle name because that’s what his father’s first name was.” Josephine did remember having to learn about her family history. “There are not too many records from back then but I was told Edward was a powerful warrior.” It was unfortunate that wars between the Mila and Duma caused a mess with many written histories becoming lost to time. “As much as that would be an interesting topic on its own, we have much more important matters to attend to.” Josephine said as trying to stop a coup from happening was the first priority. “The first thing we have to do is sort through all of this paperwork. Most likely the people who were meeting here are going to lay low for a while because of the Witch they were working with is gone. So, let’s get to it.” She knew that the people involved would not be dumb enough to come back after a battle took place.

It took a bit but Josephine managed to sort out everything by date and how important it was. “Ok so Edith wrote down all the names involved for blackmail reasons. She even separated them based on rank. Seeing nobility on there is not surprising.” Josephine knew a lot of the nobility was not too happy sharing their power with the commoners. “The list of Witches and those still in the cult are going to be quite useful but from the letters and notes we read, they confirmed that Witches can still be created. To make matters worse they used the common folk as their test subjects to see if they can make terrors. From the most recent letter, the experiments are still being done.” Those was the most unsettling documents of all. This was way worse than she had imagined. “Not to mention we have a ton of historical documents, books, maps and other treasures from all over Valentia that have been clearly stolen by the same group. Alm and Celica are supposed to have these items in their possession. Which means these people have been stealing for a long time. Plus, from the Edith’s notes we know there are a lot more hide outs similar to what we have. Who knows what other stuff is out there.” It really felt like daunting task that has been given to the couple to deal with.

“The documents with the list of names, the coup plans and the horrible stuff the cult is still doing, needs to be the priority. Those need be shown to Alm as soon as possible so we will have to ask for a private meeting. However, it would not be a good idea to let anyone else know what is going on. This means we cannot tell Berkut and Rinea about it.” Josephine knew the less people knew about it all the better. She knew they had to come up with a very good plan. “We can’t meet with the emperor together as people would get suspicious. Hmm…how to get a meeting with the emperor without telling the truth…” Josephine thought about for a moment before realizing there was a way. “I got it! Berkut did want me to help with the wedding planning so Rinea would not be so stressed out. As her maid of honor, it makes sense for me to go to the castle. Plus, not only is Alm going to be officiating their wedding, but he will be doing that for us as well!” Josephine felt this would be the best plan to go with. “We need to carefully mix the documents with the wedding designs and other wedding plans. It has to be so that I can still have easy access to show Alm. I also have to bring a report from the last battle so I can do that in person.” Josephine knew this was going to be a lot of work. “Hunter? Is there a way to have a secret compartment in a bag carrying documents?” She asked her beloved if he had any insight from where he was from. She knew having the wedding stuff be visible made sense but also needed to be annoying enough for her to not get searched too deeply. This was going to take a lot of strategy and planning on their part before she could head over to the Castle safely.

"Some rest might do us some good. I'll help you up to the bed room."

He would pick Josephine up, bridal style, and carry her up to the bed room. While she was changing into her night gown, he would also remove his knight armor and bathe before slipping into his night clothes and then crawl into bed next to Josephine.

"Yes we will but it won't be something that has to be done right now. We can work at it in small bits as a time. You don't need to overwhelm yourself."

His arm lifted up over her as she came closer. When she was all settled in, he lowered his arm around her with his hand resting against her arm. With his genetic augmentations, he never really needed much sleep. It was more like a light rest that he could awaken from at a moments notice. When the purple light began to glow, he was immediately removed from his slumber. It would seem that his wife was up as well.

"Another attack?" He asked while grabbing his combat knife that he kept close by.

It was quite unusual experience as Josephine had never heard about spirits appearing except for in some books that were fictional. That voice was way too familiar to ignore and she had to figure out why this was happening. She still stayed close to Hunter as she still was nervous about dealing with more magic as they followed the floating purple necklace. When she saw the necklace leading her back to the bookshelf that led down to the room where Witch Edith had been. She quietly moved the book that showed the hidden door once more. “…of course, it has to be down there…” Josephine said before looking over and seeing the same lantern that she used was floating up to the desk in the parlor room and a flame showing up without her doing anything. “…Grandfather is someone else with you?” she asked. “…Edith…” the male voice said. “…Oh…” Josephine felt a little regret for asking but at least Edith was reunited with grandfather after all this time. Josephine took the lantern from the desk and went to open the door and watched as the necklace floated down the stairs. “…well here goes nothing…” Josephine said before making the way down the stairs with her beloved close by.

The area was a little bit of a mess due to the fight when her aunt was a witch. However, she watched as the fallen book shelf went back up on its own and the books floated back to where they had once been. “…Thanks for that…but is there another hidden room?” She asked before she saw the necklace move to what looked like a large mirror. The necklace tapped the side as if to tell Josephine to touch it. “Like this?” Josephine pressed on it and sure enough it was a sliding door to show a hidden room that looked like a meeting place. There was a map of all of Valentia with pins that were in different locations. She watched as the necklace landed on a wooden document box on the table. Josephine opened the box and started reading the documents. “…These look like notes and some letters…” Josephine said as she read the contents. “…Witches are angry…they work with nobles…” It was Edith’s voice that was heard. The dates from the letters and notes seem to date from not too long after the war ended to very recently. “It seems the people who were here were keeping an eye on us.” That made sense as Edith had been living there as a Witch after all. “…The new emperor…and his family…is in danger…” Her grandfather said. “They are?!” Josephine said as she looked over the notes and sure enough there were documents that were point to a big event. “One of names of the nobles is a member of the old family that was supposed to rule but Duma picked Alm’s father, Emperor Rudolf instead. This place was used for them plot a way to eliminate Alm and those loyal to him. It’s a coup!!” This was not something she was expecting, it was much so worse. “…They are planning to do it on Berkut and Rinea’s wedding day?! Those dastards!” Josephine said as she knew that day would be very busy for everyone involved. She watched as the purple necklace floated back to Josephine.

When Josephine took the necklace and looked back, they were able to see the spirits of her grandfather and Edith whom was no longer a witch. “…Thank you for setting me free. I can finally be with father again.” Edith said with a soft smile. “I watched what happened and I’m proud of you. You really did become the greatest Bow Knight.” Grandfather had said with a grin. “Thanks Grandfather.” Josephine felt like she was getting the closure that she needed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Edith turning into a Witch, but if I had…” Grandfather started to say before Edith continued for him. “…I told him before my mind became corrupted to not to tell or else the family would have been killed…” Edith didn’t want her father to feel guilty anymore. “…I’m sorry…I felt like this was the least I can do…to atone for what I did…” Edith said sadly. “…It’s not your fault you became a Witch…” Josephine replied. It was Edith’s ex-husband’s fault this mess happened. “…The magic I left in the necklace is starting to fade…It’s time for us to go.” Edith said. “Hunter. I have seen that you really do love Josephine for who she is. You have my blessing. Take care of my granddaughter alright?” He told Hunter. For Hunter to get the grandfather’s blessing after everything that happened went through seemed like he was accepting the changes of commoners marrying into nobility. “Oh, and one last thing. Be sure to name your first son Edward for me.” Grandfather said with what seemed like he knew something the couple didn’t. “We will be waiting for you when your time comes but that will be for a long time. Take care!” Edith said. “Goodbye for now. Until we meet again my dear granddaughter.” Grandfather said and soon the spirts faded away into the afterlife…

"It looks like the reinforcements have arrived then!"

The happy moment was interrupted when Edith had teleported behind him. He left his flank completely exposed and now was running very low on options. Hunter never really feared death. To him it was just part of the job and a risk that came with every day. He wasn't going to down without a fight however. He turned and tried to raise his sword in defense of the attack but then he saw a glow of light from Josephine before watching Edith fly past him with an arrow stuck into her.

He blinked his eyes trying to figure out if the light was real or just a hallucination. Regardless the main threat was taken down but Hunter knew that it wouldn't be easy for Josephine. He put his sword away and began to walk over to her after Edith had faded away. Before he got to her, he watched as she got back on her horse. They still had a mission to accomplish. He nodded after listening to Josephine. Taking out his sword once more, he charged at the terrors that remained but would look over to Josephine from time to time to make sure she was ok.

The fight lasted a bit longer but ended in victory for the knights. While his soldiers celebrated, Hunter remained quiet alongside Josephine. His main priority now was to make sure that she was ok. He gave a salute to the King and Queen before they left. During the carriage ride, he remained quiet but he did hold her hand. Trying to offer any form of comfort to his wife no matter how little. It would be when they arrived home that he would see everything come out.

Hunter never really had a good grasp on people. He was made for war and as such didn't develop a lot of emotional processing for things like grief or love. He knew when someone was sad but didn't always know how best to alleviate it. Mostly trying to fix the problem that caused it but this was a problem he couldn't fix. He couldn't bring people back to life.

The reality of the events that happened thus far had hit Josephine to her very core. She was not the type to let her negative emotions out often, but when she did, she made sure it was away from others. She had not wanted to depend on others to comfort her, but her beloved was right by her side. He had tried his best to show comfort in his own way and she did appreciate it. Here she was on the ground with her back to the door as he held her close in his arms as she wept. Having Hunter with her at this moment made her feel safe enough to be vulnerable. It took a couple of minutes before Josephine did her best to stop crying as much. She was exhausted both physically and mentally from it all. “…. Let’s just…go to bed…” Josephine was in no mood to eat and just wanted to rest for a bit. Of course, she appreciated Hunter helping with whatever she needed which made her feel a little bit better.

Once the the armor was off, getting a bath and dressed in her nightgown, Josephine put everything away except for the purple necklace that Edith had left behind. She was resting in the bed as she looked at it. Her grandfather must have known that Edith became a witch but he took that secret to the grave. “…We are going to have to look through the documents down there…” She said before sighing. She knew it had to be done for the report so it was best to just get it over with. She gently placed the necklace on the night stand before moving close to her beloved to get more comfort. “…Just let me stay close to you for a while…” Josephine was still saddened by the loss but she knew life would continue on regardless. She was a Countess and she had people that depended on her after all. She did allow herself to fall asleep as it seemed being with her beloved was able to calm her down and try to think of happier things to look forward to.

It was still dark out when fate had other plans for the couple. The purple necklace started to glow. This light caused Josephine to wake up and once she looked at what was glowing, she called to Hunter to wake him up. “Hunter? I think we have a problem.” She said before seeing the purple necklace start to float as if someone was holding it. “…Follow me…” It was an old male voice that she knew all too well. “…Grandfather?” Josephine asked as she saw the necklace move to the door as if wanted her to follow them. “…I think Grandfather wants to show us something…” Josephine was very confused with what was going on but she decided she was going to follow her the spirit of her grandfather. He must have a very important reason why he was appearing now before them.

"Very well. I will keep close towards you for cover. If these creatures are only harmed by magic then I am at a disadvantage but will still try to keep them away."

The fall of the necrodragon from Josephine's shot was the opening that he needed. With a nod to the plan, he sprinted towards the first one to be shot out of the sky. His armor had limited some of his movements just by how the metal would clash with the others. He would still move faster than the other knights. Charging into enemy soldiers, he would push past them to take a great leap onto the fallen dragon.

It was clear that the longer the battle went on, the more tiring it was becoming but they had to keep fighting on until reinforcements arrived. Berkut did start to notice that he and the rest of the army were much further away than he would like from Josephine and Hunter. He knew the Witch was doing that on purpose but there was only so much he could do. Those necrodragons really were causing quite a mess of things. At least the blessed weapons were working but breaking through a necrodragon’s defense was still harder than it looked. The did manage to kill a few of the necrodragons by having every one in the army using blessed weapons. Unfortunately, the Witch was still making more of them appear so the numbers were still higher than anyone would like. Suddenly a blast of a bright light attacked one of the necrodragons which instantly killed it. Berkut looked over to see that Alm and Celica had finally arrived. He went over to Alm, “Now I know how you felt during the war fighting all those blasted necrodragons without Celica around.” It was not a pleasant experience at all. Berkut did give a quick recap to the royal couple about of what was going on. They had to try to get to Josephine and Hunter as soon as possible.

"Rrgh... Mordecai is fine. Had worse... Still, urp... bad." He pounded his chest, trying to get out any remnants and acid reflux, still coughing a bit. He noted to himself that bots were bad for food.

Suddenly, another bot appeared.

"..." He stared at it blankly. "That name fits well."

"That was a real bad idea— even if you had worse I should apologize... huh?"

"Geez, there really IS no end to them."

"...I'll leave the stomach medicine out just in case." Rinea said before looking at the Bot. "What strange writing... Those things really are odd aren't they?" Rinea has not gotten one yet but if that did happen she was pretty sure Lord Berkut and Josephine would try to murder it.

@bigbluetiger @devotedrigelianflower

"Mordec... Urp... sick..."

[Tw: short vomit video below Read More]

"...Lord Alm? Maybe you should not fed your friend strange things anymore." Rinea was concerned. "...Does Sir Mordec need some...stomach medicine?" She wanted to at least try to help. Those bot things must be dangerous.

His attention would be brought to the sounds of thunderous rumbling as the calvary had quite literally arrived. As the soldiers past by Hunter, he gave a quick salute. It was a blessing to see them and hopefully they stuck to their training that would see them through this new foe. The winged terrors were new but as soon as Hunter took aim at them, they were already slain. Looking over to where the arrows came from he could see his beautiful fiancé.

He discarded his broken and battered sword and took the blessed sword that she had from her hand. This could change the tide of the battle. It was also more apparent that the only way to end this would be to take down Edith. Looking at Josephine's expressions, she seemed to be torn about what they might have to do.

"I guess talking this out is not an option anymore." His attempt at humor may have fallen a little flat. He would take a more serious tone with his next response.

"Josephine, if it comes down to it, I can take your aunt Edith down. That way you won't have to do it. I'll make it quick and painless."

The necrodragon was a sight that many who had fought in the previous war, were absolutely dreading having to deal with it. Berkut looked over to the highest rank unit that was currently there which was a Paladin. “Please tell me you have a high-level Sage or Saint in your ranks to deal with this.” It was clear that Berkut was not thrilled about this battle one bit. “We do have mages as for the high-level ones…Not nearby at the moment.” The Paladin responded although a part of him really was becoming terrified of how angry Berkut was getting. Fortunately for the Paladin, it seemed that a Gold Knight was quickly riding up to where the battle was going. “Prince Berkut!” It was someone who was very familiar to Berkut. “Massena. I take it with you here this brings good news I hope.” Berkut knew Massena given he worked for the late emperor. “King Alm and Queen Celica are on their way.” Massena told Berkut before looking at the battle. The army was doing well for the most part but the necrodragon was a huge problem. With its high defense and health, it was going to take a while to get rid of it. Berkut knew he had to keep the necrodragon focused on him so that Josephine can focus the Witch. He decided to switch to a blessed lance to at least try to do better damage to the necrodragon. “…This is going to be a long night…” Berkut said before doing his best help the army trying to lower the numbers of terrors and making a dent at the necrodragon in front of them.

Josephine was able to move away from the necrodragon thanks to Diamond but now she really had to kill her Aunt Edith before it summoned more necrodragons. “Unfortunately, we can’t do much as much physical damage to necrodragons but the blessed weapons will help a little bit more. Only a magic spell called Seraphim can do way more damage and…usually high rank magic users can do that…which the best one to do that is Queen Celica.” Josephine told him as to not waste too much energy on the necrodragon. Speaking of which it seemed the Witch is going to summon another one! “Oh no you don’t!” Josephine said as she shot a blessed arrow at Edith to stop her summoning. The witch was able to dodge it but it did cut the skin in her arm. “Ugh! How dare you!” Edith made the lesser flying terrors go to attack Josephine but she was able to shoot them down with ease. However as soon as Josephine took the terrors down, it would seem that Witch Edith decided to use a warp spell to make herself disappear. “Damn it. Stay on look out!” Josephine knew as a Bow Knight she had the most advantage of distance but it looks like the Witch figured that out. “I think she knows my distance is better than hers for attacking so even if you try to strike her, her magic would be too powerful to handle head on.” Josephine said as much she would have given him the honor to do that, she didn’t want him to get badly hurt by the magic.  

Suddenly more necrodragons appeared to take the place of the now terrors that had turned to dust on the battlefield. Time was not on their side and Josephine had to take Edith down! Josephine knew that Edith would try to distract them with the necrodragons all over the place so she can strike back. She even could hear Berkut cursing at the sight of even more necrodragons but he also knew warp spells were the worst to deal when fighting a Witch. The laugh from Edith could be heard from a distance as if she was taunting the couple as they were getting surrounded by necrodragons. “I’ll shot the necrodragons down first so that you can strike them with the blessed sword.” Josephine said to Hunter before shooting the necrodragons which since they were flying units did some damage. It really was going to be a long night indeed and they still had to fight the Witch but Edith was going to wear them all down. Just enough for her to strike when their guards were lowers. It would only be a matter of time after all…