#lionheartsoath

"Good evening, my good lady. Is this not a wonderous night to for a taste of good wine?"

She looked unfamiliar but was awash by a beautiful noble splendor. Foreign nobility perhaps? Then they were in the same boat. And Eldigan did have an appreciation for all things refined and all.

"Forgive me, but I have yet to ask your name. What land do you hail from?"

From the looks of it, she was not an ordinary lady, but a honed soldier. Perhaps they could regale each other with a battle story or two. 

Despite the large number of guests, Minerva wasn’t truly impressed: she was used to those kind of occasions, but regardless of the time and space she found herself into, she never enjoyed parties: it wasn’t a matter of this precise party, but she's had a very terrible experience during her adolescence and she simply couldn’t stand the occasions dedicated to this type of celebration –she just can’t stand the multitude of people all dressed up elegantly and falsely chatting to each other with a fake interest in what everyone was saying.

Yet, the party she found herself catapulted inside was very far from the kind she knew: there were many young people, all coming from different places and with different cultures… this somewhat fascinated the red-haired woman, who placidly sat on her seat while sipping some good red wine and observing the surroundings with circumspection, till a sudden voice called out her attention.

She turned and she faced a very elegant young man: his facial lineage were refined and delicate, but the masculine smile on his lips definitely raptured Minerva’s gaze, while she observed the slow movements of his jaws as he talked, offering her glass for a toast and then proceeding with the sip, listening to him with curiosity: as she gave a better look at him, he certainly was from a noble lineage, his dressings and his manners were elegant and aristocratic, despite the blunt attitude of his approach.

“I’m from the Kingdom of Macedon, situated in the Archanea continent” she paused, placing the glass on the table and fully directing her attention towards him, “And I am the Princess of this reign” she casually added, not really bothering much about her status, actually. “Minerva, pleased to meet you, Sir..?” she caught his name with a genuine smile and a firm handshake, she wasn’t the type of person to accept hand kiss.

"My dear sister," he begins, "allow us to enjoy the festivities, as we would back in Agustria. Had the chance and substance permitted me, I would have erected the grandest of halls for you!"

How he remembers the immense balls that Agustria used to throw. Twirling Lachesis for what seemed like hours....It was stuff to the past. But she was here. In the flesh and blood. No longer did he have to think of what if. No longer did he have to pray on a memory.

"And if this banquet were a ball...." Eldigan continued, "How we could dance the night away, as we used to."

"My sister, my dear sister," Eldigan says, taking her hand in his, "please allow me to make up for my absence, in any way that I physically can. I know that it is not the same, but please allow me to prove myself to you"

"A new oath. To survive and to see tomorrow's day."

A smile stretches across his lips. Tired, sincere, reserved only for a few. 

it has grown no easier, honestly.

mourning him, that is.

if one were to look, they could see the look in lachesis' eyes that the number of years apart from her brother was not what was presently bothering her. it could have been ten years or ten weeks or ten minutes, and it would have amounted to the same: seeing him here makes her feel such hope, and that terrifies her.

the presumed-dead walk all about this place and, and this is a nightmare. because there is peace when hope finally dies, when it stops moving and you can nail the coffin closed for good.

lachesis has won that peace the hard way. she has mourned. she has moved forward.

but there is movement within the coffin now. something pounding on the lid from the inside, and if that hope had been so very difficult to bury the first time... she fears the damage it could do a second. him being alive means that that could once again stop being true.

"an oath, my brother?"

but she cannot let that show on her face. he is here now, and that does make her happy. for all it terrifies her, it makes her happy, too. they have time, to enjoy frivolity and comfort and conflicts that do not involve agustria.

"you would swear something like that to me?" he had not been able to promise anything before. he had only died.

"sadly, it is a poor place for a dance. but we can enjoy a return to one another's company even so. there is good food and good cheer, at least for the moment. i would like it if you would revel in it with me."

Daughter of Quan. Unnamed. 

The last encounter went relatively badly. Eldigan still blames himself, though unsure of what and where he went wrong. He has played the encounter in his head thousands of times and does not know what happened.

No matter! He has resolved to make this right. Any child of Quan's should be known to him and is as good as family. Approaching, Eldigan realizes suddenly that he has no topic of conversation other than......well.......Quan.

The lionheart clears his throat. Come on, he can do this! He was captain of the cross knights, he could manage conversations with one girl.

"Have you ever noticed the elegance of a banquet? It is so wonderful to see the dignified air and reality." Eldigan pauses. "Back in Agustria....well, this sort of thing was commonplace."

That should do, right? But considering their last interaction, Eldigan was doubting himself and his ability to charm a lady. 

Ares's father. She doesn't remember his name. Eltshann or something like that. Whatever. It doesn't matter that much. She knows he was friends with her parents and so she prepares for an interaction she isn't quite ready to have.

She lets out a breath, turns to face him, and then he starts talking.

Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. Is he fucking kidding her right now?

So strange that he met Ares and Nanna here, in this curious land, but his dear sister is not here. But he will wait, he will. Anytime that he has is worth waiting for. Not that he is some naive foolhardy boy, but it seems only like yesterday when she was by his side.

He has much to apologize for. Eldigan struggles to find the words he will use when that day comes. How he was overly thick-headed and could not heed her warning. How they traded the Earth Sword and that was the last they ever saw of each other - for he fell to his untimely death.

Could she forgive him? Was she still out there somewhere, furious and angry and beside herself? It was very much like her, in a way. Yet she had told Nanna all those stories. She bestowed upon her the Earth Sword. It's in times like these that Eldigan detests himself so deeply for not understanding the full ramifications of his death. Loyalty? And for what?

But he has a duty to do today. The knights have given him an errand to run - a simple one at that - to a new faculty member at the monastery. Eldigan knows these halls like they are his own now - a humorous thing to think back to when he first arrived and was an animal on alarm.

Turning a corner, he arrives at most likely was the new faculty's office. The interior was cleaned to prepare and he merely had some paperwork and a blade to hand over. But it's when the door is ajar and he sees the back of the professor's head that his mind runs blank.

Golden hair. No, it couldn't be. Maybe he was just too hopeful.  "Excuse me, lady professor," he introduces, ringing a few knocks at the door. "I am from the knights. Here to deliver some paperwork and tie up loose ends. I hope you will not mind - it is merely a formality." He sets the blade down on the desk. "The academy wishes to offer you this sword as a welcoming gift, furthermore. They hope you find it to your liking." Well, that was all he was here for. But still, the familiarity was painful. If only she would turn around. 

lachesis had been humming to herself, eyes locked on a distant cloud. she oft dislikes silence, when alone, but ceases making any sound at all as she hears someone enter behind her.

settling into this place is no more difficult than settling anywhere else. she cannot spend more than a few years in any particular location, it seems. is this some fault of hers? some restlessness of spirit? or will the way things compound simply not let it occur?

it matters little. this place will suit her as well as any, and she will stay here for as long as she needs to.

the wood-paneled space that is her office is... small. cramped. she sort of likes that. there is a homey charm to a small space. reminders of places she lived, long ago, with a mother whose face she tries not to picture. before she lived with her father and brother. a lifetime ago, it feels, it feels.

the man's voice fills the room and his accent is... familiar. augustrian? no, it can't be. surely not, so far from home. memories that make the corners of her eyes prick with tears she dares not spill. not in front of anyone. not even alone.

"thank you," she says, softly. more paperwork? it figures. it's always something, always something. she wants to get back to whistling her little tune as she fills it out. a song a man once taught her long ago.

she finally turns to take a look at the man with the accent so familiar. her eyes widen at the sight of him.

he looks as he did...

the day she lost him.

or at least close enough to her recollection of that day. the way grief had colored it surely takes some of the reality of the situation away, within her mind.

but this alone makes her pause. suspicion encroaches on her face just after the relief fully forms. he looks just as he always did. and, as ever, she cannot take her eyes off of him. this would be too good to be true, to have a family member left after all, even one she already mourned. this would be more than she deserves. more than she has ever received.

the familiar nickname almost graces her lips. eldie, she thinks and does not say. she is no longer a child chasing after him.

Amid all the gloom and doom, there have been rumours of a pop-up ice cream parlor come to lighten the mood. Trouble is, it's a fairly exclusive set-up, and is never seen twice in the same place. Maybe you've been lucky enough to receive an invitation, or have a friend who can show you the way. The Ice Creamatory welcomes all who should find their way. But as you leave, delicious treat in hand, one of the letters on the sign falls, revealing the shop's true name: The Ice Crematory - which begs the question: just what have you all actually been eating...? Better go stop the shopkeeper from running if you'd like to find out. [Grants Riding +1]

Starter for @lionheartsoath

With days becoming shorter, night is falling earlier and earlier. In accordance with this, knights have been positioned by the entrance earlier. The reason? To prevent any of the younger students to wander off and get in trouble in the dark of night.

One of the students by the entrance hall was a teal haired boy, by the name of Nils. In his hands was a slip of holographic paper that read the following:

“Congratulations!

You’ve been invited to the Ice Creamatory!

Located at the alleyway at Regaliastreet. Tonight only!”

He heard of rumors of such a place before from classmates, an exclusive ice cream parlor that pops up in a different place every night, supposedly with the most amazing ice cream imaginable. You had to get lucky to receive an invitation, and nobody knew who delivered them or where they even came from. It seems Nils was to be one of these lucky fellows tonight, as he found this note on his pillow when he returned to his dorm room.

He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to go check it out, he was rather fond of cold treats. Perhaps due to his nature as an ice dragon? However, before he could leave the monastery grounds, he was held back by a guard.

“Halt. It’s already dark out, it’s not safe for a child to go out alone at this time.” The woman spoke to him. She had a stern, somewhat scary expression on her face.

“Please Ma’am, I won’t make any trouble for you.. besides, I can assure you that I’m no child.” It’s impossible for her to know of course, that Nils was in fact several centuries her senior. But with his youthful face and innocent eyes, it isn’t hard to imagine why she made the mistake.

“Surely you’ve heard rumors of the exclusive pop-up parlor, yes? I just so happened to receive an invitation to-“ He spoke, but before he could continue he was interrupted by the knight grabbing him by the arm, somewhat forcefully.

"Agustria, eh?" Eyes flitter from the ambient tasks that had kept her busy, and land on Eldigan's face. Between his introduction and the striking similarities between another she's met, Larcei gets the feeling that she's staring another ghost of the past straight in the face. "I used to fight with someone from that place. Do you all carry that serious look in your eyes?"

She laughs a little, attempting to portray that her words merely intend to jest. Her smile persists, even after the fact, and is a testament to the relief in her chest at having another reliable force at her side.

"In any case, the one I knew was real good with the sword. I'll trust that you're the same. And I'm from Isaach, so whatever help you offer me I'll pay you back for."

Her hand comes loose from her side, extending some distance away from Eldigan's chest. It demands his, so that they may make a promise. Him and her; Agustria and Isaach. Another connection forged in order to restore her home, another pact sealed by the glistening blood in both their veins.

He doesn't need to introduce himself for her to know exactly who he is. The resemblance he has to his son is uncanny. She had thought her own resemblance to her father was strong but it is nothing compared to Ares and Eldigan.

Her brow furrows as he approaches. She's heard much about him from her mother. Stories about how her father and her uncle and Eldigan of Nordions had been friends during their school days. Hope for her and Seliph and Leif and Ares to have the same sort of bond. She knows better than to crush her mother's dreams but they are different people than their fathers.

She doesn't need to meet another one of her father's old friends. She's met enough of them for a lifetime.