#annabeth rose

[diamondangelkitten]

Day 5: Something Blue

He fidgets with the sleeve of his shirt underneath his suit jacket. Estinien claps him on the shoulder, settling him. He turns his eyes to meet Estinien who grins at him.

“You’re ready, lad. No need to panic.”

“I’m not panicking,” Erenville retorts and he frowns at Gaius and Sid’s bemused chuckles.

Gaius smiles warmly at him, while putting on his groomsmen’s jacket. “If this room were any bigger, you’d have paced a hole in the rug. As it is, you’ve been staring at your reflection for the last five minutes, fiddling with your shirt.”

Erenville starts. “Five minutes.”

Sid nods and walks over to him. “Estinien is right. There’s nothing to be concerned about. Aurora loves you, Alinea has dressed you both to the nines...” He's cut off before he can continue. 

“You’ve seen her?!” Erenville exclaims. 

“Yes, I had to deliver the flower girl dresses earlier and caught a peek.” He gives Erenville a genuine smile. “She looks beautiful, as she always does. But she looks radiant. She’ll be absolutely glowing by the time her hand is in yours.”

Erenville gulps slightly, but nods, thanking his friend for the information. 

Estinien picks up his own jacket and shrugs it on, “I didn’t think Alinea would let you wear a color so close to the one I wore.”

As all their eyes turn to him, he shrugs, “She’s weirdly possessive over certain things.” 

Erenville chuckles, turning to face himself once more in the mirror. The woad blue coat fits him perfectly and brings out the highlights in his hair while still complimenting everything else. 

“It is truly a masterpiece. Please, give Alinea my thanks again." He pauses, smiling kindly at Estinien's reflection, "Though she can’t keep gifting us things.”

Gaius chuckles, “Good luck trying to get her to stop. Besides, it’s something she’s tried to incorporate from Annabeth’s wedding that Alira shared.”

“Oh, what is that?” Erenville says, meeting Gaius’ eyes in the mirror.

Gaius grins, “Well, you have to have something old, something new.” 

“Something borrowed,” Sid adds.

“And something blue.” Estinien grins. “She tried to make sure you both had your own versions of it. 

Erenville chuckles softly, “Aye, of course she would. So, for me, the clothes are both new and blue?” 

Estinien nods. 

“The cufflinks were Gaius’ before he gave them to me and I gave them to Estinien,” Sid offers. 

Gaius shrugs as Erenville turns to face him. “I had multiple from my time in Garlemald.” He smiles softly. “I was gifted a pair in turn by Annabeth’s twin on our wedding day.”

Erenville goes and lays a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Aye, I remember them.”

Sid smiles, “So they cover the old and borrowed, though feel free to keep them, unless you want to pass them on whenever the next big wedding comes along.”

Erenville chuckles, and invites these men into a hug. “Thank you, for welcoming me all those many years ago, and for trusting me with Aurora. I am glad you will be up there with me.”

They all pat each other on the back before parting. There’s a quick rap of knuckles on the door and Estinien opens it to find Alinea there. “Everyone decent?” she quips.

Estinien chuckles, “Aye, for now.”

She flicks his chest and enters the room, surveying her handiwork. She hums before giving an approving nod at Erenville. “You look truly dashing. You’ll make a jaw-dropping couple standing on that stage today.”

Erenville bows deeply, “Aurora would always turn heads, but I thank you for making me stand even a chance at being her equal.”

Alinea laughs, waving away his thanks. “You are her equal, do not worry. Besides, I think we should get this ceremony started.” She winks at him, “Aurora is rather anxious to see her betrothed and I think even more eager to become his wife.”

Erenville pales as the enormity of the moment dawns on him yet again. “Right…” he says, swallowing nervously.

Alinea smiles, walking up to him, and runs her hands down his arms. “You’ll be fine. Just breathe, focus on Aurora, and everything else will fall into place.”

He smiles at her, “It always does.”

The wedding ceremony goes off beautifully. He did not forget a single word, nor forget to tell his bride how radiant she looked every chance he was able. His heart was fit to burst and he didn’t think he could be happier. He had to smile at the final gift from their group of friends. A photo journal, with ribbons of blue on the binding, and a photo of all of them inside. 

Aurora leans back against her husband, tracing her fingers over the photo. She turns and grins up at him, “Well, I’ve seen the boys’ old and borrowed. I still have to show you mine.” 

Erenville looks at the thinning crowd on the dance floor. “And is that a public or private event?”

She kisses him, “Rather private I’d say.”

He nods and pulls her up with him, "Should we say goodbye?”

She laughs, wrapping her arms around him, while looking at their friends. “Nah, they all disappeared at their own weddings. We’re allowed to do the same.”

He grins, “Well I’ve followed you thus far, and I’ll continue to follow you now.”

Aurora raises their linked hands, tugging him towards their rooms. “Through all our tomorrows, we go together.”

[nikatyler]

[simmeronnie-again-blog]

Annabeth Rose & Micah Jackson

[diamondangelkitten]

Day 3: Peek into the Future

He stretches as he makes his way out of Annabeth and Gaius’ home. There was always such good food whenever they gathered that he tended to overeat and get sleepy. Indeed, he had been dozing in the backyard, having been meant to keep an eye on Sibbie and Rielle, when he had been rudely awoken by Sid’s bark of laughter. 

It turned out the girls had come back inside a while ago, leaving him to sleep, which he thought was rather considerate of them. Sid just shook his head, telling him that Aurora had stepped out earlier with Alinea who had to run an errand in the area. He glanced at Estinien who was playing a strategy game with Gaius. Estinien shrugged at Erenville’s silent question, while Gaius captured another of Estinien’s pieces. Erenville chuckled lightly, while Sid struggled to contain his snickers. Estinien always started these games out strong, but Gaius had always been renowned for his strategy and would end up winning in the end. Strangely, the only person to ever beat Gaius was Nero and the look on Gaius’ face when Nero started to gloat made Annabeth enact the house rule that they could never play that game again under her roof. 

He bid farewell to the rest of the men, and smiled at Rielle and Sibbie who had decided to take a nap of their own on the sofa. He figures with the way his back is clicking, he should have followed their train of logic.

He wanders out the gate and into Idyllshire proper. It’s much busier these days and he’s not sure where he should start looking for Aurora. He decides that Alinea likely had business at one of Rowena’s vendors or with someone needing a custom delivery, so he makes his way to that part of the city. 

As he gets closer, he hears Aurora’s laughter. A smile comes unbidden to his face as he jogs to catch up with her. As he gets closer and catches sight of her, he stops. Right now, she is playing with young ones from Zhloe’s Orphanage. She chases after them, stomping like a monster, complete with funny noises, and the young ones are giggling and running away from her. One little boy tries to come up behind her, but she notices him and catches him, turning him over to blow raspberries on his stomach. He sees this, but at the same time, his vision blurs, and he can picture her with their own children, running through thick, tall green grass. She laughs as she chases after their children. He sees them as clearly as day now, three girls and one boy, all running around their mother. She catches one of them in her arms and smothers her with kisses, while the rest of the children clamber on top of them. She laughs, throwing her arms open wide, and all the children rush to get a hug. She looks up from them at Erenville then and smiles. She reaches out a hand and as he leans forward to touch her, he blinks and the vision vanishes. He has to blink a few times to adjust to being back in this world, but there she is. Still as radiant as ever. She’s looking at him, whispering to the children all around her. Their eyes go wide as she continues her story. He chuckles, shaking his head. He does not know what she is saying, how he could ever be as interesting as her, but when the kids all look up at her, she nods, and he has to brace himself for the impact of children.

“Have, have you really seen a..” starts one child.

“Can you tell us about…” another one says.

“No, I wanna hear about...” and soon, bickering breaks out. 

He looks up to Aurora, who now has Alinea by her side, and he can’t help but teasingly frown at the two of them laughing at his bewilderment. Aurora nods encouragingly while Alinea just winks at him. He shakes his head at the two collaborators before breathing deeply and bending down on one knee. This is just practice, he tells himself.

“Now, now everyone. Let’s just take a breath. We’ll go around in a circle, starting with this young lady here,” he pauses, giving her a moment to provide her name. 

“Ooni,” she says shyly.

He nods, “We’ll start with Ooni and everyone can say what story they wish to hear. If there are multiple of the same voted for, we’ll start with that, but I will make sure you each have a story told.”

There are cheers of excitement from the children and Aurora can’t help but beam with pride. Alinea nudges her hip against Aurora, “You two are absolutely smitten with each other.”

“We are,” Aurora agrees.

“So, should we expect any little ones of your own soon?” Alinea teases.

Aurora raises a brow, “I don’t know. Should we?” looking at Alinea’s stomach. Alinea harrumphs, crossing her arms, before giving her friend a slight smirk. “I do think sooner rather than later at this point.” 

Aurora laughs. “Yes, soon we’ll be there. But for now,” she smiles, watching as the kids climb on top of Erenville to get a better seat to listen. “We’re perfect just where we are.” 

[diamondangelkitten]

Day 2: Midnight Murmuring

The first time it had happened, it had almost given him a heart attack. The second time, he thought he was imagining things. By the third time, he had learned to ignore it and just take note of any interesting observations. The fourth time it had happened was on a much larger scale and all he could do was point at the girls and the carbuncles while their loved ones displayed differing levels of shock. 

Apparently, on some nights, and no, it didn’t seem to be tied to the moon or any discernible cycle he could work out, Aurora and her carbuncle would start murmuring. Aurora and Erenville had been together long enough that he could make out her nightmare murmuring or her early morning murmuring when her brain was up before her body was, and this was a completely different thing. 

It usually started just before midnight. Aurora, who was usually a cuddle bug, would start to shift into what Erenville called her starfish position. He would never begrudge her some space, but the fact that Monty also decided to lie straight from head to tail meant he was normally clinging to the edge of the bed. Shortly after the starfish position was assumed, she would begin to turn and murmur. Roughly a few seconds after that, Monty would chitter in response. This would then escalate in both speed and length. Aurora would murmur sentences to Monty and it truly seemed that Monty would reply in his usually chittering manner. Sometimes Aurora would nod or frown in response, before replying with murmurs of her own. 

When he had first brought this up to Estinien and Sid, they had waved it away, saying that the girls had a habit of doing it when they were together at sleepovers, though Estinien had to admit he had never seen Alinea and her carbuncles mimic the behaviour. Erenville had been rather truly worried, and so he proposed that at the next sleepover the girls’ were to have, they would have their own sleepover in an adjacent room. Sid had just raised his brows and shrugged, while Estinien chuckled fondly before agreeing. Gaius had not taken long too convince and he was intrigued to see if the phenomenon would indeed happen.

Erenville was lucky that it was only a few weeks before the girls scheduled their next sleep over. It had been a while since Aurora and Monty’s last impromptu midnight gossip and he was indeed wondering when it would next hit. While he marvelled at Aurora and Monty’s bond, he was indeed surprised that Alinea didn’t seem to share the behaviour with Sephy and Demetri. 

On the night, the girls took over the living room, doing manicures and pedicures, face masks, and other girlish activities, while the boys took to playing a new console game that Nero had been able to salvage from a trip back to Garlemald. The men hadn’t realized how late it had gotten until they heard the clock chime midnight. 

“Huh,” Sid says, “I haven’t heard anything coming from the girls.”

Estinien snorts, “As if you could have heard anything over your cheers for Gaius.”

Sid crosses his arms, “You were supporting his crusade against the villain as well.” 

Gaius inclines his head, “Your support was truly appreciated.” 

“See,” Sid retorts, before sticking his tongue out. 

The action makes all the men stop, before bursting into laughter. 

“Sibbie is rubbing off on me,” Sid sighs, smiling. 

Erenville grins, “It is a good look on you. Now hush, let’s see what’s about.” 

The men creep from the room and after a few steps they hear a sound. All eyes turn to Erenville, who frowns, having not heard that particular noise before. He shrugs and they continue on, only to find a rather confusing sight. 

Normally, on sleepover nights, the girls would be sleeping intertwined, arms and legs thrown around each other haphazardly, but tonight, they all sleep in a skewed starfish manner. Erenville casts his gaze to the men, and jerks his head motioning towards their positioning. Estinien frowns, while Sid shrugs and Gaius peers closer. Then another noise comes, but this time, they can tell the source is Demetri. He has a deeper chittering sound than Monty, who soon answers in return chitters. 

“Are they… asleep?” Estinien asks. 

Erenville tilts his head. It’s a reasonable question. It can be hard to make out if the carbuncles are sleeping or not when stretched out, and Demetri had always been rather reserved. 

Their questions are answered though when Aurora murmurs after Monty. At this, Erenville turns, bends on one knee, and points to his evidence. Estinien smiles wryly, while Sid rolls his eyes. Gaius has his own smile on his face, which turns to confusion when it is Annabeth who next murmurs. It seems to catch on as murmuring goes between the girls and the carbuncles. It seems that while Alira and Annabeth never answer the carbuncles, the carbuncles can answer them, to which either Alinea or Aurora will murmur, causing another chain to begin. 

The men have no idea what to make of it. They watch as it continues on for another ten minutes, before at last, soft snores begin to fill the room. Slowly they watch as Alira turns to roll over and hook a leg over Annabeth. Alinea yawns, and reaches to curl up around her carbuncles, both now curled up in balls of their own. Aurora stretches and Monty shakes himself awake, getting up to curl next to her hip. Aurora turns and her hand reaches out to clasp Annabeth’s and the men all exhale as the normal sleeping pattern starts to emerge again. 

“That was…” Gaius starts. 

“Weird.” Sid states, while Estinien murmurs, “Incredible.”

Erenville looks between them, before sighing. “For once, I have to agree with him,” pointing to Sid. Sid looks offended, before shrugging and yawning.

“Let’s get some sleep. They’re going to be pissed if they think we spent all night gaming.” 

The guys agree and go back to the room to get some sleep. As Erenville’s eyes start to close he hears Sid’s voice.

“Hey Gaius, how many levels were left in that game?”

“Hm, only about 10 or so. Why?”

“Just wondering. Maybe we can get it done before they wake up tomorrow.”

Estinien scoffs, “They either rise with the birds or sleep until midday. You don’t have much luck winning there.” 

Erenville hears Sid shift on the mattress and he sighs knowing what Sid is about to say. “So… Do we wanna try finish it now?”

[diamondangelkitten]

Day 4: Something New

Kugane had become something of a regular holiday destination for them. Aurora loved the bright colors and cuisine, while Erenville found that he immediately relaxed upon entering the city. The hot tubs were not a bad selling point either. They had begun their trip much like any other, and they were currently enjoying a meal of sushi at their favorite restaurant before going to walk around the market stalls before close. 

Upon exiting the restaurant, they happened to run into Hancock. Erenville still didn’t quite trust the man, but Alinea had explained that he could be trusted, so he didn’t begrudge Hancock joining them on their excursion through the market stalls. Indeed, Hancock was rather helpful at pointing out stalls they would have otherwise missed and included information about neighbouring shops, though they seemed to sell mostly furniture and other household items.

“And why, over there, that shop sells the most beautiful dividing curtains,” Hancock exclaimed. “Over three panels, they detail a story from Hingan culture and their attention to detail is exquisite.” 

Aurora’s eyes grew and she smiled back at Erenville, squeezing his hand. 

He smiled at her, before looking at Hancock. “These are all truly wonderful recommendations, though I’m afraid we won’t be able to do them justice. We do not have the space yet.”

Aurora frowns, but nods, “We’re still adventuring and have my apartment as our base of operations when we’re back.” She grins at Hancock, “But honestly most of the time, we’re visiting friends or staying at the inns that feel like home.”

Hancock smiles knowingly, before inclining his head, “But of course. Forgive me, my thoughts ran away from me. It is still rare to find outsiders who are so interested in our customs and cultures. We can’t help but want to include you.” 

Aurora grins and starts to talk to Hancock about something else, but Erenville feels a slight nagging sensation telling him he’s missing something. He shakes it off, thinking he may just be tired from the journey. If he had happened to look behind him and up to the railing around the Opera House he could have potentially spied his friends watching him.

“Ugh, Hancock is going to give away the surprise,” Alira grumbles. 

Alinea chuckles, shaking her head, “No, he isn’t. He’s laying it on thick, but neither of their body language suggests they caught on.”

Gaius presses a kiss to Annabeth’s forehead, “And you don’t think they will mind? What we’ve done?” 

All the girls turn to look at him, before rolling their eyes in unison. 

“Course not,” Alinea says, looking back to the couple.

“Aurora may be surprised, maybe miffed for a second,” Alira provides. 

“But she’ll be more shocked and overjoyed than anything.” Annabeth states. “They’ve both wanted this for a while. Aurora’s apartment is too small for all the souvenirs they bring back. And it won’t be long before they want children of their own.”

Alira scoffs, “I don’t know exactly how watching our boys made them decide having kids was something that needed to happen sooner, but they’re definitely thinking about it.”

Alinea nods, “Aurora will wait for Erenville to say he’s ready to settle and Erenville will never push her if he thinks it’s a decision she’s not ready to make.”

Gaius frowns, “But is she?”

This time, even Estinien joins in the girls’ eye roll, while Sid just snickers, keeping his opinions to himself. 

“She loves Kugane,” Alinea says. “Raves about it every time she’s here.” 

“And the place we’ve found is big enough for their knick knacks and their children,” Alira says proudly. 

Sid coughs, “Found? Is that what you’re going to say?” 

It’s his turn to shrink under three glares. “What?! It’s true. Alinea, you built her a house!!”

Alinea waves off Sid’s concern. “She deserves it. Consider it a birthday gift, future wedding gift, etc, etc. And we all chipped in. Even you,” she says, looking back and sticking her tongue out. 

Sid sighs, but knows he’s defeated. 

Alira pats his arm consolingly. “Let’s go make sure everything is ready for tomorrow, yes? Then we can come back and stay at Hancock’s.”

The group nods and teleports away, while Aurora and Erenville enter into the Bokairo Inn. 

The new morning finds Aurora and Erenville joined again by Hancock. Apparently it is a complete coincidence that their favorite pastry shop is his as well. 

While they eat their morning confections, a sudden thought occurs to Hancock. “Oh! I’ve got something I would like to show you.” 

At their surprised looks, he laughs. “Don’t worry, it is no cursed item like we dealt with on Mount Rokkon. But I do believe it is rather special. Won’t you join me? It shouldn’t take much time.” 

Erenville and Aurora spare each other a glance and shrug in unison. 

“Sure,” Aurora says. “We don’t have anything planned.” 

Hancock claps his hands together, “Excellent. Most excellent. I have to run back and collect something before we go. Shall we meet at the main aetheryte in 15?”

At their nods, Hancock dashes away. 

“Do you think he is hiding something?” Erenville asks, watching him go.

Aurora grins, “I mean, he does have something to show us.”

He pulls a face at her teasing before sticking out his tongue in response, “You know what I mean.” 

Aurora stretches before wiping some flour off her mouth. “I do know and I don’t think he is. Nothing malicious. He seems, rather genuinely excited, which I’ve never quite seen before. Whatever it is, it’s nothing bad.” 

Erenville nods thoughtfully, finishing the last bite of his breakfast. It wasn’t truly the last bite, as that always went to Aurora, who gave her own last bite to Monty. He smiles at their ritual and goes to throw away their trash. They make their way from the shop to the aetheryte where they have to wait only a couple of minutes before Hancock joins them. 

“All right now, since you’ve never been there, this may be a bit tricky, but I’ve been told this will work,” Hancock says.

At this, Aurora’s brow raises. “Told by who?” 

Hancock gives her a genuine smile. “You’ve trusted me thus far. Will you trust me again?” 

Erenville watches as the two look at each other and Aurora nods, confidently and raises her hand to Hancock, who holds out a crystal. 

“If you attune to this, you should be able to find your way there.”

Aurora nods again and her and Erenville both reach out a palm to the crystal. 

As they do so, an energy unlike any other seems to fill them. An unexplained joy fills Erenville's heart and he can see that a similar emotion affects Aurora. 

“What was that?” he asks.

“I.. I don’t know. I’ve never felt that before.” 

Hancock smiles, “Shall we go?” 

He closes his eyes and teleports leaving Aurora and Erenville together on the aetheryte plaza. 

Aurora holds out a hand to Erenville, who takes it immediately. 

“Together then?” she says, smiling. 

“Together.”

They turn on the spot and are whisked away. When they arrive, Erenville can hear Monty chittering happily and can feel the sun coming through his closed eyelids. He opens his eyes and is stunned. He hears Aurora’s sharp intake of breath and feels her hand squeeze his even tighter.

Before them is a beautiful two story mansion, for there is no other word for it. Erenville sees the many rooms it offers from out here, but the garden with the giant tree in front are what stop him in his tracks. If he closes his eyes just so… if the grass were not drying during this season before winter… it would look exactly like the vision he had of Aurora playing with their children all those moons ago.

He looks back at Aurora, who’s eyes have filled with tears as she sees her family, both found and made, step out from the home.. Their home… 

“Home,” he says. 

She nods, “That’s what that feeling was. Coming home.” 

She squeezes his hand once more, before letting go and running towards the girls who have made their way from the porch down the stairs. Aurora flies into Alinea’s arms, sobbing, while Alinea holds her tight. Annabeth and Alira wrap their arms around the two and Erenville gives them a moment of privacy while he walks towards where the others are standing. 

“You planned this?” he says, already knowing the answer. 

“Aye,” Estinien says. “We just weren’t too sure about the actual timing.” 

Erenville cocks his head in confusion but Sid beats out everyone to the answer. “Alinea built this for you two.” 

“Sid!” comes from the other girls, though by Aurora’s laugh, she had known immediately. 

Gaius massages his brows, before pinching the bridge of his nose. “Alinea has been planning this for some time, yes. And we’ve all been helping and pitching out as we can.” 

All those around nod, and Erenville can see that the Scions are waiting inside, one more surprise for Aurora. The fact that her father and grandfather had also helped out with their home meant more than he could say. 

“You do not mind,” Erenville asks them, “if we settle here?” 

Charlemend smiles at the lad, while Carvallain scoffs.

“I am here fairly recently, so don’t think you two have gotten rid of me. And well,” Carvallain looks to his father, “it seems that I may have another crew member, when time permits.” 

Charlemend grins at the assembled lot, “Aye, Lord Edmont and I think we should venture more into this fair world. After all, has it not been saved countless times by those we love? We have slowly started seeing more of it, but while we are not quite old yet, we are not as young as we once were, so we must get moving to see all there is.” He winks to his granddaughter who's making her way over, “We would be ever so honored if we could make a stop here.”

“Of course,” she says, smiling and running to give her father and grandfather a hug. She squeezes them tightly, before squealing in delight when she sees the Scions. She’s about to run up the stairs, when she pauses, and comes back to Erenville’s side. 

“Shall we go in together?” 

“Together.” 

The Scions are thrilled to welcome them into their new home. Aurora and Erenville are taken away by all the thoughtful details that Alinea added. She waves off most of the praise, though she is truly delighted that her dear friends love the gift. Shes explain to the couple that while they provided some furniture to welcome them home, they could change to whatever they wanted, giving some context for Hancock’s recommendations the previous night. 

That evening, much laughter is shared and when Aurora’s godchildren arrive, even more joy seems to fill their home. Over a meal prepared by many loving hands, a toast is made to friends, family, and new beginnings. Aurora and Erenville clink their glasses and Aurora can’t help but wonder what will be next for them.

As the friends and family start to leave, Aurora and Erenville stand on the wrap-around porch, watching her godchildren and their closest friends chase the fireflies before teleporting. Erenville wraps his arm around her waist, drawing her close in front of him. He presses a kiss to the top of her head, while his other arm wraps around her shoulders. He breathes in deeply, closing his eyes. This, their new home, is their next chapter. Life had been good before, but now it feels settled. He looks down and finds Aurora looking up at him. They are ready for this next chapter. 

[diamondangelkitten]

Day 2: Jaws of Death

The Garlean staggered back, trying to maintain his footing on the icy snow. Around him, beasts closed in, though these were none like he’d ever seen before. These had been people before - his friends - and now.. Now they were gone; here one moment only to be transformed. He tries to keep his bearing, hears the sound of fighting and yelling behind him. 

One of the beasts on his right lunges for him and he sidesteps just in time to avoid its claws. He still can’t bring a blade up to attack, knows that he would never have the strength to even damage these foes. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a creature wind-up to pounce on him. He tries to dodge, but his foot slips on the ice and the creature holds him down, while the others advance.

He closes his eyes, hopes that the Eorzean Contingent will take mercy on the remaining Garleans, hopes that one day his homeland will know peace - of any sort and making. He can feel the breath of the beasts around him and so, with his last few moments on this world, he breathes out the names of his friends who will be the death of him.

“Oh no you don’t!”

A female voice breaks through his reverie and he sees an Elezen come flying from the sky into his frame of view. The force of her and her spear landing on the ground knocks the creatures back. The creatures shake their heads, throwing off the dizziness caused by the Elezen’s arrival, and they resume their hunting stance. As one makes ready to jump on him, he sees a silver globe encompass him. He sits up and turns to look to his right where he sees a short Au Ra with a carbuncle at her side. Her left hand is raised and seems to be keeping the barrier around him, while her right hand is spread out around her leg and seems to have some sort of glow around it. He looks back to the Elezen fighting the creatures and he rises to his feet, feeling a conviction to help the girl helping him.

“You sit down.”

The voice is firm, yet not harsh. Not like the hand on his shoulder pushing him back to the ground. He looks up to see two Viera looking down at him. The one with black hair looks back at him, “You are alive. Stay here and let us take them down.” 

He nods to her, while her blue haired companion looks between the beasts and him. 

“Did you know them?” she asks, her voice containing more of an accent than her compatriots. 

“Aye.”

She nods, her Viera friend already joining the fray, wielding fire and ice magic that the Garlean had never seen before in his life. 

“I am sorry, but we will take care of this. Aurora!”

At the call of her name, the Au Ra steps forward to him and gives him a gentle smile. “Monty here,” she gestures to her carbuncle, “will stay with you. Please help us help you.”

He nods, overwhelmed at everything going on, and the Au Ra nods too, before turning and running in to the fray. He cannot look away even if he wanted to. The four work in tandem in a way that Solus would have been envious of.

The Elezen is fast and quick and has started changing weapons mid-fight. He hadn’t even seen the various blades on her, but then he sees her draw a chakram from the aether and he realizes that not all her weapons are made of steel and ore. The black haired Viera has an enormous reserve of magic, he determines. He has never seen so much fire and ice surround a person and he notes that the ground has melted around their fight, allowing them a much easier fighting ground that what he had encountered. The blue haired Viera, he is surprised to note, fights with a gunblade, forged in a very similar fashion to Gaius van Baelsar’s weapon. She’s quick and precise with her movements and between her and the Au Ra, the group never once lacks for shields. He had doubted the Au Ra when he had first seen her. She was much smaller than her compatriots and he had thought at best, she was a healer, but he realized she was much fiercer than he had given her credit for. She didn’t have quite the reserve of magic as her Viera companion, but she seemed to have an innate idea of where to land her attacks to do the most damage. She crippled monster after monster, allowing her other compatriots to land the killing blows. All in all, an effective team, never once questioning where the others were. They filled every gap and after the fight was done, he was pleased to see that none of them bore a single scratch. 

He turned to the carbuncle next to him and he carefully petted its head. The carbuncle froze at the touch, but allowed the Garlean to pet him, understanding that he was needed as a therapy animal at the moment. Aurora whistled a note, and the carbuncle came trotting to her side as the girls made their way back to him. 

“Thank you,” he gets out, before they can say anything. 

“I’m Annabeth,” the blue haired Viera says, smiling kindly. “I am sorry you lost your friends.” 

Aurora’s face sombers as does the black haired Viera. The latter mutters something under her breath, that only Aurora catches. The Au Ra holds her fist tight to her chest and mutters something back. 

He realizes they are saying rites for his friends and he is rather touched by it. He turns to face the Elezen, who has a distant look in her eyes. He turns to see what she is watching and he sees the other skirmishes with foes all too similar to his own. He turns back to her and sees her purple eyes on him. She finally gives a smile to him. 

“I’m Alinea. Go to Camp Broken Glass. If you follow the path behind you to your left, you’ll run into guards that will take you to safety. There’s food, medicine. You’ve seen enough for one day. We’ll take care of the rest.” 

He nods, “You don’t need a breather?” 

The girls break out chuckling and the dark haired Viera wipes a tear from her eye. “Alira, by the way, but no. We do not. There are still many more like you out there and we will do our best to save every single one we can.”

The others nod in agreement and turn to face him. 

“Farewell,” Annabeth says. “I hope we see you again.”

“You can count on it,” the Garlean says. “I’ll help in whatever way I can!” 

The girls smile at that and then Alinea breaks off into a jog, heading further north into the wilds. Annabeth smiles and salutes him, while Alira nudges Aurora with her shoulder before breaking into a run. Aurora laughs and starts to chase after her, but turns to face the man again. 

“You need others in your life. Even when things seem bleak and hopeless, in the good and the bad, they keep you grounded. Be the lifeline to others.” Aurora smiles and waves, before resuming her run to join her companions. Her carbuncle lingers by his feet for just a moment, and then he chirps and follows after Aurora. 

Sometime later, the Garlean makes it to Camp Broken Glass. He receives the soup and care Alinea mentioned. When he remarks to some others about who had saved him, he is surprised to see the gasps on their faces. He soon finds out he was rescued by none other than the Warriors of Light, those renowned figures that were more myth than legend. And as he went to sleep that evening all he could think was that at one point, each girl was on her own and that they somehow found each other to become everything more than they could be alone. He would still be loath to admit it out loud, but he looked forward to hearing more of their exploits. Cause were the tales truly ever as exaggerated as they seemed? 

[diamondangelkitten]

Day 7: Strayborough (Free Day)

As Träumerei dissipates into memory and bats, the girls look amongst each other to see that he doesn’t reform. After waiting a moment, they relax from their fighting stance and start to look around the Endless House and wander through its many halls.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Aurora murmurs, head swiveling every which way. 

“It gives off creepier vibes than the Antitower, that’s for sure,” Alira says, trailing a finger over a vanity table, and shuddering as it comes away covered with dust. “Just what happened here?”

Alinea scoffs, “People played with things they shouldn’t have and it got perverted.” She looks away, the anger on her face turning to sadness. “This should never have happened. These poor people.”

Annabeth comes alongside her and wraps an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently. “It’s okay, Li. The people are at rest here. I know there’s still more we have to take care of, but for now, let’s take it as a win.” 

Alinea looks up at her friend and nods. 

Aurora shuffles her feet, looking between the girls, “Uhm, about that…” 

Alira stops suddenly. “What do you mean, about that?”

Aurora rolls her eyes, “We may want to come back the way we came. I think King Leonogg may have survived after everything.”

Alinea’s eyes widen, “How?” 

Aurora shrugs. “Beats me,” she says, turning and making for the exit. 

Alira sighs, “If either of you mention how cute he is again.” 

Annabeth laughs, “Bets on if Alinea’s going to try to keep him?” 

“I’m right here you know?” 

“And that’s why we love you,” Aurora shouts from up ahead. 

“You also thought he was adorable,” Alira retorts, catching up to Aurora. 

“He is,” Aurora smiles innocently.

Alira shakes her head, smiling fondly at her friends. As soon as they are all congregated together, she closes her eyes and snaps her fingers, teleporting them from the house to the path that had taken them there. 

“Do you think we could ever fix that carousel?” Aurora asks, looking at the horses speeding past in a blur. 

Alira hums, “I could potentially slow it down with my magic, but we’d have to bring Nero out here to see.”

Annabeth nods, “I’m sure he’d have an absolute field day here. Why, between him and the Loporrits, I think it’d be possible to have an amusement park built in no time flat.”

The girls continue making their way to where they last left King Lenogg, debating which of the city states could host an amusement park and what foods they think should be offered. It does not take them long to find King Leonogg, sitting on a step at what they believed was called, “The Friendship Round”. 

“Why are you still here?” His Royal Headness Leonogg I asks.

“Can we call you King Leonogg?” Aurora asks, smiling. “His Royal Headness is rather a long title.” 

“No, you may not!!” He screeches. “You have taken everything away from me, my home, my subjects.” 

He starts sobbing, though no tears come from his noggin. 

Aurora looks to the others, only to find Alira eating popcorn a few steps back. Annabeth’s eyes are wide and is looking between Aurora and Alinea to figure out who is going to solve this mess. Alinea walks towards the creature and kneels down on one knee.

“Who were you, Your Royal Headness?” she asks softly.

His sobs turn to sniffles as he tells them of his time in Alexandria, how he went from being an outcast for not doing well in school to finding himself as a mascot, cheering children up. He wore all sorts of outfits, done all manner of impressions, always in a hope of trying to make others happy and feel like they belonged, like he had never felt himself. He did not know that he would become an Endless, had hated it at first, but then when he heard about the amusement park, he thought maybe something good had come from this eternity. But then, something had gone deeply wrong and everything had gone dark and twisted. 

“I… I cannot remove this beauteous noggin. I have this hatred inside of me for anyone who is not like me. Things have to be perfect. Everything has gotten so bad,” he starts to fidget, getting more agitated and Aurora rushes to join Alinea in trying to rub his arms in a reassuring manner. 

Annabeth hears Alira muttering to herself and when she turns she sees Alira working over magicked prisms. 

“Li? Everything alright?” Annabeth asks.

“Trust me?” Alira says, brow raised.

Annabeth gives a small sigh, but tilts her head, “Always.”

Alira nods and then cracks a magicked prism against her while throwing one at Annabeth’s torso. Annabeth gasps as the magick settles in front of her face. When her eyes clear she sees that Alira is wearing a noggin and determines that she must be too as she hears Alinea’s and Aurora’s sharp gasps. 

“Your Royal Headness,” Alira says, walking forward to him. “There is a world outside of this place. A real world. I’m sure my friend here,” nodding to Aurora, “can confirm this, but when you became His Royal Headness Leonogg I, you became a real creature. Not an Endless.”  

He looks up at Alira and gasps, “You too have a beauteous noggin!”

“For now, yes. I can give these prisms to Alinea and Aurora as well, to help ease your adjustment, but I think we can revert you, at least your personality, back to the way it was.”

He tilts his head and Alinea jumps in.

“I think she means we can cure you of your bloodthirstiness for people without the same head as you.” 

“Ah,” Leonogg I says, “that would be helpful. Can I… Can I come with you then?”

Alinea smirks towards Alira, who just sighs and motions for her to continue. Alinea promptly turns back to face His Royal Headness. “You can. We travel constantly and you’d be able to see our world.”

“I’d like that, very much.” 

Aurora jumps up, clapping her hands. “New friend, new friend!!” 

The girls laugh and hauling His Royal Headness King Leonogg I to his feet, they make their way out of the city. As he walks from Strayborough Deadwalk into Living Memory, he seems to shrink a bit in size. This continues as he makes his way from Living Memory through the portal into Yak Tel. As he steps foot onto the undergrowth of Yak Tel and takes a breath of fresh air, he looks to them and says, “You can call me.. Leo”. 

Annabeth and Alira bump shoulders, while Aurora claps her hands. Alinea smiles and puts a comforting arm on his shoulder, “Welcome to our weird and wacky family Leo”.