Aphtober Day three : Guard
-The Guard in the Shadows-
Pairings: Sasha/Cadenza, mentions of Laurance/Aphmau, Doomed Zvahl siblings.
Past love, angst & no comfort, grief as a form of love, guard & lord relationship dynamics.
Third person perspective. Sasha is an unreliable narrator. No Michi hate from the author (she just wasn’t necessary for the plot), set after s2 episode 100, canon compliant.
It didn’t take Sasha very long before she threw the Meif’wa overboard.
Sure, Sasha could admire her stealth. She’d never seen anybody who wasn’t a shadow knight steal a boat that fast and that silently. But it only took one conversation with the nasally-voiced woman for Sasha to rethink her decision to travel with her.
“You know,” she had started, looking out over the obsidian-dark seas, rippling with calm waves. “Michi used to live on that island over there.”
Despite the lack of light from the new moon, Sasha could easily see the old wooden home in the distance. Sasha had a vague memory of briefly visiting that place before, but couldn’t recall when she did so.
“Yeah,” the woman went on. “Michi was adopted by a nice lady and raised there.”
All Sasha could remember was the stench of cat piss and the colony of cats that had plagued those waters. They had been such a nuisance to sail through. You could never convince that old crazy cat lady to do otherwise.
The meif’wa sniffled. “She died a couple years ago. Michi misses her very much.”
Oh bother, Sasha realized. The idea of circumnavigating this tiny boat around Ru’an to Tu’la with this obnoxious cat-earred woman suddenly seemed more torturous than being bored in the Nether.
Without too much further thought, Sasha pushed the woman overboard. The Meif’wa yelped before hitting the water. The one-person vessel suddenly moved much faster without the baggage. Sasha only looked back once she knew she was far enough away to only see the bobbing of a soaked purple head.
Sasha chuckled softly to herself. She didn’t have time to deal with the sentimental whinings of a stranger. It would be much quieter and easier to travel alone. Being alone meant nobody could betray your trust. Sasha didn’t have time for emotionally needy companions. She didn't have a want for new friends.
As the boat slipped through the waves, Sasha realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on her own. Even when she’d frisked through the forests between Phoenix Drop, Brightport, and Meteli, she’d had to report back to that menace Gene or that unsettling Vylad. Hells, she’d even have to converse with that traitor Zenix a few times.
There had been a period of time where she only ever took orders from one man…the Lord of Metali.
Again, that creeping feeling settled in her chest. She felt it whenever she saw Laurance…or when she had seen Kenmur, his warm face as unchanged as the last day she’d seen him, despite the countless years that should have passed.
She had been selected by the Shadow Lord, Sasha chastised herself. Her old position as head guard of Meteli had made her a perfect Shadow Knight so she’d never have to take orders from anyone but Him.
In the distance, she saw the twinkling of torches around a port. New Meteli…the thought made Sasha grimace. When she had escaped the carnage of Zenix’s mad revolt in the Nether, she had discovered that her previous home had been abandoned and reclaimed by the beautiful green swamps. Phoenix Drop had been her second choice of sanctuary, which turned out to be more useful with Laurance still residing there. He would assure her demise wouldn’t be immediate in an Overworld prison, which is more than she could expect wandering on her own. Most would attack a Shadow Knight on sight. She probably used up the last of her luck when Laurance had the foresight to release her.
Cadenza was Lord of this New Meteli. Bright and feisty Cadenza, who had the vision to make anything out of nothing. Of course it would have been her who shouldered the responsibility of remaking a village from a battle-worn group of refugees to a large and prosperous town. How many years had it been, Sasha thought. Sasha couldn’t recall Cadenza’s face, just her bright orange hair. It flowed just like lava behind her back.
“You know Sasha”, Cadenza’s voice was bright and teasing. “Being head guard means you have to follow every order of the Lord. You’ll have to be very serious.”
Sasha knew she had responded, matching her tone and body language. She could no longer remember what she said.
“I guess I could be Lord one day,” Cadenza mused and she twirled a lock of her beautiful hair around her finger. “But then you’d have to actually listen to what I say.”
I do that now, she thought, but instead of saying that, this younger and freer Sasha had answered, “It would be an honor to be your head guard Cadenza. If you were my Lord, I would undoubtedly follow your word.”
Sasha grimaced at the memory, what a sappy fool. But that creeping feeling built back up into her chest so strong, it hurt more than the thoughts of her old self. Sasha focused on steering her stolen vessel into the furthest shadowy shore on New Meteli’s port.
She easily slipped past the night guard posted at the docks. Trade ship laborers were starting to arrive for their dawn shift as she snuck through the treeline of the town. Her dark hood would keep her pale hair from being seen, but she still wanted to avoid any confrontation.
Finding the Lord’s house was straightforward. Two guards patrolled the exterior perimeter of a large but modest building. Bountiful and manicured rose bushes grew under every window seal. In the main room, lanterns were still alight. A woman and a male guard were hunched over a table covered in charters, papers, and maps. A lord’s work was never done it seemed.
It’s her, Sasha realized, that ache in her chest now absolutely throbbing. Her bright hair was just the same, wavy and long. It shimmered in the glow of the lantern’s flames.
The Lord signed heavily and she turned to look out the window, perhaps wondering where the night had gone. It was nearly dawn. She rubbed her eyes to offset her lack of beauty sleep. She stared right at Sasha’s direction, but the Shadow Knight knew that her human gaze would not spot her.
Age had graced her face but she wore it well. Her eyes were the same green. Her lips were pursed in a way not dissimilar to how she did as a teenager. She was more beautiful than ever. Time suited her. Her title suited her.
Sasha realized that she wasn’t alone. She sensed the male guard’s presence behind the Lord and realized she wasn’t the only shadow knight in New Meteli.
A traitor of his rank, his aura was powerful but muted. Sasha knew her time was limited and she needed to finish what she truly came here for before she was caught. She snuck up to under the window she had been watching through and slipped this damned letter Laurance had given her. His last request of her was that this letter reached his sister. That sentimental premature shadow knight still wanted everyone he loved to know why he was finally answering the Call. Sasha thought the notion ridiculous. She hadn’t gotten to say any damned farewells before she fulfilled her destiny, but she agreed to oblige. After all, he did free her from her cell.
Inside the Lord’s house, Vincent stiffened and announced to Cadenza, “I can sense the presence of a Shadow Knight.”
Cadenza looked up from her papers and stood. “My brother?” She hadn’t seen Laurance in a few months, he was still serving as a guard to Lady Aphmau, despite neither of them being settled to a village. She knew of her old friend’s quest to rebuild the Phoenix Alliance and thought it a good cause; but she still thought her brother to be a fervent admirer. He had returned after disappearing for 15 years, could he not come home to her yet?
“No, my lady,” Vincent said. “I’m not sensing your brother. This is the presence of a full-fledged shadow knight.”
As Vincent, vigilant as always, left to check the outside of the house, Cadenza moved toward the window. If not Laurance…could it be?
Cadenza had no reason to believe that after all these years she would want to see her again. The likelihood was unfounded. Anytime in the past two decades her old friend, that girl who had been Metali’s trustworthy guard, could have returned. Why would she now?
As Cadenza shook her head to clear her wishful thoughts, she spotted a sealed letter tucked under the window pane. She saw it was addressed to her in Laurance’s handwriting. Perhaps Vincent was mistaken. She grabbed the letter and peered out to try to catch a glimpse of her brother.
Instead, Cadenza saw a stranger with a pale face in the shadows and she swore it had white hair. But when she blinked…it was gone. It was just another shadow in New Meteli.
