Proof of a Hero

As the soft light of dawn rose on the horizon, the two heroes went to the bar on the other side of town. There, they were greeted by a single mustached bartender.

“Good morning, Princess Colette!” He said jovially while wiping a mug. “About to handle that ‘urgent business’?”

Colette smirked as she sat on a stool. “Yep, but not before we have breakfast. Could I get the usual, Richard?”

The bartender nodded, then glanced at Edward. “And this man…is the savior you spoke of?”

“The name’s Edward.” He mumbled as he sat down. “I’m not a savior though…”

Colette gave him a hard smack on the back. “Not with that attitude. Richie, why don’t you give him the same thing?”

Richard chuckled and turned to the kitchen behind him, then called out to an elderly woman who was tending to a stove.

“Mother, two of the Princess’s usual!”

He then bowed to Colette before going to mix a couple glasses of drinks. While he was occupied, she took out a map and set it on the counter. It depicted the Kingdom of Leone in the south, and the Kingdom of Draconis to the north, and a mountain range called Mt. Nevermore to the west.

“While we have time, I want to go over the rest of our situation, and where we’re going.” She elaborated.

She set a finger on the Sun-Blessed Frontier, then traced a line north until it reached a square of trees.

“We’re heading to the Forest of Eternity, which we have to pass through to reach the Frosted Border, where we’ll meet my army.”

She traced a curve northwest to a clear space, then went further north up a river until it hit another field, and finally traced northwest again until she circled around a castle.

“After we pass the Everfrost River, we’ll finally be in the Kingdom of Draconis, and we’ll march onwards to Drakonburg.”

“You mentioned that kingdom before.” Edward remarked as he looked over the map. “Is that where the god is based?”

Colette’s tone became more solemn. “More precisely, it’s where his Vessel lies. We’ll be fighting…Helena, the Crown Princess of Draconis. Nocturne has corrupted her with his power, and she’s been fighting his influence all this time.”

While he noticed her confliction, he chose to not point it out.

‘It’s not my place to get in her business.’ He thought with a sigh.

“Well, at least I know what I’m getting thrown into.” He voiced. “Two kingdoms about to start a war…”

The Princess nodded. “If Hel’s corruption is completed, this will all end in disaster. That’s why I want to face her head-on, before it’s too late.”

She rolled up the map and put it away, just in time for Richard to come up with a large tray that held plates of bacon, eggs, and sausage links, with big glasses of apple cider.

“Bon appétit.” He said as he set down some cutlery.

Colette eagerly grabbed a fork and a knife. “Thank you! Sir Edward, dig in! This will be our last meal for a while!”

‘For a princess, she’s rather carefree.’ Edward thought with an incredulous look.

_______________________________________

A little later, they were riding their horses up the northern path.

Along the way, Edward noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and looked left to see a small pack of lions in the nearby field. They laid contently on the grass, though a few had their eyes on the passing travelers.

He gave them a cautious look. “They’re not…hostile, are they?”

Colette laughed. “Nah, we live in harmony with those creatures! They even guard our livestock from predators, and we give them our aged animals to feed on.”

They watched as one lion in particular rose and stepped to the front of the group. It was a male, with mane that shined like gold. Its orange eyes gleamed with a certain intensity as it inclined its head, and Edward stiffened as he realized it was looking at him.

“The Lion King senses those blessed by the Goddess.” Colette whispered. “That glow in its eyes is proof that it sees you as the Hero.”

Edward raised an eyebrow at her, then shook his head and as he lowered it and let out an exasperated sigh.

“They’re just animals…”

He faced forward, but was still stiff as he felt the burning gaze of the Lion King on his back, even when it became nothing more than a shadow on the horizon behind him.

______________________________________

At midday, the duo stopped at the side of the road for a break.

After the campfire was set, Edward sat down to relax. However, Colette came up to point her blade at his nose.

“You’re not gonna be lazy on my watch.” She said with a stern tone. “Get up and draw your sword, I’m gonna teach ya how to fight.”

Edward sighed and stood up. “Alright, but I don’t have a sword.”

“The World Sword is a part of you. Try to bring it out.”

He frowned and held a hand over his heart, and closed his eyes as he concentrated. It took more than a moment, but he felt a tug deep in his chest, and with a growl of effort he made a motion like he was drawing the sword, and it appeared in his grip in a flash of light.

For a few seconds, he stared at his reflection through the shining silver blade, and felt an overwhelming feeling in his body. His hand shook slightly as he recalled the Champion stabbing him with a knife, and how he bled from that.

A more distant memory surfaced. Eyes full of rage and desperation. So much blood dripped down his hand…

‘Forget it…forget it…’ Edward thought while taking deep breaths.

He noticed Colette raising an eyebrow at him, and he shook his head and gave her a firm frown.

“So this is proof that I’m the Chosen One?” He grumbled.

She nodded. “The World Sword, a divine weapon marked by the Goddess. With that blade, you will purify the hearts of those corrupted by Nocturne’s chaos.”

He glanced at the basket-hilt sword again, and noticed three stars outlined in gold along its blade.

“...I still can’t believe it.” He muttered.

He sighed and reluctantly took a stance.

“Whatever, let’s get started. How do I fight with this thing?”

Colette stepped back and held her own blade in both hands. While she held it to the side, she planted one foot forward, and her muscles visibly tensed.

“First, you need a proper form.” She instructed. “Yours is sloppy, so one could easily-”

In a sudden instant, she lunged forward while turning her body, and brought her golden sword around for a diagonal slash at Edward’s shoulder.

On instinct, he stepped back and raised his silver blade for a block, but he failed to hold his ground as Colette slammed his sword down, leaving him completely disarmed.

He gasped and fell onto his rear, then winced and held his hand as it vibrated from the force of the Princess’s attack.

“Okay, I get it!” He snapped with gritted teeth. “Now will you take it easy on me?”

She chuckled and shouldered her sword. “Oh, I have my work cut out for me. This is gonna be fun!”

‘I may just die before I even reach the end of this world…’ The new Hero thought with a twitching eye.

Once he got back up and retrieved the World Sword, Colette got into position with her sword held forward, and continued the lesson.

“Keep your feet firm. Always be ready to move your body. Retaining balance is key. In a fight, you have to be able to protect yourself and break your opponent’s guard.”

“I know that much.” Edward said under his breath.

He took a similar stance to Colette’s, though since his sword was smaller he held it in one hand. As he saw the guard over his hand, he decided to try positioning his blade in a more defensive way to emphasize it.

She scrutinized with a look up and down, then nodded in a satisfactory manner.

“Not bad, but let’s see how you hold up.” She said while bracing herself.

She raised her sword overhead as she lunged, then swung down with an audible ‘whoosh’. Though Edward’s eyes widened, he managed to keep calm and step back, and the swordpoint narrowly missed his guard.

However, before he could do anything else, Colette took another step while flicking her blade up, and struck under his guard to knock it aside. While his hand was shaken from the force going through his sword, he stumbled back with a surprised expression.

To finish it, she swung down on him again with the flat of her blade, and gave him a blow on the head. For a second, he saw stars in his vision, and he wobbled back and forth…then he fell to the ground on his back.

“And I win!” Colette said with a proud smile.

She sheathed her sword and went to offer a hand to the fallen Hero, who just gave her an annoyed scowl before completely going out cold.

“...Did I swing too hard again?”

______________________________________

This time, Edward did dream of his predecessor.

On the very same road he and Colette were on, the Hero Anne and Princess Jenette were having their own sparring match.

Jenette swung her long golden blade, a slightly shorter version of her descendant’s, in a diagonal manner. Anne, in response, simply sidestepped it and came right back in for a quick thrust.

Jenette narrowly ducked under the World Sword, and it snipped a stray hair off her head. Now annoyed, she let out a fierce shout and leaped up to swing the flat side of her blade on top of Anne’s head.

“Whoa there!” The past Hero exclaimed as she hopped back. “You could have given me brain damage with that one!”

Jenette huffed and shouldered her sword. “In a real fight, your brain will get more than just damaged! Don’t be so cocky just because we liberated a few towns on the Frontier!”

Anne snickered. “You think I’ll lose? Jenny, I’m the Hero chosen by that lovely Goddess. Have faith in me, okay?”

Jenette pouted and glanced aside in annoyance, and Edward’s eyes widened as he heard her thoughts for the first time.

‘It’s not that I don’t have faith in you, I’m just…’

She fell silent for a few seconds, then growled and brandished her sword.

“That doesn’t mean you should be so careless!” She yelled angrily. “I…Solaris is depending on you! So think more about what’s at stake!”

Anne laughed and dismissed her sword, then walked up to the Princess with a rather charming smile, which caused her to blush bright red and let her sword fall.

‘W-what is she doing?’ She thought nervously.

The past Hero knelt before the past Star Maiden and took her hand, then brought it to her own forehead.

“As I have sworn before, milady, I will do my best to save your world. I, the Hero of Worlds, will never let you down.”

Jenette’s lips wavered, and she looked aside while covering her face with her free hand.

“...Idiot.” She murmured as the dream faded.

_______________________________________

Edward groaned as he came too, and his eyes fluttered before they fully opened. He noticed the sun was halfway down the west side of the horizon, signaling the afternoon.

He rose to his feet and held his sore head, and felt a slight throb on his hand. He grit his teeth and looked around, and found Colette tending to the horses on the other side of the road. When he walked over to her, she turned to him with a cheeky grin.

“Good mornin’, sleepyhead! How was the nap?”

“Would have been better if you hadn’t concussed me.” He grumbled. “I…had another dream about your ancestors. The previous Hero, Anne…seemed quite skilled, unlike me.”

She crossed her arms. “From what I’ve heard, she was a prodigal lady from your world, and she excelled in everything she put effort into. She was even a champion fencer.”

“So I guess that’s why the Goddess chose her. But then, why did she choose me when I have nothing going for myself?”

“Only she can tell you that. I’m sure she will, once we finish this journey.”

The redheaded princess stepped up to her horse’s side and mounted it, then made a gesture to the road with her head.

“So let’s keep going! We should be at the next village by dusk!”

The dark-haired man let out a weary breath before climbing aboard his own steed. However, just as they started to go up the road, a rushing figure in the distance made them stop.

“Who is that?” Edward said with narrowed eyes.

Colette grimaced as the figure got closer. “That’s…Lilian.”

Atop a black-coated stallion was a lady of a similar age to Colette, with a silver wreath-shaped tiara atop pale blonde hair, which was tied in a side braid with white lilies to show the long ears that were her most striking feature. 

Her travel cloak fluttered as she spurred her horse to a stop, and it huffed and hung its head in a tired manner.

“There there, Percival.” She murmured apologetically.

After giving it a gentle pet on its neck, she looked at Colette with sapphire-colored eyes that were watery and had pale purple bags under them.

“Your Highness, the front line is being sieged."