Prepare for War

Seen from above, an army is almost a living entity of its own. A hive buzzing with nervousness and anticipation. Bad jokes and laughter rise over quiet mumbles and the shuffle of hundreds of feet as it moves across the countryside, spread out as an amoeba rather than the neat, disciplined squares of men Diane had expected from watching historical action movies. Wagons filled with supplies are trailing along behind the men, and giant birds are keeping watch from above. Or transporting people. The important ones. Like herself. And Aster. It still seems strange.

She tightens her grip around Momo with one hand and the belt of the girl in front of her with the other. The feathers of the snowy owl they’re riding are cool and soft, but slippery, the wings making no sound as they glide through the air. It’s exhilarating, even better than the previous ride in the basket. To her right, Aster is on top of another owl, as snowy white as the one she’s on. She gives him a wave, and both he and the ‘driver’ wave back. It’s the same guy and owl that gave them a ride before, and it had been a surprisingly emotional reunion. Apparently, he had insisted on flying them, even in the daylight.

It’s not too long before they glide over the dense, dark green forest and see the gray square that is the Arakiba home. To her surprise they don’t descend, but continue onward.

“Where are we going?” Diane asks, leaning closer to the owl-driver.

“We were told you needed a look at the Wall. So we’ll fly close to it.” She turns her head and gives Diane an impish smile. “Not too close though. We won’t risk anything, just take a peek.”

“Oh, okay.”

The Wall is even more imposing from up here, where she can see the sheer length and mass of it. Dwarfing the trees, it rises, impossibly tall and massive. Smoke is coming from the other side of it, tendrils of lava are making their way down the mountainside, burning anything in their path. But there are other movements too. People. Lots of people streaming toward the same point, like dark rivers spilling into the sea. Unbidden, the first lines of the Prophesy come to her mind:

When mountains crack, weep blackened flame

Old foe awakes to fight anew

Then she sees it, the gate that Aster had mentioned. As tall as the wall, and nearly as thick, it sits there. Fortified and menacing. As ancient as the stones that surround it. More ancient than the 'old foe' mentioned? As they drift closer, Diane makes out giant bolts and a sturdy bar that are keeping it locked. A crest is engraved in it, but time and corrosion have made it hard to make out. Paw prints surrounded by trees and intricate patterns? She can’t be sure. A cry, joined by many, sounds from the dark masses on the other side of the gate, arms rising to point at them, and the owls deftly turn.

“That’s close enough,” the girl chirps, though her voice is tense. “Time to get you home.”

*

The fortress is as she remembers it, the stone walls as gray and immovable as ever. The things that had been destroyed during the attack have been repaired while they were away; some doors and furniture are now in fresh, pale wood, rather than dark, aged ones. More noticeable is the fact that it’s crammed with people, both inside and outside the walls. Her room was just like she’d left it, and it was surprisingly good to be… back? Home…?

She’s still not sure if she’ll ever think of this place as home, but it feels peaceful to be back. As if she belongs. Momo, who’s been residing in the room alone, is ecstatic to see her again, and almost makes her trip several times by insisting on sitting or walking right in front of Diane’s feet.

Not that she minds all that much. She’s just as happy to have the kitten close to her again, and occasionally pauses her work to scritch the small head now resting on her thigh. The two of them are sitting on a bench in a corner of the courtyard, away from most of the bustling. Momo is snuggled up comfortably next to her, purring like a small jet engine. Diane picks up yet another small piece of cloth, focuses, and transfers some healing mana into it before adding it to the steadily growing pile of ready Mana Aids. It’s tedious work, but necessary. Her goal is that every soldier should carry at least one with them when the fighting starts, and she’s well on her way to achieving it.

Something blocks the sun, and she looks up at Hector, proud that she doesn’t automatically frown at him.

“Do you mind?” He points to the bench next to her, and she shakes her head, moving some of the cloth out of the way.

He sits, picks up one of the Mana Aids to study it. Critically. Getting on her nerves already.

“Was there something you wanted?” she asks curtly.

“Just to say that you’re doing a good job. And that I’m impressed by all the effort you put into challenging the Prophesy.” He chuckles softly. “It’s never been done before, and I find it… refreshing.”

“I’m glad you approve.” She’s not. She couldn’t care less, but she’s trying to be polite. “But despite everything, that wretched marriage might still happen.” She frowns, then looks at him with new interest. “Hey, you’re an Arakiba, and you and Aurelia seem to be getting along well. Perhaps you could… You know… volunteer to marry her?”

“My other form is a bird, not a beast. The Mystics ruled me out immediately.” There’s a sad tang to his voice, and for just a moment, his snarky mask cracks, showing something entirely different. Almost vulnerable.

“You really care for her, don’t you?” Diane asks softly. She can’t understand it, but as far as matches go, theirs is certainly better than the alternatives.

“Not that it matters.”

“But you seemed happy, or at least smug, about Aster being forced to marry her.”

“I don’t like him, but he’s a nice guy. He wouldn’t hurt her in any way, and I assumed that within a year, he’d be back here, with you. She’d stay in the castle and I could… well… approach her again.”

“Hm.” There really isn’t much she can say to that, at least not politely. Fortunately, she spots Aster crossing the courtyard and waves him over. Hector gets up, brushes non-existent dirt off his shirt, and makes a curt bow to her.

“As I said, I still don’t like him, so I’ll take my leave so the two of you can do… whatever it is you two are doing when you’re alone.” He gives her that infuriatingly condescending smirk and turns to leave, muttering, “All hail the Champion,” as Aster approaches.

“What did he want?” Aster asks as he takes a seat.

“I’m not sure. Would you believe he was trying to be nice?”

“No.”

“Did you know he’s in love with Aurelia?”

“No way.” He looks as if she just suggested the sky was green, then laughs. “Well, he can have her for all I care.”

“Mhm. he seems to have a bird problem.” He laughs at that, but Diane looks at him seriously. “Are you really off the hook? Is the marriage really cancelled for sure?”

“For now, but I doubt the Mystics will go down without a fight. Then they’d have to admit they made a mistake. Publicly.”

“Yeah, that was my impression too. I was so happy when you had a chance to break the engagement, but…”

“You were…?” He freezes and just stares at her until she awkwardly clears her throat. Loudly.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask how you're feeling,” he asks smoothly. Another one of his obvious topic changes. “About everything. Things are moving forward rapidly, and we may only have a few more days of peace left.”

“Scared. Of the upcoming fights. Of failure.” She places her hand on top of his. “But I’m also scared that one morning I’ll wake up in my old world and find that all this was nothing but a dream.”

“It’s not.” He smiles. “I believe we had this discussion before. And I won.” Won? She wouldn’t call it that, but she’s not going to push it. Not now.

“Back when I found this,” she says instead, opens her small hip pouch and takes out her Soulbook, idly leafing through it. A couple of yellowed pieces of parchment fall out of it.

“You brought the old letters?”

“Yeah, I just thought… I don’t know. They’re important, and they touched something in me… It felt like the right thing to do.”

“It’s okay. I understand. You brought her words home. She was an Arakiba too. Who knows, perhaps her Soulbook rests here. There are many we have no name for.”

They sit quietly for a while, both looking through their Soulbooks that are behaving perfectly normal. For magical books, that is. Momo yawns, blinks at Aster, then repositions herself so she’s stretched across both of their laps. Claws digging in just enough to make sure none of them will move and disturb her nap, then promptly goes back to sleep.

“I guess your pages look very different from that day,” Aster says, squinting at Diane’s open book.

“Yeah, there are several new spellnames, and numberwise I’m already close to Tenna, but when it comes to experience…”

“It’ll come. Don’t worry about the numbers, Di-Di, they don’t really matter. I'm sorry I pressed you for yours back then. I can sense your mana, your skill. It’s impressive.”

“But I still haven’t found a cure for the disease, sorry, curse… and you…”

“It might be for the best.”

“What? No!”

“It sounds crazy, I know.” He absently strokes Momo’s soft fur. “But seriously. If I were cured, I might not be strong enough to beat them, to save everyone, to save you. It may be killing me slowly, but it also makes me stronger. And I must admit I like the idea of using their own curse against them.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “And if things end badly, at least it’ll get me out of my wedding predicament.”

“Don’t you dare joke about this!”

“I just did.” He gently brushes an escaped strand of hair off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear, and she meets his eyes. He’s not laughing. He’s serious. “I have faith in you, always remember that. Even if things look bleak, remember that.”

“But I… I’m not ready.”

“Then you will be, Di-Di. I know it.” He puts his arm around her shoulder, just like the past Champion in that painting, and it feels so right. Like the most natural thing in the world. Like that time in the cave.

“I hope you’re right,” she says even as she starts to relax, allowing herself to lean her head against his shoulder. Momo’s purrs reach new heights, and they both laugh softly as they watch her paws and tails twitch in her sleep. Next to them, the soft glow from their soulbooks flickers softly to the same unheard rhythm.