XXIII - Lancelot II's Identity Revealed

For a long moment, nobody moved. Even the wind, holding itself over the dusk environment. Students weren't around after the incident, even Professor Zamora was gone for his own cottage as well to rest.

Charlotte remained frozen, her armored back pressed against the rough bark of the tree, her helmet lay forgotten on her feet, as the moonlight doing nothing, except to soften the guilt written plainly across her exhausted face.

Quincy and Sarah remained silent behind Aurora, staring at Charlotte with wide eyes in disbelief, realizing the real identity of Lancelot II was just a vulnerable, exhausted paladin in front of them.

"Lancelot II was just Charlotte?" Quincy whispered to Sarah, staring between Aurora and the vulnerable paladin in confusion.

Sarah didn't respond, a melancholy look forming on her face, as the air howled causing the leaves falling silently from above.

Suddenly, Aurora erupted in silence. While her fan closed on her other hand.

"How long…?" her voice cracked, staring at Charlotte in disbelief, and something furious? Hurt?

Charlotte raised her hand as she took a slow, cautious forward to Aurora.

"Aurora, please… I-I can explain—"

"Explain, what?!" Aurora snapped, her voice cracked, her regal composure she wore like a second armor finally slipping. 

Her mismatched eyes glistening, she stepped back away.

"How long Charlotte."

Charlotte flinched, her brown-golden eyes glistening as well, staring at the mismatched ones.

"What? Months? The dream that we met each other?" Aurora whispered, ears flattened as step back away.

"—Or trying to hide this thing from me!?" she pointed her trembling finger at Charlotte's chest plate armor, her voice rising, pupils slitted between the mismatched Iris.

"Aurora, I—"

"Don't you dare Aurora me. Explain. Now."

Charlotte winced, her throat worked, except no sound released from several seconds. She took a long breath. Finally answered her despite the fear of judgement swirled through her mind.

"…S-Since, you were abducted."

"!" Aurora let out a sharp gasp, her mismatched eyes widened as realization hit her.

"W-w-what? A-Abducted?" she mumbled under her breath, her gaze remained focused on the paladin in front of her, er—them.

"W-w-what do you mean?"

"I mean, that the trio abducted you, they bound you helplessly against the magical chains."

W-w-what… I-I remembered. The mysterious paladin saved me from those culprits. Aurora thought to herself, her eyes wide in sudden flashback.

Sarah's jaw dropped, her book slipped from her hands.

She—what? she whispered to Quincy, her gaze darting between Aurora and Charlotte on her Lancelot II' armor.

"The incident…I-I remembered."

Charlotte shifts her gaze from Aurora's toward Sarah, offering her a silent, confirming nod.

Moments pass, the world around them becomes silent once more. Aurora's breath caught somewhere on her chest, as the anger of her voice suddenly faltered into something quieter, and more fractured.

"That was you…" she whispered, voice growing smaller. But, it wasn't a question anymore.

"The whole time you carried me out of here and I never realizing—I-I was—I didn't even—"

"You weren't supposed to know, Aurora." Charlotte answered her softly.

"Supposed to know…?" Aurora repeated, and the fan trembled from her grip. Her ears remained flat on her side.

"Charlotte, I asked everyone who saved me. And you asked me, but you didn't respond."

Charlotte's jaw tightened, guilt and something harder warring across her exhausted face, she looked at the ground instead looking at the mismatched ones.

"…I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry? S-Sorry for—what?" Aurora asked softly, her anger vanished for a moment.

"Because if you knew, you'd have to look at me differently." Charlotte admitted, rubbing her neck in slow motion.

"I-I…"

Aurora's gaze remains focused, as the breeze blows their hair behind them. Waiting for her to proceed.

"Because, you'd wanted a powerful paladin, you wanted to stand beside Lancelot II, in every fight, and aftermath—and I couldn't let that happen." Charlotte swallowed, gaze fixed at the abandoned helmet on her feet. 

Finally looked up, as her brown-golden eyes shining at the mismatched ones.

"Not after what those chains almost did to you."

Aurora's heartbeat skipped into the beat, her mismatched eyes widened in disbelief.

"I-I…" she stammered, struggling to find a word to say. Her other hand found in the center of the ribbon, fingers curling on the surface.

"So… instead you decided for me."

Charlotte didn't speak, she did nothing to say that sound wouldn't be an excuse.

"You let me believe, because you were just… ordinary. Common gear, a common name—and nothing worth protecting harder than the rest?" Aurora's voice cracked, more quieter—almost closer to grief rather than rage.

"Do you have any idea how much I worry about you? That feeling like I'm watching you holding back every—single time, you thinking you were less than what actually who you are?"

Charlotte swallowed nervously, her fist becoming white as she clenched harder against her side, didn't argue that she might've betrayed her.

Aurora pressed her hand to her own chest, hoping her breathing to steady, but her eyes didn't dry. 

Squeeze her eyelashes shut, then open, staring at the brown-golden.

"I wasn't angry because you have a secret, Charlotte." she said, voice dropped something…raw? That made Charlotte's heart ache for a brief moment.

"I was angry, because… you believe you had to carry all of it alone."

The wind stirred once, for a moment, neither of them spoke. 

Except for the sound of their breathing, Quincy quietly guides Sarah, her stunned partner back a step.

We have to give them privacy. Let them be. Quincy murmured. Sarah nodded silently, responded back. Giving two of them a massive space in respect, as the silence itself seemed to demand.

Yeah, let's go. I'm going home anyway, my mother might believe I was vanished.

꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱

The atmosphere became silent once more, except the sound of buzzing cicadas surrounded the massive oak haven tree above them.

Fireflies roam freely around them, its light flickered on the moonlit bath.

Aurora leaned her back on the rough bark, staring above as she studied the stars scattered overhead, despite the leaves blocking her sight, casting a shadow dancing across her face.

Behind her, Charlotte staring at her helmet, resting on her armored knees, her own reflection staring back.

She sighed in exhaustion, but Aurora erupted the silence, glanced a bit over her shoulder and said.

"You know… you are not alone." she said, her regal posture didn't present at this peaceful moment between them.

"Yeah… I guess so." Charlotte responded, her gaze remaining on her helmet, staring at the narrowed slits. She pressed her armored back on the rough bark where Aurora sat on the pile of grass.

"You know."

"Hm?" Aurora looked at her, mismatched eyes shining from the ambient light.

"Charlotte, what's wrong?”

"When I was small…”

꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱

Charlotte was born having low quality from her parents. She wears old clothes just enough to fit her small form, though she was studying at midnight, no older than eight years, carrying the burden through physically—and mentally, after her mother passed away from illness. While their father didn't return anywhere after the argument over the small piece of bread.

Leaving her four siblings behind with her, seeking warmth from their parents. 

I was just a helpless child, living beneath the bridge from above. 

If Charlotte left them to work, her sibling might've suffered from starvation and hydration, seeking warmth and shelter. 

Instead of giving up, she spent hours, days raising her siblings alone, spending hours studying by using vintage scrolls and books.

Baking a simple bread using her mother's left belongings for her own business and survival despite the villagers offering sack of coins, then handed to the others, however, she and her siblings didn't. 

Forcing her to raise her siblings by herself despite the harsh situation she may face.

Her goal: to make her dreams come true, helping her siblings to enroll in the academy she'd dream until present.

Immature, scared, yet I refuse to give up no matter how hard I try.

꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱

Charlotte sighed, placed the helmet on her lap, staring at the narrowed slits, her determination flared to life, her brow furrowed.

"I won't give up. No matter if I was powerless, I can use my sword to defend someone I care about." she said softly, finally glancing over her shoulder.

"Especially you. Princess…" 

Aurora's gaze softened, a faint smirk curled on her lips, rising from her seat as she dust some dirt from her skirt before she loomed above the paladin in front of her.

With a soft regal sigh, she extended her hand, a single gesture without meaning, yet Charlotte could understand.

"Alright, Dummy. Take my hand and it's already midnight. I don't want to feel those buzzing hummers."

Charlotte stared at her for a moment, then, slowly, carefully accepted her offer. 

Her gauntleted hand pressed against Aurora's, feeling her warmth against the layers of the fabric, watching her dragged her out from her comfort zone and left.

It's not just about how Aurora has powerful ability, yet her paladin standing beside her, that's what a deep bond they made for.

They're not alone to defend, the rest of the realm supports them.