Joy Unconfined

SOLVEIG

“WhatamIevensupposedto—” Cain sputtered. "Wooooo 'kay."

“Do you not like it?” Solveig said. She smoothed a hand down the rich silk fabric, but really it was to mask her fingers trembling.

"Well no—I do, it's just..."

"You can tell me the truth, y'know. I won't take it personally."

Solveig lied through her teeth just as easily as breathing.

Cain cleared his throat. “I mean, like, judging by how it looks… I thought something this gaudy would be a total slam dunk for you. I mean, in the small time I’ve known you…”

She frowned. "I'm not asking you whether I like it."

"My opinion really doesn't matter here."

“Then I don’t know!”

“Don’t know… what, exactly?”

“I’ve never worn something so… pretty,” she whispered. “And I know I rock it! I totally do! But I guess… well... it just feels wrong on me? Like I’m pretending to be someone else when I’m really just…” She trailed off.

Cain stared at her.

Everything else, including that damn boy shouting about his wares selling words or whatever, faded into the background.

“Look, if the goal was to stand out like a total sore thumb—which, looking at the way you carry yourself—then mission accomplished. But it suits you, Solveig. And anyone who doesn’t agree is lying out of their ass.”

R-Really...?

Solveig felt tears well, and she knew she had to stop herself because she was heroes and heroes didn’t cr—

“A POOR GIRL, THE BEST OF US—KICKED OUT TO MAKE WAY FOR A NOBLE’S MUSE?! UNJUST OR SHORTSIGHTED? READ ALL ABOUT MIRIAM’S TRAGIC EVICTION FROM HRAFEN ACADEMY IN TODAY’S COPY OF THE TIMES—”

Solveig screamed.

“WE ARE HAVING A DAMN MOMENT HERE!!!”

“Wait! You’re not supposed to use your—” Cain’s outreached hand would do nothing to stop what the annoying paper boy had coming to him.

She had simply launched herself off the cobblestone in a vibrant flash and…

SMACK!!! A karate chop straight to the back of the dome!!

Cain winced. “...powers…”

The paperboy didn't even have time to yell. He simply stiffened, his eyes rolling back into his head as he instantly lost consciousness.

He went face-first into his own pile of tabloids with a dull thud.

Solveig landed gracefully back on her feet, smoothing down her new skirt and tossing her hair back.

“Now, as you were saying?” she smirked with that snaggletooth of hers, stepping closer and batting her eyelashes at him. “I look mighty fine in this, don’t I?”

Cain stared blankly at the unconscious teenager. “I’m starting to have severe second thoughts.”

Steam came out of Solveig's ears. “Why, you…!”

Cain turned on his heel and began to walk away, utterly exhausted.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? Get back here, damn it!” Solveig shrieked, stomping her foot as she scurried to keep up with his long strides. “You had to punish him for dissent anyway! I did your royal duties for you!”

“I’m not doing that,” Cain muttered. “A healthy civilization is one where its leaders are openly criticized.”

“Oh, by the gods, you are so boring! And anyway, we need to talk about your anger issues just now!”

“Me? Anger issues? My outbursts are just flare-ups compared to what you dish out! You are the worst hypocrite I’ve ever come across, and I’ve seen many.”

The two would yap and argue and holler all the way to the academy.

\\

CAIN

“OOF!”

“Ow—Cain, can’t you see we’re in a hurry?! Have some civic sense and move outta the way!”

“Sorry, Marcellius.”

Cain rubbed his bruised shoulder as he watched the boy and the rest of his friends walk through the school gates.

“Good job for not losing it just then, Cain!” Solveig happily chirped behind him.

“Thank you, I try.”

“Don’t worry, we will get to the bottom of it after the Ceremony!”

Yes!

As it turned out, they did talk about a lot coming back. His anger management, primarily. Specifically, during the Opening Ceremony, where somebody would probably most definitely take a swipe at him.

He thought back to what they agreed about before. “And I detect that you’re close to losing it, I will swoop and intervene, m’kay?”

He shivered at the prospect.

Soon, Cain shifted his focus once more to the people moving past them.

In actuality, many other students were funnelling through too—which spoke to just how late they really were!

Damn it, damn it!

He and Solveig had completely gotten carried away. Their ‘quick errand’ devolved into however many detours they took touring the grand streets of Illustria City…

Purple and gold hues of an encroaching twilight were already bleeding into the sky. It must have been late afternoon by now, and the countdown to the Opening Ceremony was officially ticking.

Every logical bone in Cain's body told him to sprint straight to his own quarters and get changed. But as he glanced down at the girl quietly clutching her newly bought crimson dress, something inside him felt that it was wrong to just leave her hanging.

She was an absolute stranger to this kind of place (like, she referred to royals as tribe leaders for gods’ sake) and entirely alone.

So, he elected to push through the time crunch and finish the tour anyway.

“And here is Hrafen Academy…”

Cain stopped walking, finding Solveig staring up at a statue that overlooked every student that walked through the academy gates.

“Solveig?”

The brass plaque at the base read: FOUNDER OF HRAFEN ACADEMY FOR THE CURIOUS AND ENLIGHTENED.

“Hrafen…” she whispered. “I thought it’d be a different Hrafen, you know.”

He looked at her incredulously.

“Somehow, I find you knowing Hrafen personally even more unbelievable than being a goddess.”

“Well, my Hrafen also wore glasses,” she shot back. “He was also the greatest mage to ever live, and he wore a long, flowing coat at all times. Which this statue accurately captures, clearly.”

Cain scoffed. “Oh yeah? Well, if you're so close, tell me something about him only you would know.”

“He only wore this kind of coat because he got cold easily.”

…

“You mean to say an Illustrian tradition of wearing sacred robes was because of some bloke disagreeing with the cold… Solveig?”

He turned his head and froze. He hadn’t even realized Solveig was crying.

The tears spilled past her heavy cover-up makeup. “He... he was the only family I had really. He was also the only friend I had. I went and cried to him about things I was afraid to say out loud. Because who wanted to follow a warlord who was crying because someone called her too short and too fat?" She chuckled. "Cain... I grew up too fast. Way too fast. And now... I'm here. But..."

Solveig looked up at the man's unmoving gaze.

"It's funny. He seemed so massive and tall when he was alive. But looking at this now... he seems so... small...”

“...You need a moment?”

“Nyo.”

It was awkward because Solveig quite clearly needed a moment.

Cain glanced nervously up at the sky.

The bells for the Opening Ceremony were going to ring in around three hours.

He breathed out a weary sigh. If this girl was just going to stubbornly push forward and refuse to process her grief, it would inevitably dig her into a deeper emotional hole.

And as he had already learned the hard way, an emotionally unstable Solveig was a literal ticking time bomb. The most optimal strategy right now was to divert that energy somewhere else—immediately.

“Wanna see your own statue?”

Solveig stopped immediately. It was like he could see the individual cogs in her brain.

“W-Why didn’t you say anything e-earlier?!” she cried. “Let’s go!”

Cain chuckled.

This was going to be an easy win for sure.

\\

“That face is not even mine!!! She looks so ugly! NYO!!!”

“C-Calm down!”

“But this is so unfair! Why does Uncle get an accurate statue but I don’t?!”

“Hrafen’s your WHA—?!”

GLOW…

“A–Ah… actually, you know what? You make a totally fair point! In fact, I will personally commission brand-new statues to be more in your majestic likeness as soon as I’m humanly able! Word of honor!”

…

DIM…

“You better…”

“...Let’s just head inside and get ready for the Ceremony, okay?”