Disclaimer: La Pucelle © Mastiff, Nippon-Ichi.

Summary: Revolution against the Church and the Goddess throws the world into chaos once more. Gone is the time of peace, now is the time for change and turmoil, and a poignant reunion of two hearts.

Spoilers: The whole game. I am writing a sequel.

Warning: References to religion and possibly Christianity, so if you're really icked by the theme, since La Pucelle is a game relating to religion, what are you doing here? Fic-wise, it's "blink and you'll miss it." =)

Rating: PG-13, of course. You'll know when it's the time to wonder about the rating, indeed, you'll know.

Notes: La Pucelle's French names are either suitable, hilarious or just crack. Hell, I love Culotte's name. It means panties. So, following the usual La Pucelle tradition, I'm using weird names for LP characters, yeah. Fun. Panties. Nippon-Ichi is the best.

A Winter's Caress

La Pucelle

Chapter One

Father Salade fell sick two days later, from exhaustion and grief, an unhealthy combination. He was, by far, anyone but a weak figure so it had come as a shock to many. He was the symbol of hope everyone looked up to, and the strain that his beloved church had imposed caused his health to decline. To prevent more widespread panic, the news was hushed up so nobody knew about Father Salade's condition save for the Sisters closest to him, and Prier and Culotte. He spent all his time at home, his wife trying with all her strength to nurse him back to health. At her request, sisters and white mages came and went each day but all shared the same sentiment that the director of the orphanage had never heard otherwise: Father Salade had a sickness that could only be healed from within. This was not surprising as Father Salade had dedicated fifty-one years to run the church and it had been demolished just two moons before.

At that time, it was early winter. The next few weeks, Pot au Feu's citizens dedicated their time to the crumbles. The sight of the fallen church had given them new approaches on life - gone were the smiles and warmth, the orphans playing in the streets and casual conversations. They were guarded now, and all they talked about was the shrouded mystery. Some broke down and wept on the broken pillars, some had thought they had sinned terribly to deserve this tragedy. The more conservative ones were the members of La Pucelle, the church's demon hunting squad. Controlling the town and holding back the chaos naturally fell to the seniors, who were acknowledged as the most rational of the citizens. There were exceptions, however, and in that group working for control, were Prier and Culotte. Though they joined only two years ago, both had enough experience to qualify them as the only juniors in the squad who were allowed to work with the seniors. Prier, although known for her brazen nature and foul-mouthed quirks, had a reputation for getting things her way. This was easily coaxed to their advantage, and Prier was giving – yelling – pep talks to the trembling citizens. Whether they were more frightened by the sight of the church or Prier's outrageous volume remained unknown. Culotte was a different matter. Though his gentle nature belied him, he had a way of gently leading situations into his own hands, and where his sister shouted, he advised. He was an exceptional talker, using his own sense of logic that was somehow persuasive. He had also undergone a growth change in just a year and now, he was almost head-to-head with his sister. The sisters did not know what produced the change in him, mentally and physically, as he was merely a naïve young boy last year, and until this day, they still did not know, but they were grateful that he could be useful at times like these.

"Change?" Culotte had replied with that small – strange – grin. "I am just Culotte, sisters."

These two also were inquired to join the system of justice, to which the Sisters had named The Holy Vengeance. For countless nights, they conducted meetings in the room where Father Salade rested. At first, his wife was completely against it, but after it was learnt that the sisters felt they owed it to Father Salade on what was happening, even if he was in a coma, she had grudgingly given in. The ethics of The Holy Vengeance only ran on one simple but unmistakable path, which was to hunt down the sinners who had committed the atrocious crime. The beginning, however, was not easy, as the group was met with much hesitation and phobia. What if the Goddess really meant to punish them for whatever sins they caused? What if they were all killed by these sinners? Where would they even start? How were they going to track them down? Who would defend the town with Father Salade comatose? What transport would they take? The questions piled up one after the other. The most absurd questions of all came from the more timid Sisters, the juniors: Why were they resorting to violence? Was that not contradicting the Goddess Poitreene's holy book of teachings?

"Idiots," Prier jumped up and yelled, causing the sisters to move back in fright. Culotte, however, remained where he sat, next to Father Salade's bed. "Who said anything about violence? We find those jerks, and even though they deserved to be kicked where it really hurt, we will not harm even a single hair on their scalps, because only Poitreene herself has the right to decide the lengths of their punishment. And if she doesn't do it, well... I will."

"You are contradicting yourself, Sister Prier! What do you mean by that?" asked one of them.

"It's really quite simple," Prier said firmly. "If Poitreene let them waltz off into the sunset just like that, you can be sure as hell that I won't be standing at the sidelines like a retard without paying them back in kind. Since that is the likeliest situation, then screw the teachings, I-"

"What Prier means," Culotte jumped in before the sisters were offended. "Is that the offenses the criminals have committed are completely despicable that if the kind Goddess Poitreene lets them go without delivering what we feel is most appropriate, then Prier is not going to forgive and forget, like what the teachings said, she is going to, um, kick them where it really hurts."

Some gasped. "Like what the teachings said-! Sister Prier, you call yourself a member of the Church of the Holy Maiden?"

"Back off, sister, Poitreene and I have had a word or two, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind a punch or two... or a hundred."

There were even more gasps. "She conversed with the Goddess Poitreene-!"

"Thus, explains why she kept calling our Goddess Poitreene... Poitreene," one of the seniors explained, though she sounded wary. Only a few selected members of the church, whom Father Salade placed his trust in, knew the true details behind the affair between the Church of the Holy Maiden and the Divine Mother.

The sisters were pacified, but they did not look very convinced. Nevertheless, they accepted the system without protest.

Throughout the next three weeks, not a single stone was left unturned. Cresson Castle, Montblanc Castle, Pot au Feu city itself, employed and freelance demon hunters were asked to investigate into the matter of Goddess Poitreene's traitors. There was no hesitation in accepting the job, but some had accepted for the hefty reward. The further the cities, the more suspicious the people were. But as it turned out, the entire continent cried its outrage over the devastation of the church and provided their assistance to the sisters. By now, it was becoming apparent that they were faced with no trace of information. What they had were merely suspicions of a rebellion lurking in the shadows, but that was far from enough. Prier and Culotte managed to contact Prince Homard of the Marl Kingdom and informed him of the recent happenings. This was when they realized exploring in their own nations was not enough.

With Princess Éclair, it was a different issue. Once Cresson Castle got wind of what happened, the sisters had an even harder time convincing her not to get involved, for her own safety. Éclair, although heir to the throne and the Queen's only child, had her own experiences and stories to tell. She told them what she went through one year ago. She had seen what the outside world had to offer and had fought and conquered her fears, she said. When it became apparent they weren't going to accept her, even threatening to tell the Queen, Éclair took a different approach by pointing out facts, like the sisters had never seen the outside world before. But she did not expect Prier and Culotte to take up on that suggestion. To add more, they reminded Éclair that Prince Homard would not like it if she disappeared without a warning.

"Better safe than sorry, Éclair," Prier said with a wink.

In spite of that, Éclair made Prier and Culotte promise to contact her for news, and most of all, to venture on their journey safely.

"Éclair, you don't have to worry," Prier said, her tone assuring and sweet. "With me aboard, nothing could go wrong."

"And that's when everything goes wrong," Culotte said in a dry voice. That remark earned him a whack on the head, but he did not look the least bit daunted.

Almost half of the Church's members were against the decision. It was not the idea of the journey itself which they were so openly against, but the idea of Prier and her little brother bearing on their shoulders such an important a task. The juniors were more lenient with Culotte, but them having stayed with Prier long enough to predict her tantrums and daily reactions, they weren't quite so confident. The seniors sided with her, however, and explained to them the relations between the Church of the Holy Maiden and Divine Mother, taking good care to leave just barely enough for them to understand.

"If she could survive a brush with death like that, we are sure she'll be able to fare well," one of the sisters explained.

"It's not that we're worried about Prier, but how much she's going to botch up the job," another returned, but there was less fire than before.

Once the younger sisters were informed of this, the opposition still remained, but the number had ceased. In the end, everyone came to a decision: two senior sisters were to follow Prier and Culotte. They were more trusting with the two siblings – or just with Culotte - than the juniors, so once they were told that the world was unlike the sanctuary which is the church, they absorbed everything Culotte told them. They weren't so sure how to regard Prier, but a nod from Princess Éclair, as if supporting Prier, changed their minds.

"Really, sisters, there is more to it than what Big Sister shows you," she told them. "Have a little faith in her – Sister Prier knows what she is doing."

The church committee was unfailing in their job to stock up the food rations the next two weeks. Each of the sisters also were handed a staggering amount of prica. They were told that the money was partially from church donations, and there was no other suitable time to use it. Prier and Culotte also visited Father Salade for the last time, and each of them promised they would take care of matters before further problems were caused. At that time, Father Salade had already awakened, although still enervated, and once he heard what the church had sent them to do, he had joined the Holy Vengeance without question. The control of the organization was placed into his hands in a matter of days. For now, Father Salade will tend to the massive wreckage of the church while he gave them his blessings.

"Have a safe journey, both of you. In the name of the Maiden of Light, may the Goddess Poitreene watch over you."

"In the name of the Maiden of Light," they echoed. Culotte was trembling slightly when he uttered the holy title aloud.

As it turned out, they set out on their journey much later than they had expected. At Princess Éclair's command, a ship in the Mayonnaise Harbor had already been deployed for them, but on that day, with the worst possible timing, a swarm of zombies had mysteriously arrived on the shores of the beach just miles away from town. When Prier got wind of the news and ran off, Culotte followed behind her. For days, the sisters helped Prier in exorcising the vengeful and lost spirits. The number of the zombies was extraordinary, but they did appear on shore, so it was fairly common since countless seamen marked their graves in the vast ocean. At Prier's command, they exorcised and prayed for them, and when their strengths were at its limits, it was Prier and Culotte who performed their prayers, looking far from yielding.

"This place is very important for Prier," Culotte answered, when he was asked why.

"Important?" asked one of them.

"Yes. It marked an end... but it also marked a beginning." Culotte was smiling as he said this, but he said nothing more after that.

There was a grave that rested on the grass beds not far from the shores, but the sisters were too distracted with convincing Prier to embark on their journey. Morning came, and then evening. On the night of the full moon, the amount of purifications were so numerous that the air was positively radiating with spiritual energy, and not a single demon could step within the area without getting burnt by the holy force. Another day passed, and finally, there were no more zombies on the seashores. Once Prier and Culotte offered their prayers to the white tombstone, only then did they finally get back on track, Prier with her usual silly smile. Those who were miffed with the delay filed a complaint to Cresson Castle, but when the complaint was brought in, they waved it away.

"What are you doing here, then, sisters? Aren't you wasting even more time by coming here instead of sailing out?" Princess Éclair said with a smile. When they heard that, they gave up trying to reinforce the issue further and watched the ship sail off, wishing them the best of luck.

But luck, as it turned out, had fled the moment they set out to sea. Storms, demons and killer whales, being the only visible sight in the sea, the ship was attacked. Long-time experience had the siblings successfully fending off the threats. The sisters, however, weren't so lucky, and one of them passed out due to shock. Half the crewmen jumped ship while the others were involuntarily flung to sea or ran to the cabins. The captain of the ship was nowhere to be found.

"Captain!" one of them cried. The captain was somewhere aboard the ship or either hurled into sea. Nobody knew.

As this was similar to the adventures Prier and Culotte had been just a year before, they might've ordinarily solved everything. But their attentions were also partially focused on the other people, who had worsened the situation by laying out cold in the top deck so it was understandable that their ship was off course for a good matter of days. Prier had sent them to the cabins after that, threatening to beat them all up if they even set one foot out the door. Then, there was another storm, one much harsher than the other. This time, unfortunately, the ship now lacked a sea captain, so Prier was appointed to take the wheel, as she had told them she had experience with Prince Homard's airship. If the constant motion of the ship was queasy before, it was now catastrophic. Despite having been familiar with the sea, half the crewmen grew nauseous and the sisters were out cold. Amazingly enough, Culotte was unaffected and helped the group as much as possible.

"At ease, Sister," Culotte cried. "Here." When he held out a glass filled with water, one of the Sisters knocked it away and she fell to the floor, covering her mouth. Culotte quickly ran for a mop. The cabin now reeked of stench.

"Kid, get me a bucket!"

"Right!" There was more gurgling when Culotte handed one of the sailors a bucket.

"Someone, for the love of the Goddess Poitreene, kick that little lass AWAY from the wheel!"

"No can do, mate, you heard what she said. She'll have our hides if we do that."

The more experienced sailors stood with Prier. To prevent her from throwing up herself right on the spot, the crewmen told amusing stories of their own adventures. Once they ran out of stories to tell, everything was false or made-up after that, until even they became queasy. It was unclear if she actually did listen to them, but nevertheless, the storm continued to rage on until the first glimmers of dawn broke in the sky that the crisis was finally subdued. Prier, out cold and slumped over the wheel, was immediately carried over to the cabin where she was put to bed and the sisters tended to her. Culotte was still cleaning the cabin with the mop, but once he heard Prier was suffering with a slight fever, he did everything he could help to bring it down. The sailors took great care in managing the ship after the ordeal. How they even managed to survive through the storm was a story that only they could tell based on their imaginations.

Another three moons rose and set before one of the sailors explained to Prier the ways of a compass and resumed their destined sea route with Prier taking the wheel. There were some arguments and exchanges here and there, the most commonly used excuse being Prier's fever, but once it was known she had fully healed, in an amazingly short length of time, they discovered that they could not compete with Prier's tongue. Whether they were afraid of approaching Prier or just traumatized by the incident, not a soul knew. This time, whenever instructions were barked out, they did not argue back as they did when the ship had first sailed. Food rations were depleted little by little due to the time they had wasted, but not a soul gave much thought to it. The remaining sailors sang their own tunes, the two sisters and Culotte remained in the cabin lest more troubles surfaced. But every one of them were looking forward to the Eastern shores, each of them for different reasons. The journey may've started out a little erratic but finally, it looked like they were on track.