Welp, it's finally here.

Writer's block, exhaustion, distractions, getting sick… family members passing away...I could list all kinds of reasons why this didn't show up sooner, but I know listening to my issues isn't why you're here so I won't. Suffice to say, the last couple months haven't been exactly good to me.

I've only managed to get a few paragraphs in here and there every so often, so if the quality goes a bit up and down at times that'd be why.

Oh well, it's here now and it hasn't even been a year. Great win?

Thaqif: I'm afraid I'm not really that familiar with most of those except for Fairy Tail and Gate, the first of which I'm not even sure how that would even work and I'm already drawing rather heavily on Gate as it is.

A-Non-Knee-Moose: Prophet of NOD or not, one person doesn't quite count as an invasion force, I'm afraid.

Guest: Tanks and gunships will show up in due time.

Redeemer: They are accessible, yes. But it'll be a while longer before they appear, as I don't really feel that they're necessary right now.

Chapter 11

The White Country

To say that Louise was rather unhappy was a bit of an understatement.

The first couple hours following their departure had been the worst of all. The sudden loss of Legion's steady presence in her mind had sent her into a state bordering on hysteria and Wardes had eventually been forced to drag her away from the captain when she wouldn't stop demanding that for the ship to turn back around.

Ignoring the way she kept beating her fists against his back, he carried her back to their cabin where their things were stored. Soon after, her fury transformed into deep sorrow and he held her as she wailed like a baby, repeatedly calling out for Legion to answer her between her sobs.

It wasn't long before she cried herself to sleep and by the time she woke back up, it was already high noon.

"Wardes?" she called out in a sleepy voice.

When no response came, she blinked her eyes open and slowly sat up on the narrow cot she had been sleeping on. Wardes' coat falling forward and into her lap as she did.

Louise couldn't help but smile at the thoughtful gesture of her fiancé, but the smile soon faded as the memories of what had happened last night hit her. The fight at the hotel, the rush to get to the docks.

Legion falling as he tried to reach her.

The silence in her head felt almost deafening in its intensity and she found herself gripping her skull with both hands as she tried to cope with it. To her it felt almost like a great, gaping wound had been torn in her soul, a great void now occupying the spot in her mind that she had come to associate with his presence.

It was downright maddening.

Desperate to find something else to distract herself with, she allowed her eyes to roam around the room she was in and eventually settled on the massive backpack Legion had thrown to her as his final effort. She hadn't put much attention to it at the time, but she vaguely remembered it being so heavy that it required two, burly sailors to even move the damn thing.

Suddenly feeling very curious as to what her familiar had felt so necessary for her to have, she tossed the coat off to the side and slid off the bed. It took a bit of fiddling, but she eventually managed to figure out how to work the straps of the otherworldly backpack in order to get it open.

"Jeez..." she muttered in slight disbelief, eyebrows raising as she beheld the contents. "He really went all out." There were at least two boxes containing medical equipment, about a dozen full sets of clothing, wilderness survival gear, rope and some kind of jagged, brutal-looking implement that looked like a cross between a meat hook and an axe. A thermal blanket, a barber's kit of combs and scissors, spare power packs for her laser pistol, an axe...

Not for the first time, she let out a sigh of exasperation at Legion's obsession with being prepared for every possible scenario. Still, she reasoned as a smile found itself on her face, this was also one of the qualities that made him so endearing to her.

After all, how many could claim that they had someone in their life so dedicated to keeping you happy and safe as she did?

No, even if it meant going through a quarter ton of stuff in order to sort out what she truly needed, she would be thankful for him.

An hour later, she had managed to get most of it sorted into a couple of (reasonably) neat piles when she was interrupted by a couple of light knocks on the door, followed by a muffled voice.

"Louise? It's Wardes, are you awake?"

"Ah, yes I am!" she responded.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course! But, um..." she winced slightly as she took a look at the state of the room "please be careful when you open the door, it's a bit of a mess in here." she warned him.

Wardes' eyebrows rose as he saw her sitting there on the floor, a half-empty backpack at her side and surrounded by a sea of various pieces of equipment, food and other necessities. "What's all this, then?" he asked curiously.

"W-well..." she muttered in embarrassment, not wanting to look him in the eye she instead looked down at the thing in her hands "I needed something to take my mind off of things, so I thought I'd go through and take inventory of what was in that backpack Legion was carrying around." she gestured at the stuff around her "As you can see, it's quite a lot."

"Yes I can see that." he chuckled before something lying near her caught his eye. "Hm? Is that the armor of yours I've been hearing about?"

She blinked once before turning to look at the pile of fabric and ceramic sitting in a pile on the floor where she had left it while going through the backpack. "This? Yes it is."

"May I?"

"Sure."

Louise sat silently as Wardes carefully examined the material of the suit, fingers brushing over the seamless inner layer and probing the rigid plates that attached to it.

"What is this made out of?" he eventually asked her.

"I have no idea." she shrugged.

"Your familiar didn't tell you?"

"Well, yes. Sort of." she sighed "One thing you've got to know about Legion is that he's got a very extensive vocabulary, and he's not afraid to use it. His explanations tend to be very thorough and while I'm sure they're very correct, I rarely understand much of it." she tapped her lower lip with her index finger, a small frown making its way over them. "Now that I think about it, it reminds me a lot of the way Eléonore talks when she's trying to explain one of her projects. Only a lot less insulting."

"Hmm." he mused thoughtfully "He didn't seem that talkative to me, but I suppose that might be I haven't been around him much."

"Maybe." she responded "Anyway, the only thing really remember him saying about it was that it was something called a 'composite ceramic'. Whatever that means." she shrugged.

"A composite… ceramic?" he asked, briefly raising an eyebrow before looking back down at the suit. "I see." he muttered "That would explain why it's so hard."

"Huh?"

He just shook his head "Nevermind, Louise." he said with a faint smile "Knowing Karin, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised to see you with a suit of armor in your possession."

Louise looked away, a small frown on her lips. "My familiar wanted to make sure I was well-protected, so he made sure I was wearing armor." she insisted. "Who my mother is has nothing to do with it."

"Are you certain?" he asked "From what I've been hearing, you've been charging headlong into a lot of battles recently. Directing troops and spearheading assaults, just like-"

Louise held up a hand. "Could we stop comparing me to my mother, please?"

He paused for a few seconds, looking at her with a rather surprised expression before giving her an apologetic smile. "Yes you're right, of course." he said. "I got a little carried away, I apologize. In truth, I came to give you this"

Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a small jewelry case that opened to reveal a small, round silver pendant set with concentric rings of red stones attached to a slim chain, also made from silver. Darker in color along the edges, each layer towards the middle brighter than the last creating the illusion that the gem at its centre, bright pink in color, appeared to be glowing from within.

"Do you like it?" he asked, a satisfied smile on his lips upon seeing her wide-eyed expression

"It's beautiful." she breathed. "Where'd you get it?"

"I came across it in a small town close to the border of Rub'al Khali and immediately thought of giving it to you." he said, still smiling.

"O-oh." she swallowed, still transfixed by the way the many stones sparkled in the light.

"Would you like me to help you put it on?"

"R-right now?" she asked in a surprised squeak. Seeing his nod, she quickly gave her affirmative. "Yes, o-of course!"

As Wardes clasped the chain around her slender neck, the first thing that came to Louise's mind for some reason was that the pendant felt strangely cold against her skin despite the fact that it had been sitting in the man's pocket, but she quickly dismissed the thought. New jewelry always felt cold the first time so it was nothing strange.

Touching the pendant with one hand, she smiled to herself. "You don't suppose there's a mirror here somewhere?" she asked hopefully.

"Afraid not." he said apologetically "This is a commercial cargo ship after all."

"Aw." she pouted, making him laugh a little.

"You look lovely, Louise." he assured her.

"Thank you." she said, blushing. Looking at him she asked "Not that I mind or anything, Viscount, but why give this to me now?"

"Is it so strange to get a gift from your fiancé?" he smiled.

"No, not at all! It's just..." she trailed off.

"We're not married yet?"

Louise nodded mutely.

"Well in that case..." he said and to her surprise suddenly caught both of her hands in his own and getting down to one knee in front of her he asked "Louise, would you marry me?"

"Huh?" came her eloquent response.

"There's a beautiful church in Newcastle and I'm sure we could ask someone to perform the ceremony." he said with a smile. "So how about it, my Louise?"

Gaping like a fish, it took her a few moments before she could even muster a response "I… I don't know what to say, Viscount. It's too sudden!"

"I understand." he said, patting her hands in a comforting manner "You don't need to give me an answer now, Louise. It can wait until we reach Newcastle."

She let out a sigh of relief "Thank you, Wa- Jean-Jaques."

"Don't mention it." he replied, still smiling.

Once Wardes left, Louise just sat there for a few minutes before going back to redistribute the contents of Legion's backpack. With her brain so occupied with his proposal, it took her even longer to finish but she eventually managed to get everything in place.

Starting to feel rather restless now that there was nothing to occupy herself with and mindful of the fact that she hadn't gone on a run since leaving the Academy (the short jog to the harbor last night did not count!) now was a good time as any.

She hummed to herself as she started poking through the collection of clothing she had brought along for the trip. This wasn't her first time aboard an airship, nor was it the first time she went to Albion in one. She knew for a fact that it always tended to be rather chilly up on deck and did her best to dress accordingly.

Granted, the exercise itself would warm her up a fair bit, but that just meant she needed more layers than usual.

Thus when she stepped out of the cabin, she did so wearing a pair of leggings instead of shorts and a thin jacket on top of the tank-top she normally wore.

Having already performed the warm-up stretches within the vicinity of her cabin, it took only a quick jog to get up on deck where she then began to run in earnest. Ignoring the looks she got from the many sailors manning the ship, she began doing laps along the outer edge of the deck.

This particular merchant vessel was approximately 30 meters in length, bow to stern, and just shy of 7 meters wide at its widest point. Considerably less than the circumference of the Academy wall which she had been practicing her running around until this point, but she didn't let that deter her. Though she had never actually bothered to find out the exact dimensions of the path she had been running four days a week, she figured that at least 20 laps around the deck would probably do it.

But for some reason, by the time she had gotten halfway she was already breathing hard and at fifteen laps she found that she had already reached her limit and could go no further.

Which was how when Wardes found her, she was sitting sprawled out on the deck with her back leaning against the railing in a decidedly unladylike fashion, panting like she'd just ran a marathon.

"Louise?" he said upon seeing her, a note of worry in his voice as he took in her disheveled appearance as well as the outlandish clothes she was wearing. "What are you doing?"

"Endurance… training..." she eventually managed to gasp out between pants.

"I see that." he said, raising an eyebrow.

"While it's good to see you so dedicated, you probably should have waited a few days for your body to acclimatize to the altitude first." he said with a faint smile.

Seeing her confused expression, he went on to explain "The air gets thinner the higher up you get, forcing your body to work harder than it otherwise would due to having less oxygen to work with."

Louise palmed her forehead with an audible smack, making him chuckle slightly.

"It's a common mistake that I've seen happen a lot during my time in the Griffin Knights."

"Really?" she wheezed out.

"Really." he affirmed with a nod. "At least you picked a relatively safe spot to do it." he said, shaking his head "You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to save someone after they fell off their griffin during training just because they got cocky and decided to fly too high, too soon."

That earned a small giggle from her, making him smile. "So don't feel bad, my Louise. You're doing well."

"Thank you, Viscount." she smiled.

"You're welcome." he said and after a moment, he added "Want a hand getting back up?"

"Yes, please." she groaned "My legs feel like they're made from wood!"

After he helped her back to her cabin, she performed a few exercises in order to stretch her leg muscles back into working condition before taking a well-deserved bath. Drying herself off with practiced ease, she put on a fresh uniform and made it back up on deck just in time to watch Albion appear out of the dense mists that gave it its name.

"There it is." Wardes said "The White Country."

They watched silently as wide, grassy plains and forest-filled valleys began coming into view as well as the tall mountains that towered over them. Several rivers snaked down from these mountains, feeding several lakes before falling off the edge of the island to become the clouds that brought rain to Halkeginia.

At this point, Louise had had enough time to cool off and found herself starting to shiver. Noticing this, Wardes took off his own coat and placed it over her shoulders, earning him a small from the diminutive noble. She had barely started feeling warm again when their moment was abruptly cut short when they heard a yell from the lookout.

"Ship spotted approaching from starboard!"

Louise blinked in surprise, not having noticed anything herself she looked up at Wardes to see him staring at something off in the distance, his eyes narrowed.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Louise, I think it would be best if you went back to the cabin." he responded, eyes never leaving the incoming vessel.

"W-what?" she exclaimed "But I want to stay with you!"

Ignoring her protests, Wardes flagged down one of the sailors.

"Take the lady down to her cabin." he ordered the man, to Louise he said "I'm going up to talk to the Captain, I'll be with you soon I promise."

"Yes, my Lord."

"What! Hey!"

This wasn't going according to plan at all.

With Louise safely below decks, Wardes allowed himself to focus fully on the situation in front of him. Holding a spyglass to his eye, he examined the ship from a distance.

"Hull's been painted black and I can see rows of cannons sticking out of the sides." he muttered out loud.

"Definitely a ship built for war." the Captain said "Could they be Albionese nobility?"

"Perhaps."

"We'll check." walking over to the railing by the rudder, the captain shouted up at the lookout. "Signal the other ship! Ask if they're hauling cargo!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" the lookout called back and begun raising the correct flags, leaving them only to wait for the black ship to respond.

"They're not responding." Wardes noted with a frown as he lowered the spyglass.

"Captain!" they all turned to look as the first mate hurriedly made his way up the stairs from the main deck, his face pale with fear as he made his report. "That ship isn't flying any form of nationality flags!"

The captain swore. "Pirates?"

"Has to be, Captain. I've heard that they've gotten really active since the rebellion began."

"Damn it! Full speed!" he shouted, intent on outrunning the larger ship. Working diligently, the sailors unfurled the sails to their full length and a moment later they caught the wind with a low rumbling sound.

But it soon became apparent that the black ship was more than able to match their speed as it not only caught up to them, but came up so that it was sailing in parallel to it. A moment later, the other ship fired a single shot that just barely missed the front of their own before vanishing down into the mists below them.

Signal flags then unfurled from the main mast of the black ship.

"They're.. telling us to stop, Captain."

"Yes I know!" the Captain shouted before his shoulders slumped "Curse it all."

He then turned to Wardes "You'd better go see to the young miss, make sure she'll be alright." he said, a grim look on his grizzled features.

"Yes indeed." Wardes replied and handing the spyglass to the first mate he started walking at a brisk pace towards the stairs leading down to the main deck.

In her cabin, Louise paced back and forth in irritation as she waited for her fianceé to appear.

The sailor had left immediately after depositing her there and she had wasted no time changing back into her usual outfit. The sound of a cannon firing had almost made her jump out of her skin, but the silence that followed it was almost worse.

Had they really given up without as much as a fight?

The fact that they were about to be boarded by pirates were starting to sink in for her. Unconsciously, she started biting the nail of her thumb in a nervous gesture, her mind bombarded by increasingly disturbing images of what might be.

She was painfully aware of the fact that as a young noble, she was considered a prime target by the kind of people with questionable morals that had a tendency to become pirates and bandits and such. No trade route was ever completely safe and things like kidnapping and extortion was a very real threat.

Kidnapping and other… things.

Maybe a pirate lord would take her for his harem?

In her mind's eye, she imagined the stereotypical pirate standing in front of her; long, greasy black hair, an eyepatch, goatee and a wooden peg-leg.

He'd advance on her, tear her clothes off, and then…!

No!

Slapping her cheeks a few times, Louise gave her head a few forceful shakes to dispel those thoughts from her mind. Now more than ever she found herself missing Legion's comforting presence in her mind. He always seemed to have a solution for every problem, no matter how dire the situation.

What would Legion do if you were about to be boarded by pirates?

"When encountering sky-pirates, Master, the best solution is to escape to a safe location and then blow up the area from above. It's the only way to be sure."

Or something like that, at least.

"Except that doesn't help me at all!" covering her face with her palms, she let out a loud groan. " Argh! What am I doing!? Think, Vallière!"

Dragging her hands down her face, she peeked out from between her fingers and found herself looking at the spot where her armor was lying on the floor. A phrase Legion would often recite during their many training sessions coming to mind at the sight of it.

"If you are in a situation where the only thing you can do is wait, then use that time to prepare." she whispered, wheels starting to turn in her head.

Quickly disrobing, Louise felt an involuntary shiver rush through her as the cold, damp air of the cabin touched her skin. Doing her best to ignore the feeling of goosebumps rising all over her body, she wasted no time slipping it on and sealing it. The characteristic hiss of air of the suit depressurizing, the flexible material contracting until it sat flush against her skin felt oddly soothing to her in its familiarity.

Of course, the fact that she now had several layers of high-density ceramic laminates covering all the weak spots in her anatomy didn't hurt, either.

However, when a sudden breeze filtering in from the outside of the ship made her break out in uncontrollable shivers it quickly became clear to her that while the suit would protect her from sharp, pointy things, it did almost nothing to protect her from the cold. Quickly rummaging through her pack for something to wear, it didn't take her long to locate the clothes Legion had packed for her.

"Oh, much better!" Louise murmured pleasantly a few minutes later. Now clad in a nice, fluffy sweater and a pair of trousers that was a surprisingly good fit on top of her now-armored hips. She had the sneaking suspicion that they had been made exactly with that in mind, but found that she didn't really care that much at that particular moment.

She had warm clothes now and that's what really mattered.

With her temperature now returning to normal levels, she noticed quite a few things spread out on the floor around her that she had managed to dislodge from the pack during her frenetic search for something to wear.

Spotting her surcoat lying over the back of a chair, she held it in her hands for a moment before folding it up with a sigh. It had somewhat become part of her image for the last month and though it felt a little odd not wearing it, it would simply hamper her too much to try and put it on top of the other clothes.

Sliding it into one of the many side-pockets of the backpack, she then began stuffing the rest back where they belonged and in doing so spotted something dark peeking out from within it.

"Hello," she muttered. "what do we have here?"

The object in question, once she had managed to pull it out from where it had been jammed in, turned out to be a sailor's coat made out of a thick, felt-like material. The inside was cleverly lined with a smooth, almost silk-like material that made putting it on a lot less of a chore than she expected.

She was right in the middle trying to make herself out in the cheap, smoky mirror of polished metal in the room when a sudden knock on the door made her almost jump out of her skin.

"Louise!" a muffled voice called in through the door. "It's me! Are you in there?"

Wardes!

"Ah! Yes!" she called back. "Just a moment!"

Hurriedly working the latch, she swung the door open to admit him.

"Good." he sighed. "Louise I'm afraid I-" he paused, doing a double-take as if unsure that it was actually her standing there.

After a few seconds of him just staring, she felt a small spike of irritation surge out within her. "What?" she asked somewhat defensively, hands on her hips. "Is there something on my face?"

That seemed to snap him out of it and he quickly brought a hand up for a quick cough into his fist.

"I apologize. I just didn't expect to see you dressed like… well, that."

"W-well..." suddenly feeling strangely embarrassed, she turned her head slightly to look off to the side. "I was feeling cold, okay?" she muttered defensively.

"Ah, of course." he responded with a small smile before cupping his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Actually, this could be useful."

Louise blinked. "How so? What's going on out there, Wardes?" she asked. "Are we going to be fighting the pirates?"

Some of Legion's warlike nature must have rubbed off on her, because Louise found herself surprised and a little disappointed when Wardes shook his head no.

"Two mages against a ship-full of people that attack people for a living make for some very bad odds for us." he pointed out. "And that's without even counting in the fact that they have a lot of cannons aimed at us right now. For all we know they might even have mages among them."

"But-"

"It's too dangerous!" he interrupted her, making her flinch back slightly. Her eyes downcast as she habitually assumed the pose of apology she had perfected after years of being scolded.

Recognizing it for what it was, Wardes let out a sigh. "Louise, look at me."

When she did, he asked her "Do you know how I've managed to survive as long as I have?"

Louise shook her head and he took this as his cue to continue.

"It's because I've learned, through trial and error, to pick my fights, Louise. To know when to fight and when to run. When to try and lure your enemy into a trap and," he held up a finger for emphasis. "more importantly, when to try and parley."

She blinked. "So… are we doing that, then?" she asked slowly. "Parley?"

"In a sense."

He began pacing a slow circuit around the tiny room they were in, slowly rubbing his beard with one hand.

"I believe our current situation would call for both a little bit of trickery and parley. I actually didn't think of it until I saw you just now, but with that outfit you're wearing it might work."

Seeing her confused expression, he elaborated. "They've already seen me as a noble so I would be hard-pressed to pass off as anything else at the moment, but I don't think they've spotted you yet. All we need to do is hide your hair and you could pass off for a boy."

He tapped his chin with his index finger. "Yes, my page perhaps?"

Louise stared at him, her brain starting to connect the dots.

"You cannot be serious." she said flatly.

As it turned out, he was.

Louise ground her teeth in silent irritation as they walked back up on deck. It felt incredibly humiliating to walk behind Wardes like some common… well… commoner, but getting the fine details right was positively crucial if they wanted to actually fool the pirates.

And the greatest obstacle to achieving this was her hair.

Just like all the other great noble houses, both old and new, Louise's vibrant hair color was the product of some ancestor down the line deciding that he or she wanted to simply look different. To stand out in the crowd along with their precious, superior offspring.

Though there were many ways to change one's appearance, potions tended to be the most popular method, mostly due to the fact that all you had to do was drink it. That said, only a Master-level alchemist had the practical expertise and theoretical know-how required to brew something of that magnitude and they charged accordingly.

No ordinary commoner could afford something like that, and it made her stick out like a sore thumb.

As they didn't really have much time for any extravagant solutions, Wardes suggested that they simply cut it short enough that it could easily be hidden underneath a cap.

"It's not like it won't grow out again." he pointed out.

Louise refused that particular idea point-blank, and was pointedly telling him why when the ship they were on suddenly shook violently enough that it made her lose her balance. Tripping over her own feet, she managed to crash head first into a cabinet on which a jug of drinking water had been placed at some point.

Of course, this was just enough to make it tip over and pour its entire contents right on top of her head.

As anyone with long hair - with the possible exception of those born with completely straight, smooth hair (lucky bastards) - can attest, hair tends to become a lot more manageable when wet which is something that held true for Louise, as well. Once she had recovered somewhat and they had managed to squeeze most of the water out, it was a simple matter to fold it neatly on top of her head to where it could easily be covered by a regular worker's cap.

It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it worked.

Walking back up on deck, they were soon met with the sight of the much larger pirate ship having pulled up next to their own and was now being secured in place with several thick ropes. The deck now populated by a much larger crowd of large, scruffy-looking men with the actual crew having all been herded into the front of the ship and were now watching anxiously as the pirates went through everything on it.

The captain was talking to one of the pirates which, Louise couldn't help but notice, was dressed rather extravagantly compared to the rest. He wore a shirt that had probably been white once upon a time, but was now so stained with sweat, grease and soot that it was more of an off-gray.

Wardes frowned as he saw his griffin lying sprawled out on the deck, its head draped in wisps of blue-white smoke and very clearly fast asleep.

"A sleeping spell." he muttered. "So they do have mages."

He turned his head slightly in her direction. "No sudden movements." he muttered to her. "Stay calm and let me do the talking."

Louise nodded.

Approaching the pair, they were just in time to hear the pirate asking the name of the vessel.

The captain was looking a little paler now than before, and there was a slight quiver to his voice as he responded. "T-Tristania's Marie Galente."

The pirate smirked. "Good. And the cargo?"

He hesitated for a few moments, eyes flicking over to where his crew was standing before his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Sulfur. Our cargo is sulfur."

An excited murmur rose briefly from the other pirates.

"Excellent!" the leader said with a grin. Reaching out with one hand, he plucked the captain's hat from his head and placed it on his own. "We'll be buying your cargo from you, then. With your lives as the payment!"

It was then that he noticed Wardes standing there and turning to face them, he blinked once in surprise.

"Ho? What do we have here?" he asked.

Grinning once more as he spread his arms wide in greeting. "If I had known we had a visitor from the Nobility, I would have given you a proper welcome!"

Walking over to where they were standing, he made a show of looking him over.

Wardes stood silently as the leader walked a slow circuit around him, occasionally reaching a hand out to touch the fabric of his clothes in examination. "Fancy." he chuckled. "Real fancy. Bet these alone would fetch quite a bit of coin on the market, eh?"

"I'm sure they will." Wardes murmured, making him snort faintly in amusement before turning his attention to her.

"And who's this, then?"

Feeling his eyes on her, Louise felt herself starting to tense up when Wardes came to the rescue.

"My personal assistant." he said with a brief shrug. "I'd very much prefer if you left him alone. Good help is hard to find these days."

"Hmph, I bet." he grinned.

As the man began his walk around-examination of her, she did her best to remain calm, focusing instead on the annoying feeling of her wet hair plastered against her scalp.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.

But even with repeating it in her head like a mantra, she couldn't help but notice the way she gave an involuntary twitch every time he got too close. She didn't think too much about it at first, wanting to slap people who came too close wasn't that unusual, but she knew that particular impulse and this wasn't it.

Odd.

She was still mulling over it when she felt someone tugging at the cap on her head. Reflexively clamping her hands down on top of it, she gave the offender a withering glare.

"Cut that out." she growled, much to his amusement.

"Oho, this one's got bite!" he chuckled, his eyes flicking to her hands for a split second. "Better now be falling asleep on us, now."

Though he made no comment, she saw him grin before he turned to look at the rest of his crew, calling out "Take 'em away, boys! We do this right and the money we'll get from ransoming this pair will set us for life!"

Having fully expected to end up in some dark cargo room somewhere, Louise was nonetheless surprised when she found herself and Wardes being led up to the upper deck of the black ship and towards where the captain's cabin was situated.

As soon as it had become clear that neither of them were going to put up much of a fight, the pirates went on to search them in order to make sure they were properly disarmed. Thanks to her disguise, they only bothered to check the usual places to see if she carried anything sharp and pointy.

She didn't, of course.

None of them had even heard of a shoulder holster, either, so the one thing she did carry went by unnoticed and she was eventually handed her coat back to wear as they moved on to Wardes.

As a known noble, he represented a much greater threat and as thus required them to be a lot more careful. He was forced to endure several minutes worth of searching, during which his sword and wand were quickly confiscated, before he was finally pronounced safe enough to meet the Captain.

"These are the ones, Boss."

The man Louise had previously pegged as the pirate leader loudly announced before marching them over to stand in front of a large wooden desk that was overflowing with papers and documents of all kinds. The owner of said desk was currently facing the windows that dominated most of the back wall of the cabin, so all they could see was the back of the tall-backed chair he was sitting in.

"Thank you, Theodore."

Turning the chair around to face them, the person referred to as the boss was revealed not to be some grizzled old captain with an eyepatch but that of a young, blonde-haired man in his mid 20's. His hair was well-kept, his clothes clean and judging from the lack of any visible stubble he had also shaved recently. All in all, he looked like a very proper, civilized person. Someone Louise could not help but think seemed really out of place leading a band of dirty, unwashed pirates, nor could she help but tell him so.

"You don't look a thing like a pirate captain."

"Oh?" the man chuckled, his eyes twinkling mirthfully as he looked at the short person standing in front of him. "You're an expert on pirates, then?"

Caught off-guard by the way he turned the question around on her, the best she could manage in response to that was "Um..."

"Furthermore," he said, grinning at the way she was stumbling over her words "what kind of servant are you, to ask such questions in the stead of your lord who, I might add, is standing right next to you?"

Louise froze.

Next to her, she heard Wardes give a faint sigh even though his face remained completely impassive.

"Er..." she stammered. "That is..."

Never taking his eyes off her, he spoke evenly to the large man standing behind them. "Theodore, if you could be so kind?"

"Right, boss."

In hindsight, it should have been obvious that the way she insisted on keeping the cap securely on her head at all times would raise some amount of suspicion among the pirates. But alas, the art of deception and subterfuge had never been Louise's strong point and so she was quite surprised when it was suddenly removed from her head.

Now, some clever person at some point realized that people who are freezing their butts off tended not to work as hard as those who didn't. To remedy this, it became common to put small iron stoves in strategic positions throughout ships above a certain size and the vessel they were currently on was no exception to this.

Though still rather damp, her hair had managed to dry somewhat just by absorbing the excess body heat from her head. Entering the warm cabin only served to accelerate this, so when it was finally released from its prison it did so in quite the dramatic fashion.

FLOOF!

Theodore almost dropped the cap in surprise as her hair came pouring out from beneath it in a veritable eruption of pink before settling around her shoulders in loose ringlets. Blowing one of said ringlets out of her face, Louise gave the man behind the desk an irritated look as he leaned forward to get a better look.

"Now there's something you don't see every day." he commented cheerfully, ignoring the glare she sent his way. "A noble girl masquerading as a commoner boy. You did check her for a wand, didn't you?"

The question was directed at the large man standing behind her who, still staring at her hair with an expression of surprise bordering on fascination, snapped out of it enough to respond.

"Yeah, boss. Of course."

"Good." he smiled briefly and folding his hands over his stomach, looked back over to the pair in front of him. "So! Why would a pair of Tristanian nobles be traveling on board a dingy cargo ship, completely lacking in pretty much all comforts, as opposed to an actual transport vessel?" he asked, one eyebrow raised for emphasis.

Having remained silent throughout the entire exchange, the one to respond was Wardes. "We were trying to get to Albion."

"Apparently so." the man noted dryly. "You do know the country is in the middle of a civil war, right? Not exactly the place I'd choose for a couple to go on their honeymoon."

He frowned. "This isn't exactly a social visit, no."

"I thought so." leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands in front of him while he gave them both an inquisitive look. "So what are you doing here?" he pressed. "Come to join the nobles in their rebellion, hm? They're always on the look-out for new mages to join their ranks, so they would reward you rather handsomely for your service."

Louise narrowed her eyes, feeling insulted by the suggestion alone. "I would rather die!" she shouted.

The man did not respond and they spent several long moments staring each other down. The way the look in his eyes changed from lazy amusement to one of careful scrutiny gave her the distinct impression that he was evaluating her somehow. Daring her to slip up, reveal that she was being dishonest with him somehow.

"I'll ask you one more time." he said to her, eyes glinting "Are you sure you're not here to join the nobles?"

He was testing her, she realized.

Refusing to let any of the fear or apprehension she was feeling show, Louise instead narrowed her eyes into a glare before giving him a curt nod.

Be like steel.

"Hoh." he smirked before suddenly and to her surprise, burst out laughing.

"Ahahahaha! Wonderful!" he laughed. "What a temper you Tristanian nobles have! So different from the decrepit nobles from other countries!"

"Huh?" she blinked, caught slightly off-guard by his sudden change in demeanor. "What?"

"You'll have to forgive me for my rudeness." he smiled, standing up from his chair. "I had to make sure you weren't a rebel sympathizer before going any further."

"Not with- you're a royalist, then?" she asked, finally putting two and two together.

"Indeed." he nodded. "I am the general of the Albionese Royal Air Force, the commander of this country's fleets." he introduced himself.

Pulling a long coat colored a vibrant, deep blue from the back of the chair he began the process of putting it on. "Though I'll admit that as of right now, this particular vessel is all that remains of Albion's once-grand air fleet. A shadow of its former self."

Louise could only watch in stunned silence as before her very eyes, the man who had previously appeared so unkempt and rough around the edges had now gained an aura of grace and regality. His new appearance triggering an old memory in her mind and along with it, a sense of recognition.

"W-wait, hold on." she stammered, eyes wide. "Don't tell me, you are..."

"I am Prince Wales." he said, smiling at her look of disbelief. "Welcome to Albion."

Later, after all their things had been moved to the black ship (which she now also knew was called the Eagle) Louise, intent on completing her mission, had sought out the Prince once more. This turned out not to be particularly difficult as she soon found out merely by asking the first person she came across that the man rarely left his cabin. Choosing instead to spend most of his waking hours toiling away at making plans for fighting the rebels.

"A message for me?" he asked, looking up from the piles of papers on his desk which, now that she had time to get a good look at them, she found to be various reports and official documents. "From Anne?"

Prince Wales had apparently taken the time to clean up a little and though she supposed he hadn't physically changed much since the last she saw him, something about him now just seemed to radiate a sense of, well. Royalty.

It made her keenly aware of the fact that she was still wearing the same coat-and-armor combo as when she was first brought before him.

After the somewhat harrowing experience of what she at the time thought to be a pirate kidnapping, Louise had felt like she needed some fresh air and had opted to take a walk around deck instead of going to her new cabin.

But no matter how comfortable or functional they were, they were hardly the kind of clothes you wore in front of royalty (or at least, she corrected herself, not the kind you didn't already personally know) but she did her best to not show her discomfort, instead focusing on the task at hand.

"Yes." she affirmed with a short nod. Having unconsciously slipped into the formality-mode long instilled into her by her mother, she continued. "I apologize for not telling you earlier, your Highness, but I was asked personally by Princess Henrietta to deliver this to you, as well as receive another letter in response."

Holding up the Ruby of Water, she added "Though she didn't specify how, I was also instructed to confirm your identity using this. Saying you would understand its significance."

"Ah. Of course." the Prince said, smiling as he recognized the artifact for what it was. "Hold it out for a moment, please."

On his left hand, a ring almost identical to the one in her hand sat on his middle finger and Louise's eyes widened when, in a flash of magic, a glittering rainbow soon formed between the two.

"This is the Ruby of Wind." he said, answering her unspoken question. "Wind and water together form the rainbow, bridging the gap between the Royal families of Tristain and Albion."

"It's beautiful." she breathed, staring at it for a few moments until Wales finally lowered his hand, breaking the spell. Suitably convinced, she then proceeded to hand him the letter before standing back to allow him his privacy.

It took him only a moment to break the wax seal holding it together. A faint, wistful smile coming to his lips as he once more laid eyes Henrietta's familiar handwriting. "Oh." he muttered. "This brings back memories."

Louise stood in respectful silence as he carefully read the letter, as if memorizing each and every word written within. When he finished, his hands were shaking slightly and the expression on his face was a combination of shock and outrage.

"Is… is this really true?" he whispered.

She blinked. "Your Highness?"

"The princess is getting married?" he asked, his voice quivering slightly. "My beautiful, darling cousin Henrietta is getting married to the Emperor of Germania?"

Louise swallowed. "Y-yes your Highness." she stammered "It's true. She told me herself."

Wales drew a shuddering breath, obviously fighting to keep his composure. "Did she tell you the… specifics as to why she's doing this?"

She nodded. "She said it was to cement the alliance between Tristain and Germania. Ensuring that if we were to be attacked, we wouldn't have to face them on our own."

"I see." he replied quietly, turning to face the window. "And by 'them' you mean the Albionese rebels, correct?"

Louise let out a sigh. "I'm assuming so, yes."

Compared to that of other countries, Tristain's air fleet was rather modest and mostly geared for things like transporting troops and border control. They traditionally relied on their Mage Knight corps for air battles and used the small amount of actual warships they had to serve as launching and resupply-points for said knights.

Thanks to their long-standing alliance with Albion, they never had to worry about fighting large-scale battles against enormous air fleets. Instead, they had focused on having a small but elite force of rapid-response fighters that would strike against specific, high-key targets while their focus was on the much larger warships. It was a strategy that had worked beautifully for centuries.

It wasn't spoken about openly, but the fact was that the very thing that had kept them all safe for so long would now spell their downfall. The irony of which was not lost on anyone with but the slightest bit of historical know-how.

"Yet another thing to blame Cromwell for, it seems." Prince Wales said dryly, shaking his head. "The man claims to be a devout priest of Brimir, yet his sins just seem to pile up higher and higher for each day."

Louise bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

"Your Highness, I-"

"No matter." Wales said with a sigh, offering her a tired smile. "I do not wish to burden you with my problems, Louise de la Vallière. You have done well in bringing this message safely to me, I'm sure it could not have been easy."

"It's…" she took a deep breath.

Legion's fingers shearing through the railing in a shower of splinters, falling beyond her reach and vanishing below the ship.

"...it's been a rough ride at times, yes." she replied quietly.

She knew of course, deep down, that the Legion that came along to be at her side during their trip to La Rochelle was just an extension of his true self; a puppet under his direct control. Something that even if it were to be completely and utterly destroyed, wouldn't bother him any longer than it took to create another.

Now if only her stupid feelings would realize this as well, things would be a lot easier for her!

"And yet you were successful in reaching me in time." Wales said with a nod of acknowledgment, genuine warmth seeping into his voice. "It is very reassuring to know that my dearest cousin Henrietta has someone as strong and dependable as yourself looking out for her."

Louise shifted uncomfortably.

"I didn't… really do that much myself, your Highness." she muttered in confession. "If not for the efforts of Viscount Wardes and that of my familiar, Legion, I would never have made it this far."

He smiled at her "That may be true. But don't let the fact that you didn't succeed on your own distract you from the fact that you succeeded."

He allowed her to bask in the warmth of her success for a few moments before becoming serious once more. "I believe that is enough stalling from my part, however. Henrietta said that she wanted to retrieve one of my most treasured possessions; a letter she left in my care a long time ago. I've been keeping it securely within my jewelry box the entire time."

Walking over to a cabinet by the window, he pulled out what looked like a small, ornate chest and placed it down on top. Unlocking it with an ornate silver key hanging from his neck, he produced an old, worn letter that looked like it had been read and re-read many times. Louise watched as he unfolded the letter, reading it one last time with a wistful smile on his face.

Raising the letter to his face, Prince Wales placed a small kiss on it before folding it back together and handing it to her.

"Here it is. I leave it in your care."

"Thank you." she replied, taking the letter in her gloved hands she carefully slid it into a pocket on the inside of her coat for safekeeping. "I'll make sure that it gets back safely to Princess Henrietta." she promised, looking him straight in the eyes to show her honesty. "Or if necessary, destroy it."

"Either way, I will do everything in my power to ensure it is not left in the hands of the rebels!"

"Good, good." the prince said in relief, sinking back into the chair by his desk.

"For now, you will travel with us back to Newcastle and spend the night there. Tomorrow morning, the Eagle will depart for Tristain loaded with all the non-combatants from the castle in the form of refugees. Yourself and Viscount Wardes included."

"Alright." she nodded. "What about yourself, your Highness?"

"I will stay behind, of course."

Louise swallowed reflexively. The way he said it was that of a man who had given up all hope and had embraced the fact that he was going to die.

It chilled her to the core.

"Are… your chances of victory really that low, your Highness?"

"Regretfully, yes." he sighed. "As of this very moment, an army of 50,000 men is marching towards Newcastle and preliminary reports estimate that they will reach it around noon tomorrow."

"We, on the other hand, have only 300 men at our disposal; the last remnants of our forces." he stated simply. A faint, resigned smile on his face. "I hate to disappoint you, miss Vallière, but unless you somehow have the power to conjure troops out of thin air, I'm afraid we're quite out of luck."

Louise bit her lip. "I… might be able to achieve something like that, your Highness."

That got his attention. Leaning forward in his chair, he motioned for her to continue.

"The familiar I summoned, Legion, has the ability to create nigh-endless amounts of these really durable, golem-like soldiers." she explained. "Armed with a kind of advanced, rapid-firing muskets called 'rifles', they could easily take on an army made up of peasants and commoners! I'm sure of it!"

"Hmm." the Prince muttered thoughtfully. "Very interesting, I can't deny that having such a force on our side would help us immensely."

Yes!

"I only have one question, though." he said suddenly, causing Louise to blink. "Where is this familiar of yours, exactly?"

Oh, right.

Her expression falling, Louise suddenly found it hard to meet the Prince's gaze.

"He… when we disembarked from La Rochelle, we were attacked by a giant golem under the control of Fouquet the Crumbling Earth. I'm not completely certain exactly what happened, but he was unable to reach the boat in time and we were forced to leave him behind." she explained, her voice quiet.

"I see." he sighed.

"B-but!" Louise quickly added. "I'm sure he's doing everything in his power to reach me as quickly as possible!"

And she believed it, too. As loyal as anyone could possibly ever be, there was no doubt in her mind that he was on his way there that very moment.

With her eyes blazing, she raised her head once more until she could look him in the eye once more.

"He'll be here soon, I promise!"

Blinking in surprise at first, Prince Wales then gave her a small nod.

"I'll hold you to that, then."

Louise glumly swirled the fine wine in her cup as she looked out over the mass of people that occupied the banquet hall along with her, partying and laughing as if there were no tomorrow.

Indeed, for most of them there probably wouldn't be.

After arriving at the castle, she had spent almost an hour soaking in hot, soapy water in an attempt to dispel the chill that had settled in her bones as well as the musky scent that always seemed to cling to you after being on a ship of any kind. Soon after, castle servants had arrived with a fine dress in a rich, blue color that was apparently a gift to her from the Prince.

Which was how she now found herself sitting there, wearing clothes that were not hers while surrounded by people that she would never see again.

It all made her feel sick to her stomach to the point where she had barely touched the plate of fine food in front of her.

At the very back she could see a wizened old man wearing expensive clothing, watching the celebrations from his spot atop of a raised throne surrounded by finery with Prince Wales standing by his side, wine glass in hand.

James the First, King of Albion.

She was fairly certain she had met him at some point during the trip there with her family all those years ago, and she spent several minutes trying to compare the man in front of her with the fuzzy image she had of him in her mind.

"Not very hungry, I take it?"

The question came from Wardes who was sat next to her, wearing what appeared to be his dress uniform and with his hair and beard both carefully washed and combed.

"How can they all act like this?" she asked quietly. "They're going to be fighting a losing battle for their very lives tomorrow, but instead of preparing for it they all sit around partying?"

"It bothers you, I take it?"

She only gave a small nod in return, eyes fixed on her plate.

He shrugged helplessly. "It's only natural for people in their final moments to find some manner of comfort. If this happens to be wine and song, then I see no harm in it."

"I suppose." she muttered.

A moment later, the sound of someone tapping the side of a glass echoed across the room and she looked up to see everyone turning to face the throne and its occupants.

Giving his son a faint, but grateful smile, the King turned to address the crowd.

"Loyal subjects of the Crown." he said in a wheezing voice. "Nobles and vassals." a ghost of a smile passed over his lips. "My friends."

"Tomorrow, we will all be fighting for our lives against the mass of thugs and cutthroats of Cromwell's army so-called army." he practically spat the man's name, and Louise saw more than a few people make the symbol of the pentagram at his mention.

"I will not lie to you, I do not expect many of you much less myself to survive the battle, but that does not mean that we will sell our lives cheaply. In this our last stand, let us show the dogs of the Reconquista the power and dignity of the Royal House of Albion!" he shouted.

"And in doing so, we shall earn glory even in defeat!"

A round of cheers rose from the crowd in response to his statement, prompting the King to raise a hand in a quieting gesture before gesturing towards where Louise was sitting.

"I would also like to thank the Tristainian Ambassador for coming all this way to join us in our feast this our final night."

Louise tried hard not to fidget in her seat as she suddenly found herself in the center of attention of everyone in the room.

Don't freeze! Don't freeze!

"I-I am honored to be here!" she eventually managed to stammer out in reply.

"Indeed." the King continued. "Just as the twin moons choosing to overlap on this very night, you being here is just another sign of the Founder's blessing to us. That he approves of us and that our cause is just!"

Louise let out a tired sigh as cheers rose up around her once again, the King making no move to stop them this time. Granted, having people actually cheering for her was a significant improvement to being called a Zero but she still didn't much care for being in the spotlight like that.

Alas, her prayers went unanswered and she soon found herself surrounded by people eagerly asking her to try a great variety of drinks and dishes in order to get her opinion of them. In the hopes of rescue, she sent a pleading look towards her fiancé but found much to her chagrin that he seemed rather amused by it all and only responded with a slight raise of his cup as if to say 'enjoy!'.

Traitor!

Left to endure her fate, it was only just over two hours later that she finally managed to escape after having repeatedly cited her desire to withdraw for the night.

The heavy, iron-bound oaken doors slammed shut behind her with a distinct tone of finality, cutting the noise of the dining hall down from a roar to little more than a murmur. With that many people crowding her, it had almost felt like she had been suffocating.

Leaning her back against the doors, Louise sighed in relief at being able to breathe easy again.

"Dear god, I thought I'd never get out of there." she muttered.

A moment later, her ears caught the sound of boots on stone and the swish of cloth and opening her eyes, found Prince Wales standing there in front of her.

"Tired of the festivities?" he asked gently.

Perhaps due to some form of guilt from abandoning the people of the hall behind her in their final night, the sight of him made her feel uncharacteristically nervous to the point that she could not help the small stutter that made it into her reply.

"N-not at all, your Highness! I was, um..." she hesitated for a split second "...getting a bit of fresh air, t-that's all!"

Noticing her unease, the prince let out a small chuckle. Holding a hand up to calm her, he said "Don't worry about it. I feel the same way, sometimes."

"R-really?"

He gave her a faint, understanding smile. "I've been doing this my entire life, miss Vallière. Believe me when I say that I understand completely."

Turning around, he gestured for her to follow him. "Come with me. I know a good place where we can talk in peace."

"Here you go."

"Thank you." Louise muttered in response, taking the steaming teacup handed to her from the prince.

They were sitting in what turned out to be Wales' own chambers, which much to Louise's surprise turned out to be a lot smaller and considerably less extravagant than she expected. Roughly the same size, or perhaps even a bit smaller, than her room at the Academy, it was sparsely decorated containing no more than what she'd consider the most basic of necessities for a noble.

A bed with a small chest for his personal belongings, a desk (which actually wasn't overflowing with papers), a small bookcase and the little table at which they both now sat.

"I can probably guess what you're thinking. Why am I, Prince Wales of Albion, living in such a small room in my own castle?" he asked with a faint quirk of his lips.

He was right, of course. It had been exactly what she had been thinking, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

Instead, she just shrugged "I figured you had your reasons for it."

He nodded at this. "I sold most of my valuables, such as carpets and fine furniture, with the hopes that I would be able to finance purchasing equipment and other necessities for the army." he admitted. "After that, my room looked so empty that I saw no reason to stay there all on my own so I moved what I had left in here, instead."

Louise winced slightly. "It didn't pan out the way you had hoped, did it?"

Now it was the prince's turn to shrug. "The men we have left are far better equipped than any rebel soldier I've seen with plenty to spare, so at least we have that. But in terms of increasing our hopes of winning? No, no it did not."

She had nothing to say in reply to that, and the next few minutes passed in silence broken only by the clinking of porcelain.

"Aren't.. you afraid?" she eventually managed the courage to ask, her voice quiet.

"Afraid?" he asked, and after looking at her for a few moments he gave a faint, mirthless smile.

"Is there anyone that wouldn't be scared, knowing that the hour of their death is fast approaching? No, of course I'm scared."

After a moment of hesitation, he added "Terrified, in fact."

"Then why…?" she pressed.

"Because there are things we need to protect" he said firmly. "Things so important that even my own death, as well as the deaths of everyone fighting by my side, are only a small price to pay for their continued safety."

Louise only stared at him.

Seeing she was not convinced, he continued. "Reconquista, the aristocratic faction, don't even spare the barest of thoughts for the innocent civilians caught in the way of their conquest. Nor the ruined lands they leave behind as a result of their wars."

"They preach about things like "union" and "reclaiming the holy land", but that is just empty propaganda to spur the masses." he shook his head. "No, what they want is the total elimination of monarchy itself."

"Do you really believe," he said slowly -that they will be satisfied just with taking Albion?"

Louise blinked. "Wh-"

"They will not." he interrupted her. "Which is why I must do this."

"By keeping them busy here, they will be unable to launch a surprise attack against Tristain. Thus giving her the chance to prepare for the war."

She swallowed. "But what about Princess Henrietta?"

The mention of her evoked a faint, wistful smile on his lips. "She will understand. Henrietta was born to rule and just like me, have been taught what it means to be a regent her entire life. Including the sacrifices one will have to make."

He let out a tired sigh. "But that's enough talk about such grim things. Instead, I feel that I should mention that the Viscount came to me this evening with a request."

"W-Wardes did?" she stammered out in surprise.

"Yes." he smiled. "He told me that he had proposed to you and asked me to hold the wedding ceremony for you in the castle church. Congratulations."

"Ah. Yes." she replied, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. How could she have forgotten? "T-thank you."

He dipped his head slightly in response. "With that in mind, it's probably about time to go to sleep. Don't you think? You have a big day ahead of you."

The night passed all-too quickly in the way that anyone that has ever dreaded tomorrow can attest to and before she Louise knew it, it was already time to get up.

The morning passed in a blur of activity as she was dragged out of bed and cleaned by a veritable army of castle maids. When it was time to dress her, however, they encountered a slight snag.

"I'm sorry, lady Vallière." the head maid, a stout woman by the name of Brittany told her apologetically. "We simply don't have any wedding dresses in your size here at the castle."

"We-well..." Louise muttered. "What about my academy uniform?" she tried.

The head maid pursed her lips in response to this and catching the eye of one of the regular maids, signaled for her to bring this outfit to her in the form of a short jerk of her head. She then spent several minutes hemming and hawing as she examined the blouse, skirt and cape from every angle and at the end of it, Louise was surprised to see her eyebrows rise in an expression she couldn't quite place.

The whole process took slightly longer than she would have liked and she was quite relieved when her uniform was finally handed back to her. Giving it a once over to make sure it hadn't been damaged, she was relieved to find it in completely pristine condition.

Almost brand-new, in fact.

Louise frowned a little at this, but any further examination of it was going to have to wait as a moment later the garment disappeared from her grasp.

"Hey!" she protested, sending a glare in the direction of the maid that was now holding it. "I wasn't finished!"

"You can examine your clothes later, young lady." the woman admonished her. "Right now, you need to get dressed! You don't want to be late to your own wedding, do you?"

Louise shook her head no.

The head maid nodded her satisfaction and with a wave of her hand sent the rest of her maids forward.

A short time later, Louise found herself standing in front of the altar of the Royal Church with a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hands.

The final verdict had been that instead of a full dress, she was given a bright white cape to wear alongside a bridal veil covering her head. Under which her hair had been done in an intricate pattern of braids across her scalp, joining together into a single, thick braid at the base of her skull to form the shape of a tree. This was meant to depict the Tree of Life; Yggdrasil, symbolizing the blessings of the world itself upon the sacred union of marriage.

Standing on her right was Wardes who, in his finest dress uniform and with his hair and beard carefully washed and combed, was the very image of the ideal Mage Knight. Strong and proud.

Right in front of them, Prince Wales stood behind the altar wearing his robes of office. A gentle smile on his face as he looked down at the couple in front of him.

"I, Wales Tudor of the Royal House of Albion, in the name of the Founder, Brimir," he spoke in a calm voice. "will now proceed to recite the Imperial Decree."

"The groom, Jean-Jaques Francis de Wardes. Do you vow, in the name of the Founder, Brimir, to take this woman as your wife and honor her for the rest of your days?"

"This I vow." Wardes replied, his right hand over his heart.

Wales gave a small nod of acknowledgment to his vow before turning to Louise.

"Then, the bride..."

As the two men turned their gazes to her, Louise swallowed reflexively.

"The third daughter of the de la Vallière family, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière."

The nervous butterflies which had been present the entire morning in her stomach now came out in force. Maybe it was because of her separation with Legion, or the war that was steadily approaching the caste in which she was now standing, but she also found that the butterflies were also joined with a strange sense of apprehension.

Was she really doing the right thing?

Granted, they had been engaged for a long time now, but something about the whole affair just felt off to her. A bit too rushed.

She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts when there was a loud crash somewhere outside of the church, making the whole building shake for a few seconds.

Wales raised his head slightly towards the ceiling as streams of dust dropped down from the ancient stonework, catching the light coming in through the beautiful, stained-glass windows of the church. "It would seem that the assault has begun." he noted.

"All the more reason to finish this as soon as possible." Wardes said with a frown. "Continue."

He gave a curt nod to the man before turning to Louise once more.

"Do you vow, in the name of the Founder, Brimir, to take this man as your husband and love and treasure him for the rest of your days?"

She swallowed hard. This was it.

While drawing a breath in order to give her response, she sent a quick prayer aimed towards the statue of Brimir standing in the very back of the church, arms spread as if in welcome.

Brimir, if you're really out there, please give me a sign of some sort. Anything will do!

This wasn't the first time she had tried something like this, of course. Over the years since she first started learning magic, she had spent enough time in prayer to come to conclude several things, like for example that kneeling on a cold, hard, stone floor was really bad for your knees.

But more importantly, she learned that no matter how much or how often she prayed, none of it seemed to matter. Nowadays she did it mostly out of habit and because it was expected of her, so she didn't really have high hopes for it to work.

So imagine her surprise when not a moment after the words of her prayer had passed through her mind, the doors of the church practically blew open behind her.

Ancient iron hinges squealing in protest, the doors swung open so fast and which such force behind them that they cracked and splintered upon smashing into the wall behind them. Next to her, Louise heard Wardes give a grunt of surprise as he wheeled about to face the intruder and she wasted little time doing the same.

Her first instinct was to demand to know the identity of whoever had just quite literally crashed her wedding. Regardless of whether she really wanted it or no, weddings were sacred, dammit! Her anger soon faded however as she caught sight of the figure standing in the doorway, or more specifically, the colors of the armor they wore.

Black with red details.

NOD colors!

A profound sense of relief swept over her at this, and she couldn't help the wide grin that crept across her face. Her familiar had, at last, come to her aid!

Though…

Louise's brows furrowed in confusion.

Was it just her, or was the person standing there look rather… feminine?

She soon had her answer as with thudding footsteps, the person stepped into the light and Louise drew in a sharp hiss of air. It wasn't Legion standing there.

It was a woman.

Clad in a full-body suit of bulky, grim-looking armor that looked far too heavy for anyone to even move, much less fight wearing it, she almost gave the appearance of being a female version of Legion. This effect was only intensified by the intricate combination of bandoleers and equipment pouches that covered her torso in place of the surcoat that Louise herself normally wore.

Carried in both hands she a gun that bore a striking similarity to the HMG's Legion had carried into the battle against Fouquet and her golems, only smaller. And just like them, it too was fed directly by means of a flexible, metallic umbilical attached to large ammunition pack strapped directly to the back of her armor.

But when her eyes landed on her head, Louise felt her mind grind to a halt.

For there, nestled innocently on top of dark bangs and contrasting sharply with the ceramics and brushed metal that otherwise dominated the woman's form, was the bright white of a maid's bonnet.

Her savior was none other than Siesta.

The irony was not lost on her. Her mind struggling for a few moments as she tried to reconcile the image of Siesta the Maid with the Siesta the armed-to-the-teeth Soldier in front of her. However, this failed almost instantly as a moment later, she raised that huge gun to her shoulder and aimed it directly at Wardes. Her lips curling into a snarl.

"Get away from her, you traitor!"

"Awaken."

And like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water in her face, Matilda woke up to find herself strapped to some kind of padded examination table in a dark room she didn't recognize. She had also been stripped of everything she owned, clothes included, leaving her naked as the very day she was born.

But before she was even given the chance to feel embarrassed, she felt a jolt go through the table she was on as it began shifting her into an upright position.

"Prisoner number 45 of Cellblock M." a rumbling voice, seemingly devoid of emotion, issued forth seemingly from the very air around her. "You have been brought here because you possess valuable information deemed important enough to spare your life."

Lights in the ceiling began flickering to life, bathing the room in a harsh, steady light that stung her eyes making them water.

"Protocol dictates that you are made aware of the fact that during the extraction process, your willingness to cooperate will directly affect what methods I employ against you. And will be an important factor for when your final verdict is decided."

As the contraption finally came to a stop at an angle of about 80 degrees, the blurry outline of a person became visible to her and Matilda had to blink hard a few times before her eyes were finally clear enough to see to them.

Her eyes widening, her voice came in little more than whisper. "Y-You're Vallière's familiar..."

"Correct."

Hands clasped behind his back, the amber eyes of the being before her were as cold as eyes as he beheld her naked form with about the same interest as a pile of dirt.

"I am LEGION; the Logarithmically Engineered Governing Intelligence of NOD and I am that which links the countless forces of the Brotherhood to the Word of the Prophet. By Her order and my will do families toil, armies march, and empires fall."

"Now, tell me..." his eyes narrowed into slits that sent cold shivers down her back.

"...Everything."

Hmm, does NOD even have interrogation protocols? I don't know, but they get all that fancy, top-secret information somehow so obviously they know how to get it out of people. Torture is generally a not very effective method since most people will simply tell you anything you want to know to make the pain stop, so it felt like a reasonable assumption to make that they would have something like that.

What else? Oh yeah, a wild maid appears!

I've always liked Siesta. Hard-working and loyal, she always sets out to do the best job possible. So I figured what with her already being loyal to Louise after being saved by her, who better to come and save her in return?

Now, you're probably wondering just what she of all people are doing there instead of, oh I don't know, someone with actual combat experience? Well, that'll be what the next chapter will be all about! Mostly. It's not over yet, though. They're a long way from home and theirs is a road winding through battlefields of blood and tears.

On a different note, someone apparently hated my story so much they had to read through five chapters just so they could leave me a bunch of flames, nitpicking my words and choice of expressions.

Okay. Whatever makes you happy, I guess?

It's not like I'm FORCING anyone to read this, you know? Jesus.

Anyway, thanks for reading! See you next chapter!