The Broken Song

Chapter Sixteen

— Storm's End, Western Influence, Alfheim —

Lulu was livid. Over the course of her twenty-three years of life, she had been every level of angry. From the slight annoyance of listening to Idelle hum the same song for the fiftieth time, to the realm of supremely pissed-off that some asshole had taken advantage of those undeserving, Lulu knew every range of the emotion well. But this, this was beyond any of that. There were no words to describe how furious she was in that moment, and there was nothing to quiet her seething rage. Even if the problem were to vanish instantly, she would still feel this horrible, pulsing fury that grew with every beat of her heart. Of course, of course, Ori would show up now, of all times, needing help that she had no right to ask for.

She never looked at her, not once, during dinner, choosing instead to brood quietly over her food, scowling at the poor guard stationed across from her. At his post, the man had gone from thoroughly confused, to slightly worried, to obvious and clear distress. In the end, he had asked to be relieved from his post, sweating buckets, and looking ready to faint. Lulu felt a slight twinge of guilt, but his panic had made her feel the tiniest bit better.

Even afterwards, as Uncle Henry walked them all to their chambers, Lulu kept her mouth shut and her eyes on anything that wasn't Ori. They reached her room first, and all she offered was a curt 'goodnight' thrown over her shoulder before she disappeared inside. She slammed the door shut behind her, preferring to make it resoundingly clear that she was upset. In case they hadn't noticed before.

Alone in her room, Lulu pitched face first into the bed and let out a scream she was certain they could still hear in the hall. The compass tumbled out of her pocket and onto the mattress beside her. She pushed herself up onto her forearms and let out a loud huff. It was childish, she knew, but she hardly cared.

"If Ori wants my help, she can damn well beg for it."

"Fine."

The nearby voice sent her skyrocketing off the bed. "Holy fucking fuck balls! Godsdamnit, Ori! You can't just teleport into people's bedrooms! What if I was naked?!"

"I've seen you naked more times than I can count," Ori answered flatly. "You went through that phase where you refused to wear clothes indoors."

"They were stifling! What if I was canoodling some lucky young lady?"

"Eh, would that make them lucky?"

"Bite me, Savior. I'm an amazing canoodler, probably the best in Ishara. So, did you come in here just to scare me and insult my talented fingers and tongue?"

"You know why I'm here," Ori glared as Lulu began to pace back and forth. "You're the one continuing this childish display."

As a point, Lulu stuck her tongue out, stuck her thumbs by her ears and wiggled her fingers. "I don't care what you're here about, Ori. I have my own quest going on. I'm booked solid for the foreseeable future. Come back and ask me in...twelve centuries? Wait, that's still too soon..."

"Creator, curse you..."

"He already did."

Ori exhaled noisily through her nose. "Lulu, I know we've had our differences..."

"That's an understatement."

"But we need to get past them to..."

"Do we? 'Cause I'm a-okay over here."

"Elusia Marcella Vale."

"Don't use my full name."

"Fucking hells! Will you just let me talk?"

Lulu arched her eyebrows and clapped sarcastically. "Wow, the Savior knows curse words. That's amazing."

Ori took another breath, visibly trying to calm herself. "I wouldn't come here if it wasn't important. You told me to stay away from you, and I have. But this is beyond our issues. I need your help and Idelle's. I can't do this alone."

Finally, Lulu relented and let out her own sigh of frustration. "I acknowledge, begrudgingly so, that if you're here asking then I'm sure it's important. But I really do have my own thing going on. I can't just walk away from it. It's too important."

Ori nodded, her voice much gentler when she spoke again. "You're looking for your dad with the Compass of Nine. Idelle told me. And whatever you may think, I really do hope you find him. But there's no one I trust more to help me with this than you and Idelle. You're both family. I don't just need your help. I want it."

Lulu sat on the edge of the ornate bed, her butt balanced on the wooden footboard, legs crossed, and chin cradled in her right hand. "You know, I once talked my way into the royal coffers of Raikkonen with absolutely no plan, no convincing attire, and a banana. I came out with a tiara and half my weight in gold. I thought I was the smooth-talker, but fuck me with a bucket, that was good."

"It's not a line, Lulu. I really do want your help."

"With what? Tell me, what does the mighty Savior of the Path of Light need from us?"

"I can't tell you that." Lulu scoffed quietly, but Ori continued. "I was sworn not to speak of it outside of Avarra."

"Avarra? That's smack in the middle of Path of Light territory. Fuck no, Ori."

"We're to go to Avarra to speak with King Caerwyn and Queen Katrina regarding the matter, but our objective is in Iskendryn."

Lulu laughed. "Ha, I was just there..."

"Let me guess... The fiasco with the Duke of Celembroke's daughter?"

"You know me so well."

"Uh-huh. You know, that nearly sparked a war between Iskendryn and Esktier, right? They could still go to war. Things are that strained right now." Lulu only shrugged. "Come with me to Avarra. Hear me out. And, if you help me, I'll owe you a favor. Hells, I'll give you a favor, and I'll travel to the rest of the places on your list to sync the compass faster."

Lulu hung her head in defeat. There was no real reason to refuse anymore. With her magic, Ori could have the compass calibrated in the time it took her and Idelle to travel to just one of the worlds. Besides, even if she continued to resist, like she really wanted to, she knew Idelle never would. And then, what was the point? She could pay the Black Gathering to cross the veils, but when she found the sites, she wouldn't be able to sync the compass with the cosmic energy. She didn't have the capability, and she wouldn't trust a stranger to do it for her.

She had no cards left to play.

Resigned, she nodded and gave her ascent. Ori thanked her quietly and left her to her musings as quickly as she had appeared. Lulu took a breath and stretched.

"Happy?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. Idelle stood there. She had been hiding in the shadows by the door to their adjoining rooms. She smiled softly, knowing what it cost Lulu to agree to such an adventure. "Well, at least that's something..."

Author's Note:

I want to thank everyone who has stuck around thus far. I've loved every view and every star. You guys are amazing and you keep me writing!!! Thank you for taking this journey with Lulu and Idelle.