My Bloody Francia

3. Freedom Is The Sweetest Thing

As Annette sits alone outside the Renard Home, you sit next to her, attempting to comfort her in any way possible as Elise is at the tree alongside Maria. Arno, Madeline, Kalafri, Viessa, and Tera are in the house.

Y/N: Annette, it's not your fault.

Elise: I agree with Y/N.

Annette looks at you and Elise, the pain on her face is all that lets you know that she is not taking the events of last night so easily.

Annette: But I could have saved him. If I was more quicker, more stronger, more smart-

Y/N: But you are all of those things and more, Annie. Listen, nobody here is blaming you for what happened. There were simply too many of them. We... we had no other choice but to escape.

Annette responds to you with silence. You pat her back regardless. Richter soon enough arrives under the tree.

Richter: The vampires were coming from all directions, Annette. All we could do was retreat. None of this is your fault. And neither is it yours, Y/N. I'm sure your father fought well against these knife eared bastards.

Y/N: I'm sure he did... my old man was a true fighter. I've seen him clear out small squads of vampires like it were nothing as we were on the field fighting them. He fought as a vampire killing demon, dressed as a man, and a great father. He deserved better. And so did my mother.

Maria crouches down to comfort you, holding your arm closely. Elise lets out a brief pained chuckle.

Elise: I guess that's who we are then. Children all banded together due to the losses of our loved ones, and our fear to not lose anyone else.

Y/N: You're on point, Elise.

Elise: Of course I am. My mother passed away due to an illness, I saw the love of my life's father's dead body before his eyes and mine, my father was murdered due to Templars thinking peace between our factions was possible, and now here we are, in the middle of another smaller war that is no worse than the bigger one currently ongoing.

Y/N: C'est aussi dur que la vie, je suppose.
[This is as harsh as life goes, I guess.]

Richter looks at Elise.

Richter: This isn't exactly a small scale war, Elise. You may see the vampires last night as the enemy, but I see them as true evil. Vampires have been terrorizing humankind long before I was born. Hell, even my own ancestors have fought against them for hundreds of years, many of people don't beilive the stories of The Belmont Clan, but I do. To an extent anyway.

Elise: You Belmonts and your stories.

Elise says a she smiles to herself to attempt to distract and comfort her mind to forget about the events of last night. Annette looks up at Richter.

Annette: Edouard was always by side. And now... he's gone.

Tera, who overheard everything, places her hands on the shoulders of Elise and Annette. Arno, Kalafri, Viessa, and Madeline also come outside, arriving under the tree.

Tera: He knew the risks when coming to France, but... he was still brave in the end.

Arno: Truly.

Madeline: Let's say we do find Ed. What then? How can we be sure they won't come after him again?

Viessa: We'll never know unless we go there ourselves.

Kalafri: That much is true.

Annette stays silent.

Kalafri: Annette?

Annette: He was my only family I had left. I had nobody after my mother was murdered. It was a...