Tigreal's POV.
"... And as we find out what they're up to, some of us will be traveling to the north, and some to the south," He concluded. Tigreal pointed the destinations with his index finger.
"If this came to failure, what then?" Silvanna questioned. "The abyss might not barge in to our territory yet, but I know Alice is setting up a much clever idea. She put an enchantment when she attacked Azure Lake so none of us would notice a single clue about it. Her next plan could be worse."
"Whatever she's planning, don't let her outsmart us," he said. "Nobody is good. Nobody is true. Trust no one but your allies, anyone else we encounter outside Moniyan may be a threat."
Before anyone started to speak, the door of the council room opened.
"Alucard," Silvanna greeted. "So, Granger agreed to participate. Good for you."
"If I didn't have revenge to the abyss, I wouldn't bother joining in," said Granger, putting his violin in the corner of the room.
"Figured anything out?" Alucard asked, ignoring Granger's words.
"It's all about being thorough," Tigreal said. "If you witness anything suspicious, don't hesitate to report. Any signs can be our advantage."
"Perhaps we must start our journey to other lands," Silvanna suggested. "Alice might be putting more enchantments on other regions, and it would cause us no harm to investigate."
"When will we leave?" Harith asked.
"We leave at dawn," Silvanna decided. "Different regions for each of us, but remember to communicate in any possible way. Harith and Alucard, you two will set foot on Azrya Woodlands. I have studied a thing a two there, and there might be a solution to all this madness. Please be careful. Tigreal, I hope you'd be kind enough to travel to the smaller cities in Moniyan. Granger, you—"
"I don't take orders from you," he interjected. "I have my own plan of ambush."
"Your own plan? I thought we agreed to work together here," Tigreal fought back.
"You agreed to work together," Granger corrected.
"Then why are you here?"
"You brought me here, and I couldn't seem to refuse because apparently you are royalties. Shame, I thought it'd be nicer if you'd just let me go."
Silvanna stood up at his words. "We are here to help you, Granger. Think of us as your enemies or whatever it is you prefer, but know that we stay true to our purposes. Fighting the abyss isn't easy, but we battle against them for the sake of bringing peace. I understand what you have been through, we all do, but a scar wouldn't be carved in your heart if you trust us." Her voice was strict and deep, standing tall among the rest.
The death chanter went silent for a while, then sighed. "My revenge against the abyss stays as it is. I only fight for myself, no one else. I survived this far because I trust no one."
"Then I guess you are dismissed," Silvanna demanded sternly, making it clear it was the end of discussion.
Tigreal was disappointed hearing his insensitive words, but the princess took it too far. As much as he disliked the vagrant poet, he had the same story as the others, and he wanted nothing more than to be of help. He needed help.
"Finish whatever quest it is inside your head," Tigreal said. "We are still your ally, and you may return at anytime if you must. We'll be here." He glanced at the princess who seemed to soften her expression.
Granger looked down, probably feeling bad. He let out a sigh again. "I meant no offense, Your Highness, but I've always thought I work better alone."
"You can learn, Granger. You can't face the entire abyss without anyone else." Tigreal offered his hand, hoping that they would bond eventually.
"Betray me and my face would be the last thing you see before you die," Granger said as he took his hand.
"So, you're staying?" Harith asked.
"Apparently he is," Silvanna answered, her face full of hope. She might have forgotten what she said earlier, and Tigreal was relieved to see her much calmer.
"Yippie!" Harith squealed, giving the marksman a massive leonin hug.
"Careful, Harith," Alucard joined in. "You don't want to hug a grumpy man."
"At least he's staying. Without him, we wouldn't have a marksman at all."
"I will still do my mission alone. I dealt with bunch of brainless men, and I'd like to murder them all."
"If they are at fault, I'll give you the permission to end their lives. If they are innocent, you will be executed," Silvanna said, her voice was clear.
"I never tell lies, Your Highness. Another thing you should know about me," Granger said as he opened the door to leave the council room and start his journey.
"Very well," Silvanna confirmed. "You may leave. As for Fanny, you—wait, where is your sister, Tigreal?"
"Shit," Tigreal muttered. "She must've sneaked out the window while we were arguing. Damn it, how did I not notice her left?!" He was always frustrated at her childish actions. Fanny would always show him her wildness in her cable attempts, or persuade him to do something against the rules, or whatever else that may seem to be in her list of interests. They were very different since born, and he doubt this behavior of hers would ever change.
He looked out to the garden, but found no sign of her.
"Calm down, Tigreal," the princess said. "She's probably practicing her cables somewhere—"
"Not on my watch." Tigreal immediately stormed out of the council room and out the castle, starting his search for his own damn sister. Wherever she was, he was ready to scold her for the hundredth time.
Fanny's POV.
She sneaked out when they started discussing about different paths. Not that she didn't respect her brother and the princess, but she thought she just wasn't ready at all. The more they talk about battle and strategy, the worse she felt about herself. What useful skill did she have so far to travel further Moniyan on her own? How could she protect herself from danger if she didn't even know how to control her cables?
Fanny didn't have any idea where to go. She just knew she just wanted to be alone, thinking deeply about ways to be good among the others... or perish. Her thoughts kept coming through as tears rolled down her cheeks, unable to make herself feel better, even though she was far from everyone else, especially her brother. He would never want to see her like this. She didn't want to call herself a worthless peasant, but maybe she was.
She took a deep breath, inhaling as much oxygen as she could. Her eyes were closed, releasing her excess tears of sadness as she walked further away from the heavenly castle she didn't deserve at all.
Time passed. Little did she know the source of light dimmed as she was stepping on thick grass. She was in an unknown forest, far away from home. Fanny stopped at her tracks and examined the current place she was in; unbelievably green with a breathtaking sight as rays of sun touched her skin.
She slowly started to walk again, pleased to witness such a wondrous view with no man-made objects surrounding it. Just mother earth providing her with pure life. She closed her eyes, taking in every inch of nature there was, absolutely loving every breathing living thing that was around her.
Fanny let out a small giggle as her pace quickened, half running on the imperfect tracks of the forest filled with wild flowers. It was exhausting, though. If only she was a bird, she didn't have to run. She would flap her wings instead.
Fly.
It was the perfect time for her to practice her cables. Her walk turned into a fast run, embracing nature with her whole body. She looked up at the sky, witnessing a group of birds in migration. She stopped at her tracks, observing how carefree they were, and thought how carefree she would be if she was one of them. She unconsciously smiled as she started her pace again.
She ended up in a bright forest clearing, the rays of sun covering every dancing grass like a blanket, providing them with energy and life. She was enjoying this way too much she didn't realize she was smiling and giggling the whole time.
She surrendered herself completely, collapsing on the ground and let the earth consume her. She squinted her eyes to see the fluffy white clouds right above her like giant cottons, covering half of the spherical sun. From the left came another flock of birds, migrating to who knows where. Fanny stood up, excited to fly like them.
Just as she was about to take her cables out, she felt something landing on her left shoulder. As she looked over, she unconsciously gave out a little jump of surprise, but ended up smiling when she saw what it was; a skylark bird resting on her. She laughed at its adorable behavior.
She gently took the little creature, caressing its head softly as it closed its eyes in comfort.
"You must be lost, aren't you?" Fanny asked, still caressing its head. She always had a thing when it comes to communicating with animals. She didn't even know where she got it from. The skylark bird gave a singing chirp, good music to Fanny's ears.
"It's what you do, isn't it?" she said excitedly, half giggling. "Singing for mother earth."
The skylark gave another song.
"You seem so alone," she said, her eyebrows furrowed. "If you don't have a friend, I can be one." The bird flapped its wings in excitement, letting out another loving chirp for Fanny.
"How about a little adventure to explore this place a bit more?" she offered, and the skylark started to fly, trying to lead the way. Perfect, she thought.
She followed the little creature. She didn't have a single clue where she was heading to, but she was thrilled to witness more of nature with a new friend she just made.
The bird flew down slowly, looking back every once in a while to make sure she was following. She was trying hard to keep her balance, but got the hang of it eventually. As she saw what was below, she gasped in awe.
A waterfall.
It was perhaps the first time she ever saw a waterfall up close, and it was incredibly astounding. I can't believe it, she thought. She might as well do a free fall, absorbing touch of the cold water against her skin, but getting her clothes wet would make her typical brother mad. However, she couldn't possibly miss the chance to do this. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Think, Fanny.
Cables. She remembered what made her runaway from the castle; to practice. She'd be lucky if she landed, but what if she fell? Screw it. There was nothing but ground below, nothing could go wrong.
The bird was waiting for her to fly down, flapping its wings and looking into her eyes. Fanny smiled as she took out her steel cables, barely ready for anything, and did it anyway.
She shut her eyes, her heart beating faster than ever. She was afraid, but excited. She was free falling, as the tiny drops from the waterfall tickled her skin. At the same time, she wanted to open her eyes and see what was ahead, and so she did.
She saw the other part of the forest right before her, patiently waiting for her to step in. Thankfully, she didn't forget to attach her cables to nearby rocks. Little did she know she was attaching three cables, stepping on the slippery stones on the waterfall and winnowing between the air.
She almost did a perfect landing on the ground, except her right foot was slightly injured because she slipped on the stone, but she didn't care. All that mattered in that moment was her skills. I did it.
The skylark flew by, singing a beautiful song to celebrate her success in maximizing her own invention. What was more interesting was that it was the first living thing ever to see her truly fly.
"You saw that, didn't you?!" she exclaimed and then let out a proud, satisfied laugh. She was probably too loud, but nobody was there except nature, and they wouldn't mind hearing her joyful laughter, would they?
She was proud, and she'd like to do it again. She stepped on the other side of the forest, taking a deep breath to attempt to fly for the second time.
She attached her cables on both sides immediately and let her body go like it was dependent on it. As she floated, she attached another cable to the right, then left...
Followed by another cable,
and another.
She did not know how fast she was going. Everything seemed to be a blur, but that was not the important part. All she knew, she was enjoying every second of it. Not a single cable missed. It was a miracle.
There was nothing but the trees, the air, and the sky. She felt like she was the only human on earth, effortlessly flying beneath the golden rays of the sun.
She was suddenly faced with a larger group of trees, coming her way too quick for her to attach another cable. She was out of control. Her forehead hit the bark, causing her to fall from mid air, her body no longer floating.
"Ugh..." she groaned, as her many cables recollected themselves back to her. She touched her forehead, feeling the slight pain on it.
Another day, another wound. Apart from her forehead, her scar on her left arm was reopened, causing her to bleed a bit. Whatever. She was used to it she didn't bother to clean it up anymore.
The skylark finally landed on her shoulder, singing a song that sounded like a congratulations which was music to her ears.
"Why, thank you," she said, getting herself conscious again. "Maybe I'm one of you, after all."
The bird chirped again.
Fanny laughed. "Well, I assume we might see each other again?" She let go of the innocent bird, thankful for each and every second spent with it. It flew away freely like she just did before.
It was time to go back. It was probably noon, and lunchtime was waiting back in the castle. She didn't realize how much time she spent out in the forest. Everyone must be worried. Her brother must be.
Despite the farewell from nature, she was grateful that she ran away and ended up where she was now, spending her time alone with nothing but the wilderness that suited her carefree soul so perfectly.
She wondered, would they still call her Fanny the Fool? Or would she be given another name? Sooner or later she wouldn't only have her cables, but also her blades as her deadly weapon. She would be dancing in mid air, yet killing her enemies without a single mercy.
It was the birth of The Blade Dancer.
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[ an; i decided to write almost an entire chapter for fanny bc she deserves the world. special shoutout to fanny users for killing their time just to master her! yall are amazing <3 enjoy this chapter! ]
xoxo, cel.