Author's Note: Thank you so much to Ledgisimo (again!) for drawing Leo Solveig and of course, his trademark (non-canon) sparkles! This looks absolutely amazing and I love it so much. The detail in the armour – the shading, especially – looks great and I just love this so much! (Makes me feel bad for what I'm putting him through right now... but hey, that's how characters grow!)
If you haven't already, make sure to check out their art at artillerytortoise on Tumblr as well! (Their art is great; do check it out if you haven't already!) They also write a book on Wattpad (I think I've said this multiple times on previous chapters, so I'm not going to make this too long; but do check it out if you're interested!) Anyway, thank you once again to them for drawing Leo and supporting Daybreak's Crest!
This chapter is a whole load of text (well, aren't they all? I meant, text as in... 'boring' text). I hope you don't find it too boring, but I promise I'll make up for it next chapter. At least, I hope so. Also, I wanted to point out I've posted the Requests page on my Spam Book for the 100 follower celebration in case you guys want to request Zodiac art of either characters from my books, or characters from your books. (Read the rules on the page for more info!) Thank you for the support, everyone!
-x-x-x-
Aquarius sat at the edge of Libra's bed, scowling to herself. Not even the fragrant scent of the bedsheets (was that rose? Aquarius had never been good at flowers) could rouse her from her current bad mood. However, something about sitting and listening to the peaceful snoring from the young ex-prince reminded Aquarius of her life back in the Auraidorian castle; waiting patiently for Prince Libra to awaken, if it were a weekend, or – in most cases – shaking him awake in time for breakfast.
While her memories of her past – abandoned as a child and being left to wither away in an adoption center, believing to have found a home when those two nobles approached her and said 'We want to take you to your new home' – only to become an outcast in her adopted family for 'not being the lady they wanted her to be' (or, in short, not changing herself to be who they wanted her to be), and then being sold like an object or a pretty possession to the Auraidorian King and Queen to be a concubine, a soldier; whatever they desired – were most definitely... not the best, by any means, Aquarius found a sense of peace wading through her more recent memories.
Her first memory of Prince Libra – a boy that couldn't have been older than she was – was when her 'family' dragged her the Auraidorian castle. Aquarius had long given up hope; after fighting, kicking and screaming, then standing her ground and failing, there was nothing else that could truly wound her so than believing that she finally had a family and loving parents – only for all of that to be snatched away like a fleeting dream. Aquarius's long, dusty purple hair had been done up, the top pulled tight into a simple bun while the rest hung limp over her shoulders (glossy and fragrant from all the soaps the maids had put her through, but the beauty of the lustrous sheen was lost with Aquarius's hope). She had been waiting sullenly, her head down and pinned down by the two royals' judgemental gazes.
Then a boy suddenly stepped out from behind a corner (like a ghost, too; Aquarius hadn't noticed his presence) and begged the King and Queen (and later Aquarius learned; his father and 'mother', seeing how Auraidorian royalty gained their heirs from the ladies of other noble houses rather than the queen herself) that, if the King and Queen didn't have a use for Aquarius, then he 'would like to have her as a retainer'. (Aquarius later learned this meant that she was his bodyguard, basically.)
The deal was passed. Aquarius didn't remember much then, aside from the sheer hatred that coursed through her system as she was passed from one owner to the next, then glaring down at the shorter mint-haired boy when she was passed to him.
His expression of terror had made Aquarius pause.
Then he'd nervously asked to be her friend, which Aquarius scoffed at. Since she had been assigned be the boy's retainer and, with nowhere to go, she spitefully did as asked.
Then she met Gemini.
The bubbly, energetic girl had pestered Aquarius long enough, and under the combined pressures of Libra's kindness – where Aquarius found that it was impossible to hate the boy – and Gemini's friendliness, Aquarius eventually gave in. The memories they shared together were fond ones, and were the only ones that Aquarius could recall without grimacing or glaring angrily at the nearby wall. So here she was: following her only two friends in her life out on this... journey to end the war. And it had led to Libra, the person she was supposed to protect, being injured.
Aquarius let out another sigh at that and tried to glare down at Libra's tranquil face, trying to muster up anger at Libra throwing himself into yet another dangerous situation; but yet again, the anger refused to come. (Aquarius couldn't remember feeling directly angry at Libra – and even if she did, it would rarely last.)
Her head shot up as someone rapped on the door; two quick, precise knocks.
Aquarius frowned. Gemini wouldn't knock; she'd just barge right in. Who else could want to visit Libra at this time...?
"Libra? Are you awake? May I come in?"
It's... Taurus.
Deeming there to be no threat, Aquarius responded for the sleeping boy: "Libra is asleep, but if you do wish to visit him, then feel free to let yourself in."
Taurus nudged the door open. For such a tall, imposing figure (and such a brutally effective and violent fighting style), he padded through the room in almost complete silence.
"Good evening." He greeted Aquarius. "I wanted to check on Libra."
"He's fine." Aquarius responded, albeit a bit bluntly. "Just sleeping."
"I... see."
"It's a concussion." Aquarius filled in the silence. Not something she was used to doing, but with the silence hanging in the air... she wasn't used to there being actual silence. There was always someone to chatter away, sing, or... whatever; with a start, Aquarius noted how quickly she had gotten used to the Zodiacs being around. Maybe they've grown on me...
"Is there any lasting brain injury?" Taurus questioned. "I've heard of the more severe concussions causing amnesia or even seizures."
"No, not that I've heard of. I'm... glad." Aquarius added that part in a quieter voice. "I... failed to protect him."
...why am I opening up about this to him...?
Taurus, thankfully, did not laugh in her face. (Maybe it was because Aquarius knew he wasn't the type to do so – though Aquarius couldn't think of any of the Zodiacs who would laugh at her about it – so her mind had spilled some of her inner monologue.) "I understand the feeling. But... he is safe now. You did not fail." Taurus's green eyes glinted with something unreadable as he spoke. "Learn to forgive yourself, Aquarius. Otherwise the past will continue to haunt you... and eventually, if you do not let go, it will kill you."
He speaks as if he has experience.
"I... didn't protect him enough, though."
"Perhaps there were other things you could've done." Taurus replied calmly. "Maybe it would have ended differently. But what use is thinking of it now, when you cannot change the past? You did your best; you can only look upon the past so you do better in the future, whether that be protecting Libra or... doing anything."
"So forgive yourself and let go of the mistakes you've done in the past." Taurus let his gaze fall upon Libra's sleeping face. "I doubt I have to tell you to learn from those mistakes, but... don't let them haunt you." With that cryptic note, he rose to his feet. "If he is alright... then I will leave you alone for now."
He turned to head for the door.
"Wait..."
"Hm?" The brunette turned around to face Aquarius.
"...thank you." Aquarius muttered, in a sudden bolstering of her courage. She felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment at such... openness – one that she only shared with Gemini and Libra – but Taurus only smiled languidly in his usual way of just barely quirking up the corner of one lip and turned around again. "You're welcome, Aquarius. Do take care."
He was gone with a creak of the door.
Aquarius was left alone again with a sleeping ex-prince, her churning memories and a enigmatic reminder.
"Don't let my past haunt me, huh..." Aquarius said to Libra, who only shifted on the bed, rolled over and clutched his blankets tighter. The purple-haired girl gently tugged the blankets up to Libra's chin. "Almost sounds like something you would say."
Libra mumbled something in his sleep.
Aquarius rose to her feet to stand guard next to the bed. "Perhaps... I will take his advice."
-x-x-x-
Libra did not dream of mysterious voices and flashing colours.
Instead, he dreamed of a wondrous view of mountaintops, capped with snow, over the crest of a rolling green hill. The warm, bright sun was rising, he noted, casting the purple-grey mountains beyond in an ethereal, orange glow. The sky was streaked pink and orange behind those mountaintops and the breeze tickled his face gently.
"I must be dreaming," Libra said, because that was the only thing that was apparent to him at the moment. The beautiful green hills, silhouetted mountaintops – they looked too perfect to be real. "Why am I here?"
"Why not?" The voice took him by surprise.
Maybe he was dreaming of mysterious voices, after all.
Gemini smiled and sat down next to him. "Isn't it beautiful?" She asked, gesturing out at the world. "A world revived from the ashes, brand new and untouched."
"You're not Gemini." Libra pointed out the obvious – at least, what was obvious to him in that moment. Even though dream-Gemini looked like Gemini; wavy, cherry-blossom hair, falling over her dark magenta shawl in folds of rosy silk, mischievous violet eyes crinkling at the edge with her smile. She even had that rising intonation at the end of her sentences, just barely hidden beneath the teasing lilt of her voice.
"Aw, c'mon Libby! Don't you recognise me?" Gemini asked, almost looking hurt for a second and letting her eyes flit down to the grassy floor. "I'm your best friend!"
"You're not Gemini. Not the real one." Libra said firmly, turning to meet her eyes. "Don't try to... pretend to be my friends. I know that... you aren't her."
Dream-Gemini's smile returned to her face. "You're a perceptive one, are you? I was right to choose you." Even though she switched topics completely, her voice remained unsettlingly the same. Before Libra could question her further, dream-Gemini turned away to gaze up at pink-and-orange glow of dawn over the horizon. "It is beautiful, is it not? Cethia, renewed from the ashes of plague and destruction."
"What do you mean?"
Dream-Gemini ignored him. "The sunrise. It is a teetering balance of night and day; of new beginnings and renewal." She turned to him again with a smile. "I suppose it was what drew me to you. Drew us to you. It was not quite like we had a choice, really – we are bound by the strings of time itself."
"Who... what are you talking about?"
Dream-Gemini ignored him again, instead choosing to rise to her feet. "I am afraid I cannot stay for long. Whatever you did... it seemed to have given me some time to myself. Thank you."
"W-wait!" Libra cried, shooting to his feet too and reaching out to clutch at the fabric of her shawl. "Please... tell me what you mean. What do these dreams mean?"
"...will come... lie... promise." Her voice seemed to stutter and fade, overladen with thousands of distorted, whispering voices. "Cannot... here."
As Libra watched, a shadow fell over the mountaintops before him. Twisting clouds filled the clear, pink sky, coiling around mountaintops like a slithering snake and swallowing the peaceful landscape whole. In a single breath, it had consumed the entire world, leaving Libra in too-familiar darkness.
"...balance." Dream-Gemini murmured. Libra felt the world shifting and shaking and –
Libra shot awake, fingers grasping at downy cotton sheets and skin prickling. There was a throbbing ache in the back of his head and the strange sensation of having witnessed something he shouldn't have... or something he shouldn't have been physically able to see.
"Good evening." Aquarius greeted in a low murmur. "Have you slept well?"
"It's almost dinnertime, sleepyhead!" Gemini exclaimed. Libra startled at the sound of her voice; then forced himself to relax. (The back of his head was hurting even more now.) "Oh... hello, Gemini."
"Are you alright?" Aquarius asked.
"Um..." Libra tried to sit up, but the world started to spin and dark spots began to dance before his vision. He sank back down before he could pass out from the roiling nausea that was boiling in his head. "Oh... well, for our standards, I'm not dead, so I'm alright?" He swallowed, noting the dryness of his chapped lips. "But... I could use some water."
"Got it!" Gemini was off in a flash. She returned with a glass of clear water, half-filled. "Here you go!"
Libra uncurled his fingers where they were fisted in the bedsheets. His bones crackled in protest as he wrapped both hands around the cool glass.
"Can you drink?" Aquarius asked, frowning. "How is your coordination? Is your head wound any better?"
Libra took a sip. His parched throat begged for more, but his exhausted muscles refused. He tried to sit up to lower the glass to the nightstand, but Aquarius quickly took the glass from him and helped him set it down. "Careful, now."
"T-thanks." Libra tilted his head back against the downy white pillow. "Er... I think I'll be fine. I'm just... tired."
"But you just slept!" Gemini protested, but Aquarius shushed her. "Are you hungry? We can acquire something to eat for dinner if you require it."
"Dinner...?"
"Cassiopeia has offered her maids; service in making dinner. If you require. Can you sit up?"
Libra moved to do as asked, blinking away the dark spots in his vision and propping himself against the headboard. It was easier this time, though that spot on his head continued to ache. He reached up to prod it carefully, hissing between his teeth as his head throbbed again. "Oh... that's not good."
"It isn't." Aquarius nodded, looking a little too serious for her curt reply. "Libra, if you really –"
"No, no, it's alright! Just give me some time..." Libra frowned as he noted the garb of his two retainers; white, velvety robes. "Did you... change clothes?"
"Oh!" Gemini rubbed the back of her head, grinning sheepishly. "We took baths, and there were robes just hanging outside in the closet. Maybe you should take one, too; not saying, well, that you smell, but –"
"R-right! I'll... I can take care of it myself." Libra slid his legs off the bed. "Don't worry about me..."
"I haven't seen any male servants around here." Aquarius frowned. "Well, if it really comes to it –"
"No, really! I'll handle it myself!"
"Who's to say you won't pass out in the bathtub?" Gemini offered. "I mean, aside from drowning, you could also wake up several hours later, cold, sick and looking like a prune!"
"Thank you... for the mental image, Gemini." Libra steadied himself on the side of the bed. His head hurt a little less than before, but now with the motivation of an actual, clean bath spurring him on, he had a little more energy to begin heading for the door. "But I'll be fine. Well, I'll... see you later?"
"That's the exit."
"R-right... thanks." Libra turned the other way and headed for the door to the right of the bed. "Er, well, I'll be off...?"
"We'll lay out clothes on the table outside." Aquarius called. "Then we'll leave you to your privacy. But if you need anything, just call – we'll be standing guard outside."
"E-er, that's really not necessary... besides, you're not technically my retainers anymore, so –"
"Just go bathe!" Gemini burst out.
"I'm sorry! I – I'll do that now!" Libra yelped, scurrying off into the pristine, white-marble bathroom.
Someone knocked on the door almost as soon as Libra closed the door to the bathroom. Gemini answered for them: "Who is it?"
"Oh, Gemini! I didn't expect you to be here. It's me, Pisces. Are you and Libra... busy in there?" Pisces' voice echoed from behind the thick wooden frame.
"We were just about to come out. Libra's using the bathroom, so we'll leave him to his peace." Aquarius responded, moving towards the door and opening it. Pisces toweled the back of her slightly damp brown-and-blue hair with a bashful smile as she spoke. "Er, I was wondering whether you guys know what else we should do...? Cassiopeia didn't really tell us to go anywhere or meet somewhere after she left..."
"We're just as clueless as you." Gemini shrugged. "The only person who probably knows what's going on is Scorpio and he's not around. But we were going to stand guard outside Libra's room!"
"That's no problem. Can I join you?"
"Sure." Aquarius shrugged. "Let's give Libra some space, then."
-x-x-x-
"I can't believe we're doing this." Cancer hissed.
"Shh!" Sagittarius peered around the corner intently, glancing to and fro. "Alright, all clear. Quickly!"
The two girls darted past the open corridor, earning a few confused glances from the maids that Sagittarius had missed but nothing more. Sagittarius shuffled along the wall, her feet silent on the floor in her velvety slippers.
"Why are you spying on everyone?" Cancer continued to complain, albeit in a hushed voice. "We're guests in the house of a noble; if her last name didn't give it away or anything. You can't just –"
"There he is!" Sagittarius whispered. Cancer sighed, but peeped around the corner to look too.
"Seriously? You were looking for Aries?" Cancer muttered back. It didn't appear as if Aries was doing anything in particular... he was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself.
"This is where he's going to confess," Sagittarius murmured joyfully, "He's going to go in, apologise, then they're going to finally –"
"Wait, you're talking about–?"
"Of course I'm talking about Aries and Scorpio!" Sagittarius rolled her eyes as she continued, "You know how long I've had to put up with this? At least more than five years; at least, I don't know when it actually started, but I really started to notice it after I saw how – how... just everything! Ugh, do you know how frustrating it was? They act more like a married couple than Duke and Duchess von Charon themselves!"
"You're not making any sense here."
"Shh!" Sagittarius whispered again, taking Cancer's wrist and pulling her back so they were hidden behind the wall again. They stayed there for a few moments, hearts pounding erratically (Sagittarius, from her near discovery – at least, that's what she told herself – and Cancer, for the sudden movement and why was Sagittarius still touching her hand?) as they waited.
A door creaked. Sagittarius stuck her head back out from around the corner again and immediately pulled her head back. "It's Scorpio," she whispered to Cancer, who hadn't moved from her spot.
The raven-haired male's voice echoed out down the corridor. "Ugh, what are you trying to do; make a hole in the floor with your feet? And while I would appreciate a pitfall trap so I wouldn't have to see her for a few days, you're likely going to catch the attention of everyone else in the house with your stomping around before that ever happens. Now come inside."
"H-hey, wait! Scorpio!" Even though Aries lowered his voice, Sagittarius and Cancer could still hear his words echo out across the hallway. "Isn't Cassiopeia in there? She's –"
"No, she isn't. She went off to get tea or something." Scorpio huffed. "Can't you tell? I wouldn't be speaking openly about her if she was around. Now come in quickly before she comes back."
The slam of the door rung out, leaving the corridor in silence. Sagittarius took this chance to slip out and press her ear against the door. "Darn it." She muttered, scowling. "I think these doors are too thick for eavesdropping."
"Really?" Cancer sighed, trying to keep the relief out of her voice. "Well, isn't that a shame. Let's just go back to our rooms and ask for dinner –"
"No, wait! I hear something!" Sagittarius hissed, leaning against the door slightly. "Cancer, if you're not listening – keep watch!"
Cancer frowned. With Sagittarius's ear pressed against the door, there wasn't really any other space for her to put her head (even if she wanted to eavesdrop) unless she had a particular fondness for being nose-to-nose with the ginger-haired girl. And Cancer's better judgement outright refused giving Sagittarius another opportunity to tease her again. "Right... I'll keep watch, then."