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Chapter Text

A long day in the cubicle has finally come to an end, and Colette lets out a relieved sigh as the elevator doors shut before her. She's already fantasizing about curling up at home and turning on some anime, especially with those clouds looming in the distance. She rushes out the front doors of the building-

"Colette!"

The dark-haired girl lets out a yelp at the shout of her name, and she spins, meeting her best friend, Sophie's gaze. "Sophie!" she says, an instinctive smile rising to her lips. "What's up?"

"I was thinking you'd like to see a movie," Sophie says, a mischievous smile on her own face. "You've had quite a long week, after all."

Colette's eyes narrow with suspicion. "What kind of movie?"

Sophie claps her hands together excitedly, eyes twinkling. "Romance, of course!" she says, getting a groan from Colette. "Oh, come on! I know you're tired of the same old-"

"Hetero-normative, jerky-guy-is-a-jerk-and-the-girl-still-loves-him, brain-dead, patronizing sort of plot?"

Sophie gives Colette a flat look. "You know, you have practically the exact same tastes as me," she points out.

"Yeah, except I want the jerky guy to not stay a jerk by the end of the film," Colette points out. "You just wanna see them make out."

"Guilty as charged," Sophie says, laughing afterward. "Come on, though, this one has that totally-hot actor you're basically in love with!" She pulls out her phone. "And it's a tragic, forbidden love story!"

Colette perks up at this. "...Forbidden love...?" she says, hesitant to admit that her attention has been captured. She slides forward, peeking at the movie poster from what she can see off of Sophie's phone. "And the next showing is...?"

"Mm, in about-"

A large drop of water plops itself onto Sophie's phone screen, and the two girls yelp as rain begins falling down upon them in earnest. Sophie covers her head fruitlessly, looking at Colette with a pained expression. "You know what, let's maybe not do a movie today!"

"Sounds good! I'll text you later!"

Colette and Sophie run off in different directions. But it isn't long before Colette sees a large, bright flash, taking over her entire vision, and before she can even realize what's happening, she blacks out.

She awakens soon after, though not on hard concrete, nor in a hospital bed, as she would have expected. Rather, she awakens on a dirt path within a rather dead forest. With a groan, she lifts herself up into a sitting position, pressing her hand against her forehead in hopes of lessening the headache she finds there.

"How did I get here...?" she grumbles to herself.

A bad move, speaking aloud in a forest.

A low, animalistic growl sounds from some nearby bushes, and Colette's body immediately tenses, her heart racing as though she's run a mile. Even her breath stops in her lungs. Her head snaps in the direction that the growl had come from, and she sees two bright yellow eyes staring out at her.

"Oh? What have you found, my little pet?"

An unfamiliar voice comes from behind the bushes, and the eyes disappear - whatever creature that owned them going towards the other voice. Colette stands as quickly as she can while her legs are trembling so much, ready to take this chance. She doesn't want to be here when the thing comes back, so it's best to run. Run and never look back.

She doesn't get that far, though. Just as she makes it to her feet, the creature - a wolf, as it turns out - runs back to her, barking frantically at her. She yelps and squeezes her eyes shut, bracing herself for pain-

...That doesn't come.

She opens one eye, then the other. Slowly. Heart still racing, she takes in the sight before her.

The gray-white wolf is sitting there on its hind legs, watching her less like she's its pray, and more like it's a dog waiting for orders. And just to its side...

A man. An elf man, judging by the look of his ears. Colette balks at him for a good moment, blinking a good handful of times.

'Oh. Okay. Got it. Dream.'

He has purple-gray skin, cream-white hair, and shocked black eyes that gaze upon her with some sort of... Reverence, and fear, mixed together.

"My queen..." he breathes. Then, a slow grin spreads across the man's face, and he kneels down to pet the wolf. His wolf. "Oh, you've done well, little pup. I'll find you something good for your efforts."

Colette blinks once again as the man turns his oblivion-black eyes back to her, and he holds out a hand for her to take. "Come, my queen. I know not how you have returned, but I can well assure you that I am not the only one who will be pleased at your return."

"Queen...?" Colette whispers, eyes darting between his face and the hand he's holding out to her. "I, um..."

'If it's a dream, I guess I should just go with it?'

With that decided, Colette nods and takes the man's hand into her own. "Yes, of course. We should go see... Them."

The man tilts his head at her, brief confusion in his eyes, but he nods all the same, his smile large when the confusion is gone. "Of course, my queen. Let us go home."

Chapter Text

Colette follows after the elf-man slowly, her eyes often darting away from the path before them over to the wolf at the man's side. If he notices her fear at the creature, he doesn't show it, leading her along in silence.

Soon enough, they arrive at a large, imposing castle. It exudes a threatening, terrifying aura, making Colette's knees wobble. She almost thinks it would be better to turn around and flee.

But she doesn't.

After all, this is no more than a dream. Nothing to fear, in that case.

And so she continues following after the elven man, despite her trepidation.

He leads her through the entrance, and down the hallway within. Soon, they come to a door. The man turns and looks to her. "Are you ready, my queen? Are you ready to meet your generals once more?" he asks.

All she can manage is a nod. Privately, she wants to say 'no', but her voice won't come, and her head moves without her permission.

The man grins an eerie grin, and he pushes open the door.

When they enter, Colette finds that the room beyond is a dining hall. It looks as though it could be considered quite lavish, if not for an odd, cold aura sucking out all pretense of life within. Even the people inside seem cold and dead inside, though they are certainly alive despite this.

They all glance up at her and the man's entrance, and as one they all stand, their eyes wide.

"My queen," the one and only woman in the group gasps, breathless. A man who shares her blond hair moves like lightning, as though spurred by the woman's words, and rushes to kneel before Colette.

"My queen... You have returned," he whispers reverently. "This... This is a glorious day... I always knew-"

"Halt your ridiculous commentary, Richter," the elven man deadpans, unimpressed with the other man's behavior. "Do you wish my little pet here to tear off your face?"

At his words, the wolf at his side begins growling menacingly, as if daring the human man - Richter? - to try testing the elf's threat.

"I-it's fine," Colette says quickly, unwilling to have to deal with seeing such a... Scene. "I don't... Mind."

The elf hums, then shrugs. "If you say so, my queen."

The oldest man in the group frowns, though. She must have said something wrong. "Pray tell me, Jinhai," he says, "but where exactly did you find our... Queen?"

"She was in the forest," the elf - Jinhai, his name must be Jinhai - says with no hesitation. He meets the older man's eyes without trepidation, and blinks slowly, like a cat might blink at its prey. "She seemed lost... Almost confused, even." A beat later, Jinhai asks, "Why does it matter?"

"Because," the older man says, "this woman could very well be someone other than our queen. Could she not?"

Jinhai's eyes widen, and he scoffs at the words. The woman and Richter both turn to look at the older man, though Richter seems to have some trouble turning, as he's still kneeling down.

"What makes you say that, Magnus?" the woman asks in an icy tone. "Look at her! Everything about her face is exactly the same, so how-"

"Everything except her eyes," Magnus says. "Look at her eyes, all of you. She holds no recognition for any of you, for any of-" He gestures to the area around them. "-this. So she cannot be our queen. I know not how or why she bears her face, but-"

"My pet recognizes her," Jinhai says, "and that is enough for me."

Indeed, Jinhai's 'pet' - the wolf at his side, Colette guesses - has been quite subservient to both her and Jinhai. Admittedly, it only makes her more scared than giving her some sense of ease. But she tries not to let on to this, and instead, to show that Jinhai speaks the truth, kneels down next to the wolf and pets its soft fur.

The wolf lets out a low whine, and nuzzles into her hand.

Silence rings around the room, and she can feel the tingle of five pairs of eyes all staring at her.

Was that... The wrong thing to do?

"...I suppose only the queen has ever been able to tame your pets, aside from yourself," Magnus eventually agrees. "Fine, then. But I still don't believe she holds any recollection of us. Do you, my queen?"

"Of course she does!" Jinhai insists, but Magnus glares.

"Let her speak for herself, Jinhai."

Colette swallows thickly and tries to think quickly. "I..." She takes a deep breath. "N-no, I'm sorry. I don't believe I have any memory of... Of any of you, or this place."

It's better than trying to come up with a lie, she reasons.

Based on Magnus's glare, though, he does not agree with that. "Jinhai... You are certain she is our queen?"

"I would not have brought her if I were not," Jinhai deadpans.

"I see." Magnus seems to consider this, though his glare does not lessen. "...Helena, do you think you could find a way to bring back her memory with magic?"

"I will do my best," the woman - Helena - says without hesitation, eyes alight with excitement.

"I will also attempt to do what I can, even without magic," Richter suggests.

"As should Jinhai," Magnus says, "since this... 'Queen' of ours was brought by him in the first place."

Jinhai bristles, but nods all the same at the order. Colette busies herself with stroking the wolf's fur some more, trying to pretend that she doesn't hear the threat in Magnus's voice.

The threat that was directed at both Jinhai... And herself.

Chapter Text

Shortly after the meeting - if it could be called such - Helena volunteers to show Colette to her, or rather their queen's, sleeping quarters.

Right before they leave, though, Jinhai kneels down and whispers into his wolf's ear. Colette doesn't know what he says, not exactly, but the canine trots easily after Colette and Helena when they leave the room.

"Honestly," Helena says, low enough that Colette thinks it's meant to be to herself and not to Colette, "he thinks himself above Alain and myself... And yet he does such actions as this."

"H-huh?" Colette says, turning to look at Helena in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Helena blinks, and shakes her head. "It is nothing, my queen. You need not concern yourself with our petty squabbles, truly."

Colette doesn't know what to say in response to that. All she does is nod, and then continues following Helena.

Soon, they come to a large door. "These are your chambers, my queen," Helena tells her. Then, without waiting for Colette to respond, the tall blonde opens the door and leads her inside.

The decor is beautiful - Colette would even go so far as to call it lavish, especially for the setting her mind has chosen for her dream. Although she does note that it is in the same, ice-blue and silver type coloring as the rest of the castle, she can still certainly appreciate it.

Helena notices her awe, and gives a slight smile. "My queen, would you perhaps like to change out of your clothes and into something more... Suitable?"

Colette blinks, and looks down at her clothes. Maybe they're a bit old, but what could be wrong with them beyond that? "What's wrong with my clothes now?" she asks.

Helena hesitates for a moment, as if worried about offending her. "Well, erm... You have much nicer attire in your dressers and wardrobes, my queen. Will you at least look at them?" she asks.

Colette reminds herself that, in this setting, her outfit right now must look truly strange. So she supposes it would be a good idea to at least humor Helena. "Sure," she says. She approaches one of the dressers, and within finds quite lovely dresses, but all are in the same ice-blue as everyone else's clothes.

She looks through a few more drawers, and soon finds something else. It's all black and brown, but looks like it's never been worn. Interesting, but perhaps of no shock. She wonders if it's just her brain giving her something unique since she doesn't want anything matching the others' clothes.

Whatever the reason for these new clothes, she's glad to have something more like what would be considered 'acceptable' for this dream. She pulls out the clothes, and looks to Helena warily. "Um... Can you maybe give me some privacy?"

Helena blinks, but nods. She gives a low bow, and leaves the room.

Before she shuts the door, she looks to the wolf, who'd followed them in. "You, too, you filthy animal," Helena snaps.

"Hey, the wolf didn't do anything to you," Colette says, feeling slightly offended on the wolf's behalf. "No need to insult it, is there?"

Helena eyes Colette for a moment before shaking her head. "I suppose not."

She shuts the door, leaving the wolf in the room with Colette. Normally Colette might be a little wary - to say the least - about being left alone with such an animal, but so far the creature has been acting more like a large dog.

"Hey, little guy," she says. The wolf barks and wags its tail, further proving Colette's thoughts.

She grins, and begins to undress. Oddly enough, the dog promptly turns around and lays its head down, as if giving Colette privacy. She laughs a little and shakes her head in amusement at the sight.

It takes a bit of struggling, but soon enough Colette has the outfit on. "I'm done," she says airily to the wolf, internally wondering if she's gone crazy. Even in a dream, it's a stretch to imagine that a wolf would care if she was done getting dressed.

But the wolf hops up and turns around, tilting its head at her as if appraising her outfit. She shakes her head in amusement, and heads for the door. "C'mon, little guy. I'm gonna see if Helena's up for giving me a tour of the rest of this castle." The dog barks its approval as she opens the door.

Oddly enough, though, Helena is not alone when she steps out into the hallway. She looks annoyed, almost, with the person who is there with her - Jinhai.

Jinhai and Helena both turn to look at Colette. They silently appraise her outfit before Helena says, "My queen, would you mind if I... Stepped away for a bit? Jinhai has made the point that I should start as soon as possible on getting your memories back. So he has volunteered to show you around the castle in my stead."

Colette blinks, but nods. So long as she gets some sort of direction, she supposes it doesn't matter who it's from. "Yeah, sure, that's cool with me," she says.

Helena and Jinhai stare blankly at her for a moment before Helena finally says, "Very... Well?"

She gives one more last annoyed glance to Jinhai, and then turns and stalks off down the hallway.

Once she is out of earshot, Jinhai turns, and gives Colette a grin. "Shall we, my queen?"

Chapter Text

The tour is slow. Jinhai takes his time, showing Colette the library first, and then the generals' training grounds, and then the kitchen and dungeons and showing her various routes to get to certain places. He really wants to ensure that she won't get lost.

"I have one more place to show you, my queen, and then my job will be done here," he says. She thinks he's noticing her depleting energy, because he keeps glancing to make sure she's keeping up along the way to this last location.

It turns out to be a courtyard, filled with bushes and trellises of white roses. In the very center, a small gazebo with a table and two chairs. "Would you like to rest here, your majesty?"

"Yes, please," she says, bringing some manner of confusion, once more, to Jinhai's eyes. She sits down in one of the chairs, and tilts her head up to Jinhai. "Will you sit down, too?"

Jinhai, this time, sees fit to bring voice to his confusion, "My queen, you need not worry about my comfort. You never did before."

Colette frowns and toys with the end of her sleeve. "...Well," she says, carefully, "maybe I don't want to be that sort of queen anymore. You've done a lot for me today, so you deserve to rest for a moment."

Jinhai shakes his head at her words, though it's a hesitant movement. "I've only done as was expected of me as your general. Had any of the others been the one to find you, they would have done the same."

Colette purses her lips at that. "I... Don't think Magnus would have. He didn't even seem to believe that I'm your queen."

Jinhai smirks a little at that, and gives a short nod. "Yes, I suppose he is the exception. But no, Helena and Alain would have most certainly brought you back. Lennox too, I believe, though likely only out of the interest in keeping his own life."

"...Keeping his own life?"

"But of course. Had he not brought you back, and then you somehow regained your memory afterward, I have no doubts that you would have struck him down mercilessly as penance... Such is your way, my queen." The last bit is added almost hesitantly, as if Jinhai wants to assure her that he doesn't mean it as an insult, but a fact.

However it's meant, Colette's eyes widen at the information, and the blood in her veins chills. For some strange, unplacable reason, she feels the urge to believe, for a moment, that there is a real queen that she's replacing at the moment. She feels, for that one, singular moment, that she should be concerned about that queen coming back, and striking her down.

...But that's silly, of course.

Because this is a dream.

It has to be a dream. Elves aren't real, for one thing, obviously. And one doesn't normally just wake up in a world where fiction was reality. So this is - has to be - a dream.

"...I see," she manages to choke out, turning her eyes away from Jinhai to stare down at the table. Maybe when she looks up, he'll be gone, and then she'll wake up as her dream starts to fall apart around her.

But no, she looks up and he's still there - albeit now staring at her with a sort of guarded curiosity. Based on what he'd previously said, too, she thinks she's starting to understand why. Why everyone thinks her to be acting so strange.

If who they think her to be is - or was? - truly so merciless and cruel... Then she, suddenly, doesn't want to be that person. She doesn't want to go along with this dream anymore.

But instead of acting on this desire - instead of trying to force the dream to change, like she so desperately wants - she decides to just go along in a different way. "Jinhai... Do you have any other pets? Like the wolf?"

"I do," Jinhai says with a nod. "And, as Magnus mentioned earlier, you were the only one ever able to make them submit as well as I - if not better. Would you like to meet them again? Perhaps doing so will jog your memory a bit more."

The wolf is getting along with her well enough, is even acting rather dog-like in its behaviors, so maybe she is this horrid, cruel queen, at least in this dream world. She isn't in reality, but that's obvious, as she isn't any kind of royalty in reality. She is an ordinary office-worker from Chicago. Emphasis on the 'ordinary' part.

But this is a dream. Anything is possible. So she nods and stands up once again. "Yeah, you're right... Where are they?"

"The larger ones tend to be kept outside in stables, or other housing suitable for them. I try to visit them when I can, or my hold on them becomes more tenuous," Jinhai says casually. Then, he smirks. "However, you always seemed to like the smaller ones better. I keep those in my room. The pythons and birds and such... Would you rather see those?"

Colette balks at this, unsure if she'd heard right. She hopes she hadn't. "You consider pythons small?!" she shrieks.

"Well, yes... They are small enough to fit in my room without causing any issue in my daily life, at any rate," Jinhai says, as if this is no big deal to him. "You can see it for yourself." With a motion of his head, Jinhai leads the way back into the castle, and, with trepidation shaking her every bone, Colette has no choice but to follow him.

Chapter Text

When Jinhai opens the door to his room, it turns out to be more of a petting zoo than a bedroom. Sure, there's a bed right in the middle there, but Colette can't help but think that the animals must use it more often than Jinhai does. She doesn't ask, though, somehow feeling that it would be rude, and looks around at the various animals.

Indeed, like Jinhai had said, he has a number of birds, as well as smaller mammals - babies, she thinks, not fully grown. Jinhai sees her looking at them, and says, "They have been weaned off of their mother's milk, so I brought them inside for a while. It will help them learn to get along with the other animals. Otherwise the older ones would have a hard time understanding that those who would normally be prey are not so in battles, and those who would normally be a danger are the same."

"I see," is all Colette can say to that. It makes her think of those pictures of puppies and kittens cuddling online, and she can't help but smile at that thought. She glances around some more, and finally finds the animal she'd been most scared to meet. She tenses up at the sight of the python, curled up on a tall pedastal near the window. Jinhai takes notice of it immediately, and follows her gaze.

"...You are scared of it?" he asks, finally realizing.

"...Y-yeah. A little." She winces, taking a step back - careful not to step on a nearby panther cub. "I'm scared of all snakes, to be honest. Not just pythons. But they're definitely high up on the list."

"Mm. Then you should face your fears, should you not, my queen?"

"Huh?!" Colette turns her head, giving Jinhai a wide, terrified stare. "N-no, no way! I don't know what you want, but the answer is NO!"

Jinhai tilts his head at her reaction, curious. "But... You never had an issue with them before," he says.

Oh, hell no. No version of herself - dream or otherwise - would EVER be okay with ANY version of a snake. She opens her mouth to say this, but Jinhai places a hand on her shoulder, silencing her voice. "My queen, do you trust me?"

"...Huh?"

"Do you trust me? You must, or I would not be one of your generals," he says, firm but gentle. "If you do, then believe me when I say that I would not allow any of the beasts in this room - or in the stables - to harm you. If they should try, I will punish them."

Colette swallows thickly. She looks over to the python. The python looks back, seeming not to care about her one way or the other. "...What do you want me to do?"

"Just step close to the pedastal it's on."

She nods slowly. "...Walk with me, please?"

"I had every intention to do so," Jinhai assures her.

She lets out a slow breath, and then takes a small step towards the pedastal. She hears Jinhai chuckle in amusement behind her. "You can take larger steps than that, my queen."

"R-right... Sorry."

Jinhai hums at the apology - she chooses not to ask what it means, and takes a larger step this time. She hears Jinhai move with her, and he doesn't move his hand from her shoulder, either. It's comforting - like, if he's not scared, then she shouldn't be, either. "Should... Should I move closer?"

"Mm, yes, I think so. If you can manage it."

The python is watching her, but... She doesn't feel like it's going to attack if she gets closer than she is. Hopefully, anyway. So she decides to take one more step, and Jinhai moves with her. The python finally moves, and she squeaks as it lifts its head, watching her more closely now.

"Um... What now?"

"Would you like to touch it?"

Colette feels the blood drain from her face. "Um... If you swear it's safe?"

"Safe for you and I, my queen. For anyone else, I would have doubts."

That doesn't help at all, given Colette's uncertainty as to whether she's actually supposed to be the queen here or not. But... The wolf seems to agree with Jinhai, and think of her as the queen, so...

She reaches out with a trembling, shaking hand. As if to assure her, Jinhai reaches out with his free hand - keeping her steady with his other hand, still on her shoulder. The python looks curiously at their hands, then gently nudges its nose against Colette's fingertips. She squeaks and jerks her hand back a bit, but after the python simply stares at her for another moment, she relaxes. "It... Really is pretty docile, huh?"

"Indeed. I have them very well trained, and they will never harm you. You have my word."

Colette giggles a bit,letting her fingers gently brush against the top of the python's head. "You know," she murmurs, "people say that animals like people with kind hearts..." She turns her smile over to Jinhai. "I guess that means you're pretty kind, if they listen to you so well."

Jinhai's hand tenses over Colette's shoulder, and the other drops from the air. He stares at her in silent bewilderment, blinking several times as if to try and process what she'd just said. She frowns at him in return. "Um... Did I say someth-"

"No," Jinhai says, quick and sharp. "Just..." He pauses, considering what to say, and then finally shakes his head. "It is nothing, my queen. Nothing at all. But... You have had a very busy day. You should return to your own quarters and rest, I believe."

"Oh..." Colette's brows furrow, but she nods. "Alright. Thanks for letting me meet your animals, though. Can I come by again?"

Jinhai, once again, hesitates. Eventually, he nods. "Yes... Whenever you like, of course... My queen."

And, it might just be Colette's imagination... But she thinks she heard a question in Jinhai's tone, as he called her that title.

Chapter Text

Colette remembers, waking up the next morning, that she'd fallen asleep and had expected to wake up - either on the sidewalk of Chicago, or in a hospital, having just awoken from a coma.

Either way, neither of these happen. She does not wake up to a crowd of people staring blankly down at her, arguing about what to do or who should call 911. She does not wake up in a hospital, either, with Sophie crying over her, begging her to wake up so they can watch her movie.

She wakes up in this strange queen's room, surrounded by ice-blue and silver decor. She groans, and covers her face with one of the pillows. What will it take, she wonders? What will it take for her to wake up from this dream?

A knock on the bedroom's door silences her thoughts, and she sighs. She stands up with an annoyed pout, and stalks her way over to the door. With no care for the fact that she's in a quite unsuitable state for being seen, she flings the door open with an annoyed, "Yeah, what's up?"

Jinhai, apparently the one who'd knocked, simply stares at her for a moment. "...Perhaps you would like to dress yourself, before we have any sort of discussion...?"

Colette freezes, her state of undress finally dawning on her. "Um... Yeah," she mumbles, her cheeks burning like fire. "Sorry, one sec." She shuts the door, and rushes to dress herself. She fumbles on a few of the buckles, likely from embarrassment, but eventually gets everything situated and her body covered. She moves over to the door once more, and opens it with a shy smile. "Hey. Come in?"

Jinhai gives her a polite nod, and enters the room with a calm sort of air - as if he's done it a thousand times over.

'Maybe he has,' Colette thinks. 'Someone has to clean this place, and if it's so important, I can't imagine any of them would let the servants do it without supervision.' She pauses, then shudders. 'Magnus wouldn't, at least.'

"So, uh, what's up? What did you want to talk about?" she asks Jinhai, when it's clear that he has no intention of starting this discussion on his own.

Jinhai, however, simply turns and stares at her for a long, unnerving moment. Just as Colette begins to feel cold fear creeping up her back, he finally deigns to speak, "I am not sure that I fully believe you to be my queen any longer."

Colette stills. Cold sweat breaks out across her brow, begins to drip down her face. He doesn't believe her? He was the first to believe her! She may not be this queen, true, but what on earth could have-?!

"My queen," Jinhai says, slowly, "would not have said that I am kind like it was a good thing. She would have spat the word at my feet as though it was the worst poison one could give another. She would have given me a thousand punishments in the name of beating the supposed kindness out of me." As he speaks, his words get faster and more aggressive. However, his eyes are alight, not with aggression or suspicion - but something else, something that makes Colette pause.

He looks at her with tentative hope.

"I know not who you are, but it is the most grievous sin for one to falsely proclaim themself as my queen," Jinhai says, fists clenched at his side as he continues forcing out the aggression in his voice. "Tell me your name, false queen."

Colette bites her lip and averts her gaze. "My name is Colette. Colette Montero. And- I really, really didn't mean to decieve you, okay? I swear. I just sorta thought this... This all wasn't real. A dream." She takes in a slow breath, and then lets it out just as slowly. "But, just in case it's not... You should know that I'm not from this world. I'm from another dimension entirely, okay? I... I am really, really sorry that I kept that from you, though."

Jinhai stares at her in silence. His brows are furrowed, his fists have loosened. And for a long, long moment, there is silence in this room.

"Colette," Jinhai eventually speaks, but he says her name and nothing else. It's like he talked without determining what he wanted to say, first, and now - based on his expression - he regrets it deeply. Colette smiles to herself, amused by the thought.

"Yes?" she says, tilting her head in mock curiosity. He frowns at her in return and turns his head away.

"I... I will help you fool the others, if you should need it," he mumbles out. "Presuming you are telling the truth."

"I am," Colette assures him. "If there was a way to prove that to you, I would." She frowns a little to herself, a little annoyed that she and this queen apparently look so alike. If she had more information, maybe...

"Maybe you should tell me about her?" she suggests, her eyes going wide. "I don't really know what else I could do, but... If you know anything about her, then-"

"This world you supposedly come from," Jinhai cuts her off swiftly. "It has magic, correct?"

"Ah... No, actually," Colette smiles a bit awkwardly. "Sorry. Why, did the queen...?"

Jinhai grunts and nods in confirmation. "She was not known as the Witch Queen for nothing. Her magical prowess was second to none - even Helena could not hope to beat her."

Colette's eyes widen. Not just about the apparent power that the queen held but- "She was called the 'Witch' Queen? That's... Pretty evil-sounding, actually." She shifts uncomfortably at this observation.

"Indeed, to many, I suppose she may have been considered 'evil'," Jinhai says with a casual shrug. "She would strike down anyone if they tried to stop her on her path, but could that truly be called evil if she deserved what she was trying to achieve?"

Colette's stomach churns at the question. She doesn't know how to respond-

And thankfully, as another knock sounds on the door, it turns out that she doesn't have to. The blond man's voice - Richter, Colette thinks he was called - comes through, "My queen! It is time for breakfast! Do you intend to eat with us?"

Colette looks uncertainly towards Jinhai. He hesitates for a moment, then sighs and steps towards the door. As he opens it, Colette can see Richter's expression fall into one of shock and confusion. "The queen will be eating breakfast in her room," he says. "And I will be bringing it to her."

Richter blinks a few times, then peers past Jinhai. "My queen, is this true...?"

"Um... Yes," Colette tries to hold herself with more confidence, but she's not sure she succeeds. "Yes, Jinhai speaks the truth."

"...I see. I will let the others know at once," Richter says. He still doesn't seem all that happy about the situation as he leaves. Jinhai gives Colette a glance - what it means, she's not sure - before he, too, leaves, shutting the door behind himself...

And leaving Colette alone in silence, thinking over what she's just learned.

Chapter Text

Colette, in the end, is not alone for long. Jinhai returns fairly soon - in the middle of Colette trying to determine if she should fear this 'Witch Queen's' return, in fact. Curiously enough, she sees that he's carrying not one, but two trays of food. He seems fairly off-balance as he does so, and Colette rushes to take one of them from him. "Why two?" she asks him, tilting her head as she speaks.

"One is mine," he says. "They are fairly used to me taking my meals in my room when I require solitude from the non-animal residents of the castle. So I simply told them that I would be eating there after delivering your meal, and that was that."

"Oh..." Colette hesitates. She doesn't want to assume - particularly if she's wrong - but... "Was it... A lie?" she asks hopefully.

Jinhai grunts and glances away. "...It was. I was planning to eat with you, if you should find that agreeable. I thought that we might continue our earlier discussion."

Colette perks up, but at the same time, her heart thuds just a bit faster. She doesn't think she really wants to know more about this Witch Queen she's pretending to be, but still... If she's going to continue, even with Jinhai at her side to help... She does need all the information she can get. So... "Alright... What did you want to talk about next, then?"

"I suppose that depends on what questions you have for me," Jinhai says. He then motions to the bed, silently, indicating that they should sit and eat while they talk. Colette's stomach rumbles, agreeing with that sentiment, and so they move to sit down, placing their respective trays in their laps.

"...First question, I guess," Colette begins, slow and hesitant, "should I be worried about this... Witch Queen... Coming back? And seeing me, pretending to be her? Like, will she kill me, or anything?"

Jinhai's movement stills, mere moments away from the food making its way into his mouth. Slowly, he puts his fork back down with a deep, heavy sigh. "...No, you should not be concerned about that," he says gravely. "As much as I hate to admit as such, she is... Long dead. Nothing Helena's magic, nor Lennox's cultists do, will ever be able to change that fact. She is dead, and although her ghost still haunts every single one of us in this castle, she will always remain dead."

Colette blinks several times, trying to make sense of that. "If... If that's true," she says, "then why did you think I was-"

"Because I grow tired of following the orders of a ghost," Jinhai says sharply. "Helena has claimed again and again that she will bring her back in flesh, and despite the fact that I knew it was impossible, I stayed for that and that alone. I hoped for it to be true, because... This," he gestures to the room around them, but Colette supposes he's really indicating the castle as a hole, "is the only place I can truly belong. The other elves cast me out long ago, after all, and so where else am I meant to go, if not here?"

Colette widens her eyes. She shifts her meal off of her lap, and moves the tray to the side. Jinhai looks at her curiously - and then with wide eyes, as she moves closer to him and places a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm really sorry they did that," she says. "And I'm also sorry you think you have nowhere else to go, but-"

"I do not think it, I know it," Jinhai says sharply, with an even sharper glare to match. "Even if I did have other options before, they were cast away when I became a general of the Witch Queen."

Despite the annoyed look on Jinhai's face, his voice seems sad, to Colette. Regretful, even.

"...Can I ask you, what made you join her? Instead of going somewhere else?"

Jinhai sighs and turns away. Colette notices that for all his hesitance, annoyance, with this topic, he has yet to remove her hand. She hopes that means he's okay with her leaving it there.

"...There was nowhere else I could keep my animals," he eventually mutters.

Colette blinks.

"...Huh?"

She... Didn't expect that reason.

Still not meeting her eyes, Jinhai continues, "The faerie domain has more beach than forest, which makes it unsuitable for many of my animals. The human domain has too many buildings, which makes it almost worse. And although I had considered going to the demons, for a time, it was not long before the queen burned it all to the ground in an act of genocide." He sighs deeply. "Thus... I had nowhere."

Colette blinks several times. Just to double-check that she's not hearing things, she asks, "You couldn't go anywhere except here... Because of your animals?"

Jinhai huffs at her disbelief, as if it's unwarranted somehow. "I would not go anywhere without them. They are my protector, and I am theirs. They keep me safe in fights and battles, whether it is for war or I have simply run into a thief. In turn for this, I keep them fed and give them shelter. It is not so strange that I would take their safety and ability to live comfortably into account."

"I don't think it's strange," Colette insists quickly. "I think it's sweet, really. You actually are very kind, Jinhai, to want to watch over them like that." She grins. "And no matter what the Witch Queen thought, I think that's actually a good thing."

Jinhai shifts in obvious discomfort, glancing briefly to Colette from the corner of his eye before turning his eyes away once again. He stares almost angrily at his food, as though it's his meal's fault that he's thinking... Whatever it is he's thinking, Colette supposes. "...Eat your food," he mumbles. As if to further insist that the conversation is done, he takes a bite of his own meal, and then another.

Colette gives a small laugh to herself, and then reaches for her tray once more.

She doesn't miss the brief glance Jinhai gives her when, inevitably, she has to remove her hand from his arm, finally. It makes her stomach flutter.

Chapter Text

After they finish eating, Colette offers to help Jinhai bring the trays back to the kitchen. She can't help but think that it would be better than having to watch him carry them himself, even if they no longer have food on them. So they walk down the long, empty hallway together in silence - just as they had eaten in silence, too. Colette had actually tried to make conversation - different than their prior one, obviously - but Jinhai had turned her away at every attempt.

He almost seems flustered, even now, she thinks. It's cute, and that's why she's not pushing him to talk anymore.

...Well, that, and also the fact that she's run out of ideas for conversation topics.

Even once they've passed the trays and dishes over to some servants to clean them, Jinhai still doesn't speak . So, Colette decides to just follow him to wherever he's going, her footsteps moving quickly to bring herself to his side again.

Jinhai looks at her from the corner of his eye, and, with a sigh, he finally decides to speak, "What are you doing?"

For a moment, she pretends to think and then... "Mm, I guess that depends," Colette says with a cheeky smile. She folds her hands behind her back and tries to look as cute as possible as she asks, "What are YOU doing?"

He frowns, and looks forward - pointedly away from her. "I was going to go feed my animals. The ones not in my room. I fed those before breakfast," he says.

Colette giggles a bit at the explanation. Jinhai really does only think of his animals, huh? "Can I come with you?" she asks hopefully.

Jinhai sighs at the question, but he doesn't seem to have the heart to say no. He doesn't say yes, either, though - he simply continues walking down the hall without fighting her on following. Colette takes it for the reluctant agreement that it is, and continues to walk at his side, humming a cheerful tune under her breath.

The larger animals kept outside, Colette soon finds out, are all mostly grown versions of the babies kept in his room. That said, she doesn't see any other wolves other than the one she already knows, but she makes sure to give that particular animal a pet.

Jinhai notices her affinity with it, apparently, as he decides to comment on it, "I wonder, if you are not her, why do my animals bend to your will so easily? They look at you as though awaiting an order from you, as they once did with her."

Colette almost wants to comment on how she apparently looks similar to this Witch Queen. But she's not entirely oblivious - animals don't have that much of an intelligence or memory. Well, some do, sure, but most don't. So instead, what she says is, "Maybe they just like me?"

Jinhai considers this for a moment, and then gives a soft grumble that Colette can't understand. She frowns, but watches silently as he continues feeding the animals. The wolf pushes its head against her, and she giggles, continuing to pet it. Absently, she wonders if it has a name, but she figures that if she asks Jinhai about it, it will only distract him. She'll have to ask about it later, then.

The time with the animals passes in pure silence. Jinhai takes the time to assure himself that they are all doing well - are not sick or tired - and then, gesturing for Colette to follow him, he heads inside.

The wolf follows after them. But since Jinhai doesn't try to stop it, Colette decides not to either.

They walk down a few long hallways in silence once more. Eventually, Jinhai stops with a sigh. "...Are you going to follow me everywhere?" he asks.

Colette seriously considers the question, and then says, "Yeah, I am. No one else here knows the truth, so I feel like I'm safer around you than I am with anyone else."

Jinhai flinches violently at that and shoots Colette a guarded glare. Colette holds her shoulders high and meets his eyes, not taking her words back. She knows what Jinhai must think of himself - she can put it together through their past conversations - but she's not taking back her own beliefs. "I'm safe with you," she repeats, hammering in that that is how she truly feels.

Jinhai sighs to himself and looks away. "...You would, in fact, be safer with another," he says, annoyed. "You would be safer with one who held more loyalty towards the Witch Queen, such as Helena or Alain, if you can keep your true self a secret. Or one who could be convinced to betray her for safety or power, such as Lennox or Magnus, if your concern is hiding your identity." He shoots her a deeply annoyed glare. "You should know that I hold my animals first and foremost above all of my other priorities. You are truly blind if you think otherwise."

"I never said I expected you to put me above your animals, Jinhai," Colette says gently. "Actually, if you did, I think I'd be concerned. I haven't known you that long, but I can tell that they're extremely important to you. Someone who cares that much about a living thing can't really be all that bad - so if you didn't care about them, yeah, I'd probably go to someone else. But you're you - you care a lot about them, so I'm staying right here with you." She caps off her explanation with a bright grin.

Jinhai scoffs to himself, averts his gaze for a long moment. Eventually, he sees fit to finally respond. "...In that case," he says, "if you truly do plan to be staying here and taking the Witch Queen's place-"

"I never said that I-" Colette interjects, but Jinhai plows ahead and ignores her complaint,

"We should speak to Helena, and see what she has put together to bring back your 'memories'."

Oh. Yeah, that is a good point. Helena won't be able to bring back memories that she's never had, so... "Yeah, good point. If she's coming up with anything or getting close to it, I'm gonna be in trouble, huh?"

"Indeed you will. Come along, then."

Together, they start walking. And, not for the first time that day, silence descends upon them.

Chapter Text

Colette and Jinhai find Helena sequestered away deep within the library, surrounded by thick tomes. Colette glances briefly at one of the titles, but it is so old that the writing on the leather cover is barely legible. Then she looks to Helena, deeply concentrating on the writing within one of the books. She hasn't even noticed their presence.

"Helena," Jinhai speaks sharply, finally catching the blond woman's attention. Her head shoots up, expression set in a vicious glare - which falls upon noticing Colette at Jinhai's side. "How has your research been coming?" Jinhai asks her, despite the fact that she is clearly more focused on Colette than him.

Helena sits there for a moment in silence, before giving a deep sigh. "Not well. If I had some clue as to how to bring her memory back, that would make things easier." She meets Jinhai's eyes sharply. "How has your work been coming along? Have you tried anything yourself?" Her voice is bitter - clearly, she believes that Jinhai has simply been sitting around, waiting for her to fix things.

That's not entirely wrong, Colette supposes, but not for the reasons she thinks.

"I brought her to my animals," Jinhai says casually. "I thought that it would bring back memories of them bending to her will."

"No such luck, I assume?" Helena says dryly.

"None," Jinhai says. "However, the animals did seem to submit to her nonetheless."

Helena nods. "Then she is truly our queen," she murmurs. Jinhai never actually said that, but Colette thinks it was on purpose - to let Helena draw her own conclusions about the matter. It's better than letting her in on the fact of her true identity, so both Colette and Jinhai stay silent rather than correcting her.

After a long moment, Helena sighs. "I will continue my research. In the meantime, you should meet with Alain as well. He has even more memories to share than you or I combined - perhaps he will awaken something, as well."

"Indeed, perhaps he will," Jinhai says neutrally. A beat later, he says, "You should rest, however. You will be of no use to our queen if you are too tired to make sense of the words you are trying to read."

Helena falters at first, but by the time Jinhai finishes out his suggestion understanding lights her eyes. "Yes, I suppose you are right... Let me mark my place, and then I will do as you suggest. Thank you."

Jinhai simply gives a soft grunt before turning back towards Colette. "Shall we go see Alain, then, my queen?"

The title is said as it had been before he'd found out about her true identity. It throws Colette off for a moment before she recognizes that he only said it for Helena's sake. She nods with a light smile touching her lips. "Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." She looks to Helena, who's already marking her book. "Make sure and get rest, Helena. As much as you need."

She's really just trying to extend whatever deadline they have before Helena finds something and realizes who she actually is, but luckily her ulterior motives don't come through. Helena looks just as shocked by this as Jinhai had when she'd called him kind. For a moment, she thinks that she's made a bad move - but then Helena's expression settles into a more neutral one, and she nods. "Of course. I will not ruin any chance of you returning fully by giving his a half-hearted attempt, my queen."

Colette holds back a larger smile - she doesn't think that the Witch Queen would smile at all, so she's already on dangerous grounds - and nods carefully. "Good. Jinhai, where would Alain be right now?"

"Either training or in the courtyard with the roses," Jinhai murmurs. "The courtyard is closer, so let us check there first."

They walk off together, leaving Helena to her devices - hoping that she really will take a break, and isn't planning on going right back to researching when they're gone.

As it turns out, Alain is indeed walking amongst the white roses, looking at them with an almost melancholy expression. His face shifts to a more shocked expression when Jinhai and Colette come through. "Ah- My queen! May I ask how your memory is coming along?"

"She has recalled nothing of her time as our queen," Jinhai answers for Colette, using careful words to hide the truth. "Helena has made no progress in finding a spell, but suggested that we come to you. My animals stirred no memories, but she said that you would have stories to tell."

Alain breaks into a grin. "Indeed, I do! We grew up together, my queen, so I have boundless tales! Why, I knew you before you first took your crown!" He bows low and takes Colette's hand into his own. "If you'd like, we could spend the rest of the day together as I tell you stories."

Colette shifts uncomfortably and glances to Jinhai. "...Can you do it with Jinhai here?" she asks hesitantly. "He's been here with me this whole time, so I would feel far more at ease if you would... Allow that."

Alain glances up, brows furrowed. Even Jinhai looks bewildered, but he should at least understand her reasoning. If Alain starts to get suspicious, Jinhai could cover for her, saying that she needs more time. There's no way she could handle it by herself.

Alain, after a moment of silence, nods his assent. "...Yes, I suppose that is a fair request, my queen... Let us sit over-" He glances over to the gazebo, where there are two chairs and a table. "...Well, I suppose one of us will have to remain standing."

There's a stretch of silence. It's clear that neither Jinhai nor Alain wants to stand, but they can't make Colette stand, either. Alain, because he believes her to be the Witch Queen. Jinhai, because he can't let on that she's not the Witch Queen.

Eventually, Colette smiles a saccharine sweet smile at Alain. "You wouldn't mind doing that, would you? Jinhai and I have been walking all day - our feet are very tired."

Alain deflates a bit, but nods his agreement. "Of course... My queen."

Jinhai fights back a smirk and starts leading the way towards the table. He pulls out Colette's chair for her, and then sits in the other one with a smug glance towards Alain. "Well, then? What memory will you be instilling in our queen first?"

Alain hesitates, fumbling for a moment. "Well, perhaps I should start with an early one, so I can discover how far her memory goes-"

Colette thinks of an idea immediately, and looks to Alain with wide eyes. "I want you to tell me about when I became the Witch Queen," she blurts. "You said you knew me even before then, right? So you must have been there. What happened?"

Alain falters and glances to Jinhai. Jinhai, however, only motions for Alain to start. He must not see any issues with Colette learning about this, then. So, Alain takes a deep breath, and begins. "As you wish... It started when you fell in love with the king. He did not return your affections, and so you... Killed him, and his council."

Colette feels the blood drain from her face. Jinhai watches her reaction closely, but Alain looks anywhere but at her. "I was there, I watched it happen, and... I became your knight, right then and there. I wanted to protect you."

Colette thinks that this lady did NOT need protecting if she managed to kill so many people, but says nothing.

"I was there, throughout your entire crusade, the entirety of the war. All who stood in your way, and all who allied with you, I saw them all, and I saw you kill them or recruit them as they deserved." Alain sighs deeply. "I was there for the genocide of the entire demon race... I was there when you killed Lord Wolfson and... Recruited his eldest son to your side. And I stood with you, no matter what. I never questioned you or your methods, my queen. You even recruited an assassin, and made her into-"

"Alain," Jinhai warns. "She does not need to know that part. It will make our queen worry needlessly about her true goals."

Alain falters for a moment, and then nods. "You are right. Forgive me, my queen."

Colette blinks, glancing between Jinhai and Alain. "...Um, sure," is all she can manage to say, despite wanting to know who they're talking about. What happened with the assassin...?

"Ahem. In any case, your crusade came to an end... When you were struck down in battle, right before our eyes," Alain says slowly. "I... Have no idea what has brought you back to our side, as magically inept as I am, but I swear I have never lost hope despite that. And I am ever so glad that it has happened, truly!" A grin comes to Alain's face, and he grabs on to Colette's hand again - this time, it's tight like a vice. "Thank you for bestowing us with your presence once more, your majesty!"

Jinhai sighs and rolls his eyes - luckily, Alain isn't even sparing him the smallest bit of his attention. Rather, he's staring intently at Colette, grasping her hand as though afraid she'll disappear like a mirage. "Um..." Colette squirms under his stare before finally shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but that didn't... Bring anything back."

Alain visibly deflates, and his smile falls. "Nothing at all?"

"No, sorry..."

Alain sighs and releases her. "My apologies, my queen. It seems you will have to rely on Helena rather than myself... I am truly useless in this matter."

"If she had her wits about her, she would take your head for that comment," Jinhai says dryly. "You know our queen detests when we call ourselves weak - for if we were weak, why are we at her side?"

Alain flinches at the reminder, and nods quickly. "Ah, of course! My apologies, your majesty, I-"

'He should be sorry! How dare he presume that I would bring a weakling to my side?!'

Colette doesn't hear the rest of whatever Alain said - rather, she only hears the strange voice ringing through her head. She tenses up in her seat, heart thudding in her chest. Neither Jinhai nor Alain had reacted, so...

'...Who are you?' she forces herself to keep the question mental.

'Dear girl, I think you know the answer to that.'

Chapter Text

Colette's heart is racing. She feels her fingers trembling in her lap, and it takes everything she has to stand slowly instead of bolt out of her seat. "Jinhai," she says, fighting to keep her voice steady, "I would like to see your animals again."

Jinhai's wolf - still following them - whimpers and nudges her hand gently, concerned. And it isn't the only one - Alain and Jinhai both look at her in bewilderment. However, Jinhai nods and stands up. "Certainly, my queen. I am sure they would welcome your company."

Colette gives a hasty goodbye to Alain, and then rushes back inside on trembling legs. It's not until the door shuts behind them that she spins, looking at Jinhai with wide, horrified eyes. "I'm hearing her," she says in a rush.

Jinhai blinks.

"...Hearing who?" he asks, blinking a few times.

Colette grits her teeth. "Who the fuck do you think?!" she shrieks, and Jinhai jumps at her volume. "The- The person everyone thought I was! That person!" She can't find it in her to actually say 'I'm hearing the Witch Queen'. "Apparently, you weren't kidding about the goddamn ghosts!"

Jinhai stills, every single part of him freezing as though someone hit the pause button on his body. However, he shakes his head after a long, tense moment. "Impossible."

"What?!" Colette shrieks. "What do you mean-"

"I believe you," Jinhai interjects. "You have no reason to lie to me. I merely..." His brows furrow, and he sighs. After a moment of thought, he finally manages to articulate, "Even if she were to come back, why now? And why make this known to you and no other? Why only her voice - why not her body? It makes no sense."

Colette pauses. And finally, she starts to calm down. Yeah, that makes sense. Right. "Yeah. Okay. Right. You're right." She nods as she speaks, trying to further emphasize her agreement.

"You were merely... Hearing things," Jinhai suggests. "We were simply talking about her, and..."

"Yeah, yeah!" Colette nods more rapidly. "It was just... The power of suggestion, or whatever! It wasn't actually her! It couldn't be!"

Jinhai nods in sync with her. Once they've both assured themselves of this, they both stop nodding... And then, after a moment's hesitation, he brings his hand up and gently pets Colette's head. "Do not worry. She is not here - not anymore. She will not - cannot - harm either you or I."

Colette slowly relaxes under Jinhai's touch, at the sound of his voice. "Yeah... Thanks..."

A beat later, though, she has to ask, "Are you treating me like I'm one of your animals having a freak-out?"

Jinhai's hand stills, and his cheeks deem to darken. "...Perhaps. I have not ever had to comfort any other creature, so-"

"It's fine," Colette says, a laugh in her voice. "It worked, didn't it? So thanks." She reaches up and pulls Jinhai's hand off of her head, instead twining their fingers together. She beams up at him. "I mean, if you care about me half as much as you do them, I must be pretty special, after all."

Jinhai stares down at their hands curiously, almost cautiously. After a long moment, he silently, gently squeezes her hand, a light smile tugging at his lips.

She takes it as the affirmation she knows it to be, and grins at him with all the happiness that sentiment brings her.

The days pass. Colette bonds more and more with Jinhai's animals - she can even pet the python without panicking, now! Alain and Helena both continue their efforts, to no avail - not that they have any chance of succeeding, anyway. Not with Colette.

She hasn't heard the voice in a while, either. She's firmly held to the belief that that one time she heard it was a hallucination. She's never heard of hallucinating in a dream before, but then again she's not entirely sure this is a dream anymore.

Either way, it's gone, and hasn't come back.

'Not yet, at least...'

She shakes that thought away as she runs her fingers gently through the fur of one of Jinhai's larger animals that's still kept in his room. "Are you going to bring her outside soon?" she asks him, gesturing to the panther in her lap. "She's pretty big."

"She is not fully grown yet," Jinhai replies as he feeds one of the owls. "It will be at least another month."

Colette nods absently. "It's pretty cool that you can just tell when they're old enough for that... I clearly don't have a good eye for it," she says, giving a soft laugh afterward.

"I have had many chances to perform trial and error," Jinhai says with a simple shrug. "Leave them here too long and the large ones will start to become aggressive with the smaller ones. Bring them out too soon, and the larger animals will be aggressive towards them. It is important to strike the right balance."

"Huh..." Colette pauses in petting the animal in her lap, alarm bells suddenly ringing in her head. "And by 'aggressive', you mean..."

"They will attack and kill each other. The smaller ones have no chance against the larger, stronger ones," Jinhai says all of this without even blinking or hesitating in feeding the birds. "There is a reason I do not allow the wolf to follow us into this room."

Colette flinches, disturbing the panther in her lap. With an annoyed sound, the black panther jumps off of her lap and goes to play with some of its companions. Colette watches, wondering if a month will be a short enough time. It's already so big, compared to some of the others... If Jinhai's overshooting, it could easily-

"It will be fine," Jinhai says, sitting next to her on the bed, done with the birds. "If I feel that she is growing faster than anticipated, I will bring her outside sooner. I do not like to see them killing each other any more than the thought is pleasant for you."

Colette nods slowly, fiddling with the edge of her shirt. "Right... I know, you're right. I mean, you wouldn't put your animals in danger, so if you think it's fine, it'll be fine."

"Indeed." Jinhai places a gentle hand on top of Colette's head, bringing a smile and light laugh to her lips.

"Still trying to treat me like an animal, Jinhai?"

Jinhai chuckles at the thought as well, shaking his head. "No, of course not. I suppose I do care for you... But in a much different way than I do my animals."

Colette jolts at those words. She turns, and looks him in the eye, only to find him not meeting her gaze. "In what way, then?"

Slowly, Jinhai pulls his hand away and shakes his head. "...We should head to breakfast, Colette. It would not do to let the others wonder where you are and come looking, only to find you in my room."

"On your bed, no less," Colette says with a teasing smirk. "Fine, but we've gotta talk about what you just said at some point, you know."

Jinhai gives a hum at that, but doesn't confirm or deny that they will actually talk. Colette decides to trust that he won't try to dodge the question later, and follows him out of his room with a grin on her lips.

Chapter Text

The light smile that Colette wears the whole way to the dining hall drops immediately at the ecstatic grin Helena fixes her with upon their arrival. It can't be good news. "My queen!" she says - shouts, more like. "Finally, you have arrived, you must listen!" She makes as if to move forward, but then Alain stops her with an arm in front of her and a sharp look. Helena narrows her eyes at him. "Alain-" she hisses, but-

"Whatever you have to tell our queen," Alain says, interrupting whatever Helena had intended to say, "can be told to her from where you stand."

Colette will at admit that, while she doesn't know what Alain thinks of her and Jinhai, or even what he thinks their relationship to be, she does know that he must, at least, see her affections for him. She knows this because, although he looks at the two of them with sad eyes, he hasn't made any move to kiss her hand or try to bond with her any further. He tells her stories of his past with the Witch Queen - still believing her to be said queen, Colette thinks - but he never actually tries to push his feelings onto her anymore.

And then, of course, there's moments like this, where he forces Helena into holding hers back, as well. She likely thinks that he's jealous, but Colette supposes that's better than her knowing the truth. Alain never corrects her, either. And so Colette sits silently, lets Helena bare her teeth at Alain in a harsh glare. Then she sighs deeply and looks back to Colette... And she finally says the words that Colette and Jinhai have been dreading this whole time.

"I have found a way to bring back your memories, my queen."

Ice strikes Colette's heart. Her eyes quickly dart to Jinhai, and he looks back, hidden terror mirrored within his eyes. If Helena or the others notice this silent exchange, they don't say so. Lennox and Magnus are more focused on praising Helena for finally figuring it out, while Alain is as silent as Jinhai and Colette. Helena, meanwhile, is simply beaming, waiting with bated breath for Colette and Jinhai to praise her as Lennox and Magnus are.

But they have no words. Because their time has run out.

When both of them - and Alain - remain silent for a long enough period, Helena's smile finally falters. She visibly deflates for a moment. But then, she clears her throat, pink rising to her cheeks as she says, "Of course, you require proof. You require me to actually do as I have promised, yes? Of course, that makes sense. My apologies, my queen. I expect too much. Forgive me, please..."

'As if I could forgive a lowly wretch such as her! How dare she expect more than she deserves?! What a pathetic little scene she's making, pretending to apologize like she is!'

Colette's breath halts in her chest at the cruel voice, and she suddenly stands ramrod straight, entire body tensing. None of the others seem to have heard that voice, but Colette, this time, knows it wasn't a hallucination. She can't ignore it. Not this time.

No... Please no. She can't do this.

She doesn't know what Helena has planned, but she has to delay it somehow. She has to buy time for her and Jinhai to plan an esc-...

Well... No. She has no real proof that Jinhai would want to escape with her, does she? He's said before that he has no place to belong but at the Witch Queen's side, so... Maybe... Maybe this is a good thing in his eye, too. Maybe he'd prefer the Witch Queen being here over Colette.

"Our queen," Jinhai begins, and Colette flinches at that, "should eat before we perform whatever spell or ritual you have found, Helena. She must be at full strength, I am sure?"

"Ah- Yes, of course!" Helena nods her head rapidly, looking almost like a bobblehead. "I would hate for the spell to leave you weak, my queen. Of course, you must eat!"

Colette glances to Jinhai briefly, and he doesn't meet her gaze - but she can tell, still. He's not worried about the queen coming back through whatever spell Helena will cast. He's not worried that Colette is too weak or hungry to make it through it, either.

It's a delay tactic. He is delaying Helena - not by much, as it's simply one meal - but perhaps it will be enough time for them to come up with something else. Something longer.

...Colette hopes it will be enough. For the time being, she puts her faith into Jinhai, and joins everyone as they all finally take their seats at the dining table. She makes sure to sit to Jinhai's right - she doesn't feel safe enough to sit on her own or with one of the others.

Then, Alain sits on the other side of Jinhai, Colette notices - and it's strange, she thinks, since the generals always sit as far apart from each other as possible. But before she can think any further about that, Colette notices him silently passing a note to Jinhai. None of the others notice, thankfully, but Colette can't help but think that maybe - just maybe - Alain will be on their side here.

She certainly hopes that he will be, at least... She thinks that they're definitely going to need all the help they can get here.

Chapter Text

As slow as the time moves as they eat, it is not nearly enough. Colette tries and tries to eat as slowly as possible, but it's not enough. She considers asking for seconds, even, but her stomach is full as it is, and she thinks that even if she threw up, Helena would still do the spell. She doesn't try.

'Finally. I will be free of your pathetic little mind.'

Colette flinches violently as she follows the generals to the throne room. Jinhai is the only one to notice, but he can do no more than place a hand on her head.

It's strange, but even under these circumstances, that touch brings a stillness to her breathing and quiets her heartbeat. It makes her feel like, even now, he will keep her safe.

'As if he truly could. When I am free, the first thing I will do is-'

Helena opens the throne room doors with a flourish. The voice in Colette's mind cackles. 'Well, I suppose you will soon find out, you disgusting little creature.'

Colette, somehow, feels that keeping it secret is crueler than actually telling her. She's unsurprised that the voice - supposing it truly is the Witch Queen speaking to her - would recognize that.

Her stomach is in knots as they all approach the throne. For some reason, Jinhai never brought her to this room when he'd first shown her around the castle. Colette wants to ask, but chooses not to - not if Helena has chosen this place as the site for her spell. There has to be reason for that. For both of those acts.

"My queen," Helena says, looking at Colette with an almost manic expression. "Please, take your rightful seat. I will release you from that which binds you so."

Magnus and Lennox look at each other in confusion but don't ask about Helena's phrasing. Alain says and does nothing, has no reaction, but Colette can see the sudden fear in Jinhai's eyes.

She knows. Helena knows, Colette realizes. But she has no time to react before the sorceress grasps her shoulder with cold, knife-like fingers and almost shoves Colette into the throne. Magnus opens his mouth, about to chastize her for the rough treatment, but Helena silences him with just a look.

"Jinhai was wrong," she says, her voice cold and icy. "This? This is not our queen. But she will bring us our queen."

Heart racing, thudding like a drum in her chest, Colette opens her mouth to ask how Helena found out - but she's silenced with a sharp glare. Lennox and Magnus glance at each other, and say nothing - but then, they look accusingly to Jinhai, instead. "Jinhai, did you know this?" Magnus demands. "Did you know that your claims of her being our queen were false?"

"I should hope he wouldn't," Lennox scoffs. "That would be the highest of follies - how would he expect it to not be found out?"

Jinhai sighs, but says nothing - he simply looks at Colette in the throne, silent.

"Whether he knew or not is irrelevent," Helena says sharply. "The point is it was false." She narrows her eyes at Colette's face. "Yes, when one spares a glance and no more, she looks quite the same, so one could not blame him for believing her to be our queen." She grins like the edge of a sword, eyes twinkling. "But it is nothing but a simple container. Watch, everyone, as I bring our queen back. I will free her from this putrid prison."

'Rude,' Colette thinks. But she doesn't have the chance to open her mouth and argue against that comment before Helena waves her hands and binds Colette's wrists to the throne. Colette squeaks and squirms against the bindings, but that only makes them tighter and more painful. And they weren't particularly loose before.

Now satisfied that Colette can't escape, Helena begins the apparent ritual in full. She waves her hand once more, and a multitude of runes paint themselves in the air, one after the other. Helena murmurs spell after spell, incantation after incantation, and with every word she speaks, Colette feels weaker and weaker, feels like something is slowly, slowly being forced out of her-

And then, there's a loud bang and a painfully bright flash of white light. Colette shuts her eyes against it, but even then she feels tears building under her lids from the light. Slowly, it fades, but Colette can't bring herself to open her eyes, can't bring herself to look-

"Get off of my throne, you pathetic little wretch."

The cold, cruel voice is in her ear again, but it is not in her head. Colette doesn't even look before scrambling frantically out of the throne - the bindings Helena placed have been dispersed, apparently, as she finds no resistence on her arms. She can barely stand for a moment before tumbling to the floor from weakness. That spell really did sap her strength - she's suddenly glad that Jinhai suggested they eat breakfast first. She might have passed out otherwise.

Slowly, sluggishly, she forces herself to look at the face of the voice.

Unsurprisingly, it looks like her own. But no, that is not her. The face is where their similarities end, she finds. The Witch Queen sits in her throne, and gives her a cold, cruel smile to match her voice. "Thank you, Helena," she says, while still looking at Colette. "I truly did not expect you to know that she was a false guise, however - you surprised me with your acting."

"I did not want the container to grow suspicious and try to escape before I could be certain that I would be able to perform the spell," Helena says neutrally. However, a light smile is on her lips. "Did I please you, my queen?"

"Indeed, you did," the Witch Queen responds.

'Bullshit! You were bitching about her asking for an apology a few hours ago!' Colette snaps in her mind, but she can't even find the strength to bring voice to those words.

Helena smiles a bit more brightly at the Witch Queen's response, and holds herself a bit taller. "I am glad, my queen. I was worried that I may have insulted you."

"A general of mine should not worry," the Witch Queen says, an undercurrent of ice in her tone. "You should have been more confident in your methods." She pauses. "However... I will overlook it this one time. There are more pressing matters at the moment."

Colette can no longer find the strength to keep her head up, watching the exchange. Her head drops to the ground limply as she continues to listen. She hears a shift, and then the click-click-click of heeled shoes on the floor. "Jinhai," the Witch Queen says, this time in a voice of white-hot rage, "you did know that she was not I. Not at first, but she did tell you later. And yet you consciously concealed this from the others. Would you kindly tell me why you would do this?"

Jinhai is silent.

"You said you were tired of receiving orders from a ghost, did you not? Do I look like I am a ghost, still?"

Silent, still.

Disdainfully, the Witch Queen clicks her tongue. "I will give you another chance," she says. "I will, only because you at least acknowledge that you have no other option than to be my general. After all, where would your poor little beasts go, if not for here?" Her tone takes on a mockingly babyish tone for that last sentence, and she punctuates it with a cold laugh. Then there's the click-click of more footsteps. "...She is about to pass out. Someone hurry up and take her down to the dungeons." A beat passes. "Actually... Jinhai, you do it."

A moment passes again, and then, just before all goes black for Colette, she hears Jinhai's voice...

"Yes, my queen."

End of Season One

Chapter Text

Colette doesn't know how long it takes for her consciousness to return - whether it's hours or a day or more. But when it finally does, the first thing she is aware of is the fact that she is on the floor.

The next thing she recognizes is that she is in a dungeon...

And then memories of what happened after Helena's spell come flooding back, and she suddenly realizes who put her here.

"Jinhai...?" she whimpers, lifting herself up to a sitting position. "Why would he..." She trails off, knowing what the answer to that question would be. She was wrong. He does not care for her, does he? He never did. Or perhaps he did, but not enough - not enough to betray the Witch Queen.

Either way, he was the one to put her here. He betrayed her trust.

Rubbing out a crick in her neck, she looks around at her surroundings. They are bare and useless as can be expected. Brick walls and large metal bars make up her cell. There's not even a window for her to tell what time of day it is. Not that it would be of any use if there were - dungeons, she's pretty sure, are underground.

She sighs, and draws her knees to her chest. She knows better than to go trying to rattle the bars or trying to open the door - someone like the Witch Queen wouldn't let the dungeons be escapable that easily. And even if she would, she doesn't even know what she'd do afterward. She has no plan of escape - the only way out is through the stairs, and someone would be bound to catch her before she could make it far enough.

Then, just as she's considering going back to sleep, giving up entirely on escape, a caw catches her attention. Her head shoots up, eyes darting around. It's not long before, just outside the cell doors, she sees a crow, watching her intently.

It's... One of Jinhai's crows, if she's not mistaken.

She shifts away from it, no longer certain if the animals are her friends or foes. "H-hey, little guy..." she squeaks out. "Whatcha doing, all the way down here...?"

The crow leans down and pecks at an envelope. Almost seeming to signal her to take it. She hesitates, then starts to scoot forward. "Is that... For me?" she asks.

The only answer, of course, is another caw. It pecks the paper again, and then goes back to watching her.

Figuring that's as much of a confirmation as she'll get, she slowly reaches forward and takes the envelope. Satisfied that its job has been done, the crow caws at her once more, and then it flaps off, and out of the dungeons.

...There aren't cameras in fantasy-land, right? No one's going to see her taking this and reading it, right?

Right?

...With no other option available to her to pass the time, she opens the envelope, and pulls out the note within.

I am sorry. I know you must believe I have betrayed you, but I swear I have not. I must keep quiet on this, however, so that the queen does not discover it. But I swear, I will get you out. Please trust in me - and if you cannot, trust in my animals, for they are more innocent than I. They will be my accomplices.

I will be bringing you meals thrice a day. I - we, if you should put your faith in me - will use this time to devise our escape.

Forgive my selfishness, but I must also save my animals from her cruelty. I do care deeply for you, but I cannot let her harm them, either. I know she would if I gave her the chance. Else, I would save you right now.

Please... Though I know that I do not deserve it, I beg of you to trust me, Colette.

Sincerely, Jinhai Jubal

Colette swallows thickly at the letter, reading it several times over. She holds it delicately, as though it may disappear if she holds it more tightly.

This single letter is her only assurance that Jinhai hasn't betrayed her. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly, and counts. One, two, three, four, five. She opens them, and the words remain unchanged. Jinhai did not betray her - he still cares for her.

She laughs a little to herself at the realization, and holds the letter close to her chest.

"I guess I've gotta trust him," she whispers. "I've got no choice... Not when he's going and putting me on the same level as his animals."

She could never hope to surpass them, she knows that, and even respects it. But being on the same level as them? That's truly something that she'd never expected. It's almost enough to make her cry with joy, but she holds back the tears.

She folds the letter gently, as small as she can make it, and then tucks it into the pocket of her dark brown pants. (One good thing about fantasy clothes, she supposes, is that they apparently have actual, good pockets for the women's clothes.)

With the later safely hidden away, she sighs softly and lays back down on the cold, hard ground of her cell. And with nothing else to do, she lets her mind fade away into a dreamless sleep. She sleeps, and waits for Jinhai to bring her the first meal she will eat as the Witch Queen's prisoner.

Chapter Text

Colette's sleep is disturbed by the sound of loud footsteps - louder than they should have to be. This person is letting her know that they're coming down intentionally. And even in her half-asleep state, she can only find one person who would want to do that.

She shifts to sit up and rubs the sleep from her eyes, and she sees Jinhai coming down the stairs with a tray of food - and, even better than that, her favorite wolf is walking at his side. She beams at the wolf and reaches through the bars to pat its head, which Jinhai smiles softly at the sight of.

"How're you planning on feeding me?" Colette asks as she dotes on the wolf as best as she can. "I don't guess you have any keys, or you'd be able to let me go right now."

Jinhai shifts uncomfortably at that, but sits down on the other side of the bars. "I... If you would allow it, I was planning on... Feeding you. Through the bars."

Colette pauses and looks incredulously at Jinhai. Seeing his flustered expression and inability to meet her eyes, she can't help but laugh at the situation. "Alright, sure. Girl's gotta eat, huh?" She beams at him. "And, I dunno if you knew already, but... I got your letter. Thanks."

Jinhai smiles slightly at this, taking some of the food on the plate onto a fork. "Yes, my pet told me as such. But it is gratifying to hear, still. You... Will trust in me, yes?"

Colette opens her mouth and takes in the food Jinhai feeds her. She chews slowly, and swallows before answering. "If I wasn't gonna trust you, I wouldn't be acting so happy to see you, would I?" she points out with a teasing grin. "What's your plan so far?"

Jinhai pauses at the question. He sets the fork down on the tray, and reaches into a pocket. "Alain passed me this, before Helena cast her spell," he says, passing the note to Colette through the bars. She takes it carefully, and unfolds it.

It... Is legible, but barely. She has to stare at it for a moment before recognizing it for what it is - a wall of bricks. One of the bricks is circled, and below the wall is a bit of writing.

"The soldiers use a secret passage through the dungeons on their patrols," Colette murmurs. She nods slowly. "So we just have to learn their patrols then, and make sure we don't bump into them when we escape."

"As well as retrieve the keys to let you out of your cell," Jinhai adds, taking the note back when she offers it. "That, however, will be the easier part - Alain met with me after I placed you down here. He has offered to find it himself." He gives a small, somewhat bitter smile. "For one such as he to be betraying the Witch Queen... I know not what has come over him, but I suppose we should be grateful."

"Will he get in trouble for it?" Colette asks.

"I am the one who handles the spying around here," Jinhai reassures her, smirking at the wolf like he's making a joke. "Even if he falls under suspicion, those who hold those feelings will come to me in order to validate them. It will be no trouble to feed them false information."

Colette nods slowly in understanding. "I see..." She shifts uncomfortably. "So, how long until he finds the key, then? I mean, we can't do anything until we get the patrols down, I guess, but-"

"Shh."

Colette snaps her mouth shut when Jinhai stands. She suddenly notices why - there's a rumbling sound from the wall farthest away from the stairs. She glances, and she can see the wall parting, with some soldiers about to march through. She quickly moves back to her original position, hiding the fact that she saw.

The soldiers move by, but quickly come to a stop. The one at the head of the group glances at Jinhai, at the tray of food, at his wolf, at Colette, and then back at Jinhai. "...How is she meant to eat that meal," he says, voice laden with suspicion, "if she is inside the cell?"

Jinhai shrugs and looks to the side. "I tried to explain that to the queen," he says, "but she did not want her to die yet, and forced me to bring the food anyway. Good thing you've come by - unlock the cell for me?"

The soldier rolls his eyes and kneels down. "And why, precisely, did the queen not wish her container to die?"

Wow. Word spreads fast, huh?

"Perhaps she could draw strength from it," Jinhai suggests with a careless shrug. "What matters, however, is if you will be the one to ask for her reasoning." He gives a cruel smirk. "I am sure she would not mind explaining her thought process to a lowly soldier such as yourself."

The soldier tenses for a moment, freezing. The other three soldiers snicker to themselves - earning each of them a glare from the other one. "...Fair point, general." The cell opens with a loud groan, and the soldier sighs and stands. "Next time, though, do wait until we are already coming through to feed the container." With a harsh movement, he kicks the tray of food into the cell - and gives a mocking laugh when it slams into the far wall. Half of the food spills over the edges, and Colette glares at the soldier as he slams her cell door shut.

Jinhai gives Colette a sympathetic look, then looks to the soldier quickly with a cold mask. "And how am I meant to know when you are coming through? I do not keep track of your patrols - I only care to sniff out the rats hiding in our walls. I'll not put my beasts to use on watching you."

Colette forces herself not to smirk. She can tell what's going on here - Jinhai is baiting a trap. One meant to lead to them getting a schedule of the soldiers' patrol times and routes.

And like so many more intelligent creatures often do, the soldier takes the bait. "Fine, then I'll write a schedule for you," he snaps. "If only so the queen won't accuse me of intentionally getting in her way by weakening the container..." He motions with his head to the other soldiers. "We must continue on, and give our reports, general. I do hope the servants won't need that tray back anytime soon."

"I am sure they won't miss it," Jinhai says, holding back a smug smirk. "I will collect the schedule from you later, then."

The soldier gives a disinterested grumble, and leads the others out of the dungeons, up the stairs - and more importantly, out of earshot.

"...I am sorry that worm ruined your meal," Jinhai eventually says.

"Don't worry, some of it's still edible," Colette says, looking at what's still on the plate. "And you'll be getting him back soon enough."

Jinhai chuckles. "Indeed. I wonder what his punishment will be when the Witch Queen realizes how it is we got past their patrols?"

Colette shudders a little at the thought - but then, that asshole probably deserves whatever's coming to him. He ruined her food. "...And what're we doing about your animals?"

Jinhai gives a low grunt. "The smallest ones can come with us. I will send the larger ones out to hide in the woods - we will have to meet up with them in a cave to collect them." He tilts his head at Colette. "...Will you be able to handle it if I bring the python with us?"

Holding herself with more confidence than she once might have been able to, Colette grins and says, "Yeah. I will."

Chapter Text

The days pass on, once more. But they do so at a much slower pace than they did when Colette was able to roam the castle freely. She finds herself unable to do anything but sleep and wait in-between Jinhai's visits to her. He makes sure to sync up with the soldiers' patrols for his first two daily visits - so they don't get suspicious, he says. However, the last visit of each day is always after the soldiers' final patrol - it's so he can stay longer and catch Colette up with how the plan is progressing.

If he's been telling the truth, then today... Today will be the day they finally get out. Or rather, tonight, to be more accurate.

His larger animals have been, one by one, snuck out of their housing and directed to take shelter in a nearby cave. Colette is unsure of how the animals know how to take such specific instructions, but she trusts Jinhai's word. Meanwhile, Alain has gotten a key for her cell, has already given it to Jinhai.

Tonight, they're getting out. She's going to get out of this place, finally.

...Or so she hopes.

She squirms where she sits on the floor, anxiety welling within her. Jinhai had said that they would not be getting out until after the soldiers' final patrol, just to ensure that they definitely won't get caught. But somehow, she's feeling like the patrol is taking longer than it should be... What if they're late in finishing the patrol, and then she and Jinhai run into them - she can't defend herself if that happens! They've got swords! And she can barely use her fists! Sure, maybe Jinhai would protect her, but... If they hurt one of his animals in order to make him give up...

Finally, the nervous energy gets to be too much, and she has to stand up and begin pacing around her cell to release it.

Where are they...

Where are they?!

It shouldn't be taking this long!

Just as she's starting to think that Jinhai will end up showing up before the soldiers, she hears the telltale sound of the wall opening up. With a sharp, quiet gasp, she quickly sits back in her original place and tries to pretend to be bored rather than anxious. She focuses intently on her fingernails, all rough and chewed off from boredom and anxiety, rather than looking in the direction of the soldiers walking by.

Eventually, their footsteps fade up the stairs, and Colette finally allows herself to let out a deep, relieved sigh. Now, she just has to wait for Jinhai to arrive...

Thankfully, that doesn't take too long, when compared to how long the soldiers took. Only a few minutes later, she hears Jinhai's intentionally-loud footsteps coming down the stairs, along with the sound of various, smaller animals walking at his side. Her head shoots up hopefully, and she grins when she sees him, with the python she once was so terrified of loosely draped over his neck - almost like an accessory in a way. Two birds have perched themselves on his shoulders just next to the python, and the other birds all fly, low and quiet behind him. The other animals all trot obediently just a few steps behind, and altogether it makes for quite the rescue scene.

"You sure know how to bring a rescue party, huh?" Colette can't help but tease, even as an excited grin lights up her face.

Jinhai smirks at the comment, twirling a key around his finger. "I thought it might amuse you," he says. And then with a quick movement, he sticks the key into the lock and gives it a twist - the door unlocking with the same loud, metallic clang that it gives whenever she'd get her meals.

As soon as the door opens, she shoots up and flings herself at Jinhai. He catches her in a hug, breathing out in relief as he holds her close. "Thank the heavens," he murmurs into her shoulder. "Finally, I can save you from this wretched excuse for a castle..."

Colette swallows thickly and pulls back just enough to look imploringly at him. "Jinhai... What about all your animals? You and I can't just live in the forest, but they... Where else can we go where they can live?"

Jinhai sighs shakily and closes his eyes. "I do not know," he admits. "I know that I wish to live with them, or at least ensure their safety and visit them often, if I cannot do that." He cups her cheek gently. "We should not talk of it here, however. We should hurry out into the forest."

Colette nods slowly. "Yeah... You're right. Let's hurry up and get out of this place."

Jinhai hums his agreement, and - after a moment's hesitation - lets go of Colette to lead her over to the far wall. He examines the bricks for just a moment before finding the one that sticks out ever-so-slightly - one wouldn't notice if they weren't looking for it, Colette thinks - and he presses down on it. With the same groaning, creaking sound as before, the wall opens up. Jinhai grabs Colette's wrist gently, and leads both her and his group of animals through the long hallway that's now available to them.

From past experience, Colette knows that the wall will only be open for a minute or two, meaning that even the bare amount of light they currently have won't last.

"Don't suppose you brought something to light the way ahead?" Colette asks, shifting closer to Jinhai as they walk.

"I could not," Jinhai says with a rueful smile. "It is too late - any sort of light would be readily visible even from an extreme distance." He pulls Colette even closer to himself, though, comforting her without needing words.

"I guess that makes sense... I hope you can see in the dark."

"The moon will light our way until daybreak, once we are out," Jinhai says. "That is why I made sure to pick this night - the moon should be full and bright. We could have gone a few days ago, had I not cared for that part of our escape." The wall, long behind them now, shuts with a loud, creaking groan, cutting off the minimal light left. Jinhai feels Colette tense, and gently rubs her arm as he continues, "The last thing we would want is for our escape to be thwarted because we could not see where we were walking."

"Yeah... That makes sense," Colette says, giving a soft sigh. "But... You promise you know where we're going? We won't bump into any walls or miss any turns?"

"Of course, dearest. And if I did not, my animals see quite well in the dark and can guide us, in my stead. Trust us."

Colette sighs softly and nods, nuzzling against Jinhai's shoulder as they walk. "I do. You don't have to ask - I'll always trust in you, Jinhai."

She can't see it, but she does sense the soft smile he gives at that.

Chapter Text

Darkness soon gives way to moonlight. Above them, a grate lets streams of light through. Thankfully, the way up to it has a set of stairs rather than a ladder - Colette worries about what they might have done for Jinhai's non-flying animals otherwise.

They go up the stairs, and they push the grate up and off, clearing the way forward.

And finally, they are out of the castle. Not fully free, yet, as they are still within view, but they are out. And that's enough for Colette to breathe a relieved sigh. Jinhai and his animals move forward immediately, not wasting time, and Colette rushes to catch up.

"The cave is this way," Jinhai murmurs to her. "It is far enough that, even should she realize our absence as soon as daybreak arrives, we will have time to get further away before any of the soldiers or cultists can arrive."

Colette blinks and looks curiously up at Jinhai. "Cultists...?" she says, unsure if she really wants to know.

"Mm. Lennox keeps watch over them," Jinhai confirms. "A snake, he may very well be, but the man knows how to charm others into following his lead."

Colette shivers. She'd barely interacted with Lennox while in the castle, but what little time they had together had never been pleasant. "Well, that's just great," she mutters sarcastically. "A creepy group headed by a creepy man."

"Indeed..." Jinhai sighs. "However, the group is mindless, especially when their supposed leader is not around to whisper into their ears. They are far less a threat than Magnus and his soldiers."

She shudders at that. Yeah, he has a point - cultists who can't act on their own aren't as worrying as soldiers who know how to handle themselves. But what if... "What if we get both coming after us? Like, at one time?"

Jinhai winces. "I cannot deny it to be a possibility..." He hesitates, then shakes his head. "For now, we must simply rest. Hold a moment." They're far enough away from the castle now that he apparently feels comfortable pausing for a moment. He glances around, the world around them lit by moon and starlight. He closes his eyes, and does... Well, quite frankly, what looks like nothing to Colette.

But it must be something.

Because soon enough, a certain wolf peers out from between the trees. Jinhai opens his eyes and looks right towards it, and smiles. "There she is. We will follow her to our shelter for the night, my dear."

Some of Jinhai's other animals cower behind Jinhai - they're not old enough to recognize the wolf as anything but a threat, Colette supposes. Jinhai looks down at them, frowning in thought. "I do hope they will be alright in the cave. It will be cramped with all of us."

"If something happens, what will we do?" Colette asks softly.

Jinhai frowns, but shrugs. "Treat any wounds that result and pray that nothing more occurs, I suppose." Colette sees it in his eyes - he really doesn't want any of his animals to die from a fight amongst each other. It's no wonder he would keep them separate from each other back at the castle.

Not knowing what else she can do, Colette stands up on her toes and places a soft hand to his head, like he often does for her. The touch surprises him, and immediately his eyes go from his animals to her, blinking in shock.

She grins. "It'll work out. I promise."

After a moment, his shock softens into a smile, and he nods. "Of course, my dear."

Following after Jinhai's wolf is surprisingly easy - it seems to understand when it needs to slow down or wait for them to step over tree roots or around the trunks. Colette has never asked before, but she's been wondering - is it Jinhai's doing that makes the animals understand him so well?

'Probably an elf thing, right?' Colette thinks, glancing at the point on Jinhai's ears. 'Or maybe that's considered racist here...'

Soon, they arrive at a cave, a small one. It's enough for the animals to crowd in, with just enough room left for Jinhai and Colette to huddle up inside too. Some of the animals are playing around outside the cave, and they seem quite ecstatic when Jinhai and Colette make themselves known to them. Jinhai is immediately overwhelmed with clinging animals sniffing and tugging at him, desperate for the interaction they've missed out on without him.

"Ah- Calm yourselves, little ones!" Jinhai's control wavers visibly in his surprise. He almost seems close to laughing, really. Colette smiles at the sight, but looks back, hesitantly, in the direction of the castle.

...It will be fine, she tells herself. They're staying here overnight either way, so what's the harm in playing around? She smiles at Jinhai. "Hey, need some help entertaining them?" she asks teasingly.

"Indeed, I think I do," Jinhai says, chuckling after. "I suppose they have been getting anxious waiting for my arrival... Perhaps I should not have sent them out so early, so long before we came."

"You didn't do anything wrong with that," Colette assures him. "If you'd started late, you'd have had to send them in larger groups, and it would've been noticed. Besides, I think they just wanna play a little. They definitely missed you."

Jinhai relaxes, apparently agreeing with Colette's sentiment. "Yes... I suppose they did." He reaches down to pet at one of the full-grown panthers. "Yes, running their energy low would be good either way. It will make it less likely for them to try and harm the little ones."

"Sounds like a plan, then. How do we play with them?"

Jinhai falters.

"I... Normally their energy was to be let loose via training with the other generals." Jinhai scowls a bit at whatever he's remembering. "Battle training to be precise. If they got too rowdy, I was to bring them in the ring and let them fight with one of the others. Apparently, drawing blood - either their own or another's - would calm them... Or so the Witch Queen said, when she started that." He sighs and shakes his head. "Although that is not an option any longer, I admit I have no other ideas for how to calm their nerves."

Colette frowns. She can't imagine how hard it must have been for Jinhai, letting his animals be used for battle training just because they got a little rambunctious. Sure, he'd said that the animals protected him in battle, but that, at least, served some sort of purpose - this sounds like something the Witch Queen made happen just to be cruel. She can't imagine normal battle was easy on him, but to have them used in that way just to amuse someone... That sounds worse, in her opinion.

And based on Jinhai's expression right now, she thinks that he feels the same.

"...Hey, ever heard of fetch? Do they have fetch in this world?"

Jinhai's blankly confused stare answers that for her, and she grins. "Okay, I sure hope your animals are a little dog-like, cause otherwise I'm gonna be out of ideas," she says, already scanning the ground for a suitable stick.

"Dog...?" Jinhai mumbles, watching Colette in silence otherwise.

"That's basically a domesticated wolf," Colette says. "Oh, but, not actually, I guess... I think I'd have to actually show you, I guess- Aha!" Colette finally finds a suitable stick and picks it up with a grin. "Okay, the idea is, I throw this stick, and they go get it and bring it back. Then I throw it again until one of us gets tired." She smirks, waving the stick at Jinhai teasingly. "Think they're up for it?"

Jinhai smirks, rather bemused by the game's concept. "This is something people in your world play with their... 'Dogs', you said?"

"Yeah! It's good exercise!" She waves the stick towards the larger mammalian animals. "And you guys need your exercise, don't you? Yes you do!" Satisfied she has the animals' attention, she rears her arm back, and throws as hard as she can. "Fetch!"

Jinhai sighs. "Darling, I do not think-"

Jinhai's gentle, well-meaning words are cut off by the various cries of the animals all taking off at once after the stick. He stands there in bewilderment, watching them all fight to get to Colette's stick first. She puts her hands on her hips smugly. "You were saying, Jinhai?"

"...That I stand corrected." Jinhai shakes his head slowly as one of the animals - a female lion, Colette thinks - comes trotting back with its prize in its mouth. The other animals slink over dejectedly, evidently thinking the game over already.

Colette giggles and accepts the stick when it's dropped in front of her. "Good girl!" And then she rears back again, and- "Fetch!"

They perk up and take off once more, with Colette laughing at how fast the animals' mood changes. "Hey, Jinhai, you wanna try when they get back this time? I'm sure you'd have more fun than you think! And you look like you could throw harder than I could."

Jinhai raises an eyebrow at that last bit. "I do?"

Colette shrugs, and aside from a light pink flush coming to her cheeks she doesn't elaborate. Jinhai considers her offer, and then nods. "Yes, I suppose... They need the exercise, after all. And I could use something to let out my own nerves..."

Colette's smile softens. "Nervous?"

"Mm, you could say that." Jinhai glances behind himself, towards the castle. It's mostly hidden by the trees, but if Colette focuses, she can see small parts of it. "The distraction will certainly be... A welcome one."

This time, a panther has brought the stick back. Colette picks it up, praising the animal, and then hands the stick over to Jinhai. "Your turn then, babe."

Jinhai takes the stick hesitantly. He looks down at it, then at his animals' hopeful eyes. And if Colette knows anything about Jinhai, she knows that he's utterly helpless to those big, round eyes.

With a sigh, he rears back for his own throw, and... "Fetch!"

Chapter Text

The cave is cold, Colette finds, and sleep doesn't come easily for her that night. It is somehow even colder than the dungeons. But Jinhai's animals seem to notice her discomfort, as all the animals with fluff to offer cuddle up to her, making it easy for her to fall asleep and face the next day.

And as soon as dawn rises, she and Jinhai take just a moment to talk about what their next step should be. He goes deeper into the cave and pulls out a folded, black cloak and a small pouch. "Here," he says, giving her the cloak. "This should hide your face. As long as you can manage that, we should be fine. These coins are few, but perhaps we can use them to get at least some rations." He hesitates, then sighs and shakes his head. "I know not what we can do once they run out, however..."

"I'd suggest we find somewhere to work," Colette says, "but somehow I think that'd be a little difficult."

"Indeed," Jinhai says, looking to the side. "Yourself a twin of the Witch Queen, and myself a general of hers. We will have difficulty finding a place that will let us peruse their wares, let alone sell them."

Colette sighs and begins to pull the cloak over herself, fastening the clasp and pulling the hood over her head. "Well, whether or not that's possible, we won't have to worry about it if the Witch Queen finds us. So..."

Jinhai hums his agreement. "Indeed. We should get moving." He just glances, then, at his animals, and each one of them stands or flaps into the air from where they were resting. His python slithers over to him and makes its way up Jinhai's body until it's once more draped over his neck and shoulders.

Now that they're all ready to go, Colette hops up, too, and beams hopefully at Jinhai. "Wanna lead the way? I feel like I'd get us lost or something."

"Not surprising if one does not know this land," Jinhai says. "Come along, then, dearest. We will want to head away from the nearest village..."

After murmuring to himself for a moment, he nods, and then walks out of the cave. Colette and the animals follow him easily and without question.

That said, walking around in the woods is tiring work. Colette sees now why she never took up hiking. It's hard on her legs, the uneven ground, and they must have been walking for hours, now.

But she can't say anything, can't ask for a break. Because there's a reason they got up this early, a reason they have to move through the woods without stopping for rest.

That said...

"Whoa!"

Colette watches with wide eyes as the wolf - either tired itself or sensing Colette's own exhaustion - grabs on to the back of Jinhai's shirt and forces him to stop. He turns, staring down at the wolf in bewilderment for a moment. He kneels down, cuping its head. "What is it, little one...?"

A moment later, understanding flashes over his face. "Ah. She worries for you, dear." He looks up to Colette, frowning. "My apologies, I did not realize you were so tired."

Colette shakes her head with a soft smile. She considers asking about how he knew that that was the case, but figures that she can wait on that. "I didn't want to speak up... I mean, it's not like there's anything for us to eat yet, so-"

"If you do not object to it, I am more than happy to forage for berries. It will not be much, but it will be something still," Jinhai says, bringing himself to stand once more. "I will leave the wolf here with you, so you can rest easy if... Someone comes by." He looks down at his wolf with a frown. "...Would you like the python to stay, as well?"

"...Yeah, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all. I will be but a moment."

As if it understood their conversation, the python slithers off of Jinhai and goes to Colette's side. She moves to sit under a tree, and smiles as the wolf trots over to her side, a valiant protector. Jinhai smiles in approval at the sight, and whistles for one of his birds to join him. "You will come with me," he tells it. "Your eyes will be of great use with this."

With a wave, Colette watches as Jinhai walks off with his bird perched on his shoulder. Many of the other animals make their choices - either following Jinhai or going to sit by her. She makes sure to pet and coo at the ones that stay - not wanting them to feel that their presence is unwelcome.

And now, with the sun slowly making its way to its highest point in the sky, she has nothing left to do but wait for Jinhai's return. It gets boring fast, but she busies herself by talking idly to the animals around her. They almost seem to listen with rapt attention - some of them lay down or come closer to her, listening to the silly stories she tells about Chicago.

And soon enough-

"Oh my. What a fascinating scene."

A voice that is not Jinhai's enters her ears. The animals surrounding her all go on guard, staring at the person it came from. Her eyes shoot up in the same direction.

It is indeed an elf, based on the ears, but that is all he has in common with Jinhai. "Here I am, just on a stroll through the forest, trying to relax," he says, eyes narrowed. "And what do I find, but the resurrected Witch Queen, surrounded by the Beast Master's companions?" He pulls out a bow, and nocks an arrow. Cold fear floods Colette. "Well, I would alert my companions, but-!"

"Stay away from her!"

Jinhai's voice echoes through the forest, and he comes running through, the group of animals he'd left with all in battle-mode as soon as they follow. The elf turns his attention away from Colette to Jinhai. "You!" he snaps. "Explain-"

"We do not need to explain ourselves to you," Jinhai snaps. "We have done nothing. She was just sitting there, and you take aim with your weapon! And yet you call us the villains?!"

The elf pauses, as if to consider Jinhai's words. "...True," he admits, but he doesn't put away his bow and arrow. "However, you cannot say that you have not more than earned the suspicion and ire of myself and my companions, Beast Master."

"I have never denied as such," Jinhai says with a scowl. "But you cannot place yourself on a pedastal all while acting the same as those you claim to be below you! Even I know this!"

"I do not wish to get lectured by-!"

"Iseul!"

Another unfamiliar voice rings through the trees, and the sound of footsteps on leaves and twigs comes through. And soon enough, another stranger appears. "Ugh, why must you make your way so far, so fast? This was supposed to be-"

The pink-haired girl cuts herself off swiftly, her mouth going into an 'o' as she takes stock of the scene. And then her gaze hardens. "...I will lecture you another time, I suppose." And with a wave of her hand, a staff appears within it. "What is Jinhai Jubal doing here? And... With the Witch Queen?!" Her eyes widen. "I- She-!"

Finally, Colette decides to speak up. "Yeah, I was gonna say something before your friend here pulled out his fucking bow and arrow," she snaps, "but I'm not the Witch Queen, thanks!"

The unnamed elf - Iseul, apparently - and his friend both stare disbelievingly at her. Jinhai sighs at them. "She tells the truth," he says. "Not that my word is worth anything to you lot, I suppose."

Iseul turns his glare back to Jinhai. "I have half a mind to-!"

"Iseul, enough," the pink-haired girl says. "If you react violently to everything he says, you are just as bad as he. You know this. Do not debase yourself in such a way - I won't see you having wounded yourself after you come back to yourself."

The words make Iseul pause, then sigh. And finally, he puts away his bow and arrow. "Fine. But you agree that we must take them in for questioning-"

And just like that, Jinhai's guard goes up - as do all of his animals' - once more. And Colette, it only takes her a moment to realize why.

"Bring his animals, too," she says.

Iseul and the pink-haired girl look to her in bewilderment.

"We'll go willingly if you let his animals come, I swear," Colette insists. She looks up to Jinhai hesitantly. "Right? If they treat them well, you'll go, right?"

Jinhai hesitates, his mind working over the possibilities. And eventually, he sighs and looks to the side. "...Yes. That is an acceptable agreement."

Iseul looks to the pink-haired girl. "Altea? What are your thoughts?"

Altea sighs. "I fear that he may exert his control on them and use them to escape, in all honesty," she admits. "But... If that is the only way for him to come along willingly, then we must chance it. Lord Reiner would not be pleased with us otherwise."

Iseul grunts at that, and looks to Jinhai. "You have heard my companion. We agree to your terms."

Chapter Text

The two strangers take it upon themselves to lead Colette and Jinhai - along with the animals - to... Wherever it is, exactly, that they're going. Colette doesn't really remember them saying, and she doesn't remember asking. At some point - several minutes after they've set off to their mystery destination - she looks over to Jinhai. "Any idea where they're taking us?"

She tries to keep the question at a whisper, but the elf - Iseul, she reminds herself - scoffs, apparently having heard her. He looks over his shoulder at her with a glare. "We are going to my lord's castle. You should know this better than anyone, as you yourself have tried - and failed - to topple it on numerous occasions, Witch Queen!"

"I told you, I'm not-!"

"Cease speaking your lies!" Iseul snaps. "Or I will have to ask Altea to put a silencing spell on you until we arrive."

Colette snaps her mouth shut immediately, and turns her eyes to the ground for a long moment. She guesses that it satisfies Iseul, because there's nothing more than silence from him - his companion, Altea, sighs, though. "Iseul," she says gently, "I understand your anger at finding her alive. Believe me, I do. But please, remember what I said. You are only going to hurt yourself if you keep trying to hurt her, too. You are better than she - do not let yourself forget this."

Iseul sighs softly at Altea's words - but before he can respond, Jinhai scoffs. "I doubt very much that he is better," he sneers. "He found my dearest one alone, doing naught but resting against a tree. And what does he do? He pulls a weapon and takes aim, intending to kill her for simply existing! You call that 'better'?"

Altea gasps. "Iseul!" she says. "When I saw you with your weapon out, I thought she had threatened you! Does Jinhai speak the truth?"

Iseul continues walking in silence for a moment, before admitting, "Yes. I... I am sorry, that was not right. I just, I saw her there with his beasts, and... I knew he had to be nearby. I only intended to threaten her, get his location, but you are right. It was wrong of me to do so unprovoked."

So he says, but he doesn't seem to intend to apologize to either her or Jinhai. Colette shares a look with Jinhai at this, silently showing their annoyance to one another with this. Altea doesn't even make him do so, either - she simply sighs at him. "You are better than that, Iseul. You know you are. I said it earlier, but I suppose I will say it once more to make it stick. Do not debase yourself to their level - you will only hurt yourself in doing so."

Iseul doesn't respond to Altea, doesn't say anything. He simply continues walking in silence, as do the rest of them.

The sun has long passed its highest point and is well on its way to disappearing below the horizon by the time they arrive at the castle Iseul mentioned. He looks to the guards at the gate. "Please alert Lord Reiner of the presence of Jinhai Jubal and the Witch Queen. He will want to speak to them."

The guards look warily at the animals they have brought with them. Altea notices, and looks to Jinhai. "Would you agree to leaving your animals in the courtyard until Lord Reiner gives a more permanent solution for their housing?" she asks.

Jinhai hesitates for a long moment. "The smaller ones are in danger, if they house with the larger ones. They will not be able to defend themselves. The large ones do not fight in my presence, but..."

Iseul looks curious at Jinhai's concern, as does Altea. However, Iseul soon speaks with a put-upon sigh. "The small ones can go into my room, then. I have plenty of greenery there for them to feel at peace, and I will feed them as needed."

"You will not harm them," Jinhai says - a firm statement rather than a question. "If you do so, I will cease in offering my cooperation."

"Yeah, so will I," Colette agrees, glaring at Iseul. She might be scared of whatever it is they intend to do with them, but she's not going to let them think she's a rug they can just step all over. And she won't let Jinhai be hurt if Iseul thinks that he can just do whatever he wants with the animals.

Iseul scoffs, though, shaking his head at the insinuation. "Unlike you, I do not regularly place innocent creatures in danger, Beast Master."

"Hey-!" Colette opens her mouth to defend Jinhai, but he quickly places a hand to her head, calming her. Her tense shoulders instantly relax, and she lets out a soft sigh. "...Fine. But I don't like that he said that about you."

Jinhai lets out a soft hum, but keeps his eyes on Iseul and Altea. "Well? We are here to meet with your lord, are we not?"

"Indeed," Iseul says with narrowed eyes. The guards open the gate, finally, and they all march into the courtyard beyond.

Iseul volunteers to take Jinhai's smaller animals to his room while Altea goes with some of the guards to alert this 'Lord Reiner' of their presence. Meanwhile, Jinhai and Colette are asked to stay in place - with the leftover guards to watch them - until Altea and Iseul return for them. Jinhai doesn't seem comfortable leaving his animals in the care of someone other than himself, but he says nothing aside from telling Iseul which animals are grown enough to be kept outside.

At one point, Iseul stares at a familiar panther. "Why this one? It looks fairly grown - I am sure it would be fine outside."

"It is not yet ready," Jinhai says immediately. "It needs at least a week more before I am willing to let it live with the larger animals."

Iseul narrows his eyes in thought, but nods. "Fine. If you insist." He urges the panther into the group with the other small animals. Immediately, Jinhai nods at them, and closes his eyes. Colette doesn't know what exactly he does, but the group - hesitant though it is - goes to Iseul's side easily. Iseul glances suspiciously to Jinhai, but says nothing - simply leads them all into the castle.

They're left there in the courtyard. Colette looks curiously at the python still around Jinhai's neck. "You didn't make him take the python," she says. "Why?"

"It likes the sun," Jinhai says. "I know not enough about his room, do not know if it gets enough sunlight to satisfy it. So it will stay in the courtyard with the others." He gently rubs the top of the python's head with two fingers with a soft smile. "Perhaps I may get the chance to look over it myself, but for now I would rather be safe than sorry."

"Yeah, that's fair," Colette says with a soft smile. "It probably knows well enough not to eat its friends, huh?"

"Indeed," Jinhai confirms, smiling softly. "I am sure it could, and would try, if it found itself in desperate need of sustenance, but hopefully they will keep it fed enough that I need not worry about that."

Colette winces a little at the thought at they might let the animals starve. "Yeah, hopefully..."

They stand out there in tense silence with the guards for a several long, excruciating minutes. But eventually Altea and Iseul do come out - both wearing more armor than what they wore when they went inside, and they bring along two others at their side. One man has silver armor and a large sword at his side - which his hand doesn't seem to leave the hilt of for a second. And the other wears blue armor and spiky gauntlets, and has one red eye and one blue eye, both glowing ever so slightly.

The latter man stares at Colette intensely, but seems more curious than angry - unlike Iseul and the other nameless man. "I almost wish you had been playing a poor joke, Iseul," the nameless man says with a cold glare in Colette's direction.

"Why would I ever make a joke about this?" Iseul says, turning his glare to his companion now. "I do have limits, August, believe it or not."

August grunts but says nothing. The man with heterochromatic eyes doesn't take his gaze off of Colette as he says, "Lord Reiner is waiting. We should make sure he does not have to do so for too long."

"Agreed," Altea says. "Jinhai Jubal, Witch Queen. Come along with us."

Colette doesn't even try to argue against the title this time. Instead, she simply sighs to herself, as she and Jinhai are finally led into the castle.

Chapter Text

Around winding hallways, all far too similar to one another, Jinhai and Colette find themselves eventually brought into an office. And there, waiting for them, is a large, imposing man, who has a scar over his eye. He turns his eyes away from the window and towards the group once Altea shuts the door behind them. "Jinhai Jubal and the Witch Queen... I had hoped to never deal with either of you again, and yet here you both stand before us."

"Jinhai was a possibility, for we knew he still drew breath," the man with the sword - August, Colette remembers Iseul calling him - says. "The Witch Queen, however, is a surprise to all of us, my lord."

"Indeed."

Colette sighs. "Am I allowed to talk? Because we weren't exactly allowed that while we were brought here," she says, shooting a venomous glare to Iseul.

He returns the expression in kind, but looks to the man in charge. "Lord Reiner, what do you say?" he asks. "Should we allow her the chance to speak her falsities?"

"All should be allowed to defend their actions, however heinous those acts may be," Lord Reiner says with a sigh.

"Good, I'm glad the guy in charge is actually sensible," Colette says with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway - I'm not the Witch Queen, sorry to disappoint."

Everyone - aside from Altea and Iseul - balks at this statement.

"...I see now what you meant by falsities," August says, shaking his head in disbelief. "Does she believe we have taken leave of our minds, for her to be speaking such things?"

"I do not know, but she continuously said that the entire way to the castle," Iseul says with a sigh. "And I presume Altea informed you, my lord, of our other 'guests'?"

"Indeed," Lord Reiner says. "She asked that we allow the Beast Master's animals shelter in exchange for cooperation, yes?"

"And you both agreed?!" August is horrified by this. "What if they should use them to escape us when we are unaware?!"

Iseul rolls his eyes. "Calm yourself. I am keeping approximately half of them in my room, and the other half are in the courtyard with the guards. He will not be able to control them without someone noticing."

August grumbles under his breath, and Colette rolls her eyes. "Yeah, can we get back to what I was saying? About me not being the Witch Queen?"

"Oh, my apologies, I thought you were finished with that," Altea says, mimicking surprise. "Please, continue trying to play us for fools."

"My name is Colette Montero," she says. "And I'm not from this world. I came here, somehow, by accident, and yeah, the Witch Queen does look a lot like me, but I'm not her." She pauses, glances to Jinhai from the corner of her eye. She wonders if she should add that she did, if by accident, bring the Witch Queen back...

"Why do you look to him when speaking your own tale?" Iseul asks. "Have you forgotten the story you forged together-?"

"No, goddammit!" Colette has to take a breath and calm herself. This guy is really testing her, huh? "Look, to tell the truth, I may not be the Witch Queen, but I did somehow bring her back. She was, I don't know, trapped inside me? And one of the other generals-"

"Helena," Jinhai supplies.

"Right, Helena, she performed some freakish ritual and, like... Released her from me?"

The silence that follows speaks volumes of how much the others believe in her innocence.

"Altea," Lord Reiner eventually speaks, "please dispell her magic."

Colette groans. "I'm telling you, I don't have any-!"

"Then it should be no problem," Altea says, stepping towards her. "It will at least prove that there is a modicum of truth to your words, if I sense no magic within you. So I suggest you stay still."

Colette sighs. "Fine... If that's what it takes."

Altea hums, and waves a hand - pink runes forming in the air as she murmurs a spell under her breath. Then she slams her staff to the ground, and-

...Nothing.

Altea's eyes widen.

"She... Has no magic. She was being truthful, at least in that regard." She frowns, holding her staff somewhat closer. "And with the amount of magic the Witch Queen held, I would sense it even if it were supressed..."

Everyone looks at each other, surprised by Altea's words. "Then... She is truly not the Witch Queen," Lord Reiner says.

"A vessel, perhaps, for her return, based on what she has said," Altea says. "But one who had no choice in the matter, and did not even have the ability to bring her back had she been able to do so on her own. She is innocent, even if Jinhai is not."

"She is not about to claim that this is not Jinhai, is she?" Iseul asks warily. "Because I believe that one innocent looking like a villain is all my mind can handle."

Colette winces, and glances off to the side. "Yeah, no, sorry... He's actually Jinhai. That one, you got right."

Jinhai grunts in confirmation, but says nothing. Colette realizes belatedly that he has been silent for almost this entire meeting. He has not said more than one word, not even now that he himself is under scrutiny.

Iseul straightens himself, confusion gone from his eyes. "Then you cannot be entirely innocent," he says. "Not if you know that he works for the Witch Queen and still allow yourself to associate with him."

And now, finally, Jinhai glares and says, "I have abandoned the Witch Queen. Whether you accept me as an ally against her, I will not have that being brought into question. I can act as a sword to fight her, or I can be left alone to help neither side - but I will never return to her." A moment passes as stunned silence drapes the room. He sighs and looks to the side. "...She threatened someone that I care deeply about. She decided to give the ultimatum between her service or my feelings for Colette, and I chose the latter."

Colette's cheeks burn at Jinhai's words, and she suddenly finds the floor very interesting. Jinhai makes it sound a fair bit more dramatic and direct of a betrayal than it really was - but she doesn't think explaining the specifics would really help things right now.

After a long, silent moment that stretches far longer than Colette is comfortable with, it is broken by Lord Reiner clearing his throat. "Be that as it may," he says, "you must be aware of... Well, how we perceive you, Jinhai. We cannot simply trust you at your word."

"I never expected, nor asked you to do so," Jinhai replies in a dry tone.

Lord Reiner ignores that comment, and continues, "For now... I will be placing both you and... Colette into the dungeons. Tomorrow, I will talk to you both further about your circumstances."

Colette pouts to herself. Really, she just got out of ONE dungeon, and now she has to get put in another one?! How is that fair?!

Aside from pouting, though, she can't bring herself to actually complain. She simply continues staring down at the floor as Lord Reiner orders Iseul, Altea, August, and the still-unnamed guy with heterochromia to see them down into the dungeons. If she does otherwise, she thinks that it will only hurt their situation further.

And so, she and Jinhai go silently and willingly into a cell in the dungeons. And the whole time, she can only think that she's grateful that they're given the same cell.

Chapter Text

As footsteps fade away up the stairs of the dungeon - the second one Colette has now been in - Colette lets out a deep sigh. "Dammit," she mutters. "Look, I get that working for the Witch Queen is... Well, it gives them a big reason to not trust you. Okay, I get that. But they checked, and they saw that I don't have any magic, so..." She flings her hands into the air with an angry groan. "Why couldn't that have at least convinced them to give you the benefit of the doubt?! Huh?!"

Jinhai simply shrugs and looks to the side. "The reputation I have built will not collapse or change easily, dearest." He looks back to her, a soft smile on his face. "But I am glad that they saw fit to place us together. We are at least able to talk this way."

"Yeah... That is one good thing," Colette admits, a shy smile crossing her lips. She sits down on the floor and leans back against the wall behind her. Jinhai sits next to her and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"This is alright?" he asks.

"Yeah," she says, snuggling against him. "What'd you wanna talk about, though? The way you said it, it sounded like you had a topic in mind."

Jinhai hums thoughtfully. "Do you remember what we were talking about, that day the Witch Queen returned to flesh? When we were in my room, before going to eat with the generals."

Colette thinks back. She had spent so many days in that dungeon, it feels like that's where she spent the entirety of her stay at that castle. But she soon remembers, and her cheeks flush. "Oh. Yeah, you were going to tell me, uh, how you felt about me, or something...?" she mumbles, trying to make it sound like it's not that big of a deal.

But the way her heart thuds and twists around in her chest disagrees. Jinhai chuckles, as though he can tell she's faking - honestly, he probably can. She's never been that great at hiding her feelings.

"Yes, that is right," Jinhai murmurs. He gently rubs her arm, as if to soothe her nerves. It works, but not as well as when he pets her head. She reaches for his hand and plants it on top of her head instead, and he chuckles as he pets her there instead. "It took me some time to work out and accept my feelings," he says softly. "And I wanted to find a calmer time to tell you - a time when I was not trying to break you out of a dungeon, or when we were not in danger of the Witch Queen noticing our absences and coming after us." He pauses. "I suppose we will always be in danger of that, though - even if we are granted refuge here. So I will tell you now."

Colette squeezes her hands into fists, trying to stomp down the hope building within her. She holds her breath...

"Colette... I love you."

And she lets out the breath in relief, nuzzling herself closer to him. "I love you too," she whispers. "I love you, and that's why I hate seeing them not trust you. And I hate that they're being so cruel about your animals... I can see that it hurts you..."

"It... It does," Jinhai murmurs, letting out a sigh. "It hurts me deeply. But it is not something I did not expect - their disbelief in me, and their distrust of my animals. Other elves... They believe the way I interact with animals to be unnatural, because it is different from how it is traditionally done. But I care deeply for them all the same - especially the ones I keep at my side."

"They care for you too," Colette assures him. "They wouldn't stay with you if they didn't. So what makes things so 'unnatural' to the elves that..." She hesitates, wondering if this is something that Jinhai would rather she not ask. "That... Would make them cast you out?"

The question is barely there, a whisper of a whisper. And yet Jinhai hears, and he immediately wraps both arms around Colette, holding her close - almost like he's scared she'll leave after he tells her this. "Elves..." he begins, "We... Have a power. We can feel animals' feelings, hear their thoughts. Most of the time, elves are meant to only suggest things to animals, when needed - a nudge, I suppose it would be called."

"But...?"

"...I do more. I... In battle, I overrule the animals' thoughts and feelings with my own, and control them."

...Silence falls on the cell. Colette doesn't know how to respond.

This is enough of an answer to Jinhai - a lack of an answer answers for itself. He holds her tighter, trembling against her.

"Please do not think me cruel," he whispers into her hair. "I have my reasons, I swear to you I do."

"Then tell me," Colette urges him. "I don't understand this world, Jinhai. I'm just confused, I promise. Explain things to me with that in mind, okay?"

Jinhai holds her for a moment more in silence before relaxing. He doesn't pull away from her, though. "Of course..." he whispers. "I... When I do this, I only do so when in battle. Whether it is against a soldier or a thief... Otherwise, I will do the same as any other elf - observation and influence rather than outright force."

"Okay, I get that," Colette says, assuring him that she's listening.

"Mm... The reason I do so in battle is... My animals, they do not have any concept of dodging, or strategy... Only of attacking. If I do not control them during battle - no matter who they are fighting against - many more would die than those that do as is." He sighs shakily, the sound making Colette's heart ache. "I have lost too many to battle already. Losing them to age or sickness is hard enough on me... But to watch them die in battle, when I know I could have done something to help... I cannot bear to do that."

Colette pulls back enough to look Jinhai in the eye. She smiles gently at him, and cups his face in her hands. "I understand," she says. "I know you'd never sit by and let someone kill your animals. And I'm sure they're grateful to you for it, for helping them live longer lives." Her smile falters. "But hey, why not tell the other elves that? Why not explain yourself?"

Jinhai shakes his head. "Because of my lack of connection to plants and other nature. I only care for animals, and the fact that I would control them in such a way... It made them believe me to be power-hungry - they never asked for any indication to the contrary. And they cast me out, and..."

It clicks in Colette's brain, when Jinhai hesitates.

"And then the Witch Queen found you."

"Mm." Jinhai reaches to hold Colette's hand against his cheek, not meeting her eyes. "And I thought, if they believed me to be power-hungry, then... Why not let them believe it? Why not give them proof, even? It would be easier than changing their minds."

"Oh, Jinhai..." Colette rubs her thumb gently under his eye, catching a tear that has fallen. She doesn't think he even noticed himself crying, but the sight makes her heart break in two. "That's not right, love, you know it's not... You deserve to have people know the truth. You deserve for them to know that you're not as cruel as they think you are." She smiles softly. "Because you're not cruel at all. You're so, so kind."

Her brows furrow, determination blazing inside her.

"And if you won't try to prove it to them, then let me try. Please."

Jinhai manages to meet her eyes, and then, after a moment of silence, he smiles shakily. "I do not deserve you."

"You do, though." Colette leans closer. "You deserve so much more than you think, Jinhai."

Their lips meet, and Colette can taste the salty pain of her beloved's tears as she kisses him. She kisses him softly, over and over, giving him as much love and affection as she knows he deserves.

Chapter Text

Sleeping in a dungeon is easier when you have someone there with you, Colette soon finds. The two of them rest easily through the night, and are only awaken the next morning by the sound of armored footsteps clanging down the stairs. Colette shifts first, rubbing her eyes blearily to clarify the sight of who is coming downstairs.

August, the man with the sword constantly at his side. And a woman who has a frighteningly familiar face. Colette gasps and shoots straight up, inadvertently removing the arm Jinhai had wrapped around her. "Sophie!" she cries, rushing to stand up. "What are you doing here?!"

Sophie tilts her head, pure confusion washing over her face. "My apologies, but my name is Solaire, not Sophie," she says. Her expression lightens as a smile touches her lips. "But as for what I am doing here, I have been asked to bring the two of you breakfast!" Indeed, the tray in her arms holds two platfuls of food. She looks to August, raising an eyebrow. "You did not come along simply to observe. Please open their cell."

August grumbles. "Try anything, both of you, and you will not live to regret it," he warns them. Even half-asleep, Jinhai narrows his eyes at the blatant threat, but he says nothing.

Satisfied by their silence, August sticks a key into the lock, and opens the cell just enough to let Soph-... Solaire into it. Solaire places the tray down on the ground, and says, "I will be back to collect the plates and utensils later. Likely just before your conversation with Lord Wolfson." She glances warily at Jinhai. "...I am told that at least one of you is not who you seem, yes?"

"Yeah, they thought I was the Witch Queen, but I'm not," Colette says. "He actually is Jinhai, but he's left the Witch Queen's service."

"A likely story," August snaps. Apparently he's never heard of 'private conversations'. "Solaire, you were not asked to converse with them. Your task is done - you must continue with your duties."

Solaire, apparently not offended by August's behavior, nods and stands. "Of course, you are right." She glances to Colette, and winks playfully. "Good luck. To both of you."

August scoffs in disgust as he locks the door behind Solaire. He doesn't berate her, though, nor does he even glance towards Jinhai or Colette as the two of them leave. Once they can no longer hear the sound of their movements, Jinhai shifts, looking to Colette. "You called her Sophie," he says, a curious note in his voice. "Is that someone from your realm?"

"Oh- Yeah, it is." Colette frowns a little, her heart sinking into her stomach at the memory. "She's... My best friend, actually." She hesitates, then forces a laugh. "But, hey, I'm just glad that the person who looks like her isn't also an evil lady!"

Jinhai frowns and reaches to hold her hand, the touch grounding her. "You do not need to force yourself to smile for me," he says. "If you wish to grieve, then please grieve. You comforted me last night, so I will do the same for you now."

The words, and his soft, kind tone, bring tears to Colette's eyes - overflowing and tracking down her cheeks. "I..." She chokes around the knot in her throat, and she has to let out a sob before she can say, "I miss her. I miss her a lot." She sniffles pathetically. "I didn't even get to say goodbye. We... We were going to watch a movie together sometime soon, and for all I know, she's been trying to contact me this whole time..." She rubs at her eyes with her free hand. "She doesn't even know where I am... She's got to be so worried..."

She can tell that Jinhai is trying to guess what a movie is without having to interrupt her venting, and she lets out a shaking laugh at the sight. "A movie is like a play, but on a big screen instead of a stage."

That looks like it only brings Jinhai more questions than answers, but he nods gently. He squeezes at her hand, urging her to continue.

She sighs shakily, and looks to the side. "At the very least I wish I'd gotten to say goodbye... That's what hurts the most, I think. If only I'd gotten that chance, maybe I wouldn't be hurting so much."

"Would you not want to return permanently?" Jinhai asks, frowning. "Surely there are other things from your world you miss..."

Colette shrugs a little, a weak smile on her lips. "I mean, yeah, I guess. Movies, and cell phones, and cars..." She winces. "Ugh, cars. Our trip here would've been so much quicker and easier with a car..."

A beat later, though she smiles more confidently, and looks Jinhai in the eye. "But my world wouldn't have you... And I don't think I could bring you along without people thinking you're cosplaying some Lord of the Rings character twenty-four seven."

That brings as much confusion as it does affection to Jinhai's face, and Colette laughs brightly at the odd mix of emotions. "I love you, Jinhai," she reminds him. "If I ever did go back, it'd just be to give Sophie a hug and say goodbye - then I'd be coming right back to you." She leans up, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

Jinhai flusters, glancing away nervously from Colette. "We... Should eat, before the food grows cold."

Colette laughs brightly, and agrees.

Just as they finish eating, Solaire comes back down the stairs - August and Iseul at her sides as she does so. Solaire takes the tray and dishes - now bare of the food they once held. She grins and teasingly says, "I suppose you enjoyed it."

"It was amazing," Colette says, beaming. "Thanks so much, Soph- Ah, Solaire."

Solaire nods, and glances to August and Iseul with a more neutral expression. "I do hope that the two of you will not be too cruel to them. Do not let prejudice cloud your judgements."

August grunts, not meeting her eyes. Iseul pouts and says, "Prejudice? Me?"

Solaire rolls her eyes and doesn't respond, carrying the tray off. August and Iseul turn their eyes to Colette and Jinhai, then, their gazes cold and unyielding. "Lord Reiner has deemed that the both of you deserve a chance to state your cases," August says. "However, the both of you will be doing so separately - you, Colette, will be going first. He is especially curious to hear more about the other realm you supposedly hail from."

Colette huffs, but stands up - begrudgingly. Immediately, Iseul grasps her by the arm, making sure that she can't escape. It's not as if she was planning to do so, but apparently they don't want to take any chances. Colette winces a little at his tight grip, and Iseul takes notice. Guilt passes over his face, and he sighs, tentatively relaxing his grip - but only enough that it doesn't hurt.

August slams the cell door and locks it back into place as the three of them begin to leave the dungeon.

"I do believe Altea when she says that you are not the Witch Queen," Iseul says. "But I am significantly less willing to believe that Jinhai Jubal is capable of change, you see." He frowns a little. "However, I will... Do my best not to let my disdain for him cloud my judgement. I am normally a much more pleasant person, Lady Colette."

"And by 'pleasant' he means 'boisterous' and 'talkative'," August grumbles, though he doesn't look to Colette. It almost seems that the comment was made just because he wanted to be snide about Iseul's personality, rather than actually caring about Colette's feelings.

To be honest, that's a little amusing. Colette lets herself smile a bit, but it falls quickly as she reminds herself who she's with. "No offense - Iseul, right? - but you didn't make the best first impression on me. Pulling a weapon on me unprompted and all."

August's head spins so fast that Colette expects it to snap off. "Iseul?! Did you truly-?!"

"I am sorry!" Iseul snaps. "I was not thinking clearly, I admit this readily!" He sighs, taking a moment to calm himself. "But I am still sorry that I scared you so, Lady Colette."

Colette shakes her head after a moment of surprise. "No, it's... I mean, I kinda dealt with the Witch Queen for a minute, so I get it. I look like her and she's... Seriously bad news. So you'd have no choice but to be on-guard. I get it. Still not a great first impression, though."

Iseul chuckles lightly, his grip on her arm loosening further. If Colette tried, she could pull away now - but she doesn't, and simply smiles tentatively at him. Maybe it will be easier than she expected to earn his trust...?

And if so... Maybe he'll be able to put in a good word for her with Lord Reiner?

The thought barely has time to settle before they arrive at what seems to be a throne room. It's far different from the one in the Witch Queen's castle, but Colette feels that that's a good thing rather than a bad one. Lord Reiner sits in the throne, with Altea at his left side and the man with mismatched eyes on his right. August and Iseul stop as they bring Colette mere feet away from their lord, and Iseul finally, fully releases Colette's arm.

"Now, Colette Montero, you said your name was?" Lord Reiner says, staring intently at her. "May we please hear about this world you come from - if it is not ours? If it does not have magic?"

Colette blinks. "I don't remember-"

"I told him," Altea says. "Your lack of magic felt different to me than one who hails from this world - even one with no talent to cast their own would have come into contact with another who does. You felt as though you have never dealt with magic before... Aside from a few traces of what seemed to be the Witch Queen's magic, likely from when you were in her castle."

Colette winces and glances to the side. "Yeah... But you could definitely tell that that wasn't my magic, right?"

"Yes. It felt foreign to your body," Altea assures her.

"More to the point, is she right about your world not having magic?" August asks.

"Yeah, she is," Colette says. "I just don't remember mentioning that to you guys. But yeah, it's true."

Altea's brows furrow in thought. "How did you say you arrived, again...?"

Colette hesitates for a long moment. "Honestly, I think I was... Struck by lightning, maybe? But I don't remember lightning being able to teleport someone to another world..."

"Perhaps you were summoned," Lord Reiner suggests. "If you were truly meant as the vessel for the Witch Queen's return, then it would be no surprise..."

"I mean, maybe, but I don't think my appearance was expected," Colette says. "No one was exactly waiting for me in that forest, and Jinhai just happened to find me by chance."

Everyone hums, staring intently at Colette with varying degrees of curiosity, wariness and suspicion. She squirms under their stares and turns her eyes to the floor. "Anything else you guys wanna ask me...?"

"Jinhai Jubal," Lord Reiner says. "Has he truly changed? Will you vouch for him?"

"Yes," Colette says, not hesitating at all. She meets his eyes, seeing him surprised by her quick response. "I trust him. Completely."

Lord Reiner pauses, considering, then says, "Those are dangerous words... If you are wrong, then you will be held responsible as well as he."

The words hold weight, but Colette takes them as though they are feathers. "I understand," she says. "I still trust him. I will vouch for him entirely."

Lord Reiner glances to Colette's side, looking at Iseul. "Iseul, what do you think? You would have the most to say about him, I should think."

Iseul sighs and crosses his arms in thought, lips pursing as he hesitates. "I would be wary about trusting her," he says. "Not because I think she is lying, but because I do not think she has the full picture, my lord. If she is wrong, I would think it to only be because he has fooled her - not because she is in on his scheme."

"Oh my, that is quite the turnaround from your behavior yesterday," Altea says.

"Well, perhaps if you had checked her for magic sooner, I would have been kinder as a result," Iseul says with a teasing smirk.

Altea flushes at the point. "Ah, yes... That is true, I suppose." She clears her throat. "But yes, he does make a point, my lord. Holding her to the same standard as Jinhai Jubal does not seem wise - especially with how little she seems to know of... Everything."

Colette wants to argue that, but to be honest she really doesn't know much here. Lord Reiner considers the words of both Iseul and Altea, and eventually nods.

"Very well. Send her back down, and I will make a decision after talking more thoroughly to Jinhai."

"Of course, my lord," Iseul says neutrally. He places just a hand to Colette's shoulder rather than grabbing her roughly. "Back to the dungeons with you, then."

"Hooray," Colette says sarcastically. But she doesn't fight him, and goes along willingly.

With any luck, this will be the last time she has to go down there...

Chapter Text

August opens the cell and lets Iseul nudge Colette into the cell. "It is your turn, Beast Master," August says, looking at Jinhai with disgust. Iseul matches this hostility, glaring at Jinhai with daggers in his eyes.

Jinhai sighs through his nose, and stands up without trying to fight either of them. He steps forward, but hesitates just before properly exiting the cell. "If it would be permissable with your lord," he says, "would I be able to check on my animals after I meet with him? I... Worry for them."

Iseul and August look at each other, seeming to have a mental conversation before looking back to Jinhai. "You would have to ask him yourself," Iseul speaks, barely managing to keep the distrust from his tone. "We are unable to speak for him. But as long as you are kept under watch while it happens, I do not believe he will have any problem with it."

Jinhai relaxes a little, taking that to be as much of an agreement as he will receive for now. "I see. Then I will ask when we see him."

"Mm. Come along, then," Iseul says, finally grabbing Jinhai's arm the same harsh way he'd first done for Colette.

Jinhai glances back to Colette as August slams the cell door shut once more. "I will return soon, dearest. Please wait for me."

Colette smiles reassuringly at him. "Don't worry. I'll be right here, love."

...So she says, but his conversation seems to take longer than expected. Maybe it's just because she was actually there for her own talk, and so she wasn't just sitting around waiting...

Or maybe they did let Jinhai see his animals.

The thought makes her smile, and she relaxes a little. She hopes that's why it's taking so long - she knows he must have been so worried about them, after all. And it's better than the alternative - that they're asking him question after question, attempting to catch him in a lie.

She shrugs off that possibility. Instead, she imagines his soft smile as he dotes on all his animals, who must have missed him as much as he missed them...

Yeah, she can wait as long as it takes, as long as that's what's happening.

Just as she thinks that, footsteps ring out from the staircase. She perks up, watching as Jinhai is brought back down with August and Iseul once more. Jinhai looks a fair bit more relaxed, now - Colette assumes that they really did let him see his animals, then. Iseul and August also seem less hostile - though certainly not trustful. Maybe they'd seen him interacting with his animals...?

Colette scoots back as August opens the cell, and Iseul pushes Jinhai in.

While August locks the cell once more, Iseul speaks, "Our lord will be taking consideration of both of your statements. We will likely be back down with him later, and he will give you his verdict then."

Jinhai grunts and looks to the side. "Please feed the animals in your room before the sun rises too high," he requests. "I noticed they had not yet eaten."

"I have been busy," Iseul says, annoyed. He pauses, then says in a more neutral tone, "But I suppose I will make time, if that is what it takes to keep you from acting rashly against us."

Despite both of their neutral tones, there is a cold edge to both of the elves' tones. It makes Colette wince, but she says nothing. August either doesn't notice or doesn't care, as he's already leading the way for himself and Iseul up the stairs. Iseul spares one last searching, uncertain glance to Jinhai, and then follows after his companion.

Colette snuggles herself up to Jinhai's side as he sits down, looking up at him curiously. "You saw your animals?" she says. "Were they doing well?"

"As well as could be expected, given his lack of experience caring for them," Jinhai says. "He - as well as many other elves - are of the mind that it is cruel to capture animals, even if they consent to being held." He shrugs, while Colette tilts her head at that comment.

"They consent?" she asks. "Can I ask how that works?"

Jinhai hums at her curiosity, considering for a moment. "It is not the same sort of 'yes' or 'no' I might give you, or vice versa, when offering our consent to something. It is more of a... Sense, I suppose. A feeling, when I search their mind - and that is the same way I knew that my wolf knew you were tired. It is merely a matter of understanding their senses rather than understanding their language."

"That's sorta cool," Colette says, smiling. "But then, that Iseul, he'd have to know that you have their permission, then, right?"

"Which is why I believe he is so hesitant in what to believe right now," Jinhai says. "If I were truly the cruel monster he and others paint me as, I would not have animals who so willingly trust and follow me - rather, they would be scared of me, and trying to take this chance to run away." He chuckles under his breath. "Instead, they all nearly had me falling to the ground upon sight with how excited they were to get my attention." He pauses, then adds, "I am... Glad, that they missed me as I missed them."

"Of course they did," Colette assures him. "You care so much for them, and they obviously know that." She places a soft hand to his shoulder. "You're kind, like I said. And they can sense that."

Jinhai smiles softly to himself, and places a hand on top of Colette's head. "Hm... Perhaps. But I believe you are the kind one, dearest. You care for one such as I, after all."

Colette smiles and shakes her head, though not enough to make his hand fall from it. "I don't just care about you - I love you. I mean it." She grins even larger. "And that doesn't make me 'kind', by the way. You deserve to have someone care for and love you, whether you believe it or not."

"Hm..." Jinhai doesn't argue with her, despite his clear hesitance in believing her. He simply leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead. As his lips brush her skin, he mutters, "I love you as well, my dearest one."

Neither of them is entirely sure how long they sit down there. Jinhai tells her some things about this world, and she tells him about hers in return - he seems especially interested in the animals, which is just too adorable to Colette.

Just as she's in the middle of telling him about the cat that hangs around her apartment building - no one really claims it as their own, but she and some of her neighbors take turns leaving kibble and water out for it - armored footsteps come, once more, down the stairs. And this time, it sounds like a group of more than two people.

Colette snaps her mouth shut in the middle of explaining what kibble is, looking up to find Lord Reiner leading his retainers through the dungeons. As expected, Lord Reiner stops in front of their cell, and gives the two of them a neutral look.

"I have made my decision," he says. "And I do hope that the two of you will not give me cause to regret it."

Colette tries not to gasp in hope. August grunts, unwilling to argue with his lord but still clearly in disagreement about this situation. Iseul stares mostly at Jinhai, while Altea and the man with mismatched eyes simply watch both of them as Lord Reiner pulls out the key for their cell and opens it. "You are both free to roam the castle - but I do ask that you both keep me and my retainers updated on your whereabouts as much as possible."

Colette glances to Jinhai, and sees his expression guarded. "This is too kind of an act, even for you, Lord Wolfson," he says. "Is there some sort of catch we should be made aware of?"

Lord Reiner hesitates, but says, "I am not sure if this counts... But it would certainly be appreciated to have both of your aids in the battle against the Witch Queen. We will not force you, however."

Jinhai's jaw tightens, and he stands. "I will offer my aid," he says, "but I cannot accept you placing Colette on the battlefield. She has never had to fight - she would be killed."

Morbid. But, honestly, probably not wrong. Colette winces but doesn't argue against him.

Lord Reiner frowns. "I understand," he says, even though it looks like he understands less about Jinhai's feelings and more about Colette's inexperience. "And as I said, we will not force you - but we would more than welcome your help, Jinhai, if you are truly offering it."

Colette stands quickly. "Wait, no! I don't want him going into battle without me!"

"Dearest-"

"Jinhai, if that happens, you wouldn't be able to promise me that you could make it back," Colette says, glaring. "Don't say something like, 'I made it through the last war' or anything. You still can't promise me. I'm not a child, I'm not going to believe that. You have to let me come with you, please. At least then I might be able to do something..."

Jinhai sighs and shakes his head at her. "Lord Wolfson," he says, meeting the scarred man's eyes, "if she wishes to fight, I ask that she be trained. May we have access to your training fields for this purpose?"

"Absolutely," Lord Reiner says. "I will even ensure that my retainers assist, if you should need it." He shoots a look to said retainers, silencing any complaints they might have given. Then he looks back to Jinhai and Colette. "For now, allow me to show you both to where you will sleep."

"Will we be getting the same room?" Colette asks as they follow after Lord Reiner and the others.

"You will. It will make it easier to watch over you," Lord Reiner replies.

At least he's honest about the reasoning - and, hey, it works out pretty well in Colette's favor. She'd hate to suddenly be separated from Jinhai after getting to be with him for the entire time in the cell.

Behind the backs of Lord Reiner and his retainers, Colette reaches over and holds Jinhai's hand, lacing their fingers together. She feels him squeeze back, and smiles to herself.

Chapter Text

The room Jinhai and Colette end up being led to is actually pretty nice. She'd half-expected it to be no better than the dungeon, or perhaps even worse, so this is a pleasant surprise.

Based on Jinhai's mild, barely-concealed shock, he'd expected about the same as her. "You... Treat your guests well," he says to Lord Wolfson, as if the very concept was outright alien to him. "Even..." He pauses, then silently gestures to himself before continuing with a simple, "Thank you."

Lord Wolfson's lips quirk in slight amusement. "I could not ask for your help and yet treat you both as prisoners," he says, only seeming half-joking.

Jinhai ponders this silently, giving no response to the comment, with his eyes pointedly trained away from the other man. It almost looks, for a moment, like he's about to say something else-

But then, he stops himself, and in place of whatever words he was going to say, he instead gives a simple, curt nod.

Lord Wolfson eyes Jinhai curiously for a moment, but soon he nods back. "During your free time, if you wish to go elsewhere in the castle, as I said, you are free to do so - but please make sure to keep me and my retainers updated on your whereabouts."

Jinhai, after a long moment of careful hesitation, asks, "I presume that leaving the castle grounds is not an option?"

Lord Wolfson's brows furrow slightly, and he shakes his head in the negative. "As of this moment, no, but know that it is less because of a lack of trust in you, and more of a concern for how the people in town will react to you."

Whether or not Jinhai believes this, or cares about it, he holds back on speaking those thoughts. "Very well, then. Having the ability to move about the castle is... More trust than I expected to receive, in any case. Thank you."

Lord Wolfson gives a careful, understanding nod. "Pray that you do not make me regret my choice, then."

Iseul shifts uncomfortably from where he stands in the doorframe. "...Would you like the indoor animals to be moved from my room to yours?" he asks, catching Jinhai's attention. "I do not mind keeping them, but..."

Lord Wolfson looks mildly surprised by Iseul's offer, and Jinhai and Colette are even moreso. However, Lord Wolfson doesn't stop Iseul from making the offer, and simply turns his eyes to Jinhai, curious and waiting for a response.

"...Your room holds more greenery than this one," Jinhai eventually mutters. "While my... Old room did not hold much greenery, I would still prefer they stay in your room. If that is alright."

Iseul eyes Jinhai for a long, wary moment, and then nods shortly. "Very well. That would certainly give me more comfort, in any case, to have them where they can be watched."

Jinhai's lips tug downward, but he doesn't fight Iseul on the matter. He doesn't say anything, positive or negative. Colette frowns to herself - she wants to fight on his behalf, but she can't. She can't, because one small thing could trigger Lord Wolfson's trust to break, and then they'd be sent right back to the dungeon. And so, the both of them quietly accept Iseul's blatant distrust.

"Lunch should be served in about an hour," Lord Wolfson informs them, bringing their eyes back to him. He turns his eyes to his retainers, considering something for a moment. "...Altea," he eventually says, "would you mind showing them around the castle? I would do it myself, but I have some paperwork to get back to work on."

"Of course, Lord Reiner," Altea says. "Better I than Iseul or August, after all."

The two named retainers pout at Altea's comment, although they don't actually appear to disagree with her sentiment. She waves gently towards Jinhai and Colette. "Come along then, you two!"

The castle, as it turns out, has so many winding hallways that Colette has to resist the urge to compare it to the Witch Queen's castle. She can't imagine that she'll be able to find her way around without a guide for a while, which truly makes it no different in her eyes. That's probably something that they wouldn't like to hear, though.

"And here," Altea says with a grand flourish, "is the training yard. I imagine this is the most important location in your eyes, Jinhai, given your earlier stipulation to my lord."

Jinhai gives no direct response to that, only looking idly over the targets and wooden dummies available. "Do you have any training weapons available?"

"Yes, they are kept in the armory I showed you earlier," Altea says patiently. "And, although my lord gave you both free reign of the castle, I believe it best if you both do not train during the night hours. You understand, surely?"

"We would prefer to rest at that time anyway," Jinhai assures her. "Thank you, Lady Altea, for the tour."

"You are quite welcome!" Altea chirps, seemingly forgetting for the time that Jinhai isn't trusted among her fellow retainers. A moment later, she clears her throat and schools her expression into a more neutral one. "Lunch should be served soon, so shall we go to the dining hall?"

Jinhai looks to Colette, and she looks back, hesitant. She'll go along with whatever he decides on, she figures - if he'd rather eat later, away from the others, she'll do that.

After a long pause, Jinhai nods and looks back to Altea, who was watching them curiously. "Yes, that sounds like a splendid idea."

Altea nods, and begins to lead the way back inside, to the dining hall.

Chapter Text

As they enter the dining hall, Solaire - who is serving Lord Wolfson and the other retainers - lifts her eyes and beams at Altea. Her smile is considerably softer, less bright, when looking to Colette and Jinhai. But it's a smile nonetheless, which is more than August offers them - a scowl - or Iseul - avoiding looking their way entirely.

Altea guides Jinhai and Colette to the table, and the two of them sit separated from everyone else. The closest person happens to be the guy with heterochromatic eyes - and Colette realizes that she doesn't know his name. He's basically the ONLY person she doesn't know the name of, actually.

"Hey, uh..." Colette tries to speak to him, and he pauses, glancing her way impassively. "So, uh..."

A beat of silence passes between the two. The guy sighs and averts his eyes - no, he looks to Jinhai, on the other side of Colette. "Your lover seems incapable of finishing her sentence."

Jinhai makes a curious noise, and gently nudges Colette's arm. Colette huffs, but doesn't look at him. "I just wanted to ask your name," she says. "I haven't heard it yet."

"Oh." His eyes widen for a moment, and he says, "That is right. I suppose if you are not the Witch Queen, you would not know it."

"Uh, yeah... Not sure she's the type of lady to care what the names of her enemies are."

"She cares for the names of her most powerful enemies," Jinhai supplies. "Or those who betray her."

"Indeed," the still-nameless man agrees. "Ah- And it's Saerys, by the way. My name."

"Saerys," Colette echoes. "Nice to properly meet you."

Saerys doesn't quite return that sentiment, but he does give a small nod in reply. That's better than nothing, Colette thinks.

Her attention is taken, then, by Solaire bringing over the plates for Jinhai and Colette. She places them down in front of them, and with a small curtsey and another gentle, soft smile, steps back to stand next to a man.

'Must be a butler or something,' Colette thinks. He doesn't even look at her or Jinhai... Which Colette thinks she should start to get used to with people.

Colette looks at the food, and picks up a fork. The conversation between Lord Wolfson and the retainers is one that doesn't invite either herself or Jinhai, so she just quietly eats, as does he. She's mentally wondering what she and Jinhai will be doing after lunch - she's curious about that library they were shown earlier. 'I hope whatever language they write in looks like English,' she thinks. She'd like to wait until tomorrow to start on the whole 'training for deadly battle' thing...

(Then again, every moment she waits on that is another moment she'll be a hindrance to Jinhai and the others in battle...)

...Right.

When she finishes her meal, she turns to Jinhai, who's mostly done with his own meal, too. "Hey, Jinhai," she says, "can we get started training when you're finished?"

Jinhai's lips twitch into a small, bemused smile. "I would appreciate the quick start, yes. What weapon do you think you ought to use?"

This gets everyone else's attention, and oddly enough they all have input they want to give.

"She is not all too muscular. Perhaps you ought to start with brawling," Saerys suggests.

"Brawling is fine, but a proper weapon would be a better choice. I recommend a sword," August suggests. "A longsword may prove too much weight, but a shortsword is a fine choice."

"Perhaps the range offered by a crossbow would be better, though," Reiner says.

"Unless she finds herself overwhelmed and unable to create distance," Altea points out.

Colette doesn't even get the chance to chime in with her own preference. She watches, bewildered, as everyone tries to debate on which is the better choice for her to learn. They don't even notice her turning to Jinhai and whispering, "Uh, what do you think?"

Jinhai smirks, and whispers back, "I am a fair enough brawler, dear. I could teach you."

Jinhai teaching her brawling, huh... Colette's face heats at the thought of his hands, guiding her to proper stances.

"Brawling it is," she announces. Jinhai hides a chuckle behind his hand, while everyone else looks bewildered by how suddenly she decided.

(She doesn't realize until much later that Iseul had been the only one to not suggest a weapon.)

Colette and Jinhai have been at Lord Reiner's castle for less than three full days when she's jolted to awakeness early one morning by the sound of a horn in the distance. She yelps and finds herself tumbling out of bed - and poor Jinhai, who'd been holding onto her in his sleep, is woken too when he falls with her.

"...Ow," Colette says.

"Are you alright?" Jinhai asks, a tired wince on his face when he pushes himself up to look at her.

"'m fine," Colette says. "I just- Mm, what was that noise?"

The clatter of frantic footsteps out in the hallway interrupts Jinhai's chance to reply. His eyes narrow towards the door, and he stands up quickly, rushing to grab his clothes. "Get dressed," he says. "I fear I may know."

Colette stands up with a small frown, and accepts her clothing when Jinhai passes it to her. "What is it, then?" she asks, not entirely sure if she wants to know.

"...I fear," Jinhai says slowly, "that our absence may have been noticed by the Witch Queen."

And Colette's heart drops.

End of Season Two

Chapter Text

She knows.

The Witch Queen knows about their escape - and worse, she knows that they've sought shelter with Lord Wolfson. Colette had perhaps known that she would discover it soon - and maybe she already knew, but was letting them believe they were safe. Colette doubts that those soldiers who patrolled through the dungeon would have kept silent about her empty cell.

She's not sure what face she's making, really, but Jinhai brings a hand to her head, and as always it lets her anxieties slip away. "It will be fine," he tells her. "But we should go help the others defend the castle..." He hesitates, then adds, "I do not suppose you would be willing to stay behind for me?"

Colette smiles a bit, somewhat bitterly, and she shakes her head. "Nope," she says. "I'm not letting you go off on your own - I need to be there."

Jinhai sighs, but there's a small twitch of a smile at his own lips, too. "Then stay close," he says.

Colette nods, and the two of them rush to throw on their clothes before leaving the room.

Lord Wolfson seems wary, when they get to his office, of allowing them to fight on his side. But he does allow them to - pointing it out to be a good chance for them to prove their true loyalties when August and Iseul start complaining.

(It shuts them up, but it doesn't get rid of their suspicous glances as Jinhai and Colette take their places near the others as they prepare to meet the Witch Queen and her generals.)

For the sake of the battle - and somewhat begrudgingly by Lord Wolfson's retainers - Jinhai is allowed to have his animals at his side. Iseul is still outright scowling about this particular bit, and Colette recalls what Jinhai had told her about the other elves' views on how he controls them.

She decides to focus that annoyance surging up inside of her on the battle, though. Being mad on her boyfriend's behalf won't do anything for keeping herself, or anyone else, alive.

She adjusts her grip on the sword that she'd been loaned, watching the army march for them.

When they reach the edge of the courtyard, they stop. Colette thinks for a moment that her breath stops with them.

The Witch Queen, at the head of her army, looks over everyone on the side that opposes hers. And when she sees both Jinhai and Colette standing against her, Colette is wholly unsurprised at the cold sneer that overtakes her face.

"So you have truly betrayed me, Jinhai... And for the sake of my container, no less," she says. "How pathetic."

And then, with a singular gesture, her army advances, launching their attack. The Witch Queen's eyes don't leave Jinhai and Colette, even when the army provides something of a cover for her, cloaking her in the chaos of the battle.

"Defend the castle!" Lord Wolfson shouts to his own, meager army. The retainers and soldiers alike all shout their own battle cries, and throw themselves into the fray.

Jinhai, for his part, wordlessly thrusts out a hand, and flurry of his animals - the wolf and the majority of his birds - rush out towards the opposing army. The birds squawk and caw, their talons swatting at the heads of whatever enemy soldier is unfortunate enough to get close to them. Jinhai only needs to stand in place, simple gestures - or often not even that, just a thought - enough to direct his animals.

(Colette smiles when the python, with a glance from Jinhai, curls around her feet and inches up her body before draping itself around her shoulders like a protective, bloodthirsty accessory.)

She tightens her grip around her sword, and when a simple, rank-and-file soldier gets a bit too close for her comfort, she swings out at it. Her practice with Jinhai and Saerys has been mainly hand-to-hand, but she takes the man by surprise well enough to make him stumble back. His eyes - previously focused on Iseul - go to her, and narrow dangerously.

"You."

Oh.

This is one of the men who'd gone through the dungeon when she was held captive. It looks like he's not too happy to see her - he probably got punished for not seeing through her and Jinhai's ruse. And she'd imagine that he's all too ready to get revenge for that, too.

Sure enough, he holds up his own blade with a growl. "You don't even know what I've been through because of you and your lover," he hisses. "The Witch Queen does not respond kindly to those who have failed her so utterly... But this? This is my chance to redeem myself in her eyes!"

'Does he ever shut up?' Colette wonders. She also wonders what the protocol is for evil-villain-monologuing, but before she can say 'screw it' and knock his weapon from hsi hands, the chance is taken from her by Iseul. One of his arrows flies straight into the soldier's leg, embedding into his flesh and causing him to fall to the ground with a shocked cry.

"You- You coward!" the soldier shouts, turning a glare Iseul's way.

"No, I am more bored of listening to you than I am scared," Iseul says. He glances to Colette, expression unreadable, before turning away and he's lost in the chaos of battle once more.

Colette looks to the enemy soldier, and steps back, trying to put distance between the two of them...

But as she does so, she's stopped by a tight, ice-cold grip on her upper arm. "Not one. More. Step," the Witch Queen's hissing voice growls.

Colette freezes. She can hear the crackle of magic in the hand that the Witch Queen isn't holding her with. Her hands shake around her sword, but before she can think of how to use it-

"Drop your weapon. Now."

Colette swallows thickly, and asks, "What if I don't?"

The response is a growl and, "Then I will make your last moments all the more painful for your impudence."

She closes her eyes, counts to three, and quietly drops her sword. She brings a hand up, hoping to find comfort in the python around her-

No.

"...Where is it?" Colette whispers, heart dropping into her stomach.

"Where is what?" the Witch Queen snaps.

'...Jinhai's animals are smart,' Colette thinks, 'so... It must have noticed her coming, and...'

Her eyes dart around as much as she can let them without alerting the Witch Queen. "I- N-nothing," she lies, noticing the slithering creature out of the corner of her eye.

The Witch Queen hums, and after a moment, she loudly calls, "Oh, Jinhai~ I have a proposition for you~"

Jinhai, who'd been focused on directing his animals, turns to the Witch Queen's voice with a sneer. But the threat in his eyes drops, giving way to pure horror when he sees the grip she has on Colette. "Colette-!"

He starts to step forward, but when the Witch Queen brings her other hand to Colette's throat, still crackling with magic, he stops.

"It is not too late," the Witch Queen says in a saccharine sweet voice. "Allow me to end this pathetic, empty container's life, and rejoin me... You do recall that no other person in the world would accept you, right?"

Colette can't see the Witch Queen's face, but she can see the way Jinhai flinches. She can see his control over his animals beginning to falter, and whether that's from concern over her or belief in what the Witch Queen is saying isn't wholly clear to her.

"The elves cast you aside," the Witch Queen reminds him. "They don't understand you and your animals... But I do, do I not?"

And here, Jinhai's eyes harden.

"You do," he agrees, but his voice is cold. "And you used it against me."

The Witch Queen hums. "Did I?" she says. "I'm afraid I do not recall-"

Jinhai's eyes flick to the side, and there's a threatening hiss as the python lunges to the Witch Queen. Its teeth sink into her legs, and the pain of it has her letting go of Colette with a shout. Colette immediately grabs her sword and spins around-

"Off of me, you- You overgrown garden snake!" the Witch Queen snaps to the python, grabbing its body with both hands. She tugs, but it holds firm to her, teeth sinking in even deeper. She growls at it, sounding much like an animal herself, and-

"Jinhai," she says, "this is your last chance to come to your senses."

Jinhai narrows his eyes. Colette's heart is thumping, drowning out the sound of the battlefield around her. She doesn't know why, but for some reason the Witch Queen's 'offer' is bad in the wrong way.

"I have already come to my senses," he says, "and I wish I had done so sooner."

The Witch Queen barks out a cruel laugh, and her hands once more spark with ice-blue magic, still wrapped around the python. The python doesn't move, still holding onto her - maybe out of stubbornness, or maybe it doesn't know any better-

But either way, Colette knows the exact moment that its pain reaches Jinhai. He lets out an animalistic shout, and drops to his knees. His hands go to the sides of his head, and Colette can't tell if he's furious or in agony or both at once.

The python is half-charred by the time the Witch Queen gets it off of her and tosses it to the ground like trash, her lips pulled into a disgusted sneer. "I warned you," she says. "You say I use your animals against you? Fine then. I'll do just that. I will make sure to kill every single one of them before ending your life, Jinhai Jubal. Make no mistake of that."

Tears are building in Jinhai's eyes as he glares at the Witch Queen, pain and fury intermingling. He says nothing, and he doesn't even look at any of the other animals on the battlefield-

But they all turn away from their previous targets anyway. Colette hears bewildered shouts of enemy and ally alike as bird and mammal all together focus on one target - the Witch Queen.

The Witch Queen hears those shouts, too. And her face drops in realization moments before she's properly surrounded by them all. Colette can see on her face that she's thinking that maybe killing one of Jinhai's beloved animals wasn't her smartest move.

"...R-retreat!" the Witch Queen shouts.

'She's scared,' Colette thinks. The Witch Queen is actually scared of the power Jinhai has when all of his animals work as one, against one single enemy - especially when she is that enemy.

"You cowardly brat," Jinhai spits at her. "You fear the consequences of your own action?"

"H-Helena!" the Witch Queen shouts, louder, eyes frantically searching for her sorceress. "Get me out of here! Where are you?!"

"I am here, my queen!"

Helena looks to the animals, all targeting her mistress, and although she doesn't ask questions she does silently wince at the sight of the charred python mere feet away.

"Get me away before I am slain by mere pets," the Witch Queen demands. Then, she repeats her earlier order even louder, "RETREAT! All of you, dammit!"

The generals and soldiers are notably bewildered by this, so it's no surprise that some of them have yet to pull back. But the repeat of the order leaves them no room for argument, and they fall into a messy formation, rushing from the battlefield in less of an orderly retreat and more of a messy, confused panic.

"What on earth was..."

Saerys' voice is cut off. Jinhai moves to his python's corpse, and picks it up almost gently, as though it were made of glass.

"...Oh," he whispers. He and the other retainers put together the pieces - why his other animals abandoned fights so suddenly towards the end.

They understand, without words, that Jinhai's heartbreak and rage had caused that. And not a one of them knows what to say or do, now.

Chapter Text

Colette is the one to speak first - not to Jinhai, but to the others. She looks to Lord Wolfson, and says, "I'll talk to Jinhai. You can, um... Deal with anyone who was wounded, or whatever you usually do..."

Lord Wolfson gives a small nod. He does send Jinhai a concerned glance, but then moves to start looking over any of his wounded soldiers. August hesitates visibly, before following after him. Altea spins her staff in her hands, lower lip sucked between her teeth, while Saerys shifts uncertainly. The two don't move to follow Lord Wolfson or August, but they don't try following Colette as she lowers herself to Jinhai's side, either.

Iseul, though, hesitantly steps behind her, but doesn't speak up.

"...I don't think I ever asked," Colette whispers, "and I guess it's kinda late now, but... Did it have a name?" She looks down at the python in Jinhai's hands, lifeless.

"...Redeye," Jinhai whispers. "The animals are not so creative in naming their children. But they appreciate their true names being known."

Colette smiles, and resists the urge to ask further questions on that. "Is there something we can do for Redeye, then?" she asks. "Something you'd like to do to..."

Jinhai lets out a sigh, tired and heartbroken. "There was a routine I would do, on the occasions this would happen back with- With her," he murmurs. Colette gives a curious hum, prompting him to continue, "Helena would incinerate the flesh, and I would spread the ashes over a location the animal would have enjoyed in life. And the bones would then be incorporated into my armor."

It's a surprisingly macabre routine, but Colette can sense the intent and love behind it. The bones that act as his pauldrons, Colette realizes, are from previously-deceased animals. Meant for him to remember them by.

'They're pretty big, thinking of it like that,' she thinks. She wonders what animals they were from, but she knows better than to ask while he's mourning Redeye.

A delicate cough comes from behind her, and both Colette and Jinhai turn, seeing that Altea has finally approached. Some of the other animals go wary at her approach, unsure how to react to her coming so close to Jinhai when he's already so upset.

"...If you would allow me," Altea says slowly, "I do not mind doing as Helena once did for you. I think it is a lovely way to memorialize that which you adore."

Jinhai hesitates, and pulls Redeye's body closer to his chest, as if he thinks she'll steal it away. But no - his eyes flick not to her, but to Iseul. Suspicious of what he must think of this ritual of his.

Iseul is silent, looking at Redeye's charred body for a long moment. And when he finally speaks, he still doesn't meet Jinhai's eyes, "I cannot claim to understand this routine of yours... But nor can I understand the relationship you and your animals hold. But it is... Becoming clear to me that you do care for them, in your own way. If that is how you show it, then do not allow me to stop you."

Jinhai blinks a few times, and then he looks back to Altea. "...If you are offering, then I will accept. After everything else regarding the aftermath of the battle else has been handled."

"Of course," Altea says with a small nod. "And, before I forget- Thank you both, for your assistance in the battle."

Jinhai seems more than a little surprised. Altea spins, her staff vanishing into the air as she goes to aid the wounded.

Jinhai blinks after her, silent. Saerys clears his throat from nearby, and speaks next, "I will be clearing any mess from the battle. I am not so adept with first-aid." He gives a small nod to Jinhai, and adds, "My condolences."

Then he, too, leaves. Colette places a gentle hand on Jinhai's arm, and whispers to him, "Do you want to help them?"

"...Mm. I will assist Saerys." Jinhai's hands seem to tremble as he lowers Redeye to the ground. His animals all come around it, as if to protect the charred corpse from anyone who would hurt it further.

Iseul, when Colette glances at him, watches the animals silently. Unreadable. When he notices her gaze, he looks away. As if he's been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. "...I will be assisting Altea," he says. It's a neutral tone he uses, and Colette thinks he's just trying to get away from whatever complicated confusion he's feeling right now.

Colette doesn't ask him, and she stands with Jinhai. "I'll come with you," she says.

Jinhai smiles gently at her, but he looks at her arms with a small shake of his head. "We will have to move the rubble," he says. "You may wish to assist with the first-aid instead."

"Hey, are you saying I'm not strong?" Colette asks, a playful pout on her lips. "That's mean, babe."

"If you take offense to the truth, then that is hardly any fault of my own," Jinhai says. He says it gently, and almost playfully. Then he leans down, and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you," he whispers against her skin.

"...For what?" she asks, blinking a few times.

"Mm. Everything."

It's not really an answer, but Colette smiles at him anyway. She steps close, and wraps her arms around him. "You don't need to thank me," she mumbles into his chest. "But you're welcome, anyway. Love you."

Jinhai gives a low, shuddering breath, and returns her embrace a bit more tightly than she does. "I love you too," he whispers back.

When they finally separate, they both go their separate ways - Colette towards the group helping with first-aid, and Jinhai goes to pick up rubble or other messes from the courtyard. Meanwhile, the animals stay where they are, protectively guarding their fallen companion.

When Colette reaches Altea's side, she smiles gently, thankfully. "How is he?" she whispers.

"...Upset. Um, obviously," Colette says. "But I think he'll probably feel a little better, whenever he can do that routine of his."

Altea gives a small nod. "It is... Interesting. As Iseul said, I cannot claim to understand his relationship with his animals... But the way he looked, when one fell..." She sighs shakily, and shakes her head. She gathers a bundle of bandages, and pushes them into Colette's hands. "Let us get to work, hm?"

Chapter Text

They handle Jinhai's ritual in the library. It's an... Odd location, but there's no other truly decent place, Colette supposes. Aside from Altea, Jinhai and Colette, Iseul is also there, watching with something akin to curiosity.

"Aside from incinerating... Redeye's flesh," Altea says slowly - having gotten the python's name from Colette earlier, "is there anything else I should do? Shall I say anything?"

Jinhai's lips twitch, something like amusement in his eyes. "If you can come up with anything to say about a python you have not known long, please, feel free to do so."

Altea purses her lips. She looks to Redeye's corpse on the cleared-out library table, staff in hand. "A fair point," she murmurs. "...Iseul, then," she chirps immediately after, spinning to face him with a half-smug grin. Iseul balks at her incredulously. "Come, now, surely you know more of Redeye than I, at least."

"Is that racist?" Colette whispers to Jinhai.

"I do not know what that means," Jinhai whispers back. "But she is not wrong. He is an elf - he must have had a closer bond with the animals than the others. Aside from myself and you, of course."

Iseul, for his part, clears his throat, surprise fading. "...I will try, then," he says. He searches his mind for a moment, looking to Redeye as well. "I... Did not know this... Redeye for long. Not in a personal context - last I saw him prior to Jinhai's defecting, it was in the context of fighting his-" Iseul cuts himself off. Apparently, he's no longer sure if Jinhai is the animals' master, per se. "...Of fighting Jinhai. Such an act did not lend itself to getting to know the animals, Redeye included. And I feel it is a great shame, as I am sure I would have enjoyed knowing him."

Jinhai nods to Iseul in gratitude. He looks to the python, then to Colette. "Love? You do not have to speak, but would you perhaps like to...?"

Colette smiles sweetly. "Of course," she says. She looks to Redeye's charred corpse, and takes in a breath. "I'm not gonna lie, when I first met Redeye, I was... Scared of him. I've never been good with snakes before." She gives a snorting laugh at herself. "Which is kinda crazy for me, because I don't think I've ever seen one in person? Only in, like, books and stuff." She shakes her head. "A-anyway... Redeye and me didn't get off on the best foot. For me - on account of me being scared. But- But I figured out really quickly that... He was a really sweet little guy. Protective, over what he cared about... Like Jinhai. So... I'll miss him."

Jinhai reaches out, taking Colette's hand into his own. "Thank you, Colette," he whispers. "I will miss him, too."

"Jinhai? Will you be speaking, too?" Altea asks kindly.

"...All I could say, I have spoken in my heart. I believe Redeye has heard my goodbyes, wherever his spirit is," Jinhai says.

"Then, I will begin the process," Altea says. "Do you have something to put the ashes in?"

Jinhai nods, and pulls out a small pouch. "This should be enough for them," he says, holding it out. With one hand still on her staff, Altea reaches out with the other and takes the pouch.

"Everyone step back," she warns. "The flame will be hot."

Iseul obeys readily, while Jinhai hesitates. Only when Colette squeezes his hand does he obey, stepping back with her. Altea clears her throat, and lifts her staff high in the air. "Mourning Heart Flame!" she shouts, and the python sparks, before burning into hot, but gentle flames. The four of them watch as the python's body grows more and more charred, and then as the flesh becomes ash. Once there's no more flesh to burn, once only bones are left, the flame goes out as if on a timer. With a wave of her hand, the ashes fly into the pouch, leaving the bones on the table alone.

Jinhai lets out a shaking breath. "...Thank you, Altea," he whispers.

"I am sure it is different than Helena might have done, but I hope it suffices," Altea says, tying the pouch shut before handing it over.

"It more than suffices," Jinhai says. A beat later, he hesitates, and then speaks again, "Helena... Did the ritual as though it was a bother to her. You did it as though it was a necessity. I cannot tell you what that means to me."

Altea smiles brightly. "I am glad, then." She looks to the bones with a hum. "And... How will you incorporate the bones?"

"...I am not sure, yet," Jinhai says slowly. He looks down at his clothing with a frown. "...I am wary of adding it to these clothes. I feel I must... Change this coloring."

"But that would mean no longer wearing the bones you have now," Iseul points out. Not in a cruel way, but almost curious. "...We do not have a set color scheme, as the Witch Queen did. So long as your actions prove your loyalty, you need not worry about what you wear, if that is your concern."

"...Mm. I will think on it more," Jinhai murmurs. He gently picks up Redeye's skeleton with a hesitant, careful touch. "...For now-"

"For now," Altea interjects cheerily, "lunch must be being served soon. When you put away the ashes and bones, you should come eat."

"Ah- Yes..."

Jinhai's face says it all - he's not hungry. Too deep in mourning, maybe. Colette nudges his side gently. "Even if you don't feel hungry, you should eat," she urges. "At least a little. Please?"

Jinhai falters at the plea. "...For you, then," he mumbles. "Let us put Redeye away in our room, first."

Jinhai doesn't finish his portion of lunch, but he eats enough of it that Colette doesn't pressure him into eating more of it. And after lunch, he heads into their room - but only after encouraging her (gently) to train despite his absence.

"It is not the first time I have grieved the loss of an animal, nor will it likely be the last. But if I were to lose you because I did not allow you preparation for battle, I would never forgive myself," he had murmured into her hair, arms around her torso in a tight embrace. So, Colette had agreed, and now finds herself out in the training yard.

"Training so soon after a battle," Iseul's voice reaches her from the doorframe. "A form of dedication I have only seen insofar in August, if I may say so."

Colette turns to face him. She hasn't trained with him yet - she has only trained with Jinhai and Saerys so far. August still distrusts her (though maybe that will change after the battle earlier), and Altea, despite being less wary than the others, only knows how to fight with magic. And Iseul, well...

...Maybe he's beginning to trust her, too, though.

"...I wish to speak to you," Iseul says, when Colette doesn't reply. "About Jinhai."

...Or maybe not.

Chapter Text

Colette carefully puts the wooden sword away in the rack, silently signifying to Iseul that she's willing to talk to him. Iseul's stance relaxes a bit - perhaps he'd been worried about her lashing out at him. Given the timing, it's probably less about him not trusting her, and more about him knowing that this isn't exactly the best time for it.

...No. Maybe it's both, actually.

"Alright," she says, settling down on the ground - considering a lack of other options. "Let's talk, then."

Iseul seems less wary of the ground than she is - he settles down next to her easily. "I wished to explain to you why I... Behaved in such a manner towards Jinhai."

"He kinda already told me," Colette says before he can start. "Elves have a thing about not fully controlling animals, right?"

Iseul blinks a few times, surprised. Then he nods in confirmation. "That is a good part of the reasoning, yes," he admits. "We consider it cruel to take away an animal's decision in matters. Though they do not hold the same intelligence we do, they are still creatures with their own minds and feelings."

"Right," Colette says, "and I get that. But he also told me why he does it." She pauses, and asks, not quite diplomatic in her tone, "Have you ever thought to ask him that?"

Iseul jerks back, but after a moment he shakes his head in reply. "No, I am somewhat ashamed to admit I have not," he says. "...But whatever reasoning he could give does not matter. Tradition among the elves dictates-"

"So to the elves, tradition ranks above whether the animals actually get away unharmed?" Colette asks sharply. Iseul blinks, and he doesn't reply this time. "Let me at least tell you what his reason is before you start going 'tradition' on me, bud."

"...I am not the most traditional of the elves in any case," Iseul tells her. "Yet even I find distaste with how Jinhai-"

"He does it to make sure they survive battles, moron!"

She stands up, feeling the need to tower over Iseul as she yells. "He does it because, like you said, they aren't as intelligent as you or me! He wants to make sure they don't get killed, so he controls them! Only in battle! And you're here saying you find that 'distasteful'?!"

Iseul leans back, staring up at Colette with widened eyes.

"...Well?" Colette snaps. "Do you have anything else to say in your defense?"

Iseul averts his gaze. "...Only in battle," he whispers. "Yes... Even back then..."

"...Back when?" Colette asks, her voice softening.

"...I suppose he has not told you of the event that led to his being cast out. What caused it," Iseul says. "I do not consider it my place to give such details without the involved party present. But... Yes, that claim does match up, I will confess. Any time I have seen Jinhai exerting full control, it has only been when they are fighting against someone who would do them harm otherwise." He averts his gaze with a bitter scoff. "He never even did it when they fought against me - perhaps because he knew, as a fellow elf, I would not harm them irreparably."

Colette, after a moment, reluctantly drops herself back to the ground next to Iseul. "Good to know you're not a complete hypocrite," she mutters half-heartedly.

"Of course I am not," Iseul says, bristling. "I did not know that was his reason for controlling the animals, Lady Colette, else I would have fought harder to convince everyone else. I would have tried to get him to stay with the rest of the elves."

Colette blinks a few times. "You... Would have?"

"...Jinhai was my friend, years ago. Years more than a human like yourself could comprehend," Iseul murmurs. "He was rather a bit of an outcast, even before the exile was made official. But I enjoyed his company well enough to not mind it."

"...Why was he an outcast, then?" Colette asks. "Or is it something else you can't tell me without him here?"

Iseul shrugs half-heartedly. "Not so much that I cannot, but rather I feel he may be more wounded than he ever let on, if he has not told you as yet. He pretended to not care, but..." He pauses, and brings a hand out over the grass between them. "Elves have a connection to all nature - not just animals, but plants as well." As if to affirm his words, a flower begins to sprout under where his palm is.

"Oh..."

"My powers are not nearly a match for those of my mother, of course," Iseul adds. "But all elves are-" He stops, and then backtracks. "Most elves are capable of at least that much, I mean."

"...Jinhai isn't?"

"Mm. And someone had the bright idea to decide it meant his heart was a cruel one - one not to be interacted with, lest his incapability affect the rest of us," Iseul says. He gives a weak laugh. "I believe I and... Only two of my siblings were kind to him despite everyone trying to deter us. And just so you know, Lady Colette, my siblings are far greater in number - I say as much to further explain Jinhai's situation back then."

Colette's heart aches as she winces. Of course Jinhai has such... Awful self-esteem issues, then. Even before he was exiled from the elves, he was treated as an outcast with only three friends. Three friends out of... However many elves there are.

"Every time I hear more about Jinhai's past, it gets worse and worse," she whispers.

"...I- When he was finally exiled, I tried to fight, Lady Colette, believe me," Iseul says. "Myself, and my sibling, and my sister - all three of us begged our mother to undo the order."

"Your mother?"

"Ishara Idreis, the queen of the elves," Iseul says, in an almost flippant tone. "My royal blood is not the point, though, Lady Colette. The point is we'd very nearly convinced her... But by then, the Witch Queen had found him, and recruited him."

Colette's heart pangs. So if Jinhai hadn't been manipulated by her, he might have been accepted again... It's her fault.

"...When I - when we saw him wearing her colors," Iseul continues, "the three of us lost any faith we'd had in him. How could we not, when he was calling for the head of our mother in service of such an evil woman?"

...Colette stares down at the flower Iseul had made bloom between them. "...Is that why you're so mad at him, even now?" she whispers.

"...Perhaps," Iseul says. At least he has the decency to admit that much. "Even if he has changed for the better, it hurts. Why did he have to become the monster everyone else claimed him as, even temporarily?"

Colette would like to say she doesn't have an answer for that, but... She does, actually. "He said he only joined her," she starts, "to have a place for his animals."

Iseul's eyes whip back to her, widened with shock. "His animals?" he asks, half-incredulous, but half-amused. And then, he gives a breathless laugh. "I do not know why I am shocked... He always did favor the forest animals..."

"Always, huh?"

"...There was a wolf, you see," Iseul starts off, suddenly speaking in a more lighthearted tone, "that he snuck into my room once. He begged me to hide it for him while he made a small home for it!"

Colette snorts into her hand. "Oh my god, that's adorable!"

"Adorable looking back on it, yes, but my mother threw a fit when she found it!" Iseul laughs a bit at the memory. "And there was another-"

"Ahem."

"Ah," Colette and Iseul say in unison when they look to see Jinhai, leaning against the entrance to the castle.

"It is lovely to see that Iseul's newly budding trust in me results in him recounting embarrassing childhood tales," Jinhai says flatly. "I can get you back, Idreis."

"You would not dare!" Iseul says, clutching his chest in a panic. "I am a prince!"

"The same argument you used when you wanted my desserts at sleepovers," Jinhai counters. Immediately, Iseul dramatically flops backward onto the grass, as though hit with a physical attack. "Dramatic prince," Jinhai says with a sigh. Then, to Colette, he says, "Love, I came to tell you that dinner is nearly ready."

"Oh, yay, dinner!" Colette chirps, standing up happily.

"Dinner!" Iseul agrees, also hopping up. "Ah, Jinhai, now that you are on the side of good again I think I will tell the others our stories-"

"You do realize I have just as many stories as you do?" Jinhai points out. Iseul freezes briefly, an awkward smile at his lips.

"...Truce?" he suggests.

"We will see how generous I feel by dessert time."