Chapter 1: Deidre: A doorway to a cruel destiny
Chapter Text
Deidre: A doorway to a cruel destiny
She still couldn’t understand why her husband had taken her there. Arvis had told her he needed her support to be victorious in the battle ahead and yet, she hadn’t actually provided any support. The only thing she had done was to stand by his side when summoned, and once there she crossed a few words with the enemy commander. Then she was taken away again so she wouldn’t be hurt by her husband’s terrible Valflame’s fire or by the overwhelming and ceaseless meteor spells that the Roten Ritter threw upon the opposing army.
She really wished Arvis would have not taken her to the battlefield at all. It was true that her escorts had kept her safe, but they had not gone fast enough to save her from seeing the enemies’ agonizing faces and hearing their painful screams as they succumbed to their cruel fate.
The ‘battle’ of Belhalla was something that she would never forget and that would haunt her dreams in the form of nightmares for the rest of her life. It had been 3 days since that horrible incident but she was still not feeling well enough to leave her bed and stop crying.
Why had that battle pained her that much? She wondered. Deirdre had always been a woman with a gentle heart, noble feelings and a great discontent for war but there had been something more that day which completely broke her.
Death was not a foreign concept for her. Even before she had married Arvis the maiden’s life had been surrounded by constant battles at her surroundings and a war she was still unable to understand. She was told that it was all because the enemies had killed her father and tried to wrong her grandfather and yet she never agreed with her husband when he kept choosing violence as a way to ‘ bring justice ’. But still, nothing of the horrors of the war had made her react the way she was doing now.
Had it been the brutality of the attack? The weight of the victory from this specific battle? Maybe. But what had really stormed up her heart had been the look that the leader of the invading army, Sigurd, had when talking to her.
He had looked so resolute and even had a glimpse of hope in his eyes despite the dire situation he and his companions were in. They realized a little too late they had fallen right into a trap, and yet in their faces she could see that they had intended to fight until the bitter end. But all of that fell apart the moment she had come into view. She had remained patient inside her carriage waiting for the signal to make her appearance and take her place at Arvis' side.
She had never felt attracted to battles, so she didn’t want to take part in this, as small as that part was. But she was stuck there and there was nothing she could have done to change that. And while at the beginning she had tried not to pay attention to anything related to this event, it was his voice that had made her take a look through the window.
She didn't have a good view as the window was veiled by a thin curtain, but she still could see the blue-haired man mounting his horse a few meters in front of her husband. It was strange but for some reason her heart started to beat faster.
What had been that strange feeling inside her chest? Seeing him there, so gallant, so determined, so… handsome, had made her feel things she did not know she could feel, especially after having lost her memory. There was also a strange longing that she could not understand. What did that man have then, that had made her react like that?
Arvis had previously told her about him. Sigurd of Chalphy. Traitor and perpetrator of unspeakable crimes against Grannvale. She had believed what she had been told, but now that she had been able to see him she was not so sure anymore. His words sounded so sincere that the maiden thought that he was not guilty of anything.
Unconsciously, she placed a hand over her chest trying to contain the storm of feelings that had started after hearing his voice. There was something inside her that told her she needed to remember something, but she was not sure what it was. And before she could try it any longer she heard how his husband had called for her.
“Come Deirdre! Meet our guests!” He said and so one of her escorts opened the door of the carriage to guide her to Arvis’ side.
She was nervous but nevertheless walked towards her destination. Once she reached her husband he continued with the introduction.
“Deirdre, allow me to introduce you to Sigurd: the spawn of your father’s murderer, Byron. I trust you have some choice words for him.” He said. There was something odd in Arvis' behavior, but Deirdre could not pinpoint what it was.
Instead she focused completely on the man accused of treason. Up until that moment she had kept her looking at everyone behind him, trying to avoid the man’s face at all costs but still curiosity made her look directly at his eyes.
“So… So this is… Sir Sigurd?” She asked with a soft voice. And then, almost immediately she regretted looking at him.
The moment their eyes crossed a terrible despair flooded the man’s face and his eyes became watery. She didn’t know how or why but suddenly that gallant and resolute man she saw a few minutes ago had completely broken down with just a few words from her. This scared her.
There were also gasping sounds from the people accompanying Sigurd. They were all looking at her in complete astonishment.
“Deirdre?! No… This can’t be happening…” A tear rolled down his cheek.
She felt how her body started to tremble. “Why… Why are you speaking like this…?” Suddenly a tear fell from her eye too.
They had told her many times how that man had plotted against her own family and how it was because of him that she lost her chance to meet her father. And yet, when she saw directly into his pained and beautiful blue eyes she knew that there was no way in which that could be possible.
“Deirdre! It really is you! No… No, no, no…” He kept repeating. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He was clearly suffering.
“Do… Do you know me, sir?” For a moment she forgot where she was. In the middle of the battlefield, at the side of her husband. She softly started crying too. Of course he knew her. Seeing his reaction made it clear for her that they were acquaintances.
“OF COURSE I DO! YOU’RE MY…” The man said ready to dismount his horse and run towards her, but Arvis interrupted him by placing his arm between him and his wife. His face was completely frowned. Deirdre could clearly see wrath in his factions.
“Enough! Deirdre, stand clear. This is an extremely dangerous man. Rest assured: this traitor will be punished.”
When she heard this her chest was filled with despair too.
“But… He… He’s… Can’t we have even a little more time?” She asked him, but he denied her petition.
“Unacceptable. Guards! Escort the princess to the castle!” He ordered. And not even a second passed before the guards were taking Deirdre back to her carriage.
“Wait! Arvis, please! …Just a little more time…” She pleaded, knowing there was nothing she could do. And still she fought back. She knew she had a frail composure but she made it difficult for her guards to get her back inside the carriage.
“W-wait! DEIRDRE! Arvis, please! I beg of you! She… She’s my…” He pleaded as he tried to get past Arvis only to be stopped by a minor fire spell.
“Enough! I grow weary of your ravings. Attention, men! We no longer have any use for keeping the traitors alive. Move in on Sigurd and his party! The time to serve them their punishment has come!” And in a swift movement he gave a sign to his army to fire the meteor spells meant for them.
“ My what? ” Deirdre wished Arvis had let Sigurd finish his sentence. She was finally inside the carriage and while they started to move she quickly went to the window and moved the curtains so she could see that man again.
He was reaching a hand towards her.
“...D… DAMN YOU ARVIS!” He screamed angry but defeated at the same time.
For some reason, she extended her hand through the window, as if she was trying to reach him too.
Not much long after that Arvis used his precious Valflame tome on him and like that Sigurd was consumed by a raging fire.
“DEIRDRE!” Was the last thing that she heard from him as the carriage advanced far away from the horrific scene.
That man had died with pain and anger in his voice, tears in his eyes and her name in his lips, taking to the grave with him a part of her heart.
And from that moment on, she had not stopped crying. It had not only been because of Sigurd that she had been so depressed, it had also been because of all the suffering of his army, whose cries reached her ears as they were being annihilated by the Roten Ritter spells. And, now nothing of them remain. Only ashes.
After a couple of hours Arvis had returned to the castle, worried and asking for her state. He had asked her why she was still crying.
She could see in him a strange agitation but could not understand what it was.
“I…I don’t know...” Was the only thing she could answer. After that she asked to be left alone in her chambers and had not come out of there for three whole days, wondering once and again what had all that been.
Her husband had tried to talk to her and comfort her. She was greatly thankful for his support but she knew that nothing Arvis could say or do would placate the pain in her heart.
She could not understand how, or why, but she dreamed with Sigurd’s smile and that she was by his side. He had only needed a moment to take her heart away. And while the thought of him gave her goosebumps she felt extremely guilty with all of this. She was married and she had recently found out that in seven months she would give birth to Arvis’ child. And even thought she could still not completely understand how life or feelings worked, now after what had happened at Belhalla, she was completely sure that she had never loved Arvis.
When he found her, she felt a deep gratitude towards him for rescuing her and caring for her. Yes, she felt affection towards him, but when Arvis told her he loved her and that he wanted her to be his wife she just thought that fate had brought them together and that it was completely right to accept, even if she did not feel actual love. After all, having no memories and no understanding of life she just thought real love would bloom after some time living together.
For her it was a complete mystery how she had only needed one second to fall in love with a man that she didn’t even know. But what she did know is that in her heart she would always live with the pain of not being able to see him ever again.
Even if he were still alive, there was no way in which she could just discard her marriage, and much less turn her back on the baby in her womb, whom she already loved with all of her heart. So the only thing left for her at these moments was to get over this horrible memory. She just wanted to forget Sigurd, but she knew that would be impossible. Still she had to try for the well-being of her family. Maybe she just needed one more night to get this bitter moment off of her chest and to dream for one last time that she met Sigurd in the middle of a mystical forest.
Chapter 2: Arvis: By fate’s hands
Summary:
Arvis had been triumphant at Belhalla, but he had not been able to enjoy his victory. Instead he had to watch from afar how his beloved wife cried day and night after the battle, and the only thing he could do was wondering if she remembered her past.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Arvis: By fate’s hands
“It’s clear that she remembers him.” Arvis closed his hand firmly and pressed his head hard against the window in his office. He had faced many hardships in his life before but nothing had made him feel the helplessness he was feeling now.
At first it seemed Belhalla represented a total victory for Grannvale, but it seems the members of Sigurd’s army were not the only ones who suffered from the brutal events that unfolded 5 days ago. She had only seen Sigurd for a brief moment, and yet Deirdre was deeply affected as she was brought back to the castle after crossing a few words with him. At that moment Arvis pretended to not have noticed it so he could maintain a firm stance against the enemy commander and his army, but the truth was that he heard all of his wife’s cries and pleas. “Curses!”
“That’s not the case, my lord.” Milos, Deirdre’s closest maid, took a small step to the front as she made this statement.
“What is the reason that compels you to say that?” The Duke asked anxiously.
“Princess Deirdre has told me herself.” The maid, as most of the castle’s personnel, knew about Deirdre’s past. It had all started as a gossip of how Sigurd’s lost wife shared her name with the newfound Princess of Grannvale but it was not until the aftermath of the great battle that everyone interested confirmed it. Even in the earliest days of the gossip it was strictly forbidden to mention it freely around the castle, so now that it was not only a mere theory, any mention of this past would result in a certain death.
From the beginning Milos pitied Deirdre knowing she had left an infant son behind, but it was impossible for her to tell her the truth. So she took it upon herself to make Deirdre’s life easier and helped her as much as she could since she saw how the young princess had struggled to fit into her new life knowing so little about who she really was.
“She might have told you that, but she hasn’t left her room in 5 days. She doesn't even want to see me. That can only mean that…”
“With all due respect, my lord, it only means that she is very sad.” The youngest maid interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. For a moment she felt afraid; she had tried to be respectful with her tone and her words but felt that perhaps she was overstepping a bit. But she had already started, so for her dear Lady Deirdre she would continue with her explanation. “Her highness is a very sensitive person and she had never been fond of death or war. She told me she felt completely shocked when Lord Sigurd recognized her because she felt he might have had clues on her past, and losing those clues made her feel crestfallen. But it’s only that. There were a lot of intense experiences for her in one day. ”
The girl had indeed talked to Deirdre and she knew the real reason behind the princess’ tears. But she was wise enough not to let Arvis know about it. Deirdre knew too that telling the truth to her husband would only hurt him and bring troubles into her marriage, so she had asked Milos as well to keep her secret just between the two of them.
Arvis sighed. Despite being ruthless with his enemies he was actually a kind individual and didn’t focus on the fact that the maid had interrupted him since she had not been rude or arrogant when doing so. He dragged the skin of his face slowly with his palm as he assimilated what Milos had told him. He then left the window and went to take a seat at the chair behind his great desk. He turned to look at the other two maidens that were also in charge of his wife and that had been summoned together with their younger sister to talk about Deirdre’s state. Manfroy was also there in the corner of the room reading a strange book but unlike everyone else there he had no interest in the imperial princess.
“Maybe this is all because of the pregnancy, my lord.” The middle sister, Melis, added.
The user of the holy tome Valflame was still anxious but he found comfort in what the maids were telling him. He knew that Deirdre trusted in Milos and he trusted completely in the loyalty of the girls to not even suspect they were lying to him. He also knew his wife and acknowledged that all of the reasons that Milos and Melis had given him were things that would indeed afflict Deirdre’s kind heart. After all, that kind heart was one of the reasons that had made him fall in love with her.
“I think you’re right. You can go now. And please, if there is any change in her state or mood, let me know as soon as possible.”
“Of course my lord.” The three sisters answered in unison. And after bowing they left the room.
When they were gone, Arvis directed his attention to Manfroy.
“You didn’t say anything.” His anxiety had clearly decreased but he was visibly upset at the other man in the room.
“I’m not interested in such trivial matters.” He said and tried to continue reading his book.
After this rude response Arvis felt how his patience depleted and went directly towards him to grab him by the neck of his tunic. He knew that just as Manfroy was just a tool for him to achieve his goals, he surely was a tool for Manfroy too, but the way he was constantly mocking him, just as if he had him and his family in his hands upset him more than he dared to admit.
“I’m not talking about the previous conversation! You knew she was married! And if that wasn’t enough you knew she was Sigurd’s lost wife, did you not!?” He yelled.
Manfroy just grinned. “And tell me Arvis, if you would have gotten this information earlier, would you have returned her to the arms of her loving husband so that you would incinerate her yourself with the fires of your Valflame?”
“Tch!” Arvis let go of Manfroy by giving him a little push. The idea of Deirdre returning to Sigurd’s side just to burn with him twisted his stomach and only worsened his mood, but he tried his best to maintain control of his emotions.
“No.” He answered at last, defeated. He remembered the first time he saw his now wife. She looked so delicate, so beautiful. He saw his mother’s face in her, just as if she had reincarnated. And the thought of that face leaving him again pained him deeply, so he promised he would do everything in his power to keep her happy by his side.
It had been love at first sight for him. And he desperately clung to the idea that their meeting had been destined to happen. Fate had brought them together and had taken her to a place where he could rescue her, so that he could be with her in her time of dire need so that she would fall for him too.
From the start he knew she had no memory and of course he considered the possibility that she might have had a past with someone. But when he envisioned this he knew the past would not matter because in her present and future she would be by his side. But he never considered that this past was Sigurd. And while that made things a bit more complicated it mattered not. He loved Deirdre and would not allow for anything to break them apart. With this in mind, he tried to forget about what the robed man had told him.
“And I imagine you would not want to return her to the side of her young child either, am I wrong?” Manfroy smiled again. His words were filled with poison and Arvis could feel how his heart stopped for a moment when he realized there was someone else in the picture.
This completely caught him off guard. He had forgotten Sigurd had fathered a son with his lost wife: Seliph. He had been hidden alongside other children of his father’s army members to spare them from their parent’s terrible fate.
Things were now much more complex than what he had imagined, but he and Deirdre were about to start their own family and he wanted to protect that, no matter the cost.
“No…” He admitted. The red-haired man was uncomfortable. His family and Jugdral’s future were his first priority, but still he felt a pinch of guilt for this boy. After all, he had lost a mother too. But his decision was already taken.
“And, why don’t you… adopt him?” Manfroy came close to Arvis so he could whisper this into his ear. There was nothing but evil in the malicious smile he showed to Arvis.
For a moment Duke Velthomer considered it. If he could capture Seliph he could bring Seliph to the castle under any excuse and raise him alongside Deirdre to keep him in check as the child posed a great future threat that could be mitigated that way.
“And think about this. If you do not want to raise him alongside your own children, you could just keep him trapped here as a servant or prisoner, and at the first tiny inconvenience… you could kill him in a terrible accident… he he he.”
Those words and that malign intent made every pore in Arvis’ skin go stiff. For the first time since he had met that man he felt afraid of him. He knew that Manfroy’s suggestion would indeed help him solve a future problem for both of them. But he didn’t want to be a part of that. Killing his enemies was one thing, but killing a baby was unthinkable and despicable. If destiny made them face themselves on the battlefield one day, he would demonstrate his superiority as a warrior and would defeat him, just as he had defeated his father. But this would be until Seliph was old enough to defend himself.
Arvis closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he readied himself to leave the room.
“Stop saying nonsense. No child of Sigurd is well received here. And if Seliph has to die at a young age, it would not be by my hand. And that is my last word on the matter.”
“I’m sure fate will find a way to take him soon.” Manfroy added, but Arvis just kept walking towards the exit. “Remember that once your child is old enough, you will have to step down the imperial throne.”
With these last words Arvis actually stopped for a moment. Then he opened the door and walked through the hallway leaving his advisor alone in his office. “ That is my goal, for my children and their own children to reign for uncountable peaceful ages. ” He told himself, but Manfroy’s words were filled with a dark meaning. There was something very wrong in all of this, in his ‘fateful’ encounter with him; in the ideas and words he had voiced; and in all of the events that had been set into motion because of his advice. And Avis was determined to find what his real plans were, but the first thing he needed to discover was if his encounter with Deirdre had been orchestrated by fate as he had believed up until that point.
Notes:
This chapters exposes what I believed happened after Arvis saw Deirdre so affected after the battle of Belhalla. It also provides some insight on how the interactions between Arvis and Manfroy worked. Sure they worked together but they must have hated each other.
I believe that at this point in time Arvis started to suspect that there had been something wrong in the way he and Deirdre met each other so he started making plans to figure the horrible truth.
But well, this a short one but I hope you enjoy it :) .
Chapter 3: Tailtiu & Azelle: An unfulfilled dream
Summary:
The end of the war had finally arrived, and it brought with it some wonderful news for a certain couple in Sigurd’s army. But would fate be kind enough to let them live their “Happy ever after”?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Tailtiu & Azelle: An unfulfilled dream
Tailtiu discovered she was pregnant right after the conclusion at the battle outside of Velthomer. Aida had told everyone Sigurd’s name would be cleared and that there would be peace at last after their celebration on the next day at Belhalla. She told them Arvis had arranged a ceremonial reception for them at Belhalla and that they should head towards the capital city as soon as possible.
Everyone was glad this was finally over but they didn’t head there immediately. Instead they used a couple of hours to rest and get their wounds treated.
Tailtiu only had minor injuries but she had been feeling dizzy from time to time for a couple of weeks now and she had been feeling nauseated after almost every meal. Up until that moment she had not vomited, but after having a small snack to replenish her energies she did.
Azelle quickly assisted her and took her to a nearby tree so she could rest. There, all her friends went to visit her and Azelle gave them some space. Edain made sure to soothe her with her magic; then she used this chance to make a quick analysis on her state.
There didn’t seem to be anything off with her health so she dared ask if there was any possibility of her being pregnant.
At first, the lilac-haired girl answered with a shy smile that she was not pregnant, but then she started to do the math. It had been almost two months since she had had her last period, but she had been so stressed and distracted by the war that she had completely forgotten about that.
She did a few more calculations internally to know exactly for how long she had been pregnant.
“2 months and 3 weeks.” She said at last and instinctively took her hands to her slightly-swollen abdomen. She had noted it was not flat as it used to be but she assumed she had gained a bit of weight because of her terrible diet during these hard times or due to the stress.
Her eyes suddenly were filled with happy tears. All the other girls visiting her congratulated her and left her alone to give her the chance to give the good news to her husband.
Azelle was a bunch of nerves just praying that his partner in life was ok. When the girls left Tailtiu they went to him and Edain smiled and told him Tailtiu was completely fine and that he should return to her side.
That eased his worries a little but he was still thinking over and over what could have gotten his wife feeling sick.
He went back to where her wife was resting and as soon as he crouched at her side she took his hand and gave him the news.
“I’m pregnant!” She said with a great smile and a couple of tears.
The young man with red hair stood frozen for a second while trying to process what the woman by his side had just told him and when it finally hit him a big smile formed on his lips. Then he took his wife in his arms in a tight but delicate embrace while kissing her hands and her face.
This long situation had been stressful for everyone in the army and had caused a great strain on their lives, so the couple never imagined the possibility of giving Arthur a sibling. But this baby had come at the perfect moment. It was almost as if they had brought with them the end of this terrible war.
Azelle also felt some tears rolling down his cheeks. He felt relief inside of him knowing there would be no further battles that would endanger his wife and their future child inside her womb. If they had known this before, he would have never allowed for Tailtiu to step on the battlefield, but at least they were both safe now.
The couple stayed there talking about their new baby and their plans for the future until their army was ready to march towards the capital. They decided that after the ceremony they would officially give the news to everyone.
While they talked, the happy mother daydreamed about their future as a family. Azelle instead, was fighting with his inner anxiety. On one hand he was utterly excited by the news of his second child, but on the other, he got really nervous when he realized he could be sharing the news with his older brother too.
Each had walked their own path and that had put them on different sides of the battlefield but they were still family and there was nothing that could make the young father more happy than having all of his family together. These thoughts made him feel more at ease and by the time they had to go, they were both brimming with happiness.
Unfortunately their happiness was not long-lived.
It was true that they were part of an army, but the young couple marched to Belhalla holding hands. As far as they knew, from that day on, there would be no more war and no need for them to act as soldiers, and there was nothing they wished more than to recover the time that the conflict had taken away from them.
Azelle would never admit it outloud but he was actually terrified of seeing Arvis face to face again so the fact that Tailtiu was holding his hand helped him to maintain his composure. He held tight onto her soothing touch during the whole trip and could not thank her enough for not letting go of his hand.
It was not long before they finally reached his older brother and instead of his usual childish fear, Azelle felt a crippling anxiety as he could tell there was something off with all of this. Yes, they had been received as heroes but there was something that was not quite right with the situation. Maybe it was the way in which the Roten Ritter was deployed around them; or maybe the way in which Duke Velthomer eyed them from afar. Anyone would think that he simply had a serious and intimidating look, but Azelle was his brother. He knew him, and there was something in his demeanor that made him shiver.
He didn’t spend too much time trying to decipher what it was, but when he did it was already too late.
All of that set up had been a farce. It had not been an invitation to celebrate the end of the war, it had been an invitation for them to meet their own demise. That’s why they had been urged to reach Belhalla at soon as possible. They were tired and hurt from the previous battles and in that situation there was little they could do to effectively defend themselves from their enemies.
The young red-haired man had always looked up to Arvis. For as long as he could remember he had wanted to be just like him. Even in this war he found his conviction and strength to fight for his ideals to be admirable. But for the first time ever, instead of admiration, he felt a deep bitterness and even a bit of aversion towards his older brother.
He was there right before them, ordering his personal army of mages to kill everyone on the field. He did not even once turn to look at Azelle, nor anyone else. He had his eyes set on Sigurd. For him at that moment, the members of the liberation army were not human beings whose lives were about to be extinguished, they were just obstacles in his way that were about to be removed.
In the past Azelle would have idly accepted his fate, wondering once and again what he could have done differently so his path would not stray far from Arvis’ one, but that was not the case on this fateful day. He had grown, he had forged his own path and he had found something worth fighting for. Just as his brother, Azelle also had goals and dreams. Dreams that Tailtiu and his children shared and embodied and he was not going to allow anyone, including his own brother, to endanger that.
When the attack started, most of his comrades were in shock, including his own wife in whom he could see a pair of eyes full of despair. He wanted to save everyone there, but he knew that would be impossible to do, so he centered on saving the person he had sworn to protect with his own life.
“We have to go! Now!” He shouted to her in the midst of the commotion. He took her hand and pulled her with him towards the nearest barrier of soldiers blocking their path.
Azelle’s voice brought Tailtiu back to her senses and allowed her to focus at least for a moment in something different from his commander’s agonizing screams of pain and the powerful sound of the meteors crashing heavily against their army. She stopped thinking for a moment and just followed him blindly guided only by his hand. It was almost as if her body was reacting on her own, urging her to stay alive. Everything was terrifying but she found strength in his husband's safe grip.
The youngest heir to house Velthomer attacked three guards and with this he successfully created an escape route for them. There was a forest nearby. If they reached it, their chances of survival would increase drastically.
They both felt a big wave of relief as they passed the soldier’s barrier. The escape route was just within their reach; they just needed to run a bit more. But it was not going to be so easy. The adrenaline and his alert state allowed the desperate husband to listen to how they were being chased by a group of mages and how they were already preparing a series of spells to cast at them that would certainly strike them if nothing was done.
Azelle let go of his beloved’s hand and shouted that she needed to keep on running while he ran in the opposite direction to face the enemy.
Tailtiu remained there astonished and confused. She didn’t want to escape alone. She knew perfectly well that Arthur needed her to come back home; she knew that she was now responsible for a new life growing inside of her, but still, the idea of leaving Azelle behind was utterly heartbreaking.
She tried to run after him, but she tripped and fell over and the only thing she could do from there was witnessing a burst of meteors falling over her husband. He tried his best to fight back, but despite his brave attempt, he was quickly overrun by the enemy forces, and thus his life was brought to an end.
At that moment the young woman felt how something inside of her died. She screamed as hard as she could and she wished she could go meet him in the afterlife. She knew the mages were soon going to focus their attention on her but she didn’t care anymore. She stood there in the ground crying and waiting for her sad destiny to come when she felt how she was dragged back to her feet by someone.
She barely had time to react when she was then forcefully thrown on the top of a pegasus and before she knew it she was flying far away from there.
---------------------------------------------------
Three months went by after that horrible incident and even though she was in a better physical condition, the wounds in her heart were far from starting to heal.
Erinys had made sure to reunite her with Arthur and provide a home and a constant supply of food and anything they could need in the heart of Silesse.
The young noblewoman from Friege was eternally thankful to her friend and to this new chance at life, but she still couldn't stop herself from crying every night when she remembered the battle at Belhalla. And this night was not the exception.
While she was looking at the moon through the window she remembered the excitement she felt when she found out she was pregnant for a second time and the joy of thinking they would never have to fight again. Then she bitterly remembered how this last had just been an illusion created for luring them like moths to the flame so they could all be killed in the same place.
She had not only seen her friends remaining behind, she saw Azelle die right before her eyes and nothing could ever erase that horrible image from her mind.
She wondered over and over if she had done the right thing by leaving her homeland and joining the liberation army. If she hadn’t she wouldn’t be living all of this; she wouldn't have known this deep and crushing pain.
And even though she wanted to say she had indeed been wrong, when she felt her round belly she stopped lying to herself. She knew they had been fighting for a righteous cause and that if she had not taken that decision, she would have never met Azelle, the man who had made her so unbearably happy and who had given her their own wonderful family.
She cried silently for a while until she felt a small movement from the small bundle of energy that was sleeping calmly at her side. The young mother did not want to wake up her son so she tried to control her breathing and stop her tears but she was unable to do so and in the end the small child woke up.
Tailtiu carried him carefully and cradled him in her chest so he could be lulled to sleep again. Arthur moved restlessly for a couple of minutes until he found a position in which he was comfortable enough to start closing his eyes. He was next to his mother’s belly and he somehow hugged it, almost as if he was feeling his baby sibling inside.
This made the lilac-haired woman cry a bit more, but this time at least there was happiness mixed with all of the sadness inside.
Maybe this sadness in her heart would never fade away but she had to learn to smile again for her children. Azelle was gone, but a part of him was living on through Arthur and through her new baby.
After a while Arthur finally fell asleep and Tailtiu used this chance to place him softly on her side again while she herself got comfortable to sleep as well. She gave him a soft kiss on the forehead; she then smiled and whispered to him that she promised to smile more for him and for his sibling.
It was not long before started to close her eyes too. She cleaned her nose as quietly as possible and then proceeded to curl up close to Arthur.
She caressed his soft hair and started to wonder how her newborn baby would look once they were born in less than 4 months. She tried to guess if the baby would have the same hair or eye color as her husband. She wished with all of her heart this was the case but even if they looked completely like her, she would love her baby with all of her heart.
Tailtiu also tried to guess if the baby would be a boy or a girl and thought of names for both cases. All of the names she came up with started with T, the initial of her own name, because just as Arthur shared an initial with his father, the couple had previously agreed that their second child would share their initial with her this time.
She would have loved that they could have both chosen the baby’s name together, but fate didn’t allow it, and now the only thing she could do about this was to imagine he was there by her side disapproving of most of the names she chose.
She smiled a little in the darkness and then she hugged her belly while internally promising the baby in her womb that she would do anything in her power so that they and their brother would never have to go through what she did and that she would learn to smile for the both of them so they could see her strong as a strong a happy role model. It was not going to be easy but at least she had a whole life ahead of her to learn how to be happy again.
Notes:
I know there are a couple of options more for Arthur's preferred father, but I've always thought Tailtiu and Azelle were good together. This pair also game me more material to go deeper into the suffering that the members of Sigurd's army experienced after Belhalla and gave me chance to explore more on why Tailtiu is described by her children as a sad character. (Yes, I know Hilda completely broke her and made her miserable when they took her back to Friege, but I thought a new layer of drama would be perfect for her whole situation.)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy :) .
Chapter 4: Arvis: The twisted truth
Summary:
Life is full of surprises; sometimes these surprises fill us with joy, and other times, with utter despair. And the latter is what Arvis felt when he found out the answers he had been desperately looking for. And yet, the real challenge was: What would he do with this truth now that it was in his hands?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Arvis: The twisted truth
It was to be expected that an underground cave that served as one of the secret temples for the Loptrian Church had no type of ventilation whatsoever. The problem was that all the smoke and the smell of burnt flesh made the cave a place where breathing was nearly impossible.
Still, Arvis was unbothered, and in his blind rage and vehement obstinacy continued forward leaving behind him even more of these charred corpses that polluted the air around him.
Nothing would stop him. Not now that he finally had a lead that could guide him to part of the truth he had been desperately looking for.
In his current situation, he couldn’t move a single finger against Manfroy; he knew it very well. That foul man had Arvis right in the palm of his hand and if anything were to disrupt in the slightest the agreement they shared, all of the peace and stability he had gained for his kingdom and family would all crumble to the ground.
Hence, he was both surprised and skeptical about this conveniently found lead.
He had spent countless days and nights in the previous months looking for any little thing which he could use to ruin the man and at the same time to get rid of all the evidence that tied himself to him, but it had been fruitless.
After Belhalla, he had to focus his search on other aspects as well, pushing him even harder to get rid of this abomination that his partner in crime represented. Now more than ever he needed to find that which would help him to sever ties with the old man once and for all, and that which would free him from the vicious doubt that had taken root in his heart since that fateful day.
But Manfroy was a cunning man. He always masterfully hid every trail behind him. That's why Arvis knew that if he had found this, it was probably because Manfroy himself had conveniently placed it there for him to find. Presumably, he had no use for these wretched men and would most likely enjoy seeing the pain on the former Duke Velthomer’s face once he found the answers he had been looking for, but even knowing all of this, Arvis still took his chances: he was determined to find the truth.
As he kept advancing through their hideout, fewer enemies approached him. It seemed their numbers there were limited, and not only that. It was also clear that their magic abilities were really miserable. There had been times when a number of them had charged against him at the same moment but even then, they had not been able to stop him.
None of these foes embodied a real threat for the now Emperor of Grannvale, who had finished all of the cultists off, just as a flame that burns out every little moth who voluntarily and brainlessly flies directly into its burning and deadly embrace.
He kept on moving through this underground maze and as he did he kept on asking his enemies about Manfroy and about the plans he had set in motion in exchange for sparing their lives. He also let them know that the Archbishop of the Loptr church had been the one who had betrayed them, by revealing their location and guiding him towards them, hoping that at least one of them would turn his back against their leader.
He was telling the truth about Manfroy, he was a detestable individual that would never hesitate to kill his own allies. But he knew that the deal he was offering was a complete lie. He was not planning on allowing any cult member to escape from here with their lives, not even those who cooperated with him or told him the answers to the questions he had. He knew the types of scoundrels that the Loptr church enlisted on their lines. They had no morals at all and were always willing to conduct all kinds of horrors in the name of their God. So, no. If he could free the world of them, it would surely be a better place to live on.
And all his enemies probably saw through his real intentions because not a single one of them even tried to pretend they were going to help him. Their best option was to charge at him with no mercy or hesitation.
It didn’t take long before the number of foes decreased to a single-digit one. The intense red-haired man noticed this and decided to take things a bit slower. After all, he wouldn’t be able to retrieve any answers from corpses, and he was not going to let this chance of getting to the truth slip away.
He carefully finished off the remaining men. It was clear these ones were in higher positions than all of the grunts that he faced before. They had sent all the others as cannon fodder hoping they themselves would not have to face the unexpected threat.
Unfortunately for them, they indeed had to face the threat, and just as all of the others, they ended up succumbing to his searing flames.
At the end of the tunnel, only one man remained. His tunic was different from all of the others he saw that day. It had more ornaments and a brighter color so he probably was the leader of that specific temple, and that meant he was most likely the one from where he could get more answers.
The man in question tried to attack him, but Arvis dodged the spell and skillfully cast his own on the legs of his adversary. This was the first time in the night that he used his favored tome. Against all of the others, he used an Elfire tome, but at this point, he didn’t want to leave anything to chance, after all, he knew how the members of the Loptr church always had dirty tricks under their sleeves.
The robed man cried as he fell to the ground. The tome he had in his hands fell a few inches away from him. While in agony, he crawled to reach it so he could attack Arvis but he kicked the book and cast another attack on his right arm.
“This can be quick, or slow. If you give me the information I need, I’ll kill you in an instant. If you don’t, I’ll burn your body part by part until you spit out the truth.” He explained menacingly while offering him the mercy he considered the man did not deserve.
The cultist’s face was twisted and deformed by the pain. There were tears falling endlessly from his eyes and there were muffled screams in his throat that he didn’t allow out. But despite his terrible state he started to laugh, creating a macabre spectacle.
Arvis frowned, disgusted by what he was seeing. He waited for a couple of seconds more but the man kept unresponsive to his proposal so he cast another spell on his left arm.
The man cried and squirmed on the floor, trying to put out the fire but it was not diminishing in any way.
“Speak!” Arvis ordered.
The man laughed again. He contorted the muscles in his face before deciding to give him the answers he had been looking for.
“Have y-you… ever thought… AAAAGH!” He started and then was interrupted by a pained scream. “... why does your wife… have your m-mother’s face?”
Arvis' eyes widened and his body froze. He tried to maintain his composure in front of his enemy but he was deeply affected by what he had just heard. He was afraid to hear the rest.
He had considered that possibility in his theories but he never wanted to actually consider it could be true. And despite his best efforts, the man on the ground noticed the change in his behavior. He laughed maniacally as the pain continued to consume him.
“It was… not d-destin-yyy!” He said as he tried to breathe. “WE placed your SISTER IN YOUR P-PATH, HA HA HA!”
The nightmarish distorted laughter filled the room. This alongside the terrible words he had just heard made his heart stop for a couple of seconds. He wished with all of his being for those words to be lies, but deep down he knew well they weren’t.
It all made perfect sense, the face of his mother in the forest maiden that had so conveniently reached his life… But why? Which was the reason that had made Manfroy place her at her side? Why had he taken her away from Sigurd’s side so that he found her and fell in love with her?
He needed more answers and despite utterly hating the idea he needed to keep that scoundrel alive. He put out the fire.
“Why!?” He yelled at the man on the ground expecting to get an answer. He got closer to him so he could take him from the neck and force him to talk.
But as soon as his hands were free from the flames, the bald man raised one of his charred extremities, and with a numb movement, he took his hand to his chest, to the inner part of his robe from where he took a small sphere.
“SEE YOU IN HELL!” The man yelled as he broke the sphere creating a flaming explosion so his own fire would consume him whole.
The outburst was so strong, that the strong Emperor of Grannvale was thrown a few meters away.
He quickly recovered from this, putting out the small flames that had found their place on his cape. He was ready to enter the fire and retrieve the man from its clutches, but the heat was unbearable and the laughter, as well as his screams, had ceased.
Arvis cursed and when he saw the flames advancing in his direction he decided it was time to abandon that place.
A few minutes later he was finally out. The fire had reached the exterior of the hideout, burning the fake front the church had built to hide their real lair. At least with the place burned out, he would not have to worry about the evidence, but at that moment that was the least of his concerns.
He fell to his knees in front of the burning church as he reminisced about his life. He remembered his early years as a little kid and how his mother used to read stories to him. Those were bright days, represented by warm memories, but the days that came after were dark. Her mother suddenly started to be away from the castle from time to time, causing so much distress to his irresponsible father that he took his own life, and after that she finally disappeared for good, leaving Arvis all alone.
If somebody would have told him that in that time frame she had had another child, Arvis would have probably despised his mother. He would have blamed her for every tragedy occurring during his childhood. Her and her other child.
But on that day, as an adult, he didn’t believe he could be able to hate the woman that had given him life, the woman that had always treated him with an unmeasurable love, and the woman from whom he desired a warm hug. No, he couldn't hate her, nor his sister, who had become a beautiful woman in her own right. The woman he now loved with the intensity of a violent tempest. And just as a tempest would, that love was ravaging him whole.
All of his hopes and dreams about his family were being destroyed by that terrible truth.
He remembered the first time he saw her. He had thought that their meeting was fated; that the stars guided them towards each other so that two halves could become whole. But he had been wrong, completely wrong.
On that first meeting, he saw in her the face of their mother. He instantly fell for her and deep inside of his heart, he intensely desired that she didn’t abandon him, just as her mother had.
He closed his teeth almost painfully as he growled. He felt sick with himself.
Arvis made an attempt to stop thinking about both women but couldn’t. The poor tormented man repeated once and again in his head that he had not fallen in love with his wife because of her likeness to their mother. What he felt for her was real and pure. She represented the only kind part of his current cruel world. At this point in his life, her mother meant nothing but good memories of the past and nothing else, and both feelings had nothing to do with each other.
Except that, in the end, they did have something to do with each other and this devastated him. What were his options then? Leave his wife? Get a divorce? No, the mere thought of it broke his heart. Besides, he had sworn to protect her and he would never forgive himself if he left her alone after the death of his grandfather and after she had placed her trust in him to take care of her for the rest of their lives.
Furthermore, their child was about to be born. And thinking of them only made him feel worse. A child conceived through a forbidden relationship. He strongly hit the ground as he cursed loudly.
He could not stop thinking about her, about all of the times he had loved her, those magical times that her body had been his… and as he did a cruel voice was telling him that all had been wrong because she was his sister .
He wondered why. Why had life presented him with such a cruel twist when he had at last found happiness? Why was the woman who stole his heart related to him by blood when there were so many others in the world?
For this, he might have never found an answer, so his mind made him think about Manfroy instead. He was the one who had placed her in his life. Has he always been aware of Deirdre’s true identity as his sister? He surely was. But that was not enough to explain his actions. How was he so certain they would fall in love? And what would be his purpose for that?
“ Was it because of our Maera lineage? ” He wondered. He needed more answers. Some of them he needed from Manfroy, and others he needed from himself.
There was an explosion of negative emotions inside his chest. With each new question he came up with, the air around him became denser, rendering him unable to breathe properly. His senses started to become numb, making the sound coming from the building falling apart in front of him unnoticeable. The fire was dangerously close to him, threatening to burn him just as it was burning the wood from the temple, but he was too immersed in his thoughts to move away.
He thought again about his beloved, their future child, his mother, Sigurd, Seliph… and in an angry burst, he stood up and used his tome to feed the flames even more. He knew the fire would reach the nearby trees causing the forest to burn too, but he didn’t mind. After all, the forest was small and there were no towns or cities nearby.
He could almost feel as if life was mocking him when he felt a couple of drops of water falling over his skin. He didn’t need to look up to know what that meant. In just a few minutes a great rain poured from the sky and little by little stopped the fire completely.
He just remained there, watching the drops falling down heavily against the remnants of the Loptrian temple as he tried to decide what was the right thing to do about his relationship with his sister.
---------------------------------------------------
The emperor took about one month more to come back home. He knew he should not have been gone for so long. After all, he has just recently ascended to the Grannvale throne. This would only cause rumors to start. Of course, people were going to talk about him and the audacity he had to leave princess Deidre, daughter of prince Kurth of Grannvale, after the death of her grandfather and just when she was so close to giving birth.
He seemed like a despicable individual, but nobody loathed him more than himself at that moment. But what he had done, had been necessary. He was still far from finding something that could help him get rid of Manfroy, but he had found out something equally important and it might even be related to the shady man’s plans.
He had considered not coming back and leaving Deirdre alone. She was in her rightful home now, where she was loved and cared for. She did not have the need to carry the weight of their shared sin; he would gladly carry it for the both of them. But in the end, he discarded this plan. He could not allow himself to leave her and their child alone when Manfroy was lurking in her castle just as if it was his own home.
Besides, he still had goals and ambitions. He wished to make Jugdral a better place and needed to make sure he achieved this so that Deidre and their baby could live in peace. And with all of that in mind, he came back.
He had sunken eyes, with deep dark circles underneath them and it was written all over his face that he was suffering. Still, he put up a brave face and entered the castle grounds.
He was still unsure about what he was going to do about his relationship with his wife. He didn’t know what his reaction was going to be when he saw her after all of the time they were apart. He was certain Deirdre would receive him with open arms and he thought he was not going to be able to accept this kind gesture.
He wished for her embrace just as a man who has been wandering through a desert for days wishes to find a single drop of water, but he knew that their relationship was not meant to be. This is why he decided he would wait at least a couple of weeks to see her face to face.
He didn’t want to hurt her, but this was the best for both of them.
The emperor dismounted his horse while a bunch of servants guided him to the inside of the castle while offering him water and clean towels.
He declined both of them and continued walking. The image of Deirdre’s disappointed face when she learned that he was already home but not wishing to see her haunted him, and made his heart feel as if it was being ripped from his chest.
“ Will she think I do not love her anymore? That I found a lover during this time? ” He hated himself more just by thinking about this. He would never forgive himself if he hurt her.
He breathed in and tried redirecting all of his negative feelings into something more productive. To someone who deserved all of his hate and ill-will.
The emperor asked where Manfroy was when he crossed the main doors of the castle and reached the main hall.
One of the servants answered that he was in the library. Arvis thanked him and started walking in that direction. But before he could continue another servant stopped him.
“My Lord, princess Deirdre is -”
Arvis raised his hand and demanded that he stopped talking. “I have no time for her right now.” He said and continued walking.
“But, my lord!” The servant pleaded.
“I said I have no time for that now!” Arvis yelled at the young man at his side. He had always been patient with his servants but the trip had taken a toll on him and he was in the worst mood possible.
The man remained silent. He was not used to seeing Arvis in such a mood. The message he had was important but the emperor had made himself clear and he would not risk his job or life insisting.
Fortunately, Malis, one of Deirdre's personal maidens, came running to the main hall. She stopped at the stairs and from there she shouted.
“My Lord! Lady Deirdre is in labor right now!”
The servant that had tried to deliver the news before thought that both his head and Malis’ would roll because of this, but this was not the case.
Arvis’ face changed completely. His tough facade fell down, exposing all of the concern he had for his wife’s well-being. He ran towards the maiden.
“Take me to her!” He commanded.
The girl nodded and they both went running to where the empress was.
It was not long before they reached his wife’s chambers and the first thing Arvis heard was the cry of a baby. He immediately went to see him. The midwife carrying his son smiled and placed him in the emperor’s arms where he cradled him. All of the hate, frustration, and disgust he had felt towards himself were all gone at the moment he saw the small bundle with red hair crying between his arms. A tear rolled down his cheek as he saw the little boy moving his arms towards him.
He could not think of anything else because Deidre started to scream in pain.
He turned to face her.
“Arvis!” She said, relieved to see him, but with her factions contorted.
He left the baby with one of the midwives and went to his wife’s side.
“What is going on?” He asked as he held her hand.
She squeezed his hand and he wondered from where her delicate and fragile significant other had summoned the strength to almost break the bones from his hand.
“It seems there were two babies in her womb! The other one is coming out now!” The midwife in her legs answered.
He held her grip and cheered on her as she pushed.
“It’s a girl!” The midwife said a few minutes later
Deidre finally relaxed her body. She cried with excitement and pain as Arvis kissed her hand. The old woman took the girl close to her mother so she could see her and after smiling at her she fainted due to exhaustion.
Arvis panicked, but the women in the room told her everything was fine, and that his wife only needed to rest. Then they prepared the bed the sleeping woman was in so that the babies could spend at least a couple of minutes next to their mother.
Arvis left the bed and walked to the children.
“They are twins, my lord. The girl’s hair is light purple, just like her mother’s. The boy’s hair is red just like yours. Congratulations.” The midwife said.
Arvis felt how his eyes started to get watery again.
He remembered again all of the things he had thought in the past few weeks, all of the hate, all of the confusion... None of that mattered now. Deirdre was his wife because of his decision, and even though he knew it had all been wrong, it was a fact now that they were married and that they had a family together. No one should ever know of that truth he had just learned, much less her. It would break her apart and he was not going to allow anything to destroy this happiness they had both created
He needed to do something about Manfroy so that he kept his mouth shut, but there would be time for that later.
He took the girl in his arms and after lulling her for a few minutes he kissed her forehead. She fell asleep and he then carefully left her next to her brother and her mother. He took one chair and placed it next to the bed so he could see his whole world sleep.
He knew there were some important things he needed to do, but at that moment the most important thing for him was to be at the side of his beautiful family.
Notes:
Aaaaand here's another chapter. One of the things that made me want to write all of this was to try to imagine how it was that Arvis came to find the truth (since it is stated that he learned that he and Deirdre were related at some point in his life) and how it must have made him feel, and all of that suffering is what inspired this chapter.
On another note, I am trying to keep the chapters short, but this turned out to be a bit longer. The next chapters might be a bit long too, but every detail I leave here is important.
And yes, now that I added this "truth" to the story I had to tag the fic accordingly, but well we all knew what this was about.
As always I hope you like this scenario and thanks for reading! ^^
Krosshair on Chapter 2 Sun 01 May 2022 11:06PM UTC
Last Edited Sun 01 May 2022 11:08PM UTC
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Vampimich_writes on Chapter 2 Mon 02 May 2022 02:10AM UTC
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