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After entering the world tree, you let Alfonse pull you aside and fell into step beside him. A few paces ahead, Anna, Sharena, and Ratatoskr led the way. You tilted your head at him, waiting for him to speak.
“Something has been bothering me about all this…” Alfonse said. His brow was knitted in thought. “I’ve been unable to figure out the true nature of Laeradr’s attacks. If his goal was simply to assassinate mother, she would already be dead. It doesn’t make sense. Laeradr must have some plan we’re not seeing.”
“You think this is a trap?” You gestured to the tangled knots of the world tree’s roots that surrounded you on every side.
“Almost certainly,” Alfonse said. “It’s like we’re being toyed with.”
You pursed your lips. The thought had occurred to you too. After all, you had been quite literally invited into the enemy’s home base. There must be something afoot. Alfonse continued after a pause.
“I worry their true target is… you.”
“Me?” Your eyes widened and you stumbled to a halt. Alfonse stopped too, his gaze fixed on you, his lips pulled in a frown. You looked around, suddenly nervous. You had never considered that you could possibly have anything to do with all this.
“But…” You tried to protest. “Why lure us all the way into the world tree for that? Couldn't they just… find me in Askr? I'm not exactly hard to kill…”
You knew you were grasping at straws, trying to find some reason to doubt that you were in danger. As if he could sense the fear rising in your chest, Alfonse grabbed both of your hands in his.
“I will remain at your side,” he said. “I will protect you.”
Alfonse’s steady gaze helped a little to ease your worries. You nodded, flashing him a small smile, which he returned. You kept your hand in his as you hurried to catch up with the others.
Once again you wished you had some way of defending yourself so that Alfonse would not have to risk himself to protect you. It was always like this—you the damsel and Alfonse the valiant prince. It was the perfect fairy tale romance. But none of those tales ever spoke of the fear and shame of knowing that your beloved was risking his life for you while you could do nothing but watch. Or the guilt that wracks you every time you see him return with a wound on his body, a near-miss that wouldn’t have happened had he not been protecting you. You hated it. Hated being such a burden. Being so useless.
You tried to shake those thoughts from your head. Now was not the time. You were in enemy territory, and an attack could come from any side, at any moment. You had to be vigilant. You held tightly to Alfonse’s hand, as if this one small connection would keep you both safe.
You walked on in silence. Everyone in the group was too tense to speak, so when Ratatoskr squeaked in surprise, you all snapped to attention.
Alfonse let go of your hand and prepared to draw his sword. Before you, a large man emerged from the shadows. The muscles on his broad shoulders rippled as he walked, and a pair of glowing antlers ringed his shoulders, just like Ratatoskr's glowing tail. This must've been one of her siblings—another member of the Quieting Hands.
Ratatoskr called out to him in a tentative voice.
“Brother?”
The man’s eyes narrowed, then looked to the side.
“…Do not call me brother.” His voice was surprisingly soft. “When you betrayed us, you knew what would happen.”
“B-but—”
“We are enemies now. Not family.”
Your heart clenched at the way Ratatoskr visibly deflated. You couldn’t imagine how she must’ve felt this whole time—turning her back on her family, staking everything on a group of strangers, all because she believed in helping others, not hurting them. And yet… her decision had only led to more pain for herself.
The antlered man then turned his attention to the Order of Heroes.
“I am Eikthyrnir,” he said. “I guard Yggdrasil. I fight intruders. I bear you no ill will, but I must kill you now.”
Alfonse took a step forward to place himself between you and Eikthyrnir. Anna and Sharena stood at either side of him, weapons at the ready. Even Ratatoskr seemed to stand at attention, though the twitch of her tail betrayed her nervousness. Eikthyrnir nodded almost approvingly.
Light emanated from Eikthyrnir as he took on his animal form, much like Ratatoskr had done before her attempt on Alfonse’s life. In a flash, Alfonse drew his sword and charged toward the glowing stag that now stood before him. You stepped back, trying your best to stay out of the way as Eikthyrnir took on Alfonse, Sharena, and Anna all at once.
You tried to keep your eyes on the battle, but with each powerful blow, Eikthyrnir made the giant roots of Yggdrasil tremble beneath your feet. It was a struggle to stay standing, and with a cry of alarm, you fell forward, wincing as your palms scraped against the rough bark of the tree. You heard Alfonse call your name.
“I’m okay!” you shouted, not wanting to divert Alfonse from his fight. But it was too late. Your heart lurched as Eikthyrnir took advantage of Alfonse's moment of distraction and landed a hit on him. Before you could even call out to him, Sharena and Anna leaped to his defense. Ratatoskr ran to his side, already working her healing magic. You let out a sigh of relief, glad to see he was in good hands.
The ground beneath you still rolled like waves on the sea, preventing you from standing up again. With each tremor of the roots, a jolt of pain shot up your arms. You closed your eyes and held on as best you could. Whenever you could chance a glance up, you were glad to see Eikthyrnir slowly but surely losing ground to the combined assault of the Order of Heroes and Ratatoskr. But your hands were beginning to go numb from the strain, and your mind felt foggy with pain.
Finally, the roots settled, and you let yourself relax. Your head still spun and your whole body tingled with a strange warmth. You couldn’t quite feel your arms. Distantly, you heard Eikthyrnir’s voice, sounding slightly strained.
“Impressive…” he said. “You're strong. All my training was not enough.”
Alfonse spoke next, his voice strong and steady, though slightly winded.
“I advise surrender. There is no reason to continue the fight.”
Then a third voice cut in. Powerful. Forceful. It seemed to resonate within the roots of the world tree itself. You shuddered as you heard it.
“…You let your guard down,” it said.
Anna and Sharena frantically looked around for the source of the voice. Ratatoskr hugged her tail to her chest, ears twitching nervously. The voice continued to speak.
“Everywhere around you now, tiny, tiny thorns extend out and into you… you don't even feel them, do you? You can't even tell that you've been pricked, so you don't feel the poison seeping in…”
You stood up shakily. Alfonse caught your eye from where he stood, a silent question in his gaze. Were you alright? You tried to give him a reassuring smile, though you weren't sure you convinced even yourself.
“…Am I right, Summoner?"
A bolt of panic shot through you. Something was wrong. Your body… it was like something was burning you from within. You gasped for breath. Distantly, you heard Alfonse call your name. Then his arms circled around you. A moment later, you felt the soothing balm of Ratatoskr’s healing magic wash over you, but it wasn’t enough…
“Laeradr,” Alfonse said, his voice low and tinged with anger. “What have you done?”
Laeradr, leader of the Quieting Hands and Ratatoskr’s father, ignored Alfonse and continued to speak only to you.
“At the count of three, you will lose consciousness… one… two…”
Alfonse held your limp form in his arms. No. This couldn’t be happening. How could he have been so careless? How could he have overlooked the tree itself? He had promised to protect you… to stay by your side… to keep you safe…
He called your name, panic bleeding into his voice as he begged you to wake up. Sharena and Anna stood to the side, fidgeting in the way of a helpless bystander. Ratatoskr continued her attempts to heal you, but nothing seemed to happen.
“They won’t be waking up, Prince Alfonse,” Laeradr said. “I am the only one who can cure them.”
Alfonse bit back his immediate urge to curse at Laeradr. Instead, he focused on the god’s words. So there was a cure. That was something he could grasp onto—the slimmest of hopes, but still, a hope. Alfonse willed his racing thoughts to settle. Panicking would do him no good. He had to find a way to save you, whether through bargaining or force. He would not lose you.
But first, he must understand his enemy.
“Why are you doing this?” Alfonse had to struggle to keep his voice steady. He clutched you close to his chest. You felt so cold already. Please, Lord Askr, don’t let him lose you. “We have done nothing to warrant such brazen attacks.”
“Oh, but your Summoner has done plenty…” Laeradr replied.
“They have done nothing.”
Alfonse felt anger boiling up inside him. How dare Laeradr make such baseless accusations? From the moment you were summoned to Askr, you had not harmed a single soul.
“On the contrary. The Summoner is the very reason we had to do this,” Laeradr said. Alfonse wished he would get to the point. As every second passed, your life was slipping from his hands. But Laeradr continued to speak in a slow, drawn-out manner, as if he had all the time in the world.
“It was your Summoner's cavalier use of Breidablik that has been disrupting the stability of the nine realms ever since their summoning to this world. They are the cause of all the realms' destruction.”
“You lie! They have never once used Breidablik as a weapon—”
“They don’t need to. They have repeatedly opened a gateway to their homeworld—a place fundamentally incompatible with the magic of this world—and it has thrown the realms into chaos.”
Alfonse's eyes widened. All of those trips back and forth from your world to Askr... it had been slowly killing the world tree? But then... why not just shut the gateway? He knew that it would mean either trapping you in Askr or your own world, but at least then you would be alive… Yet he couldn’t help the sinking feeling that the solution was not so simple.
He spoke anyway.
“Then let us close the gateway. Allow the realms to recover.”
“It is not so simple,” Laeradr said. Alfonse’s heart dropped. “When they were summoned by your commander, their very being was tied to Askr and the divine weapon Breidablik. In order to dispel the poison from their world... the source must be removed.”
“No… there must be another way—”
“There is no other way. Their very existence is poison to the realms. If they are not removed, we will all perish.” There was no sympathy in Laeradr's voice. The decision was an easy one for him. One life in exchange for the continued existence of all the nine realms. But Alfonse refused to accept it.
“No. I won’t allow it. They will not be your sacrifice—”
“Foolish child.” Laeradr's snarl shook the branches of the world tree. “You cannot see past your own shallow infatuations. The fate of all the nine realms hangs in the balance. One mortal life means nothing—”
“It means everything !” Alfonse said. “ They mean everything…”
Rage burned beneath his skin as he held you close to him. How dare Laeradr call his love for you a “shallow infatuation”? A god could never hope to understand the depths of your bond…
Ratatoskr took this moment to step in. Her voice trembled as she addressed her father, but she spoke loudly and clearly to be heard.
“F-father... please at least give them a chance!” she said. “The Order of Heroes—Prince Alfonse, the Summoner, and everyone else—they're a family... like us. T-there must be a way to save both the Summoner and the realms…”
In the pause that followed, Alfonse could almost allow himself a glimmer of hope. But that was quickly dashed when Laeradr said firmly.
“No.”
The group only had moments to react as the branches beneath them sprouted deadly thorns. Before the toxic cage could encircle them, a sudden surge of wind whisked them away. Alfonse could only hold tightly onto you as he was thrown from the world tree.
Alfonse blinked open his eyes to see he was back in Askr, where the group had entered the root of Yggdrasil. You were still unconscious in his arms. He quickly pressed two fingers to your neck and breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a faint yet persistent heartbeat.
Sharena and Anna rushed to his side, worry evident in their eyes. When Alfonse nodded, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Sharena was the first to speak.
“What just happened? We were in Yggdrasil, then…”
Beside him, Ratatoskr let out a soft breath. She seemed to be speaking more to herself than Sharena.
“Hraesvelgr... she saved us from father... but why?”
Sharena chanced a smile. “Perhaps she’s beginning to see our side of things? Maybe… maybe we can still…”
But Alfonse was in no mood to consider possibilities. He turned to Ratatoskr.
“Can you heal them?” he asked.
Ratatoskr looked hesitant, then, she squared her shoulders with a determined look in her eyes.
“Only my father can cure his own poison,” she said. “But I can still keep them alive... at least until we find our solution.”
Alfonse felt relief wash over him. He held onto you as Ratatoskr crouched down, hovering her hands over your body. Ratatoskr’s hands glowed with her healing power. Stronger, this time. She was pouring all her energy into this. Slowly, color began to return to your skin. Warmth spread through your body. You took a breath.
Your head was pounding, and it felt like there was a perpetual fog over your mind. Your whole body was wracked with pain, and just the act of breathing seemed to set fire to your chest. A pained whimper slipped past your lips. You thought you heard someone calling your name.
“Alfonse...?” you said.
“I’m here.” A hand grasped yours, squeezing once. “Don’t try to move, you’ll be okay.”
It was all you could do to hang on to consciousness. Everything hurt. Your mind was a mess. What had happened? You let out another whimper of pain.
“It hurts…”
Your voice was barely a whisper. It was as if your very soul was burning from within. But then, you felt a wave of soothing water wash over you, numbing some of the pain. It cleared up your mind enough to let you think more clearly, though every part of your body still burned with each breath you took.
“I know…” The voice belonged to Alfonse. The arms around you, too, must be his. “I know, please, hold on.”
The tremor in his voice worried you. What had happened that had left him so shaken? You couldn't see his face, your vision blurred by pain. You wanted to reach out to him, but even the smallest movement made pain shoot through your body.
“What… happened?” you asked.
“Laeradr… he poisoned you…” Alfonse began to explain, but you couldn't process everything that he said. The pain kept you from concentrating on his words, though you managed to grasp the basics. You were a poison to Alfonse's world. In order to heal it, you must die. Faced with a decision between the world and yourself... Alfonse had chosen you.
You couldn't help but feel a warmth inside you, further soothing the burning pain of your soul. You smiled weakly.
“…You chose me…” you said.
Alfonse's hand tightened around yours. He leaned down and pressed a featherlight kiss to your forehead.
“Of course I did…”