She was slightly disappointed that it had to end, but then again, maybe it was for the best. Emiri let out a huff of air as she begged her heart to beat normally, though managed to (finally) regain her composure. She did smirk slightly, picturing the horrid look on her mother's face if she ever found out she was frolicking with a Sky Pirate. Wait, wasn't that was Nadeline had said?
She cleared her throat, though she did turn to him, rummaging her pocket for some gil. "Mmm, I suppose that would be best." She said. She was about to voice that she was tired of having dresses that were too tight but held her tongue. Running a hand through her hair, she wandered over to her room, sweeping her bag off the floor. She emptied out some things she had collected from her hunt, the rewards earned from roaming monsters, so to speak. A few Wolf Pelts, some Cockatrice Feathers, and a beak of a Dive Talon she had encountered (and barely defeated).
Once she repacked them into her bag, Emiri looked at Jaakuna. He seemed somewhat preoccupied. She dismissed it and waved at him. "Let's get going, shall we?"
-------
"Come now, don't tell me you've never seen a sword before?"
Emelia blinked in confusion, staring at the sword that was placed in her hand. It was heavier than it looked; the soldiers made swinging them look easy. She weighed it, her fingers tracing along the blade carefully. It was quite sharp, and the handle felt difficult to hold. She placed both hands on the hilt of the sword, raising it. She then frowned, turning to the blonde haired girl that had given it to her in the first place.
Nadeline had her own sword too, and was swinging it around, mimicking moves that she had seen some soldiers do. She looked at Emelia, then gave her an exasperated look. "What is your problem, really? All you ever do is frown and look confused at things."
"My apologies, Your Highness." Emelia tried to swing, and underestimated her own strength. The weight of the blade made her lose her balance, and she toppled to the ground.
The girl burst out laughing and held her sides as an irritated Emelia lifted herself up. Once she calmed down, she helped her wipe the grass off her dress. "Father is finally permitting me to take lessons. Recreationally, of course, but I think it's always handy to know how to defend yourself." She stated rather proudly, pointing her sword in the air. "Not only will I be beautiful, I will be dangerous as well!"
About as dangerous as a Dalmascan Cactuar. Emelia thought to herself, picking up the sword once more. "What exactly are we going to do with these?" She asked.
Nadeline sported a wicked grin, and with a flourish pointed her sword at her opponent. "Why, we are to duel, of course!"
"What? Are you mad? What if we hurt ourselves?" The girl asked worriedly.
"Oh posh, we are ladies! What is worse than a mere scratch?" She then motioned for her to wield her weapon. "Now, en guarde!"
Still unsure, Emelia reluctantly held her sword at the ready. She made sure to grasp it firmly, eyeing Nadeline. She was much too eager for this, really. Nadeline rushed at her, and Emelia let out a yelp as their blades clashed. She nearly fell over but regained her footing as Nadeline swung again. She anticipated her attack, and found it much easier to defend herself this time. Apparently Nadeline noticed this as well, and she swung her blade horizontally. Emelia staggered, nearly being yanked by the blade (her refusal to let it go was amazing) and she pathetically swung herself. It was a wild swing, though Nadeline evaded it with ease.
"Too slow!" She yelled, and dashed forward. Now the girl expected Emelia to dodge, or at the very least, block her attack. However, in that instant, she panicked, dropping her sword and throwing her arms up in front of her. Nadeline's sword sliced a gash on Emeliai's arm, and she fell to the ground. "Oh no! Are you alright?!" Nadeline dropped her sword, rushing over to her.
The brunette clutched her arm, blood seeping out of her wound. The pain was a foreign thing. Sure, she had hurt herself many times as a child, but nothing compared to this. She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held her arm. It hurt, it hurt so much. Nadeline froze at the sight of the wounded girl's blood spilling onto the grass.
Luckily for the pair, Grant had heard the two fighting and had come to investigate. He quickly dropped down to Emelia's side, taking her arm gingerly. He placed his hand over her wound, magicks spilling out of his hand and sewing up the gash. In a mere minute, it was gone, as if it had never happened. The pain, however, still lingered, though the Cura did feel soothing.
"What were you thinking, Nadeline?" Grant reprimanded her, helping Emelia to her feet.
The blonde huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "We were just playing. It's not my fault that Emelia is a coward."
Emelia narrowed her eyes at Nadeline. "Honestly, you have lost a gear in that pretty head of yours! Anyone who has never gotten proper instruction on using a weapon is bound to only hurt themselves. You are lucky you didn't cut her head off!" Grant reprimanded her. "A sword has no place next to a princess except if it belongs to her prince or her guard, anyway."
Nadeline crossed her arms, glaring at Emelia, who glared back. "What good is a doll if you can't play with her?" She muttered under her breath.
Grant checked the brunette, making sure she didn't get hurt anywhere else, and wiped a stray tear from her face. "And you, young lady, should know better than to go along with Nadeline's shenanigans. "
She nodded, grasping both hands together as she looked at the ground. "My apologies, Your Highness, for causing you trouble."
He then smiled, kissing her forehead. "We can't have anything happening to my future bride, can we?" He asked gently, catching a stray hair of hers and tucking it behind her ear.
Nadeline sighed, watching the pair. She hated the way Emelia would just go along with everything Grant said. So what if they were getting married? Her backbone was about as flexible as a lizard's tongue was! "I suppose I must ask for your forgiveness as well, cousin." Nadeline spoke, rolling her eyes. Emelia glared at her once again, and Nadeline stuck her tongue out. Well, normally she was docile, but anytime Nadeline upset or angered her, she would always give her that weak, annoying glare, like it was threatening or something.
--------
The Empress sat upon her chair, her eyes closed, her expression an enigma. The Viera pair had failed--which was actually odd. She wasn't particularly angry, no, she was confused. The two had lost to the weapon and a Sky Pirate. The two Viera were far more experienced, far more powerful. She was displeased. Greatly displeased. General Harris had apologized maybe a thousand times. She wasn't going to blame her general on his subordinates' failures, but apparently, he had taken it to heart. This was the first time in a long time that they had actually failed him, so perhaps he was just as shocked as she was. Whatever the case, the two had received their punishment and their lectures.
But that was not what needed her attention at the moment. Her niece had come to see her.
Reia opened her eyes to look at Nadeline. The young girl greatly resembled herself in her youth. She was tall, looking older then she was, her eyes a dark blue, her skin pale, and her beautiful golden locks were long and numerous. She was her protégé, so to speak, and apparently the young girl had held her aunt in high regards. Still, their relationship wasn't all smooth sailings, as the two heavily disagreed on war versus peace. Reia blamed it on her age, however, as the thing was still much too young to realize the cruelties of the world.
"Your Grace." Nadeline greeted her.
"My precious Nadeline, you gave your father quite the scare." Reia spoke. Nadeline nodded, though she looked unsure about something. "Speak your worries, child."
Nadeline rubbed her arm, though she took in a deep breath. "Your Grace...why...why are you after Emelia?"
At this Reia perked an eyebrow. "My brother would like his doll back." She answered as-a-matter-of-factly. "As a big sister, it is my duty to return my brother's toys to him. You must understand, he is fixated on her becoming his bride. My father's death has him quite distressed, you see. I am hoping that she can fix that."
The young girl shifted uncomfortably. Uncle Grant was once engaged to Emelia, this she did recall. She didn't like Reia's choice of words, but she couldn't say much about it. She wanted to believe Reia, and she didn't think she was lying, but the entire truth wasn't been spoken, either. Did she want to tread that territory, however? She was already in trouble with her father, she needed to choose her words carefully.
"If only I had managed to convince her to come home...I have to ask for your forgiveness." She stated, testing Reia's reaction. "We met in Bhujerba, had I known how much she was needed, I would have been more successful. As she had said she had business elsewhere, I simply said my farewells."
Really now. The Empress narrowed her eyes. Vlyn and Aloa did mention finding Nadeline in Bhujerba, so it wasn't too surprising. Still, she wasn't sure of the girl's sudden interest. She leaned forward in her seat, trying to read the girl's intentions. Nadeline was a good child, always respectful. She was also hardheaded, though Reia herself had yet to see it. She also had a sense of adventure, so to speak, thus her frequent "disappearances". Reia wouldn't be surprised at all if she took off the next day.
"Should you have the fortune of running into her again, be sure to let her know her fiancé misses her." Reia said. "Was that all?"
Nadeline was about to reply when the doors behind her opened. She turned to see a very sour Vlyn. He paused before Nadeline, giving her a short bow, then went to Reia. "Your Eminence, the Council awaits you in the meeting room." He said, bowing before her.
The woman rolled her eyes, though she did get up off her seat. "Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten them, I will depart now." She patted Nadeline's shoulder, then left, though she did give Vlyn a nod.
"Tell me, Your Highness, what are you up to now?" Vlyn asked her coyly, poking her cheek. "I recognize that look on your face, it practically screams 'I'm thinking of something that will get Vlyn in trouble' you know."
Nadeline scowled, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, you see here, Vlyn, I was fine on my own, you were the one who dragged me back here." She responded. "Though I suppose I can tell you if you promise not to say anything."
The Viera shook his head, tugging some of her hair. "I do believe there is no brain under these lovely locks, is that why your hair is so long?"
"I'm going to find Emelia and set things straight." She ignored his comment as she swatted his hand away. "No matter what happens, she cannot return. War is on the horizon and it seems Archadia is just as eager as my aunt is. So I'm going to go track her down."
Vlyn threw his arms up in the air, clearly exasperated. "Your father will have a field day when he hears this."
"YOU need not say a word."
"A word? How about a sentence?"
"...I beg your pardon?"
"Nevermind." Vlyn coughed, scratching the back of his head. "I wish you well, though you do realize if you're going after the girl you and I will cross paths?"
"You need only to forget you saw me, it's as simple as that." Nadeline grinned.
"Your wisdom is truly astounding, Your Highness."
"Are you making fun of me?"
"Perish the thought."
