The Tome of Ancestors speaks of ancient wars in an embellished and heroic tone. But make no mistake, all those events truly transpired on this green Earth. They are both a bedtime story, and a warning.
—Professor Selin Dorn
“Oh Goddess oh no oh help, help let me down why did I agree to this why didn’t I think it through?!”
Lycoris trembled and cowered, hyperventilating as she was torn between curling up on the floor of the carriage rocking back and forth, and contemplating bursting out the windows to at least get it over with. At least that way she would end up back on the ground. It would undoubtedly hurt quite a bit, but her addled mind couldn't decide between torment or embarrassment.
“M-Mamaaaa… Mizaaar… anyoonneee!”
The carriage gently swayed in the breeze, causing her to wail at the top of her lungs as both terror and nausea welled up inside her.
“Y-Your Highness?!” Arnen looked aghast and bewildered, nervously fidgeting and holding out his arms as he struggled to decide what action to take. It was entirely understandable that he would be so confused, the situation had taken quite a sudden turn.
But… how in the world did she end up here? The ride had been going so well up until this point…
＊ ＊ ＊
“What’s she doing?”
Lycoris furrowed her brow as her interest in what was happening suddenly spiked.
Both Dahlia and her opponent were sitting at glass-enclosed booths on stage, each with a device sitting on their laps covered in buttons and levers. Lycoris couldn’t see it particularly well, but they appeared to be looking at displays that showed the same scene being projected over the two of them above the stage.
Said scene was of two individuals duking it out in a field of flowers, though the foreground was translucent enough that Lycoris was able to see the battle happening within the 3D plane. Also, it seemed to be angled so that she could see it directly even from below, no matter how she rotated her head.
Both of the characters looked absolutely ridiculous. One was wearing a full suit of armor that clanked as they threw out punches and kicks that by all rights should have been absolutely impossible in plate so heavy, and occasionally would take the sword off their back to swing at the other. Setting aside the complete disregard for form or posture or the fact that they only opted to use the blade sometimes and simply let it languish the rest, the idea that a knight would use a sword dull enough that it didn’t cleave the other character in half upon striking them was… bizarre.
The other character, speaking of, was a girl about half the soldier’s size who used a pair of glowing multicolored drumsticks like clubs. She was constantly shooting out obnoxiously bright sparkling shapes—stars, circles, hearts, crosses—and constantly circling around and falling back to keep her distance.
Realistically, she should have been dead ages ago, as any infantry knew the best way to kill a spellcaster was to get in their face and disrupt their concentration, but this clearly wasn’t a real fight. The spells she was casting seemed to do little more than annoy the soldier as he blocked her moves and closed the distance while she kept trying to jump away and shoot more of her little projectiles.
“Who, exactly?” Arnen asked.
“Dahlia, I mean. What sort of show is this?”
“Has Your Highness never— no, that’s foolish to say, of course not. You’re no doubt far too busy with studying under your mother. They’re playing Fields of Frenzy 5 Turbo Edition.”
“A-Ahhh… How does it work? Is Dahlia… winning?”
“She’s having a hard time getting in on her opponent, they’re pretty good at staying away.”
“Wait, she’s playing the soldier guy?”
“Jacksmith is the character’s name, yes. You can see their lifebars at the bottom, with their names below it.”
“Oh…”
Lycoris was enamored with the display, even though she didn’t really understand what was going on. It was clear from the energy in the crowd that it was a tense match, and she could see the blue meter slowly whittle away as Dahlia struggled to approach and land a decisive blow on the other person. The round eventually ended with neither of them dead, but she still earned a loss for having less health.
The crowd jeered in response, but neither Dahlia nor her opponent seemed fazed at all by it. Maybe their booths were soundproofed…
The next round, she played much more evasively, jumping over and around projectiles and maintaining distance despite being the close range combatant, and then… when her opponent lost patience and started trying to pressure her from close range, she struck like a viper with a string of blows that ended in a flashy multi-hit sword combo that in any reasonable world would have reduced the other person to mincemeat.
However it didn’t even kill her, and then surprisingly rather than press the advantage, Dahlia backed off and resumed playing defensively, evading the “chip damage” as Arnen called it, and playing to her enemy’s impatience.
Ultimately she won the match, and cheers erupted as the other contestant slinked off stage and she gave a bow, before eyeing Lycoris in the crowd and smiling with a small wave. After showing off a little more for the crowd, she hopped off the stage and briskly walked over. She was wearing loose fitting dark-colored silks, which swayed around her ankles and scrunched up at her wrists, with a bright red string wrapped under her bust to add an element of faux-maturity—and as a statement she was Idra, presumably.
“I did not expect you to have a personal interest in Fields of Frenzy, Your Highness,” said Dahlia as she offered a polite bow. Not a curtsey, considering she was wearing pants.
“Truthfully, I hadn’t heard of it until watching your performance just now. We were looking for a place to sit down and dry off.” Lycoris glanced to her side, only to notice that Arnen had left at some point.
Dahlia raised an eyebrow, a slightly amused smirk crossing her lips as she uttered a simple, “Ah.”
“You performed admirably though! While I couldn’t grasp much of the nuance, I could at least tell that your strategy paid off.”
“Patience is one of the most important strategies against zoners. Along with reading their rhythm,” she chuckled demurely.
“Where is Iris, by the way? I thought you two were together for the festival?”
“She is currently working her way up through the loser’s side bracket. We might meet in grand finals, if she performs well.”
“Lycoris! Oh, and Lady Idra, a pleasure to see you as well. Excellent work against Nemo.” Arnen offered a polite bow, handing one of the two drinks he’d brought back to Lycoris.
No wonder that blue-haired teen looked familiar. He was one of the ones Lycoris had stumbled across in the training hall a couple months back.
Speaking of the colosseum, it was a little strange that the tournament they were hosting was in a videogame world, rather than the actual arena… but perhaps they weren’t allowed to engage in that because they were too young. Or, perhaps it wasn’t suitable entertainment for a festival by Vampiric standards…
“But, a tournament hmm…” Lycoris rubbed her cheek thoughtfully, while sticking her fangs in the top of the cup to suck the juice out. “Best of luck to you then, Dahlia. I’m uncertain we’ll stay for the end, but I shall pray for your victory.”
“Hmhmhm,” Dahlia put her hand to her lips, peering between Lycoris and Arnen. “Having an Ochros for a maid certainly makes one more spiritual, doesn’t it?”
“Ah?”
“Take good care of her, Arnen Mano,” Dahlia’s pupils narrowed ever so slightly behind her hand, her ears perking up. “If I hear word that Her Highness has been mistreated on this day of celebration—”
“He’s been nothing but a gentleman!” Lycoris interjected. “We’ve seen quite a fair few attractions, at that. I have no complaints to speak of.”
“On my honor, Lady Idra. I’ve no intent to mistreat Princess Lycoris. You should be well aware,” he gave Dahlia a side-eye as he turned to face Lycoris, “Are you ready to continue, Your Highness? Or shall we watch another round?”
“Mmm…” Lycoris hummed, glancing between the two of them as she dreaded the inevitable sparks that were already starting to fly.
“I have my next match soon regardless, so I shall take my leave for now. Enjoy your afternoon, the both of you. I shall speak with you more later, Lycoris.” Dahlia bowed and took her leave, but not before giving a playful wink to Lycoris.
Who, in response, blinked in confusion. She didn’t recall having any sort of plans with Dahlia. She’d rather purposefully avoided making any for the day—aside from wanting to slip into her tower to grab her knife at some point.
Besides, Dahlia would presumably be busy with this and spending the rest of her day with Iris…
Hmm, oh well.
“Your Highness?”
“Ah, right um, I’m good to walk around some more. Thank you for the drink, Arnen.”
Cool enough to be refreshing, and sweet enough to tickle her teeth; without even realizing it, it was exactly what she needed. It was nice that Arnen was such a considerate young man. When not delving into arguments like their parents loved to in court.
I wonder if they ever get along outside of official affairs. Danon seemed to with Rosa… but she doesn’t seem too politically active.
Lycoris’s thoughts wandered as she stood back up and took Arnen’s hand, wandering back into the afternoon crowd.
＊ ＊ ＊
After they bade farewell to Dahlia and left, the two of them looked around at the various things still on offer. There were more than they could reasonably get to in a single day, so it was a matter of deciding what else they wanted to try with the rest of their afternoon. Lycoris was a little disappointed, but when Arnen brought up that there would always be future years, and sometimes the ephemeral nature of different attractions being there one year and gone the next added to the allure, she accepted it in stride.
As a cheeky way of helping them fill out their itinerary, they decided to first visit a soothsayer’s booth—an outdoor gazebo that had a dark purple cloth draped over it and fastened to the ground, turning it into a makeshift tent. A pitch black banner hung over the front, painted with a silver tree dotted with small scarlet stars like leaves.
It gave Lycoris an uncomfortable feeling, like crossing a threshold into another world. Granted that was probably the intended effect, given the heady scent of incense and the dim lights draped from the roof of the gazebo’s ceiling. A cushioned bench had been set up, and there was a second curtain separating the two halves of the gazebo, with this section being a waiting area. There was a small button to signal that a client had arrived.
After a short wait, the inner curtain slid open and an eerie mist crept out onto the floor. Lycoris shivered, though Arnen gave her a pat on the shoulder and an encouraging nudge.
“Go on, Lycoris.”
“A-Are you sure? Don’t you want to go first?”
“I would never dare rob Your Highness of her rightful place at the front of the line!”
Lycoris slumped her shoulders and glowered at Arnen. “You sound like all those people who let us cut ahead. Just… you go first. I must compose myself.”
“If you insist…?”
With a somewhat confused look on his face, Arnen stood up and made his way beyond the curtains, which shut behind him like a sideways guillotine. Which is when Lycoris realized her next mistake: she’d completely isolated herself in the spooky lobby area of the fortune telling booth.
It was ridiculous for her to be afraid, but fear was irrational and it was supposed to be somewhat spooky. She wished they’d overdone it and gone into campy territory so she could laugh it off.
The entire premise of fortune telling was suspect to her in the first place. The idea that someone would waste the power of prophecy on a—admittedly wealthy—school festival attraction was… hard to believe.
They’d make a killing by serving a noble, surely. Or a king or, more realistically, her mom. Then again, a prophet visiting the King was something that always either heralded a hero or great catastrophe, according to the Church. So maybe it was for the best that it was just being used as a toy for menial entertainment. Assuming this person was even the real deal. The only person she had ever encountered that could foresee the future with any sort of clarity was Tatyana, and never once did she give Mizar’s small group an omen that was favorable…
After a few more minutes of waiting, Lycoris’s nerves settled and Arnen stepped back out through the misty threshold, a look of consternation on his face.
“How did it go?”
He looked distracted, and didn’t respond to her for a moment. Almost like he was possessed by something…
“…Arnen…?”
“Mm? Oh, my apologies. The lady said it was your turn.”
“Are you alright? Did she say anything weird?”
He shook his head, a wry smile on his lips, “Sharing your fortune is a surefire way to draw ill omens. You needn’t worry, Lycoris. ‘Tis but a silly fortune.”
“If you think it so flippant a thing, then why worry about a clearly fake superstition about sharing it,” Lycoris inquired with squinted eyes.
Arnen simply shrugged with a smile, and she relented and stood up to take her turn. As anxious as this space made her, Lycoris was also genuinely curious what her fortune was going to be. If she’d received one in her previous childhood that predicted the next fifty years of her life, she probably would have laughed them out of the town.
Now though? She would probably give anything told to her at least some measure of consideration. Living through the absurd and impossible did wonders for crushing one’s inner skeptic.
Crossing the threshold into the back half of the room, she faced a figure wearing full body silver silks, her shimmering golden eyes peering out over a surgical mask covering her mouth. On the red cloth-covered table before her was a deck of gilded cards, and in front of it was a single cushioned stool.
The moment her eyes met Lycoris’s, they widened slightly, and she lowered her head in reverence, speaking in a somber but vaguely familiar tone, “It is an honor to serve you, Your Highness. Please, sit at your leisure.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever had my fortune read before,” Lycoris carefully seated herself on the stool and placed her hands in her lap, “How does this work?”
“I will draw these cards one by one, and all you need to do is place your hand over them. The energies within you will reveal the picture on each, which I will use to divine your future. Is there aught in particular Your Highness is curious of?”
“A terribly great number of things. There was the original reason we came here, to find out what would be best to experience with the rest of our afternoon. There’s my immediate future in school, such as grades and relationships… and of course the far more distant future as the Empire’s ruler; and there’s um… well…”
She fidgeted shyly, scratching her cheek and reaching for her pendant—only to remember she had left Mizar back home.
“Matters of love?” the fortune teller rather boldly asked.
“Huh?!”
“Future Exaltare you may be, but I am more than familiar with that gaze, which any number of innocent maidens have borne as they sought my services.”
“I, I wouldn’t call it love. More just… wondering if someone I once knew will come back.”
“Far be it from me to presume, Your Highness, but that sounds like an unrequited love to me.”
Lycoris frowned, her ears wiggling impatiently as she snapped, “Just, pick something then. Surprise me, even.”
The woman recoiled ever so slightly at her temper, though nodded and carefully drew the top card, setting the blank surface between the two of them.
“Place your hand here.”
Lycoris did as instructed, putting her palm over the card and staring intently at it. She could feel the card produce heat beneath her hand, though not to an unpleasant degree. It reminded her of the heated floor tiles, or like her bed in the mornings.
After about thirty seconds, the fortune teller had her move her hand aside, and revealed on the card was… a confusing smear of black ink. It looked like someone had taken the same page and repeatedly printed multiple images over it, forming an incoherent mess. Although… One of the shapes looked almost like a wing, or perhaps a scythe. The shape almost reminded her of a nightmare she once had, an interminable fear creeping further up her spine the longer Lycoris stared into the image.
Look away!
“…What does that mean?”
“…” The fortune teller regarded it in silence, slowly sliding it off to the side and offering up another blank card. Whatever portent it represented, it seemed to have earned her vested interest.
She pushed away the uncomfortable feeling and did the same thing with the second card, only for that one produced the same result. The exact same confusingly smeared image.
After the third card produced the same image again, the fortune teller nodded and spoke once more, “Mhmm, mmhmm. Your other hand for this next one, Your Highness.”
“Okay.” At least it seemed like the fortune teller knew what was going on…
This pattern continued with her other hand, as she caused more cards to produce the strange symbol until there were six in total. Every single one had the exact same pattern, and the fortune teller furrowed her brow as she stared down at them after separating them into three groups of two.
“Is that… bad?” Lycoris nervously asked.
After a few more seconds of furrowed-brow silence, the hooded figure closed her eyes and shook her head, “I have never seen anything like this before, Your Highness. I’m afraid I don’t know how to divine these cards. The pairs representing past, present, and future are each a blur. In all my years divining, I never once have encountered such a phenomenon once, much less six times over.”
“Oh… is it because I’m an Aphtangloa?”
It was the most logical thing to suggest, she doubted that this fortune teller had ever met anyone from her lineage. Especially considering that she was technically the first person of her lineage aside from her mother, sort of.
And yet, the woman shook her head once more, her voice tremulous, “I’m afraid not, Your Highness. Once upon a time, I served your very mother, and offered these same services to her.”
“Really? What did her fortune say?”
“I-I dare not repeat such a thing, Your Highness! Please, do not forerce me to, I would suffer any death rather than risk cursing Her Majesty!”
“… …” Lycoris stared at the fortune teller, then squinted, then sighed, “Athena, is that you?”
“My word, is Your Highness perhaps gifted in the power of prophecy too? How could you tell that it was me?”
Lycoris put her fingers to the bridge of her nose, resisting the urge to raise her voice, “Because, Athena, nobody else would speak with such eclectic verbiage, or beg for death so easily. Might I ask what this is supposed to be?”
“Fortune telling, Your Highness. A specialty of the Ochros Family, I thought I had been performing quite adequately even after all these years… but, it seems my capabilities are lacking after all. To be unable to read Her Highness’s fortune… perhaps if it were my older brother, he would be able to read between the images.”
“If you don’t have any idea what you think it means, then uhm… maybe you could just offer some suggestions on things to do? That is partially why we came here, after all. You don’t necessarily have to figure out whatever this symbol means. And I’m sure you must have at least some idea.”
“If you’re certain…”
“I am, Athena,” Lycoris sighed, having gone through this song and dance with her maid enough times that any sense of ambiance or atmosphere from this entire charade had completely evaporated.
She spent the next couple of minutes sharing all that they had experienced so far, even getting animated enough to show off a couple of the prizes won.
“I am glad you have been enjoying your time thus far, Your Highness. It sounds as though you haven’t tried any of the rides yet. I’m certain there will be at least one that you’ll find enjoyable! And… hmm, tonight there’s going to be a performance at the theater I’m sure would make for a wonderful capstone to your date. No doubt there will be VIP seating reserved for Your Highness and a plus one, by virtue of who you are.”
Lycoris grumbled somewhat at the implication Athena put forth, but maintained her composure as she nodded, “Hmm… very well then. Thank you Athena. I hope the rest of the day finds you busy but satisfied.”
“Of course, and please… keep it a secret that it’s me. I’m merely a mysterious Ochros fortune teller for today,” she winked from behind the mask.
As Lycoris walked back out and Athena gathered the cards back up, she saw another couple waiting on the bench beside Arnen, holding hands and looking at each other. Though, they turned to see Lycoris emerge from inside and immediately tensed up. She ignored their reaction to running into the Crown Princess of Tenebreimen, of course, instead reaching out for Arnen’s hand and smiling at him.
“Good news, Arnen. I think I have just the idea for what to do.”
＊ ＊ ＊
They spent quite a long time in line for the rides, as they were apparently the biggest attraction, and the afternoon was when the campus was at its most crowded. Lycoris couldn’t even tell what they were in line for most of the time, but Arnen kept close to her, his expression remaining one of mild concern ever since they walked out of the Ochros fortune telling booth. But he refused to say what it was that he was worried about, swearing that he’d solve the conundrum on his own and that it was nothing for Lycoris to worry over.
Other people in line looked admittedly nervous to see their princess standing behind them, which meant they were able to skip quite a few places on multiple attractions. The first of which was a racing kart rally game, where the goal was just to drive laps around a squirrely track. Considering Lycoris had never once piloted a vehicle before, she had no idea how to actually make it go, much less in a straight line.
Naturally, she finished near the back of the pack, but once she got the hang of it, it was almost as fun as riding Mira around.
Come to think of it, I wonder if he’d get jealous of me… Maybe there’s a petting zoo or myrh racing event here too.
As she thought of it, Lycoris was suddenly filled with a foreboding sense of dread. While she had technically first encountered him at a petting zoo, the thought of the prideful myrh lowering himself to being made anyone’s special event other than Lycoris’s was a far-fetched notion. He’d probably give whoever was running the event a terrible headache, at the very least…
The next ride was a spinning one, where they sat in rotating chairs that spun either as fast or as slow as one wanted. As someone who had trouble with anything but her own two feet and riding an animal, it was surprisingly fun despite the dizziness and mild nausea that seemed to be half the point of it. Perhaps because Arnen felt just the same after they staggered out of the exit.
After that was a particularly long line. The longest one they had encountered yet.
One that was exclusively filled with couples, considering everyone else was holding hands as they waited. Naturally, Lycoris grabbed Arnen’s hand as well, as she didn’t want to stand out… at least not in a negative way. There was obviously no hope for her to avoid drawing all the attention in the line. For once, those ahead of them didn’t let them cut in line, or at least they didn’t explicitly make any offers without prompting, and the line moved laboriously slowly. Then again, most of the couples seemed more… self-absorbed, and paid little attention to Lycoris’s presence in the first place.
By the time they got near the front, it had filled in enough behind them that there would be no backing out, and as she saw what they were in line for, Lycoris’s heart plummeted. Looming silent and tall, slowly rotating and filled with rocking carriages, was the wheel she had seen from the entrance to campus.
Lycoris twisted around, seeking a smooth way to disengage, but the line snaked back and forth, and they’d have to cut back through quite a large crowd of people. And as they drew closer, she saw the entrance and exit were separated and on opposite sides, so she couldn’t cut across to the exit either.
In other words, she’d trapped herself. Lycoris probably could have forced her way out, but that would require explaining why to Arnen, and causing what she assumed would be quite an unpleasant scene. Arnen was already looking troubled, and Lycoris would… probably be fine. The carriages looked like they were moving slow enough. All she had to do was close her eyes, and it would probably be like they were perfectly still on the ground still.
By the time they sat down opposite each other in the carriage, Lycoris was already breathing heavily. Of course the carriage was covered in windows; no matter which direction Lycoris looked, she’d be seeing the scenery. It was certainly picturesque and beautiful, just like she’d seen in photographs. But once they started slowly, painfully slowly ascending, she felt her skin crawl.
“M…Maybe this was a mistake after all.”
“Lycoris?”
The occasional stuttering of the wheel caused her shoulders to twitch, but otherwise as long as she didn’t fixate on where exactly they were or look out the windows down at the ground, Lycoris felt surprisingly… okay. It was like being in her room with the curtains drawn open. So long as she didn’t get too close to the window and look down, it was fine.
Slowly, she relaxed the tension in her shoulders and opened her eyes, smiling and chuckling nervously at the boy across from her. In turn he tilted his head in confusion, and she realized that she hadn’t actually said anything in several minutes.
“Are you feeling unwell, Lycoris?”
“Ah, no I’m quite alright. How about you? Was your fortune really so unfavorable?”
“It’s left me things to think about. But you needn’t worry about that,” he smiled at her as she showed that she was alright, and then glanced out the window, “It’s quite lovely to see the world from so high up, isn’t it?”
“Huh?! I, I suppose so, yes. The view is quite lovely.”
Though she said that, Lycoris was still staring directly at Arnen rather than out the window.
He glanced back at her and blushed, fidgeting on the slightly rubbery seat. He seemed quite fixated on the view outside, while Lycoris was trying her best to not think about it.
“*ahem* There is certainly some elegance to it, no? The moon rests so high above, and though we be granted wings, we can never reach the heavens it calls home.”
Hmm? What’s getting him so worked up? Lycoris tilted her head and tapped her chin.
“I um, sorry, Your Highness,” he cleared his throat awkwardly as she continued to look at him, “I’m sure living in the Imperial Palace means you look down from above all the time.”
“Ahaha, my room is so high up that I don’t actually see the ground that much… I try not to think about it, but I do wonder if that’s how Sylphs feel.”
“Have you ever met one before?” Arnen spoke with quiet awe.
Which made sense, Sylphs lived far to the west, in the massive and towering forests north of human lands. The only reason Lycoris even knew of them was because the home she grew up on was located near the outskirts of said forests. There were plenty of horror stories about those who cut branches from or chopped down trees invoking their wrath, and they’d be abducted and flown up before being pushed off of execution platforms to fall to their deaths.
For that reason, Humans would never chop down a tree above a certain height, and in exchange they were seemingly allowed to live on the outskirts—but never within the bounds of—the Sylvan domain. The woods weren’t exactly safe to begin with, Emucifers and Garouta would wander around, and while they were mostly skittish and passive, and didn’t attack Human settlements, they would often venture out of the woods to attack farm animals. Though, there were plenty of stories of people getting lost wandering too far into the forest, and being assaulted by a pack of Garouta.
Reflecting upon it, perhaps those tales of Sylphs were the reason why Lycoris was so afraid of heights…
“Not in person, no. But I’ve seen pictures—or paintings of them, rather.”
“It must be strange to have wings in place of arms,” Arnen mused.
“I’m sure they would say the same about us. I admit, even I find it odd at times to flex my wings,” chuckled Lycoris in response.
“I’m sure they’re breathtakingly beautiful to witness.”
“Ah? Um…” Lycoris suddenly flushed purple, putting a hand to her cheek as she gazed away… then right back and down at the floor, as she didn’t want to look at the scenery below them. “I’m not… really sure if I should talk about them? Mother and Athena made it sound… vaguely taboo. But, they’re soft! And I’m kind of curious if it’s the same for anyone else… I mean—! You don’t have to, I’m not asking, necessarily. It’s just… You know… I’ve only ever seen my mom’s. I’m not exactly sure if it’s akin to a lady running around topless, though that’s a rather garish mental image. *ahem* I apologize, Arnen. I spoke out of turn.”
“…” The boy had a hand over his mouth, looking at her in complete astonishment.
Aaahhhrgrgnmnn, I really stepped in it now, didn’t I? I forgot he’s barely a teenager! Or, I mean he’s not, but… relatively speaking it’d be… or he wouldn’t even be yet? I don’t know! Damn it Lycoris, look what you’ve done now!
As she cursed herself senseless within her own mind, a sudden jolt thrust her back into reality like a bucket of ice dumped down her dress. The carriage they were in, suspended high in the air, suddenly rocked.
“Wh-Wh-What was that?!”
“Ah, erm, hmm? What is it, Your Lycorisness.”
“It… felt like the carriage just—”
It happened again. The carriage they were in slowly rocked back, as Lycoris felt her head begin to spin. Reflexively, she looked out the window and saw they were at the apex of the journey, and the ground far below them as they wobbled back and forth.
“Oh no… No no what is that what’s happening?”
…
And so, Lycoris ended up on the floor, crying out to whoever her mind could think of as she hugged her knees, her terror and fear of heights having struck right at her core. Perhaps if she hadn’t looked, she would have been able to recover; or perhaps if their vessel had remained stable, she would have been fine.
But it was not so, and so she was presently a whimpering, teary-eyed mess, while Arnen hovered awkwardly over her, unable to grasp what had so suddenly occurred.
“Lycoris! What’s the matter?!”
He crouched down and tepidly put a hand to her shoulder, which prompted her to immediately reach out and cling to his arm tightly, her throat making odd raspy wheezes as she choked on air, somehow failing to even hyperventilate.
“H-Help me, Mizarr… I’m scared! I don’t wanna die!”
“H-Huh? I don’t know who— I’m right here, Lycoris.”
Setting aside his confusion, Arnen held her tightly as she trembled and wailed in an unsightly manner.
“I don’t wanna fall. I… down. I want… need to go down. I can’t…”
“Shhh shh shh, Lycoris, it’s okay. We aren’t going to fall. It’s perfectly safe. I’m right here.”
Bereft of options to grant the Princess as she desired, he simply continued to assuage and hold her, the confusion on his face replaced with an almost severe determination.
It was another several minutes of sobbing and shouting before she was finally able to regain her sense of self and realized she was clinging to Arnen hard enough to break the skin underneath his clothes. Of course, the immediate release of tension was met with her arms trembling and going limp, as she felt like a lifeless doll in his embrace.
“*hic* ‘m sorry…”
“You needn’t— no, you mustn’t apologize for such a thing, Your Highness. But… pray tell what exactly happened?”
Still flustered, he reached into one of his pockets and withdrew a small pink handkerchief with a golden emblem stitched into its corner. She immediately grasped it and dabbed at her cheeks and eyes, sniffling and shaking.
“I’m scared of heights…” she muttered in a barely-audible whisper.
“You—” Arnen’s face blanched, “Lycoris! Why didn’t you say anything?!”
“Didn’t want to cause a scene in front of the ride. And you looked troubled…”
“This is— I… was not expecting my ‘trial at the top of the world’ to be this,” he sighed.
“Sorry,” Lycoris reflexively whimpered. “It’s dumb, I know… I’m *hic* ‘Princess Aphtangloa’ and yet…”
Arnen shook his head, speaking softly and sympathetically, “Everyone has their own devils they must face, Your Highness. That alone doesn’t diminish who you are, not in my eyes at the very least. But… I do wish you would have told me.”
“I thought I’d be okay. I was doing fine! Until the… shaking.” She shivered at even just the thought. Fortunately, the carriage had stabilized once more.
“That was just the wind blowing, Lycoris. The ride is perfectly safe.”
“Oh…” she sniffled again.
“Here, allow me to help get you cleaned up before we return to the bottom.”
“M’kay…”
After that, they remained in quiet silence as Arnen dabbed her tears, and Lycoris was terribly grateful to whomever decided facial product should be waterproofed.
