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Chapter 86 – Bonds
🕑 Added 2023-03-26 17:04:07 +0000 UTCFayette found Mireille at the hunter lodgings, in their shared room. The [Seamstress] was sat upon her bed in a nightgown, working on a winter scarf under the light of a lantern. Char was lounging beside her on the bed, knitting a web of her own.
Mireille looked up from her work when Fayette opened the door. “Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you had gone off to.”
“I… had to think. About what happened. About me. About the future.”
“You, thinking about the future?”
Fayette sighed and slipped inside the room, closing the door behind her. She slumped down to her own bed and leaned back against the wooden wall. “No jokes—not right now. This is serious.”
Mireille gave her friend an odd look, then put her seam work to the side. “Alright then—what is it? You do look like you’ve made a decision.”
Fayette took in a deep breath. “I’m going to kill that [Grand Magus] guy.”
Mireille blinked. She rubbed her head. “Sorry, did I hear you wrong?”
“No—you heard it right. Not only him. That [Archbishop] too—and the [Lord] who they met with. All 3 of them. For justice.”
“…Are you serious about this?”
“Deathly serious.”
Mireille studied her friend’s face, trying to see what thoughts were roiling in the [Maid’s] mind. “You really are, aren’t you? What brought this on? No—wait. That’s not the right question. What I mean is… Do you have a plan?”
“Actually, this time I do,” Fayette said, then took out her invitation letter and threw it over to Mireille. “We’ll ask these people for help. They seemed strong, and I think they will be very willing?”
Mireille caught the letter and eyed the address written on its back, conflicted. “…You really did have a plan. But these people—they’re dangerous, right? This could end up very badly for us.”
“It could. Mireille, I promise we’ll stop if things look in a bad way. But also… isn’t this an opportunity?”
Mireille focused her eyes back on her friend. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve read their book—you saw them in action. They’ve been doing this thing for a while, and they plan to really change this country. What if they succeed? What if we helped in that success?”
Mireille tapped the letter against her palm. “…To the victor go the spoils. You really want to do this? Why?”
“Well… I don’t know if there’s really one clear answer to that. But basically—what we’re doing now won’t really lead anywhere, will it? Do you like the idea of men like that being in charge? Do you like what they did here?”
Mireille’s eyes flashed with anger. “Of course not. We both saw what happened at the clinic—that was horrifying by any measure. It’s just… can we really do something like that? He was so strong.”
Fayette nodded. “I know that too. It won’t be simple, or easy, but I do want to find a way. If we study him, plan well, and act without hesitation—it might be possible. But I can’t just… leave things like this. I just got rid of one itch, I can’t let another take its place.”
“You managed to solve your class issue?” Mireille asked, surprised. “Is this for that?”
“Well—yes and no.” She sighed and lay down on the bed. “Basically, I think I had gotten too deep into being a [Maid], and I had started to forget everything else for it.”
Mireille ran her eyes over Fayette, then... smiled. “Good. I like you better as a Fayette than just as a [Maid]. I’ve been worried you know.”
“About what?” Fayette asked, eyebrow raised.
“Well, for example, your uniform,” Mireille said, gesturing at Fayette’s clothes. “You used to wear things other than that Maid uniform, before all this. Those dresses you wore on your days off… I haven’t seen you use them once. Just one of your uniforms every moment of every day. Always a [Maid].”
Fayette blinked. Then she looked down at herself, at her dress, and realized she hadn’t even thought about it. Ever since her start on this path—she had only worn a uniform. “Huh. I guess it’s true.”
“You really didn’t notice yourself?”
Fayette frowned. “No—it’s just… I left most of my wardrobe at the manor—I don’t really know why. I wasn’t thinking much at the time. I think I planned to get new clothes once I got to Palogne… but then things just kept happening, and then I got my [Maid Armor] skill, and then…”
She tapped her dress and felt at the skill which turned it into powerful armor. “I can’t just not wear this now, can I? I would feel… defenseless. Naked.”
“Even [Knights] take their armor off when they’re off the battlefield, Fay. Or do you feel like you’re on the battlefield right now, too?”
“… maybe a bit? We’ve fought a lot. Especially at the caverns… Can I really just let my guard down like that, when anything could happen?”
Mireille sighed. “Fay—if you really are serious about being more of a woman and less of a [Maid], you do need to take that uniform off someday. Take a break and go shopping or something.”
Fayette slumped backward on the bed. “Ugh, what a bother…”
“Promise me you’ll do that and I’ll make you a really nice dress to use. But Fay… it’s good to see you feeling better.”
“…thanks.”
Mireille nodded, then picked her in-progress scarf back into her lap and resumed her sewing. Fayette lifted her head up on the bed. “So—are you okay with going to kill the very scary and powerful [Mage]?”
“Do I have an option? I know you’ll really try to do it, and I can’t let you run off on your own like that, can I?”
Fayette jumped off the bed and stared. “I really thought you would have been more difficult to convince.”
Mireille looked up and met Fayette’s gaze. She sighed. “I guess I believe in it too—a bit at least. That maybe this country will change. There’s a lot of unrest everywhere—can it all really stay bottled up? No. I don’t think so.”
The [Seamstress] smiled, and suddenly her face was like a calculating fox’s. “No—if things go up in flames, I want to be on the winning side and end up on top. So, before time runs out, I want to see who these so-called friends of Jacob really are, then after that…” she shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“…You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?”
“Of course. One has to be prepared for all eventualities when dealing with a person like you, Fay. Now, shoo shoo. Off you go. You haven’t talked to the others yet, have you?”
“No—I found you first. Do you know what they’re up to?”
“Well, Marie is…”
—
Fayette found Marie out by the waterfront, staring into the dark evening ocean. The sun was long gone, but the shine of two moons lit the scene with dancing reflections on the water.
“Hey, Marie! What are you doing out here?”
The [Lady] jolted from her thoughts and took a step back from the water. “Oh—hi. I was just thinking really. Processing. I find that the mind needs a quiet moment to unwind after sights like we saw today.”
The [Maid] stepped forward to Marie’s side, joining her by the waterfront. The [Lady’s] eyes were a bit tinged with red, but they had softened on Fayette’s approach. Her face had a soothing energy to it, but the blonde woman was only wearing what she had worn during daylight, a dress still stained with the blood of the day.
“Aren’t you cold like that?” Fayette asked.
Marie shivered and hugged herself. “A bit. I’ve been out here a while, but the wind isn’t strong tonight.”
Fayette reached into her [Apron of Holding]. “Just a second… I’ve got your shawl somewhere here… there!” She came out with a dark grey autumn shawl and stepped closer to help it on. “Let me get this on you…”
The [Lady] smiled as Fayette slipped the shawl around her neck. “Thank you.”
“Just a [Maid’s] work, really. Are you doing fine?”
“Mostly. Still a bit shaken. The fight was one thing—but the power of a high level [Mage]…” Marie shivered, not from the chill air. “I’ve never seen its like before.”
“Not even at your family?”
Marie sighed and turned back to look over the waves. “No, we’re not strong as that. People his level… there aren’t many of them.”
Fayette nodded. “Well, that’s good. Might make what comes next easier…”
“What do you mean?”
The [Maid] hesitated. “I came here for a reason. Two reasons. I want to ask you a few things?”
Marie quirked an eyebrow. “What kinds of things?”
Well, best lead with the difficult one I guess… “Marie, I know you’re a [Lady] and have family out there and all that but basically…”
“Basically what?”
Fayette stepped close and grabbed her shoulders. “Just hear me out. Remember that book we read which sort of said that the nobility should be purged?”
“Fayette, you’re scaring me just a bit here…”
“Just… what if I wanted to go join up with the people who wrote that book so that we could try and kill the [Grand Magus] and those other two? Would you be against it?”
Marie stared. Then furrowed a brow.
Fayette squirmed. “Look—if they try to kill you I’ll promise to—”
“Fayette.”
The [Maid] paused. “What?”
Marie gave her an odd look. “Overlooking everything else you just said for a bit… do you think those people are really raring for the blood of all nobles?”
“That Pierre fellow certainly seemed eager…”
“Fayette… those people…” Marie sighed, then picked the [Maid’s] hands off her shoulders and stepped closer to the ocean. “—I think a lot of them are rather highborn themselves.”
“Wait, really?”
“Do you think a commoner would be able to write books like that? Have the resources to manage an organization like that? The way their book was written… it had a lot of ideals there, but also a certain amount of bitterness. Not all nobles are satisfied with how things work right now you know.”
“What do you mean?”
Marie chuckled and pointed at herself. “Well—consider me for a start. I am a noble from a rather mighty house. Do you think I’m satisfied with how we do things? Do you think all my brothers and sisters are?”
Fayette measured her friend’s elegant face from the side and had to admit it was true. With all she had learned, it really wasn’t all glory and glamor. “So you think their group has more backing than they let on?”
The blond woman nodded. “Second sons and the sort. Think of it. A society where everyone has an equal chance for merit, where you aren’t necessarily overshadowed by your other elder siblings who have already secured the inheritance. It can be a cruel life for many.”
“So, you don’t mind joining them?”
Marie sighed and looked back, eyes conflicted. “I… don’t know, really. But I wouldn’t mind meeting with them. What happened here… was terrible. You want to stop the [Grand Magus] from doing more things like this? Then yes—I agree. I want that too. I just worry about the danger of it all.”
“You’re on the run from your family and I’m a [Combat Maid]. I doubt we’ll have much peace either way. Might as well try to make the world work better, that’s what I think.”
“Well… I suppose that makes sense. We’ll just have to hope for the best.”
Fayette nudged the [Lady] with an elbow. “Not hope—do. I’ve kept you safe this far, haven’t I?”
“That you have,” Marie said, smiling. “But… you had a second thing to ask me, right?”
“Oh! Yes!”
“What was it?”
Fayette looked over the moonlit waves for a moment, thinking how she should phrase her request. “I’ve been thinking. Of what I’ve been doing wrong so far. And basically, it comes down to justice. You know about justice, right? You talked about how it is a [Lady’s] duty. I want to—”
She made a fist, and suddenly a butterknife was in it. “I want to be just too—from now on. Kill those who deserve to die, as best as I can. Can you teach me about that?”
The [Lady] studied Fayette’s face over a long silence, long enough to make the [Maid] feel nervous, until she finally extended a hand. “I’m not much of a teacher... but I’ll do it. Gladly.”
Fayette brightened and snapped for the hand to shake it. “Really, you will?”
“Fayette—you’ve done a lot for me. A lot. Anything I can do to repay you—especially something like this—of course, I’ll do it. Maybe we could get some books on it? And then have some discussions and think through some examples… how did my old tutor do it? We should—”
The longer Marie spoke on, the more fired up she seemed to get until she was gripping Fayette’s hand like a vice. “Marie—you don’t need to go that far.”
The [Lady] caught herself rambling and jolted back three steps. “Oh! Sorry. But I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.”
Marie gave her friend a curious look. “What brought this on? You didn’t seem to care much for the points of ethics before.”
Fayette sighed wryly. “It’s just… look. I know. I know I’m different from you all. I don’t really have a heart like you all. I can’t care for strangers like that. But… it would be nice, I suppose. To be more of a working person too, not just a [Maid]. Mireille noticed I haven’t even been wearing anything but my uniforms for months. It’s just… not correct. I know its not.”
“I think you’re a perfectly fine person as you are,” Marie said softly. “But if you do want to change…” she scanned Fayette up and down. “To be honest, I thought you only wore uniforms as a matter of personal principle. You in a normal dress? That’s…” she giggled. “I want to see it now.”
The words warmed her to the core. “Maybe you will see it—Mireille did promise me a new dress…” Fayette rubbed her forehead. “It’s just… will I really be able to wear it? Going without my [Maid Armor]—I would feel so nervous. Like something bad would have to happen.”
Marie stopped grinning at the thought of Fayette in a pretty dress and gave the [Maid] a worried look-over. “You’re really that wound up? Even now? All the monsters got cleansed from this island—you saw it as well as me. Do you feel tense even now?”
Fayette looked around her, at the dim courtyard where arrays of windows felt like they stared at her and where a dark ocean was only a few steps away. She wasn’t afraid, or nervous—not really. But she was ready. Watching and waiting. Ready to react if anything were to suddenly change. I know that nothing is lurking out there—probably at least—my senses are sharp… but what if?
“Honestly… yes. A bit.”
“How long have you been feeling like that?” Marie said, looking worried. “It can’t be good for you. Being ready to fight at any moment… nobody should live like that all the time.”
Fayette thought back, as long as she could, and honestly—it was that first moment. When that kobold crashed through a window. She had entered a fight or flight mode new to her, and never really completely let go of it after. Because in a way—she liked the feeling.
“A few months now, I think. It wasn’t like this right away, but especially after being stuck in the mines… I can’t imagine letting my guard down completely. Even when sleeping, I wake quite easily. At every creaking floorboard.”
Marie studied her face, then slowly stepped in closer. “Fayette, close your eyes for a moment, for my sake, alright?”
The seriousness of her tone made Fayette pause. The [Lady’s] lips were set in determination. Her blue eyes stared Fayette down and her curls blew in the night air.
“…why?” Fayette asked, feeling oddly nervous.
Marie stepped closer. “Just trust me on this. It’s for your own good.”
Fayette hesitantly nodded and closed her eyes. I guess I can do that, I still have my—
“No peeking with your [Maidsense] or anything of the sort! I’ll feel it!”
“Okay, I’ll stop!” Fayette said, letting go of the skill. Suddenly, her others senses were closer. She felt every bit of the cold night air on her skin. A tiny bit of wind bit into her skin. She couldn’t see anything and heard only Marie’s approaching footsteps. Her heartbeat quickened.
“Are you still feeling jumpy? Nervous?”
“More than before I think. Can I open my eyes?”
“Nope, stay just like that…” Marie said, almost right in front of Fayette now. She heard the rustling of fabric. Her shawl? What is she—
Warmth.
Suddenly, Marie’s shawl was wrapped around Fayette, and the [Lady] had grabbed her into a hug against her shoulder. Soft arms wrapped around her body, and Fayette felt the fingers trail along her back. She froze in place—feeling a growing warmth.
“Still feeling jumpy?” Marie asked in a whisper by her ear.
“I’m… not sure.” Fayette wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Not at all. “I didn’t expect… this.”
Marie giggled softly. “Were you expecting something else? Something… more?”
What was I expecting? Fayette really wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. What are you doing?”
“Hugging you, silly. Just keep your eyes closed and relax. No enemies are about to attack. You’ve got your uniform on—no reason to not be as comfortable as possible. Just… let go.”
And Fayette did. She leaned into the hug, crouching a bit so she was more level with the shorter woman. She felt a warm breath by her ear. All of it felt good. Slowly, she brought her own arms around too, wrapping them by the [Lady’s] waist.
Just darkness, soft breathing, and a softer touch.
“I think it’s working.”
“You feel more yourself? Less wound up?”
“I do think so… Do you have other ideas too? I’ve been so focused on my tasks until now, I think I’ve let other things drift by.”
“Hmm… perhaps a hobby? Have you been reading lately?”
“No—not really. I haven’t been feeling it. The same old books… they just feel dry, so I haven’t been reading much at all. I guess I’ve still collected a few shiny rocks but that’s not really a hobby like that....”
“Have you thought of picking up something new?” Marie asked, voice amused.
Fayette snuggled deeper into the hug and spoke quieter. “Maybe. It might be a good idea. I combined a skill a while ago, and I haven’t put the freed-up general skill slot to anything just yet. Maybe I should use it for something more hobby-like?”
“Some people say that the skills make the person. I don’t really think it's strictly so—but they certainly nudge you in a direction. If you take a skill on just for relaxing and unwinding, doing so will probably be a lot easier.”
Is it worthwhile? Maybe if I—
Fayette squirmed a bit out of the hug, enough to open her eyes and meet Marie’s eyes. The lady tilted her head back. “You thought of something?”
The [Maid] nodded. “Marie, you know a bit of dance, right? Do you think that might suit me?”
“As a hobby? I think so—you do move with natural grace. Why dance?”
“I do like to hum and move along to a rhythm, and even fighting is like that sometimes. It feels odd to take a skill just for a pastime, but what if its something that can also be used for fighting? I might even get a good skill upgrade from it for something!”
Marie chuckled wryly. “And you’re right back to thinking about fighting.”
“Oh—” Fayette caught herself, and blushed. “Sorry. But I’m not tense about it now.”
“I’m just teasing you. If a skill like that feels fitting, do take it.”
Fayette nodded. “I will—thank you Marie, I think this really helped me.”
“You’re welcome. We all need a bit of warmth sometimes, even you…” Marie paused, then slowly her face turned coy. “By the way—you were wrong.”
“About what?” Fayette asked, suddenly tense.
Marie leaned forward, bringing her lips to Fayette’s ear, and her fingers trailed at the [Maid’s] back. “You do have one. I can feel it.” Her fingers gripped at the maid uniform’s fabric, feeling at the pulse underneath. Marie giggled. “A heart—and it seems to be working perfectly fine.”
“You—”
Fayette pushed herself off as Marie fell into a fit of laughs. She stared at her friend, face reddening. “Don’t tease me like that.”
Marie smiled. “I was only speaking the truth.”
I didn’t know she had something like that in her. Fayette shook her head as her pulse calmed. Her cheeks felt hot. “Well, thanks for agreeing to help me. And all that. And—”
She paused midstep from walking away and turned back. “Marie, we promised to go see a play together, right? When I get that new dress from Mireille, let’s do that.”
The [Lady] beamed and nodded eagerly, starting to follow Fayette. “Of course! Just need to go to places where those are available… Wait, where are you marching off now?”
“Olivia. She’s at the clinic, right? I still need to talk to her about the next step.”
And Marie paused, her face falling. “—oh.”
Fayette stopped and turned back. “Something wrong?”
The [Lady] shook her head. “No—it’s just… She’s really not in a good way right now I think. This hit her hard. Talking might do her some good. Make sure she’s alright, will you?”
The [Maid] nodded and held out her hand, summoning a blade into it. “Don’t worry—I think what I have to say will cheer her up quite well.”
—
Going from Marie’s warmth to Olivia was like jumping into ice-cold water straight from a hot bath.
The [Doctor] was still awake despite the late hour, seated by a fading fireplace where she stared at the embers with hollow eyes. Her hair was ragged and her eyes were sunken. The stench of liquor was thick in the room.
Fayette hesitated at the doorway, but then Olivia turned her way from her perch by the fire and gave a nod. Fayette answered with her own and stepped in. “Still awake?”
“Can’t sleep,” Olivia answered, turning back to the fire. “You look happier. Did something good happen?”
Fayette stepped in carefully and sat down on the cold floor. “A lot has happened. But mostly I’ve been thinking. About what to do about all this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Olivia… you can’t forgive what the [Grand Magus] did, right?”
The [Doctor’s] eyes flared. “Fuck no. How could I?”
Fayette nodded. “That’s good.”
“What’s good about it?”
“Because I’ve decided that we will go kill him and the others,” Fayette answered and threw her invitation card to the [Doctor]. “We’ll go to this lot for help.”
Olivia only looked at the card for a second, then threw it right back. “Alright—I’m in.”
“No, we have a real chance here and the others agree and—wait. You’re in? That easily?”
Olivia snorted and threw a stick into the fireplace, where it quickly caught fire. “Of course. I’ll take any chance to get back at that bastard. What does it matter whether we actually succeed? I don’t care. Whatever ends up happening—I’m in.”
Fayette slowly turned to look at the fireplace. “I guess I can understand, even if I don’t really know what exactly he did to you. I just think what we were doing before wasn’t enough—we need to organize better. Plan better. Strike at the root cause.”
Olivia groaned and slumped down onto her back. “I can’t believe you realized it before me.”
“Realized what?”
The [Doctor] lifted a hand filled with the calluses of hard work up and stared at it as the firelit shadows danced upon the palm. “It’s just an issue I had. A lie. I knew I had told a lie to someone, but for the longest time, I couldn’t understand what I had lied about and to whom. It was driving me mad until I finally realized it today.”
“Who did you lie to?” Fayette asked curiously, looking down at the [Doctor].
Olivia turned her head and grinned terribly. “Oh—that’s the best part. Myself. You know—when I joined up with you in Palogne, I did it because I told myself this was how I could make a difference. A hunter [Doctor]—surely I would finally receive some respect.”
She laughed sardonically. “Fat lot of good that ended up being for. Who was I fooling? It was a pretty dream.”
Fayette held the [Doctor’s] gaze, and slowly pulled out her knife, letting it shine against the glow of the crackling fireplace. She spoke slowly. “You know Olivia, we do fit together pretty well.”
“What do you mean?” The gloomy woman asked, rolling to her side so she faced Fayette fully.
The [Maid] spun the dagger in her hand. “It’s just… we all have our roles. Mireille is thinking of the future, of the consequences. Marie thinks of what’s right and makes sure we don’t collapse—she keeps us steered on the right course. I am the one who does what needs to be done.”
“And me?” Olivia asked. “What’s my role then?”
Fayette tossed the butterknife over. “Remember. What they did. We won’t forgive this, we won’t let them get away with this. Even if it ends up taking a while, keep that grudge sharp. Remind us so we stay focused. This I swear—we will kill those three men.”
Olivia picked up the butterknife, curious, and tested it against her finger. It bit through the skin like butter. The grudge was deep. The judged were deserving.
The knife would be sharp.
—
The preparations to leave on the following day passed fast. The hunters passed back to the mainland in giant gondolas and said their goodbyes. After a moment’s hesitation, Fayette walked over to the grim survivors of Mousetrap and the Salted Knives, and passed a card and a book to them.
She had the address long memorized.
Then, after a quick round of goodbyes, it was time to set off toward something new. But before that, one more thing happened.
Fayette and her party escorted a gaggle of orphans to wagons which were ready to carry the children toward a new city and a new orphanage. Tearful goodbyes were exchanged, and the wagons rolled out.
The following morning, when the wagons had already traveled a great distance, the caretakers noticed their mistake. One of the orphans was missing. More specifically, one orphan boy with a grand dream had slipped away from the carriages as they left town, intent on chasing his future goal.
One day—he would become legend.
With bated breath, Hailey, the boy who dreamed of apprenticing himself to the greatest of [Maids] stepped into the inn where his fate would be determined.
A/N Only the epilogue remains! Stay tuned! How did you like the chapter?
