The walk back was much quieter. We navigated through the dark and eerie alleys which turned and twisted as they pleased, and perhaps it was because of the lack of urgency, but uneasiness creeped in, slowly, and I couldn't quite shake it off. Each step I took was heavier than the last, more cautious, more…afraid. But what was it that I was so afraid of? This feeling of foreboding that I couldn't shake away, which clung onto me like a second shadow, whispering in my ears that something truly terrible was to come—what could be the reason behind it?
But it wasn't all terrible. After all, Finn was here, and what were the chances that something bad really would happen, and that it wasn't just me being irrational? I hadn't met a single unfriendly face the entire way, and I surely wasn't going to meet one now…right?
It took us a while, but at last we arrived somewhere that I recognised, and you could tell that this was a much safer road because of the fact that there were actual streetlights present now, even if half of them were off and the other half flickered like they could die at any moment.
'I'm afraid this is where we part ways, Sir Embers,' said Finn, then pointed at the alley in front of him. 'My home's that way, so I'll be taking my leave now. It was nice knowing you.'
He extended his hand, and I shook it with mine. 'I hope we meet again,' I said, letting go. Finn nodded, before disappearing into the darkness.
From here, I could easily be home in a few minutes. A few turns and I would be one street away from Zoras' palace. It was pretty dark, the sooner I returned, the better, but before I could take a single step, a very familiar voice called out my name.
'Zoras! Wait!'
I turned around. At the very far end of my vision I could barely make out a familiar silhouette.
'Fjorcroft?'
I was curious why he was here, but the very fact that he was here only fueled my fears. What reason would a government official have to be present in such a dangerous place at this hour?
'Better not get involved,' I thought, but at the same time, I couldn't turn my back on him. Why did I turn around in the first place? I cursed my foolishness: I could have easily pretended not to have heard him and ran away, but I just had to turn around.
But I was thankful that I did, because the very next moment, as his figure became a bit more clear, and I could make out that he was carrying someone, I realised immediately that if I had turned my back, I would have been a terrible excuse for a human.
In his hands was Lune, unconscious, her hair falling over her sleeping face. She was still in her night gown, still clean, no signs of struggle there, and no visible injuries on her. She was simply asleep, peacefully in his her brother's arms, who on the other hand, looked completely different. His hair was unruly, a mess quite unlike my memories, where they were well kept and combed to the side. His eyes were tired, barely open. His face: weary. Each step he took felt heavier than his last, and it seemed like he could fall over at any moment.
Immediately, I ran towards him, taking her off his arms.
'What happened here?' I asked.
'It's nothing,' he replied, his voice as slow and tired as him. 'Just take her and leave. I'll be home in a bit.'
'Where are you going?'
'I still have some work left. After that, I have a gift for you, so be excited for that, alright?'
I didn't press further. I had no reason to get involved in whatever he was in, no reason to have knowledge of the mess that he had found himself in, and moreover, he was capable enough to take care of things himself. The two of us went our separate ways, with me running back home, and him going wherever he had to be that night.
He had arrived at Findorf's lair only an hour ago. It was a difficult journey; the other Kings weren't too keen on having the two of them meet, and Fjorcroft had found himself in quite a few tough spots that day, but in the end, he pulled through.
He had met the other Kings before, under several disguises, but this was the first time anyone had managed to figure out who he was, and reach out to him first.
Their conversation lasted only a few minutes, but that was enough to make him tremble in fear.
It wasn't often that the great Fjorcroft of the House of Embers would be on the losing end, but this time, not only was he on the losing end, he was completely and brutally defeated.
'Can I take her home now?' he asked, still shaking.
'Of course not! We have quite a bit left to discuss, don't we?'
'But you said you'd let her go—!'
A single, cold glance was enough to make him go completely quiet. He clicked his tongue as his fists clenched tighter. Just how pathetic could a person be? He was arguably one of the strongest people in the government, yet this was him right now, completely powerless, unable to guarantee the safety of his own blood.
He was in a King's chamber.
Whether he lived or died, whether his sister was safe: all of it depended on the whims of the person sitting atop the throne.
That person giggled before looking back at Fjorcroft, his expression relaxed, and in a teasing tone, exaggerating his syllables, he said, 'relllaaaaax, a promise is a promise. In a few minutes, your brother would be arriving here. You can hand her over to him. Oh, and do return after that. We aren't done yet.'
He simply nodded, not even questioning why Zoras would be there, he knew better now. There was nothing he could do. He lifted her from the bed, carrying her in his arms as he walked out the room. He walked down the stairs,and how Findorf had predicted, or rather, perhaps it would be more correct to say, as he had planned, I was there, on my way back home.
He handed me over, then walked back towards the King's Chambers. He couldn't run away; he would be destroying everything he had built over the years if he tried.
He stopped right in front of the doors, a smile forming on his face as he looked at the sky above. The moon shone brightly that night. The skies were clear, unlike the night before.
'You truly are a monster.'
He laughed hysterically, breaking the silence that filled the empty streets as his voice echoed, reverberating off the walls and buildings. He laughed and laughed, partly at the current situation, but mostly at his own incompetence. He laughed at how powerless he was, at how utterly useless he was. The world was now a play, and Findorf was the director.
'"Immobilize your department," he said. Immobilize them, huh? And to think I would have no choice but to listen to you.'
He couldn't help but laugh more.
His department had the most influence in the entire kingdom. Not even the current ruling monarch could command them directly. Yet when this child told their leader to stay out of his way, he obeyed. How could one not laugh at the sheer absurdity of it?
'You truly are a monster,' he repeated, finally calming down, though his laugh still echoed, lingering for a while, as he walked back into the chambers. There was still quite a bit left to discuss.
Meanwhile I was on my way carrying her home, hoping that whatever was going on—it wouldn't get any worse. I have said it before, but I had no plans of getting myself involved in anything in this world. Find a way to return home: that was my one and only goal. I could only hope that Fjorcroft would take care of whatever trouble was brewing. But there was one question that I kept avoiding: what if I already was involved in this? Lune was targeted; what was stopping Zoras from being targeted as well? The fact that I didn't have any memories of the past month didn't help the case either.
But what if…
If Zoras was involved in whatever this mess was, and it happened recently…there was a good chance that it was related to my transmigration. In that case—!
But my train of thought was interrupted as I bumped into a tall man.
'Sorry,' I said, immediately walking past him, but before I could go away, he grabbed my shoulder.
'Hey, where do you think you're going?'
His grip was tight.
Fuck.
I turned around. Our eyes met.
'I'm sorry, really, I'm in a hurry right now. So please…'
The man smirked.
Yup. I'm in trouble.
I shook my hand as quickly as I could, escaping from his grip, and ran the other way, but two more men appeared in front of me, blocking our path.
I shook Lune's body, trying to wake her up, but she wouldn't.
I couldn't fight while carrying her with me.
This was bad. This was really bad.
'If it's money you want, I could give you, please, just let us go!'
I didn't have much cash, but the coat I wore, my hat, the ring on my finger, they were all worth quite a bit.
'Oh ho, that's what we're talking about, but money isn't what we want, ya know?'
He looked at Lune, smirking, while those behind me laughed as well. That perverted gaze of his…yeah there was no way this was going to go well. I clenched her tight, stepping back as he took a step towards me, but the two behind me stepped towards me as well.
'Just hand her over and we'll let you go free,' said the man.
I'll have only one shot at this.
'Fuck off,' I said, before charging forward as quickly as I could. If I could get past him and out of his reach, then I could run away somewhere. It didn't matter that I was running right back into the alleys. Maybe I could cry for help, or even call her brother.
'You brat!'
But I wasn't fast enough. The man grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back and slamming me against the wall. The quick motion made me lose my grip, and Lune slipped from my hands, falling on the road.
'Let me teach you a lesson,' said the man, forming a fist, while another walked towards Lune.
No!
My body moved on its own. The world around me slowed down as I reached inside my coat, pulling out my pistol and aiming it towards the one approaching Lune.
The sound of gunshot echoed through the alleys as the man fell on the ground, blood spewing out of his knees as he screamed in agony. Immediately, I shot the other two, one in the shoulder, and the other in their lower leg. Quickly, I grabbed Lune and dashed out of the alleys, not turning back.
A thousand thoughts filled my head, but I pushed every single one of them away. I reached home, kicking open the door and placing her down on the corridor, before locking the door behind me. I took her upstairs to Zoras' room. If we were followed, keeping her in her own room downstairs would not be a good idea. Breaking in through the window there would be much easier.
I placed her on the bed, gently, and looked out the window, trying to see if there was anyone following us, but the streets seemed normal. Nevertheless, I couldn't risk it. I closed the window and sat down, finally taking a deep breath, before all the thoughts that I pushed away came crashing back.