The next few moments were spent in silence. The princess kneeled down, struck with a sense of loss and disappointment in herself. Diedrich kneeled beside her, placing a reassuring hand on her back, whispering: “There, there.”
Suwi, on the other hand, slowly stepped forward, intrigued by the so-called ‘Exile’. A mighty staff made entirely of crystal, tantalizing the witch’s hunger for power like no object before or since. She touched it with just a tip of one of her fingers, seeking to attune herself to its power. After only just a second, however, a disappointing realization flooded into her mind. She backed away, her expression making her disapproval very clear.
-What is it, Suwi?
-It’s meant for her. I can’t take it.
The lindblumi royal interjected: “Too bad, because I don’t goddamn want it.” She rose up slowly, staring at the staff with a look of disgust. “Suck it up. You’re not leaving a tool that good behind.” Suwi replied with matched energy. She then sighed, bringing the conversation down to a more logical level: “By which I mean: if you wanna stop him from doing whatever kind of even greater massacre he’s about to commit, you’re gonna need whatever power and knowledge and power you could possibly get your hands on.” The nepenthe stared at Diedrich, who observed her with a surprised expression on his face. He clearly did not anticipate this level of level-headedness from that ‘crazy witch’ from his childhood, nor her upcoming offering, but felt pride from hearing it regardless. “Which means I’m tagging along. This is far too interesting not to see through.”
Freya was too exhausted to fight even the notion of it. “Pulling off all those incredible moves took a toll on you, didn’t it?” Diedrich said, helping the princess lift herself off the ground. “C’mon, let’s grab that thing and go get some rest.” Using the prince’s arm as support, Freya stumbled her way to the so-called Exile. When she touched it, it grew to a size more fitting of her considerably taller stature. A similar feeling flooded into the princess as when she first came into contact with the staff at the Crystal Tower of Force; overwhelming power, connected to something greater than itself. Something seemed to be missing, however.
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The trio made their way back to Suwi’s residence, quite a distance away. The witch’s abode was cozy, put mildly. The taller among the trio had to hunch his back to be able to walk without banging his head every couple of steps. They settled into large leather couches while Suwi prepared some tea.
The exhaustion finally settled in. What came next was a blur.
King Kafei of Lindblum, in all his glory, lectured Freya on the necessity of her exile. His tone - mighty and imposing as ever - left the princess with a dreadful sense of unease. She knew her responsibilities as a royal were vast, but such a burden was surely too much for a child such as she was to bear. Only aged 6 when cast away to the wilderness with her caretaker, she had not known the strain of life in the lower class, but had been deprived of love nevertheless.
Being forced to endure a lecture she had never felt the need for only spurred her resentment further. She snapped back, hurtful words flowing from her mouth as they never had before. The king recoiled, stepping back as his daughter came near, finger pointed squarely at his face. He appeared to shrink before her, in a mere instant becoming a shell of the man he appeared to be. Prone, he crawled backwards to his throne.
When his back turned to his daughter, what she saw could only be described as nightmare fuel.
A writhing mass of abscesses and open wounds protruded from his exposed back, ripping through the fur coat he wore. Freya held herself back for a moment but approached nevertheless, morbid curiosity spurring her to touch the most prominent pustulent bubble. Only an inch away, she glimpsed a form within the bubble. With far too many legs, its form revulsed her to no end.
As the creature burst forth from the pustule, Freya roused to wakefulness.