"You're finally awake, Yoimiya, or should I say your Highness?" An all too familiar voice talks across the room, which I instantly recognize. Lord Auri stood firm right by the door, still quite banged up, but at least he was okay now, I assumed.
"Wait a minute. How do you?" I don't even get to finish my sentence before Auri cuts me off quite boldly. "How do I know? I knew Claudia too well; every world leader knew her; that thing in your head is hers, which can only mean you're their successor." Wow!? How the fuck? Since when was he so bright?
"I mean, yeah, you nailed it, but why would you be here, and why keep me around? I hurt you, and that put your entire nation at risk. Why haven't you kicked me out yet?" I say to King Auri while he simply sips his cup of hot tea without caring about my concern.
"Are you joking? You're famous around my whole nation, and the tale of your heroic acts this time has spread like wildfire across the world; kicking you out of my house would make me look like an asshole." Lord Auri finishes drinking his tea before he comes a little closer to me without waking up poor Vera.
"Listen, I'll cut to the chase. The fire nation has always been at odds with the Holy City and its devious religion, and I doubt you are on good terms with them as one of the few witch survivors." Auri basically drops his cards on the table, and I cannot deny that all that he says is right; I did start to hate the word of god religion and that arrogant pope, not to mention Julius, who worked with them.
"What is it you want?" I ask Auri before he continues on his high horse.
"An alliance, we share things in common as leaders of people who hate the church. I could be of great help for the Witch Nation to regain its footing so we can take down those church douches once and for all." Auri once again strikes me right where I like it; I was getting tired of getting my ass kicked so often, might as well try and help.
"Is that it? I doubt someone like you would do this out of the kindness of their heart; tell me what you really want, Auri." Lord Auri looks at me, surprised for a second, before making an annoyed face, probably as he realizes I'm not as naive as he thought.
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"You're sharp for a kid, and I guess there's no hiding it. I seek to establish my nation as the peak of human power; I simply request the help of a powerful, convenient ally." Auri finally drops his act and reveals what he truly is after, but I simply don't understand why would it even matter if his kingdom was known as the peak of humanity.
"Why would that matter?" I asked him, and he quickly responded.
"Our nation does not believe in the word of god. We worship another higher being who blesses all of the members of the Wesson Family with its power. Due to our differences in religion, most of the world wishes to destroy us in the name of holy war all the time; defeating the papal state would send a clear message to everyone."
So that would explain how Austin, Auri, and Bartholomew all had access to that weird firepower, but wait a minute, did that mean Dad was part of the Wesson family? Why would he live like a guard in a small town if he were royalty? "Do we have a deal?" Auri asks me while I slowly come out of bed.
"We do. As far as I'm concerned, the church attempted to kill me not too long ago. They tried to assassinate me, and it almost worked. Me being alive is nothing short of a miracle." I had to be realistic about my next move forward, but what Auri offered wasn't bad at all; this way, many witches would be able to stop being persecuted if they could make it to me, which would be for the best for everyone.
I may disagree with Auri on many things, but I had to look at things from a more objective viewpoint. I had to think of the options I had as a princess. Sure, I may be able to make it outside without the help of some royalty, but how many Witches would continue to struggle without anyone willing to help them? I had to offer those a path to a more peaceful life, and Auri could do that.
"Then it's settled; I will provide you with the funds necessary to gather Witches among the land if you need me to," Auri speaks with such a calm tone that I almost forget that he had been bedridden for a long time, reinforcing my curiosity.
"How come you're all fine now? You had a magical dysfunction when I passed out." A little ashamed, Auri then begins to tell me all about the grey-skinned man and the other gal, who I never learned the name of; he tells me how they basically healed him as a cool little goodbye, making me even more curious.
Who were those guys to begin with? Why did some super-powerful people show up to help us like that? "Did you know any of them before this disaster?" I ask Lord Auri, who quickly shakes his head in denial, followed by a quick "Never heard of them before, did you?" He asks me right away.
"Nope. I was hoping you would know."
"All I know is that they are related to the House of Spades, which is quite a shady organization I would rather not deal with. They honestly all sound like trouble, so I'd rather not mess with them too much, and neither should you."