Fae gently lifted her ached head as she straightened her back and sat on the bed she was sleeping on, she looked at her right to see a sleeping Ichiya whose face was enlightened by the moonlight alone, a snoring sleeping Ichiya, very loudly as well
And just that image brought Fae to a chuckle, Ichiya's attractive face didn't very much suit her snoring, but well that was her charm, or at least that's what Fae thought
Getting out of bed, Fae decided to stretch her legs with the thought that it might soothe her mind and if not at least that would keep it occupied
And as she left the room Fae found herself in one of the many hallways of the palace, it was dark but that was a given
Fae walked down the hallway, her mind processing the events that happened yesterday in a thorough manner
For a trip to a foreign country in a world that wasn't yours to begin with, it went very good, she helped her friend seek out the truth while gaining a new friend herself
Interlocking her fingers and putting them behind her head, Fae let out a soft whistle as she walked, she had quite the things to brag to Yulia about when she'd eventually come back, and that thought brought a smirk on her face
But as she thought deeper about Yulia she realized that she told her she'd be back in a couple of days maximum
And it's been very well more than a week
She let out an inevitable sigh, hopefully Yulia wouldn't worry too much about it, and with that thought crossing her mind she came to a halt as she noticed the outer wall on her right turn into a balcony overlooking the court in the middle of that palace
Crossing her arms on top of the concrete rail, Fae looked down at the fountain in the middle and the multitude of different plants that decorated the courtyard, they seemed to be very well taken care of and that thought brought a smile to her face
"Good evening Fae" She smiled as she heard those words, giving the Yuna on her right a side look and a slow, smiling nod
"Hey" She replied
"How are you doing?" Fae added, Yuna softened her smile and put her arms on the rails
"Better than ever" And Fae was glad to hear those words, proving that thought with a warm smile
"Though I'm noticing a pattern that says you're not much of a heavy sleeper" Fae chuckled at those words
"Yeah" And rested her cheek on the palm of her hand
"You can say that again" She then looked forward and away from Yuna's curious gaze
"It bothers you I presume?" Fae slowly nodded
"A lot, but I've gotten used to it" Those words didn't seem to please Yuna much as she took on a much empathetic gaze, leaning close to Fae
"Have you tried to get rid of it?" She asked again, Fae scoffed, eyes still diverted away to look down at the courtyard
"Yup, nothing worked really so I'm trying to just live with it" Yuna raised an eyebrow
"Is it fairly common in your world to not be able to sleep well?" That question made Fae chuckle warmly, it was a weird question to her but since Yuna didn't know anything about her world it was fairly justified
"Well, enough to give it a name I guess" She then looked at Yuna with a friendly smile
"It's called insomnia, and I have the chronic type" Yuna replied with a brief huh to prove she was attentive
"Usually I just go on a night walk if I can't sleep" She told her spirit friend who gave her a slight frown
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" She answered with a question, bringing a warm smile out of Fae
"Well, in my world there isn't a lot of organized crime, not at the point of raiding towns at least" Fae said
"Although we still have some people who are messed up in the head, sadly" She continued on as she had Yuna's full attention
"As for me though, the worst I've got were catcalls" Yuna raised an eyebrow
"Catcalls?" She confusedly asked
"Basically when somebody makes a sexual comment to a passerby in public, usually men doing it and women receiving it" Fae then snickered
"Though I guess it'd be kinda funny if the genders were reversed" Yuna took on a small smile
"You know" Yuna replied to Fae
"I've always been in favor of cutting tongues as a punishment" Fae laughed behind the back of her hand while Yuna smiled warmly
"I mean I don't like it myself but I wouldn't go that far" Finishing her words with a chuckle, Fae looked at Yuna's ocean eyes
"I appreciate your concern though" And after a fraction of silence, Yuna spoke up
"Have you ever wondered about the origins of your insomnia?" She asked Fae who replied with a shrug
"Can't really think of anything" Yuna stared at Fae's eyes for a silent seconds before she diverted her blue gaze elsewhere
"Well, if you need my help regarding it, please don't hesitate" Fae gave her a thankful, slow nod
"Thank you, I'll keep it in mind" And as she finished those words, a duo heard a voice that was neither of theirs
"Hello to the both of you" Fae looked to her left and could see Aoki slowly walking towards the duo
"Oh, uh, hello to you too" Fae, unknowing of what tone to speak with did a brief bow that made the elder chuckle, and she could swear Yuna was also laughing behind her back
"Be at ease, you're not speaking to the emperor" He said, giving her a soft smile
"You're speaking to Ichiya's grandfather, okay?" Fae felt nostalgic by his caring tone, she gave him a slow nod that had a smile plastered on her face
"Alright, understood" She replied with a smile as Aoki stood next to her, gazing down the courtyard
"I have seen that you are very close to Ichiya" What he said made Fae raise a curious eyebrow, her heart had a slight fear that maybe she did something wrong
"Thank you" And that same heart was relieved right after while its owner let out a mental sigh
"It's very heartwarming to see her finally act her age with somebody" He looked at Fae with appreciative eyes and a fatherly smile
"That's surprising" Fae crossed her arms and had one eyebrow raised
"Knowing Ichiya I thought she'd have plenty of friends, I don't see what to dislike about her" Aoki let out a chuckle at her words, and with the expression he had Fae thought his next words were "You don't even know"
"Ichiya's very outspoken, and that in itself would be a good trait" He said, eyes gazing down at the flora that robbed the courtyard in its green beauty
"But since her opinions are very much controversial to the eyes of her fellow blades it doesn't help her seem approachable let alone likable" He then looked at Fae right in her brown eyes
"She's a compassionate woman and a good samaritan at heart, but she's stubborn as all hell" His face then harbored a caring smile
"And it really doesn't help that she enjoys debating, let alone the fact that she's actually good at it" His words made Fae snicker
"What about her parents? do they not mind her opinions?" Fae right after talking wished she would have swallowed those words as she noticed his smile have a slight trace of emotional pain
"Did she mention her parents?" He asked her, Fae looked at Yuna for a split second before they both looked back at Aoki
"Just my hunch but she seemed to dodge the subject" Fae replied, seeing her friend's grandfather take a deep inhale while his gaze diverted elsewhere
"Well Fae, I really don't know where her parents are" He said, hands firmly behind his back
"18 years ago we had to resolve a rampant pirate crisis that haunted our eastern coast" His eyes didn't seem to want to make eye contact with Fae again, was it guilt?
"We went there bearing arms ready to protect our people from harm, we destroyed their ships, buried the dead, and captured the alive" Or was it regret?
"After that, we eventually found their main refuge, a cave in an abandoned shoreline, it was very inconspicuous, the perfect base for scum of that caliber" Aoki added
"And when we arrived with our swords unsheathed, the pirates threatened us, saying that they had captives" He said, the gaze of both women laid down on him
"And that if we put a step inside, they would kill them all" He then sighed
"I was a cold man back then, I called their bluff and we stormed into the cave" Aoki looked at Fae with a pained small smile
"You can guess what happened afterwards" Fae had no intention to make him elaborate further
"We saved a couple, but dozens died that day" He then looked back at the courtyard, a silent second passed on
"I found Ichiya under the body of a dead woman that looked as if she tried her best to hide her" Gripping his hands tightly, Aoki then let out a sigh
"She was as young as a newborn baby could get, and even so, she was as silent as death itself" Locking his eyes with Fae, he spoke again
"It almost felt like the angels themselves were guarding her" Fae couldn't do anything but pay full attention to what the emperor had to say
"I took her in my arms that day, and I knew exactly what the gods wanted me to do" Aoki added
"A lot of innocent people died that day because of a decision I made" He continued with a hand rested on his chest, putting as much stress as he could on the 'I', if anything it only showed that he truly took responsibility
"Taking care of one life was the least I could, and a punishment that I gladly took" His face finally softened, a genuine smile gently appearing
"But it wasn't a punishment at all, it couldn't be further from it" He told Fae
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"For all the years that I was a ruler, my heart numbed to the point of where I felt like I had no empathy in me" Aoki added
"But after I took Ichiya as one of my own blood" His smile softened into one of fatherly care and compassion
"It really showed me one side of life that I didn't even know was there" He continued, his eyes had a genuine caring gaze
"Was it hard?" Fae asked him, bringing a scoff out of a person stern enough that she thought she'd never get one out of him
"Quite" He replied
"When she was a little baby, she couldn't bear to stay in a room by her lonesome" He told Fae, eyes locked with her own
"Everytime I'd leave her side she'd always wail and cry" And then he chuckled
"But I didn't know how relieving it was to hear her tiny laugh at the end of each day" Fae smiled warmly at the words given to her
"Each time I'd see her smile, whenever she'd try to reach for my beard when I carried her, things like that made me often forget that she didn't share my blood" He told Fae, his smile seemed stubborn on staying
"And I don't think I could ever explain the feeling I've felt when my name was the first word she ever spoke" Both Fae and Yuna had warm smiles on their faces, the latter even adding on with words of her own
"How did that happen?" Yuna asked, and Aoki looked pleased to answer
"I was discussing with a friend of mine how to tell the public about me taking Ichiya as my own" He replied
"Ichiya was in my arms that day, and when he bid me farewell, he said my name" Aoki added
"And when he left the room, I looked down at her and she looked like she was staring at me with the biggest smile her tiny mouth could give" He smiled
"And that's when she said it, 'Awki' " Fae didn't expect such a soft tone from the likes of a man like him
"Nobody ever butchered my name so badly" He said with a smile
"Nor did anybody make me feel so happy by saying it" He added on, the warmth of his tone embraced the hearts of both of the women
"Then I watched her grow until she could speak in sentences, until she could walk, and until she could outrun me" His otherwise sharp and intimidating eyes had a touch of fatherly love to them
"I tried my best to raise her, and I tried to be as present in her life as I could" He then diverted his gaze away from the duo's, looking away into the courtyard
"I just hope I did good" Fae smiled warmly at his words
"Every word she spoke about you was one spoken with love" She told him, gaining back his gaze as he gave it to her with a small smile, yet so very warm
"And also, about the pirate incident" Yuna interjected, gaining his gaze on her, his eyebrows slightly furrowed ready for the judgment his role model was about to give him
"It wasn't a choice between good or evil, both choices would have led to the death of innocents" Yuna told him with a stern face
"You could've let the pirates escape and become the savior of those people, but that disease would've caused the death of others sooner or later" She added
"You decided to make that memory a bitter one for everybody involved, bitterness that killed that disease once, and for all" Aoki had his gaze completely locked with Yuna's, attentive to each word she spoke
"Not a lot of men can choose between two evils, especially when human life is at stake" She then gave him a comforting smile
"I am just glad that decision fell on a man like you" She then rested a hand on her chest, her smile still unwavering
"And I for one, thank you for making the right call" Fae looked at Aoki and gave him a nod that proved she felt the same way
He pursed his lips and looked down at the ground for a silent second
"Thank you" He then looked back at Yuna
"That brings me some much-needed solace" He gave her a warm smile, one she gladly returned
"Fae" He spoke her name, gaining her attention while he himself looked at her right in her brown eyes
"I've set everything for your trip back to flora" His words made her smile, one of appreciation
"Thank you, sincerely" Her thanks made Aoki frown
"Are you kidding me kid?" He sternly told her, but Fae for some reason only kept smiling
"You went so far just to help my lady" He gestured to Yuna, who gave Fae a small smile
"And became a dear friend of my granddaughter, one that I can clearly see held close to her heart" he added on
"As an emperor, giving you safe passage is the least I can do" Fae chuckled and then gave a nod of apology, a smiling nod
"You're completely right" She replied, making Aoki smile and cross his arms
"I can already see that Ichiya will miss you very much, I do hope you will pay us another visit, " He said to her
"Especially when you need help, Am I clear?" Words said with an eyebrow raised
"Crystal clear" Fae answered with a nostalgic smile
"Good, keep the necklace that I gave you close, it's proof that you're protected by me" She gave him a slow nod
Aoki then let his arms rest beside him, his eyes locked with Fae
"That aside, I actually had a couple of questions to you" He told her with a small smile
"You aren't from Flora, nor Aralia, are you?" Fae gave him a shook of her head
"And how long have you been in Flora exactly?" He asked her again, putting his hands behind his back as he spoke
"Close to a week" Her answer made him slowly nod
"What do you think of it's people?" That question caught Fae slightly off guard, she looked aside for a second before a warm smile appeared on her face
"Very kind" She then looked back at him with that same warm smile
"They've helped me when I was the most lost in my life" She added
"And I'm already keeping them worried by being here for so long" Fae then chuckled while Aoki gave her a small smile
"I'm glad to see a bond so strong" He told her while she had nothing to reply with but a smile
"And I'm also happy you're the one my lady's soul is bound to" He added on, Yuna snickered
"Wholeheartedly agree" She told Fae who couldn't but nervously chuckle
"My lady" Attracting her attention, Aoki locked eyes with Yuna
"What would be your opinion about our nation opening up to the world once again?" Fae parted her lips in surprise as she looked at Yuna
"Hm" She didn't know what to reply to his question
"Your question makes me very conflicted" She crossed her arms and looked away in thought
"My advisors also share the same conflict" His words made her eyes look at him again, giving him a sidelook"
"Half of them think diversity would taint our values and traditions, while others are sure that the positives would outweigh the negatives" His words made Yuna turn her head to gaze right into his eyes
"But I think it's high time for us to open up to the different values of the world, we can't stay closed forever" Aoki added on
"We could exchange knowledge and cultures with the rest of other nations, I'm certain that would allow us to progress towards a brighter and more peaceful future" He spoke with a professional tone
"And the first step towards that was sending Ichiya to her trip overseas" Aoki said
"I spoke with the queen of flora about our plans, that's how her trip was able to be made" Fae was surprised
"You weren't scared for her wellbeing?" She wasn't sure whether he knew what happened to Ichiya when Fae met her, but her question gave him a smile nonetheless
"Well, I can't say I wasn't slightly" He chuckled
"But the Queen wouldn't have anything happen to her, you can be sure of that" Fae wasn't sure she could agree with his statement
"She must definitely have had her spies keep an eye on Ichiya at all times" But his words slowly won her over, but now she was worried that she might have attracted more attention into herself, but why was she worried?
"Did you speak to the queen face to face?" She asked, Aoki gave a slow nod
"What was she like"? she inquired further, he crossed his arms in thought
"On one hand she seems to not take her place as a queen very seriously" He then slightly furrowed his eyebrows
"She's always smirking, always making snarky remarks, and has a dry humor that always comes up unprompted" Fae snickered at how he described her
"But on the other hand" He added
"It feels like she's always plotting in advance, always one step ahead of anything that you say or do" He then sighed
"I only hope that her citizens don't share the same personality" Both Yuna and Fae chuckled
"I can testify that they don't" Fae answered him, bringing a smile of relief on his face
"I hope not" he added on with a brief chuckle
"Thank you Fae, this talk has been very fruitful for me" Fae smiled warmly while his eyes diverted to Yuna
"And I'm very glad to see you again My lady, especially in much better circumstances" Yuna gave him a slow smiling nod
"The feeling goes both ways" She then replied to him, on her face a warm smile that infected both her friend and Aoki
The emperor bid them a good night to then walk away, leaving Yuna and Fae to their own devices
"Maybe you should try to sleep again, we'll have a long journey back to Flora tomorrow" Fae looked at Yuna with a smile, deciding that she should take her advice to heart
....
The sun shone down on the port of Karokawa, sailors were readying the ship for the voyage that would take Fae back to the starting point of her wandering journey within this new world
"It was a pleasure having you with us, Fae" Aoki told her, facing the one he spoke to while to his side was his Ichiya
"Be sure to visit us soon" He added on while Fae could not but give him a warm smile, bowing slightly in appreciation
"Thank you, I'll be sure to do so whenever I have some free time" He gave her a fatherly smile before he looked at his granddaughter
"I'll let you say your goodbyes in peace now" She gave him a smile and a nod while he then looked back at Fae
"Come aboard the ship when you're ready, I'll be speaking with the captain" WIth those words said, Aoki went on to walk up the boarding ramp, leaving Ichiya and Fae
"Well then" Ichiya said with a smile
"This is where we say goodbye huh?" She continued on, lifting one hand to rub her other arm while her gaze diverted elsewhere
"To be truthful, I was kind of hoping you'd stay longer" She then chuckled while Fae scoffed, playfully pushing Ichiya with a closed fist
"Come now" She told her, attracting her attention on herself again
"A goodbye is in and of itself temporary" Fae gave her as much of a warm smile as she could
"That means we'll sooner or late meet again, and I'll do my best for that to happen" Ichiya couldn't but give a forced smile in return, having the face of one desperately trying to speak her heart
"We don't have to say goodbye if I go with you" Fae parted her lips while her eyes widened in surprise from the words given, Ichiya on the other hand slightly furrowed her eyebrows with impatience at Fae's answer
"I..." Fae pursed her lips while Ichiya had no more words to say
"Frankly speaking, your company would be lovely" Yet Fae didn't have the expression of one with an affirmative response
"But Yuna is the only reason that I'm safe, and she'll have to protect you too if you come with us" Ichiya smiled, knowing well that these were indeed the words she was expecting
"And god forbids if something happened to you" She added on with caring eyes and a soft tone
"Your country needs you, and Aoki needs you too" Her words prompted Ichiya to rub her arm as she looked elsewhere
"You're right, you're right" She then let on a silent second, before replying further
"But what if I was strong enough to protect you" She said before raising her gaze to meet Fae's
"What if I was stronger than lady Yuna?" Fae could see not a trace of sarcasm in her words, all of it was genuine
"Could I join your adventure then?" She asked her friend, who chuckled and softened her expression with a smile
"I'm always accepting more bodyguards" Her words gave Ichiya a huge smile on her face
"Just you wait, I'll become the strongest you'll ever meet" An ambitious gaze struck Fae, making her snicker
"And then I'll protect both you and Yuna" And that snicker turned into a warm smile that alongside soft eyes, were aimed at the kind person in front
"I'll be waiting for you, but until then you better take care of yourself" Fae told her with a mellow tone and a caring smile, a smile that jumped from her face and onto her friend's
"Same goes to you, or else I'll be very mad" Fae laughed and had no words to reply to such a statement, she moved closer to Ichiya and put her arms around her in a hug that her friend returned just as tightly, a silent embrace that lasted for no more than a couple of seconds until it was broken by Ichiya
"You better not get a lover, I don't want him to hoard all your attention" Fae laughed loudly before she playfully pushed Ichiya out of their hug
"I've got bigger things to worry about than my love life don't worry" Her words seemed to have pleased Ichiya as her smile grew even bigger, but she didn't seem to have any words to say
"Well, I'm sure the ship is ready to set sail now" Ichiya finally spoke up to her friend
"Have a safe trip, Fae" She continued, putting a hand on her chest and wearing a smile on her face
"And when I'm strong enough, I'll come looking for you, you have my word" Fae smiled at those same words she heard
"I'm sure you'll achieve great things by then" And then she chuckled
"No pressure huh?" Fae could finally reply with an answer that made her friend laugh together with her
"Take care Ichiya, see you in the future" Fae told her, who smiled and gave her a slow nod
"I promise of that, friend, until then" She said her goodbyes
"Until then" And Fae did too, before she walked away and climbed up the boarding ramp, turning around one last time and giving Ichiya who was down a wave of farewell, one that Ichiya returned with a bittersweet smile
And thus, the two friends parted ways as Fae was onboard the ship that was to lead her back into Flora
As she walked on the deck only then did she notice the emblem on the mats of the ship, bringing her into a scoff while she walked towards Aoki who was speaking to the captain of the ship, one that she was in quite complicated terms with
"Of course your highness, it's a pleasure to be of help" Edward did a polite bow while Aoki gave a slow nod
"And take this with you" The latter handed the captain of the ship a letter
"Give this to her hands only, it is of the utmost importance" Edward gave him a confident nod as he took what he was given, his eyes only then noticed Fae, and as they did, so did Aoki's
"By your expression, it seems that Ichiya asked you to take her with you" He had a small smile on his face as he spoke to Fae, who could but nervously chuckle
"I expected she would do that" He added on, softening the smile he gave to her
"I'm thankful you were considerate with your answer to her" He concluded as he could already guess what answer Fae gave to her by the lack of Ichiya's presence onboard the ship
Fae didn't know what to reply, only giving a slow nod to Aoki
"But that aside, everything's ready, are you?" He asked her with a fatherly smile
"Yes I am, thank you for everything" Fae gave him a slight bow of respect and appreciation that made even him chuckle
"Let's just say we are both grateful to each other" He replied with a small smile, Fae returned an even bigger smile as she nodded to his words
"You have a safe trip now, and don't forget to visit us sometime in the future" He added on
"I will, it's a promise" And her answer made him smile warmer
"I'm glad to hear that, farwell now" With a nod and as he received a wave from Fae, Aoki left her and went back towards Ichiya
Fae had a smile plastered on her face as she only now looked at Edward
"I wasn't expecting a Florian ship to take me back" She said with a slight hint of snarkiness in her words added as she could see the surprise he had on his face
"Are you some sort of distant relative of the emperor?" He asked her, thinking all this time that Fae was here because of work, but he wasn't sure that thought held true after he saw the way the emperor himself spoke with Fae
And that same Fae crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow mischievously
"Well if I tell you it'd ruin my mysterious charm" Her words made Edward roll his eyes and shake his head, it was so out of his professional character that it made Fae chuckle without a trace of further sarcasm, and that good mood would have to keep her busy for her yet another 7 days sea trip