Fae coughed on and on as she got the scare of her life, she used the same amount of focus and energy to summon that tiny flame yet for a reason it became a huge fireball blinding enough to most likely wake up half the neighborhood she was in, and so she decided to quickly make her escape

"Are you alright sister?" Yuna spoke within her mind, "That was quite the scare you gave me" She added on

"Yeah I think I'm fine, but that does explain a lot" Fae replied as she walked back to the inn they were staying at "The reason why she always feels tired is because for some reason she has more magicka than her body can handle, and I don't think she even practices Magick so she never tapped into her huge pool" She continued while rubbing her chin "But I thought Magicka wouldn't replenish past a certain point that the body can handle, it feels weird that she gets so negatively affected by her own blessing" Fae asked questions that neither her nor Yuna had the answer to

"Well, we can't help her more than you already did Fae, focus on the path ahead" Yuna spoke words that sounded very cold to Fae, but she knew she was right as they had much bigger problems to deal with, mainly divine problems

"Right well, I absorbed as much magick as I could from her so I hope she feels better for a while" Fae concluded with a long sigh

And yet as the Inn was finally in her sights Fae stopped in her tracks

"Oh you got to be kidding me" She muttered under her breath, summoning Yuna's voice within her mind

"Is there an issue?" She asked her sister, Fae growled

"No, it's just this asshole again" She spoke, Yuna appeared behind Fae for a split second as she gazed ahead

"Oh, Sierra's Father" Yuna spoke, vanishing just before James took notice of Fae, immediately jogging towards her

"For fuck's sake..." She rubbed her temple in annoyance as he only got closer to her, and when he stopped he obviously was out of breath

"You!" The man was clearly not young enough to be running around, and his breathing showed as he couldn't even mutter the next words he wished to speak

"Breathe man" Fae said in a sarcastic tone, only angering the noble

"Don't you dare make fun of me you filth!" He spoke between heavy breaths, In turn, only angering Fae as she shook her head in annoyance

"Alright I'll see you around old man" She ignored him and proceeded to walk past him while he grabbed her wrist, making her turn to face him with a piercing gaze

"You don't get to give me your back peasant!" Fae's breaking point kept getting shorter and shorter with each day in this world, and at this point she grabbed James by his collar and slammed him against the wall that was on their right, giving him a murderous gaze, the noble was in complete shock at how quickly things got physical

"You actually lifted your hand on me, you think you'll be seeing the light of day after this you fucking dog?" He said in a mocking tone as he looked at Fae like she was garbage

"Oh I fucking dare you to touch me, let's see what Sofia thinks of another noble threatening me" She told him, Getting closer to his face "I killed one, I'll just kill another"

James' eyes suddenly widened at those words, only now did he realize that the person who was responsible for the murder of the baron was the same person that he had just threatened

"I suggest that you keep your tongue inside of your mouth" She then tightened her grip on his shirt "Or else I'll fucking hang you with it" Silence issued afterwards

Fae let go and then rubbed her wrist, the grip he had on her actually hurt a bit, he was desperate for something

"What the fuck do you want anyways?" She asked of the man, he looked at her with furrowed eyebrows

"Just what did you do to my daughter?" He answered her question with another, one that made Fae even more confused

"What are you talking about?" Questions were thrown back and forth between the two

"When you both came god damn it!" He exclaimed himself at Fae who furrowed her brow "There was no reason for her to do what she did, to talk to me or her own mother like that, she never did anything like that ever in her life but now all of a sudden she acts like that?! And so quickly as well?!" He put his frustrations unto Fae "You surely did something to her..." He said through his teeth and with a tone that screamed he wanted to hurt the woman in front of him

"Are you serious? with the fact that you've been treating her like nothing more than a tool?" Fae replied "Either I did some voodoo garbage on her or maybe she saw me as an escape from the torment you've inflicted on her for so many years" James was taken aback from what was being told to him, he didn't expect Fae to speak with such care for his daughter "She made her own choice, period" She looked at him with cold and malice "Now leave me the fuck alone" And as she tried to walk away, she heard James again

"Wait, please!" The sudden change of his tone made Fae actually root her feet to the ground, she didn't expect it, especially not the pleading, she looked at him for one more time "Just let me talk to her, please" He added

"No but you truly are insane, after all what you did you think she wants to speak with you?" She answered him, suddenly seeing that his eyes widened, he seemed genuinely hurt from what he heard, and yet he still replied

"Please, I..." He hated every second of this conversation, hated the fact he was pleading with a simple commoner and it was so obviously written on his face that it was borderline comedic, and yet he carried on "I lost one of my daughters a long time ago" He told Fae "Claude sacrificed herself to save an entire village, to save the innocent and the weak" James continued "After her death they hailed her as a hero and even renamed the village to her name, But no matter what" His hand rested on his chest "I still lost my daughter, and she will never come back to me"

Fae looked aside for a bit, his tone seemed genuine so the feeling she had wanting to murder him subsided

"When I heard the news of her passing I felt so much grief and sorrow that it haunted me for years, even to this day" James told Fae, who's eyes lifted again to make contact with the former "Even so I never discussed or showed my grief to Sierra, Because I never wanted to show weakness in front of her, I thought if I showed strength in moment of weakness then it would make her stronger"

Fae shook her head "Grief is not weakness, it shows your care and love for the ones who passed" She sternly replied, James pursed his lips as a response

"I know, I was foolish..." He lowered his head "In my attempt at strengthening Sierra for the world, I only distanced myself away from her, I did the same with Claude and yet I didn't even realize it myself" She could see his gloved fists clench so hard they were audible

"But, I lost Claude, I will never see her again" He shook his head "Not with Sierra, I still can fix things, please..." He pleaded with an ever so sincere tone, he stomped on his pride as a noble several times during this conversation, even now his head was lowered, one thing he never thought he would ever do

"Alexandria, my wife, has been crying ever since what happened, we have been very foolish with our behaviour towards both our daughters, but please, the pain of losing one of your children is enough, don't make me never see Sierra again" Fae looked aside, she wasn't sure what to do or what to say

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She then looked back at the man with his head lowered, catching a glint in his eyes, he was such a monster to Sierra from what she said, why did he deserve a third chance after botching his second chance

"Please" He said with a broken voice, Fae crossed her arms, the tone of voice, the way he killed his pride as he is pleading with what he considered filth not even a couple of minutes ago, he cared, unlike her own father, James cared to fix things

"Fine, come with me" She turned her back to him and let him fix himself

"T-thank you" He replied as he walked behind Fae

Soon the two of them entered the inn that Fae's group was staying at, she nodded to James

"Get a table, best I can do is ask her, don't expect me to be dragging her here" She said with a stern tone and a cold gaze, he nodded to Fae

The latter climbed the stairs until she reached the room they were staying in, she gulped and then knocked twice before entering

"Well look who it is, finally you're back" Avalynn said as she was laying on her bed on her stomach, gazing down at Yulia, Sierra and Thaddeus on the ground seemingly playing a game of cards

"Lass, you took your time!" Thaddeus exclaimed happily, it obviously seemed he was winning the game and being very good at it

"Hey, we almost started to worry, what took you so long" Yulia asked of Fae, the latter chuckled nervously

"A lot of things actually, Sierra can you come here for a second, I need to show you something" Sierra raised an eyebrow but got up anyways "Sorry folk, I'll tell you later" She then gazed at Yulia "Good luck on your game, you seem like you'll need it" She then gave her a wink that made Yulia grunt while the others laughed

With Fae and Sierra outside, the latter raised an eyebrow, it seemed Fae had something on her mind but didn't quite know how to say it "What's wrong Fae? Anything I can help with?"

"Ahaha..." Fae nervously chuckled, then cleared her throat "Your uhm, father is downstairs, he wants to talk to you" Sierra looked at Fae blankly, she quite clearly could be seen slowly fuming

"Did he make you do this? I promise if he did something to you I'll ki-" Fae grabbed Sierra from her arms

"Relax woman, I got him here out of pity than anything, and he... well" Fae looked aside for a moment "He seemed genuinely hurt by what he did, and seemed to care a lot about you, that's the only reason I brought him here, whether or not you talk to him that's up to you, it's just" Fae took a deep breath, then looked at Sierra deep into her troubled eyes "My father never cared, nor did he show any signs of wanting to care, James seems very regretful, and he showed it to me quite clearly, even begging me to just getting you to talk to him, but please do not see me as forcing your hand" She said to her friend, to then continue on "I just want you to have choices, at the end of the day it is up to you, Sierra, and whatever choice you make" Fae put her hand on her chest "I'll wholeheartedly support you" Sierra looked deep into Fae's brown eyes and then smiled

The duo walked back down, James immediately fixed his posture as soon as he caught his daughter in his sight, though one thing was amiss, the Inn seemed completely empty

"Where did everyone go?" Fae asked of James

"I paid the entire Inn for tonight, I do not want anybody bothering us" He replied, it must have been quite the sum of money Fae thought, but if anything it showed that he really intends to talk things out, or at least that's what Fae hoped

"Sierra, I..." James got up from his seat, his daughter on the other hand didn't even bother to look at him face to face

"I guess I'll be leaving you two then, if you need anything I'll be up" Fae said before she slowly moved back, but then stopped

"No, I insist you stay, if not then I have no words to speak to this man" Sierra said coldly, making Fae grunt while the last two words echoed within James' mind

This man This man This man This man This man This man

Even calling him by his name would've been better, but now it sounded as if to her, her own father was no more than a stranger

"I will, respect her wishes" James muttered with a lowered head as he sat back down on his seat, Sierra made sure to sit on the other side of the table to not be close to him, an act that made Fae sigh as she couldn't see their relationship be fixed with this start, but she still sat down between them

"I just want to say, I'm not here to argue, nor am I here to force you to do anything" James started, looking at his own daughter that had her gaze elsewhere "You are your own woman Sierra, you are free to do what you wish, I am only here to apologize" He added, crossing his arms on the table and getting closer "I didn't treat you and your sister properly, may the gods rest her soul" He prayed "And after her passing, it affected me so much that I became blind and deaf to your pleads and desires, and for that, I can't apologize enough"

There was silence for a bit, before he resumed, it seemed as if Sierra had nothing to say

"Affected you, you say, the only thing you did was give me hell, so pray tell, how did it affect you" Sierra said sternly, looking at him with a cold gaze filled with malice

"I just-" James' words got cut, he wasn't winning her over, but he still gulped and decided to carry on "In my own twisted logic, I thought that if I showed no grief at her passing, it would make you stronger, the thing that I was afraid of the most, was leaving my daughters weak to this cruel world" He then lowered his head and shook it slowly "I realized that even after making you strong enough to reach knighthood, I realized that..." He lifted his head slowly to look at Sierra "What I really was afraid the most, was losing you" He told her, making her purse her lips "I already lost Claude, I will never see her smile and happiness again when she speaks with you, her laughter when she is with her comrades , or her skill when she spars with me, they're all gone" He put a hand on his chest "It brings me unimaginable pain, to have to come to terms with that fact" He stated "She died a hero, but I would've rather her being weak and alive" He then lowered his head again

Sierra looked at him with no words to utter, her gaze softened from the violent one she previously had, but she still could utter no words, only think, think at the words he spoke to her, she never realized he paid that much attention to when herself and Claude were together

"All the harsh words I dared to say to you, were only to make you stronger, but you only got distant, and it is my own fault, nobody's" He added on "I just hope you can forgive me" James looked at her deep into her green eyes

"And even if you don't, at least visit your mother once in a while, even if it is just to say your greetings so we know that you are doing well" Fae had her gaze down, and Sierra was still speechless

"And here" He then got something out of the inner pocket of his coat, and put it on the table, gently pushing it towards Sierra, who's eyes slowly widened "I believe this is yours, and I believe you care about it deeply"

It was the music box that Claude had gifted to Sierra, the latter caressed the box just like she always did when she was troubled, and sure enough it opened to show the same embraced couple dancing with the slow and soothing tune

"How do you know that anyways?" Sierra finally spoke to her father, who pursed his lips and softened his gaze

"It's because I gave it to Claude so she could hand it to you on my behalf" The words he uttered made Sierra part her lips

"You lie" She told him, he only lowered his head

"I unfortunately don't have any means to prove it, I just hope you can believe me" He said "I just wanted to gift you something, but there was already a rift between us, I didn't even know how to gift something to my children, I'm sorry" He apologized yet again as his eyes darted away to land on the music box "Even Claude mentioned it to me, why should she give it to you, it was my job" He shook his head "I'm not sure, I just wanted to give you something but not from my own hand to yours, so I handed the task to her, she wanted me to do it at first but then was understanding"

He sighed

"She always was understanding" He looked away for a moment before smiling "Her words still scar me to this day, she told me that even for someone that could take on multiple knights in battle all by his lonesome in his prime, I was the most cowardly man she has ever met" He then lowered his head again

"Every time I saw you smile and and enjoy the box I bought and enchanted for you, it brought me joy that can not be put into words" He lifted his head to look at her "I only wish I handed it myself, and for that, I truly I'm sorry"

"It's fine..." Sierra said, looking from the box to the meek eyes of her father "Thank you", words that made his eyes widen as he stuttered his words

"Y-you-re welcome"

Sierra buried her face in her hands, it was too much for her, she had to let out a long exasperated sigh

Fae took the time that her friend wasn't paying attention to give a thumbs to james, who returned it with a soft smile

"Alright I don't even know what to say" Sierra lifted her face from her hands to look at her father again

"Do you... forgive me?" He said meekly

Sierra furrowed her brow as she stared at James, she then sighed

"You're forgiven" She lowered her head "I just wish Claude was present" Words that brought much pain to both Valeguards

"The dead always look down on the living" Fae spoke, both looked at her "She is smiling at you both, for that I am certain" She spoke with a small sympathetic smile

"Yes, she would be very happy" James said, Sierra nodded "You know, Fae" He then added to her, attracting her attention "You're a good woman" He said, taking the woman by surprise "And I am ever so happy that my daughter has somebody like you by her side", Sierra nodded again, this time with a smile and a little bit too much enthusiasm

Fae chuckled "Thank you, bury this hatchet at last will you" She told the both of them "And to make that easier I'll go see if I can get drinks for us"

She got up and left the two to talk, and she was very relieved to hear them actually talk behind her, she went up to the counter to see if there were any drinks but as she looked to her right, she saw Avalynn clapping gently and crying as if she had just seen a wonderful sweet ending for an opera while Yulia and Thaddeus silently kept expressing their proudness at Fae who couldn't but laugh to herself as she poured drinks for the two, it was a good night