Chapter Text
Footsteps echoed on the cobblestones outside the castle gates. Visitors were approaching! Ralsei grabbed the heavy gray cloak from its hook and raced to the door, anxious to meet them.
He had so much to tell them.
~
“Best way to leave is east, right?” The pink reptilian sounded bored. “Yes!” Ralsei said excitedly. “That’s where we’ll…” “Got it.” Susie turned away. “See ya at school, Kris.” And then she was gone.
Ralsei watched her go, then turned to Kris, a human suited up with armor. The shadows made his skin seem blue, and he wore a magenta scarf not unlike Ralsei’s own, although much shorter. His hair was short, but hung low over his eyes, obscuring most of his face. And so far, he had yet to say a word.
“I suppose it’s just the two of us, then…” Ralsei said with a rueful smile. He moved forward to stand beside Kris. “Kris, I’m a Prince, but… I, um, currently don’t have any subjects.” He dropped his gaze. “I’ve been waiting alone here… Um… my whole life for you two to arrive. So… I’m really happy to meet you.” Ralsei looked back at him and beamed. “I hope we can be good friends, Kris.” He glanced down the path leading to the town. “Let’s try to find Susie. She must be to the southeast.”
He took a step back. “You can lead the way, Kris!” The boy nodded once, then turned and set off after his companion. Ralsei stepped quickly after him. And they were off.
~
“Kris, though it’s just a dummy, why not give it a hug?” Ralsei was nearing the end of his instructions. Kris looked at the dummy, which, having been built by Ralsei, bore a striking resemblance to him. Then, Kris turned to Ralsei and hugged him instead.
“K… Kris?!” Ralsei felt his face burning. “Ummm, I don’t think, um… this is what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Kris stepped back, and they continued their mock battle. But truth be told, Ralsei would rather have stayed there awhile.
~
The nondescript wooden chest opened with an audible click and a quiet creak. Ralsei peered over Kris’s shoulder to see its contents. Amongst a pile of paper scraps lay a thin, white ribbon. Ralsei’s eyes lit up. “That ribbon is armor, Kris! It increases defense. Why don’t you try wearing it? I think it’d look great on you!” Kris looked at Ralsei a moment, glanced briefly back down at the ribbon, then turned and faced him. “K… Kris?” Ralsei stammered. The human reached over Ralsei’s head and fastened the ribbon tightly around his green hat, tying it off in a somewhat sloppy bow. “You’re giving it to me…?” Ralsei felt his face start to burn. “Well? Does it look pretty…?” Kris inspected the ribbon, before nodding and motioning for them to continue walking. As Kris began to wander away, Ralsei stared after him. “He thinks I’m pretty!” he whispered to himself.
~
“Uhhh, hey, why did you draw something, like… it looks like you guys wanna kiss?” Susie muttered, bewildered. The rough sketch was a bizarre outline of a machine, nothing more than a hypothetical amalgamation. “It’s OK to express yourself, Kris,” Ralsei murmured. It was hard to tell in the shadows, but Ralsei could have sworn the human’s face was turning as pink as his scarf.
~
The battle was won. The King of Spades was gone, no doubt already entombed in his own cell, guarded by the troops he once commanded. Lancer and a veritable army of Darkners had stormed the castle top, and taken him away. It was time for the two Lightners to return to their own world, and Ralsei?
Ralsei would be alone again. He would return to Castle Town, and he would make peace with his solitude. Perhaps he could find a new hobby… baking had always been his go-to, but there had to be more activities to occupy his time.
Still, there was one more thing he had to attend to before his heroes left. All along, he had kept his hat firmly atop his head, still wrapped with its cheery white ribbon. Even now, its wide brim kept his face in shadow, hidden from the casual observer. In a moment of decisive action, Ralsei stepped forward to face the Lightners.
“Well, I…” Ralsei faltered. “I suppose you and Kris should return home now.”
“Yeah, I… I guess that’s right, huh.” Susie mumbled. The Lightners began to walk away. “Well uh… see ya.”
Ralsei opened his mouth to stop them, reached out to them, but hesitated and drew back. He bit his lip as tears welled in his eyes.
As the two made their way toward the Fountain, Susie saw Kris looking back, slowing his pace. He stopped. “...Huh? Kris, you wanna… go say goodbye to everyone, don’t you?” She paused. “Heh, well... if you’re gonna MAKE me, I GUESS we can go back for a bit. Let’s go!”
Meanwhile, Ralsei was leaning against the wall, trying not to cry. He was taking deep breaths to calm down when he heard footsteps and looked up. “Kris…? Susie…? You came back…?”
“Ummm, well…” Susie said, “Kris just wanted to say bye, y’know…”
Ralsei beamed. “Oh!!! Actually… Everyone here wanted to say goodbye, too.” His cheeks started to burn. “Please let me know when you leave, alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll try not to skip you,” Susie brushed it off with a wave of her clawed hand.
Ralsei watched as the two wandered away, saying their final goodbyes to the other Darkners. He waited for them where he was, anxiously pondering his next move. They soon returned, approaching the hallway again. “Kris, Susie… are you going to leave...? He stepped forward again. “Umm, I… I just wanted to say… I…” He began to pull his hat over his face. “I… I really enjoyed meeting you two, and…”
“Hey,” Susie interrupted, “Can you stop mumbling into your hat for a sec? Can barely hear ya, dude.”
“O-Oh, I’m sorry!” Ralsei stuttered. He pulled his hat the rest of the way down, exposing his bright white fur and pink horns. It felt odd to take it off. Susie jumped back in shock; Kris barely moved a muscle. “Um…Kris, Susie… I… I hope I can see you again soon. Next time I’ll make you lots of yummy cakes, alright?”
Susie gaped like a fish, mouth opening and closing without a sound; it was the first time Ralsei had seen her speechless. Finally, she stammered, “Umm, yeah! Sure, dude, haha!” She turned away, still looking bewildered. “Let’s go, Kris.”
Once again, the Lightners made their way to the Fountain, leaving Ralsei to stare after them longingly. Knowing they wouldn’t be back, he made his way past the other Darkners, and began his long journey back to Castle Town. His hat was back in place, firmly atop his head.
He was careful not to let the others see the pain on his face.
Meanwhile, Kris and Susie had arrived at the Fountain. “Is this… the Fountain…?” Susie whispered in awe. “Dunno how, but… it feels like we stumbled into something really important, didn’t we…?” Susie stared in silence for a moment. “Well, there’s no time to think about that now. Right now… It’s time to go home, right, Kris?”
The human stepped forward. Something strange was stirring in his chest… He could feel his heartbeat, stronger than ever. It was as if his very soul was glowing…
Then the Fountain was gone, and they were home.