Chapter Text
(POV: SIMON)
Simon sat in his cell, staring at the blank walls covered in tally marks. 2555 days, that's how long he had been here in this rotten place. If only this goddamn country had fair trials. Then, the rusting iron door opened with a click and a screech. He glanced over to see his former captain standing there with a scowl on his face.
"Get up," he commanded. Simon instantly obeyed, it must be something important if he was here.
"Sir, if I might ask... what are you doing here?"
"You're free to go, Simon Blackquill. All of your charges have been cleared." Charges...? Cleared...? Simon hadn't been aware that a murder charge could be cleared here.
"Who...?"
"If you must know, his royal highness, Prince Nahyuta, ordered this himself." Captian Edgeworth gestured for Simon to get out of the cell, handing the keys over to the guard of the prison. He left his cell for the first time in seven years, and even though they were still inside, the air outside felt much better than that stuffy old room.
"Why would he...?" Simon asked as the Captian lead him out of the prison.
"I have no idea. But does it matter? You have your freedom now," he opened the door to the outside and the sudden blast of bright light blinded Simon, "report for wall duty tomorrow morning." He shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him. Simon headed for the city, hoping he would find some sense of clarity if he could find a familiar face.
~~~
Of course he wound up at the tavern, of course. The decor had changed since the last time he'd been there, but otherwise, the small building remained the same. The sound of soft lute music filled the air, a nostalgic sound that reminded him of an old friend. It made him wonder where that man was now and if he was doing well.
"Simon? Is that you? It's been far too long!" A musical voice with soft undertones came from behind Simon. He turned around to see his old friend, Klavier Gavin.
"Hey, Klav." Simon deadpanned.
"Well don't sound so excited to see me! How have you been?" Klavier asked, pulling up a chair.
"I could be better."
"Yeah, you look like a mess. Here, all your drinks tonight are on me." He slammed a pile of gold coins on the table, summoning the barkeep over at the sound of a rich man's purse jingling. The barkeep scraped the coins off the table and ran over to the small bar. The pudgy man came back a second later, placing two beers before the pair of men.
"What in the world have you been doing Klavier? There's no way that you could get that much money working at your family's shop." Simon said, gesturing to the purse hanging off of his friend's belt. Klavier laughed softly before shaking his head.
"I'm not working in my family's shop anymore," Klavier said, sighing and staring at the amber liquid before him, "I left to pursue my own dreams."
"Which are?"
"I've told you this before, idiot," he said, flicking Simon on the forehead, "I've been working as a travelling bard. I'm finally doing what I want, honestly... it's quite fulfilling."
"I see..." What was it that he had wanted to do again? It felt like such a long time ago that he had been a young man who'd spoken of his dreams. Simon could barely remember what he'd dreamed of before he entered the Royal Guard. Oh well, it didn't matter anyway. Not anymore. Simon downed the beer in front of him and continued to speak of the past with his old friend.
~~~
Everything felt fuzzy... oh shit! Simon jolted up from the table and ran out of the door in a hurry, bumping into another patron on his way out. No time to apologize. He raced to the wall as fast as he could, running up the stairs to the top.
"You're late." Captain Edgeworth said, frowning as Simon panted from the effort he'd put in just getting here.
"Sorry, sir..." he said, desperately trying to catch his breath. He couldn't forget that he wasn't as young as he used to be and that his legs hadn't gotten much use in the past seven years.
"No matter, you're here now. Go over there and stand with Fulbright." The Captian gestured at some blond man who was leaning over the wall in curiosity. Seriously, him? Simon had to work with him? That man was a fool, on the best of days. And what kind of idiot let his curiosity get the best of him? He was supposed to be working, not looking for an interesting flower on the other side.
"Hey! Lord-Less-Than-Bright! Get back to work!" Simon shouted at him, shooing him away from the edge.
"You're in a sunny mood Lord Blackquill," Fulbright remarked, smiling stupidly at Simon. He got the sudden urge to push him over the wall; what was with this guy? Why did he annoy him so much?
"No, I'm not..." Simon mumbled, leaning against the wall and staring out at the bleak landscape. Boring, just like always had been. At least that was something else that hadn't changed.
"Are you always like this? You should be happy knowing that you're defending the justice of our fine kingdom!" Now Simon really wanted to push him over the wall. Within one minute of talking to him, he had already managed to hit on a sore spot. Keep it together, Simon, keep it together. He could not keep it together. As Foolbright leaned over the wall again a better look at something, Simon shoved him straight off.
"Blackquill... you know you can't do that, right?" Captian Edgeworth said, leaning off the edge to see if Foolbright was okay.
"Why not? He's fine." Simon leaned over the wall as well, at least to see if he'd broken any bones or anything. Sadly, he hadn't. Wasn't dead either.
"It's not a question of whether or not he's okay. That's enemy territory you've just pushed him into, Blackquill. If he's found, this could start an all-out war. Go get him before anyone sees him." Simon nodded, running toward the stairs. He poked his head out to the opposing side of the wall, searching for anyone who could be watching from the bushes. Good, there was no one here. He grabbed Foolbright, dragging him back into the tower and up the stairs to the top of the wall. Sweet Holy Mother, he was heavy. He woke up as he bounced him up the stairs.
"Maybe you need to work out a bit more..." Simon panted out as they reached the top.
"Nah, I think I'm good." What an absolute idiot.
"Look, I'm sorry for pushing you over the wall.... But," he paused for dramatic effect, "you really are stupid; you know that right Foolbright?" Back to staring at the bleak landscape. Simon didn't even get the point of guarding this place anyway, it's not like the enemy was going to invade through their farmlands.
~~~
What a long day it had been. Simon had forgotten how much he hated his job. Maybe Klavier was right, it was better to do what you loved than be stuck doing something you hated. Unfortunately for Simon, he wasn't passionate about anything. As he sat down on the rickety old bed, ready to go to sleep, a knock on the wooden door resonated through the tiny room. He sighed and stood up to answer it. Whoever this was had better got a good reason for making him get up again. He opened the door slowly, prepared to grab for the sword that was leaning against the wall. Simon peeked through the crack, honestly not knowing who to expect at this late hour. Oh, wonderful... it was her.
"Simon! Why didn't you come to see me the instant you got out of prison?!" she growled, clicking her tongue in frustration. Simon started to close the door, as a way to tell her that he didn't want her here, but she slammed her foot in between the door and the wall, jamming it open.
"You will talk to me! Don't try to avoid this!" she shouted, liable to wake up the entire corridor. He sighed and gestured for her to come in. Having her in here was better than having her wake up a bunch of annoyed guards, most of which had to report for a night shift soon.
"What do you want Aura?" Simon asked, crossing his arms and shooting her a pointed glare. It couldn't be good if she'd come here personally.
"To see you, of course!" she exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around his shoulders, "I'm just so happy you're finally out of prison!"
"Wait."
"Simon... these past seven years have just been torture. First with Metis' death and then your imprisonment, you don't know how hard it was for me."
"I can't imagine."
"Don't take that attitude with me. Seven years, Simon, seven years. You don't get to act like it was nothing." She smacked him gently across the cheek- not hard enough to hurt or anything, but still...
"Aura, seriously, what do you need?" Simon asked again, grabbing her arm to stop her from looking around his room.
"Did you... were you the one who killed her?" Aura's expression grew dark, the threat of tears welling up in her eyes. She spoke of the former head of the Observatory, Metis Cykes.
"What reason would I have had to kill her?"
"I don't know Simon! Just answer the goddamn question!" She smacked his hand off of her arm, glaring at him in her anger.
"No... I didn't." She sighed in relief, throwing her arms around his shoulders again.
"Thank you, Simon, that's all I need to know. I'll leave now..."
"One more thing before you go..." Simon glanced over at the door and the squirming bag she'd left there, "what's in that bag? It's starting to bother me the way it's moving like that."
"Oh right! I almost forgot!" She ran over and grabbed the bag, pulling out a small cat.
"Wha-what is that?!"
"It's a cat, Simon. Here... take him." she said, holding the cat out to him. He backed away, he didn't want that thing. Keep it far away... far, far away.
"Take him!" she demanded, shoving the cat into his arms without his consent.
"I-uh... what am I supposed to do with him?" Simon asked, trying to figure the right way to hold the small thing.
"Feed him twice daily and don't question it. Oh, and his name is Clonco," she said, giving the tiny furball one more rub on the head before turning to leave. Luckily, she didn't leave as loudly as she'd come in.
"Well... guess it's the two of us now buddy," he said, giving the cat a little boop on the nose before setting it down on his bed. He climbed into the bed as well, trying not to disturb the cat from where he'd set it down. Simon much preferred birds but he wasn't just going get rid of it. He closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take him. As he drifted off, his heart felt restless from the conversation he'd had with his sister and with wonders of why the prince would free someone like him... or maybe that was just the squirmy cat trying to settle itself on his chest.