Chapter Text
It started out innocently enough.
First, Albedo had a dry cough that would come and go. That was easy enough to blame that on the dry air in the lab. Then, he got a fever. Well, it was the cold season, after all. It was totally normal to get sick around this time of year. His head would hurt whenever he thought too much, and his muscles would throb with pain whenever he moved - it was just from all the sitting he was doing, staring at tables of densely packed data. His skin was pale, he had the chills - it was just a touch of cold and would go away soon.
Sucrose was sitting at her work table in the lab one morning, carefully mixing a colorful potion of bright blue swirled with ribbons of emerald that shone in the light. She was certain that now she’d perfected a formula that would enhance her wind spirit’s strength. Albedo was out of sight, behind a tall bookshelf, but she could hear him looking through the books, in search of one that might hold a necessary clue. A light breeze blew in from the open window, bringing with it the sweet scent of the garden they maintained outside. What a lovely day. Maybe she'd go for a walk later.
The piercing sound of breaking glass, followed by a heavy thud, shattered her concentration. She yelped, jumping to her feet in a blind panic. A book slid across the floor from behind the shelves, and Sucrose ran over. “Mr. Albedo!”
Albedo had collapsed. The beaker he'd been holding was shattered, the shards surrounding him glinting in the sunlight as the pale liquid it had contained spread slowly across the floor. His eyes were closed and his breathing was harsh, ragged, as if he was fighting for every breath. As she knelt down next to him, Sucrose saw that there was an ashen tint to his skin that hadn't been there before. Her blood ran cold. If it wasn’t for his strained breathing, she’d think he was dead. "Mr. Albedo!" She called once more, urgently, shaking him desperately, but he didn't answer. At a loss, Sucrose gathered him into her arms as best as she could, rushing for the infirmary.
Though the doctor on duty assured Sucrose that there was no need to fear and that her beloved teacher was not at imminent risk of death, his words failed to pierce the fog of her anxiety and so he allowed her to stay at his bedside as she wrung her hands. What would she do? What could she do? Oh, she should have been more persistent about asking him to visit a doctor. She shouldn’t have asked him so many questions. Surely the strain of being so brilliant and so needed by everyone had done this to him.
Time passed at an agonizing pace, but so caught up was she in her panicked ruminations that Sucrose didn’t even notice Albedo open his eyes until she heard a hoarse voice say, “Hello, Sucrose.”
Startled, Sucrose jumped in her seat, but then her eyes widened and a tearful smile broke across her face. “You’re awake!” she cried out, before admonishing herself silently. She needed to maintain her composure. It wouldn’t do to stress him out in this state. Albedo was looking at her with tired eyes, the blankets tucked up around his head making him look small and fragile. He gave her a hesitant smile, before his eyes started to wander about the infirmary, taking in his surroundings. He’d rarely ever had a reason to come here. “I take it you’re the reason I’m here?” he asked. His voice was quiet and rough, not at all like the melodious one Sucrose was used to. She hated it.
“Yes.” She twisted her fingers together, averting her gaze. “You, um, suddenly collapsed in the lab, and, um….”
“I see.” Albedo’s eyes fluttered closed as he breathed out a long sigh. “Thank you. But I suppose I owe you an explanation, now that this has happened.”
“An explanation?” Sucrose asked, confused, but Albedo was peeling off one of his gloves and didn’t answer. The moment he’d done so, though, the question flew out of Sucrose’s head, for the sight of his fingers, blackened at the tips like something rotten, caused a wave of unstoppable nausea to roll over her, and she shuddered. Seeing his assistant’s reaction, Albedo’s expression grew regretful.
“I’m sorry you had to see this, Sucrose. I’ve known I was more than a little sick for a while, but…” he held his hand up above his head, looking at it with a dispassionate gaze. “I didn’t really want to believe it.”
“I don’t understand,” Sucrose murmured. She wanted to look anywhere else but at Albedo’s decaying hand, but the iron grip of horrific fascination wouldn’t let her.
Albedo let it drop back down to his lap. “Many centuries ago, in the nation of Khaenri’ah, this disease was common. But it only happened there. I’m not sure of the reasons for that, and given how long it has been since that nation fell, we can only speculate.”
“But you’re not from Khaenri’ah,” Sucrose protested, and then immediately found herself wondering. Where was Albedo from? They’d rarely discussed his past. Catching his eye, Sucrose guessed that he’d understood her sudden hesitancy, and he smiled wryly.
“I won’t get into it now. But, I knew what it was once my symptoms became clear.”
“You said it was common there. Then surely they have a cure for it, right?” Sucrose asked next, trying not to sound too excited. Even if it was exclusive to Khaenri’ah, such a powerful nation would have certainly found a simple cure for a common illness, right? But Albedo’s eyes, once more shrouded with sorrow, caused her smile to falter. “...right?”
Albedo gazed at the ceiling in silence, lost in thought, before answering. “There is one. It would have been easy enough to find there, and so this illness would have been nothing to fear. But I’m afraid that is not the case here.” He drew in a deep breath that was not as deep as it should have been as he continued. “The cure comes from a flower called willowbloom.”
“Willowbloom?” Sucrose echoed. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“You wouldn’t have. Much like the illness it treats, it only grows in the mountains around Khaenri’ah. Of course, that land was irrevocably cursed once the Eclipse Dynasty fell. I imagine the flower itself, like the people who knew of it, is just a memory.”
Sucrose sucked in a deep breath. “But this illness...will it go away?” She was scared to ask, and judging by the way Albedo shied away from her at her question, she’d been right to be.
“Records of the illness going untreated are rare. It progresses very slowly. But it will prove fatal if left untreated."
Noelle tsk ed to herself as she pulled out several books, arranging them in proper order on the shelf. Lisa would never tolerate such disorder, but patrons were careless, and so it fell to her to ensure the library remained impeccable. That settled, she flicked her duster smartly across the shelf. There. Another space tidied. From shelf to shelf the maid-knight went, leaving everywhere cleaner than she found it. It was monotonous but necessary work. It is difficult to concentrate in a messy environment, after all. And the whole purpose of a library was to be a space of concentration and learning. Therefore, keeping it tidy was of utmost importance to the library’s entire existence.
She was double checking the order of a set of encyclopedias when she heard it. Tiny, sniffling cries from the study nook at the end of the row. Who could that be? A lost child? Tucking her duster away, Noelle hurried towards the sound, only to find the alchemist Sucrose clutching an open book in trembling hands, tears streaming down her face. At the click of Noelle's boots on the tile, she looked up, trying desperately to choke back her cries only to burst into tears anew despite her efforts.
"Sucrose! Whatever could be the matter?" Nolle questioned as she went to Sucrose’s side. Producing a handkerchief, she handed it over and laid a hand on Sucrose’s back. She could feel the way the young woman shook and how she struggled for breath through her sobs. It made Noelle’s heart ache to see her so.
Sucrose buried her face into the handkerchief. "Noelle, it's Mr. Albedo!" She wailed. "He's sick, and-" She struggled once more for words, trying to find the ones that would keep her from crying, but nothing seemed like it could help her tears to subside.
Noelle took the seat next to Sucrose, keeping a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Take some deep breaths first. Calm down.” She kept her voice even and warm, and eventually, Sucrose began to quiet. “How is he sick?” Noelle dared to ask, once it seemed that she was composed enough.
Sucrose drew in a shaky, trembling breath, and then another. "He has some weird disease from Khaenri’ah. It can only be treated with a willowbloom."
“A willowbloom? What’s that?”
Sucrose’s lip trembled. "They only grow near Khaenri’ah and- and Noelle, if he doesn't get this flower he'll die!" Again, she burst into tears. "It's not fair! He's always been so good to me! And to everyone else!"
Noelle hummed soothingly, rubbing Sucrose's back in circles as her body was wracked with sobs. The news came as a shock to her, but at the end of the day, well, it was Sucrose who was close to the Chief Alchemist, and she would be the one to hear about such things first. Gradually, Sucrose’s cries began to quiet once again. But Noelle was thinking. The Knight's tryouts were going to be a few months from now, and this time, she wanted to show how much she'd grown. The Traveler had taught her so much. You're at your strongest when you help people. And, well, Sucrose needed help now...right? All they needed was the flower and the problem would be solved. She didn’t know much about Khaenri’ah, but surely it wouldn’t be that hard to go there. They both had Visions, after all.
"Let’s go find it together!" Noelle blurted out suddenly. The alchemist looked at her with wide, terrified eyes, and Noelle flushed red at this breach of decorum. Still, she continued. "We can find that flower together. It's a dangerous trip you shouldn't take alone. And if it's in the mountains my Geo Vision will help. Right? “
Sucrose stammered as she spoke. "Looking for it is a good idea, but, Noelle, you have so much to do here, and you're not even involved-"
"I know it doesn't affect me directly, but helping the Knights is my duty. So, I should help you, shouldn't I?” Noelle paused, taking a deep breath. “And...and if you won't let me help as part of my job, consider it as me helping you as a friend."
"I don't know...Noelle, I would feel really bad if you got hurt."
"Just like I would feel bad if you got hurt." Noelle laid a hand over Sucrose’s, squeezing it as she looked imploringly into Sucrose’s eyes. Was this selfish of her to insist upon? "I can help you. We'll be there and back in no time, and Albedo will be cured just in time for Ludi Harpastum. Klee would love that, you know."
"Noelle…." Sucrose's amber eyes were enormous, tears welling up within them once again. "Noelle, are you sure?"
Fervently, Noelle nodded. "Yes, I am." She took a fresh handkerchief from her pocket, dabbing at Sucrose’s eyes once more. "So...don't cry anymore, okay? We'll make it better."