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Firion walked through the hallways of the Rebel Hideout with heavy steps. Maria, Guy, and their newfound pirate ally, Leila, followed not too far behind. Thoughts of their encounter with the dying wyvern continued to wander around his mind restlessly.
Witnessing one tragedy after another wouldn't allow him to completely process all the things that were happening, but the image of the rotting corpse of the dragoon that he retrieved the pendant from was something that would never leave him. He did the right thing by placing the egg inside the fountain, and that made it all worth it, he told himself as a means of comfort. He figured his companions felt similarly.
He had the intention to report to Princess Hilda, now queen after the passing of her father, of what took place during their mission in Deist. It would be a bittersweet delivery of news, but not all hope was lost. Once the baby wyvern emerged from its egg, it would become a valuable asset for the rebellion.
They entered the audience room, and the only person inside was Gordon. He was sitting on his throne with a worried expression on his face, fidgeting with his hands.
"Queen… where?" Guy asked, making Gordon even more nervous.
"I assume she has taken some time for herself in order to mourn the king." he explained, shaking his head.
"I see…" Maria looked at her feet, sorrowful. She understood the feeling of not being able to be strong all the time, especially after losing loved ones. Hilda might be a queen, but she had moments of weakness just like everyone else.
Firion looked at his sister empathetically and placed a hand on her shoulder. He hated to see her upset, being familiar with that expression of hers. He then directed his gaze at Gordon. "Her Majesty needs time to recover. We're waiting for your next orders."
"There will be no need… you are dismissed." Gordon declared with a sigh, and waved his hand in their direction. The warriors bowed in front of their strategist, then exited the room without uttering another word.
Leila was the first one to interrupt the silence. "That lad was trembling like a leaf! I'll be sticking around, if ya guys don't mind."
Firion acknowledged her with a nod and a hum. She was technically a part of the rebellion now, and was free to roam around the hideout as she pleased. Her pirate ship had helped them immensely, and would surely continue to do so. He looked forward to introducing her to Hilda once she returned.
But for now, what Firion wanted the most was a pillow to rest his head on. The tiredness usually started to settle on his body the moment he stopped waving his sword around, something he didn't get to do often as he spent most of the day inside a cave full of monsters. The inn would receive them with open arms.
As they were about to leave the building, a figure clad in white robes stepped out from the shadows. Firion's eyes widened at the sight, and Maria gasped softly, covering her mouth. Not recognizing the person they were looking at, Leila raised an eyebrow.
"And who might this one be?" she asked, not too pleased with a stranger approaching them from behind.
"Leila, this is–" Firion began to explain, but was interrupted.
"Minwu!" Guy exclaimed, happy to see their old partner back in one piece. The white mage smiled under his mask.
Their first instinct was to start asking questions. Hilda had notified them earlier of Minwu's departure to the Mysidian Tower, in order to retrieve the powerful spell known as Ultima. The way everyone talked about it with so much mysticism made it sound like this was a task only Minwu could perform. If he was back already, did that mean that he had been successful? Hilda would be overjoyed to find out about his return.
The reunion was cut short when Minwu grabbed Firion by the wrist and started walking in the opposite direction. "I need to have a word with him, only the two of us."
Firion let out a yelp in surprise, and then looked over his shoulder. His siblings looked disappointed, but made no efforts to follow them. Leila had her arms crossed over her chest and continued to stare at them with a disapproving look as they walked into the distance.
The warrior allowed himself to be led towards a poorly illuminated hallway, wondering what Minwu could need to talk about that required so much secrecy. They stopped in front of a door at the very end, secluded from all the others, and Firion realized he had never seen this area of the hideout before. Inside the room there were tall shelves filled with books, a wooden desk in front of a window, and a bed with white sheets in the corner.
Was this… Minwu's room?
Not that there was anything wrong with entering a friend's room; it made sense if they wanted to keep the conversation private. And yet, he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. As if it was a place he was not meant to see.
Minwu kept the grip on his wrist. It was so strong, it almost bruised, but he let go once Firion pulled his arm away.
Now that they were completely alone, he felt like he could ask the question that had been at the tip of his tongue the entire time. "Why did you return from the Mysidian Tower so soon? Is everything alright?"
He sounded more concerned than he intended to. When talking to other members of the rebellion, Firion tried to sound serious. There was no need to be overly emotional, but sometimes, his words would overflow with feelings.
Minwu took one, two steps forward, entering his personal space and cornering him. The sudden feeling of his back hitting against the door was accompanied by a thump. In that moment, Firion had nowhere else to look but into Minwu's dark, heavy lidded eyes.
Their close proximity made him swallow. Sweat began to form on his forehead, and suddenly, the warmth in his face spread to the tip of his ears. Could this be real?
Minwu was resting his palms against the wall to keep Firion still, as if he was a coeurl playing with its food. He held a hand against his face, caressing his cheek. The feeling of long nails against his skin made Firion shiver.
"Because…" he began to say, as his thumb brushed against Firion's bottom lip, "I couldn't stand being apart from you."
"F-from… me?" Firion repeated, breathlessly. His entire body was shaking, and he clenched his fists as if to try to make himself stop.
Minwu nodded, continuing to stare at Firion with a sultry gaze. From up close, he had to admit that he looked… beautiful. Minwu had always been beautiful, incredibly so. Ever since their first mission together, those feelings of attraction had been buried deep inside his chest, but now, it was the time for them to bloom.
"Come, dear Firion."
He felt himself getting taken by the hand again, this time, Minwu was leading him towards the bed. Realizing the direction they were taking, Firion exhaled through his mouth quietly. If this was a dream, it was one he never wanted to wake up from.
Without much care, Minwu pushed him over the mattress, and Firion braced himself against it with his forearms. The vision of the white mage hovering over him made his head spin. He couldn't speak– he couldn't think.
Having basically no experience in the area of romance aside from reading novels from time to time, Firion wasn't sure of what to do in a situation like this. Perhaps it was something that would unfold naturally, and he was meant to just let it happen. Minwu seemed to be more experienced in many aspects, not just magic, so he could let him take the lead. He closed his eyes shut, hands grasping at the sheets. A sudden creaking below him made him open them again immediately, and was greeted by the sight of Minwu's appearance shifting and contorting into that of a large snake, any other sound drowned out by the rustling of the meat and bones.
The creature's body was wide and long, its weight making the bed crumble to the ground. In the position they were in, Firion was completely at its mercy, having left his sword outside the room. The only spells he had ever practiced were white magic, and lifting the beast off of his body was not an option. Even if he tried to call for help, no one would be able to hear him.
Adrenaline started to run through his veins once it struck him that there was no way out of this one. The beast, half human and half snake, flashed its fangs at him and hissed.
"Not so fast, ye scurvy snake!"
Leila bursted into the room, kicking the door down. She pounced on the monster, cutting its belly open using her dagger. A loud, ear-piercing shriek left its throat as it crumpled to the floor, motionless. Bright purple blood stained the walls, ceiling and carpet. Maria and Guy entered the room soon after her with their respective weapons in hand, frantically looking for their brother.
"Firion! You're alright!" Maria sighed in relief, and together with Guy, they wrapped him in a hug. Leila stood on the side, trying to wipe the monster's blood from her body to no avail.
The young man felt his stomach drop. "You guys were… watching?" he asked bashfully, turning red. Maria looked down, and Guy rubbed the back of his neck. Leila was the only one willing to give a direct answer. "The entire time."
Almost getting eaten by a giant snake was bad enough, but knowing he had been observed by his teammates during such a vulnerable moment made him want to get swallowed by the earth.
The atmosphere changed drastically once two people entered the room through the hole in the wall that replaced the door: a royal servant and Gordon. Both of them seemed agitated, but undisturbed by the mess of guts and stench.
"Terrible news! The queen is being held captive!" the man announced, panic in his voice. The four rebels gasped, and Gordon lowered his head in shame.
"I'm afraid the Emperor is holding a tournament, and intends to hand Hilda as the prize. He's baiting us to compete!" the servant explained further.
Gordon took a step forward, "I'm coming with you." It was more of a statement than a proposal. The meek, cowardly prince was starting to come out of his shell. If he didn't do something to help Hilda, the guilt would torment him forever. He wasn't going to let her down like he did his brother.
Seeing the resolve in his face, Maria was moved. "Alright!"
"Let us make haste!" Gordon implored, and he, Maria, Guy, and the royal servant rushed out of the room, leaving Firion and Leila by themselves.
Still breathing heavily, Firion wanted to take a moment to just feel. Feeling guilty for letting himself get tricked in such an embarrassing way, and in front of his siblings, no less. Feeling tense after the encounter with that monster. Feeling disappointed knowing that the real Minwu was still at the Mysidian Tower. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm himself down, to prepare for the dangers they were about to face. There was no time to waste.
Leila stood behind him, hand on her hip and grime on her clothes. "You know what that was, right? A Lamia Queen."
"Huh?" Firion turned around. He had only ever seen that name in picture books, but it sounded like Leila had run into one of them before. Her skill and quick thinking when slaying the creature gave it away as well.
She continued. "A terrible fiend that can read your thoughts and take the form of what your heart desires most, so she can deceive you and gobble you up. Or that's what old pirate tales say, anyway."
"Um–"
"Let this be a lesson to you, don't let your guard down again. What is the rebellion going to do without their fiercest warrior, eh?" the pirate teased, giving Firion a shove that might have been too rough as she walked past him.
"And let's get out of here, this place is going to make me dry heave."
She left the room and headed to the hallway to catch up with the others, arms stretched over her head. If their strategist was going to play hero and rescue the queen, someone had to stay at the castle to make sure everything was in order. A pirate, working with royalty… who would have thought?
Finding himself alone entirely, in silence with only his thoughts, Leila's words resonated in Firion's mind. About how the Lamia shapeshifted into what his heart desired most. Even though she said it was only a legend, a bedtime story… he was starting to believe that there was some truth to it. That day, Firion felt things he couldn't find a name for, that made him realize something about himself. Something he tried to hide, that caused him great shame. But there was no escaping those feelings anymore; he had to face them head on. An opponent scarier than the Emperor himself.
Next time he saw Minwu, he would share those feelings with him.