Chapter Text
That sword. That Goddess-damned, horrid, life-altering sword is shining as bright as the world's hope. It glimmers and shines like gold, dancing on top of its mountain with pride. The badge of honor that takes in the weary, the lonely, the forgotten, and says even you can be special. A signal for everyone, that someone will always be there to save the world.
Audrey wants to smash it to pieces. It taunts her with its every spin. Eyala thinks this is funny, doesn’t she? Or maybe she’s testing her. If her fallen hero was given the same chance, would she do it all again?
Of course not. Believe it or not, she actually likes the world. She likes living, and eating, and existing. It’s not like she wanted to end the world, she just didn’t think that stupid bard could do it. And why is that used against her?! No one thought they could do it! Why is she the villain?! She just wanted to be something before it all ended, was that crime?! NO ONE BELIEVED IN THEM! NO ONE! WHY IS SHE THE PROBLEM?! SHE WAS DOING WHAT SHE WAS TOLD! IT WAS HER STORY, DAMMIT!!
She takes a shuttering breath and laughs, “You can come out now!” She taunts, stepping around the sword, “Eyala, I know you’re here!” The sword sparkles in the corner of her eye. She kicks it down the mountain and yells at God, “You think this is funny, huh?! Taunting me like this?!”
“We’re not taunting you!” Eyala finally shows herself. Audrey glares at her from the corner of her eye, her twisted smile made of gritted teeth, “Everyone gets this dream, it’s how we find the hero!”
Audrey barks out a laugh, “World’s ending already? I thought we’d have a decade, at least!” Guess that Bard wasted her chance for nothing. Great.
“We… we don’t know what’s happening. We’re trusting you.”
“Me?” She didn’t say shit, “Wait, what do you mean?”
“You,” Eyala repeats, “The people, you told us to do this… Or… at least… one of you did…”
“What?” Audrey furrows her brows; someone commanded Eya to find a hero? Why? “Who? Who asked you?” Eyala murmurs something as the dream fades, “HEY!” Audrey yells, “DON’T JUST LEAVE! ANSWER ME!” The world fades to white, “HEY!!”
She wakes up uncomfortable and sweaty, great. She wipes off her forehead and rubs her eyes. Maybe she can just write the vision off as a weird dream–
Blankets and daylight tell her that she is not where she fell asleep. She bolts up and looks around the wooden room. There’s a desk with a half-written journal entry in it, a bag of pickpocketed trinkets hanging off a chair, and curtains that were meant for a baby flowing in the wind. The air smells of cherry wood smoke.
She’s in her old room. She’s in her parents’ house. How did she get here? She was nowhere near her hometown. Plus, there is no way anyone found her.
She looks out the window. Everything is exactly as she remembers it. The market’s still there, bustling with tourist and marks. The guard are still there, slacking on the job with their oversized helmets. The oil lamps are still burning, doing their best to suppress the seedy nightlife. There’s even that guy she owes money to waiting by the light post. Even the stars are the same.
Even the stars are the same. Hold up, shouldn’t they be different? The end of the world changed the sky. She very much remembers waking up to an entirely different sky. The stars were different colors. She thought it was beautiful.
All of these stars were the same brilliant white. Everything is exactly as she left it. It’s almost as if she never left at all.
Did… Did Eya turn back time? Is that why she had the hero dream again?! What was Eyala talking about? Trusting ‘you’? She sure as hell isn’t talking about Audrey, so who is she talking about? And what exactly happened? Someone told Eya what to do? Who would have that kind of power? No on Audrey’s level, that’s for sure. Maybe someone who’s not even human; Eya is a Goddess, after all.
Except… that wouldn’t qualify as ‘you’, would it? It has to be someone lower than them, someone on this plane of existence. That’s the only reason Audrey can see Eyala lumping her with ‘you’? Who could ask Eya for a favor, especially one as big as turning back time? Who would even have the authority? Eyala acted like it was an emergency –or, at least, that’s what Audrey thought she was doing. She acted the same way when they first met, so maybe?–, but it doesn’t feel like an emergency. Then again, she hasn’t been in society in a long time. Still, even if there was an emergency, why not send the stupid Bard to fix it? They’ve proven themself capable before.
Did the Bard do this? It’s possible that Eya would trust them more than herself; they did prove her wrong, saving the world and all. Did the Bard call for a hero? Did they revert time? Why would they do that?! They put all that effort into saving the world, why on earth would they do it again?! What, were they bored?!
Audrey takes a deep breath. As stupid as they are, the Bard’s not one to throw away all their hard work and the world for nothing. If it was the Bard, they must have thought of a good reason for it, but what?
Maybe their witch friend died at the end, and they’re trying to save them? But Audrey’s pretty sure she didn’t kill her (she hopes not, she never meant to. She’s a fighter, not a monster), so maybe they’re trying to save someone else? But who in the entire world would they be trying to save?!
“You’re special!” That annoying memory echoes in her mind. She scoffs; they think everything is special. Even bugs are special to them.
“You’re super strong… and super smart, and really great at everything you do!”
They didn’t mean it. They were just saying words. Even if they thought they were being honest, it was the end of the world. Some buried, rational part of their brain told them to say that so she’d switch sides. They just said what she wanted to hear.
“You could be whatever you want, and you’d still be special!”
The Bard wanted to save everyone . She knows that, everyone knows that. But that doesn’t mean they can. They know that, right? You can’t save everyone, it’s impossible. Surly, even a stupid, bumbling loser like them knows that.
But… they sang the earth song, or whatever. No one thought they could do that. Plus, they know the song works now, so…
…
Fuck.
Of course, of fucking course, the stupid smiley songster would turn back time just because they didn’t do it perfectly. Ugh. Just her luck.
She grumbles to herself as she packs her bag, not bothering with her family or the rest of the town. The only time she even sees them is when she takes her mother's coin purse from her room. When she first woke from this dream, she ran into her parent's room and showed them her the sword, squealing about how she was the hero.
Everyone loved her after that. They even gave her a farewell parade. She was a hero, and she was going to return as one.
She never wants to see this place again, and she probably never will. It’s so far from the overseer’s towns, and it's not like she has any reason to go back here. Not that she can; it’s going to take all the family's funds to just get to Langtree.
Eya, the Bard better be there when she gets there. She is not sailing halfway around the world just to arrive late.
Whatever, they’ll circle back eventually. Beginning or end, they’ll be at Langtree.
She sneaks onto a supplying ship’s dock and approaches the captain, a small bag of gold in her hand, “I’m looking for a ride east.”
One squirmy crewmate drops their box, “Ma’am, we can’t just–”
She tosses the bag of coins to the captain. He opens it and smiles, “Welcome aboard.”
She nods and moves to board the ship. The captain's crew looks at him, confused. He ignores all of them, “Got a name, stranger?”
Audrey keeps moving, “Not one I’m sharing. Call me a traveler.”
The captain shrugs, “Works for me. Pack it up, boys, we’re moving out.”
Audrey ignores the crew's grumbles and marches onto the boat. Play her cards right, and she’ll run this crew by noon tomorrow
It took… too long, but she eventually made it to Langtree. It went perfectly if you don’t count the bar fights, run away wagon trips, the horse that almost trampled her when she tried to steal it, that guy with the scimitar (jokes on him, she still got his wallet), and the pack of angry merchants (That captain had it coming and no, she will not be taking criticism on that), she finally, finally, made it to Langtree.
Now, where does that loser live? Someone has to know, right? Right. She walks into town, clenching her fist and holding her breath. They don’t remember her, right?
The mayor waves at her first, “Heya, stranger! What brings you to town?”
OH, THANK EYA! Audrey flips her hair, casually tossing away her worries, “Nothing much, I’m a… hero… looking for a Bard to accompany me on a journey. Saving the world type stuff, you know how it is.” She does her very best to sound cool and friendly, forcing a smile on her face. It’s not like she’s lying. She’s just… making an educated guess. Going with one of her theories.
The mayor doesn’t seem too impressed. She just smiles at her like she’s a delusional teenager, “Well, Oh great hero , ‘fraid you’re out of luck. We don’t have a bard in town. Even if we did, the whole town's busy dealing with these ghosts.” The mayor seem hit with an idea, “Hey, you said you’re a hero, right? You wouldn’t mind helping us out, would you?”
Audrey stares at her. She… she wasn’t expecting that, “I–I’m sorry…” she stammers, “You don’t have a bard?” The bard was everywhere! They saved the world! Even if they haven’t yet, Audrey has never met anyone else like them. Surely, someone like that would be memorable, right?
Maybe they’re not so different from me after all.
The mayor laughs, “Man, I wish. Then we could have someone go see the overseer about these ghosts.” The mayor's face lights up, “Do you–”
“No,” She jolts, any friendly demeanor gone. She collects herself quickly, and laughs off the hostility, “No–I– No, I don’t sing.” She awkwardly rubs the back of her neck, murmuring to herself, “Not that it wasn’t obvious, looking for a bard and all.”
“Oh,” The mayor deflates, “That’s a shame. I can’t sing either, and the only one who can is too old to make the journey.”
Audrey glares at her in confusion; isn’t the Nexus point just up a hill? “How far is… the journey?” Journey is a fine word. Might as well go with it. After all, if she reveals too much, they might get their memories back. And then they might beat the shit out of her for hurting the bard. No, no, it would be better for everyone involved if she could just go back to her hidy-hole once this is all over.
But first, she has to find them! That’s already proving to be a challenge. She honestly has no idea what to do now.
“Oh, it’s not that far,” The mayor shrugs, “But she’s really old. Even with your help, I don’t think she could make it.”
“Oh.” Audrey has no idea what to do. They don’t have the Bard? They don’t have the Bard?! What?! Why? How? Huh? The idea of the Bard not being a staple being wherever they go is breaking her. Maybe it’s a trick, maybe they do remember her! Maybe it’s a lie!
…
No, that doesn’t make sense. Even if the mayor’s hiding them from her, that doesn’t explain why they don’t have them deal with the ghost problem. They had to deal with it before, right? So… maybe no one knows they exist. Maybe they’re just… unremarkable.
The thought almost makes her scoff. The Bard being unremarkable, yeah, right. They fought her tooth and nail just to ruin her story! (And save the world or whatever)
Maybe they just aren’t a Bard yet? It sounds unlikely, but maybe? It’s the only thing Audrey can think of.
“Well, do you have anyone looking to be a squire? You know, someone young and spry to help me carry all my adventuring equipment.” She says, carrying her small backpack of supplies perfectly fine, “Maybe someone around my age…” She tacks on with a murmur.
The mayor gives her a knowing smile, “You could have just said you wanted a friend,” She whispers, “But yeah, I think we have someone like that. They live on the edge of town. It’s kind of a pain to get to, but it’s not that hard. I make the trip all the time. Of course, I kinda have to. Poor kiddo can’t even get out of their backyard!” The mayor tries to laugh about it, but it just trails off into some sad chuckle.
Audrey can’t tell if they’re serious, “Cool,” She settles on, a little uncomfortable, “So where do I…?”
“Just head through town and go beside the hill.” The mayor answers, “You’ll know you’ve hit it when you see the ledge.”
Audrey furrows her brow, “The ledge?” She repeats with skepticism.
“Oh it’s small, nothing a big, strong hero like you can’t handle.” The mayor winks at her. She goes beat red and her frown deepens. She doesn’t need some random nobody making fun of her, “Really though, they’re a pain to climb back up, but the drop is fine.”
Audrey doesn’t believe her, but it’s not like she has much of a choice right now, “Thank you,” She says, already walking past the mayor, “I’ll be back with the bar– my squire, shortly.” She doesn’t bother looking back or talking to anyone while walking through. She doesn’t want to be here anymore than she has to be.
Sure enough, right past the hill is a small ledge. She drops down and looks back at it. She can hop this pretty easily, but she can see why someone like the mayor would have trouble. It is a pretty high jump.
Whatever, she shrugs and keeps moving. The sooner she sees the Bard, the sooner she can go back into hiding. Besides, this stupid Bard has a lot of explaining to do.
She finally comes across a small house in a valley. Birds and squirrels freely pass and go from the yard, and the gray flowers sway in the wind. She marches to the front door with an air of authority and righteousness.
She’s fine… It’s fine! The Bard’s an idiot loser who would probably feel very stupid once they realize that she is fine! They’re not going to bite, and even if they did, what could they possibly do against her? She may not have the sword, but she’s still a force to be reckoned with.
With careful hesitation (She’s not fearful. There’s no time to be fearful), she knocks on the door to the Bard’s house.
“Food!” Something crashes in the house. Audrey winces at the sound, then jumps as the door flies open, “Thank you so much– Oh!” The Bard looks at her, cheeks pink with embarrassment, “You’re… not the mayor.”
To say that they’re not what Audrey was expecting would be an understatement. They look awful. That stupid smile is still there, but their eyes are shrunken and their hair’s a mess. They're wearing some blue onesie. The collar's wet like they were chewing on it. It’s revolting.
They notice her staring and laugh awkwardly, “Give me one second.” They close the door, and then there’s a pause. Audrey almost opens the door, but then something crashes again. The whole house bangs and clanks like a machine. She starts thinking she should just leave while she has the chance.
They open the door again, this time in their normal outfit, hat, and everything, “Sorry about that! Wasn’t expecting a guest today!” They smile, “What’s your name, stranger?” Their voice is hoarse like they swallowed sandpaper. Guess that’s what happens when you spend all your time singing.
“... Audrey,” She answers, hesitantly. She doesn’t know what game they’re playing, but she’s putting a stop to it.
They just smile at her, “Nice to meet you, Audrey! I’m–”
“Cut the shit, Bard.” She interrupts, shoving herself into their house, “We both know why I’m here.”
The Bard, “I– uh… what?”
She sits down on their bed in their messy house, “Look, I’m fine! I’ve always been fine, and this whole time travel shtick was a huge overreaction. I didn’t die, you didn’t die, and the world didn’t end. Can you sing things back now?”
The Bard just stares at her, “Um… I think you have the wrong house. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“No, I have the right person.” She glares. What are they doing?! Do they just like to annoy her?! Do they think it’s funny?! “You’re the Bard who sings to everything and anything like it will solve world hunger.” She’s already here, why are they evading her?
Do they not remember her? No, surely not! They caused this mess, why would they not remember it?!
Does she have the wrong guy?! Who else in the entire world could command Eya?!
The Bard lightly laughs at her words, “I wish that were me! I can’t even sing a note!”
Audrey bores into their skull, “Bullshit.”
They stumble back, “It’s–it’s not. I’ve always wanted to sing, but I just can’t. Doc said I have weak lungs–”
“You’re fucking with me.” There is no doubt in her mind that this is the stupid bard from Langtree who saved the world! It’s the same face, same hair, same stupid voice that haunts her every time she looks at a bug. This is the Bard, there’s no other option.
“I’m not! Listen!” They pull themself into their classic singing position, only instead of an angelic voice, something between rusty hinges and nails on a chalkboard comes out, and the Bard falls into a vicious coughing fit, “S–See,” They rasp, pulling themself together, “I couldn’t be a bard, even if I wanted to.”
Audrey gapes at them in a mix of wonder and spine-curling dread, “Holy fuck,” she whispers, the end of the world a thousand times closer.
“You’ve lost your voice.”