Chapter Text
A/N: I finally got around to this! This is the sequel fic to my one-shot “Sever the Dark Tide.” You can read that before reading this if you like, but you only need to know two things going into this fic.
The concept is squarely on Changli x Fleurdelys/Cartethyia x Rover, though I will likely drop the Rover part. Anyways, the two things you need to know is that Changli and Fleurdelys fought in the Avinoleum. Fleurdelys died, while Changli burned all but three years of her life. By the events of this story, Cartethyia, in line with the canon plot, merged with Fleurdelys and reconciled her two halves.
In the prequel to this fic, I gave Changli more buffs than Fleurdelys. I do not argue that Changli can defeat Fleurdelys solo canonically, but in the prequel in the fic I made her pull that off by burning 17 years of her life, but they also fell in love with each other, which sets up this fic.
Also, Cartethyia will be referred to Fleurdelys mostly because that is the name Changli knows her by.
Spring of Year 1: You Can Call Me…
…
Incense wafted through the room. Changli stirred from her slumber but did not open her eyes. The relaxing feeling she felt when she inhaled – there remained the idea that she were meant to dream still. However, this feeling began to ebb as she reflexively adjusted her position on the bed, and she could not feel her own body.
Changli’s eyes opened to a foreign ceiling obscured by a bed canopy. She tried with her best efforts to get up on her elbows, with limited success. Her control of her limbs – it was as though she had woken from sleep paralysis, able to move in fits and never strongly. She had been tucked into bed, the blankets had been drawn up to her chin before she had moved. Stacks of pillows supported her head, making it slightly easier to turn towards that faint sound from her right: the sound of someone softly snoring.
There was a chair beside the bed facing directly towards it. If someone had sat in it, it would be as though they were keeping watch for the slightest movement, but this watchwoman seemed to have betrayed their duty. Fleurdelys was in her small form – Changli did not quite know what to call it – dozing off. She leaned forward onto the bed, facing towards her but oblivious that Changli had woken up.
Suddenly, all the trepidation of finding out the current state of things felt a little less important, and Changli found herself engrossed in the smallest of details – in how Fleurdelys was smiling at something in her sleep; how her ears wiggled a bit, giving a happy feeling. It occurred to her that Fleurdelys was without her horn, and at what would have been its base was a tacet mark with six notches. A few strands of hair drooped down across her face, out of place.
Changli’s arm gave out from beneath her, and the bed shook. For a moment, a ripple of terror came over Changli, thinking that she would wake her guardswoman, but she did not even stir. In fact, she could not help but hear the smallest, dreary giggle escape her.
The door to the room opened, startling Changli harshly. This time, Fleurdelys also started from her sleep at Changli’s movement.
A woman dressed in soft lavender and white entered. A male servant followed with a tray of food and beverage, but at the sight of Changli’s wakefulness, the woman halted at the door frame. “Ohh~. The healing incense did its work, I see.”
Changli tried to sit up, but the lady in lavender held up a hand to stop her.
“I wouldn’t recommend that. You are partially anesthetized – it’s a brew I use to quell the pains of battle and return my family to the fight. Do you have any idea what you were doing before you became unconscious?”
Before Changli could come with an answer, small Fleurdelys jumped on her, wrapping her arms around Changli’s neck. “You’re awake!”
“Now, now, Cartethyia,” the lady in lavender said. “She has unhealed injuries. We can not disturb her too much.”
Fleurdelys yelped. “Sorry! I was just… so happy.”
A sudden realization came over Changli. Then a moment of panic. “Wait, how are you here? Did I… fail?”
Fleurdelys tilted her head to the side. The way her long ears kept their momentum a little with the end of the clockwise motion – it was beyond adorable, and Changli had to put in effort to remain on topic.
“I thought I killed you. How are you alive? Your body… it’s unblemished.”
“Well, on that last point.” Fleurdelys became visibly smug. “I was… heh – that’s because I was-.” She giggled at her own joke, unable to get through it. The lady in lavender covered her mouth with her hand. Whether it was to cover a smile or grimace was unclear. In her own mind, Changli filled in the rest: she was born that way. Fleurdelys continued. “But for everything else… it’s a long story.”
Fleurdelys recounted the story of the fight against the Leviathan, how she had both been the Holy Maiden and a creation of the Leviathan, and how Cantarella – the lady in lavender – gave the energy from her second awakening to strengthen Imperator and allow Fleurdelys to strike them down. But that had not been the end. Now she became locked in unending battle against the Threnodian who assimilated with her. So, she split herself in two – one who roamed Avinoleum without memories who Cantarella called Cartethyia, and one still locked in unending battle called Fleurdelys. Changli had encountered the latter and defeated them. The former arrived at the scene shortly afterwards with Rover and merged with Fleurdelys, making them united again.
Changli felt like she had more questions now, but all the important ones were answered. But there was that name that Cantarella kept saying: Cartethyia. It felt strange. Perhaps it was because Changli only encountered Fleurdelys in the most dire circumstances, but it felt like this “Cartethyia” were referring to someone else. Changli used that name once in the conversation, and it immediately felt off. Fleurdelys clearly felt some way about it: upon hearing Changli speak it, there was the quickest glance with a meaning Changli could not discern – before Cantarella continued conversing and the story continued.
The poor soul who held food in a tray was finally allowed to set it down. Cantarella excused herself from the room, promising to inform Rover in due time. They had already been drawn into another adventure: Changli had been knocked out for more than a week. That name still stirred something within her, but ever since the fight Changli felt like the weight she gave things were completely thrown awry.
She had only three years to live. Nobody but her knew. Even though the fact that she overclocked was evident – new ribbons of red ran all along her body, no longer relegated to one of her arms – only one person could guess her state, and they were far away. Changli’s eyes dropped to her blankets. She bunched some fabric in her hands.
Now Changli and Fleurdelys were alone. Although the topic of the story had heavier tones, she had managed to stay relatively upbeat about it. It was probably easier after having triumphed, Changli reasoned. But now, the smile shone only as intense as embers from an expended campfire.
“Changli… I feel like something is wrong.” Fleurdelys’ hands were stacked one atop the other, neat on her lap. “Did you… hurt yourself in our last fight?”
Changli shook her head. “I don’t mind being hurt in a fight. It was necessary… I couldn’t leave you to fall to the Threnodian.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She shook her head. A pout formed on her face. “A fight is a fight, but something has happened. I can feel it – I know these things.”
Was that determination in her eyes? A smile broke across Changli’s face. All these endearing little mannerisms – Changli couldn’t help but respond in some way. With a resigned exhale, Changli closed her eyes and laid her head back on her pillow fortress. Nevertheless, she forsook the catharsis of being truly seen. “It’s a new day for me. Be whatever it may, I know who I am.”
Suddenly, Fleurdelys was over her. She had gotten on top of the bed on her knees and slid over, and now her two arms were like an arc looming above. The doubt that this young lady was truly Fleurdelys was extinguished; there was that intensity she remembered inside of her eyes, but this time wreathed in worry. But no matter what, very few things would make Changli budge here.
“If you don’t tell me what is the matter…” Fleurdelys hesitated, thinking twice. She gulped. “Then I won’t ever speak to you again.”
Changli turned up her head to meet her eyes squarely. Although Fleurdelys’ eyes didn’t waver, it was clear that this subject had become irrevocably important to her, and she would chase her to the ends of Solaris-3 to figure out the answer. When Changli spoke, her breath was light, as if speaking it that way may magically change the strength in which its truth bound her: “Fleurdelys… I have three years left to live. I burned up all my years.”
It took a few seconds for the words to sink in, but as soon as Changli saw the expression on Fleurdelys’ face change, she immediately regretted saying anything at all. Changli could tell: she was making that one, inevitable, useless conclusion.
Changli spoke. “It was my decision… please don’t cry.” She cursed the fact that she could barely lift her arms to reach out to her.
Fleurdelys bowed her head until her chin hit her chest. Then as she bent her back, a sheen of oceanic glamour wreathed her, and Changli’s eyes grew wide. Fleurdelys’ appearance changed, and she was in that form that Changli recognized from the tower. However, she was not as giant as before – still large, but not so large as to break the bed beneath them. Suddenly, they were resting next to each other, Changli wrapped up in the giantess’ arms.
“Mmp-” It happened fast enough to catch Changli off guard, but even as they settled Changli didn’t resist. Whether her non-resistance was for Fleurdelys… or herself, she could not tell.
As Fleurdelys held her a bit tighter, Changli could feel the slightest wind of her breath on her neck, and she melted. The tenseness disappeared from her shoulders; it was as though she could go right back to sleep.
“I promise,” Fleurdelys whispered. Her voice had changed to be a bit grave, deeper, but the kernel of the same person was there. “These next three years are going to be the best in your life.”
Changli made some space between them so that they could look at each other. A reflexive dismissal, something like, “No, you don’t have to do this” almost left her lips, butthe look in Fleurdelys’ eyes seized her, and that day, despite all her years of caring for others, Changli learned something new.
All her life, Changli had always thought of caring for others as her giving her own life force to someone else, like how heat may be transferred from one medium to another. But this feeling – looking at Fleurdelys, this one-woman army capable of robbing her of her years: her pupils shaking slightly. And it was then that it occurred to her. Caring for Changli in this sense was like caring for herself. If Changli was unwell, she would be. If she thrived, so would she.
The brevity of her time was merely the catalyst. It was clear from the moment she woke up and found Fleurdelys by her bed that she thought this way. When Changli realized this, a feeling of shame came over her, and the thought came up that perhaps she was not a very caring person after all: she was merely a dutiful person, who had assigned themselves a duty of caring for others all this time.
Fleurdelys lightly flicked Changli’s forehead. Changli flinched. It didn’t hurt at all, but she ended up reacting anyway.
“You’re beating yourself up, aren’t you? I can see it in your eyes.” Fleurdelys gave an exasperated sigh, but smiled all the same. “Isn’t this backwards?”
A lot of things were backwards, but Changli found she didn’t mind being in the care of another for once. Fleurdelys intertwined her legs with Changli’s. Changli felt short all of a sudden.
“All you have to do is repeat after me, okay?” Fleurdelys didn’t wait for her to respond. “I want to live to the fullest… I will never succumb to the darkness. Can you say that for me?”
“… Is this really necessary?”
A pout grew on Fleurdelys’ face, and Changli folded like a house of cards.
“I want to live to the fullest… I will not succumb.” Changli couldn’t bring herself to say “to the darkness,” but this was close enough. It felt strange being dragged along like this, but Changli didn’t dislike it. “Thank you for going out of your way for me… what was your name? Cantarella calls you Cartethyia, but in the tower I knew you as Fleurdelys. Which are you?”
Changli knew that the woman before her was the product of two halves merging again. A fear grew in her stomach that perhaps the one she knew had been lost, or perhaps diminished.
“I want to say that it doesn’t matter anymore. All the others met me as Cartethyia, but since you knew me first as Fleurdelys… you know me as Fleurdelys-” Changli’s breath became deeper, and she listened all the more intently. “-that is what you can call me.”
And under that bed canopy, Changli felt as though she had been knighted.