#maybe the entire box of bastards in hollow knight? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

agent-cupcake · 4 years

Note

Cupcake!! Do you listen to music while writing? If yes what kind?

Yes! I absolutely do! I really love music, I’d say it’s secondary to literature as far as my choice of creative input so this is also just my personal recommendations regarding music as a whole with explanations and unwanted commentary because I’m dumb and this is one of my favorite things to talk about.

Firstly, my ongoing(ish) story Beastie and the Bard is musically driven so here are some songs I have on my playlist for that. I tend towards pieces that are melancholy but melodic. Entrancing, perhaps.

Lolita by Ennio Morricone - Contextually, I realize this is a bizarre (even tone deaf) pick given the source material, but... Whatever. This song, in general, just reminds me of Dimitri. Although a heavy, militaristic march might suit him better, the heart rending sound of this song just works for me when I think of him. The piano sets the tone immediately, lingering on some notes in a wistful, sad way. And it is sad, the cello and flute join in to make that clear. But, at a certain point, the instruments begin to dance around together, opening up and almost seeming like they want to resolve the song and create something happier, or at least something bittersweet, only to be drawn back into the uneasy tragedy of the main motif. I dunno, for me, it just absolutely aches like betrayal.

Shallan’s Lullaby by treefin / Black Piper - This music box rendition of Shallan’s Lullaby from Stormlight was the melodic inspiration for my bootleg lullaby that reader writes for Dimitri (perhaps not the first part as much as the way it shifts around 1:07). It’s haunting.

Isabella’s Lullaby from The Promised Neverland - Pretty self explanatory, I think. This one hits the sweet spot of beautiful and sad, from the harp to the vocals it just fits.

Howl’s Moving Castle Merry Go Round of Life original and the cover by the Grissini Project - Both versions are incredibly special pieces of music and I’d be surprised if you hadn’t heard this theme before, very good for the more whimsical parts of the story (not that there’s gonna be any more of that).

Shadows of the Lowlands from Xenoblade 2 - While I’m about to recommend this entire soundtrack, this vocal piece is stunning. This guy’s vocals, no joke, sound like a Tolkien Elf. We Are the Chosen Ones is done by the same vocal group and soloist so it’s also making this list although the tone is def a bit different.

Okay now I’m just gonna point out my favorite soundtracks. For all of these, I have COMPLETELY LEGALLY downloaded most of these from other sites, I’m linking youtube just based on superficial searches to hopefully give you a taste and maybe encourage you to NOT BREAK THE LAW and acquire these soundtracks on your own

Fire Emblem Three Houses - This is obvious and I’m sure you’ve all heard it, but go have a listen if you haven’t. but first, is anyone else disappointed about the Three Houses official release soundtrack? Considering the delay I guess I kinda expected more. Granted, the soundtrack IS phenomenal. Not so much in its entirety, which is emblematic of the game as a whole in some ways, but the set pieces? Unforgettable. This soundtrack is a case study in how powerful a small pool of musical motifs and set-up/pay-offs can be. The little promise of God Shattering Star at the very beginning of the game, Those Who Sow Darkness giving a taste of Shambhala, and then the use of the main melodies of Season of Warfare (Main Theme) and Song of the Nabateans. For the most part, both melodies are used in dramatic songs, creating this unbreakable musical connection between Edelgard and Byleth. Or, if you think about it, Edelgard and the Rhea. For example: the thunder version of Funeral of Flowers doesn’t have the game’s theme, but the rain version does (those two songs were WRITTEN to be layered I stg). And then there’s that somewhat bastardized version of the main theme in At What Cost, highlighting the intended twisting of the usual heroic take on that melody. I do have a potentially unpopular opinion, however. The Apex of the World is boring and tonally dissonant with the final battle in Azure Moon. A lot of people really like Edelgard-Dimitri likes Edelgard! There’s very little heroism in that mission, at least to me, and a song like At What Cost would have fit SO MUCH BETTER. I mean, that is also Edelgard’s theme so hearing that being twisted up into this decidedly more dark song would be thematically appropriate to her ultimate choice. The title also just seems like it suits her and Dimitri. Edelgard claims that she has weighed the cost of war, she believes she is capable of taking on the cost of victory without really knowing what it would be. Dimitri's whole story was him trying to find revenge no mater what the cost and now that he has it, he’s fully understanding what it will cost him. I understand why they would use the traditional hero song to cap the route, but it seems weird that they’d be willing to subvert so many other aspects of tradition while holding to that for a song that, in my opinion, is the least interesting of all the final battle songs. As you can probably tell, At What Cost is a song that is very tonally inspiring to me. I also love Funeral of Flowers (Thunder and Rain separately and layered together), The Long Road, and Roar of Dominion for getting hyped to write.

Final Fantasy VII Remake - Ever since I got this soundtrack, I’ve been addicted. I really don’t have much to say on this one other than just to recommend you give it a listen if you’re even passingly interested in orchestral video game music. There’s some misses for me (specifically the Wall Market stuff and anything that gets into the weird electric guitar/techno stuff) but it’s overwhelmingly fantastic and can work for active listening music and for background music while you write. I’d follow up recommend you get ahold of the Acoustic Arrangements soundtrack. I can’t link you on this one but it’s worth the extra legwork to procure it COMPLETELY LEGALLY.

Final Fantasy Distant Worlds - I was actually able to see the Distant World’s tour when it swept through Houston and at that point I had no idea what the fuck a Final Fantasy was. At all. However, seeing One Winged Angel live is not something I will ever forget. Ever. This soundtrack is great for some background listening and although it is often too upbeat for my usual tastes, it’s good when I need something easier. Okay. Real talk. I was about to recommend to you a bunch of FFXIV music (the MMO), choice selections from FFXV, and try and dig up some songs that are only available in live recordings. If you like Final Fantasy music, I recommend all of these things. The games are a clusterfuck but the music is even moreso and it’s worth your time if you like this kind of thing.

Xenoblade 2 - See? Told you I was gonna recommend this. Actually, ranking wise, I would say that I like it more than Final Fantasy. This soundtrack is magical. I cannot stress that enough, there is a level of whimsy and beauty that went into this soundtrack that all at once draws upon the genre and being it’s own thing. Like, I get it, there’s a lot of misses. The electric guitar is jarring and annoying. Listen to Sea of Clouds, like, actually listen to it. Listen to Desolation. Pay attention to the motif used in connection with Elysium and then the other songs that its used in. The Power of Jin. This is a sometimes sad but mostly beautiful and whimsical soundtrack that is good for listening and for using as background music.

Xenoblade 1 - I don’t have as much to say about this one, I don’t feel as if it’s as emotionally resonant as my other recommendations. BUT it is gorgeous. The area themes are wonderful and perfect for setting tone.

Hollow Knight - Hollow Knight’s soundtrack takes one step back from the drama of the others and revels in its depressive simplicity. There are songs with a more cheerful tone, and the magical whimsy of Xenoblade 2 is very much brought to life in many of the pieces, but for the most part the soundtrack is as gorgeously melancholy as the game itself. One of my favorite things in music is when songs are given new life through new context and the White Palace --> Pale Court transition is haunting.

Diabolik Lovers - OKAY I KNOW I KNOW hear me out. This soundtrack has no right to be as gorgeous, emotional, or quality as it is. This song, Lovers, is the younger sibling of Lolita’s theme, okay? Thematically, that’s kinda hilarious, but I mean it. If you like that song, give a few of the songs from this OST a chance.

BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite - BioShock 1&2 are different from Infinite. A lot more grungy, a lot more angry and discordant, the strings buzz and there’s a lot more horror to it all. Infinite, on the other hand, is very pretty. Infinite’s soundtrack is about the characters and their journey and feelings. The first two game’s soundtracks are about the ruined city of Rapture. It depends on what you’re in the mood for. I write using Infinite’s music more often, but there’s pieces in the first two that capture this empty, yearning feeling that is good for setting mood.

Pathologic - “Half Life’s soundtrack directed by Genghis Khan.” It’s bizarre. It’s grungy.

Void (Typrop) - Basically the same deal. I dunno man, I like being inspired by horror.

Outlast - It’s an orchestral horror game soundtrack. Like the game itself, there’s a lot of horror movie inspiration.

Dishonored 1 and Dishonored 2 - This is mostly background music. It’s a stealth game so it’s kinda uneasy, but I think there’s something really unique. Maybe the instruments? There’s a lot of weird sounds used.

Higurashi - This is a compilation of horror themed songs from the anime soundtrack, but the VN soundtrack and the non-horror stuff is pretty good, too. Michishirube is my favorite.

Madoka Magica Rebellion - The main anime soundtrack is gorgeous. The bells, the strings, the drama... I’m recommending Rebellion specifically because it’s the more cohesive and story-driven soundtrack. This one is not as horror-ish and weird than the others, it is very beautiful and nice to listen to. Sad, in some parts, too.

Code Geass and Resurrection - Brass? Got it. Dramatic strings? Got it. Bombastic set piece songs? Triple got it. This soundtrack oozes style. In some ways, that makes it not good for writing, but in others it can. Depends on what you’re writing. I think the melodrama can be incredibly useful for getting my mind in that frenzy state.

Okay I’m done. Thank you for bearing with me.

If we’re talking what songs inspire specific things, the Ferdinand piece was accompanied by a lot of the Diabolik Lovers soundtrack and Final Fantasy. When I wrote my sad Felix piece, it was all about Hollow Knight with a spot of Bloodborne and Dark Souls.

#personal #wow it's four pm and i have done nothing with my day #what a distraction #i love music

27 notes · View notes

anytaintedcreature · 6 years

Text

Once Upon A Dream (3/?)

Honored Luminary. Last Prince of Dundrasil. Rowan has many names, and doesn’t feel he’s lived up to any of them, what with the hole in the sky where the World Tree once bloomed, and a victory that feels hollow in the aftermath. When he’s offered a chance to do it all over again, he doesn’t have much of a choice. He’s the Luminary, and his life isn’t his own to live, and he’s about to learn just how much is lost when one loses time.

Canon Divergence AU: Yggdrasil never returns to life after Mordegon’s fall, and the Luminary returns to a former place in time with an interesting new ability that might prove to be more of a curse than a blessing.

Rating: T

AO3 & Tumblr (P)(1)

***

Chapter 2: The Other Side

I was promised the glorious ending of a knight

But the crown is out of sight

I’m slowly drifting into slumber

‘Cause I have lost the force to fight

It’s like a cold hand on my shoulder

I’ll see you on the other side.

***

Before

Erik had never had many experiences with magic.

He knew about it, of course, and prided himself on being clever - he believed in the things he could see, and he’d certainly seen enough. But he thought magical occurrences were rare, isolated incidents. The sort of nightmare that happened once, and left you spending your days trying to forget in the wake of it.

It was because of this that Erik realized early on his new companion would take some getting used to. Rowan was nice enough, of course - if a little naive - and Erik had already come to the reluctant conclusion that, should anyone try to harm the Luminary, he’d likely stick his dagger in them with very little remorse after the fact.

It was something about his eyes, he guessed, that made you want to lead armies in his honor. Maybe it was the rarity of his smiles, that you had to earn every one of them.

And that was more than enough of that.

No, Erik was getting along with Rowan just fine. The source of his discomfort was more to the fact that, during his days in the other boy’s company, strange things happened.

With him, something fanciful happened at least once a day, and Erik was having a hard time maintaining his skepticism.

Maybe that’s what putting his faith in the Luminary meant.

Whatever it was, it led to him knee-deep in the marsh at the base of Cobblestone falls, searching for a box of letters that may or may not exist, left there by Rowan’s grandfather. Or so he was told, by a ghost in a vision the Luminary had of his past.

When they’d arrived to find Cobblestone in ruins, Erik had been furious - on his new friend’s behalf, and for the village itself. Innocent and peaceful, until it had been in someone else’s way.

He’d expected Rowan to be angry as well, or devastated, even thought he might shake a fist at the skies and rail at the forces of nature for a while. He hadn’t expected the other boy’s hand to glow in time with a tree root, or for him to emerge from a concerning trance suggesting they go hunt for an old box.

It wasn’t until about ten minutes into a silent search that Erik realized Rowan just needed to feel like he was doing something.

“You can talk about it, if you like,” Erik spoke up, casting a quick glance in the other boy’s direction. “I know that must have been pretty rough.”

Rowan was quiet for a moment, long enough that Erik thought he might not answer at all, before he heard an angry sigh.

“I suppose I just didn’t expect them to destroy an entire village, just because I was raised there,” he started, and when Erik looked back over, he could see the knot between Rowan’s brows, the tightness to his jaw. “And I...I’d like to think they’re okay, since there aren’t any...you know. But how can I know for sure? How can you rationalize that?” He tossed his marked hand in the direction of the destruction they’d left.

“You can’t,” Erik told him, his voice low. “But if it helps, I think they’re probably alright. There’s no evidence anyone was killed there. I bet they’ve locked them away.”

Rowan turned to look at the wisps of smoke that still rose over the hill. “Maybe,” he muttered, but it didn’t sound as if he truly believed it, and the utter desolation in his eyes made Erik want to bundle him away, far from the things that caused him pain.

He knew what it was to lose what he loved, after all.

“Well, I’ll help you get revenge, when the time comes,” Erik told him, nudging the dagger that rested through his belt. “We’ll make those bastards wish they’d never heard of Cobblestone.”

The comment achieved what he’d hoped, as he saw the corner of Rowan’s mouth quirk up into the slightest of smiles, even tinged with sadness as it was. “You know, my grandfather always told me not to bear grudges. I wonder if he’d still believe that, if he saw- Wait,” Rowan pointed, before bending down and digging around the base of one of the stones.

“This is it,” he said, pulling the small box loose from its hiding place before prying the lid open.

“Letters?” Erik asked, peeking over his shoulder as Rowan carefully lifted the first envelope from the box. He slid one finger beneath the seal, gentle and reverent, and Erik felt like an intruder.

He turned to scan the cliffs above and felt a prickle run the length of his spine, an itch between his shoulders.

They needed to run, and soon. Heliodor’s soldiers would still be hunting them, and every one of them knew where the Luminary would head first.

It was only a matter of time.

The damn Prince of Dundrasil.

Everyone knew about the old, ruined kingdom. He’d heard the tales more than once, the way everyone speaks of such things - in hushed whispers, as though lamenting tragedy quietly would prevent it from befalling you next. Erik knew that Dundrasil had once been a glorious land, bountiful, rich, and second only to the capital itself, when monsters laid waste to the castle and all that surrounded it in the night. The King and Queen had died, along with their newborn child and Heliodor’s Princess.

Or so the stories go.

Erik would wonder just how many more titles Rowan had to his name, but there was a time and place to ponder such things, and desperately fleeing Heliodor’s soldiers with one horse between the two of them was not one of them.

Rowan had an arm wrapped around his waist, fingers twisted in Erik’s tunic to keep his seat as he shot a glance over his shoulder. “They’re catching up,” he warned, shouting to be heard over the wind.

“Just hold on,” Erik ground the words out, urging the horse to go just a little bit faster.

The door was so close, and the blue stone that had rested at the bottom of Rowan’s grandfather’s box began to glow in the Luminary’s hand.

Between one breath and the next, they hit the ground hard, and he knew he would have bruises later. Erik was half certain he’d need to haul Rowan through the doorway himself, but they made it through with mere moments to spare. The doors slammed shut behind them, and the darkness that enveloped them didn’t stay for long as the stone pulsed in Rowan’s grip.

Yes, Erik thought, as a white fog rolled around them and swallowed them whole, he’d had more than enough damn magic for one afternoon.

***

Rowan was not usually the first to wake.

Typically, Erik would put his feet on the ground before the others and prowl around their camp to scan for signs of danger, before scrounging around for something to eat. He had trouble sleeping through the night in open or unfamiliar areas, a fact Rowan had learned the very first night they’d spent alone out near the Emerald Coast. The older boy had dragged his blankets over to Rowan’s and asked - with averted eyes and a warning in his tone - if he minded if they slept back to back, for safety. He still slept with his daggers in arm’s reach, a habit Rowan had tried to gently break him out of many times.

After Yggdrasil’s fall, it was always Hendrik, up well before the sun. One who wastes the morning away in bed might as well stay there. The world still needs saving before the sun hits the sky. Rowan had heard the gruff complaint many times, and missed him like a limb.

But the knight was not among them and Erik was still sleeping, curled up like a cat a few feet away from his back, and something about the sight made Rowan’s heart ache far too much for him to even think of rolling back over to try to drift off again. He kicked away from his blankets before rolling them up, and found his eyes sticking to the tent where the girls slept. His dream from the night before came crashing back to mind.

Although, it hadn’t really felt like his dream. The sensation of being an audience to someone else’s inner turmoil had been strangely familiar, and it only took him a moment to figure out just where he’d experienced it before.

The Yggdrasil roots, and the visions he had when he encountered them - it happened before in Cobblestone, again with Hendrik and Jasper’s memories in Heliodor Castle, and with Erik’s memories of his sister in Sniflheim. But that was different, surely-

“You’re up early,” Erik’s voice was low and rough with sleep, and Rowan wondered just how long it would take before he’d get used to the jolt in his stomach when he heard him, or for him to grow familiar with the hole in his chest that gaped wide when he remembered that things were not the same.

“Great,” Erik continued, unaware of Rowan’s internal struggle as he stretched his arms high above his head, “you can check the forest with me, scout ahead a bit before the others get up.”

As Rowan tracked his movements like he was trying to memorize a sunrise, he realized with certainty that he wouldn’t adjust any time soon.

“Sure,” he said, the word sounding more like a sigh, “sounds like a plan.”

Jasper was out there somewhere, Rowan knew, a cat circling his prey before he pounced, and he wasn’t about to let Erik fall victim to the hunt.

They were getting closer to the Heart, with every passing breath, every determined footfall. Fear had an iron grip on his throat and squeezed tighter and tighter by the second until he could barely breathe.

Rowan tried to find a distraction, whether by chatting with his companions or running through mental scenarios in which they didn’t all end up doomed, but it never worked for long. He’d still catch himself looking over his shoulder for a glint of silver armor in the sun, or the curl of a sinister sneer in the shadows,

He had to stop. He shook his head roughly, as though thoughts were so easily cleared. When he looked up, he caught Serena’s eye, and she gave him a small, encouraging smile before returning to her conversation with her sister.

She didn’t seem to remember his intrusion into her dream. He’d watched her carefully when her blonde head appeared between the tent flaps as she pushed her way out into the cool dawn air, but she’d offered up nothing more than a soft smile and a cheery good morning before hurrying to help in their preparations to continue up to Yggdrasil. In the hours since, she’d acted completely normal. Curiosity ate at him, but it wasn’t as if he could just ask her.

A mystery for another day, he decided, if they made it through this one.

The trees grew thicker, the underbrush denser. The narrow path he walked was becoming more familiar, and when Rowan saw the green glow emanating through the leaves ahead, a weight settled low in his stomach.

They’d made it.

One by one his companions stepped closer to the light, nearly identical expressions of awe across each face, but Rowan didn’t hear their comments. He stared up at Yggdrasil’s Heart, silent, and counted his breaths as he waited.

One.

“Owww! The naughty thing gave me a shock!”

Two.

“Aye, and so it should…”

Three.

“...The Sword of Light..”

It had gone so utterly, horribly wrong the first time. Rowan took a step closer, and felt his hands start to shake.

Four.

“Only you can save our world.”

He rather thought the world deserved better, but he was trying, and he would try again.

The mark on the back of his hand began to glow, warm and steadying, and he let his eyes fall closed.

And there it was.

The snap of a twig, the rustle of leaves underfoot; all things to indicate an intruder in their midst, and though the hunt was over, Rowan knew more than he had the time before. He reached back, curling his fingers around the hilt of the Sword of Shadows. The greatsword was heavier in his grasp than his usual choice of blades, but he would make do.

Lend me your strength, Rowan thought, with one last glance at the Heart, so that I might do better by you this time around.

The first crack of magic sizzling through the air, and the sound of a blow deflected, was deafening.

One by one, Rowan uncurled his fingers, and let the hilt of the shattered blade fall from his fingers and into the grass. His knees shook as adrenaline fled and weariness leaked into his bones in its wake, but he kept to his feet.

They’d won.

Jasper was still on the ground before him, soundly beaten but breathing, and Yggdrasil still stood. He could barely believe it. Rowan let out a loud breath, and felt a smile curl his lips.

It slid away in the next instant, his relief fading when he heard the metallic creak of armor followed by a voice that sent a chill down his spine.

“And what do we have here?”

For a blessed moment, he’d forgotten.

Rowan spun around on his heel as King Carnelian approached, Hendrik at his back. “What has Jasper led us into?” the latter asked, his brows drawn low as he took in the scene. “What happened here?”

Rab stepped forward, an explanation on his tongue, but Rowan watched the king.

Mordegon.

He knew how this story should have gone, but now that the path had changed their enemy was not going to reveal himself, Rowan realized, with a slowly mounting horror. And why would he? The fight had not turned in his favor, but he could still maintain his host. No one else knew, and if he tried to strike the King himself, Rowan knew without a doubt that Hendrik would cut him down where he stood.

He was powerless.

Distantly, he could hear Jade appealing to Hendrik on his behalf. He could hear Serena and Veronica murmuring to each other, and the sounds of a still-living forest encompassing them all. He kept his eyes on Carnelian. Try as he might, Rowan couldn’t quite manage to slow his breathing. The King would stay a threat, only one he had no idea how to handle.

“M-Master, help me…” Jasper started, raising his arm weakly.

Rowan watched as Carnelian’s eyes narrowed, his expression shrewd and calculating. His hand fell to the sword at his waist, and Jasper’s eyes went just a little wide, the barest flicker of confusion crossing his face. With a certainty he couldn’t begin to fathom, Rowan knew what would happen the moment before it did. He heard the hiss of a sword sliding against leather as it was withdrawn, and after the slightest hesitation, he moved.

He dove forward, raising his falcon blade high. “Wait!”

The King’s sword crashed into Rowan’s with an echoing clatter. The force of the attack radiated up his arms, but he gritted his teeth and held his guard.

For a moment, everyone in the clearing was silent and he felt the weight of all eyes on him - his friends, he knew, would be confused, and Jasper behind him possibly even more so. Carnelian’s face twisted, a mask of burning rage unbecoming of a king.

“You dare, Luminary?” he growled, but Rowan’s eyes landed elsewhere. He wasn’t watching the enemy at his back or the one who stood before him, but Hendrik, who stood behind his king.

The usually unflappable knight looked downright horrified, and Rowan felt his confidence grow, lend some steel to his spine.

“You would cut a man down without even a trial?” Rowan challenged, and saw something akin to relief wash over Hendrik’s face before it hardened to stone once more.

Hendrik wouldn’t defy his king to save the life of a traitor, Rowan knew, but he didn’t want to watch Jasper die at his feet, either.

The Luminary lifted his gaze up to the imposing king before him. Carnelian stared back, considering, and Rowan wondered if he’d realized much the same thing as he himself had, moments before.

They were at an impasse, both unable to make a move against the other. Rowan felt frozen, a mouse in a trap while the cat advanced - but he knew too that Mordegon could not openly attack him without risking his own cover, and that would have to be enough.

For now.

“Besides,” Rowan continued, as Carnelian slowly lowered his blade, “if he’s been working for Mordegon, he might have information that could help us.” He lifted his hand and waved it in Jasper’s direction, with the strongest sleep spell he could manage. “He’ll stay unconscious for the journey back to Heliodor.”

The king’s eyes flashed with malice, but Rowan didn’t flinch. He lowered his own sword only when Carnelian sheathed his. “Very well, Luminary. You raise a valid point. It would appear I owe you an apology, as well.”

Rowan noticed he didn’t offer one. He took a step back as Jade walked forward to greet the man she believed to be her father. While he wanted to warn her, he realized he might not need to. Her shoulders were tight, uneasy, and her smile was strained.

Well, at least he wasn’t the only one.

When a hand came down on his shoulder, he stiffened. If Erik noticed, he didn’t show it.

“You did good,” Erik said, keeping his voice low. His eyes darted between Jade and the king before landing on Jasper’s prone form. “I am a little surprised you saved his life, though.”

“I almost didn’t, after everything he’s done,” Rowan admitted. He remembered a blast of dark magic, Erik taking the blow and falling to the ground, and the white-hot fear that had flashed through his veins like lightning. But earlier still was don’t bear grudges, and live with love in your heart, and he hadn’t saved Jasper’s life for his own sake. “But, ah - he could be helpful.”

“Maybe,” Erik conceded, doubt clouding his voice as his eyebrows knitted together, “or he might cause more problems.”

Nothing worse than he’s already done.

“Luminary!”

He jumped, and Erik gave his shoulder a too-brief squeeze before letting go, his lips quirking up into a faint smirk as he barely concealed his amusement. He believed there was nothing left to fear, after all.

Rowan turned to glance at the king, who nodded once. “Take the Sword of Light, then we will make our way back to Heliodor! We have much to celebrate.”

The king’s smile was predatory, and Rowan forced his own in return. When he walked towards the Heart, he felt the burn of Mordegon’s stare like a brand between his shoulders, where in another time, he’d borne a scar.

No, they had plenty left to fear. Rowan knew the way of battles and war, and where the first had been won, the second was far from over.

***

The forest was burning, but Rowan could breathe just fine through the heavy smoke in the air. He dug his thumb in between his ribs and felt nothing, not even a twinge.

We’re doing this again, then.

He took off at a run through falling trees, pushed his way through licking flames as they climbed higher, rising up to the Heart of the World Tree, destroying the world in their wake.

The burning in his throat wasn’t from the smoke, but from the grim certainty that guided his steps onward. He knew whose nightmare he walked, and where to find her.

Rowan had seen this once before, after all.

He heard a familiar shout and kept running until he saw a staff in the air, a bright burst of light surrounding it. Veronica lay trapped beneath it, one hand outstretched. “I have to save them,” she screamed, and her eyes found his through the haze. “I have to-”

Rowan dropped to his knees and closed his fingers around hers. “I’ve got you,” he shouted back, desperate to be heard over the roar of flames, the cracking of the dying tree overhead. “I’m here.”

“I’m not strong enough,” Veronica cried, clutching his offered hand. “We’re not going to make it, I can’t save them, I-” she broke off with a small, broken sound, eyes wild. He could smell blood, cloying and hot.

“No,” Rowan growled, gripping her hand tighter, “you did save us. We don’t have to be here. This isn’t real, not anymore.” He tried to summon up a healing spell, but his magic was nowhere to be found. “Take us somewhere else, Veronica,” he ordered, “anywhere else. We don’t have to see this again, not if you don’t want to.”

She met his eyes with something like hope, and blinked the world away.

Rowan opened his eyes to a rain-soaked grove, silence where there once was chaos. Veronica’s small hand was still encased in his own. When he looked around, he couldn’t help the quick grimace. It was certainly not a place he would have chosen.

“You brought us here?” he asked.

“Serena and I used to play here, when we were children,” she explained, a fact he already knew. She turned to him with a frown. “What was that? It was so...awful, so real. I was dying, and now-”

“A nightmare,” Rowan interrupted, his voice firm and sure. “Nothing more.”

Not anymore, never again.

Veronica studied him, lips pursed. “No, it was more than that, wasn’t it? Almost like a memory, but that doesn’t-” she stopped, studying him. “You know, don’t you? Tell me.”

Rowan chewed on his bottom lip. “It happened once,” he admitted, though he knew he probably shouldn’t. “The first time, ah, I failed. Mordegon destroyed Yggdrasil and the tree fell. You saved the rest of us, somehow, but you-” his voice broke, and he looked down, throat suddenly too tight to force words through.

“I died.” Veronica finished his thought on a breath, staring at him. “That’s it, isn’t it? I’m dead?” Her voice rose higher, and Rowan shook his head.

“You aren’t,” he whispered, “not in this timeline.”

“What did you do?” Veronica asked, softer.

“Well a world without you isn’t going to go very far, is it?” Rowan joked weakly. “I, well, I broke Time’s Sphere. To go back to yesterday, before we went up to Yggdrasil, so I could change the outcome.”

He watched as Veronica pressed her lips together. Her cheeks grew red, as though she were trying desperately not to cry. “You did that for me?”

“I needed to fix a lot of things,” Rowan said quietly, “but mostly for you, yeah.”

The small girl collided into him, knocking the breath from his lungs when she wrapped her arms around his neck. “That was stupid,” Veronica mumbled into his hair. “The Keepers swore an oath, to protect the Luminary at all costs, even if-” she trailed off with a quiet sniffling sound.

Rowan let out a watery laugh. “Maybe,” he agreed, “but I owe you too, you and every one of our friends, and I’m not losing anyone else, alright? No one else is going to die for me.”

While Veronica started to cry in earnest, he held her together and cast his eyes upwards. High in the sky, the World Tree stood tall, no longer burning. For all that he’d lost in returning, he’d gained a great deal back in turn.

#dragon quest xi #dqxi #dqxi ff #erik/luminary #luminary x erik #dragon quest 11

0 notes