Post by Cloverheart ✿ on Nov 29, 2015 22:57:39 GMT -5
Prologue
A girl sat in her tent, swirling a stray strand of hair with her finger. Her normally pulled back hair was down in wavy strands as her eyes scanned the pages of the book laid in front of her. Sighing, she shut the book and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "You know," she started, examining the book's cover, "I always sort of wondered what my parents were like. The only thing I know is who my dad was, and that's sort of... a touchy subject."
Her friend, a ginger-haired young adult, nodded in understanding. "Yeah," he replied. "I guess there's nothing wrong with being curious. I suppose I wouldn't know, since I knew both my parents." He swung his legs, sitting on the girl's bed.
"It just makes me wonder." She said softly, looking down.
Chapter 1
"Validar!" A voice called across the quiet library, breaking the silence. Quite a few glares shot at the one responsible, but one pair of eyes seemed to shine. Running across the library was a short girl with long, flowing, light brown hair streaming behind her as she ran. A single lily was placed in her hair, framing her face. The girl rain up to greet her friend, a boy taller than her. He had spiked, dark brown hair and light brown skin as if he had been subjected to the sun for too long. He let out an almost silent laugh, turning away from his book. "Lillianthum, this is a library. You're supposed to be silent." He whispered, smiling kindly at her. Lillianthum grinned back, panting. "Sorry. I just wanted to know where you were all day." Validar sighed, his grin fading into a frown. "My father was ranting about the whole Grimleal thing again, since he's the co-leader and all." The boy didn't look too pleased, eyes darting away. Lilli frowned in response, but it drifted into a smile as she did her best to cheer up. "Ah, well. It can't be helped with him. Anyway, let's go play! I haven't seen you at all!" A few more shushes were sent at her, but she ignored them, grabbing Validar's hand and dragging him to his feet. Validar glanced longingly at the book he had been reading, but turned away reluctantly and allowed himself to be dragged away by his friend.
Validar and Lillianthum sat on a stone wall in the castle courtyard, the afternoon sun beating down on their heads. Validar, as usual, had his nose in a book, while Lilli had another piece of candy in her mouth. The sound of marching footsteps sounded near them, and they looked up to see a small group of soldiers marching along the breezeway with a short, red-haired boy.
Lilli looked over at Validar, a look of confusion on her face. "Isn't that Prince Gangrel? I wonder what he's doing out of his room." She said softly, for fear of the soldiers overhearing her. Validar shrugged. He didn't know much about the prince--neither of them did, since he was the son of a soldier and she was the daughter of a maid. Neither of them really saw their parents a lot.
The lot of footsteps passed and the two were about to return to their thoughts when a man walked up to them. Although his hair was white, he looked relatively young. Lilli recognized his position by the robe he was wearing. "Sir!" She said, leaping off the wall and bowing down. Before them stood Plegia's tactician, one whom lead them in many great wars against Valm, Ferox, and even Ylisse. The man only smiled, shaking his head. "Oh, don't bow. I'm not that special." Lilli straightened up, silently climbing back up on the stone wall next to Validar. "May I help you?" The boy asked, having not paid too much attention to his arrival. "Yes, well," The man started, looking over at Lillianthum. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mordin. I couldn't help but notice that you, young lady, have been taking an interest in strategy and tactics." Lilli blinked, surprised someone as great as him would notice a simple maid's daughter. "Now, I may look young, but I'd like to retire in a decade or so. And so, I've come to ask if you would consider becoming my apprentice and taking my place as Plegia's tactician." Validar looked over at his friend, smiling as her eyes widened with joy. No doubt she would accept, she had looked up to this man her entire life. "Yesyesyesyes! Thank you so much!" She nearly fell off the wall, bouncing around in delight. Mordin smiled kindly at her, nodding. "Very well, then. Come by tomorrow and we'll start our lessons." With that, he waved goodbye and headed off. Validar and Lillianthum exchanged glances, both filled with excitement.
Chapter two- coming soon
A year or so had passed since Lilli had began studying to become a tactician, and over that time she had changed greatly. Instead of lollygagging around and skipping about the castle, she spent her time studying and practicing magic. Validar, however, stayed mostly the same, appreciating the more studious side of Lillianthum. Both of them were now fourteen years of age.
Lilli and Validar sat in the library, each with their nose in a different book. She was re-reading a strategic book that Mordin had given her, while he was reading a history book. Breaking the silence like always, Lilli yawned, earning a curious look from her friend. "Did you stay up late again?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "You've been doing that a lot lately. You need to stop." Lilli only shrugged it off, turning back to her book tiredly. It was silent for a moment, but Validar broke it by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little peppermint candy. "I snuck it for you." He said softly, looking away. Lillianthum stared at the candy for a moment before grinning madly and hugging him. He let out an 'oof', but accepted the hug with a smile. Behind them, a bell rang from the doorway, signaling that it was time for the servants to eat. Lilli grabbed the candy, shoving it in her pocket and getting up to go eat. Validar followed her, heading to the dining quarters with the rest of the servants.
"Where'd you get that, kid?" A soldier glared down at Lilli, who was in the midst of unwrapping the peppermint Validar had given her. "Ah.." She said quietly, looking away. "A friend gave it to me." Normally servants weren't allowed to be treated with such things like candy, but Validar would often sneak her some since his father was allowed to have almost whatever he wanted. "Yeah, likely story." The soldier scoffed. "Now hand it over, or I'll have to turn you in." Lillianthum gulped nervously. Being turned in meant being punished, which could mean extra chores, getting kicked out of the castle.. or getting killed. She looked down, about to hand the candy over when Mordin walked by, seeing the predicament. "Woah, woah, hold on, soldier. All is good and well, for I gave her the candy." He shrugged, gesturing towards the peppermint in her hand. "It's fine, she's my apprentice. And you wouldn't want to endanger someone who could very well save your life one day, would you?" The older man smiled, causing the soldier to tremble. "A-Ah, no sir, I'll leave you be, sir." With that, he stumbled away.
Lillianthum grinned, looking up at her mentor. "Thank you, Mordin! Validar gave me this and I really really didn't want it to go to waste." The tactician only smiled back, nodding as he waved goodbye. He didn't talk much, but his smarts certainly made up for it.
Meanwhile, Lilli happily munched on the candy, thoroughly pleased that she was friends with people like Validar and Mordin.
Chapter 3-
Validar and Lillianthum were now seventeen years of age. Mordin had passed on in battle, and Lilli had respectfully taken his place as tactician. After six long years of training, she was ready. However, Validar had begun to veer onto a darker path, slowly but surely..
It was cold. The two friends sat by the grand fireplace, Lilli reading a book and Validar going over notes he had taken at his father's most recent Grimleal meeting. The Grimleal had one intent--to reawaken the fell dragon Grima and bring chaos to the world. It was a dark concept, but Validar had begun to take an interest in it. Lilli looked over, noticing him reading his notes and sighed. She really didn't want him reading those, since she knew it was a dark road. Before she could say anything, people stormed in and broke the peace. There was commotion everywhere and the new tactician leapt to her feet, looking around. "What's going on??" She demanded, catching the gaze of someone. "The king!" They exclaimed. "The king is dead! Prince Gangrel is to be crowned!" The commotion eventually stormed to another room, and without even bothering to look at Validar, Lilli ran off to go discuss it, leaving him alone.
"The king is.. dead?" Validar repeated to himself, taking it as a shock. He set down the notes, looking outside at the cold, barren landscape. The king was so kind, though.. how could he be dead? Did he really die in battle? He sighed, shaking his head. He never knew the king well, but had heard tales of his friendliness and compassion. It was almost sickening. Validar shook his head, frowning. Where did that thought come from? He shrugged it off, eyes darting to the window as snow fell from the sky. It was the first snowfall of the year. In a way, it was nice.
"Long live the king."
Lillianthum groaned, pulling her knees to her chest, promptly burying her head in them. Validar looked over, frowning. They were sat inside at the fireplace once again; a month had passed since the king died. "What's wrong?" He asked, seeing his friend's upset mood. Lilli sighed, glancing over. "My life has gotten so much harder since the king died. Everyone wants me to lead them in a war against Valm for revenge, but it's not even my call. I mean, what do you expect me to do?" She puffed out her cheeks, frustrated. "Well.." Validar started, his voice choking a little. "Listen, Lilli, I know it's been.. really tough on you, and you've been under pressure, and I don't know if this will help, but.." Validar pulled a flower from his robe pocket, one he had been saving all winter. He gave it to her, smiling softly. "I.. I love you, Lillianthum."
She sat there, frozen in shock, before bursting into a smile and rushing over for a hug. Lilli laughed, squeezing him tight. "You have no idea how much I needed that." She pulled back, grinning at him happily before hugging him tightly again. Validar smiled, then frowned as he looked away. Something else was occupying his mind..
Chapter 4-
Validar watched his wife bark orders at the soldiers and grinned as they scrambled about. Both of them had aged magnificently. Lillianthum had grown into a beautiful woman, with flowing brown hair and her signature lily. She had strong features and a winning smile, not to mention the smarts of a genius. Validar had grown into a fine young man, with dark brown hair that spiked back and a stubble of beard with a lighter brown in the middle. His skin had become a bit darker, and his eyes more narrow. However, he had also become more invested in the Grimleal, and Lillianthum watched him with concern every passing day.
After all the soldiers had cleared out, Lilli sighed, pulling down the hole of her tactician's robe. The summer sun beat down on the two as she trudged over to her husband, exhausted. She sat down on the stone wall next to him, sighing. Validar let out a small laugh, looking down at her. "I suppose being a tactician can get tiring, can't it?" Lilli smiled weakly, nodding in response. "Definitely." The couple seemed content, sitting next to eachother, but both of their minds were swirling with thoughts.
With every passing day, Validar spent more time studying Grimleal while Lillianthum fought on the front lines. She would occasionally come home, but it didn't matter. Validar never really spoke with her a lot, since he was so busy doing Grimleal matters. Lilli was, of course, concerned, but she never said anything.
On one rare occasion, while she and Validar were sitting together in a room, by themselves, with no Grima ranting or soldiers needing her help. She sighed, looking away and refusing to meet his eye. He said nothing in return, only looked out the window. "Validar.." She said, breaking the silence like she used to. He looked over, a softness hiding behind his darkened eyes. "I love you." She said with a smile. Validar smiled back, a rare sight that not many saw. "I love you too."
Those were the only words exchanged.
A few months had passed. Lilli sighed, sitting in a rocking chair. She had taken up knitting upon discovering that she was going to have a child, and Validar was just as excited as she was, though for different reasons. As she knit a little hat using purple thread, a knock on the door sounded and Validar walked in, a mad grin on his face. "Validar? What is it?" She asked, a bit frightened by the look. He sat down, holding a book. "Look at this, Lillianthum. This is a family tree my father had. Do you see this? Both you and I are in the direct bloodline of Grima!" He cackled, a dark glow in his eyes. "Do you know what this means? Our child will have the exact potential to become Grima itself." Lilli's eyes darkened, but she said nothing. She listened to him speak, stopping her knitting. "At the right age, my own son will become the Fell Dragon Grima, bringing ultimate chaos!" Deciding not to address the subject, Lilli brought up something else. "Son? Validar, we don't even know what it will be yet. It could be a girl." She laughed awkwardly, a fake, forced laugh.
Which earned only a disgusted look from Validar, much to her despair. "Feh." He spoke, getting up to leave the room. "Women are weak."
Lillianthum waited for him to leave, then closed her eyes. That was not the future she wanted for her child. And it sure as heck wasn't going to be the future it got.
Chapter 5
It was the dead of night, and all was silent in the castle. The nursemaid who was watching the newborn baby had fallen asleep in her rocking chair, thanks to a little bit of special herbs a certain tactician had slipped into her tea. Lillianthum, cloaked in black, silently strode into the nursery, where even the child dare not make a sound. She stepped over to the crib and cautiously picked up the baby in her arms, cradling the newborn baby girl in her arms. She had yet to even be named. Lillianthum sighed, her heart pounding in her ears. She silently walked outside of the nursery, heading for the nearest exit with the baby carefully in her arms. She was about to sneak out the door when she was stopped suddenly by a guard. "Lady Lillianthum?" The guard said quietly, noticing the sleeping child in her arms. "I'm just.. taking the baby for some fresh air." She made up an excuse, which didn't make much sense at the time. "Fresh air? Surely you'll both freeze out there. It's due to snow, you know." Lilli forced a fake laugh, wincing as the baby shifted a little. "Yes, I know. I'll be fine." She nodded and excused herself, walking outside. She took slow, careful steps until the guard turned away. Lilli quickened her pace and then burst into a full-out run, getting as far away from the castle courtyard as she could. She heard a guard cry out and alert others, and she knew there was no turning back now.
Lillianthum ran. She ran like she had never run before. She didn't know if the baby was crying or if guards were trailing her. And she didn't care. She just need to get her child to safety. Darting into the wood, she climbed a tree and listened as the guards passed, unaware of where she had gone. Thankfully, the baby had remained silent. Lilli frowned, jumping down and heading deeper into the woods for what seemed like hours until she came across a clearing with a small farm. Silently, she set the baby down on the doorstep, crouching down to say her goodbyes. A pure white snowflake drifted down onto the baby's nose and she smiled as the baby giggled at the cold. "Weiss." She said softly. "Weiss, as white as snow." She summoned her strength and used a fire tome to burn the baby's name into the blanket, then knocked on the farmhouse door and ran off into the night.
The door opened to a crying child, left alone in the cold just as it had started to snow. The one who opened the door, a middle aged woman, gasped and lifted the baby up, bringing her inside to the warm fireplace. "Weiss.." She murmured to herself, seeing the name. However, no one had seen the violet mark on the baby's hand, dooming her to forever be plagued by Grima.. or so was thought.
TBC
