by Envy Mercury
“Maybe, but I am happy. That means something.”
He raised his hand in an attempt to end me as I threw my sword towards him. It flew smoothly like an arrow, detaching his arm from his cruel body. He shrieked in pain as he watched crimson escape him. He snarled and screamed at me. I saw everyone had returned back out from inside, and they had our two missing companions. They looked a bit worse for wear, but they were alive, and that was important. I gave them a slight nod and returned my attention to the shade before me.
He began to charge power in his other hand, a last attempt to weasel out of his bleak situation. I kept a steady pace as I walked towards him, reaching out my hand and recalling my sword to me. It gave the reassuring snap of it returning to my firm grasp. I thrust my hand outward, grabbing him by the neck, then, chopping my sword down swiftly, he no longer had any arms.
His physical incompleteness matched his heart, mangled and useless. It was sad, really.
I lifted him the air with my left hand up high above me. “You can always seek to take power, but that is a sham. The power that is given free will always be a cut above in the end.” I slowly thrust my blade up into his abdomen, its white glow burning his flesh. “If there is something for you after this, I do hope you figure that out. I don’t have room in my heart to hate you.” I pushed my blade further up into him, it passing into his throat and out the back of his neck. His crimson spills of blood gurgling from his mouth was his only reply. His eyes faded from red to hazel brown. “Everyone deserves peace. I do hope you find it as I have.” His body relaxed on my blade as it started to burn him away with its purity.
Victor's body slowly faded apart into white ash and simply started to float away off my blade. I took my sword and returned it to my back.
I stood in silence as I watched him float away to nothingness. I glanced down as I felt a small hand gently grab onto me. Mew looked up at me with light tears in her eyes. These girls were always crying, it seemed.
“You did it, Rezzy… you saved everyone.”
“Only because of each of you. You saved me first.” I gave a soft smile. “I love you.”
“We know,” Valentine said.
The rest nodded to me as they came in and gave me a big group hug. I turned towards Mecci and Yumi and pulled them both into my arms.
“I missed you both so much, I was so worried.”
Mecci hugged me tighter. “We are fine, Master; we were worried for you… the condition you were in.”
The swordswoman looked up at my face, appreciative. “Yes, indeed. We thought you were facing death. Then you arrive more powerful than ever. We heard the sound of battle and hoped it was you.
I touched their chests above their breasts, pushed my magic into them to heal their wounds. I didn’t want to see the reminders of what happened to them. I figured in time, they would tell me what they went through. After that was done, I created outfits that were more elegant than the worn ones they wore.
“Amazing, you use to never be able to do that, healing people,” Mecci said as she looked all over her figure and clothing.
Yumi beamed at me. “I appreciate it, hero.” They both stepped towards me and kissed my cheeks. I flushed with color. “Everyone will know you have returned with your subjugation of the shade Victor and you reclaiming your domain. Five against five hundred, it will be an epic tale.”
I looked at them all, a large smile on my face. “I would love it if all of you stayed here with me. I need my beautiful friends.”
“Only friends?” Princess Valentine asked.
“Um, well… you know.” I never knew I could blush so much; all of their attention was on me. “We can figure it out.”
Queen Mav began to fly away towards the trees. “I will retrieve the rest of my fairy subjects and return. There is a lot of work to be done here. Also, thank you Rezner, you will be the savior you are destined to be. The misplaced hero has been found.” She giggled her sweet laughter as she sped off.
“What happened all those years ago? Why did you leave?” Valentine questioned me. Everyone nodded as they wanted to know as well.
“I was a hero to the Kingdom. I felt so good doing it, that is until they requested tasks that, ethically, I couldn’t do.” I scratched my head. “I felt I was being used as a tool for other agendas. When they informed me about a group working with the dark lord, the final straw came. When I went there, they weren’t. They were just normal citizens that weren’t happy with the kingdom. I was told to wipe them out. Families of innocent, men, women, and children.”
Valentine let out a gasp covering her mouth.
“Did you… you know?” Mew asked me. “You didn’t, did you?”
“Of course not, but the soldiers were all for it. I had to threaten them that if they harmed anyone there, that I would end them. They weren’t delighted. After that, I returned to the kingdom, pretty angry, and informed them that I was done with them… not in the nicest way, I suppose. Then I left as a traitor. I wanted to do things my way, what I felt was the right way. I was brought to fight a crisis of evil and horror. Not kill people in some political move.”
Yumi grabbed my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I think you made the right call there. I would have done the same. Fucking kingdom, even when facing an overwhelming threat, they busy themselves with selfish ideology. As they still did after you left.”
“The kingdom also wasn’t pleased I created Mecci. Especially the priests, a hero creating a demon.” I looked towards Mecci and gave a soft smile. “As you know, I created you to assist me. A demon could get to places easier than I could, infiltrate and give me information.”
Mecci smiled. “You still cared for me, though.”
“Of course, I created you. That is a pretty big deal, creating someone. I could never create a person with their own free will to use as a tool. I would be as bad as the kingdom at that point.”
Mei, who was always quiet much of the time, asked me a question. “Then how did you end up with that lot of villains?” She asked as she stuck her thumb towards the castle.
“Ah, yeah. I knew I couldn’t do things independently, so I looked for those that would assist me, uncorrupted by the kingdom. I found it after a while, but even they were corrupt. It was like, I was always alone in my quest, and I felt I wasn’t making things work. Some men obsess over strength and power and do anything they can to get it, including working with me for their own agenda of personal gain.”
We all stood in silence for a minute before I continued. “I wasn’t stupid, and I did pay attention to what was going on, but I couldn’t take on so many places at the same time. At that point, I faced a demon lord, my new comrades, and the kingdom. Eventually, I felt a presence calling to me. This ended up being the goddess Freyja. The dark lord had captured her soul and destroyed her body. You can’t really kill a god, but you can do things to disable them. This was a way they were going to try to sacrifice Freyja in theory. They had moved her to this location with the intent of putting her in Valentine’s body. What Victor said before was true. However, I had been told that Valentine was ordering innocents killed as a princess of the kingdom. So, they had previously captured her. I played along.” I smiled at Valentine. She smiled back, blushing.
“I almost didn’t make it in time to get you, you know.” I looked at her smile. “When I talked to you when you were detained, you were in a horrible situation, and you showed all the goodness you always had. I investigated on my own and learned all the good things you did for the kingdom. I did what I could to make sure you were safe during the time you were held against your will.”
Mew punched me in the arm. “That’s a lot, Rezzy, but how did you get Freyja?”
“The goddess told me what was really going on, and I trusted what she told me. She was contained in a small blue sphere. She transferred some of her divine strength to me, then I stole her. I had a meeting with the dwarves, she told me I needed to give her to Dulan. She told me they were on my side. They wer
e going to assist me, but it never got to that point. Freyja explained that I needed time and could hide my powers to confuse the dark lord. Her giving me part of her divine powers also helped keep her hidden. Her spirit wouldn’t appear the same or as strong. I could then return when she regained some more strength while being hidden and protected with the dwarves. She instructed Dulan how to convert the sphere holding her soul into the sword. He did as he was tasked, it seems.”
Valentine reached over and grabbed my hand. “Why did you choose to hide your power and memories in me?”
“Well… I just really liked you. I also didn’t have a lot of time. At that point, I was being chased. I couldn’t let you die. I did love you at that point. Very much, and I couldn’t just lose you, even if I was going to leave for a while. I didn’t have time to find a vessel I could trust. Things were in motion pretty fast at that point. I knew I wouldn’t remember anything whenever I did come back. I didn’t think it was going to be as long as it was, though.”
“How did you get her powers back from her? We couldn’t figure it out?” Mew asked. The rest nodded at me, curious looks in their eyes.
“Well, um… when I left, I kissed her. That is what made the transfer to her. To get them back, we just had to um… kiss… again. That was the key to my requisite records. That is the name of that spell, by the way. I thought I was going to lose you all and her. We kissed as she left me, during my loss… they returned.”
Valentine came over and embraced me, giving me a tight squeeze. “I couldn’t bear to watch you die. I tried to help… I knew I probably wouldn’t make it. But I couldn’t go on without you… Then as I laid there dying, I wanted the one thing I wanted most. To be close to you, and I wanted to kiss you. Stupid prophecy.”
Mew slammed her fist into the air with a small leap. “Then, Rezzy saved us all like a mother fuckin’ hero!”
“A hero that fucks mothers?” Valentine questioned.
Mew laughed, pushing her hair from her eyes. “Ah, it’s just something he says a lot when he’s angry or excited. I just liked the phrase.”
Valentine looked at me coyly as she laid her hand on my chest. “Well, if being with a mother excites you, maybe someday we can do something about that.” She smiled and gave me a fluttering wink.
“Uh, yeah. That’s- not really what- anyways! So that is what happened, now I am back with some help that I can trust. I love you girls.”
“I will serve you until the end Master,” Mecci said. The others agreed and nodded.
Mew looked at me and the princess, her eyebrow-raising. “You have a princess, so are you going to become a King?”
That question came out of nowhere, and there was only one reply I could think of. “What?”
Valentine looked at me. Her eyes were full of pondering and some kind of romantic hope. “Well, as a hero, he has a good standing in the community. I don’t have ties, though; I pretty much broke my ties with the kingdom. I am a princess with my bloodline. If we married, he would be joining me in royalty. Normally to be the king, the old one must be replaced in a long and very much bureaucratic fashion.”
If you were to marry Valentine, you do have your own castle and domain. You could be the king of this smaller land and be proclaimed as the future one of the Kingdom of Light if you get enough public support. Which you would be able to do. You have the power, and if you had the blood ties…
“I don’t know about that, Freyja,” I accidentally said out loud. Everyone looked at me, and I told them what she said. A hero was enough, but a king? That sounded like a pain in the ass. Marrying a princess, though? Who had a chance to do that? I guess I did, and I cared for her. “I think we can discuss all that later. We have a lot to do.”
Yumi suddenly got down on her knee in front of me and lowered her head in a bow as she looked up at Valentine and me. Her expression was serious and firm. “I swear my fealty to the future King Rezner and Queen Valentine, giving my oath and word to give all I have, to serve and aid you in any way that I can, even in death.”
This escalated quickly. The others soon followed Yumi’s oath, getting on their knees and swearing their fealty. The only difference was Mew, who stated an added phrase about loving me too.
Valentine looked at me and smiled, “I accept your oaths, but pending if the requirements are met for you to do so, which in that case, we will revisit this.”
I just nervously nodded my agreement as they stood up.
Epilogue
Things went pretty fast after that. The fairies returned with Queen Mav and got to work fixing up things around our new home. The stale miasma that had been giving the gloomy and dark vibes to the area started to clear out as soon as I had dispatched the shade, Victor. This process went even faster with the fairies as they began doing what fairies did best, cleansing everything and renewing the environment. We all pitched in, removing and sometimes burning things that really didn’t need to stay in the castle. There was a lot of dark shit. Touching it gave me icky vibes sometimes. Yeah, definitely burned that garbage. Everyone decided Valentine would stay with me in the grand room that would be befitting of royalty. The others picked rooms close to that one. They weren’t shabby rooms, still more extensive than any I had ever seen in person.
Each girl, I read their thoughts of what they wanted with the goddess’s assistance. I couldn’t read minds, but hey, I had a goddess helping me. I did my best to recreate relatively simple living areas for each of them, which they very ecstatically adored. I did the basics. For now, I figured I would have time to add more later. I didn’t want to burn myself out too much with my mana usage.
Yumi proclaimed herself the captain of our guard that she would build-up. I had faith in this as I had seen what she did with the guild. She was a fantastic leader, and her resources would come our way in that regard. It would take time for her allies to arrive. There were just too many to teleport with the dryads. I seemed to get along with them as well. I had spoken with the dryad Kayra again, though brief. She wasn’t one to use many words. I basically thanked her for her assistance and said I would do whatever I could to protect them and their trees in my domain. She only smiled with a nod and went back into her tree.
Mecci and Mei stayed as our attendants. They insisted on the roles. That is kind of what they did before, so they stuck with it. It made sense to me, though I told them I didn’t need servants. Mecci insisted I was her Master, and I was silly. She basically forced me to agree.
Mew acted as she had with Yumi, as our personal bodyguard. With her stealth and speed, it did suit her. Plus, it was better than having someone around that I didn’t really get along with. Plus, she was cute and hilarious.
All of these different details were sorted and put into place around me. I just went with the flow. I let the girls handle most of that stuff. The castle would need a lot of staff and many other things added over time. Valentine assured me that people would come to be in our domain because they knew the truth about me, and also, they were fed up with the Kingdom of Light.
Later that evening, I was tired and worn from the work I had done that day. I stood looking out from the beautiful balcony that was attached to our room. It was a nice night out; the stars and moon were bright. All of the negative energy was gone. I really appreciated the trouble the fairies had put into their work. It was beautiful out there, lush with vegetation, and it looks like a small garden by the entryway of the castle was in its beginnings of being formed.
I thought about my memories that had returned to me, blending in with the new ones I had made. I sighed, it was nice to remember everything. It made me feel whole. Princess Valentine walked out to the balcony, joining me by my side. She took my hand in hers and just stood there looking at the land around us.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I looked at her, giving her a smile. “Yes, it is really nice. When we first got here, I would have never pictured this. It was a dump.”
“Yes, it was, very lacking indeed.�
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I put my hand on my chest, doing my best impersonation of a noble. “I have high standards you see in society, and I feel that this is up to my standards. Even if I have such high standards of beauty, from seeing the one that stands here before me.”
She blushed crimson and slouched a bit with nervousness as she laughed. “I hope you aren’t overwhelmed with everything. You don’t need to marry me and all that. Be a king. I am just happy to be here with you by my side.”
I sat lost in my thoughts for a moment. “No, it's fine. I love you. The whole thing with the duties of being a king and ruling is kind of… overwhelming. But, it’s not like I’ll be alone doing it by myself. Plus, I mean… I have to be better than what there is now.”
Valentine smiled. “It makes me happy to have found someone that cares for me. I feel I am fated with you.”
“Well, an old prophecy does say it’s so.” I looked at her nervously, not sure how to ask what I was about to. “The others love me, and I care about them too, I don’t want to wrong you, and I don’t want to wrong any of them.” I stood there looking at her eyes for an adverse reaction that never came.
“I don’t know how it is where you are from, but a ruler can love many. As long as you care for me and I am your queen, I don’t mind others. Love is love. I care about them too. At this point, they feel like family. They care for me more than my family ever did. They are like sisters to me. Just be good to them as well, and maybe if you do decide to take on more lovers in our household in the future, just try to always seek us for guidance.”
This place is fucking awesome.
“Thanks, Valentine.” I looked at the setting we were standing in, and I got an idea. I was always a hopeless romantic, mostly the hopeless part. I got down on my knee and asked for her hand. She looked at me strangely and held it out to me. I took her hand softly in mine and asked my question. “Princess Valentine, I would be honored if you would take my hand in marriage. You are a wonder that I will never find again in many lifetimes.”
