Of Jewels and Flowers and Queens and Land - A PSL for a new sort of Queen

[chicklet]

 Here there be spoilers a plenty. And CW warnings like whoa. This is a crossover between Final Fantasy and Black Jewels. YIPES! So figure on every CW you can imagine being present. 

Spoilers also for Final Fantasy. And Black Jewels. Like a lot of spoilers. You have been warned. 

And now, onto the Realms who await their new Queen. And the males about to rally around her... 

Comments

[ancientflower]

Aerith was even less reassured. And so she scooted her seat back.

"Then if that's the case... If you are going to hold me prisoner there isn't much I can do. But if you aren't... I'd like to go now. I'll find my own way." Because she just didn't understand what 'shaky ground' meant. She didn't like the idea of the ability to help her being limited. And she really didn't like how disagreeable people were being when it was their fault she was stuck in a strange world away from her friends and family.

[lady_cassidy]

"You aren't a prisoner," Cassidy said, seeming alarmed now. "But you don't know this people. Or this Realm."

"I hate to sound like an ***," Ranon began, "But it isn't safe to go wandering alone. This Realm is still recovering from war, and everyone is on high alert. We are bracketed by mountains to one side, but our Territory does not have the best relations yet with the Territories we border on the other sides."

"You sound like Theran," Shira said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Like I said, an ***," he said with a wink. Then he shook his head and got serious again. "Look, Lady Aertih, Lady Cassidy wants to help you. ****s fire, so do the rest of us, but we can't do what we can't do!"

[ancientflower]

"And I don't expect any of you to do anything you can't do." Aerith replied not unkindly, but there was a stubborn set to her jaw and her bright green eyes. "But if your hands are tied on what you can and can't do then I would do better on my own."

To her it seemed reasonable enough. Why be more of a bother and a burden on these people than she needed to? She could find a way to get home on her own easily enough and it wasn't as if she couldn't defend herself. She was no SOLDIER but she could wield magic enough to give most creatures a bad day.

"I've heard nothing of hope from any of you right now. Just talk off red tape and seemingly passing me from pillar to post. And I'm telling you right now, if that's what is going to happen, I will cause the biggest stink you have ever seen. If you think war is bad, you haven't seen me when I'm annoyed." Which is to say, she was like a grumpy kitten and not frightening at all. But what she lacked in intimidation she more than made up for in her unending ability to be a menace.

[lady_cassidy]

*Stop being a hissy cat!" a young female voice demanded at the same time that the female dog started snarling. *Lady Cassidy didn't bring you but she's trying to help! And if she doesn't know how to help you, then finding someone who does makes sense!"

The female dog jumped up at Aerith, landing on the air at eye level with the woman, still snarling. "This is their sleeping time, but they are awake to help you. You need healing and sleep and then you will listen and ask questions and they will try to help. But it is sleeping time now, not bickering time!"

Cassidy put her hands over her face, like somehow that would make this all go away.

[ancientflower]

The voice that spoke to Aerith didn't come from any around her and seemed to resonate within her head. She went to ask, but then a dog started snarling and Aerith's eyes widened. Even more when it jumped at her.

But then Aerith jumped back, kicking back the chair to get away from the angry canine she threw up a Barrier between herself and it, the shimmering wall of magic strong enough to deflect any attack coming her way. She hoped. "Someone get this crazy animal away!" Animals liked her. She liked them. Aerith had no idea how to handle it when an animal went crazy on her and tried to attack her.

[lady_cassidy]

Vae stood on the air where she had landed. *I am clearly not attacking you, but if you keep being a stubborn sheep I will nip you!"

"How about we all just get some rest for tonight and discuss things tomorrow?" Grey asked, looked like he as trying very hard not to laugh.

[ancientflower]

"You nip me, missy, and I'll set your tail on fire!" And she would do it, gladly, because she didn't appreciate anyone or anything baring their fangs at her.

And no one was coming to her defence. Which was all the proof Aerith needed that she was really on her own here. So with that in mind, she dismissed the Barrier and in it's place she held her Mythril Rod before her. Now with it out and her standing she did as she had planned earlier and cast Cura upon herself, a warm, green and sparkling glow surrounded her and all of her wounds and bruises seemed to vanish in moments. It couldn't fix the smudges of dirt but it would do.

"... Yes. I think I'm done here."

[lady_cassidy]

Magic shields went up around everyone except her as soon as the rod appeared and everyone tensed.

*You are stubborn sheep! Why would you turn away from help?!*

"It... It's okay, Vae," Cassie said in a shaky whisper.

"I say if she wants to be an idiot and leave, let her," Spere said, shaking his head. "She's so sure she knows better than us, then all we can do is let her go. Let's get Cassidy and Shira back to the Residence. Cassidy was supposed to be resting tonight."

"That's right!" Grey said. "You promised you'd rest."

"I was resting!" she protested, then shook her head. "We can't just send her odd and let her get herself hurt!"

"You can't save everyone, Cassie," Ranon said softly. "This is just like when we split... Those who wanted someone else to rule could not also be taken care of by you. If she wants to leave, she's an adult. She can leave. You can't protect people who don't want your protection."

Cassidy swallowed hard, looked like she might crumble at any moment.

"Grey, the the Queen home, we can take care of whatever needs to be seen to here."

[ancientflower]

Oh... Oh now she was getting angry.

"Protection? There's a snarling dog in my face and not a one of you are doing anything to help so I help myself and suddenly I'm the bad guy? I want to know why I've been pulled away from my world and my friends and I am told you might be able to do something and I'm terrible for daring to ask? I want to go and see if I can do for myself, so I'm not a burden, and you talk about me like I'm ungrateful? And worse, you all talk over me like I'm not even here!"

And oh how she hated that... Aerith was breathing harder now, clutching her stave to her chest. She wasn't using it as a weapon. Anyone with eyes could see she was using it as defence, to make her feel safe. If she dared to hug it with both of her arms she might have.

Because she was scared. For the first time since she was seven years old she knew real fear... And Aerith was doing anything in her power to try and make that go away.

"I just want to go home..." She whispered then... before a wave of dizziness made her sway, and in another moment her legs crumbled under her and she slipped to the ground in a dead faint.

[kiss_kiss]

When she came to, she would be on a soft bed that smelled like herbs and cool air. The room itself was also on the cooler side, though she was tucked in warmly enough. She wasn't alone in the room.

If or when she wound up looking around, she would discover that she was near the edge of a canopied bed large enough that five people could have slept in it and not noticed each other during the night. She was the bed's only occupant at the moment, however. The room was in proportion to the bed, which is to say it was quite large. The deep crimson carpet and pale gold walls went well with the crimson and gold silk sheets of the bed, though the black comforter over her was more well worn and clearly from another room.

On either side of the bed were night tables. At the foot of the bed was a wide footlocker with cushions on it so it could double as a seat. There was a card table between the footlocker and nice but easily movable dining chair. Against the wall nearest the door was a long low dresser.

At the dresser stood a woman who seemed to be working with a mortar and pestle. She looked to be in her mid thirties, or maybe older. Her face was lined subtly. Her white blond hair was short and gelled up into what looked like frosted peaks of ice above her head. She wore a large threadbare grey sweater over a darker grey shirt, and long pants that matched the undershirt. The pants were flowy and loose, but didn't quite hide the fact that the legs seemed significantly thinner under them than the rest of the frame. Over the shirts, the woman wore a grey jeweled pendant that flashed as she moved. Beside here were two crutches, the kind made with supports that wrapped around the arms to help the user of the hands were too weak.

Laying near the woman, just clear of being underfoot were what looked like puppies. Large puppies. A closer look, if Aerith could tell such things, might show her that they were in fact wolf puppies.

"No," the woman said, her voice tart, "She cannot go on walkies, go pester KaeAskavi or the horses. Or better yet..." her lips curved in a wicked smile, "Go pester Kharry."

The wolf pups whined but left the room. Through the closed door. Without bothering to open it first.

The woman turned, moving carefully, and leaned back against the dresser, a steaming mug in her hand. "Welcome back to the land of the living," she said, eyeing her through the steam. "Beale is having breakfast sent up for you." She sipped from the mug of coffee she held. "Dramatic type, are you?"