The Amber Sword

Town of Valhalla is always extraordinarily beautiful towards the end of the year, and the city is surrounded by a special atmosphere of warmth and tranquillity. With snowflakes flowing out of pitch-black windows, the lights of the distant Princess Street are rising, and magical lights are connected at a point in the dark, forming a brilliant necklace. Down below is a peaceful outer city with a light fire and a warm family behind each window.

Up there you can see the glorious middle deck of lights, where the citizens are having all night carnival, with Chiarato holding the mumps. The light of the star dots flashed in his eyes and he looked at it with envy.

This is her third year under the fence, and since Levine Orneson's death, Her Royal Highness has sent her to this place in the name of marriage. But it was essentially done to keep Chiara away from her ill-willed relatives, and after all, in the Sifah family, there were many people who claimed the title.

Chiara was not uncomfortable with herself, she could not say she liked or disliked Cold Cedar Collar, but only interested in the Count - her nominal fiancé. In this era, women tend to be very young in childbearing age, especially the aristocratic girls, and Chiara doesn't really care about the marriage. After all, the other brother, Erneson, personally referred to the marriage to her spouse, so excellent.

If that were not the case, how could she give the heart of Sifah to that man, the necklace itself had the meaning of a love letter.

But what annoyed her was that her distant cousin, always looked at her like a child, afraid that the Count would stain her fingers. “Huh, I'm just trying to eat it myself!” Chiara frowned and dragged the feather pen: “What's wrong with Elkan III's children? ”

Lin and Lian watched Chiara's movements with confusion.

Pokémon are stunted, they both look as big as Chiara in the early years, but now the latter is becoming more and more like a young lady, with more understandable troubles than two little girls. “Chiara, what's wrong with you?” Lotus asked in a fine voice.

“You don't understand.” Chiara answered impatiently.

"Miss Antittina said," You're not going anywhere this year. ”

“I know,” Chiara said angrily, trying to grab her hair: "I don't need you to repeat it. ”

“Don't mess up your hair.” Sy nailed the last copper button for her, admonished.

Metissa braided Lin's hair behind the three of them, smiling and listening to the three little girls chattering. Although the two sisters are foster in Sydney's name, as the daughter of her sister, they are her true relatives in the world.

“Miss Antittina was too strict on them.” Sheila carefully trimmed Chiara's collar, stood up straight and frowned slightly, saying to Metisa. The little princess of the Pokémon laughed and her eyes bent into a moon tooth, shook her head and said: "Then you have to talk to her yourself. ”

Sy glared at her eyes, and she wouldn't dare mess with the harsh lady.

“Miss Antittina is also afraid of them,” Metissa laughed. “After all, the Dusk Army is in a different day, and the dusk dragon's claw teeth in the territory of order are very weak, but it is difficult to guarantee that they will not do anything, all things must be careful. ”

She looked at the three little girls and said, "But at the beginning of New Year's Eve, being bored at home is not the way to go. After the banquet, I'll show you the celebration. ”

Chiara raised her head suddenly and her eyes lit up: "Really, Sister Metisa? ”

“Sure, but you'll have to listen later.” Metisa said in earnest.

“Yay!” After all, the three little girls cheered together.

A ‘whoop' of cold wind poured snowflakes into the warm lobby, even the bright flame light in the furnace several degrees darkened, Antina, Nimaisi and Baiqiu pushed in through the outside of the yard, and the three men's trenchcoats accumulated a thin layer of snow on their shoulders. He took off his trench coat and gave it to Flo with a face on his side. He looked at several people with a smile on his face and asked: “What makes you so happy? ”

“Humph.” Chiara groaned softly.

“Sister Metissa is taking us out to play.” Lotus replied very nicely.

“That's really nice. ”

“Soothe the children.” Chiara replied softly.

Antitina glanced at her severely.

Everyone laughed and Metissa lowered her head and smiled. Antitina asked Flo beside her: "Are any other guests here? I saw the carriage outside.” Flo's eartips trembled, and the elf lady was staring at her sister and sneaking up to Tia at a long table, embarrassed to throw up her tongue - put down the gingerbread in her hand.

And she said, “Princess Griffin and Princess Magdalene are upstairs in the study. ”

Miss Clerk nodded.

She looked carefully at the three little girls and said, rarely tenderly, "Don't mess with Miss Methisa. ”

“Got it!”

The crisp answer.

Brando watched the scene a little warmly by the fireplace, and it was a little strange.

Every member of this Cold Cedar Castle, like his home in the world, is part of this family. Whether it's Metisa, Cee, Antina, Sister, Lin and Lotus, or others, although people don't know what the future is going to be, there's no doubt that everyone cherishes this moment more than anyone else.

As in the last days of the Spring Dawn year, during this New Year, it is understood that perhaps they will all recall this last day of tranquillity for a long time to come.

In the days to come, people will witness more spreading war, death, separation, and grief.

It will be worse than any war that the civilized world has experienced.

Brando asked blindly, "Have you heard from Caglis? ”

Behind him, Charles shook his head slowly: "No, but afterwards we searched the whole of Bernichel and the surrounding area, and at least we found no remains of Mr. Caglis, which can only be judged missing. ”

Brando sighed and realized that there were too many powers and spells in the world that would make him feel completely safe, even if he didn't find the body. I'm sure that when Caglis covered Haruze's departure from Micah on that day, everything should be ready in his heart...

Brando was just a little surprised that he had put this young man on this path, that he promised to bless his marriage to Merriam, and that old noble gentleman nodded at last, but this fine young man could not wait for that day.

“Her Royal Highness also asked about this, and astrologers believe that it is not a sign of death, and perhaps we have not lost all hope. ”

“I think so too, but I can't start right now. The situation in Karasou is a day-long one, and local affairs have been entrusted to Rantoniland's patrol cavalry.” Charles replied.

Brando nodded and understood that it was the only way.

He gently lowered the letterhead and flattened the corners of the plain paper with his fingers.

After a while, he asked, “Charles, what's Gaia? ”

Charles looked at the letter and hesitated for a moment: "Is this the letter Ms. White wrote to you? ”

Brando nodded.

“Then the adult may ask Ovina or Miss Andrea, after all, only they know about the mythical past.” Charles replied, not far from the fireplace, the flame peeled and the red light lined his side of the face.

“I asked them. ”

“Oh, what did they say? ”

“Gaia is not part of Tiamat's authority, and only Martha knows where Gaia is, and her role is to nurture life; that ‘curved plan’ that created me was done by Martha with Gaia's power, and Tiamat's network only provides the necessary energy for the plan. That's why we succeeded in deceiving the dragon of dusk--"

Charles was somewhat surprised to hear: “Isn't that to say that Gaia does not have the authority of the Tiamat rule and is not a god? ”

Brando nodded.

“So it seems, too, that I remember that in the time of the Gods, Gaia was not a true god, and the Lord God of the Temple of the Earth was Himilud, the god of the Mountains. Though Toquinin's lions and dwarves honored Gaia as the Mother of the Earth, there was no record of the Goddess's participation in the battle in the description of the successive wars in the poetry of the heavens. ”

Charles frowned and suddenly remembered something.

But Brando asked, "But maybe she's not a goddess of war? ”

“But her authority is not within Tiamat's law, unless her power is equal to that of Martha," replied Charles. ”

Brando shook his head when he remembered the girl he had seen in the realm of stagnation, very similar to Fania. He met Martha, and he saw the power of the whole Tiamat rule between every move, the power of majesty and inclusiveness, as if he had the whole world. Goddess Gaia, while perhaps knowing many secrets and wisdom, seemed to know everything, gave him a very different feeling.

Charles looked at him and suddenly asked, "Lord, why are you asking? ”

Brando shook his head and replied, "White said in the letter that it would leave us all a hope. I thought she was only trying to revive Metissa, but now it seems that her intentions are far from the same. Why did she struggle to gain Gaia's strength and even have to abandon the emotions of the world? ”

“She herself is an ambitious woman, My Lord. ”

Brando looked at Charles and said, "Are you still upset about your great-grandfather? ”

The latter shook his head: “That doesn't mean, I just want to say that there may not be only one Essex in the world. ”

Brando nodded.

But there was a feeling in her heart that maybe she didn't lie about it.

What exactly is the other party's so-called hope?

Gryphine watched Valhalla sparkle in the night.

She put her hands down on a white ceramic teacup, tea in the study, raised her head, and stared at her best friend: "Did you ever think about today when you were in Vlada, Magdalene? ”

Magdalene shook her head with a smile: "Griffin, I'll tell you, even in the wildest of dreams, I never thought of a day like this, do you believe? ”

Princess Griffin did not answer.

But silent silence is the answer to all questions.

Yeah, who would have thought? Their fate turns 180 degrees at the intersection of Ambesseur, and it's all because of the same person. Griffin gently stroked the edge of the cup with his pointy fingertips: “Sometimes I even have the illusion that it's not my true destiny, maybe it's just a dream. I'm afraid this dream will wake me up because I've had a nightmare all these days and I wake up from the middle of the night with a cold sweat..."

“What kind of nightmare is that, my friend?” Magdall asked, "Perhaps it would be much better if you didn't let me share some of your worries over the years. ”

“Thank you, Magdalene,” Griffin said softly: "In my dream, I dreamed of another different Eluin, where I did not meet Brando, and after my separation from you in Vlada, Ambethel betrayed the Royal Party and had to marry Alec as his child-rearing tool. And the terms that the nobles promised me were nothing but a good lie, and I saw Haruze die before me, and Eluin eventually fell into the flames, and I tried my best to save everything and wait for me, but ultimately it was nothing but a blade ——"

Her Royal Highness's voice trembled a little: "But killing me was not a conspiracy, but endless despair, Magdalene, can you understand that feeling, without any hope, a path of darkness leading straight to the abyss and death? ”

Magdalene said, "But it was just a dream. You finally met Mr. Brando, didn't you? ”

Griffin took a deep breath.

She finally calmed down and said, "Thank you, Magdalene, perhaps it is - I still recall Sir Ovewell describing his scene for the first time in my ear, and it was there. And then I exchanged letters with him, using brooches as a letter, and that was probably the boldest move of my life, but now I think, how lucky I was at that moment. ”

Magdalene looked gently at her friends, but her eyes were full of envy: "You are indeed lucky, Griffin. ”

Princess Griffin looked up at her and said, "Are you in the mood, Magdall? ”

“How could I not be careless,” Magdalene replied frankly, "he changed the course of my life and entered my heart again, and I could not, in any case, find his place in my heart - I thought I should have ended my life normally, but it was a quiet life that came much easier than I thought, and it was Mr. Brando who made me understand this. ”

Gryphine was implicitly right.

Yeah, maybe it's only until that moment comes that people can understand. It was a luxury to keep everything that was precious today.

Both looked at the light in the dark.

“Have you ever thought that this might be the last New Year we'll ever see in our lives, Magdalene? ”

“But people still guard this last bit of light with caution. ”

“Hopefully the long night will pass. ”

……

Freya finally checked her horse, she patted the animal's neck, covered it with fur, carefully added hay and beans, and carefully exited the stables. The lights were bright in the distance, and the soldiers of the White Lion Corps were wiping their weapons and armor. Although it was New Year's Eve, the entire camp was full of hot scenes, and everyone was making final preparations.

After today, they will leave the homeland and go to the plateau to engage in that real war.

Though many are still in the battlefield for the first time, everyone looks very proud and jokes about each other. A young soldier had a lively conversation about his unmarried wife and his life after the war - although many understood that most of them might never be able to return to the land.

But people are urging each other, and everyone clearly understands that their generosity in dying is precisely because of the relentless connections behind them; and the choice to leave is precisely because they love everything here.

Freya stood silently in the dark.

And what is her concern?

Was it just for Eluin?

Or for Butch's people?

She looked at the soldier's young face from afar, and the happy smile overflowed with it, and her heart was stabbed. It was as if it were still that night in Prague, with a clean moonlight falling in Prague's alley, and the loud music coming from the pub was like a song at night, and the eyes of the two of them were opposite each other.

She still remembers dressing herself in her favorite military uniform, but as if she hadn't noticed, the foolish guy told her what to look for in the future, and then wore the ring she gave him herself.

‘Do you now understand why I'm sending you to Wang Li Knight Academy, Freya? ’

‘Cause Freya, I need your help. ’

The Eruin goddess of martial arts bit her lips tight and the tear beads actually slipped down.

“I don't know...”

“But I'm just doing it for you. ”

“This is all...”

She covered her mouth and turned around, but she didn't expect to hit someone hard. The unbalanced Freya almost subconsciously fell backwards, but one hand grabbed her before that, and the girl from Butch raised her head in dismay. The first look into the curtain was the familiar, tall figure, and the tears couldn't help but roll down.

Brando looked at the young girl in silence and had a delicate heart. He, Freya and Roman were all born in Butch and the three were most familiar with each other, but he had no idea that he would occupy such an important place in the heart of this simple young girl. He gently wiped away the tears on the face of the Lady Wu Goddess with his hands and suddenly regretted the decision he had made.

He only now realizes how extraordinary it is for Freya to go to the Royal Knight Academy alone and to go to an environment that is completely strange to her.

But for his sake, this young girl, who comes from between the Bucci countryside and understands and is simple, chose this path irreversibly.

Freya looked at Brando's hand with a shining ruby ring over her index finger, exactly the same as it was then.

“This... this?” She can hardly believe her eyes.

“I'm sorry, Freya,” Brando replied somewhat clumsily, "I accidentally broke the ring you gave me, which Master Tama built specifically, and I can't go to Carasou with you tomorrow, but I hope it will protect you in my place...”

Tears came out again, but this time, they were tears of happiness.

Freya's eyes cried and watched Brando carefully lift his hand, then put the ring on himself. At that moment, she felt almost faint.

“Stay with me to the party, okay.” Brando holds Freya's hand and takes her outside.

But Freya stood still.

Brando turned around and looked at her. The young girl shook her head firmly, as if she had mustered her own courage and said, "I'm going to war tomorrow, Brando. ”

“But I don't know if I can come back alive...”

“Tonight, let me do it once, okay? ”

It was a lily flower that blossomed quietly in the night, and Brando looked down on Freya for a long time.

……