Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Rem quickly spurred the tired earth dragons into a run which they did with a groan.

"Shit, Captain, maybe I shouldn't leave Ram in there with the witc-"

"Puck and Beako will watch Ram, Garf," Subaru interrupted with annoyance.

With the sun setting behind him, Subaru peered down the road, "Are there any turn offs around here? It would be really useful to get off the road and onto another one before those flunkies are missed by their bosses."

"If I remember correctly," Rem said tersely, "A few miles ahead the road forks: one path goes to the capitol and one leads to Miseri city."

"I'm not sure that there's anything in Miseri city for us, but we do need to change course," Subaru grumbled weighing his options.

"There's a third possibility," Rem said, "There is also a broad meadow near the fork. Merchants sometimes cut across the meadow and follow a few rough roads to reach the king's highway back to the capitol. This trailer may be too large to take that road, however."

"Lets do it," Subaru decided, "If the road gets too narrow then Garf and I will just smash down a few trees."

Garfiel laughed, "That sounds awesome, Captain! You know, if I wasn't homeless and running for my frickin life right now, this would totally be fun!"

Subaru rolled his eyes, Was I ever this immature?

Felt looked at Garfiel with weary amusement.

Subaru chuckled, "First off, you're not homeless, Garf. As long as you're with us, we'll take care of you. We'll help you land someplace where you'll be happy. And as far as running for our lives goes… yeah, I guess I can't really argue with that one," Subaru admitted.

Garfiel laughed and playfully punched Subaru's shoulder. Subaru barely swallowed a cry of pain.

Damn, this kid is strong! I need to use Indomitable if he's going to do that again!

"OK, I'm going to go check on Emilia. Call me when we reach the fork," Subaru said going back inside.

Emilia was still sitting on her couch while Betty sat across from her cradling Puck. All three parties seemed markedly uncomfortable.

Subaru sat down beside Emilia and took her hand.

Emilia smiled at him but Puck and Beatrice both seemed annoyed by his choice of couches.

"OK, I don't know about everyone else but I've had just about all the fights today I can handle. I am ready to call it a night," Subaru sighed closing his eyes for a moment.

Subaru wasn't sure when he fell asleep.

"Captain! Wake up, you lazy bastard! I think we're being followed!" Garfiel yelled.

Subaru staggered out of an uneasy sleep. It was dark outside, "What's going on?"

"Someone's tailing us and he's catching up quick! He jumping around like Roy was!" Garfiel growled standing at the back door of the trailer as it raced along the road at breakneck speed.

Emilia sat next to Subaru looking frightened and the tired spirits sat across from her.

Subaru sprang up and leapt to the door. In the distance he saw a small thin figure with long scraggly hair leaping after the trailer, "Ley," Subaru growled.

"Ley, huh? Captain, you said he's the easy one, right?" Garfiel muttered.

"Did you think Roy was easy?" Subaru grumbled, "Assume this guy is worse."

Garfiel stared at Subaru wide eyed. When Subaru didn't say 'just kidding,' Garfiel swallowed hard.

"How far until we reach that turn off Rem mentioned?" Subaru asked.

"Captain, we took it! We went clear across a meadow and through the woods for an hour! I even walked behind us to make sure we weren't leaving any obvious trail!" Garfiel growled.

"What?" Subaru said, "Well, how the fuck did he find us?"

"I don't fucking know!" Garfiel snapped.

"The dragons can't go much further!" Rem called from the front.

"That's fine, Rem," Subaru yelled back, "We aren't getting away like this anyway! Give Felt the reins and get back here. Felt, give the dragons a rest."

Rem raced into the back, mace in hand as the carriage jostled to a stop.

"OK, both of you be quiet!" Subaru instructed Garfiel and Rem as the bouncing Ley came closer, "I don't care how much you hate the Witch Cult, we are in no shape for another fight right now! I'm going to try to talk us out of this. Stay here and wait for it to get physical before you jump in."

"You really think that will work, Captain?" Garfiel asked skeptically.

Subaru shrugged, "I don't know, Garf, but it's worth a try at least! I've met Ley and I bet he remembers the fight I had with Regulus. He may not be willing to fight me all alone. Beyond that, he doesn't seem all that bright. Maybe if I tell him that I'm following instructions from whoever runs the Cult, he'll buy it. Ley seems to be a little confused about which side I'm on."

"I can sympathize," Rem muttered.

"Oh, go bury it, Rem!" Subaru snarled.

Subaru swaggered out the back of the trailer with a confident smirk as Ley bounded up to him. When Ley saw Subaru, his frog like face creased with confusion, "Pride?"

"Hey there, Ley," Subaru replied with a smirk, "I assume that you're here to congratulate me on capturing the elf."

Ley squinted up at him, "You captured her? I thought the elf got away."

"Who told you that?" Subaru said in feigned confusion.

"Capella," Ley replied.

Subaru scoffed, "You're listening to Capella now?" Subaru asked incredulously, "Why? You know how she gets. The little bitch threw a tantrum when she didn't get her hands on the elf personally but I just told her: 'Finders keepers.'"

Ley snorted, "Bet that didn't go over too well," He said sympathetically, "No wonder she went bananas. You know she turned us all loose to hunt down the elf?"

Subaru sighed, "Is she still throwing a tantrum? It's been hours since we split up! She hasn't gotten a grip on herself yet?"

"Nah. She and Regulus are both livid about some sorcerer who led them on a chase and then disappeared," Ley said.

Roswaal got away, huh? That's good. In theory.

"I'd buy him a beer if I knew who he was," Subaru replied, "Anyone who aggravates those two is a friend of mine."

"Now that's the truth, Pride!" Ley giggled, "Hey, what's your name anyway? I can't just keep calling you 'Pride.'"

"Well, I'm willing to accept 'Great One,' 'Your Majesty,' 'My Liege,' 'The Glorious One,' or 'Subaru.' Take your choice," Subaru deadpanned.

Ley laughed out loud, "Yeah, you're proud. I get it. OK, 'Subaru' then. Hey, who are all those guys? Are they part of the Order?"

"They work for me," Subaru shrugged, "Meaning that so long as I'm following instructions so are they."

"Fair enough," Ley scratched his head with a sigh, "Look, I'm going to head back then. I've wasted way too much time running around tonight on Capella's say-so and I've got nothing to show for it. I'm getting hungry."

"Try telling her to suck you off if she wants you to follow her instructions. That's what I do," Subaru said carelessly, "Believe me, she turns all kinds of fascinating colors. I'm not sure it's because she's angry or aroused though and that worries me," He added looking uncomfortable.

"Fuck, no! I'm not that brave, Pride! You and Regulus might be able to tell her off but can you imagine what she'd do to me?" Ley asked, "She'd turn me into a pile of furry caterpillars."

OK, so I was right about the power scale for these freaks.

"Yeah, fair point," Subaru agreed, "So does that clear up everything for you?"

"Almost. The only thing that confuses me is where are you taking the elf? The cathedral is the other way."

Oh shit. What do I say to this?

"The cathedral? I was told that we were supposed to take her to the old temple," Subaru said.

"What's that?"

"Capella didn't tell you about it?" Subaru asked.

"She doesn't tell me anything except where to go and who to kill!" Ley mourned, "Can I be there the next time you make her suck you off? I'd like to see that. Err… from a very safe distance."

"I'll see what I can do!" Subaru laughed, "Anyway, why don't you go sync up with the little bitch and see what the next step is. I'm guessing I'll see you at the temple later."

"OK, sounds good," Ley yawned.

Subaru's heart leapt.

"Just let me check the Gospel first," Ley added pulling a small black book out of his pocket.

He flipped through a few pages looking puzzled, "Weird. It's still telling me to take the elf. Any idea what's that about?"

Subaru shrugged, "I couldn't tell you."

"Maybe you should check your Gospel just to be sure," Ley suggested.

Subaru hesitated for a split second, "I didn't bring my Gospel with me. Honestly, I'm surprised that you did! This mission could have gotten rough. Imagine the Gospel being damaged!" He said in feigned horror.

Ley scratched his chin and thought for a moment, "Sorry, Subaru, but if the Gospel tells me to take the elf, I think I'm going to have to take her. Maybe your instructions are out of date. I think I'm going to have to insist."

"Insist?" Subaru echoed, "Really?"

Ley nodded.

"I respect your determination to follow instructions, Ley. I just find it rather interesting that you think I'd abandon my own instructions," Subaru said with quiet menace stepping closer to Ley, "I hope you're not planning to get physical about this. You might vaguely recall what happened when Regulus and I had that little disagreement."

Ley flashed him a sharp-tooth smile, "True but the Gospel wouldn't send me down a blind alley," He replied.

Ley delivered a roundhouse kick to Subaru's jaw but Subaru managed to trigger Indomitable just in time.

Ley looked stunned. Subaru was not only was unhurt but he hadn't even been budged by a kick that could have shattered stone.

Subaru tried to punch Ley's face but the stringy boy cartwheeled away drawing his long daggers.

Subaru saw Rem and Garfiel leap out of the trailer to flank him. He quickly glanced behind him and saw Puck and Beatrice rushed out to help them leaving Emilia and Felt standing on the back platform of the trailer.

"This isn't going to end well for you, Ley," Subaru warned him, "Why don't you just get lost before you get hurt?"

Ley grinned at him, "I may not be Regulus, Subaru, but don't underestimate me!"

Emilia stood by helplessly as the group fought Ley.

Garfiel and Rem kept trying to surround the Archbishop but Ley always leapt away almost casually. Ley was remarkably acrobatic in a way that put Roy to shame, spinning and rolling away from every attack. Everyone was flailing at the grotesque boy and almost never striking a solid blow. Even the spirits couldn't pin him down. Puck unleashed a barrage of ice crystals but Ley spun, flipped and cartwheeled around them. Beatrice tried to grab Ley with shadowy tentacles but he leapt over her head and her tentacles accidentally tangled Garfiel.

Ley would have quickly won the fight except for Subaru. Each time Ley tried to go on the offensive, Subaru was right in front of him and Ley quickly backed off knowing that his daggers were no good against Subaru.

Ley wasn't willing to fight Subaru directly after he'd seen Regulus fail to kill him. He wanted to pick off the others and grab Emilia.

I have to do something! Emilia thought desperately, But what? I don't have my connection to Puck anymore so my magic is all gone!

Emilia shook her head, Don't think like that! She admonished herself. My connection to Puck is eternal! He's my Father. No witchcraft can change that! Maybe… maybe if I reach down deep enough I can still touch that connection and use some of his magic…

Ley seemed to be growing frustrated with the indecisive fight. As he leapt into the air to avoid Rem's mace, he spring-boarded off Garfield's chest and flung himself full speed at Emilia, planning to grab her and run.

Felt desperately pulled out her short knife.

Emilia was strangely calm. She felt the magic bubbling up inside her. She could still command Puck's magic. Probably not much of it, maybe only one ice crystal but if it hit Ley properly that would be enough to let the others finish Ley off.

As Subaru made a desperate grab for Ley, Emilia raised her palm toward the Archbishop and called upon the magic. She was not at all prepared for what happened. Puck's magic did not answer her.

Another magic did.

A massive bolt of frost blue light that could only be described as an avalanche of pure power erupted from her palm. It rushed out of her in a great burst like a river liberated by a bursting dam.

The shock of the magic flung Felt, who wasn't even in the direct line of fire, down onto the road knocking the wind out of her.

The light struck the shocked Ley full in the chest and sent him flying a full hundred feet away. The shock-wave Ley made as he flew at tremendous speed through Emilia's friends knocked them back and flung them all to the ground. Subaru who was closest to Ley ate a piece of the magic and was slammed face first into the road.

The wizened toad-like boy crashed onto the road where he tumbled and rolled until he finally came to a stop, his body covered in frost. The Archbishop looked up at Emilia with true fear in his eyes and fled.

Emilia panted for breath as she stared at her own hand in absolute shock.

A moment later Emilia noticed a small patch of ice underneath her and it was spreading. The ice patch crept slowly out from under her feet and a moment later a small shoot appeared in the ice growing upward. It grew an inch, two inches and then it grew leaves and a bulb on top. A moment later the bulb blossomed into a beautiful crystal flower made of ice.

Emilia stared at the beautiful crystal plant. As the frost kept spreading out and more and more flowers sprouted.

Felt and Subaru were groggily regaining their senses as the creeping ice spread underneath them and continued to sprout flowers.

Felt moaned, trying to figure out what had just happened. She dimly felt everything become cold around her.

A moment later she grabbed her hand with a scream.

She felt as if the bones in her hand were cracking, as if they was being torn apart from the inside.

Felt watched in absolute horror as a slender shaft of ice grew out of the back of her hand and became a blossoming ice flower three inches tall.

Felt screamed in pain as the slender delicate shaft of the frost blossom turned red, blood being drawn up the shaft until the blossom itself blushed bright crimson, dying itself red with her blood.

Felt screamed and pulled frantically at the blossom trying to uproot it but the blossom felt stronger than steel and Felt sensed that she would tear out her own bones before she ripped out the plant.

Felt felt to the ground screaming in agony as more blossoms began to sprout all over her body. They were each beautiful and delicate. They flowers bloomed gracefully and then quickly turned red, feeding on Felt's blood.

One was growing in her shoulder. Felt heard a sharp 'crack' sound as the roots dug deep inside her shoulder bone and tore it open the same way as a tree's roots split stone. The flower drank deep and turned red.

Felt was unable to do anything but writhe and scream as her entire body became a seedbed for the parasitic flowers. Felt dimly sensed Subaru screaming next to her as the flowers infested him as well.

The silver haired witch was at Subaru's side, saying something but Felt couldn't make it out. Her world dissolved into pure pain as the flowers kept growing and spreading all over her body.

Felt's hands felt as though they were on fire. Her fingernails split open as the flowers began to grow through the tips of her fingers. They grew in profusion over her torso and effortlessly ripped through her clothing. Felt was practically naked now but she barely noticed. She felt a slender shaft beginning to erupt from her tongue. Felt desperately opened her mouth wide to allow the tiny blossom to grow and flower without breaking through her teeth.

She stared up at the beautiful blossom protruding from her mouth and Felt thought she would go mad as she felt the flower sucking the blood out of her tongue. The sight of the perfectly beautiful crystal flower blooming above her, rising out of her own mouth and slowly turning red, seemed like the final bit of insanity she could cope with before her mind shattered into a million pieces.

Then she felt a blossom beginning to sprout from her left eye.

Emilia wrapped herself around Subaru, sobbing desperately, "Subaru!" She screamed shaking him.

She had no idea what to do. The frost flowers continued to bloom all around her as the frozen ground spread. She dimly realized that the frost flowers were beginning to grow up across the trailer, sticking straight out of the walls in complete defiance of gravity.

She watched in horror as a frost flower began to emerge from Subaru's check. She heard an audible cracking sound as its root sank deep into his cheekbone and Subaru howled in pain.

She saw Garfiel leap to Felt's side and pick her up. Felt was in convulsions now, her body looking less like a girl and more like a potato that was sprouting tubers.

As Emilia helplessly cradled Subaru's writhing body she sensed a shadow over head. Rem was leaping toward her, her mace outstretched and descending toward them both.

"Get away from us!" Emilia screeched calling on her magic again and blasting everyone away, especially the tiny spirits who went flying.

Garfiel bounced against the ground struggling to shield Felt from the impact while Rem who was the main target was slammed into the road tumbling end over end.

Garfiel shook his head and got back to his feet, cradling the sobbing Felt. He looked hard at Emilia and Subaru, "Rem!" He shouted, "We can't help the Captain right now! Grab Ram! We need to get out of here!"

Rem glared at him but nodded and they both took off at a run toward the front of the trailer.

Emilia barely noticed them fleeing as her attention was completely fixated on the helplessly sobbing Subaru.

"Subaru! What do I do?" She begged him but Subaru was unconscious and the only impulses running through his brain right now were pain and agony as the flowers continued to rip his body apart and grow.

"What are you doing, you witch?!" Beatrice screamed at her as she and Puck flew over. Puck was surrounded by a swarm of ice crystals ready to fire and Beatrice was wrapped in a cloak of writhing shadow tentacles just waiting to be unleashed. Both spirits' faces twisted ferociously when they looked at Emilia.

"I don't know!" Emilia screamed back, "Puck, what do I do?!"

Puck hesitated, "This is your magic!" He snapped coldly, "Control it! Pull it back in!"

"Bubby!" Beatrice screamed in shock, "Are you going to let her-"

"Breaking the curse will take too long, Betty!" Puck snapped back, "Subaru and Felt will die if we don't get this spell under control immediately. Pull your power back in, witch!"

"I don't know how!" Emilia cried.

Betty hissed at her, "If you don't control your magic right now then Subaru will die. He will freeze to death and the frost flowers will drink his blood."

Emilia stared at Beatrice in horror then tried to focus as she had never focused before.

No one needed to tell Emilia that she had one chance to get this right before the spirits killed her to try and save Subaru. What was worse, if she didn't stop the magic right away, then it was very likely that her curse would indeed kill Subaru and Felt.

Emilia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt the vast river of power surging out of her. Emilia had never imagined such magic. She couldn't believe she could possess so much power, much less control it, but Subaru needed her and failure was not an option.

She fought to pull the power back in. It resisted. Finally unleashed and free, the magic did not want to return to dormancy. She fought it tooth and nail and the magic slowly began to ebb. The frost flowers grew slower and finally stopped spreading altogether. The normal temperature returned to the area.

Emilia panted for breath. She looked down at Subaru. The flowers had stopped spreading but Subaru's body still looked like a madman's flowerbed. She brushed Subaru's cheek. His skin was pale and cold.

"Puck! You have to heal him!" Emilia begged.

Puck scowled at her and Emilia's mouth went dry. She could never have imagined Puck looking at her with such raw loathing.

"Bring him back inside the trailer!" The flying cat ordered, "We can't put him down on this ice!"

Emilia leapt to her feet with Subaru in her arms. She raced into the trailer to discover the floor was frozen here too and the frost flowers had spread everywhere. She gently deposited Subaru on the couch as the spirits raced up behind her.

Puck stared in horror at Subaru's ravaged body and began to cast a healing spell, the tiny cat glowing bright orange like a newborn sun.

Emilia heard a snarl and turned to see Beatrice scowling at her with pure hatred in her eyes, "The witch hurt Betty's Subaru! The witch will pay!"

Emilia recoiled as Beatrice raised a tiny hand that glowed with purple magic.

"Not now, Betty!" Puck shouted, "We need to heal Subaru! We can deal with the witch later!"

Beatrice ground her teeth glaring at Emilia but she turned away with a snarl and joined Puck's healing magic.

A short time later, Subaru was breathing more easily. The spirits had fought tooth and nail to melt the flowers and his wounds were beginning to mend from where the frost flower roots had bit into him. The trailer was still covered with frost flower blooms and, despite the warm air, they showed no sign of melting.

"He'll be alright, I suppose," Beatrice said glowering at Emilia.

Emilia bowed her head before the Great Spirit's rage, recognizing she deserved as much or worse.

Beatrice snarled at her, "Why did the witch hurt Betty's Subaru?!" She demanded.

Emilia flinched, "I didn't mean to," She said in a small voice.

"The witch almost killed Betty's Subaru by accident, I suppose?" Beatrice said sarcastically.

Emilia lowered her eyes and nodded.

Emilia sensed Puck floating above her and looked up. Emilia immediately started to cry. Never in her life had Puck looked down on her with such rage and contempt.

"How do we know that you didn't bewitch Subaru into thinking that you're his friend?" Puck demanded.

"I… don't know how to do that," Emilia whimpered.

"And Betty and Bubby are supposed to take your word for that, I suppose?" Beatrice snapped holding Subaru's hand and not looking at Emilia.

Emilia flinched, "Puck would know if I was lying…"

Puck glowered down at Emilia, "You hurt Subaru," He murmured as if pronouncing her doom, "Betty and I have waited to find Subaru for four hundred years. He is everything to us. If Subaru hadn't committed to trying to help you, I would have already turned you into ashes."

Emilia's tears wouldn't stop falling at hearing Puck speak to her like this.

Puck snarled at her, "You live only as long as Subaru doesn't decide that you're an enemy trying to trick him, but you have thrown away any trust that Betty and I had for you! If you so much as prick Subaru's finger then I will come for you myself witch and not even Subaru pleading with me for mercy will stop me from reducing you to dust! Are we understood?"

Emilia bowed her head and nodded, unable to control her tears.

Puck snorted and drifted back over to Betty and Subaru.

"Betty," Puck grumbled, "I'm going to go find the others and let them know that it's safe to come back to the trailer. We need to get moving. Keep an eye on the witch."

Emilia flinched at Puck referring to her this way.

"Betty thinks that is the most unnecessary thing her Bubby has ever said," She replied as Puck flew out the window.

Emilia walked on numb legs through the field of frost flowers growing in the trailer. She sank down on the couch that sat across from Subaru, buried her face in her hands and cried.

Beatrice looked at her with sheer loathing, "Bubby's words were not idle, little witch," Beatrice said in a cold voice, stroking Subaru's face, "Threaten our family again and we will not stay our hand."

Puck drifted high above the trailer getting a clear view of the surrounding area. The trailer sat in an enormous patch of frost and its body was festooned with crystal flowers growing out of every surface. The flowers had spread across the road and it was a minor miracle that none had infected the earth dragons in their harness.

Puck saw Garfiel, Felt and the twins gathered a short distance off the road and he flew over to them.

Garfield and Rem were standing there panting while Ram lay on the ground unconscious and Felt had blacked out with the red frost flowers still growing in profusion all over her body.

"Master Puck!" Rem cried, "Are you and Lady Beatrice alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Puck muttered drifting down to hover before them.

"What about the Captain?" Garfield demanded.

"He's out cold but he's stable. Betty and I broke the witch's curse and healed his wounds," Puck grumbled.

"Really? Hey, can you do the same for Rem and the shrimp?" Garfield asked.

Puck glanced at Rem. The maid had broken the flowers off her body but was still bleeding from deep wounds in several places, "Yeah, I can heal Rem."

Puck glowed bright orange as he used his magic to staunch Rem's bleeding and mend her wounds. A few moments later Rem was completely healed.

Rem dipped into a graceful curtsy, "Thank you, Master Puck."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Puck murmured absently as he drifted down to inspect Felt who seemed barely conscious or catatonic, "Wow, she's in bad shape. Maybe even worse than Subaru was. This might take a few minutes," He observed beginning to heal her wounds and melt the crimson flowers.

"What the fuck is that witch doing now?" Garfield demanded.

"Last I checked she was sitting on the couch sobbing," Puck grumbled, "Betty's watching her."

Garfiel stared at Puck, "Bullshit!"

"That's what she was doing," Puck replied.

"A witch that has enough power to do… whatever the hell she just did to all of us, is now curled up in a ball crying like a little girl? Bullshit!" Garfield proclaimed.

"It must be a ruse," Rem said wearily rubbing her sore limbs, "She's probably hoping to make us feel sorry for her."

"That's my guess," Puck agreed focusing on Felt.

"So what the hell are we going to do about it?" Garfield demanded, "This witch is fucking dangerous! She almost killed us and nearly destroyed the trailer!" Garfiel paused in realization, "She did it on purpose, didn't she?! She deliberately trapped us here so that the Archbishops coming for her would have time to catch up!"

"If the witch wanted to trap us here, I think there were more effective ways to do it," Rem replied.

"She didn't have any bad intent that I could detect," Puck admitted grudgingly, "Witches usually don't. They kill people out of indifference and carelessness. This particular witch is also too weak and incompetent to control her own magic and that puts all of us in its own kind of danger. And that's even ignoring the possibility that she's using her Authority to shield her thoughts from me."

"She might have failed to trap us this time but we should not give her a second opportunity," Rem replied, "Can we salvage the trailer?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. I looked it over before I came to find you," Puck said, "There aren't any flowers that might jam the wheels or something so the trailer should work the way it always does."

"Yeah, that's great and all, seriously," Garfiel grumbled sarcastically, "But I must ask again: What about the witch?" Garfield demanded Rem.

Rem gave him a tired look.

"We've got to do something about her!" Garfield cried, "We can't just drive off down the road with a monster sitting behind us! What is this, Michael and the Living Doll?"

Rem looked confused at the idiom.

"Do you have a suggestion?" Puck asked folding his arms.

"My suggestion is: Let's kill her!" Garfiel snapped.

Rem thought about it, "It certainly seems to be a sensible goal," She agreed, "But we didn't have much luck against her in the last fight."

"She took us by surprise!" Garfield snapped.

"That's true, Garf, but we'll only get one more chance to kill her. I doubt she'll let us escape so easily next time," Rem pointed out, "We should wait until Subaru and Sister wake up and then plan our attack together. The four of us and the Great Spirits should be able to finish off one witch."

"And what do we do with her until then?" Garfield demanded with a snap of his jaws, "Would you like me to make her a cup of tea?"

Puck shrugged, "Personally, Garf, I suggest you take your own advice: drive off down the road with the monster sitting behind you. Unless anyone has a better suggestion. The Sin Archbishops are still after us so we better keep moving. Betty and I will watch the witch to make sure she stays out of trouble but you all should stay out of the trailer anyway."

Puck glanced down at Felt. The flowers had all melted. Her wounds still looked inflamed and painful but she was breathing easier. Puck couldn't tell if she was unconscious or just shell-shocked.

"Ugh!" Garfield growled as he picked up Ram's sleeping body from the ground.

"No, Garf," Rem said firmly.

Garfiel sighed and handed Ram over to her sister. Rem carried Ram back to the driver's platform leaving Garfiel to gently pick up Felt and follow her.

"This shit is all so fucking stupid," He grumbled.

Subaru groggily sat up on the couch, "Ugh. What happened?" He muttered. He saw Puck's green crystal sitting beside him.

"Subaru!" Emilia cried out, leaping to her feet.

Subaru rubbed his eyes. He saw Emilia wilting under the glares of Puck and Beatrice. Emilia bowed her head and slowly sat back down.

It was almost night time, "Um, hey guys. Did I miss anything?" Subaru asked.

Puck was still glowering at Emilia, "Well, you missed dying, Subaru, but just barely," Puck growled.

Subaru looked around in bewilderment. The trailer had become a magical garden full of plants made of ice. They were even growing straight out of the walls in complete defiance of gravity. "What the hell happened here? When did we plant a garden?"

The spirits glanced at each other, "Are you feeling alright, Subaru?" Beatrice asked.

"Um, a little confused, honestly," Subaru replied, "What happened? Is everyone OK?"

"You were in really bad shape, Subaru," Puck replied drifting down into Subaru's cupped hands as Beatrice hopped up onto the couch beside Subaru and rested her head against his chest. Subaru wrapped an arm around Beatrice to hold her close, "Although, I suppose Felt was honestly worse. Rem had some wounds but nothing all that serious. Ram and Garfield got off with scratches."

"Well, that's good. I mean not so good for Felt but still. So what exactly happened?" He asked.

The spirits glowered at Emilia.

Emilia bowed her head in shame.

Subaru coughed nervously, "OK, I'm sensing that everyone blames Emilia for this mess but, um, maybe you guys could explain it in a little bit more detail?"

"The witch cast a curse, in fact," Beatrice snarled at Emilia, "She froze the entire area and started spreading blood drinking frost flowers everywhere. The blossoms tried to eat Betty's Subaru and the others!"

Subaru gaped at Beatrice. He looked at Emilia who was sitting there crying, "Mili, how did you do that?"

"I don't know, Subaru," She whimpered, "I am so so sorry. I don't know what came over-"

"No, Emilia," Subaru interrupted, "How did you do that? I know it was an accident, you didn't need to clue me in about that. But how did you do it? You always needed to rely on Puck for most of your magic but now you suddenly managed do this? You've never had that kind of power before so what gives?"

Emilia frowned and thought it over, "I don't know. You're right, I've never been able to do anything on this scale, at least not since I got thawed out of the ice. I thought I had used up all my magic cursing the forest. I liked not having that much power anymore so I didn't investigate it."

"What do you mean 'thawed out of the ice?'" Puck growled.

"I'll explain later," Subaru mused, "Puck, I have a question for you: If Emilia had previously been contracted with a Great Spirit, could that have absorbed the bulk of Emilia's natural power or maybe the spirit could have suppressed it another way?"

Puck sounded exasperated, "Subaru, I'm telling you, I don't remember ever-"

"I know, Puck," Subaru sighed, "Just think of it as a hypothetical question."

"Well," Puck floated up in the air and folded his arms as he thought, "I mean, a contract with a Great Spirit does absorb a lot of mana. Most people couldn't form one at all."

"Wait, then how am I doing it? Much less doing it with both of you at the same time?" Subaru asked.

"Oh, you have a ton of magic, Subaru, although it's mostly inert. I guess that's because of your Authority. It's funny but I never really thought about how odd it was that you had so much magic before. You could probably make a contract with every Great Spirit in the world without even noticing the drain."

Beatrice pinched Subaru's side, "Do not take that as a suggestion, in fact!"

"Ouch! Don't worry, Beako. I'm not planning on expanding our family," Subaru replied. He hesitated, "By contract anyway," Subaru amended. "OK, so if Emilia was contracted to a Great Spirit previously, could that drain account for why her magic seems so much stronger now?"

Puck thought it over while glowering at Emilia, "Not really, Subaru. The gap between what you've described as her magic and what she actually possesses is just too big. The rest of it would have to have been magically sealed."

"Could a spirit do that?" Subaru asked.

"Sure, if she was willing to allow it but why would they?" Puck asked.

"Maybe the spirit was really overprotective and was worried that Emilia might hurt herself wielding magic he wasn't sure she could control?" Subaru suggested looking guiltily at Emilia.

Emilia sighed and bowed her head.

"Hm. That spirit had good judgment, I suppose," Beatrice said in a snippy voice.

"That's my Beako for you," Subaru sighed, "Takes no prisoners, suffers no fools." He shook his head, "Emilia, are you OK?"

"Is Emilia OK, in fact?!" Beatrice interjected, "This witch suffered not a scratch! It was the rest of us who suffered including Betty's Subaru! The witch should be made to depart immediately. Or be reduced to ashes…"

"That's enough, Beako," Subaru said trying to sound both patient and firm, "I know you don't remember her but the four of us really are one family and Emilia needs our help right now."

Puck and Beatrice shared a look that was equal parts concerned and exasperated.

"Subaru, I'm not sure you realize just how close you came to dying because of this girl," Puck grumbled.

"Believe me, Puck, it wasn't the first time," Subaru smiled.

"Subaru!" Emilia complained.

"How are you feeling, Emilia?" Subaru asked patiently.

Emilia stared at him in disbelief, "Subaru! I almost killed you! I almost killed Felt!"

"Yeah, I know, Mili, I was there," Subaru said calmly, "I appreciate you not actually killing me by the way. I do want to go and check on Felt though."

"Betty thinks that Subaru's admirable kindness and empathy might be going too far when it starts being applied to witches, in fact," Beatrice muttered.

"Well, first thing's first," Subaru said, "Emilia, do you have your magic under control right now?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

"OK, that's good," Subaru said feeling the trailer start to slow down and pull over to the side of the road, "How long was I asleep?"

Beatrice scratched her chin, "Almost twenty four hours, I suppose? Your mana was nearly drained."

"Felt barely has any mana so she got off easier in that regard. She woke up pretty quick once I healed her wounds. We're probably stopping for dinner now and the others are going to make some food," Puck added.

"OK, great," Subaru muttered standing up.

He immediately became light headed and crashed back down on the couch.

"Hey! Subaru!" Puck protested, "Take it easy! You lost half the blood in your body yesterday!"

"Well, you don't hear that everyday," Subaru muttered rubbing his forehead. "Just for comparison, does anyone know how much blood I lost when Elsa gutted me?"

"Subaru promised Bubby and Betty that they would be together forever," Beatrice grumbled, "Betty recognizes that Subaru is mortal but could he stop almost dying so often, I suppose?"

Subaru sighed and slowly got to his feet. He awkwardly waded through the delicate crystal flowers that seemed as strong as steel, "Alright, well I have a lot to catch up on so lets go out then," Subaru said extending his hand to the seated Emilia.

"No," Puck and Beatrice both said flatly.

"Huh?"

"That witch is staying where we can watch her," Beatrice asserted.

"If we all go out together, you can still watch her," Subaru argued.

"No, Subaru," Puck replied firmly, "It's not going to happen. That witch is dangerous and she is staying someplace where we can limit the damage that she causes."

"It's really fine, Subaru," Emilia said with a sad smile, "I'm alright here. You should go check on Felt."

Subaru sighed and nodded.

Beatrice tugged on Subaru's arm and he obligingly picked her up.

"It's Bubby's turn to watch the witch, in fact," Beatrice said as Subaru hoisted her up onto his shoulder.

Puck sighed, "Fine. Keep my crystal close to you though, Subaru. I don't know how she got it away from Felt but I don't want that witch to touch it ever again."

Subaru looked at Emilia, pained but she just shook her head sadly.

Subaru pocketed Puck's crystal with a sigh.

Subaru walked out of the trailer and found Rem, Garfiel, and Felt sitting in a nearby field trying to start a campfire. Felt had changed clothes and was now wearing a yellow dress that she must have brought to Arlem for the meeting with the nobility.

"How long until dinner?" He called casually.

"Subaru!" Felt cried out.

"Captain!" Garfiel shouted with a laugh.

Garfiel and Felt rushed over to Subaru. Rem gave him a steady look then turned away and continued fussing with the campfire.

"Subaru, are you alright?" Felt asked.

"Fine, Felt. How about you?" He asked in concern. Felt did not look good. Her thin body had large bruises all over it and her eyes had become sunken and haunted.

"Oh, I'm fine, boss," Felt snorted after a moment's hesitation, "I've been through way worse."

Garfiel barked a laugh, "The shrimp is pretty tough," He said cuffing her shoulder.

Felt bit her lip against crying out as she grabbed her shoulder.

"Seriously, Captain, it's good to see you back on your feet," Garfiel told him, "You were in bad shape. I was worried that… well, it's good to have you back," He laughed.

"Any problems while I was napping?" Subaru asked walking to where Rem was starting a fire with the others.

Garfiel shook his head, "Smooth sailing so far, Captain. No sign of the Archbishops since Ley ran off. We've been taking turns feeding the witch-"

"Garf," Subaru moaned.

He snorted, "Fine, we've been taking turns feeding 'Emilia.'" He said sarcastically.

Rem managed to strike a spark and quickly fed it with twigs and dry grass.

"Nice work, Rem!" Garfiel cheered, "It's cold out here tonight. Right, shrimp?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, fleabag. I'm not some fainting flower like you. Some of us are used to living rough," Felt snorted her arms wrapped around her thin body as she shivered.

"Rem, are you OK?" Subaru asked glancing over her bandaged wounds.

She gave him a dark look, "Fine. I'll go fetch some food for us to cook," She said walking off.

The three plus Beatrice sat around the the campfire, feeding it with sticks and helping it grow.

"How's Ram? Is she up yet?" Subaru asked.

Garfiel shook his head, "Nah. The magic cat took a look at her earlier. He said that her Gate or something had been damaged previously. The cat told me that the mana-drain thing that happened when the barrier broke hurt her more than the rest of us. He doesn't expect her to wake up before sometime tomorrow."

"Well, I'm glad she's recovering at least. So nothing major has happened since yesterday?" Subaru asked.

"No, but that's fine with me," Garfiel admitted, "Yesterday was wild! It was like Jack facing the storms."

Subaru laughed, "Garf, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you admit that something might be too much for you to handle!"

Garfiel scowled then relaxed with a smirk, "Hey, Captain, what can I say? You were persuasive," Garfiel snorted, "That little frog-faced freak was pretty persuasive too. I thought you said he was the weak one."

Subaru snickered, "He is."

Garfiel looked at Subaru incredulously.

"Roy and Ley are by far the weakest Archbishops I've met. I have no idea how we could even hope to wound Capella, Petelguese could rip apart a small city with his bare hands, and don't even get me started on Regulus," Subaru sighed.

"Fuck. What the hell have I gotten myself into?" Garfiel whispered.

"Yeah, don't feel too bad, fleabag," Felt commiserated, "I've been asking myself the same question ever since I met the boss."

"Betty's Subaru does have a habit of getting us into strange situations, I suppose," Beatrice mused from Subaru's shoulder. "So far Betty's Subaru has led us into the thick of a fight for the throne, an ancient magical Sanctuary from which we barely escaped with our lives, and a protracted battle with the Archbishops of Sin. Where do you plan to lead us next, I suppose, assuming we survive the trouble you've already stirred up? Sailing off the edge of the world?"

Garfiel and Felt burst out laughing.

"Jeez, guys!" Subaru complained, starting to laugh along, "What is this, 'pick on me' day? I've had a pretty rough go of it myself lately."

"Hey, you're the boss, Subaru! You get to take the blame for all of this shit!" Felt chuckled.

"Betty agrees," Beatrice added primly.

"Hey, I'm not your boss, Beako. I'm your family, so you stay out of this," Subaru snickered at her.

"Betty feels entitled to tell her brother, both of them actually, when they are skipping merrily down the road toward disaster," Beatrice replied.

Garfiel was still laughing out loud while Felt sat there with a smirk on her face.

Subaru chuckled and shook his head ruefully, "Look guys, if anyone has a better idea, I am all ears! Seriously! If someone has a better plan, lay it on me, I'd really appreciate it."

Garfiel finally managed to contain his laughter, "Eh, relax, Captain. Me and the shrimp are only fooling around."

"I know," Subaru agreed.

It was quiet for a moment.

"You know, Garf, it's weird to say this but I feel like we get along a lot better now than I remember," Subaru mused.

Garfiel gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean, Captain?" He asked.

"Well, I remember us being pretty adversarial, until the fight with Roy at least," Subaru struggled to put his thoughts into words. "I guess in this… 'time-line,' or whatever you want to call it, we get along better."

Garfiel scratched at his wild yellow hair looking confused.

"So, how did we meet?" Subaru asked him.

"What?! We met two fucking days ago, Captain! You got any idea how weird that question sounds?" Garfiel replied.

"Imagine how weird it feels to be the guy asking it and knowing that his memories are different than everyone else's," Subaru chuckled.

Garfiel looked awkward but shrugged, "We met when you gave me a flying lesson."

"I beg your pardon?"

Garfiel laughed, "I'd been trying to pass those shitty trials for two weeks by then. I was getting pretty down on myself so the shrimp here kept kicking my ass to keep me moving forward."

"We had a lot of shouting matches. I had to scream pretty loud to get through your thick stone head," Felt commented with a faint smile.

"Yeah, Captain, so when you and the Little Bit came to the Sanctuary, Felt and I were at the Tomb screaming into each other's faces and promising to do all kinds of gruesome things to each other. I guess you thought I was really threatening the shrimp because the next thing I knew I'd gotten punched in the gut and I was airborne," He snickered.

Garfiel laughed at the stunned look on Subaru's face, "Yup, I got some great hang-time too! Then I ate dirt. By the time I had walked back to the tomb, the shrimp had explained the situation and you were seriously sorry. My magnificent self decided to forgive you but you had to promise to go a few rounds with me after we got out of the Sanctuary!" He yelled smashing his fists together.

Oh boy, that sounds painful!

"Maybe we should wait on that until we're not running for our lives, Garf" Subaru suggested.

"I hear that, Captain," Garfiel said picking his teeth.

Garfiel frowned, "Say, Captain, how do you remember us meeting?"

He's curious about the difference in our memories? That could be a good sign.

"It's a lot less exciting to be honest," Subaru shrugged, "I came into the Sanctuary and heard Emilia sobbing. She'd failed the trials again and Felt was trying to help her get through it. She actually blacked out from the stress so Felt and I took her back to the cottage to rest. We bumped into you and Ryuzu on the way back. You kept saying how… pathetic you thought Emilia was," Subaru growled, "And I really did come close to knocking you across the field. Instead you took off and left me and Felt to put Emilia to bed."

Garfiel scratched his head, "Look, Captain, I'm not saying that you're lying but even if my memories were switched around, that story still doesn't make much sense to me. Why would I make fun of someone because they couldn't complete the trials? I wasn't having much luck either."

Because you're an insecure child who covers up said insecurities with aggression and bravado? God, was I this annoying when I went through my edgy phase?

Yeah, something tells me I don't want to hear the answer to that question.

"Well, none of us knew that you could take the trials," Subaru replied, "Maybe Ryuzu knew but she didn't see fit to share it with the rest of us so Emilia was our only possibility and I never even met this Otto guy. Roy showed up at the tomb because someone had told him to capture Emilia and Emilia was at the tomb because she was trying to break the barrier. We killed him and then while we were fighting Capella, Emilia succeeded in breaking the barrier and we got the hell out of there."

Garfiel looked pensive and folded his arms across his chest.

"Subaru," Felt grumbled, "None of that happened! It's all illusions. It's not real."

Subaru shook his head, There's no point in arguing about it. It will just lead us in circles.

"Well," Subaru sighed, "You have your memories and I have mine, Felt."

"Yeah," Felt grumbled, "But the funny thing is that my memories have the benefit of agreeing with Garf and Rem and Beatrice. The only person who agrees with you is that witch. Think about that."

Subaru took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He changed the subject: "So, Garf, once we get somewhere safe, are you planning to go meet up with Ryuzu or are we going to get to keep you around for a bit?" Subaru asked.

Garfiel looked up at the stars thoughtfully, "I dunno, Captain. I definitely need to go and make sure that she and the others are OK," He mused. "If they have landed somewhere safe then I'm a free agent and I think I can do a lot more to keep them safe by taking the fight to the Cult rather than waiting for the Cult to come to us."

"Sound thinking," Subaru replied, "I just hope you're not planning to take on the freaks as a one man army."

"Nah, Captain. I think maybe I've gotten a little bit smarter in the past few days," Garfiel admitted.

"Could have fooled me, fleabag" Felt commented poking at the fire with a stick.

"Oh shut up, shrimp," Garfiel chuckled, "Besides, I seem to have already fallen in with the craziest group of fuckers since Martin and Roger took on the General. Pretty sure if I just hang with you lot, the Cult will come to me."

"Beako, I don't know what irritates me more," Subaru grumbled, "That Garf would say that, or the fact that he's probably right."

"Betty finds the latter far more objectionable, in fact," Beatrice replied and Garfiel laughed.

"Hey, I'm going to go see if Rem needs any help," Felt sighed and walked off into the field.

Subaru waited until Felt was out of earshot, "I think maybe I won't point out that Rem is in the opposite direction from where Felt is going."

"Yeah," Garfiel muttered, "Hey, Captain, listen: I'm worried about the shrimp."

"She doesn't look good," Subaru agreed.

"I don't think she slept at all last night," Garfiel told him, "And I'm not sure she's eaten today. Those freaking… flower things really got to her."

"Trust me, I can relate," Subaru admitted with a shudder, "I was grateful when I blacked out."

"Yeah," Garfiel said slowly, "Captain, Felt didn't black out. She remembers all of it."

"Oh," Subaru flinched. "That's… that's really not good."

Garfiel shook his head, "Yeah. I thought maybe you could talk to her about it. I really want to help the shrimp out after everything she did for me during the trials but I wasn't really sure what to say to her. I was worried that I'd just end up saying something dumb."

"Probably but that's part of what we like about you," Subaru shrugged.

"Hey, Captain! Give me a fucking break!" Garfiel laughed.

Subaru gently deposited Beatrice on the ground, "Can you go check in on Puck for a bit? I need to talk to Felt and she'd probably prefer not to have an audience."

Beatrice pouted, "Subaru had better make lots of special time for Betty when we get home!"

Subaru wrapped her in a tight hug, "It's a date," He promised.

Beatrice smiled and walked away with her head held high.

Subaru walked over to Felt. Felt reclined under a small tree with her arms wrapped around her knees and her haunted eyes staring off into the distance.

"How are you doing, Felt?" Subaru asked sitting down beside her.

"Fine," She said shortly not looking at him.

Subaru looked at her with concern and gently slipped an arm around her tiny shoulders.

Felt stiffed, "Hey, boss! You don't pay me enough for that! I don't let my clients touch me! I don't-"

Subaru wrapped his other arm around Felt and drew her close.

Felt's large red eyes filled with tears and she buried her face in his chest with a sob.

Subaru rubbed her back, "It's alright, Felt. It's alright. It's all over."

Felt was weeping so hard that her entire body trembled, "No, it isn't!" She sobbed.

"What do you mean?" He asked gently.

"I can't handle what the witch did to me, Subaru! I thought I was tough and that I could handle anything but I just… I just can't fucking cope with it!"

"It's OK, Felt!" Subaru said uncertain if it really was, "It's OK! It's just a memory! It can't hurt you!"

"Subaru, I can't sleep! I can't close my eyes! Every time I try to lay down, I feel the frost flowers burrowing into me! I feel them slicing my skin and cracking my bones open to drink my blood!" Felt wailed.

Subaru's eyes widened in horror as he held Felt tighter.

"It's alright, Felt! I'm here now! We're… we're going to figure this out!" Subaru said helplessly as Felt sobbed into his shoulder.

"Subaru," She sobbed, "They were eating me alive… They spread all over my body and they were sucking me dry…"

Subaru gently rocked her, "It's going to be OK, Felt. Maybe not today but it's going to be OK. We have two Great Spirits on call and once we get back to the capitol we'll find the best healer around. We'll figure out how to help you get through this!"

Felt sobbed.

"Maybe you can't sleep tonight," Subaru soothed, "I'll stay up with you and we'll talk. If you think you can try to sleep, I'll hold your hand until you fall asleep. I'll hold your hand all night if you need me to."

Felt was panting for breath as she lay against his chest, "Subaru," She whispered, "What are we going to do about the witch?"

Subaru hesitated for a long moment, "Emilia," He emphasized gently, "Feels horrible about what happened. She never meant to cast those flowers on us, she was trying to stop Ley. And I know how horrible those flowers were, believe me," Subaru lied knowing their experiences where in no way comparable, "But our problem right now isn't Emilia, it's helping you to recover."

Felt looked at Subaru incredulously then shook free from his embrace. Felt leapt up and stormed away with her arms folded tightly across her chest.

"Felt, wait!" He cried hurrying after her.

Felt stopped but didn't turn around to face him. Her arms were holding herself together with raw determination, as if Felt was worried that she was about to fall apart. Subaru had never really noticed how tiny Felt was before, how terribly frail and breakable she seemed.

Felt took a deep breath, "Subaru, I need you to get your goddamn head on straight."

"Felt?" He asked.

"That witch is not your friend, Subaru!" Felt cried out whirling to face him with tears in her eyes, "You've never even met her before! We're all telling you the same thing but you won't listen to us! Do you really trust her more than your closest friends?! Think!"

"Felt," He whispered uncertain of what to say.

Felt turned her face away with a grimace, "That… witch almost killed you, Subaru," Felt's face contorted in agony, "She almost killed me! Do you not even care?!"

"Felt, of course, I care!" Subaru protested wondering what he could say.

"What kind of magic changes everyone's memories except for one person? What kind of sense does that make?" Felt demanded.

"I have an Authority and that protected me," Subaru explained.

"Why would anyone even do this?! Give me one reason why anyone would want to make the entire world forget that some girl existed? What possible purpose could that serve?" Felt shouted.

"I don't know yet," Subaru admitted.

"No shit, Subaru, because there isn't one! This theory of yours doesn't make sense because it benefits nobody! But if the witch is weak and vulnerable and needs a protector, then it makes perfect sense to bewitch the strongest person around and make the bonehead think he's in love with her!"

"Felt, that is not what happened!" Subaru shouted.

"The witch is twisting your mind, Subaru! You need to trust your friends and get the hell away from her! She will turn you against us if you let her! Please! Don't you trust me at all?" Felt begged.

"Of course, I do!" Subaru assured her, "You are my precious friend, Felt. I promised that I would take care of you."

"Well, no offense, boss but so far you've done a pretty shit job!" Felt snapped back.

Subaru flinched looking stricken.

"I'm not stupid, Subaru," She moaned looking away with a haggard expression on her face, "I'm not Reinhard! I knew exactly how much trouble I was risking when I lied to Heinkel and the council for you. But I did it because I thought we were friends.

"I hate the fucking nobility! You have no idea the way they have treated my friends. How they'd treated me personally! I'd like to gut each and every one of them but at the selection I put on a pretty dress and smiled at them because you were my friend.

"But this time… Subaru, she tried to kill me!" Felt wailed burying her face in her hands, "She tried to torture me to death with those horrible parasitic flowers!"

"Felt," Subaru whispered taking the little girl in his arms.

"I don't understand what's going on, Subaru, and I don't care! I don't know what the Authority means or why it matters that the dragon blood is all used up!" She cried out burying her face in his chest. She trembled in Subaru's arms and panted for breath until she could continue, "Subaru, if we just go back to the capitol then when the selection ends you willbe King! You could make things better for millions of people across the continent!

"If you think that there's no point to taking the throne anymore, fine! Let's just grab Garf and the spirits and get the fuck out of here! We'll find Red and we'll disappear! We can make a go of it together! Let the world worry about its own problems. Let's forget about thrones and Archbishops and everything else! I'm fine either way but please Subaru! Let's just get out of here before it's too late!" Felt sobbed into his chest.

"Felt," Subaru whispered trying desperately to soothe the girl's anguish, "There's more going on here. Emilia's memory has been erased from the whole world."

"No, it hasn't, Subaru!" Felt screamed in his face, "It's a lie! It's all a lie! We've all told you! I have been with you since the day you entered this world and Puck has been with you even longer! We both told you that 'Emilia' doesn't exist! The witch is twisting your mind! Your friends are trying to save you! Why won't you believe us?!"

Subaru sighed, "Felt, it's not true. Emilia is not twisting my mind. I'm certain of it."

Felt stopped crying and she wordlessly withdrew from Subaru's arms and took a few steps back.

Tears were still streaming down her face but her expression was hard, "Please don't tell me that, Subaru."

"Why not?"

"Because if that witch really hasn't put a spell on you then that means that you are willingly traveling with a witch who almost killed all of your friends. You're willingly traveling with someone who almost killed me and you don't even seem to care," Felt said flatly, "And I really don't want to believe that."

Felt turned and walked away without a word.

Subaru thought about chasing her and trying to talk to her further but he thought this probably wasn't the right time. He glanced back at the fire where Rem had handed Garfiel some strips of meat and he was grilling them. Rem returned to the trailer and Subaru decided to follow her.

Subaru returned to the driver's platform where Rem sat next to her comatose sister.

"Any sign of Ram waking up?" Subaru asked climbing onto the platform.

Rem shook her head, staring at her sister, "Tomorrow night at the earliest according to Puck."

"I find that Puck is usually reliable," Subaru mused sitting down near Rem.

"A pity that can't be said about other people," Rem said not looking at Subaru.

Subaru sighed, "Well, I did promise to answer your questions once we were no longer running for our lives. Anything in particular you wanted to ask?"

Rem turned to face him, "Who are you, Subaru Natsuki?"

Subaru sighed, "I am Subaru Natsuki from another world, or beyond the Great Waterfall if you prefer. I came to this world almost two months ago through means unknown to me. I met Emilia that day, fell in love with her, and have spent the last month trying to become King so I can get the dragon blood for her. You and I have had a fairly rocky relationship together: you started off trying to kill me, then started to trust me, then stopped trusting me, so… where are we at the moment?"

Rem's face was hard, "Tell me about the witchcraft."

Subaru took a deep breath, "During my conversation with Roswaal the other day, he explained to me that the magic I acquired when I first came here was a type of witchcraft. It's called an Authority."

"And that makes you a witch," Rem said coldly.

Subaru sighed, "Yeah, I suppose it does. You know, for the record, I didn't go looking for this power, Rem. According to Roswaal it was looking for me, although don't ask me how that makes sense."

"And what about the other witch?" Rem demanded.

"Emilia is not a witch, Rem," Subaru said firmly, "People's memories have just been mixed up. Emilia doesn't have an Authority so she can't be a witch or an archbishop."

"And how do you know that she doesn't possess one?"

Subaru blinked, "Um, well, Roswaal probably would have mentioned it, wouldn't he?" Subaru asked awkwardly.

"Subaru, do you have any evidence at all that this girl does not possess an Authority?" Rem asked.

"Well, not exactly-"

"And do you any evidence at all that our memories have been twisted rather than your own? What kind of magic changes everyone in the world to remember something differently except for one person?"

"Well, maybe my Authority protected me," Subaru replied.

"Do you have any evidence of that?" Rem demanded.

Subaru just gave her a worried frown.

Rem turned her back on him and fussed over her sister, "Subaru, you once told me that you need to be certain that the person you're killing deserves to die."

"I remember," Subaru replied.

"That witch nearly killed you and all of your friends. If that doesn't convince you that she deserves to die then what will?"

"Emilia didn't mean to do that! Ley was kicking our asses and she tried to help! The magic just got out of control!" Subaru protested.

"Don't brush aside what she did as if being an accident rendered it meaningless!" Rem demanded, "Most of us aren't like you, Subaru Natsuki! We can't shrug off a mace to the head or a witch's curse and keep going! You once told me that mistakes are as serious as the consequences they caused. That witch's 'mistake' very nearly killed Felt and she is deeply traumatized as a result. Even if I believed for one single instant that the witch didn't mean to hurt us, she still caused grievous harm that can't simply be swept under the rug. But you, Subaru Natsuki, appear to be completely unwilling to hold the witch accountable for nearly killing one of your friends, especially Miss Felt who has shown you great loyalty and devotion."

Rem stood and looked down at Subaru coldly, "You are either deeply under that witch's spell or in a state of delusion. I can't tell which. Nor am I sure which answer I would prefer. You are ignoring the obvious answer in favor of the reality you desire and you are putting everyone who cares about you in jeopardy because of your foolishness."

"Rem-" Subaru began but Rem turned her back to him and sat down by her sister.

Subaru sighed and got off the driver's platform.

"Hey guys," Subaru sighed walking back into the trailer.

Emilia sat on the same couch as before with a sad expression. Beatrice sat across from her with Puck lying in her lap, both glowering at Emilia.

"So, nice to see that everyone is getting along so well," Subaru murmured as he sat down next to Emilia and took her hand.

Puck and Beatrice both grumbled.

Subaru smiled when a moment later Beatrice left her couch and sat on Subaru's lap possessively. Puck drifted back into her hands. They both still scowled at Emilia.

"Mili," Subaru chuckled, "Do you remember when we were first living together and Puck tried to use Beatrice to separate us while we were sitting on the couch?"

Emilia frowned and then her face brightened into a smile, "I do! I didn't understand what Puck was doing at the time but looking back on it, it was really funny. How did you get her to run away again?"

The spirits looked back and forth between Subaru and Emilia with baffled expressions on their faces.

Subaru laughed, "Remember, this was back when Beako didn't like me too much! I wrapped my arms around her and told you to do the same," Subaru said once again wrapping his arms around the little spirit, "Beako freaked out and yelled 'Betty is not for hugging!' and then raced out of the room at top speed carrying Puck with her. Luckily, we've gotten over that little issue, haven't we Beako?" Subaru said hugging and snuggling his spirit partner.

Emilia laughed out loud.

"Betty doesn't know what either of you are talking about, in fact! No such event ever happened. Moreover, Betty is entirely for hugging but only to certain persons. Too many people wish to hug Betty without permission. Although, it is understandable. Betty's form was chosen to be delightful, I suppose," Beatrice said loftily.

"Everything about Betty is delightful!" Subaru said cuddling the little girl.

"It's good that you recognize this, I suppose," She smiled.

"Hey, Subaru, how about a little affection over here?" Puck protested from Beatrice's arms.

"You got it, buddy," Subaru replied stroking the cat who smiled blissfully, "I'll give you both all the affection you want!"

Subaru looked at Emilia who watched their fractured family with a sad smile and watery eyes.

Subaru knew his own smile must be equally pained.

This is wrong. This is so wrong. She's a foot away but she might as well have been separated from Beako and Puck by a thousand miles. Our family has been divided by whatever this is. Emilia is being excluded and, what's worse, the spirits clearly consider her an enemy. I need to fix this before it gets totally out of hand, but how? Maybe I should have tried to capture Ley earlier so I'd have someone to question about it.

When I find out who did this, somebody is going to pay.

"Puck," Subaru murmured, "So is anything else coming back about Emilia?"

Puck stopped smiling and looked somewhat annoyed, "She seems familiar," Puck admitted grudgingly, "But I can't place her. I'm starting to wonder if I might be remembering her from a time before my memories were sealed. I knew a lot of witches when I was young."

Subaru blinked, "Wait what? When were your memories sealed? When did you know witches?"

"Oh, sorry, Subaru," Puck said with a yawn, "Did I forget to tell you about that? Betty and I are four hundred years old, after all. We date back to the time when the witches walked the land. Although our memories are a little fuzzy about those days."

"How did your memories get sealed?" Subaru asked.

"Um. I forget…" Puck replied.

"Please tell me that was a terrible joke," Subaru sighed.

"No. Sorry, Subaru. I did… well, something that I wasn't supposed to do, I guess, and as a result my memories of the past were sealed. Hey, Betty, do you remember anything about those days?"

"Betty only remembers her mother and her Bubby, I suppose," Beatrice replied, "Nothing else was worth remembering."

"Not helpful," Subaru sighed. He squinted at the ceiling thoughtfully, "What is a witch anyway? What makes someone a witch?"

"A witch is just someone who possesses an Authority," Puck explained.

"Hypothetically," Subaru began, "Is there anyway to check to see if Emilia has one?"

Beatrice shook her head, "There is no test for Authorities, I suppose."

"So there's no way to confirm that Emilia doesn't have one because that's just how our luck works," Subaru said leaning back with a sigh.

Subaru closed his eyes and shook his head, "Alright, they're cooking outside. Why don't I go see if I can get us a few plates of whatever Rem and Garf threw together."

"Betty has misgivings about eating any food that was prepared by Garf," Beatrice said as she slid off Subaru's lap.

Subaru grinned at her, "Luckily Beako, you are a Spirit and therefore you do not get hungry!"

Subaru hopped out of the trailer with a laugh.

Subaru approached the campfire. Rem, Felt, and Garfiel were huddled around it eating strips of meat and some roasted vegetables.

"We got anything for the prisoner?" Subaru asked mockingly.

Nobody laughed.

Subaru sighed, "Listen, guys-" Subaru began.

A hoarse screech bellowed out in the distance.

Everyone leapt to their feet.

"Garf, put out the fire! Now!" Subaru ordered.

Garfiel began to dump fistfuls of dirt onto the blaze.

"Subaru, what was that?" Rem demanded.

"I'm not sure but it sounded a lot like Capella's dragon form," Subaru whispered.

"How do they keep finding us?!" Felt whispered.

"Good question!" Subaru replied, "Alright. First, we put the fire out. The trailer is pretty well hidden under those trees. In the dark, Capella is going to have to get damn lucky to find us. Let's get back under those trees ourselves."

Garf had put out and disguised the remains of their fire through a combination of dirt piling and stomping on it.

The trio picked up all their food and tools and raced back to the trailer, huddling next to it.

A few moments later they heard the sound of heavy wings beating through the air.

Capella's dragon form, darker than the night sky, flew into view overhead. She passed over their field, gave a shrill bellow and continued to fly through the area.

"Is she leaving?!" Felt hissed.

Subaru shook his head, "No, she's hunting. She thinks we're here."

"Captain! We keep getting off the road! After we lost Ley, we blazed a trail through a dry prairie for two hours! How the hell do they keep finding us? This is like Kimble and Gerard at the dam!" Garfiel whispered.

Subaru frowned, "I think… maybe they're tracking us."

"The witch!" Rem hissed, "She must be signaling to them!"

"You might be right, Rem but not for the reasons you're thinking," Subaru muttered. "Come on, we need to move quickly."

Subaru jumped back on board the trailer.

"Hey, what's going on?" Puck called.

"Rem," Subaru said ignoring Puck, "I need a bag filled with food. Just throw enough in there for a few days, whatever you can grab."

Rem frowned but went off as she was instructed.

"Emilia, get out here!" Subaru ordered.

"No, Subaru," Puck said flatly, "We are-"

"Yes, Puck!" Subaru snapped, "This is what we are doing!"

Emilia looked at Puck uncertainly. The flying cat folded his arms and nodded curtly, not looking at Emilia.

Emilia walked over to Subaru's side.

"Captain, what's the plan?" Garfiel muttered looking out at the sky, "She's coming back!"

Subaru sighed, "Alright. It seems pretty clear that Capella is tracking us. The only candidates for who she's tracking are me and Emilia so," He looked Emilia in the eyes, "The two of us are going to run away and hopefully draw the Cult away from all of you."

Emilia held his gaze and nodded once, her face set.

I can't stop the Archbishops from coming after us. If they really can track us then this is very likely to be our final stand. But at least we won't risk anyone else dying in the process. And if it is the end, at least Emilia and I will be together.

"What?!" Garfiel demanded.

"That's insane!" Felt whispered.

"If anybody has a better idea, I am all ears!" Subaru assured them, "Now listen, if this works, Capella and any other nearby Cultists should follow us and leave you guys alone. Wait until you have an opportunity to slip away and then get the hell out of here. You don't want them to spot you and get any bright ideas about taking hostages!"

"Then what?" Garfiel demanded.

"Same plan as before, get out of here, get somewhere safe, find Reinhard!" Subaru told him.

Rem returned and handed Subaru a small backpack he presumed was full of food. He quickly put it on his back.

"Subaru," Rem said quietly, "What if they find us before they realize that you've gone?"

Subaru gave a grim laugh, "That won't be a problem, Rem. I'll make sure I get Capella's attention!"

"Subaru," Felt hissed at him, "Just send the witch away! It's her that they want!"

"No, Felt," Subaru replied, "They want all of us. They are pissed. However, the question isn't which one of us they want, it's which one are they tracking. And considering what Roswaal told us, it's just as likely to be me as to be Emilia."

Garfiel shook his head violently, "You're walking off into a huge fight, Captain! I'm going with you!" He grimaced then continued in a low growl, "And the witch, I guess."

"No," Subaru refused, "I need someone I can trust here to make sure that Felt and Ram are OK. If we're lucky all the Archbishops will follow us but there are still plenty of Cultists that could come after you. You and the spirits need to stay here."

"What?! No way, Subaru!" Puck growled.

"Betty will not remain here!" Beatrice agreed.

Subaru took a deep breath, "Not this time, Beako. It's a hundred to one that I even get out of this alive. I don't want you to have to die with me."

Beatrice raised her chin defiantly while her eyes filled with tears, "Then Subaru is a hypocrite, I suppose! Betty asked Subaru to save himself in the Sanctuary but Subaru refused to let Betty die alone! He said he wanted to share Betty's death with her! Then why can't Betty share Subaru's death, in fact?"

"You might as well face it, Subaru," Puck said firmly folding his arms, "Either you let us come or we'll just follow you."

Subaru stared at both of the spirits especially the little girl whose face was wet with tears.

Impulsively he pulled them both into a tight hug, "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you in my life!" Subaru gasped.

Yes, you do. You acquired an Authority that forces people to like you. At that point, what you deserve and what you've earned immediately became irrelevant…

Subaru heard heavy wings passing overhead, slower this time.

"Alright," Subaru whispered, "When Capella gets a little further away, we'll slip out."

"Where are you going to go, Captain?" Garfiel asked.

Subaru pointed across the road, "Into that forest for starters. A dragon will have a hard time locating us in all that. Then we'll swing back toward Miseri. Maybe we can find some help there," He took a deep breath, "Listen. I'm truly sorry that I got you all into this situation," Subaru sighed, "I'll do whatever I can to make sure everyone gets away safely."

Garfiel scowled and ground his fist into his palm.

Felt looked conflicted and Rem glared at Subaru coldly.

Subaru lifted Beatrice up on his shoulder.

"Alright, let's go now!" He whispered as the four of them leapt out of the trailer and started running for the nearby road before the dragon returned.