Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Subaru, Emilia, and the spirits raced across the open field toward the road. They took shelter in a small grove of trees nearby.

Subaru scowled looking at four purple robed Witch Cultists walking up the road.

"What are we going to do, Subaru?" Puck whispered from his shoulder, "Should we wait for them to pass and then sneak by them?"

Subaru shook his head, "Nope. We promised Rem that we'd get Capella's attention. I think this should do it!" He said with a wolf grin, "We kill them and then run into the woods. I think Capella will take the bait."

"Four of them?" Puck asked negligently, "Gee, Subaru, I thought you said that this was going to be difficult."

Subaru laughed as he slipped Beatrice off his shoulder.

He glanced back at Emilia. Her face was pale and drawn but her eyes were steady. She gave him a nod.

"Keep your filthy magic to yourself, witch!" Puck snapped at her, "We'll take care of this, you just try to keep out of the way!"

Emilia flinched looking miserable.

Subaru wanted to say something but there was no time.

"OK, here we go!" Subaru said rushing out of cover with a roar.

The Cultists were startled by the man rushing toward them and Beatrice and Puck had already unleashed their magic.

Puck drove a great frost spike clear through one Cultist's body pinning him to the ground where he died with a gurgle.

Beatrice surrounded another Cultist with a purple aura that made his body melt into a puddle.

Subaru triggered Indomitable, trying to draw the Cultists' attention. He punched one in the face and his entire head exploded in a great fountain of blood.

The body fell onto Subaru splattering him with blood. Subaru barely swallowed a scream as he hurriedly pushed the bloody corpse off of him.

The last cultist turned to run away.

Puck started after him but Subaru grabbed the tiny cat, "No, let him go!" Subaru whispered.

Puck looked at Subaru in surprise.

Subaru gestured for Emilia to come quickly and the girl raced over to them as Subaru picked Beatrice up and put her on his shoulder.

"This way, hurry," Subaru shouted as they ran into the forest and disappeared under the trees.

"Subaru, why did we let that one go?" Puck asked in astonishment as he flew after Subaru.

"Because he saw where we went and he'll tell Capella! That way she'll look in the forest and not back where the others are!" Subaru said panting for breath as he ran deeper into the trees with his family.

"Subaru, how far can you run, in fact?" Beatrice asked in a worried voice.

"Not… far…," He admitted, "But I don't need… to run very far! We just need a little distance right now. Then we can walk."

Far behind them, Subaru heard a roar. For a terrifying moment he thought that Capella had found the others but he heard the beating of wings coming closer and he knew that she was following them.

Subaru saw a very dark dense part of the forest ahead, "OK, let's hold up… for a minute," Subaru said doubled over gasping.

"Subaru," Emilia whispered, "Are you sure we're safe here?"

"Not… remotely," Subaru replied with a wry grin, "But Capella won't spot us under all this dense growth. That gives us a little window."

They heard the dragon fly overhead with heavy wing beats and keep going.

Subaru caught his breath and shook his head wearily, "Alright, enough standing around. Let's keep going." He said taking Emilia's hand as they continued into the dark trackless forest.

Crusch sat in the council chamber of her manor in the capitol, waiting for her guests to arrive. Felix stood silently behind her.

This is a rear guard action. If the reports I've heard are true and frankly, I very much doubt that they are exaggerated, then the game is already over.

A few moments later, Jarvis the head butler entered, "Her grace, the Baroness Priscilla Barielle," He proclaimed as Priscilla marched into the room followed by her knight Al. Jarvis's tone was reserved and even but those who knew him well heard a slight growl in it.

Hm. It's not just anyone who can make Jarvis sound frustrated. I wonder what she said to him.

This promises to be moderately unpleasant. I was hoping that Anastasia would arrive first. At least Anastasia's company is tolerable and then after Priscilla showed up we could get down to business.

Now I need to make small talk with Priscilla.

"Good morning, Lady Priscilla. Thank you for coming to my humble home," Crusch said politely.

"I trust this is actually important," Priscilla sniffed. "My calendar is quite crowded at the moment and a great deal needed to be rescheduled in order to make time for this. What is this all about?"

"Perhaps we should wait for Lady Anastasia before getting down to business," Crusch commented.

Priscilla's eyes widened and then narrowed.

Priscilla may be flighty and frivolous but at least she's no fool. The fact that I've asked both of them here tells her that I have something important to say.

And if she's been listening to the news coming out of the the northwest she probably knows what it is.

Jarvis reentered the room, "Lady Anastasia Hoshen," He announced as Anastasia walked into the room followed by her knight Julius Juukulius.

I'm not very familiar with Julius although I know that he is close friends with Felix and Reinhard.

I should correct that oversight but it doesn't seem to be important right now.

Anastasia took a seat at the large conference table.

"Good morning, Lady Anastasia. Thank you for coming," Crusch said politely.

"Oh, my pleasure, Lady Crusch. Your letter made me very curious," She replied.

"Well, let's get down to business," Crusch began. "How much have you ladies heard about what's going on in north western Lagunica right now?"

"Quite a bit," Anastasia said calmly.

"Why? What's going on?" Priscilla asked.

Crusch managed to not roll her eyes, "There are currently unsubstantiated reports coming out of the Mathers domain. Apparently two different communities have been attacked and destroyed by the Witch Cult. A large number of refugees managed to escape and they alerted the Kingdom but the full facts are still being deciphered."

"That could be good news for us," Priscilla said carelessly. "If Subaru Natsuki can't keep people safe in his own domain then why would anyone want him on the throne?"

Crusch sighed, "The preliminary reports state that Subaru was directly involved in repelling the attacks. According to the intelligence compiled so far, the communities were devastated but Subaru Natsuki managed to avoid taking any causalities and got everyone out safely. The witnesses go on to claim that Subaru Natsuki fought three Sin Archbishops without assistance from the Sword Saint. They also claim that he killed two of them," Crusch said in a flat voice.

The words hung in the air.

"He killed Sin Archbishops?" Al asked forgetting his role.

"Silence!" Priscilla snapped.

"I've heard the same rumors, Lady Crusch, but as you say, they have yet to be confirmed. I also know that Reinhard van Astrea has set off to locate his lord. No one seems to know quite where Subaru Natsuki is right now," Anastasia commented.

"Maybe he died fighting the Sin Archbishops," Priscilla shrugged, "His luck was bound to run out sooner or later."

"That would indeed be the best outcome that we could hope for," Crusch admitted, "But we'd have to be very lucky for that to happen."

"Lady Crusch," Anastasia said, "I don't mean to be rude but what is all this about? I doubt that you invited us over here to discuss current events."

"In a funny way, I did," Crusch replied. "We are all in the same boat right now, ladies. Subaru Natsuki is the universally preferred candidate for the throne. If it turns out that he really did save these communities from the Witch Cult and slew two Archbishops, the game is over."

"Rather optimistic of you to assume that the game isn't over already, Lady Crusch," Anastasia commented.

"I don't know how optimistic I feel right now but I was hoping that the three of together might stage a recovery," Crusch replied.

"And how exactly would we do that?" Priscilla grumbled.

"I'm talking about a formal alliance between our three factions," Crusch explained. "We all work together, hand in glove, with the sole objective of bringing Subaru Natsuki back down to earth. We can break up the alliance and jockey for first place once the race evens out a little bit."

"I'm afraid that you're missing the point, Lady Crusch," Anastasia said gently, "That's a fine idea and all but what could we possibly do to blunt Subaru Natsuki's appeal at this junction; even if we were all working together? He killed the Whale and a pair of Archbishops? What's left? What could we possibly do to make the public think twice?"

Crusch was silent.

Anastasia raised an eyebrow, "Lady Crusch, forgive me, but you called a meeting and you didn't even have a plan to propose?"

Crusch flushed, "I was unable to come up with a strategy to recover from this on my own so I thought that if we all joined forces and combined our knowledge-"

"I doubt that my trade network would tell you anything that your own military contacts haven't already passed along," Anastasia interrupted. "Believe me, ladies, I do hate to say this but unless someone has a really brilliant idea, it may be time for us all to bow to reality and start planning for our post election positions."

Crusch scowled at her, "Are you really willing to give up that easily, Lady Anastasia?"

"Easily? No. But I didn't become a master merchant by being unable to read the writing on the wall," Anastasia replied. "If we have a plan, then I'm all for it. Otherwise, it's time for me to start soliciting offers to give Subaru my support."

Crusch stared at Anastasia, "He already made you an offer, didn't he?"

"As a matter of fact he did," Anastasia admitted. "It was a bit too low but I think that it's negotiable."

"And what exactly did he offer you?" Priscilla asked sounding only vaguely curious.

"A position on the royal council and exclusive licensing and distribution rights to all of his inventions," Anastasia said without an ounce of shame. "Subaru Natsuki is about to completely rebuild the world economy and I want to have a good seat for the ride. As long as Subaru and I have the right understanding regarding my own interests, I can live with bowing to him."

Crusch fumed, Subaru targeted her already! He knew that an alliance between me and Priscilla would never hold and would be almost worthless. So he picked out the moderate in our triumvirate and made her a ridiculously generous offer to ensure that she wouldn't get involved. Curse you, Subaru Natsuki! Will you deny me even the most unlikely of openings?!

"Lady Anastasia, with all due respect, what makes you think that Subaru Natsuki will actually deliver on this promise?" Crusch growled struggling for control.

"Well, it's a verbal promise," Anastasia shrugged. "You can't take a King to court for violating a contract, after all. But Subaru recognizes that I can be useful to his regime and that makes me think he'll treat me fairly. I studied him carefully during our talks. He has amazing ideas but the details seem to defeat him. He needs a lieutenant who can get down into the trenches and make his ideas work. And I'm pretty sure that as long as his ideas do work, he doesn't really care if the Hoshin Trading Company is the exclusive contractor in facilitating them."

"Hm," Priscilla mused. "You may have a point there, Anastasia. I hate to admit it but if there's really no way to catch up with Subaru then we should all make plans for our own advancement after his victory. I noticed that Subaru has yet to choose a queen. Put his brains and my luck together and in ten years Vollachia, Kararagi, and Gusteko will be vassal nations of the Lagunican Empire."

Crusch looked at Priscilla with open disgust, "Are you really prepared to go that far, Priscilla?" She asked, not even pretending to be respectful, "Prostituting yourself to Subaru Natsuki?"

"I've occasionally wondered what my body and heart would be worth," Priscilla mused calmly, "I think the throne of the entire world sounds about right." She glanced at Anastasia, "I assume that we don't need to cross swords over this?"

"Thank you for your concern, Lady Priscilla," Anastasia tittered, "But I have another approach to gaining Subaru's attention. I'm shooting for 'Lord Chancellor.'"

Crusch buried her face in her hands.

"Oh," Anastasia continued, "And just as a courtesy, Lady Priscilla, might I point out that you are more right than you know about the 'Lagunican Empire.' My agents discovered that Subaru Natsuki is currently working on a new invention that will shake the very foundations of the world."

"What is it?" Priscilla demanded.

"Oh, I couldn't just give away high value intel like that for free, you understand. Placing agents to acquire this information was extremely costly. I think we'd first need to come to an understanding for our mutual interests," Anastasia replied.

Priscilla cocked her head, "Are you suggesting an alliance?" She asked, sounding intrigued.

Crusch gaped at both women. What is happening here?!

"Exactly," Anastasia tittered, "We'll divide the power in the court between us. The queen and the chancellor. You'll have absolute political authority and I'll control the economic situation. With both of us working on Subaru, he should be easy enough to manipulate to our needs."

Priscilla frowned thoughtfully, drumming her long nails on the council table, "I'm surprised to hear myself say this, Lady Anastasia," Priscilla mused, "But that sounds rather appealing to me."

"Priscilla," Crusch interjected. "Are you out of your mind? Why would Subaru even consider marrying you? What could you possibly offer him?"

Priscilla laughed, "Oh, Crusch. You really need to get out of that uniform once in a while and have some fun. It would do wonders for your disposition."

Anastasia tittered.

"If he wants to bury his face in fat tits, he can do so for a silver piece at the brothel of his choice," Crusch spat. "What could you possibly offer him that would entice him to make you queen? Your husbands have an interesting track record of dying rapidly."

"True, that is how my luck works. After all, none of my husbands have ever been able to give me anything that I couldn't acquire for myself, except for their rank and property. That meant the luckiest thing for me was to see them die off quickly. However, Subaru Natsuki can offer me the entire world on a platter andassure that I keep it; a deed that I doubt even I could do on my own. I'm confident that my luck will preserve Subaru in perfect health for many many decades." Priscilla smirked.

Crusch shook her head, "Have you forgotten that during the Whale Hunt Subaru gave you the job of 'party planner?' That was clearly because it was the only thing he thought you could do. You were an afterthought in the hunt and simply offered a sop to pacify you. I was the only one in the field. You both got played."

Priscilla and Anastasia looked at each other a moment and then they burst out laughing hysterically.

Crusch blinked and glanced at Felix who looked as puzzled as she.

"Oh my," Priscilla said wiping a tear from her eye, "She really hasn't figure it out yet."

"Do you think that we should tell her?" Anastasia tittered.

"Oh, let's. It sounds like fun," Priscilla answered, "Crusch, the only person who got played in the Whale Hunt was you," Priscilla said sweetly.

"I got to spread word of my contributions to the hunt across the entire continent," Anastasia explained. "The merchants and functionaries I court thought no less of me for not being involved in the field. They thought that I was focusing on doing the real work of spreading word and providing incontrovertible proof of the Whale's death rather than seeking my own glory. My faction grew over three hundred percent during Priscilla's Triumph party alone."

"As for me, I was badly wounded in the election when Subaru embarrassed me in public," Priscilla said, her face momentarily darkening. Then she shrugged, "But I suppose I really can't blame him. He was certainly clever enough to realize that I was his most serious opponent. To form a new alliance, he offered me the perfect way to rebuild my faction: a citywide celebration. He gave me the perfect opportunity to prove to the entire kingdom that I would ensure their prosperity as only I could. I was in last place when the selection started. But after the Triumph I had drawn even with you, Crusch, dear," She smirked.

"The only person who didn't benefit from the hunt and the Triumph was you yourself, Crusch," Anastasia explained with a faintly patronizing look on her face, "Because you really did do nothing. You and your army simply stood there and watched the Sword Saint make the kill. You could hardly expect your supporters to be impressed. Even better, I have it on good authority that your officers now think extremely highly of Subaru Natsuki and are more than prepared to follow him in the future. You spent the entire hunt pacing around and scowling while Subaru charmed your entire officer core. Any hopes you might have had of mounting a coup have completely evaporated."

"The long and short of it, Crusch," Priscilla said loftily, "Is that the only person in this room with nothing to offer the future king, is you yourself and you have been neutralized accordingly," Priscilla glanced at Anastasia, "Lady Anastasia, I feel that we have wasted more than enough of our time here. The Barielle estate in the capitol is not far away. Might I offer you its hospitality? It would behoove us to further discuss our plans and goals in private."

"That sounds just lovely, Lady Priscilla," Anastasia said rising to her feet with a slight curtsy, "I accept with pleasure. I foresee a very long and healthy working relationship for the two of us."

The two princesses left, chatting animately without a backward glance at Crusch. Their knights followed them out leaving Felix alone with Crusch who could do nothing but stare straight ahead in shock.

Subaru and company kept walking for close to an hour. The dragon never got very far away from them and her frustrated bellows shook the canopies overhead.

"So from this, we can guess that Capella is either looking for us alone, or she's using Ley and a few more Cultists," Subaru observed.

"What makes you say that, I suppose?" Beatrice asked.

"Well, I suppose she could be using resources we haven't encountered yet but, at a bare minimum, we know that Regulus isn't here," Subaru replied.

"Um, why is that?" Puck asked.

"Because Regulus would have lost all patience with this game of 'hide and seek' by now and he'd simply tear up the whole forest until he found us," Subaru said with dark humor. Subaru paused thoughtfully, "Although on the other hand, if Ley or another weak Archbishop was around here, it might be worth our while to see if we could get our hands on him. I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

"Wait a second," Puck said incredulously, "Subaru, Ley is weak?! He was kicking all of us around like it was a game!"

Subaru shrugged, "Well, relatively yes. He's the weakest Archbishop we've encountered yet, except for Roy who was far weaker."

Puck looked unsettled.

"Anyway, what I was saying is that we know that whatever was done to Emilia must have involved the Authorities. So if we could catch one of the Archbishops maybe we could squeeze some answers out of him," Subaru finished.

"Betty doesn't like our chances of that, in fact," Beatrice commented, "We're one and four for successfully defeating Sin Archbishops."

"Well, that's a little pessimistic, Beako," Subaru objected, "We ran Ley off and Petelguese is dead, isn't he?"

"Perhaps Regulus will show up and kill more Archbishops for us, I suppose?" Beatrice asked sarcastically.

"No!" Subaru shook his head emphatically, "No more Regulus! Thank you!"

"Subaru, who is this 'Regulus' you keep talking about?" Emilia asked.

Subaru sighed, "The worst of the Archbishops," He replied.

"We hope," Beatrice corrected.

Subaru rubbed his forehead as they walked, "You're right, Beako. We're just guessing here. We have no idea how dangerous the Archbishops really are. There could be five Archbishops that are worse than Regulus but I can't imagine how."

"Hey Subaru, what makes this Regulus guy so dangerous anyway?" Puck asked.

"He can smash huge trees and boulders into dust without any effort and, as far as I could tell, he was completely invulnerable to attack," Subaru explained.

"What?!" Puck gasped.

"It's true, Bubby," Beatrice interjected, "Subaru punched him, buried him under an avalanche, and hit him with all the lightning contained inside the engine stone. He survived unharmed, in fact."

"Unharmed?" Subaru asked incredulously, "The jerk wasn't even dirty!"

Puck gaped at Subaru and Beatrice, "Wow. Subaru, how would we deal with someone like that?" Puck asked.

"At the moment my strategy relies heavily on running and hiding," Subaru admitted.

"Hey, Subaru? I think I'd like to raise a complaint about the overall quality of your plans lately," Puck grumbled.

"Sorry, buddy. I guess this whole situation caught me kind of flatfooted," Subaru sighed, "I only discovered that the Sin Archbishops existed a few days ago and now they're my greatest enemy."

"Subaru," Emilia whispered, "Do we have a plan for getting away from the Witch Cult?"

"Sort of," Subaru admitted. "Beatrice, can you smell the witch's miasma coming off Emilia?"

"Oh my, yes," She said pinching her nose theatrically.

"How much does she smell… well, compared to me?" Subaru asked.

"Um, maybe five times as bad?" Beatrice replied.

"And how much did she smell when you first woke up?" Subaru asked.

"Yuck. About fifty times as bad, I suppose!" Beatrice answered.

"Subaru," Emilia mumbled self-consciously, "Is there a point to this discussion?"

"OK, so here's my theory: I think that the Cult is tracking us by the smell or whatever you call it. I think that the miasma you picked up when you finished the trials was bad enough that the Archbishops can detect it from far away and that's what they're using it to track us," Subaru explained.

Emilia looked stricken, "Then the Archbishops are after me. I'm putting all of you in danger!"

Emilia tried to pull her hand free but Subaru held on firmly, "Knock it off, Mili! This is no time for you to play martyr!"

"But-"

"Emilia, Beatrice already told you the plan! Now, the Cult doesn't seem to be able to track me," Subaru continued.

"How do you know that, I suppose?" Beatrice asked.

"Because Ley looked surprised that I was in the trailer yesterday. If he could smell me, that wouldn't have happened. So Emilia's odor may be enough for the Cult to track us but I don't think mine is and Emilia's is diminishing over time. In twenty four hours it's gone from fifty times as bad to five times as bad. I don't know if that decrease holds steady but if it does, it should only be a few hours until Emilia only smells as bad as me and then doesn't smell at all. They'll lose the trail at that point and we can make a break for it. We'll make our way to Miseri and get help. The Cult doesn't seem like it'ss prepared to attack a major city yet so they probably won't follow us there," Subaru finished.

Beatrice looked thoughtful, "It make sense, I suppose."

"I really miss feeling like we're in control of things," Puck mourned.

"So in other words, you miss the days before you met me?" Subaru twitted.

Emilia chuckled wearily.

"Very funny, Subaru. I won't act like things haven't gotten really exciting since you showed up but I feel like the three of us had a handle on it until we went to the Sanctuary and fell into Roswaal's trap," Puck replied.

"That might have been the single worst decision of my life," Emilia mourned shaking her head.

Beatrice looked at her in confusion, "Wait. What did you have to do with that, I suppose?"

"You didn't know, Emilia," Subaru reassured her.

"I should have," She replied.

Subaru snorted, "How? How could you possibly have known that Roswaal was plotting against us. I had no clue. Are you really that much smarter than me?"

"No, I should have known better than to listen to him," She sighed, "He kept telling me what a burden I was to you and Puck. How pathetic I kept acting around you both. I should have never listened to him. Everything that's gone wrong happened because I believed him."

They walked in silence for a moment.

"You know," Subaru muttered, "I feel like the moral here isn't that you should have known Roswaal was plotting against you, it's that if you feel uncomfortable or insecure, talk to us about it! I mean, if you love someone then you need to trust that they'll be there for you and that they'll help you even if you really are being weak and pathetic at the moment," Subaru smiled, "You know, a very pretty lady taught me that in the garden one night."

"Who?!" Emilia demanded.

Subaru sighed, "You did, you dummy."

"Oh," Emilia said with a rueful flush.

Subaru laughed.

"Hey, just for the record, Subaru, Betty and I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Puck grumbled.

"Yeah, don't worry, Puck. Fixing that problem is currently number two on my to-do list."

They had been walking in the forest for several hours. Capella's roars and wing beats were getting steadily more distant. The woods were beginning to thin out revealing grasslands beyond.

"I wonder how long until sunrise," Subaru said with a yawn.

"Probably about six hours," Puck replied as he floated listlessly beside Subaru. His tail was hanging straight down.

"Betty, how bad does Emilia smell right now?" Subaru asked, his feet starting to stumble.

"Do you think we could come up with a nicer way to ask that question?" Emilia murmured tartly. She swayed on her feet looking exhausted.

Beatrice yawned, "About as bad as Subaru, I suppose. Maybe a little bit better."

"OK, great. That suggests that Capella really has lost the trail. That means we can start looking for a place to spend the night before we fall collapse," Subaru said.

"In the woods?" Emilia asked dubiously.

"I've seen a couple of huts and little cottages out through the trees. Probably hunter's lodgings during the winter. We can borrow one," Subaru replied.

"At this point, Subaru, I'm almost ready to lay down on some soft moss," Emilia confessed with a yawn.

They took shelter that night in a small one room hut just outside the forest. The hut sat at the edge of a wide grassy plain.

The hut was empty except for a single trunk and plenty of straw on the floor to bed down on.

The spirits and Emilia went right to sleep but Subaru stayed awake.

Emilia wasn't sleeping next to Subaru and this made him uncomfortable. The spirits had both snuggled up next to Subaru and glared at Emilia with fire in their eyes until she had gloomily accepted that there was a line in this hut that she must not cross. Their family was divided and Subaru felt an overwhelming wrongness with the situation.

Subaru told himself he was keeping watch but the reality was that sleep simply eluded him.

What happened? How did this situation get so far out of control? Four days ago I was with Beatrice calmly driving a wagon across the plains. My biggest concern was Emilia's self-esteem and her thoughts on our long term viability as a couple.

God, how has it really only been four days? Since then, it feels like the entire world has shifted under my feet! The Witch Cult is hunting me down, the dragon blood is all gone, and nobody remembers who Emilia is, which means they're all treating her like a witch!

What about Felt, Garf, and the twins? Are they even OK? I know that Capella didn't go after them since she was so busy chasing us but what if Ley showed up again. Or… God help them, Regulus?

Hell, maybe it didn't even have to be an Archbishop. If a hundred purple robed Cultists showed up, could Garf and Rem really handle that alone? Garf is strong but he's impetuous and inexperienced. Felt would be close to useless in that fight and Ram probably isn't even awake yet.

Did I do the right thing in running away? I mean, I thought so at the time but now…

I thought I was protecting Emilia from the Cult and our friends from being collateral damage but maybe I was only kidding myself. Maybe I was trying to rescue Emilia and just threw Felt and the others away as a distraction…

No. I can't think like that. I made the best decision I could. Maybe… maybe it was a bad one but I did the best I could with the hand I was dealt. I have to hope that everyone got away safely.

I hope Felt finds Reinhard quickly. She needs him and not just for protection. Maybe… he can help her heal in a way I couldn't…

God, imagine how furious Felt would be if she heard me say that.

What happens when we reach Miseri? They'll probably assume that Emilia is a witch as well. Maybe I could say she's my prisoner? Yeah that'll work: "She's my prisoner but I'd appreciate her staying with me and can you find a bed big enough for both of us? No reason, don't ask."

Do I have any idea how to make hair dye? If Emilia had brown hair or something that could save us from a lot of frustration.

Subaru dozed off.

Subaru woke up in the middle of the night, Beatrice and Puck still sleeping on top of his chest.

Emilia was gone.

Subaru was about to leap into full blown panic when he heard a soft sobbing nearby.

Subaru gently moved Beatrice and Puck without waking them. He then silently followed the sound out of the hut.

Subaru found Emilia huddled in a ball a short distance away.

She was crying and sobbing to herself, her face buried in her knees.

Subaru knelt down beside Emilia.

"It's OK," Subaru whispered.

Emilia's head flew up in surprise. Then she saw Subaru sitting beside her.

"Subaru," She whispered still crying.

Subaru wrapped his arms around her and drew her head to his shoulder.

Emilia whimpered and began to sob louder.

Subaru held her tight, "That's it, Mili. Just let it all out," He encouraged, "You've been through so much lately. It's OK to have a little breakdown. Take all the time you want and just… fall apart if you need to. When you're ready, I'll be here to help you put the pieces back together."

Emilia cried for a long time, burying her face in Subaru's shoulder. Subaru held her and waited. He stroked her back as her sobs wracked her body and she trembled in his arms.

Eventually she began to calm down.

Emilia's breathing evened out and they sat there in silence for a while.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Subaru whispered.

Emilia took a deep breath, "Subaru, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"This week has been pure hell," Subaru agreed.

"I'm trying to be strong. I'm trying to be brave but…"

"You have been incredibly strong and brave in an impossible situation," Subaru assured her, "Nobody could have handled this any better than you."

"Subaru. This whole… It's like a nightmare!" She wept.

"I know," Subaru whispered holding her tight.

"Daddy is sleeping with you, Subaru! It's not fair!"

Subaru sighed, "No, it isn't. It's going to take time to fix this. But even if we can't fix his memories yet, Puck is warming up to you."

Emilia looked at Subaru through tear filled eyes. "No, he isn't, Subaru. Neither of them are," She whispered.

"Emilia-"

"Subaru, Daddy wants me dead! They don't believe anything that you've told them about me," She whimpered.

Subaru stiffened.

Emilia looked up at him sadly, "They don't believe a word of it. They're just humoring you. They're afraid that if they tell you the truth then you might try to leave them behind to protect me."

"I…" Subaru struggled to say anything.

Emilia shook her head with a whimper, "Beatrice and Puck literally want to kill me but Puck can read your heart and he knows that if anything happened to me you'd be completely destroyed." She shook her head, "So they're protecting me for you. But they resent it. They think that I'm putting you in danger. They think that I'm deceiving you. They think that I'm trying to steal you away from them. But they know that you think that you're… in love with me, even if it is just an enchantment. And Beatrice would do anything for you," Emilia took a ragged breath and her voice turned venomous, "Daddy would do anything for you! They think that they just need to put up with me until they can figure out how to undo what's going on and prove to you that I'm an evil witch. Then they can…," Emilia ended with a whimper.

"We'll… Look, it's going to be OK, Mili," Subaru said desperately holding her tight.

Emilia sobbed, "I can't take seeing Daddy snarl at me whenever you're not looking. I hate how Beatrice keeps making threats to me and pretends that they're just jokes. I thought… It was always just me and Puck. And that was fine. I was happy that way. Then I met you and then you adopted Beatrice, I felt like I finally had a real family."

"You do have a real family," Subaru assured her, "I am right here with you and I am not going anywhere no matter what happens, no matter how bad things get. If you get too tired to keep going then I will carry you the rest of the way. That's what family means. I'm staying with you and I will never ever give up on you, Emilia."

Emilia was quiet for a long moment resting against his shoulder, "I love you, Subaru. I do. But… you can't take Puck's place."

Subaru kissed the top of Emilia's head. "I don't want to take Puck's place," Subaru said, "Believe me, that is not the relationship I want to have with you. But I am here to support you. I'm here to support you until we get Puck's memories back and I'll be here to support you after we get Puck's memories back."

Emilia sighed, "I thought that being trapped in the Sanctuary was an endless nightmare. You were gone. Even Puck was gone. But it was a thousand times better than having the people I care about hating me. I can't take the way Puck looks at me. He wants me dead."

Emilia shook her head looking absolutely crushed, "Maybe… maybe it's just time for me to leave. To go back to the forest."

"Alone?" Subaru asked incredulously, "Emilia, be honest. That isn't what you really want."

"No," She admitted, "But being alone is better than being surrounded by people who hate you. It's better than putting someone you care about in danger."

"But, Mili, what is your plan? Just go back to the forest and sit there until… what?"

Emilia shook her head, "Maybe someday you'll find a way to break this curse."

"Someday? Wouldn't you miss me?" He asked.

"More than you would believe," Emilia sighed, "But Subaru, please try to understand. Would you stay with me if you thought you were putting me in danger?"

Subaru opened his mouth to respond.

"Yes or no?" Emilia asked sharply.

Subaru gave her a dirty look, "Would you let me go off on my own because I was putting you in danger?"

Emilia blanched and then sighed, "We're quite the pair, you and I. Two people: both desperate to sacrifice themselves for the other."

"I think that maybe we both have some serious self-esteem issues," Subaru agreed.

Emilia stared off into the distance, "I hate myself for saying this but I really can't much more of Puck. Even if he won't actually attack me, his glares cut like knives. That's why I think… maybe I should just go. I'll go back to the forest and you can go reunite with Felt and Reinhard. They'll forgive you instantly. And you could even keep looking for a cure to the curse. It seems like this is the best idea. Just promise me that you'll take good care of Daddy for me…"

"Bullshit," Subaru snorted.

"Excuse me?" Emilia said in surprise.

"Emilia, be honest, this isn't you making a strategic decision for the best way to find the cure, this is you giving up. If you walk away, you're giving up on Puck, on me, and on us ever having a life together. Are you really willing to do that?"

Emilia took a deep breath, "Subaru, we don't even know what happened to me, much less how to fix it. What else can we do?"

"Emilia, if you want to give up on seeking out a cure then that's fine," Subaru said simply, "We don't have to try to fix this if you really don't think it's worth it or if you don't believe we can. We can just disappear but we are going to disappear together. If you're going to hide in the woods for the rest of your life then I'm going to be hiding right next to you."

Emilia shook her head against his shoulder and sighed, "Subaru, you dummy. Why would you do something stupid like that? You could be King. You could have a wonderful life. You deserve so much more than to hide out in the woods for the rest of your life with a suspected witch."

"I don't think life is about what we deserve, Mili. Life is about what we choose. I choose to be with Emilia, no matter what happens. No matter how bad things get, I want to be by Emilia's side. What about you, Mili? What do you choose?"

Emilia rubbed her eyes and sighed, "Subaru, even in a situation like this, you make everything sound so easy."

"Well, I really want to impress my fiancee," He admitted.

Emilia gave him a tired smile.

Subaru stood up and helped Emilia to her feet. "Come on, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another long day," He said leading her back toward the hut.

When Subaru and Emilia returned to the hut, they found Beatrice sitting outside calmly petting Puck.

Now that Subaru was watching for it, Puck's glowering at Emilia was impossible to miss.

"Oh. Where did you go off to, I suppose?" Beatrice asked in a languorous voice.

Subaru looked at Beatrice with mingled amusement and annoyance, "Did you two enjoy the show?" He asked archly.

Puck jumped and Beatrice flushed guiltily.

Subaru was about to continue when from behind him he heard a deafening thunderclap far off in the distance.

Subaru turned around and he heard another and then another.

Subaru peered across the grassy plain.

Far off in the distance he saw explosions. Balls of light and claps of thunder danced across the horizon.

"Subaru," Puck murmured flying over to perch on Subaru's shoulder, "What's going on?"

Subaru bit his lip, "Good question, buddy."

Subaru frowned, "Emilia, Beako, you guys stay here for a second. Puck and I are going to run up to the top of that hill and take a look at things."

"Right behind you, Subaru," Puck agreed.

Subaru snorted, "Actually, at the moment, buddy, you're riding on top of me but whatever."

"Betty. Watch the witch while I'm gone," Puck instructed.

Subaru made a face at Puck and then ran off toward the hill.

Emilia looked at Beatrice, "What did Subaru mean by 'the show?'" She asked, more to break the silence than out of any real curiosity.

Beatrice flushed and folded her arms across her chest, "Betty and Bubby were… watching you, I suppose," She muttered, "Betty and Bubby aren't very sneaky, I suppose. When Subaru came back and we weren't ripping the forest apart to find him, Subaru knew that we must have know where he was and what he was doing, in fact."

"Subaru is very clever," Emilia agreed before it suddenly dawned on her, "Wait! You were listening to us?!"

Beatrice looked at her awkwardly.

Emilia bit her lip, "Oh, Beatrice, I am so sorry!"

Beatrice just stared at her, "Why is the elf sorry, in fact?!"

"Beatrice I said terrible things about you and Puck-"

"The elf said the truth! Does the elf think she deserves abuse and is ashamed to speak of it?" Beatrice demanded.

"I'm sorry, Beatrice," Emilia murmured, "I was very cruel to you both. I was exhausted and angry and I exaggerated."

"The elf did not exaggerate. Bubby and Betty did threaten to kill the elf. She hurt our Subaru. Subaru means everything to Bubby and Betty. A witch who hurts Subaru should die," Beatrice said flatly.

Emilia bowed her head in shame.

"Hm. However, Betty never realized how strong Subaru's feelings for the elf were," Beatrice mused.

Emilia flushed.

"How does Emilia feel about Betty's Subaru?" Beatrice demanded.

Emilia looked at Beatrice guiltily, "Oh. You must be worried that I'm trying to take him away from you."

"Stop putting words in Betty's mouth, in fact! Betty is not afraid of you. Betty wants her Subaru to be happy above all else and Betty would welcome anyone who could make her Subaru happier, I suppose," She replied.

Emilia gave the little spirit a faint smile, "That's a very mature attitude, Beatrice," Emilia replied.

"Do you want to make Subaru happy?" She demanded.

"Of course I do," Emilia said in surprise.

"Betty has not seen evidence of this," She retorted.

Emilia sighed, "Beatrice, I… I know you don't remember me or have memories of Subaru and I being together-"

"Betty does not remember this. Betty isn't certain if this was true or if you are lying," Beatrice said matter-of-fact, "Betty also doesn't care. Does Emilia want Subaru to be happy?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Then why isn't Emilia trying to make Subaru happy, I suppose?" Beatrice demanded, "Since Betty met Emilia, Subaru has done nothing but think about Emilia. Emilia has also done nothing but think about Emilia."

Emilia flinched, "That's not fair, Beatrice!"

"That's truth!" Beatrice argued, "The elf is a spoiled child unworthy of being the precious one of Betty's Subaru!"

They were both silent for a moment.

"Betty could believe that her memories were changed, I suppose. Betty could… believe that her Subaru cared for the elf," Beatrice mused, "Betty's Subaru helps people. He supports them. He would have cared for and supported the elf."

"Subaru has taken care of me since we met. And all I've ever been is a burden to him," Emilia admitted in an ashamed voice.

Beatrice shook her head in disgust, "The elf is unworthy of Betty's Subaru. The elf is nothing but a spoiled child, in fact!" Beatrice said pointing at Emilia like a judge condemning a criminal.

"What are you saying?" Emilia whispered.

"The elf has refused to take any responsibility for this mess. The elf refuses to control her magic. The elf refuses to face difficult truths," Beatrice said sharply.

Emilia was crying freely, "Yes. I can't argue. That is all true."

"Does Emilia love Subaru?" Beatrice demanded.

Emilia hesitated then nodded.

"Emilia must commit to being more than she is in order to be worthy of Betty's Subaru, I suppose. Emilia's magic will put Betty's Subaru in danger. Emilia's magic will put Betty and Bubby in danger. Emilia must learn to control her magic. Emilia needs to grow up and take responsibility. Or admit that she will not and tell Subaru that she can not be Subaru's partner but just another of Subaru's burdens," Beatrice asserted.

"That's what I went to the Sanctuary to try to do," Emilia muttered, "I wanted to show him that I could be his partner. But even after I finally finished the trials everything went wrong…"

Beatrice looked out at the explosions far away, "Things will always go wrong, I suppose," Beatrice mused, "But if we have people who will stand beside us, we will manage."

Beatrice was silent for a moment, "The elf never answered Betty's Subaru: What does Emilia choose?"

"What?"

"Subaru asked Emilia what she chose. She did not answer. Subaru taught Betty that life was about our choices. Does Emilia know why Betty chose Subaru?"

Emilia looked uncomfortable, "Yes. You asked him to kill you."

Beatrice looked at Emilia sharply, "…You know about that, in fact?"

"You were lonely and miserable and you wanted to be put out of your suffering. And for some reason you asked Subaru to do it."

"'Some reason?'" Beatrice echoed, "Perhaps. Perhaps Betty's Subaru was just in the right place at a time when Betty would have taken anyone. Betty's connection with her Subaru grew very strong, very fast. Betty knows that there was something odd about it. Betty isn't sure why she chose Subaru that day. Betty also doesn't care."

Emilia stared at her, "You don't?!"

Beatrice shook her head, "Betty is four hundred years old. Betty has seen people join together for many reasons. Some of them were bad reasons. However, Betty knows that the reason why people come together is not as important as the reasons they choose to stay together. Betty doesn't know why she chose Subaru then. It doesn't matter. Betty just knows why she chose Subaru today.

"In the Sanctuary, Betty begged Subaru to run away and save his own life. Subaru refused. Subaru said he would rather die at Betty's side than live without Betty. Subaru chose Betty because he loves her and Betty will choose Subaru because she loves him. Betty will do that today, tomorrow, and after tomorrow. Betty chooses to be Subaru's Betty and for Subaru to be Betty's Subaru.

"Betty assumes that Subaru had a fairly silly reason to want to be with Emilia: he thought the elf was beautiful. Then perhaps he decided to help her because he thought her quest to save her kin was noble. Perhaps Emilia's quest is ended, perhaps not. But Subaru still chooses to protect Emilia because she matters to him. Subaru cares about Emilia."

Beatrice walked back into the hut, "What does Subaru mean to Emilia? What does Emilia choose to be to Subaru? And what does she choose Subaru to be to her?"

Subaru raced to the top of the tall hill with Puck on his shoulder. When he reached the summit, he crouched down and crawled on his belly to the edge.

Hm. The nice thing about having Puck on my shoulder is that unlike Beako, I don't have to worry too much about him falling.

Balls of fire were dancing on both sides of the field far away and thunderous explosions echoed across the plain.

"What the hell is that?" Subaru whispered.

"I've never seen anything like this before, Subaru," Puck admitted.

"Me neither. It looks like a war. If you told me that was artillery firing out there or carpet bombing, I'd believe you," Subaru replied.

"Artillery? Carpet bombing? What's that?" Puck asked.

Subaru hesitated then shook his head, "Not important right now," Subaru replied.

They watched the shocking display in silence.

"That's got to be a battle, right?" Puck asked, "Maybe armies of magic casters throwing themselves at each other?"

"Or just a few really really powerful ones," Subaru replied grimly.

"Do you think it's that Regulus guy you keep talking about?" Puck asked.

"Maybe. Honestly, I almost hope so. Little as I want to have anything to do with Regulus ever again, the notion that there are more people than just him in the world with that kind of power doesn't sit well with me," Subaru said.

"Who do you think he's fighting then? Reinhard?" Puck asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's some other champion that we're not aware of. Or maybe the Lagunican army? They might have mobilized more quickly than we thought if the Archbishops did enough damage to get the kingdom's attention on their way to the Sanctuary. Or hell, maybe Regulus and Capella had a falling out and we're watching two people who are pretty close to immortal try to kill each other. God help anyone who gets caught in that cross fire," Subaru muttered.

Subaru stared at the explosions in awe. He had never imagined destruction like this.

"Should we try to get closer and investigate?" Puck asked.

Subaru stared at the cat incredulously, "Seriously? You want to try to get closer to that?!" Subaru demanded as a particularly loud explosion shook the earth.

"Well, if it is Reinhard then he could probably protect us," Puck replied.

"Even if it is Reinhard, I'm not sure that anybody could keep other people safe in that mess," Subaru murmured looking at the dancing lights and explosions, "Secondly, there's no way to tell if it is Reinhard. It could be the Lagunican Army or even Capella. Even if we did know that one of the people fighting was friendly, which side of the field do you want to go toward? We have a fifty fifty shot at best of walking right up to someone who wants to kill us. Besides, Emilia would be in danger. You need to remember that we're currently traveling with someone whom everyone immediately assumes is a witch on sight."

"Yeah, Subaru, people are more perceptive than you'd think," Puck grumbled.

Subaru glowered at him and gently tapped the cat on the forehead with one finger.

"Ouch," Puck said unconvincingly.

"Even if it is Reinhard," Subaru continued, "We can't throw Emilia at him in the middle of a battle. He's going to be moving off instinct trying to contain the fight and if he has a split second to make a decision, he might make the wrong one. A battlefield is not the right place to try to convince him that Emilia isn't an evil witch."

"True enough, Subaru," Puck muttered, "And just for the record? That field of parasitic frost flowers she made when she almost killed you and Felt? That wouldn't be a great place to try to convince him either."

Subaru gave Puck a steady look, "Puck, do you have something you'd like to say?" He asked calmly.

"Why are we doing this, Subaru? I know you're a really nice guy but this is crazy! We rescued the witch from the Witch Cult. OK, fine. We did our good deed for the day. But the Cult can't track her anymore and staying close to her is doing nothing but putting all of us in danger. Let's send her on her way with our best wishes and get the hell out of here! It doesn't make sense to risk our lives this way," Puck glanced away, "Frankly, I'm starting to wonder if Felt might be right."

Subaru blinked, "Right about what?"

Puck hesitated, "While you were sleeping, Felt talked to Betty and me about a few concerns she had…" He trailed off.

"Such as?"

Puck sighed, "Subaru, how do you know that this woman isn't magically influencing you? Some Authorities can twist the minds of people around them without the victim ever realizing it. An Authority could compel someone to care about or even love its wielder for no good reason."

Subaru flinched remembering his talk with Roswaal about the Authority of Pride, "Believe me, Puck, I am well aware of that."

"Then how can you be sure she isn't doing exactly that? I know that you're always trying to be the hero but why would you risk your life, and ours, to help a woman you barely know? I mean, if Betty or I were being bewitched by an Authority to care for a person we had no reason to be invested in, we wouldn't know!"

"Please stop rubbing it in, Puck," Subaru sighed putting his face down on the grass and feeling sick to his stomach.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Subaru sighed.

Subaru and Puck returned to the hut. Emilia and Beatrice sat on opposite sides of the room. Both looked pensive.

"What's happening, Subaru?" Emilia asked quietly as they went back inside.

"War," Subaru spat. "Whose war and against what, I don't know, but the entire area is one big explosion. We're not going any further that way. Miseri is out of the picture for the time being."

"Then where are we going, in fact?" Beatrice mumbled.

Subaru rubbed his face still exhausted from the few hours sleep they had gotten, "It'll be sunup in a few hours. It'll be easier to pick our direction once we have the sun to guide us. Let's try to get a little more sleep and then we'll have some breakfast before we hit the road."

The spirits went back to sleep quickly but Emilia realized that Subaru was still awake.

"Subaru, are you alright?" Emilia asked quietly.

Subaru sighed, "I guess," He replied, "It's been a rough couple of days."

"Make that a rough couple of weeks," Emilia corrected.

"Yeah. I forgot that for you this nightmare has been going ever since you went to the Sanctuary," Subaru agreed.

"Yes, but it wasn't all a nightmare," Emilia replied, "Felt proved that she really cared about me. Before anyway," She sighed. Emilia shook off her malaise, "Subaru, I just realized that I still haven't thanked you."

"For what?"

"For helping me pass the trials."

"What? Why would you thank me? You only took those damn trials to save my ass from Roswaal," Subaru replied.

Emilia gave him a shy smile, "Well, I'd like to think that I did it to save a lot of people, even if maybe that isn't completely true," She admitted, "But you helped me get through them and I saw some things that… I really needed to see. You helped me to see myself in a new way and I don't think that I ever would have seen things this way without you, so thank you, Subaru."

Subaru scratched his chin, "You're arousing my curiosity, Mili. What did you see during the trials?"

She smiled at him, "I'll tell you. Someday."

"Uh-huh," Subaru snickered, "You know, I haven't really had a chance to talk to you about the dragon blood yet. It feels absolutely insane that somehow that's not our biggest problem right now."

"Yes," Emilia sighed, "That's the whole reason that Puck and I left the forest in the first place. And now it's all gone."

"I'm so sorry, Mili," Subaru said, "I can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now."

Emilia stared off into the distance for a moment, "It's devastating," She said, "But also strangely… liberating."

"What do you mean?"

Emilia sighed, "I owed it to my people to do whatever it took to free them. To dedicate my life to making up for that horrible mistake that made so many innocent people suffer. But if there's simply no way for me to do that…" She trailed off.

"Then you don't have to dedicate your life to doing something that's impossible," Subaru finished.

She nodded, "I feel a little bit relieved. And I feel guilty about that."

"Emilia, you did everything that was humanly possible to try and heal the forest," Subaru told her, "No one could argue different. You have nothing to feel ashamed of. I think accepting that you've done all you can, at least for the moment, is very mature and says a lot about how far you've come. Honestly, I was worried that the news of the loss of the dragon blood would completely shatter you and you'd become a shut-in recluse like I was," Subaru said in an apologetic voice.

Emilia smiled at him, "I would have guessed that too. Just a few days ago I think that would have certainly happened. But the trials changed me. Actually it wasn't really the trials it was the fact that I did them myself. I feel different. I feel stronger, more resilient," Emilia chuckled, "I truly never imagined that I would ever say this in a thousand years but… I like this new me. I think I could learn to like 'Emilia.'"

"Well, I think she's pretty special," Subaru commented.

Emilia laughed.

"It must be awful that all of our friends don't recognize you," Subaru said.

Emilia rolled onto her back staring up at the ceiling, "Yes, but mostly just Puck. It's so strange. I knew so few people in this world. Objectively, I'm probably the absolute best person that this curse could have happened to. The twins always treated me as nothing more than a house guest. Roswaal was conspiring against me. Garf is just frustrating. Felt and I became pretty close in the Sanctuary but that's just been over the past two weeks. Honestly, as long as you and Puck remembered me, I wouldn't even care about anyone else!"

"And you only got one of us. We were so close to this not even being a problem and we still missed," Subaru admitted.

"True, but as long as you remember me, Subaru, I can hold on," Emilia replied, "When I feel really bad about it, I wonder to myself what would have happened if you had forgotten me as well. I'd have probably died in the Sanctuary because you never would have come back to get me. Even if someone did find me, everyone would have assumed I was a witch and I would have been imprisoned or killed. You saved me once again."

"Well, you saved me from becoming Roswaal's puppet so I'd say that we're even," Subaru commented, "I don't like to think what that creepy man-clown might have made me do!"

Emilia chuckled, "Subaru, thank you."

"For what?"

"For never giving up on me, even if I wanted to give up on myself. For never going away no matter how hard I tried to push you. Thank you for… remembering me," Emilia said.

Subaru shook his head, "The world might forget you, but I never will."

Emilia gave him a warm smile, "You always know just what to say."

"I just talk a lot. Babble like I do and you're bound to get lucky sometimes," Subaru shrugged.

Emilia laughed.

They were both quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.

She stared up at the ceiling, "Subaru, what do you want to do?"

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking, almost everything that we've done together has been with the goal of getting access to the sacred dragon's blood," Emilia said.

"Yup, and then we found out it's all gone. What a waste of time," Subaru sighed.

"So what do you think we should do now? There's not much point to the royal selection anymore is there?" Emilia asked.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that, Mili. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you said it but I'm surprised that you're willing to walk away from the selection so easily. You're just so responsible," Subaru replied.

"I don't know about that, Subaru, but like you said, we could still help the world without winning the throne and we wouldn't have to deal with the nobility or all the other facets of royal life," Emilia replied, "Because, honestly, that all made me miserable."

"I have to agree," Subaru replied, "I won't miss all that royal selection crap in the slightest."

"Then do you think we should just focus on taking our initiatives world wide without the burdens of the selection?"

Subaru shrugged, "If that's what you think we should spend our lives doing, it's fine with me, Mili."

Emilia was quiet for a long moment, "Subaru, that wasn't really what I was asking."

"What were you asking?"

"I was asking you what you wanted. I knew that you'd support me in whatever I decided to do, but what do you want? What if I'd like to support you for a change?" Emilia asked.

"I don't think I understand," Subaru replied.

"Subaru, what do you want? What would make you happy?"

"Um… being with you and Beatrice?"

"Isn't there anything else?"

"Well, you make me really happy, Emilia," Subaru replied.

"And you make me very happy as well, Subaru. But what would you find fulfilling in your own life? We were talking about increasing our efforts to end hunger, empty the slums, and seek out equal rights for demi-humans. But are those things that you want to do, things that would make you happy or are they just things that you'd do because you think that they would make me happy?"

"Um. Well doing them wouldn't make unhappy," He said, "I don't know. I don't really have any goals of my own so I guess I just adopted yours."

"How come?"

"I don't know!" Subaru said awkwardly, "I mean, I spent years thinking I was an absolute loser, you know. Maybe losers don't deserve to have dreams and goals so I pushed them all down and tried to focus on other people. If I ever had a goal for myself, I forgot about it a long time ago. I mean, if you're absolutely worthless as a human being, then at least you can still help other people, you know? That gives you a sort of a value," Subaru coughed self-consciously, "I… guess you probably wouldn't understand that."

Emilia's eyes widened as she stared at Subaru.

"Emilia? What's wrong? What did I say?" He asked in concern.

She shook her head, "Nothing. It's just that… I understand exactly what you mean. I guess I just… never thought that you felt the same way."

Subaru scratched his chin, "We should try to grab another hour of sleep, Mili. The sun will be up soon and we have a long couple of days in front of us."

Emilia nodded and Subaru settled down and finally began to snore, but Emilia found that sleep eluded her.

Everyone was up with the sun and Subaru dug into the bag that Rem had prepared. They hadn't opened it last night since everyone had been too tired to be hungry but now Emilia and Subaru's stomaches demanded food.

"Let's see what she packed. Hopefully Rem wasn't feeling petulant enough to try to starve us," Subaru muttered.

Subaru opened the bag Rem had packed and found some dried fruits which he passed around and a few gourds of water.

"So, Subaru, if we can't go any further west," Puck said munching on some fruit, "Where are we going?"

Subaru sighed, "I guess we'll start heading back east and then south, toward the capitol," He paused, "Or maybe we could head south sooner and go back toward Arlem village. We're likely to find somebody friendly there. Even Fredericka might be useful, assuming she doesn't try to back stab me again," He muttered.

"East?" Emilia echoed, "But the Witch Cult is looking for us there."

"No, the Witch Cult was looking for us there before," Subaru corrected, "After they spent the night combing the area and found nothing, they'll have moved on. This is probably our safest chance to get through there and get out of dodge," Subaru said with a confidence he did not feel.

Beatrice rubbed her chin, "There is wisdom there, I suppose, but not enough that I would readily agree to such a course," She said dubiously.

Subaru sighed, "Listen, if anyone has another idea," He said reasonably, "I am very happy to entertain it."

No one said anything.

"Hang on, I want to check something," Subaru said walking over to the trunk. He triggered Indomitable and broke the lock with a single strike.

He opened the trunk and dug through it a bit.

"Anything useful?" Puck asked.

"Clothes," Subaru replied pulling out a couple of hooded robes. He sniffed one and winced, "They don't smell very good but they might help us stay in disguise."

"Why do we need a disguise?" Emilia asked.

"You're beautiful, Mili," Subaru pointed out with a small smile, "Which is great but it also means you attract a lot of attention. Puck and I checked that dirt road outside the field before we came back. Judging by the tracks, there's been a lot of traffic on these roads lately. Whatever is going on, everyone in the area is trying to get clear of it. A few more travelers on the road won't attract too much attention, as long as we disguise ourselves a little."

"We're going to be traveling on the road now?" Puck asked dubiously, "Isn't that a little risky?"

Subaru shrugged, "It's also something that the Witch Cult won't expect. Beyond that, no matter who is fighting in that field out there, the Kingdom won't be able to ignore a pitched battle in their own territory. If all the Kingdom's forces aren't here yet they soon will be, that means we have good odds of encountering some friendly faces while we walk. If we bump into Witch Cultists they might look right by us now that we don't smell of the witch's miasma any more."

"And if the Witch Cult does recognize us, in fact?" Beatrice asks.

Subaru shrugged, "Then we either fight or run for our lives," He answered simply. "But what's the alternative? Wander around randomly in the woods until we bump into somebody we hope is friendly? That's the same risk we'd face if we took the road plus it gives us the benefit that we can chart our course."

Emilia thought about it, "Subaru, I think this is just too risky. Let's follow the road but stay off of it. If we're partially hidden in the woods then we can decide whether the people we see are ones we should risk revealing ourselves to or not. And if not, it should be easier to hide and vanish if we're still in the woods."

"Sounds good," Subaru agreed, "But remember the road leaves the woods and frequently cuts across plains. There won't be anyplace to hide once we do that. When that happens we should all get on the road. If we can't hide then it's better not to look like we're trying to hide because that attracts attention."

Emilia nodded.

Beatrice sighed, "Why is Betty surrounded by all these sneaky people?"

They had been walking in the woods for hours, following the road from a distance. The sun was starting to go down.

Subaru peered down the road, "You know, I think that big field up ahead might be where we said goodbye to everyone," Subaru mused.

"So we've taken twenty four hours to go in a really big circle, I suppose," Beatrice muttered from atop Subaru's shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe next time I need to plan things out better," He sighed.

Beatrice looked at him with concern, "Betty was not being critical, in fact. Betty is just frustrated."

"I get it, Beako. I'm worn out and frustrated too. Whenever we straighten this mess out, I think we're all due for a long vacation," Subaru replied.

"What would we do on vacation, I suppose?"

"I don't know. Anything that takes us a long way away from fanatical witch cultists, royal selections, and anyone else trying to kill us. Maybe we could rent a little cottage somewhere and just relax for a week or two."

"Sounds great," Puck replied.

"Betty would have to bring a lot of books, in fact. Subaru and Betty are far behind on their nightly reading."

"Or maybe we could take a trip," Subaru mused, "I kept wishing that you both were on that journey across the plains with Beatrice and me. It was very peaceful."

"Both?" Puck asked in confusion.

Subaru sighed, "You and Emilia," He explained.

Puck looked at Emilia darkly, "I keep forgetting that you think you've known Emilia since before we went to the Sanctuary."

Emilia hung her head.

"I don't think I know that, I do know that. I get that our memories have diverged but I need you both to trust me right now. We have huge problems and fighting among ourselves is a problem we can't afford," Subaru said.

Beatrice tapped Subaru's shoulder and gestured for him to put him down.

He lowered the spirit to the ground with a curious look on his face.

Beatrice looked at Subaru calmly, "Subaru, how certain are you?"

"Of what?"

"Of the elf. How confident are you that she's not just manipulating all of us," Beatrice asked calmly.

"What are you trying to say?" He asked.

Puck drifted over to Subaru and gave him a stern look, "Subaru, almost all of our problems right now are centered around the fact that we're traveling with a witch."

Subaru opened his mouth but Puck shook his head, "Don't talk, Subaru! Just listen to me for a second! Everyone is hunting us down because of this girl. It looks like even the Witch Cult is after us because of her. You have to admit that if we just sent her away, most of our problems would be solved."

Emilia took a deep breath, "You're right. I'm just putting all of you in danger. We should split up. I'll go-"

"Stop talking, little elf," Beatrice muttered, "This is a family discussion, I suppose. You are not involved."

Emilia flinched and wandered off a short distance in the forest to give them some privacy.

"Subaru," Beatrice continued, "Bubby and Betty are on your side no matter what. If you say that we are going to protect this witch with our lives then that is fine, I suppose. But Bubby and Betty deserve to know how certain you are that this… 'whatever-it-is', manipulated our memories and not yours. We deserve to know what we're risking our lives for. How confident are you that the elf is someone worth risking your life over?"

Subaru took a deep breath, "Well Beako, I'd say I'd be my life on Emilia being someone worth risking my life for, but we both know I gamble that pretty foolishly on a regular basis. So let's say, that I'd bet both of your lives on the fact that Emilia is a wonderful person, because you know I'd much rather gamble my life than either of yours. I'd want to die a thousand times before I ever let anything happen to either of you."

"Subaru!" Puck said in annoyance.

Beatrice held Subaru's gaze for a long moment.

"Very well then," Beatrice said with a deep sigh, "Then there is nothing more to be said. If the little elf matters to you that much… then she matters to Betty. It won't be the first time Betty has dealt with witches, I suppose."

"What? Betty!" Puck objected.

Beatrice gave him a patient look.

"Subaru! That witch almost killed you! She almost took you away from us! Do you really expect me to just let that go?! Do you understand how long we waited to find you?! What the thought of… losing you… means to us…" Puck trailed off plaintively.

"You're not going to lose me, Puck," Subaru assured him, "We are family. We belong together and I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep us together. I promise."

Puck folded his arms and fumed in midair. He sulked for a long time then threw a glare at Emilia that was sharp enough to draw blood.

"Fine!" Puck said finally, "I'm on your side, Subaru, no matter what," The spirit admitted, emphasizing the 'your' with another scowl at Emilia. "But don't think for an instant I won't be watching that witch! If she tries to do anything to hurt our family again I'll obliterate her!"

"She won't make another mistake like that," Subaru assured him.

"'Mistake,'" Puck muttered under his breath sarcastically.

The little spirit shook his head, "Fine." He gave in with bad humor.

Subaru gathered them both in his arms and cuddled the little spirits, "Thanks guys," He whispered, "You don't know what it means to me to hear you'll stand by me."

"Betty and Bubby will never leave Subaru, in fact," She whispered, "Subaru is Betty and Bubby's family."

"Forever and ever," Subaru agreed.

"Subaru?" Emilia called.

The spirits both sighed, "The little elf knows how to ruin tender moments, I suppose," Beatrice grumbled.

"Yeah, Mili?"

"I think… I think that the trailer is still there."