Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Subaru and Emilia followed the tracks through the forest. The tracks went down a broad forest trail and then met and followed the river.

Patrasche leaped onto the frozen river with a joyful cry. After years of eternal winter, the ice must have been ten feet thick and it took the riding dragon's weight easily. Her claws gave her good traction on the ice and the dragon raced along the frozen river at great speed.

"Well, at least Patrasche seems to be enjoying herself!" Subaru shouted, trying to keep a close eye on the footprints that hugged the riverbank.

"I'm glad that one of us is!" Emilia yelled back, desperately holding onto Subaru. "This is not very much fun for me!"

Subaru sighed. "Beatrice had the same opinion," He replied in a morose tone.

They followed the winding river as it roamed through the forest and led back toward the village.

The village was in sight when Subaru saw something on the riverbank and reined in, much to Patrasche's surprise. The riding dragon went skidding across the slick ice and nearly lost her footing before catching her balance.

Patrasche gave Subaru a reproachful look and an annoyed cluck.

"Sorry, girl," Subaru said, half sliding, half falling out of the saddle onto the frozen river. "Next time, I'll try to give you more warning when we're going to stop." He reached up to help Emilia down.

"Subaru, why are we stopping here?" Emilia asked.

"You see that skid mark on the hill?" He replied.

Emilia glanced at it. "Yes. What do you think caused it?"

"I did," Subaru muttered. He glanced at Patrasche. "You know, girl, I think that you might have saved my life last night."

Patrasche gave a low honk.

I'm pretty sure that was Earth dragon for 'No shit.'

"Subaru, what are you talking about?" Emilia asked.

Subaru squatted down by the skid mark on the hill. "Mili, these were the tracks that I was following last night," Subaru explained. "I thought that they were your tracks so I was following them. If Patrasche hadn't interrupted me, I would have marched straight up to the mesa and found… whoever was waiting up there."

Emilia's eyes were wide. "Then someone was trying to lure you into a trap!"

"Probably. I mean, I guess so," Subaru said slowly.

"You guess?"

Subaru raised his eyes heavenward. "I mean… This still still doesn't make any sense! Why leave a note to lure me into a trap if the person that you're trying to trap is lying there helpless? Beyond that, if they saw me lying in bed, they should have realized that I never could have made it to that mesa alive! In the state that I was in, I would have frozen to death or died from exhaustion long before I got anywhere close!" Subaru shook his head. "So whatever plan they had that was trying to get me to the mesa was doomed to fail from the start. And why were they so desperate to get me to that place anyway? Why steal the note afterward? None of this make sense!"

Emilia shook her head. "So they tried to lure you to the mesa… But then what happened? The people waiting on the mesa threw a tantrum when they realized that you weren't coming and destroyed everything?"

Subaru frowned. "Maybe… maybe they were interrupted."

"Interrupted?"

"Well, try this one on for size. Someone goes into the cottage and rewrites your note. I still don't know why they did that but let's skip it for right now. Then they laid down tracks up to the mesa to wait for me to come and find them. They sit there waiting at that bonfire site. Then… someone else shows up. Someone who either doesn't like the first person or doesn't like… whatever it is that they're doing here. So there's a fight. And then…"

"And then?" Emilia prodded.

Subaru sighed. "I don't know, Mili," He muttered. "There's too much going on here that I don't understand! What was the point of leaving that note for me and why are there footprints leading to the mesa but none that lead away? And why was there only one set of footprints when all the signs indicated that there were two people on the mesa?"

Subaru frowned and looked up at Patrasche. "Now that I think about it, girl," Subaru said slowly. "What are the odds of you showing up on the exact same night as all of this happening and you not being involved somehow? How do you factor into all this?"

Patrasche cocked her head.

Subaru sighed. "Moments like this, I really wish that you could talk, girl."

Emilia shook her head. "Subaru, it's nearly noontime. If we're going to go to Rixum today then we had better get started. You still can't weather the night temperatures in the forest very well."

Subaru nodded, "Good point." He climbed on top of Patrasche and pulled Emilia up behind him. He nudged the riding dragon and she sprinted back to the village.

"Subaru," Emilia whispered. "Do you think that Anri had anything to do with this?"

Subaru hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know if I can trust Anri but where does that leave us?"

Emilia was quiet for a long time. "If we can't trust her then… should we really expect her to keep our location a secret?"

Subaru didn't respond immediately. "I know, Mili. I've been thinking the same thing. But then what? We can't just keep Anri a prisoner here forever. And I won't even discuss the alternative…"

Subaru felt Emilia nod against his back.

Subaru and Emilia dismounted Patrasche and knocked on the door of the house where Anri was staying.

The girl opened the door. Her gaze briefly flickering to the dragon.

"So, are we leaving?" She asked her face brightening.

"If you feel up to it," Subaru replied.

"I'm ready!" She shouted, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "But, Emilia, do you think that we could stop at the clearing where we met? I have… another bag that I'd like to retrieve and," Anri's face became somber again. "I really should make a grave for Hunnicutt."

"Was he the man you were traveling with?" Emilia asked.

Anri nodded and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry," Subaru said. "Where you very close?"

Anri shook her head. "No. Honestly, I barely knew him but…" She trailed off.

Subaru frowned. Hang on. She's traveling with a man deep into a haunted forest and she barely knows him?

"I'm sorry," Emilia continued. "I don't think you'll have much luck making a grave in the forest. The ground is just too hard to cut through."

Anri looked stricken. "So I just have to leave him lying out here to be picked at by scavengers?!"

Emilia shook her head. "There are no scavengers in the forest. Just mabeasts and they don't eat."

Subaru watched as Anri's face slowly became resigned. "I suppose that the snow is as good a blanket for his slumber as a layer of earth would be. But it still feels wrong."

Subaru shrugged. "You can only do what you can do. We can't bury him here and we have no way to bring him out of the forest and bury him. Because if anyone saw us carrying a corpse around, that would be serious attention that we don't need," Subaru said meaningfully.

Anri sighed, "That's true, I guess." Anri forced herself to put on a smile. "Well, I suppose we might as well get going then. Can we still try to grab my stuff?"

"I don't see why not," Emilia shrugged. "It's not far out of the way."

"Alright well, let's get moving," Subaru said, climbing back into Patrasche's saddle.

He pulled Emilia up behind him.

Anri stepped forward to caress the riding dragon's face. Patrasche closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.

"This is a magnificent animal," Anri whispered. "Where did you find her?"

"She was a gift," Subaru said shortly.

"Wow. This was a kingly gift," Anri admired. "Was it from a close friend?"

"Actually, it was from a close enemy," Subaru snorted.

Anri looked at Subaru in confusion. Emilia just rolled her eyes at him.

Subaru sighed. "It's a long story, Anri and I really don't want to get into it. Let's just get going."

Anri frowned. "But where am I going to sit?"

Subaru shrugged. "You can sit in front of me."

"In front of you?" Anri repeated.

"You got a better idea?" Subaru asked.

Anri looked pained. She slowly reached up to take Subaru's hand. "Alright but just… watch where you put your hands, OK?"

Subaru rolled his eyes as he helped Anri get settled in front of him. "Yes, Anri. I'll try my very best to control myself," He said sarcastically.

Subaru nudged Patrasche and she flew off like a bolt of lightning.

Anri bowed her head over the ruins of Hunnicutt's body.

Subaru and Emilia stood by awkwardly as Anri knelt down and began to pray.

Emilia gestured and both she and Subaru turned around to give her some privacy.

They stood there, wondering if there was anything they should be doing.

"Alright, I'm done," Anri called.

Subaru and Emilia turned around to see her picking up a large knapsack.

"You got everything?" Subaru asked.

Anri sighed. "Luckily, yes. I have everything I need."

The sun was just starting to set when Patrasche broke through the trees and thundered across an open meadow. Subaru could see a large number of houses built along the king's highway in the distance.

What the hell is that? Subaru thought as he checked Patrasche and slowed the dragon to a halt. For once, Patrasche didn't seem inclined to argue as the dragon was finding this meadow to be equally fascinating.

It looks like someone drew a line right down the meadow. On one side you have snow and ice. On the other side, you have green, new grass. Patrasche has a claw in two different seasons right now. Even the air feels different! My left arm is freezing but my right arm feels like it's a balmy, early summer afternoon!

This is amazing!

"Wow," Anri murmured. "I've never seen anything like this before…"

"Subaru," Emilia said, sounding aggravated. "Do we really need to sit here like this?"

"This is some amazing magic!" Anri said in awe. "Do either of you know what caused it?"

"Why would we know?" Emilia replied sharply before Subaru could respond.

Anri looked at Emilia, taken aback by her tone. "Well, you did say that you grew up in the forest. I just thought that you might know what really happened. The locals have a dozen different stories about it. I heard a few of them while I was traveling. A barmaid told me that the forest was the sight of a fight between the Black Snake and a Dragon. She said that the Dragon froze the forest solid during the fight. An old woman told me that the forest is home to an enchanted elven princess who's trapped in a magical slumber, waiting for her true love to come and rescue her-"

Subaru gave Emilia an amused smile.

She didn't smile back.

"But most folks," Anri continued. "Claim that the forest was cursed by a terrible witch long ago."

Emilia flinched.

Subaru frowned and nudge Patrasche back into motion. "Look, let's leave history alone for right now. We need to be focused on our future. We have no food and you need to see about finding a ride."

"Sounds good to me," Anri said calmly as they flew down the road toward the town.

Subaru reined in Patrasche just inside the town border.

Subaru helped Anri and Emilia slid down and then dropped to the ground himself.

Emilia pulled her hood forward as far as it would go.

Anri walked to the highway a short distance away and stared at the wagons moving in and out of town. Even late in the day there was still a lot of traffic. She looked carefully for signs of the merchant's destination.

Subaru made to put Patrasche's reins around the hitching post but she jerked her head, nearly pulling the reins out of his hands.

Subaru looked up and the earth dragon stared down at him reproachfully.

"Not big on hitching posts?" Subaru asked.

Patrasche clucked.

Subaru made a face. "Alright, fine," He said, letting go of the reins with a sigh. "But stay here and try not to cause trouble. We shouldn't be long."

Patrasche clucked.

"Anri, how do you plan to find a merchant going… wherever you want to go?" Emilia asked, raising her voice so Anri could hear her.

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Anri said calmly. "I'll go find a tavern where the merchants congregate and feel around. I should be able to find someone going my way."

Anri lowered her voice. "At least, I think I can," She murmured to herself. "What would be the signs of a wagon that's headed to Iruk?"

"Iruk?!" Emilia called incredulously. "You're trying to get to Iruk?!"

Anri jumped and spun around. "How did you hear…" Anri trailed off as her eyes fixed on Emilia's ears.

Emilia flushed uncomfortably.

Anri made a face. "OK. Well, just keep it a secret, OK? Please?" Anri asked plaintively.

Subaru shrugged. "You keep quiet about us, we keep quiet about you. Sounds fair to me."

"Great," Anri sighed in relief.

"Anri," Emilia said in utter confusion. "Iruk is in completely the opposite direction! We could have taken you to Iruk in half the time that it took us to come to Rixum!"

Anri winced. "Well, I don't know the area very well. Don't worry. I'm sure that I can still buy a ride. I don't want to put you guys out anymore than I already have," She added, looking guilty.

"Don't worry about it," Subaru shrugged. "Incidentally, do you have enough money to purchase a ride or do you need any?"

Anri looked at Subaru in surprise. "Thanks, Subaru," She said. "But I should have plenty to get where I need to go. Like I said, I don't want to go any deeper in your debt than I already am."

"Anri, I'm sorry but I don't think that you'll be able to find transportation here," Emilia apologized.

Anri started. "Why not? I thought that Rixum was the closest town to Iruk!"

Emilia scrunched her face up in thought. "Well… Yes, I suppose that it probably is…"

"What's the problem, Mili?" Subaru asked.

"'Mili?'" Anri repeated with a chuckle. "That's actually kind of adorable!"

Emilia flushed but ignored her. "I've never actually been in Iruk but I've seen it several times. It's just beyond the northeastern edge of the forest, over the border into Gusteko-"

"Keep your voice down!" Anri hissed.

"But Iruk is a one road town," Emilia continued. "It's smaller even than Arlem! There can't be more than a few dozen people living there. I doubt that merchants go there with any kind of regularity. I suppose that you might get lucky and find someone going there tonight but I think that you'd have to be very lucky to find someone."

Subaru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "OK. Well, I'm sure we can put Anri up for one more night. Tomorrow, we'll just bring her to Iruk ourselves. Heck, it'll save her some money."

"Um. Tomorrow?" Anri's voice held an objection that carried no force.

"Tomorrow," Subaru said firmly. "Anri, it's almost dark now. By the time we do our shopping and get back to the village it will be pitch black outside. I don't want to go stumbling though the forest looking for Iruk in the dark. There are mabeasts and maybe even worse things in that wood. We'll take you there first thing tomorrow."

Anri looked at Emilia in appeal but Emilia just shook her head.

Anri deflated slightly. "Well, thank you both very much. I really appreciate all the trouble that you've gone through to help me. I promise that I'll try to find a way to make it up to you."

Subaru shrugged. "Don't sweat it. It's just nice to help somebody out after everything that we've been through. I have a feeling that we've been where you are. In some ways, we're still there."

Anri gave them a bittersweet smile. "I'm really sorry to hear that. 'Where I am' is a tough place to be…"

The trio began to walk into town, approaching the market that was still bustling as the sun set.

"Subaru," Anri asked. "What did you mean by worse than mabeasts?"

Subaru shrugged. "Well, the forest is supposed to be haunted, you know," He hedged.

Anri jumped and her eyes became huge. "Is that really true?!" Anri asked in astonishment. "Emilia, have you ever seen a ghost?"

Subaru glanced at Emilia out of the corner of his eye. She walked beside them silently, her expression and manner somber. "Many times," She replied quietly. "But they were only the spirits conjured from my own memories."

Subaru, Emilia, and Anri walked through the open market. The center of town was an enormous collection of stalls and stands. A few merchants called out their wares as the group passed but most shopkeepers seemed to consider the day over and they just chatted with their neighbors and customers.

"Mili, any idea what we should be looking for?" Subaru asked, looking uncomfortably at a skinned rabbit hanging from a rope above a stall.

"I'm not really sure," Emilia replied. "I didn't buy food very often when I last lived in the forest. I'm not sure what we should get."

Subaru glanced at her. "Didn't you need to supplement your diet? I can't imagine that you found much variety of foods in the forest and you probably struggled to forage at all when the weather was bad. What did you do if you couldn't find anything to eat in the woods?"

"I went hungry," Emilia said, matter-of-fact.

Anri looked at Emilia in dismay. "Um. OK look, I realize that we barely know each other and that my opinion probably doesn't count for very much but you guys really need to come up with a better strategy."

"Trust me, it's high on my to-do list," Subaru sighed.

This really bites. My number one priority should be to find Beatrice and Puck. My number two priority should be to break Emilia's curse.

What am I doing instead? Bringing Anri to a town that she apparently didn't even need to go to and now I'm out shopping for groceries!

The problem is, I can't act like this isn't critical too. We're no good to Beatrice if we starve to death in the woods. And the sooner we get Anri out of the forest, the sooner we can focus on bigger, more important matters. But despite how necessary doing these things is, they're both still just distractions from bigger problems.

"OK," Subaru continued. "Mili, what do you know how to cook?"

"Soup," Emilia murmured in reply. "What about you, Subaru?"

He chuckled ruefully. "I guess I know how to cook over a campfire a little. Not that I ever did it very much. Back home my culinary talents were mostly limited to making cereal and heating up microwave burritos."

Anri and Emilia both gave him a strange look. "Subaru," Anri said. "I've never heard of either of those things. Where are you from exactly?"

"Far away," Subaru replied with a sigh.

"What, like Vollachia?"

"Yeah, something like that," Subaru replied. He and Emilia exchanged amused smiles and their hands found each other as they walked through the market.

"Did you ever come here before?" Subaru asked Emilia.

"Once in a while. I would occasionally bring pyroxene crystals here to trade for items," Emilia replied.

"Did the people here treat you OK?" Subaru said.

Emilia made a face. "Well… Puck had to threaten a few of them to make them back off but then things seemed to be alright. The townspeople never exactly warmed up to me but they stopped trying to kill me at least."

Subaru gaped at her. "They tried to kill you?!" Subaru said in fury.

Emilia nodded. "This village was assaulted a few years ago by the Witch Cult. I understand that they took several casualties in the fighting. This wasn't a good place for me to shop but it was really my only option."

Subaru looked aghast. Then he shook his head and tried to focus on more immediate problems. "OK. Well if we're going to be making do off soups and stews then we should just buy a lot of vegetables and maybe some meat for flavor."

He suddenly thought of something. "I guess keeping the food fresh in the forest won't be terribly difficult."

Emilia shook her head. "Before the… incident, the village used a magic ice room to keep food cold. I've never seen the need to use it since then."

"Guess not," Subaru said, inspecting a stall that seemed devoted to vegetables. He picked up what he thought was an onion and sniffed it.

"Subaru," Emilia said. "Do you really think we should buy a lot of food?"

"Well, if it won't go bad in the cold then why not?" Subaru replied.

"No, I mean… how long do you think we'll be in the forest?" She asked quietly.

Subaru quickly looked up and saw Anri looking at some bread rolls in another booth. Subaru quickly wrapped his arms around Emilia and pulled her close. "I'm not sure, Mili," He said honestly. "I really don't know what to do now. Before we can leave the forest, we'll need to have a destination in mind. But whether it's to rescue the spirits or to try and break your curse, I just don't know where we want to go or how we'll even figure out where to go. There's thousands of places that the spirits could be and I don't know how we're going to narrow it down. And I'm no closer to figuring out how to lift your curse than I was the day that we left the Sanctuary…" He said despairingly.

Emilia held him tight, feeling the exhaustion in his voice. "We'll figure it out, Subaru," She promised. "Like you keep saying, as long as we're together, we can do anything."

They smiled at one another as they separated.

Subaru turned back to the stall and started inspecting vegetables. "How about we buy some carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms? They should be easy to chop up and they should give the soup we make a little more flavor," Subaru said, hearing some children playing in the background. They were running around, chasing one another. "Maybe we can grab some meat cuts as well. We need some protein in our diet and-"

"Oh!" Emilia shouted as a laughing little girl accidentally plowed into her, knocking them both down.

Subaru spun around to see Emilia and the little girl had fallen to the hard ground. Emilia's hood had fallen back and her silver hair and ears were clearly visible. The formally noisy market was suddenly quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Emilia hit the ground hard and shook her head, trying to clear it. A moment later, she realized that her hood had fallen off and the little girl was staring at Emilia with wide-eyed horror.

"It's a witch!" The child screamed in a piercing voice.

Emilia recoiled from the child's terrified pronunciation as if it was the blow from a flail.

The girl scrambled backwards as fast as she could then leaped to her feet and ran away, tears in her eyes and screaming for her mother.

"Anri!" Subaru shouted as he helped Emilia up. Anri raced to their side as the crowd began to circle around them.

The townsmen were clearly terrified but that fear was starting to shift. Fear is fertile and it breeds anger and hate.

"What is that?" A merchant with a bushy mustache spat.

"It's a witch!" A plump housewife cried, trying to hide behind the basket of goods she carried.

"She's not a witch!" Subaru shouted. "She's just an elf!"

"My grandmother told me that there were witches in the great forest," An elderly woman whispered. Her frail, wrinkled body trembled violently, seemingly as much from terror as from age.

"Call the guards! Sound the alarm!" A young woman screamed. Her face was barely visible as she hid trembling behind a market stall, a fat merchant cowering beside her.

"Look!" Subaru shouted, putting up his hands and trying to placate the crowd. "We don't want any trouble here! We're leaving right now, OK?"

Emilia's head suddenly snapped back and she saw a bright flash of pain. She clapped her hand to her temple and it came away wet with blood.

"Emilia!" Subaru screamed, grabbing her in his arms. The pair scanned the crowd until they saw a boy of no more than seven who was holding stones in his hands. Tears were streaming down his face. "You filthy witch! Give me back my Dad!"

He threw another stone that went wide.

"Your Dad?" Emilia asked in a confused voice as she held her now throbbing head.

A woman wearing a shopkeeper's apron leaped toward the boy. She held him close, her eyes terrified. "Please! Have mercy! He's just a boy, I'm sorry! He didn't know what he was doing! Forgive us!"

The boy was crying as well but his rage eclipsed his fear. "Go away, you disgusting witch! Leave my family alone!" The boy shouted, struggling to throw more stones while his mother restrained him.

"Please have mercy on my son! I'm begging you!" They were both crying as they sat there on the frozen ground with their arms wrapped around each other.

"You little brat!" Subaru roared at the child.

The child froze, his eyes growing wide. The stones fell from nerveless fingers as he trembled in his mother's arms.

"You serving the witch, boy?" A fat middle-aged man snarled. "You put to stud for her? You making dirty elf babies in that belly?"

The crowd began to close in around them. The locals who carried weapons drew them and the rest picked up sticks and stones. Their formally terrified faces were now savage caricatures of dark joy as they prepared to punish the thing that had so frightened them. They had been terrified of Emilia but now they'd seen that she could be wounded. The mob had tasted blood and it wanted more.

"Kill them all!" Someone shouted.

"Call the guards!" Someone shouted.

"Burn her!"

That did it. All the past week's frustrations boiled over as the crowd of sickening bullies snapped Subaru's very last nerve.

"Burn her?!" Subaru shouted in a voice that silenced the crowd. "You've got no proof at all that she's a witch but you say burn her. Well, how would you all like to be used as kindling?!" He roared.

The crowd drew back slightly.

"You want to see a witch?! I'll show you a wicked witch!" Subaru shouted, feeling power welling up deep inside of him.

The crowd recoiled. They looked at one another in horror. They could sense a vast power surging within the strange boy. They didn't understand it but they knew that it was far beyond anything they could deal with.

Subaru pointed at them. "Pridebreaker!" He roared.

A wave of power swept over the terrified crowd. A few fell down and several shook their heads in a panic.

A few moments passed and the the panic slowly began to fade into confusion as nothing seemed to happen.

Subaru looked at them, baffled.

Wait. It didn't work?! Why not? Does it not work on humans or something?!

Fuck! Bluff!

Subaru drew himself up to his full height. "That was but a taste of my power!" He shouted. "You who attack an unarmed girl are undeserving of my mercy!"

Subaru reached down deep inside of him, trying to trigger the Authority's true power, like he did in the slaver's camp but something felt like it was in his way.

Subaru reached as deep as he could and then-

He threw up.

Subaru bent over and vomited a disgusting black spew that looked like sludge and smelled like raw sewage. It was thick and sticky. Subaru felt as if the noxious payload was slowly crawling up his throat. He had to fight to get each disgusting mouthful out.

By the time he was done throwing up, Subaru felt utterly drained.

"Subaru!"

Subaru felt a hand grab his arm. He turned to see Emilia with tears in her eyes. "Please let's just get out of here!"

Subaru's attention snapped back to the crowd but his moment of intimidation had passed.

A burly man drew a ungainly sword that looked like a meat cleaver. "Kill them!" He roared to the crowd's road of approval.

"Let's get out of here!" Subaru shouted as he pulled Emilia away at a run.

Anri watched in amazement for a moment before her eyes widened and she tore off after them.

"Get them! Don't let them get away!" Someone screamed.

"Burn all three witches!" Another shouted.

Subaru ran back to Patrasche as fast as he could and he heard the crowd surging after them.

Patrasche sensed her master's distress and came running.

Subaru climbed up quickly and Emilia hopped on behind him.

Subaru and Emilia pulled Anri up and slung her across the front of the saddle. Patrasche broke into a run before Anri was even secured.

The riding dragon flew out of the town as fast as she could as the crowd flung stones, and whatever else they could find after them.

Anri almost fell off Patrasche and had to make a desperate grab for the dragon's mane to hang on.

"Subaru!" Anri shouted. "I'm slipping!" With only one good arm Anri could barely hold onto the dragon's neck.

"No, you're not!" Subaru shouted back, grabbing her by the cloak. "I've got you! Just hang on for a minute. We'll get a little distance away from that lynch mob and then help you up!"

Patrasche snorted indignantly at the dangling Anri.

"Emilia! Are you alright? How bad is that cut?!" Subaru shouted as Patrasche raced across the grassy field and back onto the snow.

"It's not deep," Emilia murmured but Subaru thought that her voice sounded slurred.

"I can take a look when we get back to the village," Anri promised as she and Subaru struggled to hold her in place atop the speeding dragon. "It didn't look bad!"

Subaru looked behind them but it appeared that no one was giving chase.

Patrasche ran under the forest eaves as the sun finally set and Subaru reined her in.

Anri let go of the dragon and landed gracefully on the ground.

"Let me help you up," Subaru said, reaching down. He pulled Anri onto the saddle in front of him.

"Thanks," She muttered.

"Anri! Can you take a look at Emilia," Subaru begged. Emilia was slumped against his shoulder, muttering something. She seemed barely conscious.

Anri leaned over Subaru's shoulder and closely inspect Emilia's head.

"It's not serious. This cut is barely more than a scratch," Anri said.

"You're sure?" Subaru demanded.

Anri nodded. "She's in no danger at all, Subaru."

"I feel fine," Emilia murmured in a slurred voice, her head slumped against Subaru's shoulder.

Anri half smiled. "At least this I know how to do," Anri touched Emilia's head and whispered a few words.

Subaru watched as the cut on Emilia's head faded away, not leaving any trace of its existence aside from some dried blood.

Emilia's eyes which had been dull with pain, sharpened. She touched her forehead with wonder.

"Anri, you know healing magic?" Emilia asked.

Anri shrugged. "Just a little bit. I don't have much talent with magic so I make up the difference with herb lore and practical medicine."

Anri slid down off the dragon.

Subaru and Emilia looked at her in confusion.

"Emilia, you and I are going to swap seats for the trip back," Anri explained. "You're is going to ride in front so that Subaru can hold onto you. I'll ride in back."

"Anri, I'm really fine-" Emilia said.

"Healer's orders!" Anri said sharply. "You got hit in the head and you might have a mild concussion. You can find yourself falling asleep without any warning. So you're going to ride in front where Subaru can hold you."

"This is really unnecessary," Emilia protested.

"I think maybe we should listen," Subaru murmured. "She knows more about injuries than we do."

Emilia looked resigned as Subaru helped her slide down from Patrasche and then climb up in front of him.

Subaru pulled Anri up behind him.

Patrasche watched in fascination as the three people mounted on her back played this strange game.

Subaru nudged Patrasche back into a run and she fled deeper into the dark forest.

Patrasche ran up to Emilia's cottage and Subaru reined her in.

Subaru helped Emilia and Anri climb down.

"Mili, why don't you go lay down," Subaru sighed. "I'll be back in a few minutes to start dinner with whatever food we have left."

"Subaru, I am not an invalid. I'm perfectly capable of preparing soup. Besides, where are you going?" Emilia asked.

Subaru shrugged. "Got to bring Patrasche back to the stable and feed her!"

"Oh. Right," Emilia murmured.

"I'll be back soon!" Subaru said as he rode Patrasche off.

"Damn, Emilia, was that thing in Rixum normal for you?" Anri asked as they worked together to peal and chop Emilia's last few remaining vegetables.

"Yes. Most people want to kill me on sight," Emilia sighed.

Anri shook her head while peeling some wild carrots with a knife. "I'm really sorry to hear that. That's got to make life all kinds of difficult!"

"Yes, it does," She agreed, peeling potatoes.

"And Subaru stays by you through it all?" Anri asked, peeling a carrot.

Emilia flinched but Anri didn't notice due to her focus on the carrots. "Yes," Emilia almost whispered. "Subaru has stood by me through everything. No matter how much I mess up or how bad things get…"

Anri kept peeling. "It's funny. I keep feeling like I've heard that before," Anri mused.

"Heard what before?" Emilia asked absently.

"Subaru. I know that I've heard that name somewhere," Anri murmured.

Emilia stiffened. "I wouldn't worry about it," Emilia said awkwardly. "Names are very common after all."

"I guess you're right," Anri shrugged.

They worked in silence for a moment. "So where are you guys from originally?" Anri asked.

"Um," Emilia hesitated. "I was born in the forest. I think."

"Wow. Really? Wait, you think?"

"My family is all dead. My earliest memories are of the forest but there's no one left to ask if I originally came from somewhere else."

"And you've been here ever since?"

"Yes. I grew up here. I've spent my entire life here except for a brief time that I lived in, um, Arlem," Emilia hedged.

"Arlem," Anri said thoughtfully. "I've heard that name too…"

Suddenly the girl dropped her knife and stared at Emilia with wide, terrified eyes. "Wait… Subaru… Natsuki?! The Butcher of Arlem?!"

"Butcher?!" Emilia shouted in outrage.

Anri flinched. She looked at Emilia with huge eyes, like a child who had been snapped at. "I mean… I heard that he killed sixty Gusteko soldiers from Walla who had gotten lost across the border, while they begged for their lives," She whispered.

Emilia snorted. "Anri, there weren't even sixty soldiers in Arlem!" She said scathingly. "I was there! And any begging that those soldiers did was after they'd already threatened to kill a village full of unarmed civilians. I saw the stakes that the soldiers had set up for their heads! Those soldiers went to Arlem to kill innocent people and they deserved a far worse fate than they received!"

Anri just stared at her in shock.

Emilia looked away, her face twisting in remembered pain. "Subaru… let most of the soldiers escape. He killed some of them. I remember how scared he said he was… how horrified he was at what he'd been forced to do. I held him that night while he cried and sobbed. I wished that I could find a way to ensure that he never had to do anything like that ever again…"

"Wait a minute. You're saying that he cried?" Anri asked incredulously.

Emilia whirled on Anri, her eyes flashing. "My Subaru is very kind! He hates having to hurt people!"

"Wow," Anri whispered. She thought for a moment and then slowly picked up her knife and started to peel more carrots. "Honestly, I guess that makes sense. The story of the Massacre at Arlem is pretty common where I come from. Most people believe it. Then again, I guess House Voivode and House Griest lying about the incident is no real surprise. It is the kind of thing they would do. And the notion that these soldiers just got lost dozens of miles over the border is pretty hard to swallow. I don't know Subaru very well but I can't really see him slaughtering people for no damn reason. Although, I got to admit that I thought that the folks of Rixum were in for it tonight. Subaru looked like he might have killed the whole lot of them with his bare hands. At least until he got sick. And what was that slop that he threw up? Was that just from breakfast or-"

Anri froze and her head snapped up to stare at Emilia in wonder. "Holy shit. You must be that witch! I can't believe that I just put it together but I heard a rumor while I was traveling about how Subaru Natsuki had ran away with a witch who put a spell on him!"

"I did not put a spell on him!" Emilia shouted.

Anri blinked. "Um. This might be a dumb question but why is he hiding way out here in the woods with you then?" She asked earnestly.

Emilia bowed her head and tried to focus on peeling potatoes. "He's here because… he loves me. He's here because… he wants to be with me…" Emilia said in an almost inaudible whisper.

"Wow," Anri said, sounding awestruck. "So Subaru really gave up like… everything, just to be with you?"

Emilia looked up at Anri, cut to the quick, but Anri was still peeling carrots with an expression of rapture on her face.

"That's so romantic!" Anri squeed. "A royal prince who gives up everything to be with the woman he loves, even with the entire world trying to tear them apart! All of his friends tell him he's being stupid but nothing can stop the power of true love and he's determined to stay with the woman he loves no matter where the road leads them or how difficult it gets!"

Anri shook her head, her broad smile never flickering. "That is amazing, Emilia! It's just like a romance novel. Wow. Actually, it's almost like I'm in one of those stories now. I wonder what roll I have? Maybe the sympathetic girlfriend who helps the heroine figure things out and then helps the pair escape and live happily ever after?!"

Emilia had no idea what Anri was talking about but she felt she had to say something. "I'd like that," Emilia murmured.

Anri kept talking animately but Emilia wasn't listening.

Subaru. You really did… give up everything… just to stay with me…

I'd never thought about it that way before. You gave up everything.

Why? Why would you do that…

"Wonderful soup tonight, Mili," Subaru said in an amused voice. "Tasted just like water with a few vegetables tossed in!"

Emilia sighed. "I'm sorry, Subaru. That was all we had."

Subaru looked at her in concern. "Mili, I was only kidding! Dinner was fine. We're still getting settled here. There's going to be a few bumps in the road. That's all."

Emilia just sighed.

Subaru and Emilia were cleaning up after dinner. Anri had gone to bed in to the other cottage and Emilia had given her another two logs to keep a fire burning tonight.

They finished drying the dishes and Emilia walked away. She sat down on the bed and stared down at the floor.

Subaru followed and sat down beside her. "Mili? You OK?"

Emilia shook her head and her eyes grew watery. "Subaru. What happened?"

"What do you mean?" He asked gently.

She shook her head. "I've lived in the Elior Forest all my life. This is home. I… We've gone through disaster after disaster ever since we left the Sanctuary. When we came back here, I thought that at least we were finally safe. But the people living just outside the forest want me dead and the mabeasts are stirred up and something powerful is stalking the woods and someone even walked into this very house while you were sleeping! I feel like we're surrounded by enemies. What are we going to do?!" Her voice rose to a shout.

Subaru looked at Emilia's frantic expression and gently guided her head to his shoulder and stroked her back.

Emilia sighed. "I thought that we could just disappear into the woods and let the world forget about us. I thought it would just be the two of us and the world could solve its own problems. It was such a beautiful dream…"

"It's not a dream, Mili," Subaru corrected gently. "But maybe not as simple as we thought."

"What do you mean?"

Subaru struggled to put his thoughts into words. "We can ignore the outside world but we can't expect the world to ignore us. The world is all around us! People are going to come into the forest periodically and we'll need a plan for how to deal with them. The wide world is out there. We can fence ourselves in but we can't always fence it out."

"How would we do that?"

Subaru shrugged. "The forest is supposed to be haunted. And it is literally cursed-"

Emilia flinched.

Subaru sighed before continuing. "Maybe we can use the mabeasts that I… 'tamed' to frighten people away. The forest is huge! Hell, you grew up in this forest and you didn't even realize where we were for days!"

"Subaru!" Emilia protested. "That wasn't my fault! We were in a part of the forest that I almost never went to! One frozen tree looks very much like any other!"

Subaru grinned at her. "I'm not blaming you, Mili. I'm just making a point. You mapped the entire forest but you were still lost after Beatrice sent us here. I mean, it took you a whole five years to map the place-"

"Seven," She corrected.

"Seven," Subaru acknowledged. "But that means that we can still hide out in the forest. If you can get lost in here then anybody can! You'd need an army to search the place! It would take me days just to walk from one side of the forest to the other."

"Actually, Subaru," Emilia mused. "At the speed that you move in the snow, I think that it would take you closer to a week and a half."

Subaru shot her an annoyed looked. "Thanks, Emilia," He said sarcastically. "It was very important that you clarified that point."

Emilia didn't respond, still looking downcast.

Subaru sighed. "Look, Mili, you need to try to calm down. This is a new situation for us."

Emilia looked at him in misery. "Subaru. This isn't supposed to be new! I've lived here all my life-"

"It's a new situation for us," Subaru emphasized. "Living with me isn't like living with Puck anymore than living with Puck was like living with Fortuna. And when we find the spirits that will be another adjustment. It's not all going to be perfect right away but we'll figure it out! It'll just take a little bit of time."

Emilia took a deep breath. "I don't know, Subaru…"

Subaru gently kissed her temple. "Those townspeople really spooked you tonight, didn't they?"

Emilia was quiet for a long time. "Subaru, they wanted to kill you…" She whispered in horror.

"Well, they'll need to get in line," Subaru grumbled. "There's quite a crowd in front of them. Capella, Regulus, some folks in Gusteko, Rem, and the entire Lagunican army!"

Emilia slammed her fist against the mattress. "Subaru! Can you please stop making jokes?! This is serious!"

Subaru wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "My point is that people wanting to kill us is nothing new. We can handle it. We're going to be OK, Mili. Even if our lives get really difficult, as long as we're together we can do anything!" He said soothingly.

"But, Subaru," Emilia whispered to herself. "What if us being together is the thing that's making your life so difficult?"

"What did you say, Mili?" Subaru asked.

Emilia took a deep breath. "Nothing, Subaru. Are you almost ready for bed? I'm feeling pretty tired."

Subaru was deep asleep but Emilia remained awake. Tired as she was, her mind wouldn't be still and her thoughts followed grim roads and dark paths.

All this time, I've been an utter fool. Ever since we left the Sanctuary, despite knowing that the entire world was out to get us, I never really worried about Subaru.

Reinhard would have killed me but I know that he would have died before he ever hurt Subaru. Felt is the same way. I'm sure that she'd do almost anything to protect him. I knew that if we were caught, my life would be forfeit but Subaru and the spirits would be well cared for. So I didn't have to worry.

But… that's just foolishness, isn't it… Those villagers had no idea who Subaru is and they didn't even care. To most people, Subaru is nothing more than another Witch Cultist following a witch around! Most people won't go out of their way to keep Subaru safe while they kill me. He'd be an acceptable casualty in killing a witch. Some people might even think that Subaru deserves to die as much as I do purely for being with me!

What can I do? Anri was right. Subaru really has given up everything just to be with me!

Emilia, you are a selfish little brat. You really have the gall to claim that you love Subaru? How could you ever let anyone you love do this? How could you possibly justify letting him make such an enormous sacrifice solely for your benefit?

You're determined to keep Subaru with you no matter what. No matter what it costs him or how much it hurts him. You'll let him give up everything to be with you because you're so scared of losing him.

That isn't love, it's pure selfishness.

It's time, Emilia. It's time to grow up. It's time to stop letting your own weakness destroy the lives of everyone around you.

Oh, Subaru. This is all my fault. None of this ever would have happened to you if it weren't for me. Now you've lost everyone because of me. Everyone turned against you because of my magic. Worse, if there is some kind of strange monster in the forest, you might be in danger just staying here! Now you're a fugitive from the kingdom with no idea where your next meal is coming from. You've even lost Beatrice.

Subaru… I can only imagine how much you're hurting now. But there's one certain way for you to get Beatrice back.

It's… It's the only way. Reinhard and Felt will protect you so you'll never have to use your Authority again. Beatrice and Puck will be there to comfort you. It's the only way to make things right. It's the only way to give you the life that you deserve.

Oh, Subaru. You're in so much pain. I know your heart so well that it's as if I can feel it breaking every day since you've lost your family. This is all my fault. I need to make this right. I need to do what's best for you, Subaru and not myself. I love so much, Subaru. If it's for you, I know that I could bear any sacrifice. Even if I wonder if it will kill me to even say it out loud…

Emilia buried her face in the pillow beside him and wept.

When Subaru woke up he found Emilia was already awake and sitting at the table. She had her hands clasped tightly together and she stared down at the table with a bleak expression.

Oh no. Mili is still upset from last night…

I need to find a way to cheer her up…

"Good morning, Mili," Subaru said, trying to sound chipper while pulling his clothes on.

"…Morning, Subaru," Emilia whispered.

He clapped his hands together. "Well, it's a brand new day full of possibilities. It's time to start pulling our lives back together. I think I'll grab Anri and bring her to Iruk. That's one less mouth to feed anyway. While I'm there, I'm going to buy some food."

Emilia didn't answer.

Subaru hesitated. "Mili, I know that you don't want to hear this but I think… maybe you should stay here. It's just safer that way," He said in a placating tone. "I won't be gone too long and the villagers at Iruk are less likely to react badly to me."

Emilia sighed and bowed her head.

Subaru's face grew careworn. "Mili, I know that this is hard for you but I'll be alright without you on this trip. And trust me, you'll feel so much better once you have a full stomach. I'll drop off Anri and bring back food and we'll have a feast tonight. Once we're rested and full, then we can regroup and figure out a plan to get the spirits back!"

Emilia didn't respond right away. "You really miss the spirits, don't you, Subaru?" Emilia asked sympathetically.

"Of course, I do!" Subaru said simply. "I miss having Puck around. I miss reading to Beatrice every night." Subaru shook his head and chuckled. "You know, it's funny. I can't even rememberthe last time I walked any serious distance without Beatrice on my shoulder. It feels flat out weird not to have her here! I feel… off balance…" Subaru said, the forced good humor in his voice becoming sad and wistful.

Emilia bowed her head.

Subaru cleared his throat. "Which is why today is the beginning of Operation 'Get the Spirits Back!' As soon as I'm back from Iruk, we are going to eat a huge meal and then we are going to brainstorm how to rescue Puck and Beatrice!"

Emilia stared at Subaru expressionlessly. Oh, Subaru. I should never have left this place. I should never have listened to Roswaal's lies. Now I've lost Puck and I've even dragged you into my own mess. Your friends have turned against you and even the Kingdom thinks that you might be an enemy. It was one thing when everyone wanted to just kill me but now I'm putting you in danger as well. People will see you with me and think that you're a Witch Cultist. I can't let this happen. I can't ruin your life anymore than I already have. You deserve so much better than this. I need to make this right. There's only one thing I can do.

"Um, Emilia?" Subaru said, becoming uncomfortable.

"Subaru, I have an idea for how to get the spirits back but… I don't think that you're going to like it," Emilia said slowly.

"OK. That doesn't sound promising," Subaru muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

"Just… promise me that you'll try to keep an open mind, please?" Emilia pleaded.

Subaru took a deep breath, "What is it, Mili?"

Emilia closed her eyes, "I think… I think maybe you should go."

Subaru squinted at her, "Go? Go where?"

"Go home," Emilia said.

"Emilia, I have no idea how to get back to my world," Subaru said incredulously, "And why would I want to?"

"No! I mean… go back to the capitol. To the manor. Find Puck and Beatrice. They need you."

Subaru stared at her, "And just what are you going to be doing while I go off on this daring rescue mission?"

"Subaru, it won't be a 'rescue' as long as I'm not with you! Just tell them that you got away from the 'evil witch' and Reinhard and Felt will forget the whole thing. They'll put Puck and Beatrice right back in your arms," Emilia pointed out.

"And then what?" Subaru scoffed, "I just walk away, say 'We'll be back in five minutes,' and then march all the way back to Elior without anyone noticing? They're going to be watching me like a hawk after all this. If I told them that I just miraculously 'got away' then everyone would be worried that I was some kind of sleeper agent sent back to cause trouble. I'd never be able to sneak off."

Emilia bit her lip, "I know. I was thinking that… you shouldn't come back."

Subaru stared at Emilia, "…What?" He whispered in horror.

"I don't like it either," Emilia said.

"My feelings for this 'plan' of yours go a little bit further than 'not liking' it, Mili!" He snapped.

Emilia took a deep breath, "Subaru, I need you to stop and think about this."

"Think about what?! That I'd be leaving you? That this would be 'goodbye, see you never?!' What the hell would make me want to follow this plan?"

"Beatrice!" Emilia snapped.

Subaru paused.

"You promised her that you'd be together forever," Emilia reminded him, "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I made you the same promise if you recall," Subaru retorted.

"You did not," Emilia said calmly.

"I asked you to fucking marry me, Emilia! What does marriage mean to you? Hell, what do I mean to you?!" Subaru demanded.

"You mean everything to me," Emilia whispered.

"But you want to send me away," Subaru scoffed.

"Subaru! What kind of life could you possibly have here?" She demanded, "You're trapped in the forest hiding from the kingdom with me! What would you do here? Grow turnips?"

"I'm guessing that if I was waiting for the growing season, I'd be waiting for a very long time," He admitted, "But the same question applies to you! What are you going to do every day? Map the forest? Dust the ice statues?"

"I've lived here before."

"Well, I can start living here right now!" Subaru replied.

"What about Beatrice?" Emilia asked.

"What about Puck?" Subaru retorted, "Are you really OK with never seeing him again?"

Emilia took a deep, ragged breath, "Puck doesn't even remember me. All his love has been given to you. So I want you to promise me that you'll love him and cherish him the same way that I would."

"Or, and I know this sounds crazy but just hear me out, why don't I just bring Puck and Beatrice back here and we'll cherish them together!"

"How, Subaru? You just admitted that you couldn't do that!" Emilia reminded him.

"I can't do it if I try waltzing back to Felt and Reinhard saying: 'Let's all just forget about Emilia!'" Subaru said sarcastically, "That's a terrible plan. We'll need to sneak the spirits out!"

"Subaru, even if you could, what about everyone else?"

"Everyone else? Who? Who else are we responsible for?" Subaru asked.

"Felt, for starters."

"Felt?! Emilia, I feel absolutely no responsibility for Felt at the moment! She's the one who talked Reinhard into tracking us down and trying to kill you, in case you forgot!" Subaru spat.

"And that… was a bad mistake," Emilia admitted.

"A mistake?!" Subaru said incredulously.

"Fine. What about Petra?"

"Petra? What the hell is threatening Petra right now?"

"Subaru, you know that some winters she doesn't have enough to eat," Emilia reminded him.

Subaru stared at her, "What the fuck, Emilia?! We introduced crop rotations at Arlem for a reason. Next winter they will have so much food!"

"But what about all the other Petras in all the villages across the kingdom who don't have that knowledge?"

"What about me, Emilia?! Why are you looking for excuses to get rid of me?!" Subaru yelled.

"I'm not!"

"You must certainly fucking are!" Subaru snapped. "What is this? Now that I can't get the dragon blood for you, you just don't want me around anymore?!"

Emilia looked as if Subaru had just slapped her, "That is absolutely unfair, Subaru! You're just projecting your own insecurities on me now!"

"Oh yeah? Then why are you so determined to make me leave?!" Subaru demanded.

"Subaru! Because of all the good that you could do! You could make millions of peoples' lives better all over the world if you went back to the capitol and won the royal selection! You could take care of Beatrice and Puck and make sure they felt loved everyday! You could make sure everyone in the kingdom had good food and warm clothing. You could even end the fighting between humans and demi-humans!"

"And what about us?!" Subaru demanded.

Emilia took a deep breath, "Subaru. I love you. I love you with all my heart. But I'm just one person who would be happier if you stayed here compared with millions who would be happier if you left. You would be much happier if you left. We need to think about the big picture."

"I would miserable away from you! I've already tested that theory! Also, fuck the big picture!"

Emilia shook her head sadly, "I really hoped that you would be more mature than this."

"Mature? Seriously?!" Subaru sneered, "You want to talk about maturity? Emilia, this is you trying to buyyour way out of your own guilt. Again."

Emilia gasped. "And just what exactly do you mean by that?!" She demanded.

"Emilia, you're doing what you always do! You have a martyr complex! You're trying to work your way out of your own guilt by suffering. Ever since the disaster in the forest, everything you've done has been with the single goal of making up for your big mistake."

"This has nothing to do with that!" Emilia yelled, her face flushed with anger.

"Of course it does! If I stayed here with you, you'd be happy and you think that you don't deserve to be happy so you had better send me away," Subaru said sarcastically. "That way you can be all alone and miserable. Good thing that Puck's memories got erased because you know that he'd never abandon you otherwise!"

Emilia stared at him, her jaw hanging open, "How dare you?!" She yelled.

"I really thought that you were starting to get over this!" Subaru shouted back.

"Get over it?!" Emilia screamed, bolting up. "Are you really that dense? I entombed hundreds of people in solid ice! You don't just 'get over' that! I have an obligation-"

"To help them! Not to be miserable! You really think that your suffering makes them feel any better? If those people are still conscious in any way, they're not sitting around hoping that Emilia feels guilty enough or that she's torturing herself enough. If they're watching, all they want is not to have been turned to ice. They're the ones that are hurting and your pain doesn't decrease theirs in any way. It isn't about you!"

"That's rich coming from you!" Emilia screamed, her cheeks bright scarlet, "To you, everything is about us! You don't care what happens to anyone else as long as we can be together!"

"I will rescue Beatrice and Puck!" He shouted back.

"And that's it?! You don't care what happens to anyone else as long as your personal family is safe?!"

"I never claimed to be a hero, Emilia!" He yelled.

"You were my hero!" She screamed in his face.

"Well, Emilia, I'm sorry that I finally let you down by being a goddamn human being and not some fucking perfect effigy in a story book!"

"Get out of here!" Emilia shrieked.

"Gladly!" Subaru yelled, grabbing his satchel as he marched out the door.

Subaru slammed it shut behind him.

Emilia's eyes widened and her face became stricken. She raised a hand helplessly as if to call him back.