STAGE EIGHTEEN: THE LENFIARE ON THE GROUND
Freyja has always dreamed of returning to Celestia. But she has never thought it would be as a fugitive for a crime she has never even done yet. Freyja ordered Avice to fly faster, the fastest he can go. If she were to survive and rescue her mother and her friends, she would have to get away from the capital that's now completely under Kirin's rule. Freyja suppressed her tears, reminding her of her oath, that she will never shed tears again. Freyja headed further deep down, away from the floating lands and territories of aristocracy up above. She only has one refuge, and that is the ground. Where common celestials live.
The further down she went, the less security she encountered, the safer she felt. When her feet finally touched the ground, a feeling of relief overcame her. She has never been on the ground in Celestia before, but ironically, it felt more familiar than ever. At once, Freyja had Amos cast an illusion spell around her, disguising her jet-black hair and stand out golden eyes with a light purple hair and dark grey eyes. Satisfied, she headed straight to the nearby city.
Freyja arrived at a city that is much more familiar than she expected. It was no different from the human realm, except for a few celestials floating here and there. The celestials on the ground walked with their two feet, traded goods, built homes, cooked and peddled food on the streets. The kids were running around, playing games. It was a far cry from what she used to see in the capital.
A kid bumped into her, dropping the lavender colored fruit he was holding. Freyja picked it up and handed it back to the boy, who also apologized frantically. Looking at the direction where the kids were heading, she saw a gathering happening from not so far away. She followed the crowd, and saw a band of musicians playing harp-like instruments and pipes, producing a festive, yet calming melody. "Excuse me," she said to the lady beside her, "is there anything special going on?" she asked, trying not to look too suspicious.
"Where are you from? From the east?" The lady was friendly, to her relief. Freyja nodded. "I figured. There are a lot of visitors flocking to the capital above ever since Leriouge Aethelmaer returned. It's a good thing we'll be finally saved! So, everyone's celebrating down here."
"Saved?"
"Yeah! They say that Lord Aethelmaer has the power to control the core. Ever since Alfiore Kinju and the Lenfiare disappeared, the crops and water, and everything are falling apart!"
Freyja looked down. "I see. They don't really know much here on the ground after all." She thought.
"Hey, I heard a rumor, that the Lenfiare is back with Lord Aethelmaer!" She said, trying to sound as natural as possible. The lady almost dropped her bag hearing that gossip. "What!? The cursed Lenfiare!?" Freyja felt a pang on her chest, seeing the lady's reaction. But she was determined to know more. "Yeah, but they said she returned to help Celestia."
"Well I don't know about that. Either way, we just hope that the core will finally be okay." Aside from the rumors, the people on the ground doesn't seem to take the prophecy as strongly as the aristocracy and the royal family. Freyja was relieved.
"Anyway, I feel sorry for Lord Saifer Famirth. Now that Lord Aethelmaer has taken over the palace, I wonder what will become of their southern territories? And they're very good leaders too." The lady shook her head in dismay. Freyja smiled and thanked the lady. She excused herself, asking for directions where to get food. The lady graciously pointed her to famous shops, before they parted ways.
Freyja sighed. She desperately tried to recall what she knows about Saifer Famirth. "Aha!" She felt energized, finally remembering who the man is. He is actually Freyja's first consort, though she has never met him before. But she thanked the lady for bringing it up. Now, Freyja had a plan, a very good one. If she is to fight the Aethelmaers, she will need allies. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend… and my consort, for that matter." She mumbled to herself, walking further, to the city's outskirts. There, she found the crops withered and weak, just as the lady earlier said. Even compared to human crops, the crops in the grounds of Celestia do not look as well. Freyja subconsciously squeezed her chest, thinking of the Celestial core inside her.
"Ahhhhhh!" Just then, she heard a loud shriek back in the city, followed by a huge cloud of smoke. She felt a familiar presence, a thick dark aura from the direction of the town plaza. Freyja rushed back, running against the flow of the terrified crowd. She was right. It was a phreinian.
"Don't you know that we're with the Aethelmaers?" One phreinian, clad in robes with the Aethelmaer crest demanded for a bag of grain, that a peddler was desperately holding onto.
"Please, no. The harvest is not very good. We cannot—" But the phreinian and its companion, a celestial wearing the same robes with the crest of Aethelmaer, set fire around the peddlers. "With Lord Aethelmer in the throne, you will not dare oppos—"
Freyja dispelled her disguise, instantly revealing her stand out jet black hair and golden eyes to the people. She summoned Afra and had him extinguish the fire, before she called upon Astrid and the celestial rune-blade to apprehend the two Aethelmaer minions.
"Its… it's the Lenfiare!?" The phreinian and his companion grew pale as they recognized their opponent. The people, knowing about the prophecy, kept their distance. Freyja took a deep breath and grabbed the grain from the phreinian and back to the trembling peddler. She really wanted to kill the phreinian and its companion, but she knew she shouldn't frighten the people more than they already are. "I'll give you five seconds to scram. Else…" She glared at them and started counting. It wasn't even up to three when the two hurriedly fled up, back to floating lands, and most likely, to call for reinforcements. Freyja sighed.
"A… are you really the Lenfiare?" The peddler asked, trembling in fear. They all are. Freyja took a deep breath. "YES!" She announced, loud enough for anyone to hear. "They're right. I'm the exiled Lenfiare, and I'm back. I know you don't like me but, isn't it unfair to judge someone for something she didn't even do!?" She shouted, very much like a human commoner she lived most of her life as. "Fine. You may not like me, but at least know this. Be careful, they'll most likely come back here." She summoned Avice and ordered him to fly away from the city, before the Aethelmaer soldiers arrive to neutralize her.
As Avice flew high up, Freyja could see the deteriorating lands of Celestia. Patches of land are barren. Water is slowly being polluted. The skies are dark, and a thick unclean air prevails in a number of areas, especially in the ground. Without the celestial core that continuously cleans the air and powers the pumps, the crystals, makes the land fertile, the kingdom will indeed fall in no time. Her frustration grew, the more she witnessed the severity of the situation. But, she did get a very important piece of information. Saifer Famirth. And that gave her hope.
"Avice, can you still remember the way to the Famirth territory? It should be on the south. Can you fly there?"
"I think I do. How about this, we'll fly south and then we'll take it from there?" Avice sounded as cheerful as ever, which is a welcome mood amid the crisis she is in. "Yes, let's do that."
~ o 0 o ~
"Lenfiare, wake up." Astrid, who is sitting beside her, shook her. Freyja wiped the drool off her mouth. "Are we there?" She groggily asked. "Almost!" Avice started his descent towards a floating landmass.
"Is that a noble territory?" Freyja squinted her eyes. "Yes, that is the territory of the Famirth clan, they are close cousins to the Leafen Clan." Astrid explained.
"As far as I remember, Saifer should be the same age as I am. He was made First Consort because we are born on the same day." Freyja recalled. "This is a gamble. But we have to do it. They will not want the Aethelmaers. But they don't want the cursed Lenfiare either. I just have to trust that Lord Saifer is willing to work with me." Freyja thought hard, what could be the bargaining chip she can use for the deal?
"Ah I know!" She said, before ordering Amos to disguise her another time. "Avice, don't go straight to their manor. Let's head to the city instead. I need to know more about this place first."
Freyja, disguised with a light purple hair and dark grey eyes wandered around the city just within the Famirth manor. The city very much resembled the town on the ground, and isn't really that different to Runerich, in her opinion. The only difference is that the cities in the south seemed to be much wealthier, with cleaner air and waters, and a noticeably abundant source of power. You can barely see the effects of the depleting celestial core. Freyja snooped around, getting information from the residents about the Famirth clan and how they are doing so far.
"Well, it sure is worrying that Leriouge Aethelmaer has taken over the palace." One Famirth clan soldier said, as he drinks with his buddies in the pub. "Yeah. Our southern territories will surely lose our hold on the capital. It's gonna be trouble for the Famirths. I pity Lady Sarilay that Lord Saifer isn't even a quarter as competent as Lord Leriouge."
"Can't they just switch over to Leriouge's side?" Freyja asked, with a grin, her interruption obviously not welcome. "Are you crazy, kid? Lord Saifer is the First Consort, it is blasphemy to abandon the Lenfiare."
"Yeah. Too bad he's engaged to the missing Lenfiare. But who are we to talk? It's the heavens that decided that."
Freyja scooted away from the gossiping soldiers, holding a valuable piece of information. She may be a 'cursed Lenfiare' but they aren't castigating her consort as she expected. "I see, the Leafen lineage greatly holds weight in this land. Which explains why they haven't killed me right off the bat." Freyja's lips curled upwards. "Hey mister!" She butted into the conversation yet again.
"Kid, you shouldn't be hanging out here, go home!" One irritated soldier said, shooing her.
"Wait! Last question. I'm about to go into the Famirth estate as a servant today, so I'm really curious." Freyja said, squeezing her way into the group. "Are they nice people? I'm nervous to be honest. I haven't seen any of them before and I heard they're kind of brutal to servants. Is that true?"
Freyja's false gossip made their eyebrows rise. "Seriously? Where did you even hear that from?" One soldier huffed. "The Famirth clan is very strict and upright, but everyone knows in Celestia how just and brilliant they are. The reason why this territory hasn't been affected by the depleting core is because of their management."
"Yeah kid, you should be fine." One kind soldier assured her. "As long as you don't slack off and be stupid, the Famirth clan will be good to you. They are scholars after all."
"Perfect!" Freyja shouted in her mind. "Alright, thanks so much and have a good day sirs!" She excused herself, while they also bid her good luck. They even gave her directions to the manor. Quite satisfied, Freyja summoned Avice, and headed straight to the main house of Famirth. Crossing her fingers that Kirin won't get to their side first, she was confident she can handle them better than he will be able to.
~ o 0 o ~
"Yawn!" The youngest Famirth son, Saifer, yawned loudly, earning him a slap from his mother. "Saifer! Take your lessons seriously! You are the first consort!" She admonished, shaking her head. The youngest son and the First Consort of the Lenfiare has always been different from the rest of the family. Unlike their reputation of being scholars and respected advisors, Saifer has always been unmotivated, lazy, and to their standards, stupid. It's a terrible shame, considering that he was once prophesized good fortune and praised for his appearance: black hair, and blue eyes, a striking resemblance to the Leafen clan.
"Why should I? My position never meant anything, the moment the Lenfiare went missing." He dismissed his mother with a laugh, making his mother sigh. "It doesn't matter." She said. "Regardless of the Lenfiare being here or not, it is our duty to Celestia to work for its survival. Especially during this crisis." But no matter how she explained, it just won't get through to him. She stepped out of the study, disappointed as usual, leaving the Saifer to himself. Saifer sighed, looking at the window outside. It's almost night time. He looked around, making sure he's alone, before locking the drawer where he is hiding books he didn't want his mother to see.
They were books about the Aethelmaer clan.
Then, he hurriedly left the study to retire to his bed.
~ o 0 o ~