"I heard about the changes to Cecily's duel," Nathaniel's words echoed through Allen's head. "I understand you may not want to hear this, but I truly wish her luck"
It was very difficult to believe that Nathaniel out of anyone could have such a sudden change to his whole character, especially after just one loss to Allen. Did he truly mean what he said, or was he saying what he thought Allen wanted to hear?
"Allen, are you alright?," A familiar voice asked next to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Allen answered, as he looked over at the familiar face. Stephen eyed him curiously before turning his attention back to the conversation.
Allen was with the rest of the "small resistance" members, within Mr. Garet's office. There, they were to discuss further about Cecily's upcoming duel against Rose Marion, who remains in the clutches of her mother and current head director, Ellen Marion.
"Just how will we get Rose back over to our side?," Thomas asked. "I'm getting more concerned for her the longer she's with her mother"
"Thomas does bring up a good point," August brought up. "We all agree that Rose would be a good ally, but first and foremost an important friend. Regardless, the longer her mother has control over her, I fear it will be harder to get her back over to us"
"Rosy, why do you let her control you so much?," Stephen said out loud, through gritted teeth, to no one in particular.
Allen had yet to tell anyone about his conversation with Nathaniel, as they had more important matters to settle. And yet, despite his concerns for his dear friend Rose, he couldn't help but think back to what Nathaniel told him.
"One. One small favor. You can cash it in at any time, no matter what I might be up to. As long as it's within my capabilities, I will provide you with one favor," Nathaniel's words once again echoed through Allen's mind.
Just why would Nathaniel decide to owe him a favor?, Allen thought to himself. And what could Allen use that favor for, anyway?
"It will definitely prove difficult to get Rose back to our side," Cecily agreed with August. "All of us know that while I am capable, Rose is much more proficient in a duel"
No, better to forget about Nathaniel for now, Allen thought to himself as he shook his head. I need to focus on helping Lily.
"True," August agreed with her. "Not only does she have more experience using magic than you, she also excels in close combat, something many mages cannot counter"
All of the former training club members in the room began to have uneasy expressions on their faces, as they came to the unfortunate realization - Cecily would more than likely lose against Rose, and that's exactly what Ellen Marion wanted.
"Regardless," Cecily was the first to speak up. "I don't plan on going down without fighting. I will still do my best to claim victory against Rose, and get her back to our side"
Everyone nodded in agreement. While uncertainties still filled the air, they all agreed they needed to have more optimistic views on it. They do not want to satisfy Ellen by giving up on their resistance against her.
"Very well, it seems we have come to a plan, after our several discussions so far," Mr. Garet cleared his throat before speaking. "Cecily Rivertide. You will do your utmost best to win against Rose Marion, our Student Council President, in your upcoming third duel. Due to the difficulties presented, your main goal will be getting Rose back to us, not a victory. If a victory is possible, I fully expect you to grab onto it as hard as you can. Is this satisfactory for you, Cecily?"
"Yes, Mr. Garet," Cecily nodded, determination in her eyes. "I will do my best not to let any of you down, and do my best to get Rose back over to us!"
"Any objections, Danet?," Mr. Garet turned to look at Ms. Florence, who stood next to his desk.
"Hmm, none," Ms. Florence shook her head after a moment of thought, her arms crossed.
"Then it is settled," Mr. Garet nodded in approval. "Cecily, we leave the duel in your hands. Use the time you have left till the duel begins to train yourself, as Rose will not be an easy opponent"
"Of course, Mr. Garet. I will do my best to live up to your expectations," Cecily gave him a slight, but respectful nod.
"Hmph," Mr. Garet averted his eyes from her. "Alright now all of you, out of my office! Now!"
The rest of the former training club members swiftly made their way out of Mr. Garet's office, lest they want another lecture from him. Once they were out of his office and a good distance away, they resumed their conversations they had prior to visiting his office, and had conversations about the issue at hand as well.
All of them had concerns regarding Cecily's upcoming duel against Rose Marion, but they had no choice but to do their best to prepare Cecily for it, and to also take the wait and see approach.
Once they were finished with their conversations, they each promptly left to their own devices, whether that be training, studying, eating or other things.
A day had passed since the small resistance members had the discussion regarding Cecily's upcoming duel against Rose. Allen walked the halls of the academy, on his way to class with Ms. Florence still his teacher, as he has yet to return to D rank, due to Ellen's interference.
His thoughts wavered back and forth between the recent conversation with Nathaniel Rivertide, his once enemy, and Cecily's upcoming duel. Luckily, he still had some time before the fourth set of duels would begin, which would be very important to Allen, as the outcome would decide whether he could remain at the academy or be expelled.
However, before he could successfully make it to his classroom (which was unfortunately all the way near the back of the hallway), he overheard what appeared to be either an argument or a very loud conversation between two female students. He could not discern if he knew them or not, since he was a fair distance away.
Just what is going on up ahead?, Allen asked himself, as he eyed the groups of students starting to form due to the commotion. Please not let it be another one of Sarah's former club members creating a stir.
As Allen got closer to the groups of students, he saw two female students at the center of the commotion, two of whom he both knew of already.
"You will have no chance to beat me, Cecily Rivertide. It would be in your best interest to drop out now," the first familiar voice advised.
"I will not back down on this, Rose. Even if the switch was last minute, I still intend to win despite the odds," Cecily advised, not wavering at all.
Allen could almost not believe his eyes on what he was seeing. Cecily was arguing with Rose? It was very unlike her to be confrontational, with anyone (well, maybe Thomas being the exception). Allen decided to get a bit closer, to find out what was going on, and to hopefully stop them.
"Then you've learned nothing during your time here," Rose argued back to her. "This is why you remain at D rank"
Cecily's expression turned to surprise, as if she almost didn't believe what Rose was saying. True, it was very unlike her, but was her mother's influence that strong on Rose?
I need to do something about this, before it gets worse, Allen thought to himself, through slightly gritted teeth. He hated his friends arguing like this, especially when they've been looking to get Rose back to their side. Does Rose even notice what she's saying? Or is it forced and she has no choice?
Allen pushed through the nearby students, to inch closer so he could try to do something about it. The students began to make room for him, as they noticed who he was, Cecily first took note of Allen's appearance, with Rose following her gaze.
Rose then noticed Allen, and stared at him as he approached closer. Allen quickly noticed that the expression on her face was much different compared to the previous encounters he has had with her since Rose's mother became the head director.
Rose's former timid and blank expressions, as though her existence was meaningless were completely gone. Her eyes were still blank and less color to them, as though they still had no life to them, but the rest of her expression was replaced. She wore a constant look of arrogance and lack of empathy, which was so unlike the normal Rose that held confidence in herself and concerned for the wellbeing of her fellow students, rather than viewing them as a stepping stone. Just what has her mother said or done to her in the past few weeks to make her change this much?
While Allen's concerns for Rose remained, his current primary focus shifted to protecting Cecily. Allen still did not know if Rose's actions were of her own accord, influenced, or forced by her mother. Regardless, Allen would not allow Rose to treat Cecily as an inferior.
"Allen, what are you doing here?," Cecily asked, being the first to speak since Allen's sudden appearance.
"I could honestly ask the same of you two," Allen said, as he looked between the two of them. "Just what is going on?"
Rose's mouth remained shut, but Cecily decided to answer for them. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Rose and I were simply having a small chat regarding our upcoming duel. I wanted to advise Rose that she doesn't have to follow the path she is, and is free to pursue whichever goals she wishes to"
So, that's what probably started their argument, Allen thought to himself. Cecily seems fine, but I am still concerned for what Rose may do, or rather if Ellen will follow up on something like this.
Rose's expression changed to annoyance, just before she opened her mouth again. "I will have you both know that I will follow the goals easily laid out by my mother, or rather our Head Director, and will not let anything, or anyone, get in my way. I will make my mother proud, and win the Annual Magical Knights Tournament this year"
"Goals?," Allen asked, as he clicked his tongue. "Those goals are not your own, Rose, and you know that! Don't you see what your mother is doing to you, and to the rest of us? I don't know what she is doing to you, and I wish I could help you, but it's clear she's trying to divide you between us, and it's working!"
Rose's expression of annoyance did not waver, and it seemed as though she completely ignored Allen's words, deeming them of no value. "Allen Fleming, I will have you know that I do pursue my own goals. My own goals simply align with my mothers, and for good reason. I have my own goals, just like you have yours Allen. I will not back down"
"But that's-," Allen started to say, but couldn't finish his sentence. Nothing of what Rose spoke of made sense to him, and he couldn't form a counter argument. He just couldn't believe the words that came out of his friend's mouth.
But before anyone else could say something, another familiar face intervened.
"Rose! Just what do you think you are doing?"
"Stephen?!," Allen asked, as his friend seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Stephen gave him and Cecily an acknowledging nod, before turning his attention back to Rose.
"Stephen, what are you doing here?," Rose asked, in a harsh tone, as she crossed her arms.
"What am I doing here? Why don't we first go over what you are doing?," He asked, as he held a strong eye contact with her. "This is so unlike you. Your mother has clearly been changing and influencing you too much"
"I will have you know my mother has nothing to do about this," she said as she stood her ground, holding the same rough eye contact with him. "This is also none of your business"
"None of my business, Rose?," Stephen asked, as his expression turned to slight annoyance. "This has everything to do with me, with you, and with the rest of your friends who care about you!"
Rose did not respond, but her expression did not waver. It was almost as though Stephen's words went in through one ear and out the other.
Meanwhile, Allen and Cecily didn't know what else to do but wait to see how Stephen would continue to say. They knew most of the time Stephen was reasonable, and he's known Rose for several years.
"You know you don't have to listen to your mother, right? And I know that you don't want to listen to her. Don't you remember the times you've vented to me in the past about her?"
Rose once again said nothing, and her eyes still remained blank, with no life to them. Allen wanted to say something, to do something further, but decided Stephen would have a higher chance of getting through to her.
"At any given time, you're free to stop listening to her! You're more than welcome to come back to us, your friends who care about you a lot. You don't have to let your mother control you like this! Just listen to what you've been saying to both Allen and Cecily, whom you care about!"
Rose completely disregarded Stephen's words, and raised her voice as she finally spoke. "Shut up! You're a good for nothing mage who fails to follow in your father's footsteps!"
Stephen's eyes immediately widened, as he could not believe what came out of Rose's mouth. His hand began to shake, but he did his best to hold his ground and ignore her comment.
All of them knew that their biggest priority was getting Rose back to their side, and luckily Stephen was doing his best to not let Rose's words affect him. But it became clear the longer they tried to talk to her, the worse it would become.
"Just, who are you Rose?," Stephen asked, now more concerned than anything. "Was that what your mother wanted you to say? Or are you purposely trying to push us away because you feel that's the best option?"
Rose said nothing in response, her expression not changing. Her eyes moved to look around at all the students forming to watch what was going on, before turning her attention back to Stephen.
"I don't have any more time to amuse you, and have much student council work to complete and other related matters to attend to," she advised the three of them, before turning around, to finally walk away.
"Rose! Hold on!," Stephen shouted at her, but Rose did not turn around to answer him.
Rose, Allen thought to himself. Just what is going on with you? I just know this isn't the real you. Your mother is behind all of this.
Just before Allen, Stephen and Cecily could turn to look at each other and decide what to do from there, Rose turned to look at them one last time, or rather, specifically Cecily.
"I will not be holding back, Cecily Rivertide," she advised her. "But.. good luck"
For once during their conversation, Rose seemed genuine, and almost with a look of longing, as though she secretly hoped that Cecily would actually win. It was very difficult to notice, but Allen only noticed because of the friendship they had formed over time.
Perhaps… she hopes Cecily can defeat her so she can end all of this, Allen thought to himself. But we may not know for sure, until later.
As Rose walked away from all of them, and the rest of the students remaining confused on what just happened, Allen now only had one thought on his mind - the once distant Rose has quickly shifted into a thorned rose, and hopefully they can break the barrier between them, and get her back to them. They can only hope that Cecily can manage to outwit her, and defeat her.