Somewhere at the banks of the River Thames...
Rosseweisse dragged herself out of the river and unto the banks. Looking to see what just happened; over the railings above her, she could feel the dull rumbling of the ground which instantly told her that Ashen was up there fighting someone. Probably alone again which makes Rosseweisse feel a little unpleasant.
"Again, he is being reckless. He is still injured and yet he continues to endanger his life! Seriously, at least let me heal you first before you go off into battle!"
She made a little complaint. Of course, for a Saint, she is not allowed to complain about anything lest she receives Divine Punishment. But her words earlier were more of a remonstration-turned-complaint-due-to-timing-and-circumstance because Ashen, the intended recipient of said remonstration is not around at the moment. Thus she is spared.
"Are you alright?!"
The unfamiliar voice of a young girl calls out to Rosseweisse from her side.
Turning to look, she sees a young girl-wearing an ensemble of a white dress and pieces of silver armor, approach her as the golden plume of the young girl's silver helm dancing in the wind with each approaching step. Behind her, a group of knights in black heavy-looking armor standing by like an array of statues.
"You...you are the Saint from Lothargien are you not?", the young girl asked as soon as her petite figure was before Rosseweisse. Her shrill tone, reminiscent of young girls in their early teens, echoing out of her helm.
"Eh? Uh...well, I did come from Lothargien, yes. But I am originally from the Vatican."
Rosseweisse replied. Unsure what to make of the sudden appearance of the little young lady knight before her. Somehow, she feels like Ashen would be scolding her right about now, but she quickly dismisses it.
"Uh...My name is Evaline Ashcreed. Baroness serving under Queen Regnant Olivia Creed.", the girl clumsily introduces herself to Rosseweisse.
Seeing that, Rosseweisse thought it was very adorable and she almost swooned but then quickly realized that she must introduce herself as well, lest she is taken to be disrespectful. The girl, Evaline, did introduce herself as a Baroness afterall.
"I am Rosseweisse. Saintess hailing from the Vatican. As you know, I have had to abandon my family name in accordance to my pact with the Heavens."
She makes a wry smile as she introduced herself.
"Brrrr!"
But her dignified introduction was interrupted by a sudden chilly breeze that made her shiver due to her wet clothes.
"Ah! Milady! Hey! One of you lend her one of your cloaks!", seeing her, Evaline quickly issued a command behind her and immediately one of the black knights approached and took off their equally heavy-looking wool cloak and wrapped it around the shivering Rosseweisse with an unexpected, 'Excuse me Milady.', as they did so.
"Uh...thank you, honorable knight."
Rosseweisse thanks the knight who just nods in reply before dutifully returning to the formation right behind Evaline.
"Okay. Since the Saint has been secured-", Evaline nodded as she looked at Rosseweisse, "-Order of the Ashen King, rescue and provide aid for the other knights my revered father has thrown over the railings!"
Rosseweisse froze at Evaline's words along with the roar of assent by the black knights.
"Thown over the railings...by Father?"
Her mind was thrown into confusion due to Evaline's words. In an effort to understand them clearly, she tried to recollect what had happened earlier;
Back on the airship, since Ashen was being really unreasonable and refused to help out Kallen-stubbornly telling her that it was not his problem to deal with and that he is only concerned on how to keep Rosseweisse alive until they reach the safety of the rest of the Saint's Guard, Rosseweisse wanted to offer help in convincing him.
Since she developed some kind of close bond with Kallen, she felt bad about just watching Kallen plead her stubborn brother so Rosseweisse tried to rack her brain for a good suggestion.
She almost offered a supplication to the Heavens to aid her, but then a rogue moment of turbulence caused her to sway and hit her head on the airship hull.
Everyone with the exception of the callous Ashen noticed her and soon inquired her out of worry. But that was when a certain idea was formed in her mind. One that would definitely make Ashen reconsider;
That was to jump off the airship.
It was quite the perfect plan to get Ashen to get off his butt to help out humanity and since Rosseweisse did not receive Divine Punishment for thinking so, it meant that what she thought was something a Saint is meant to do in this situation.
And so with the implied assent of the Heavens, Rosseweisse suggests for Ashen to accompany her instead.
However, Ashen refused and even berated her for thinking of landing near a battlefield. Rosseweisse however told Ashen that he was wrong to assume that she would land near a battlefield as she approached the bay doors of the airship.
Explaining that since he is only concerned for her well-being he refuses to help others out of his hate for humanity, then there is no other choice but to put herself in the midst of the conflict so that he would be inclined to do whatever it is necessary to keep her safe as per his declaration back in Lothargien.
Probably realizing what she meant with her words, Ashen threatened Rosseweisse to return to her seat just as she had pressed the button to open the bay doors. Causing a vacuum of wind to appear and then with a smile completely intended to tell Ashen that it would be fine, Rosseweisse jumped out the airship.
After that, everything was a blur as she fell down from who knows what height it was. All she remembered during the descent was the howling of the wind, the chill that bit her skin and the exasperated voice of Ashen who was shouting something at her as he caught her before rudely hitting her head and then spinning her around with all his might just to throw her to the side.
10 seconds later, she hits something soft and when she had opened her eyes, she was inside a ruined room with a tattered bed behind her and a large gaping hole in the wall before her. Not a second after, something crashed right outside the building outside. After that, everything was as how it happened after she had hurried outside and before she was thrown into the river.
So in conclusion, since there is only one person she remembers having thrown everyone-including her, into the river, the 'revered father' that Evaline was talking about is none other than-
"Ashen?!", she exclaims at her sudden realization.
Suddenly, something bursts out of the water; a young woman wearing silvery armor and glowed with white light.
"Who are you calling, 'Gummy Bear'?!"
The young woman screamed in rage as she was poised to throw her golden lance wreathed in blue lightning.
"Geh! Tactical Attack magic?! Knights of the Ashen King, SHIELD THE OTHERS THIS INSTANT!!!!", Evaline immediately issued a command to the black knights who in turn, immediately moved to form up a defensive wall of shields and magic before the knights who were just about to get out of the river.
"Milady! Do not move an inch and stay behind me!", while Evaline herself stood before Rosseweisse who was still in absolute shock at her realization and then-
"-Lightning METEOR!!!!"
As the young woman roared and let loose her lance, white light engulfed the world and in the next instant, a deafening explosion mowed down everything.
*****
"Eh? Was I not in apparent shock earlier?"
Rosseweisse muttered as she opened her eyes. Before her, the gray smoke-filled skies of London loomed and the sounds of fighting echoing in the distance.
She felt her head grow sore as she tried to get up but then she ended up unable to do so as she felt her limbs grow heavy like lead.
"What was that?"
She made a rhetorical question as she sighed.
"You alright there, Milady?"
Suddenly, Evaline walks up to her stoops over to look at her with a tone filled with worry.
"Ah...Miss Evaline. Sorry. But that earlier explosion robbed me of all my strength. I cannot seem to muster enough to move on my own.", Rosseweisse answered the worried knight. Of course she would rather not have anyone worry about her but her current state couldn't be any more of a sight to be worried for so she just assured Evaline that she was alright and just isn't capable of moving right now.
"What about the others? Are they alright?"
More worried about the others who were thrown into the river along with her, she inquired Evaline as she felt that this time, her Privilege may be needed.
"Milady, they are fine. My revered father's knights will handle the rescue and aid of the others. Please, just rest yourself as you just had a very long journey to get here.", Evaline however told her otherwise and assured her that they would handle the rest while pulling over the wool cloak over Rosseweisse's chilled body to warm her.
But Rosseweisse did not like being looked after while others were still suffering so she tried to get up. Determined to contribute at least a little but then a heavy hand pushed her down.
"Meself thinks that be a very bad idea now girlie. Just lie down obediently lest you get yourself more pain than necessary yeah?"
Rosseweisse turned her head to look and saw Jack who was for some reason, smiling at her as he urged her to rest.
"Mister Jack..."
"Look. Your body is already cold and wet, then you have slight concussion in your pretty little head. It's quite a sight to see you still awake after that explosion.", Jack informed her of the gravity of her current state and when she heard it, she can only give in and rest, "By the way, Lady Kallen is at another bridge providing support after she had informed your Guard of your arrival. They should be on their way here as we speak so just rest, yeah?", he added.
Rosseweisse then remembered something Ashen had said,
'There is no point in being the Saint if you die before you can perform your duties.'.
Though Rosseweisse remembers him shouting such a thing at her as he threw her inside the airship back in Lothargien. But at least that she understood and so she resigned herself to just rest for now.
"Anyhow, look. Your knight in shining armor is here. Nge...", as Jack was about to make a witty remark, he suddenly made a face of utter surprise.
"Mister Jack? What are you-"
"Ah! Father!"
At Evaline's excited cry, Rosseweisse inadvertently forced her body to sit up. A very painful headache assaulted her but she ignored it as she looked at the figure walking down the river bank.
"Damn it...why do I have to carry your sorry royal ass on the way back, you stupid Gummy Bear?!"
"Tsk! Be thankful I even healed your injuries for you, you ungrateful wayward Knight King."
"Hah?! Who told you that you can call me that?!"
"Who told YOU to call me THAT?!"
Ashen and Guinnevere finally joined them while bickering with each other. But that was not the thing that caused Rosseweisse to freeze. It was the very fact that Ashen was giving someone a piggyback and not just any woman, a beautiful woman at that and he was showing no signs of actually just dragging her across the ground or outright throwing her away like how he was towards Rosseweisse back in Lothargien.
"Oh damn...that Ashen boy sure is something. To be touching such a beauty nonchalantly like that...I'm jealous.", Jack muttered enviously. Provoking Rosseweisse to ask why.
"Well, look here girlie, if an old man with an ugly mug such as meself were to, let's say even touch a woman as beautiful as that even though I just wanted to help her, meself'd be sued for sexual harassment.", Jack replied with a wry sigh.
"Eh but...was it not your intention to help?", Rosseweisse was confused.
"Hmm...Ah~! your common sense is a bit lacking. More like, your femininity is completely different from common folk.", Jack chuckles, "That is just how the world right now works. Females have very high standards afterall. At the least, most of them do...", with that, Jack refrained from any further words.
But that was when Evaline chose to speak up,
"It should not be a strange sight to see my revered father carry such a beautiful woman on his back you know?"
Rosseweisse, Jack, and the other knights aside from the ones in black turned towards her as she spoke. Their gazes completely betraying their confusion at her words.
"I mean, my revered father almost never interacts with women aside from Aunt Kallen, Aunt Amber or Grandma Olivia so I guess you would not understand it but you see-", Evaline looks at Ashen and Guinnevere as they neared them, "That couple right there are my beloved father and mother. Them acting lovey-dovey like this isn't too strange a sight within the palace."
"What-"
"-the..."
"-BLOODY HELL?!"
Everyone could not help but shout out in shock and in response,
"WHO THE HELL IS BEING LOVEY-DOVEY?!"
The 2 people in question made an exasperated retort as they make faces of utter denial. Ending the day with a rather confusing romcom situation that Rosseweisse could not understand until much later on in her life.