"Do you think she'll like the gift?"
Alice fiddled somewhat nervously with the wrapped present she was carrying, making sure to be careful so that she didn't rattle the music box that was kept inside. She was dressed up a bit more than usual today, her violet hair held together by a large yellow bow tie while a red dress with frills on the skirt covered her body.
"I'm sure she'll love it, so don't worry about it."
Gabriel was naturally walking right beside Alice, clad in his usual knight's clothing, it wasn't as if he owned any other sets. He was also carrying a wrapped present, but his gift of bow ties and hairpins paled in comparison to Alice's gift.
"But still… What if she finds the tune boring? What if she already has one? What if…"
Gabriel cut her off as she started to fuss again, placing his hand on the hand she used to fiddle with the present.
"It'll be fine. You already spent a week on that one, she'll be happy."
A bit of time had already passed since the Spirit Awakening Ceremony but most of the Vritara family was still rather hectic. Leonardo's crimes had been revealed, Alice had awakened twin spirits and was promised a title once she came of age, and worst of all, Leonardo had been found dead. There was a lot they had to prepare and even more that they had to handle.
But Alice and Gabriel were still just little kids so it wasn't as if they had to get involved in matters like that. A matter they did have to get involved in however, was the birthday that Lawrence had invited Gabriel to a while back. His granddaughter was turning eight so he was waiting for them outside the mansion to pick them up.
"You've arrived, you brat. And it's good too see you again, Little Lady, I'm sure Trisha will be thrilled that you've come."
Gabriel almost felt the urge to comment on the sheer difference in treatment, but that would be a losing battle so he decided that it would be best to just ignore it instead.
"Umm… Grandpa Lawrence, does Trisha already have a music box? If she does, them I'm sure I can run back and find something else quickly."
Apparently, Alice still wasn't able to put down her nerves. This was probably the first birthday she ever went to so she couldn't stop fiddling with the present. Gabriel and Lawrence locked eyes for a moment, exchanging all the information they needed.
"You don't need to worry about that, Little Lady, Trisha would absolutely adore a music box, I'm sure she will be thrilled. And you look extra cute today so I'm sure she will also be ecstatic that you decided to dress up. So please just smile, Little Lady, that would the the cherry on top."
Lawrence placed his hand on top of Alice's head and ruffled it until a smile broke out on her face.
"There we go, that's perfect. So, off we go!"
He removed his hand and pumped his fist in the air, sounding almost like a train conductor as he cast a sideways glance at Alice, who quickly took the hint.
"Off we go!"
She held the present to her chest with one hand and pumped the other into the air as she mimicked Leonardo. Afterwards, in the short moment of silence that followed, both of them cast their eyes towards Gabriel, who had remained quiet.
"Come on, brat."
Lawrence grinned at him while Alice remained silent. But her eyes made up for the lack of words, silently urging Gabriel on until he had no choice.
"Off we go!"
His arm rose and he pumped his fist into the air, Lawrence's palm smacking against his back so hard that he almost fell over.
"That's the spirit."
Bringing along the two kids, Lawrence headed for the orchard that was located along the path between the mansion and the estate gates. The sound of voices reached Gabriel not long after they set foot in the orchard so it seemed like the others, or at least some of them, were already in place.
"Grampa!"
A loud shout sounded out as their group entered a circular clearing that was probably used to gather the growing fruits. But right now it was filled with tables and coloured bands that were probably meant to replace balloons. A few kids of varying ages and a couple of parents were already waiting around in the clearing, one of the kids currently dashing towards them.
Chestnut brown hair that was kept short, deep blue eyes, slightly tanned skin, and a small nose. Her hands looked a little rough and what he could see of her body through the clothes was rather toned so Gabriel inferred that she probably spent at least a bit of time training regularly. And with the way she was running at Lawrence while calling out to him, it was easy to guess who she was.
"Trisha! Did you miss me already, you little rascal?"
Lawrence bent his knees and picked up the running girl, spinning around while grinning. In this moment, he looked like a completely normal grandfather. Looking at it, Gabriel felt affirmed in his choice to kill Leonardo. Now, Lawrence wouldn't have to get executed by him, not now and not in the future.
"Look, I brought over the brat and the Little Lady."
Lawrence gestured toward Gabriel and Alice after he put down Trisha, the wide grin on his face not leaving him. Gabriel could feel Alice tense up next to him, her hands stretching out almost mechanically.
"Ah, Good d… No, Happy birthday, I hope it is to your liking!"
Gabriel almost found it fun to look at. Alice had gotten more confident when faced with her siblings, or at least Marion. But speaking to a kid her own age she practically reverted to the little girl she was when she first picked up Gabriel. Was this what a lack of friends coupled with a desire for friends did to a person?
"Happy birthday, Trisha. I'm Gabriel, but Lawrence has probably already told you that. This is my Lady, Alice De Vritara. I'd appreciate it if you could treat her as you would anyone else."
Gabriel introduced his group as he stretched out the arm holding his own present. Trisha looked a bit taken aback, or perhaps unsure, but Lawrence gave her back a soft pat to push her forward.
"Ah! I'm Tristana Delgrade, but you can just call me Trisha! I'm eight years old and my dream is to become a knight of the Vritara household like Grandpa! Thank you for coming to my birthday, Gabriel, Young Laaa… Awawa, Alice!"
She bowed as she introduced herself, excessively formal and nervous as she did so. But she did at least try to abide by what Gabriel requested and managed to stop herself before she called Alice Young Lady.
Tristana Delgrade… She was not a character mentioned in the original show. Her appearance didn't strike a chord with Gabriel either so he didn't think that she showed up during the scenes where the Vritara family was crushed. After Lawrence was executed by Leonardo, what became of this girl?
"Okay you two, take a deep breath. Just look at the others, how are they to act if you to are that stiff? Relax, have some fun, smile brightly."
Lawrence's hands landed on the heads of the two girls, ruffling their hair until they had to twist their heads away. The other kids looked a bit awkward as they stood by the tables, uncertain if they should go over and courteously greet Alice or if they could stay where they were.
"Ah, yes! Grandpa had a lot of good food prepared for today, Miss Myrna also helped set it all up. Come, let me show you where you can leave the presents!"
Trisha quickly gathered herself with the help of her grandfather, stacking the two new gifts on top of each other so that she could use one hand to take hold of Alice and drag her along. Her movements were still quite stiff, but she was certainly making an effort.
"You too, brat."
Lawrence once again slapped Gabriel's back and pushed him forward, sending him stumbling after Alice and Trisha. The tanned girl brought them to a table where a few presents were stacked, carefully placing their presents amongst the others before she pointed towards the other kids that were slowly making their way over.
"We're going to play some tag here before we eat and open some presents. Would you… like to join us?"
She couldn't help but tilt her head slightly as she questioned. Alice was a Vritara, did people like them even play games as childish as that? But that worry was alleviated thanks to the bright smile on Alice's face.
"We would love to!"
And so, Gabriel and Alice were roped into playing tag amongst the trees of the orchard, running until their legs couldn't take it anymore. After that came a bit of eating, mainly some simple cakes and other desserts. The present opening followed shortly after, with a bit of free-time for the kids to rest coming after.
"I've never seen a kid who looks that badly in need of a drink."
Lawrence smirked as he stood next to Gabriel, who was drinking some water while the other children spoke amongst themselves, a bit of laughter occasionally drifting their way.
"They've got way too much energy, I don't even know how they're still raring to play like that."
Gabriel muttered, but Lawrence only felt like laughing at him. He was complaining about that? The guy who trained more than almost any other knight on the estate was complaining the the kids had too much energy?
"That's what children do."
He really could only shake his head. Kids and energy were supposed to be like women and sweets, there was always room for more.
"Not all of them."
Gabriel merely sipped his water as he responded. He couldn't remember playing like this in his childhood, and the kids in the orphanage here certainly never got the time for that. It was what they were supposed to, kids were supposed to just play and laugh all day, but reality was never that closely aligned with what it was supposed to.
"…Aye."
Lawrence's voice was a tad heavy as the word fell from his lips. Glancing over at Gabriel, he felt that he resembled the kid that first set foot in the training grounds again. He'd gotten a bit bigger, both in height and mass, but part of him retained that bleakness. His gaze slid between Gabriel and the group of kids in the distance, lingering on the laughing Trisha.
"Trisha lost her parents two years ago, barely old enough to retain any memories of them. They were knights, just like me. Lost their lives in the line of duty, just as too many other knights have. I was all she had left, and all I did was train knights so that was all she saw. It's all she knows, so its all she knows to aspire towards."
Gabriel wasn't looking at him, but he could tell that Lawrence was sad. It sounded as if the base of his throat was being pressed down, he almost had to choke out the words. Knights fought for the family, knights died for the family. It was something extremely common. And it was equally common for the children of knights to follow in their footsteps.
"I don't want Trisha to become a knight. I want her to be just like any other child, just like any other girl. I want her to find a job she loves, a man she loves, and start a family she can love. I want her to smile, Gabriel. I want her to love and laugh just like anyone else. It's too sad when a child experiences loss and it ends up shaping their whole lives."
The thing Gabriel said not all kids could get, he wanted that for his granddaughter. What he couldn't get, what his son couldn't get, what his daughter-in-law couldn't get, he at least wanted their daughter to get it so that they could rest in peace. Lawrence's gaze finally slid away from Trisha, even if just for a moment, and landed on the bleak child next to him.
"I thought of Trisha when I first saw you. You had eyes similar to hers right after she lost her parents. You may not think much of me, Gabriel, but I want you to have the same life as Trisha."
Eyes that held no hope, eyes that held no expectations. His left eye was left completely blank thanks to the scar, but the kid at his side had somehow managed to have even emptier eyes than that. Perhaps that was why he took extra care of Gabriel, because looking at him just made him sad.
But as he kept looking at Gabriel, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. That Little Lady of his, that abandoned child, she ended up being good for him. And he ended up being good for her, so as a result they could both smile a bit more. But a bit more wasn't good enough, so Lawrence placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder before calling out.
"Trisha! Gabriel here said that you should play hide-and-seek! He'll be the first searcher!"
The other kids immediately perked up when Lawrence called out to them, it almost seemed as if they had been waiting for someone to come up with another game for them to play. Lawrence did not give Gabriel the chance to utter any complaints, his hand sliding down to slap him on the back again.
"So go out there and love and smile, just be happy, you brat."
———
Time flowed unending after the birthday party, days and weeks blurring in monotony, only broken by the rare events where either Gabriel or Alice went out.
———
"You have to come over more often, Ally! I have so so so so many things I want to tell you and teach you, and even more things that I want to hear from you!"
Abigail, the Crown Princess, was hugging Alice as she spoke, a large smile on her face. She had sent Alice an invitation to come over for tea, and the two had just finished sharing a few cups while talking about their recent memories. Alice had spoken about a birthday party she went to nearly a month ago and Abigail spoke of the people she occasionally met as she snuck around the city.
"Then you just have to invite me more often in the future. I'd love to just come and visit, but the guards look at me so sternly even when I show up with an invite, I'm too scared to come here without one."
Alice returned the hug, the faces of the palace guards flashing by her minds. They reminded her of her brothers, they looked ready to eat her just for showing up.
"Don't worry about them, they're like big puppies who just try to act tough! If they still scare you next time then just tell me, I'll beat them up for you!"
Abigail pulled back before the hug could become awkward, reassuring Alice with a wide grin as she tried her best to show off her muscles. Alice gave a small laugh so Abigail's grin widened, the light of recollection flashing pasta her eyes for a second.
"Ah, right! I have a gift for you!"
She quickly dashed back to the table where they had been drinking tea earlier, her shoes making a light clacking noise as she ran over the bridge that crossed the moat-like pond. She crouched down and pulled out a box from under the table, presenting its contents to Alice when she returned.
"These are something called Mana Smoke Candles, I know a genius little inventor who can make them. If you light one of these then you will find it somewhere between two and five times easier to absorb mana, its invaluable for mages. But we've only recently started developing them so you have to make sure to not show them to anyone, okay?"
The things resting within the box were candles that contained swirling blue and green colours, the wick a deep red in colour. Alice could feel the mana coming from them even though they were just laying there so she had no doubt that they were actually valuable, closing the box as she accepted it.
"Thank you, I'll make sure to treasure them dearly and only open them in my room."
The two exchanged a few more farewells before Alice finally left, Abigail seeing her out. Once Alice finally left the palace and she was left alone again, the little fairy she had contracted with appeared on her shoulder. When Alice first saw it, she couldn't see the features of the spirit, but to Abigail the fairy looked like a small but beautiful woman with flowing silver hair, stained-glass like wings, red lips, green eyes, and a mole located just beneath her right eye. One of Abigail's hands rose as she looked at the seat where Alice had sat earlier, her mouth beginning to nibble on her thumb's fingernail.
"What's going on, Kaisel. You promised me that the loop would be contained and that things wouldn't change unless acted upon by an outside force. So why is she like that?"
She nibbled on her finger as she muttered, her eyes flickering nervously. Things weren't supposed to be like this. She had felt it ever since the early Spirit Awakening Ceremony. It shouldn't be like this. Leonardo had also died far too early, many years ahead of schedule. This wasn't how things went, how they were supposed to go.
"I don't know. I abandoned my authority to bring you into the loop so I don't have full overview of it anymore, but there shouldn't be an outside force acting on the loop. It's never happened before, even in your previous two runs, so it shouldn't happen now."
The fairy, Kaisel, was also nervous. Things that had never changed were suddenly changing. It was precisely the unchanging nature that had made Kaisel take the risk to abandon her authority in the first place. No new World Fissures had broken into the loop so they couldn't be acting on it, so where did it break? How did it even break? In fact, did it even break? Abigail at least seemed convinced.
"But she's different. If I had to say then she shouldn't talk and act like that for another seven or so years. Are parts of the loop bleeding into each other? You should be able to still see at least that much, right?"
No one knew Alice better than her, Abigail was fully convinced of that. The way she spoke to her, it wasn't right, at least not for the 'current' Alice, who should still be starved for affection while doing her best to please her brothers. In the future it was more common, but why would that future interfere with the present now of all times?
"It's not. As far as I can sense with my current powers, the loop should still be entirely contained."
Kaisel spoke rather confidently, but her brows were wrinkled somewhat. She could no longer sense the entire loop, but getting a general feel for it shouldn't be too hard. No major cracks, no displacements, no tubes to connect various points in time. It should, in theory, still be completely contained and safe. And yet…
"But its wrong. Things are going wrong. Someone is messing with things. Kaisel, I don't want the loop to break like this, now isn't the right time, it'll all crumble, you know that as well as I. So please… Pull any strings you can to find out which one of those above is interfering."
Abigail nibbled on her finger until the taste of blood reached her tongue. Looking down she saw that she had bit away every inch of fingernail that she could reach and had chewed through a small portion of her fingertip. If she failed… If the loop broke… she didn't want to think of the consequences these worlds would face at that time, she wouldn't be able to sleep if she did.
————
Time flowed unending after the tea party for two, days and weeks blurring in monotony, only broken by the rare events where either Gabriel or Alice went out.
————
"Oh? It's looking promising."
Gabriel held a hand above his eyes to shield it from the sun as he peered into the distance. It had been a bit over a month since Alice returned from her previous tea party with the Crown Princess and another thursday had rolled around again. As such, he was once again walking through the city beneath the Vritara estate. And currently, he was walking through the slums.
He was currently looking at a distant shack that was previously filled with holes barely covered by scraps of cloth. The cloth was now gone, replaced by wooden boards fastened to the wall with dried mud and dirt. It wasn't much better, but it was something.
The Imperial Family had gotten to Altare before him, looking at the timing they had either found him after the debacle with Leonardo or were in contact with him from the start. The last one felt extremely unlikely when Gabriel considered how the main character and Altare met in the original show. Had the news of Leonardo's dealings dragged him to the capital, or had he perhaps been involved in them? He was such a mysterious character that it was entirely possible. But while Altare was stolen away, he would at least secure this person.
"Settle down… Please… please… Settle down. I beg you, just stop crying, I'll find some water, I'll do it quickly. So please… Please…"
Standing outside the door, Gabriel could hear a child crying and a young girl pleading from within. She sounded choked up and hoarse, as if her throat was on the verge of bursting. Gabriel walked up to the 'door' if it could even be called that, and gave it a few knocks, some rushed sniffling coming from beyond the door.
"I… I'll be right there! Please just wait!"
There was a bit of shuffling from beyond the door, hurried footsteps and cloth getting tossed around. And after a short moment, the door was opened.
"Hello, can I help you?"
A young girl greeted him, probably no older than 14 or 15. Her skin was tanned and a bit rough from being outside for extended periods of time, her blonde hair was almost platinum in colour, bleached by the sun. But her eyes were a deep brown, hiding behind a few strands of her hair. Her nose was a bit crooked, signs of breakage clear on it.
"Hello, I have come to be the most suspicious man you will ever meet."
Gabriel had pondered it for quite a while, how to approach Teresa, the maid he decided on for Alice. In the end, the answer he chose was to just approach her straight. He could wait a few more days for her situation to become more dire, he could swoop in and save her when she needed it most. But then there was the crying, the choked up voice. So he acted.
"Wha…!"
Teresa's voice was cut off by Gabriel pushing past her and stepping into the building. The shack was basically completely empty, a few sacks placed together to form a make-shift mattress. The cloth she had taken from the holes in the wall, as well as some dirty cloth she had acquired lord knows where, was all stashed away in a corner.
"Don't… Don't touch them!"
Teresa quickly ran in front of the pile of cloths when she saw Gabriel's gaze turn towards it, a fierce and sharp look in her eyes. If looks could kill then Gabriel would disintegrate here and now. But he simply ignored her expression and opened the rucksack he now always wore when he ventured into the city.
"Water."
He pulled out several bottles of water, which was undoubtedly lukewarm by now, and placed them on the floor in front of Teresa. He then kept digging things out of his bag.
"Food."
"Medicine."
"Bandages."
He'd prepared plenty of things, placing them all on the floor so that she could see them. She tried to keep her gaze locked on him, but he could see her eyes involuntarily drift downward time and time again, her stomach rumbling to betray her.
"What… What is it that you want?"
She knew. There were no free meals in this world, anyone who offered something wanted something in return. These things were exactly what her brothers needed right now, especially the food and medicine. But could she afford them?
"I want you to live a better life, a longer life. And I want you to do so with my Lady."
———
Time flowed unending after the meeting of knight and maid, days and weeks blurring in monotony, only broken by the rare events where either Gabriel or Alice went out.
———