This whole castle tunnel system situation seemed like a nightmare to navigate. There were several identical looking hallways with various required turns and twists. I realized while walking through them that this was probably the point. If ever anyone or anything managed to breach through the city walls, fighting through this would be like trying to run up a hill made of ice.
All the ice theming is getting to me, even my metaphors are using it now.
Still, as we walked, the man spoke, his voice quieter than before and holding a slight hint of melancholy. "There is a belief in this part of the North. There was a tribe here before our people, they were spiritualists who believed that elements themselves were gods, rather than that gods made elements. When our great nation pushed them out, they gathered all of their most powerful shamans and soothsayers, and they enacted a ritual. The purpose of this ritual was revenge. Revenge on the first of my family line, who conquered and displaced their people. They called upon the spirit of the largest mountain to chain my ancestor to it. They called upon the sprites of Ice, to never allow those of his descent to feel warmth. And they called upon the spirits of fire, to forge a blade which imbued these features onto us, the curse would only be broken if the blade was mastered by a female heir."
Lilith, who was walking closely behind me, cocked her head. "Why a female one?"
The large man shrugged. "We accepted female soldiers to bolster our ranks, substituting their lack of strength with more rigorous skill or magic training. These tribesmen however, didn't see women as fit for the battlefield. They thought we thought the same. So, a female heir mastering the blade was supposed to be impossible."
I frowned. "So, you want Yuki t-"
"Nope!" He snorted. "When you are born without warmth, you don't not know what you are missing. I wish only for her safety. She however, sees mastering it as her destiny, her meaning for existence. It isn't as simple as finding it though." His large shoulders shrank down slightly. "It is protected by a fearsome beast, one made of the echoes of the spirits of Ice, fire, and snow. It is likewise, immune to the ice attacks mastered by my lineage. Though many heirs have tried, myself in my youth included, none have bested it."
"Why are you telling us this?"
The older man gave the knowing smile once more. "Don't you know? We old folks love giving pointless history lessons!" We finally stopped at a large balcony carved from the gray stone of the mountain. It looked over the city and walls.
The town was full of bustling people, the sun seeming to be encased by the spires of mountain peaks in the distance, the city nestled in the natural world's protective embrace. The blue sky, interspersed with clouds of white cotton seemed to be the most vibrant thing I had ever seen. It was a breathtaking sight. Lilith audibly gasped next to me, and even the Duke seemed to calm when taking it all in. "The Dukedom of Frost will never become a threat to the nation, so long as the nation is no threat to the Dukedom. I love my country, but I love my home more." He clasped a hand on my shoulder, but I was stuck staring at the sight. "Tell your Prince, that as long as he is loyal to his people, his people will be loyal to him."
I nod numbly.
It's hard to describe breathtaking beauty. There's nothing particularly mystical about the sight in nature, it's just an aerial view of a small medieval town. But, something about seeing it, about being high up enough on the side of a mountain to view the sight below, seeing everything from this angle. It left me without any words left to speak.
I wonder why the original author never wrote about this place. I can't help but swallow, feeling once again the effects of being in a world beyond mine. There's nothing too awe inspiring, nothing that couldn't exist on earth, but, regardless, it's the first time I myself have been able to see something like this.
As well, I never knew about the curse Yuki is seeking to break. She had abilities pertaining to ice, but they seemed like just that. Had this kind of thing been here since the start? Had this been in existence in the background of the novel, never revealed to the readers for no reason? I'd be a bit bitter if the author had thought of such things but never included them.
First with Lilith, her backstory, then the Crown Prince, and now Yuki. Three examples of characters with far more depth than what was actually written in the novel. Is this because of the novel becoming a world, or was what we were shown just a poor encapsulation of the characters and world?
What came first, the world, and the people in it, or the author and they're depiction of it?
I wish I knew, because I would've enjoyed the original work far more if it had included details like these.
The guest rooms in a castle underground were…dark. It was almost pitch black, making the walls around me seem like black obsidian as I tried and failed to adjust to the light. The bed was stiff, and I was frankly a little lonely without Lilith. Still, I was an adult at heart, and I wasn't fragile enough to let that seriously affect me.
At least, I tried very hard not to. In my defense, I was still in the body of a 13-14-ish child. There were some things, try as I might, that I couldn't just overpower through sheer will. So, with a sigh, I stood from the stiff bed and started wandering the halls.
I had a decent memory when it came to places like this. Time spent playing old school dungeon crawlers was doing me a very nice service. I let my hand drag along the cold stone walls, keeping myself attached to the same side just in case I got lost, I could theoretically trace my way back.
I made my way to the balcony I saw earlier in the day. I leaned over the stone baluster, my arms against the cool stone once more. I could feel my hairs standing up as a cold breeze blew through, goosebumps tingling all along my exposed skin. I let out a breath, and it became visible in the air as I looked down at the town once more.
Blanketed by the pale light of the moon, the town became much tamer, no people were walking, no carts moving, and no activity at all save a few individuals I could just barely see moving around.
I heard movement behind me, and turned, seeing Yuki leaning against the entrance to the outdoor area. Cold enough for my breath to be seen, the effect that came with her breathing seemed to amplify even further, air expelled from her lips now an almost glowing white that looked freezing. "Nice isn't it?" She was dressed in nice light blue robes which were almost transparent, though it was clear she was wearing a more comfortable shirt.
I blinked, not expecting the genial tone after the last time I saw her. It seemed like she had been given some time to calm down. Or rather, chill out. Cool down? Take a chill pill? I'll stop. "Yeah, beautiful." My eyes returned to the city, once again taking in the sight of the town.
She was silent for a moment, before speaking once more. "Our people fight a lot to be here. Further North is a seemingly endless frozen wasteland, so we have no room for expansion. The climate here makes crop growth difficult, we have no luxuries save the pelts of northern creatures, but even those are worth little in comparison to magic ores or fine craftswork."
I didn't say it out loud, but I wondered why this territory was settled in the first place with seemingly no redeeming qualities. "It's amazing what's been built despite that."
"It is. But, I couldn't help but wonder what the point of it all was. Why didn't all our citizens move somewhere easier to live?"
I blow out some air, watching the white cloud swirl. "Not sure, guess they thought something more important than an easy life was here."
She walked closer, pressing her hands against the banister. I could feel the air between us cool down, like my hands were hovering just next to an ice cube, feeling the cold air like an inverse campfire. She looked down at the town, her cold demeanor softening a little. "It's because they trust us. They trust my father, and me. They trust our family to protect them. Noblesse oblige, protect those who trust you to protect them."
I felt a cold hand clamp down on my shoulder, it felt truly devoid of warmth, and it drew an instinctual shudder. She kept her hand there, even knowing it must be uncomfortable. "My father will be more subtle about it, but let me say this directly." I could feel the hand get even colder, if possible, to the point it almost felt hot. "If the Crown Prince tries to upend our peace, to betray the trust of these people, I will freeze him into a statue, sever his head, and hang it above the throne, letting it slowly drip down on whatever fool claims power after."
I swallowed, the feeling on my shoulder becoming assuredly painful. "You're threatening royalty, you know?"
"No, I'm letting you know the fate of those who oppose the Frost household." The hand on my shoulder finally receded, and I stifled a relieved sigh. "What is it he does that garners the undying loyalty of people like you? Can you not see how blatantly obvious it is that he's a snake in human form?"
I rub at my shoulder, the heat from the friction alleviating the pain somewhat. "I'm just a butler. My allegiance is to my lady."
"Then, for your lady's sake, do not ever place us on opposing sides." She let out a long breath, the freezing air filling the balcony. "Today was a fluke. Once I retrieve the weapon that binds my people, neither of you will stand a chance. Alone or together."
"I'm really not here to pick a fight. If you have to know, the Crown Prince was just checking that you all weren't prepping for war against him."
She scoffed, and turned, her blue hair glittering in the moonlight like ice woven into thin strands of spider thread. "We are simple people. We eliminate threats. If we were planning for war, you would have already received a declaration. Unless the time comes in which war would save more of my people than it kills, none shall occur. Pray, that time never comes."
"So is that why you want the sword then? More power?"
Her face made a complex expression, something between consternation and guilt. "My…My mother doesn't…I…To lack warmth was the curse on my family. My father has no care for such a thing, and merely accepted the cards he was dealt, marrying out of political necessity. However…" Her face hardened, and she scoffed. "I have no need to explain myself to you."
I hear her walk away from me, while I look down at the town below me, filled with people who live lives just like I did, people who all have their own stories, own views of the world, own existence. I feel that feeling of looking over a massive swath of people and knowing each is a complex existence all to themselves.
An existence, which I may play some small part in deciding the fate of.
I hang my head down, letting out a deep sigh. Man, politics suck. I let out another inhale to get myself to move, groaning as I walked my way back to my room. I wanted to clear out my head, and only ended up with more things to think about.
For a moment, I can't help but feel like how the Crown Prince must have, when he first had his existential breakdown about the nature of existence. It feels like I'm drowning in a sea of tar, and every attempt to flail or swim all just further sinks me.
There are so many moving pieces and factors that I hadn't considered due to the flow of the novel, now all moving on their own. It's like going from playing chess to commanding an actual army. The Crown Prince isn't greedy, he's trying to manipulate the author of the world itself. Yuki doesn't only care about strength, she cares about protecting her citizens with a religious zeal. The Dukedom of the North, the Frost household, has a mythology associated with it I never knew.
Everything was still somewhat stable, but, how many more little things needed to change before the whole plot went haywire?
I can't help but think about all the things the Prince said once more.
This is the world of a novel. A poorly written novel, with characters who sometimes do irrational things that don't match their characterization. Hell, the reason Yuki falls for the main character in the novel is because he beats her in a duel. But, when later, she's beaten by someone else, she detests them for doing so. She had a clear resentment that Lilith and I beat her, despite the fact that she was the one to challenge both of us.
So, what would happen when the MC arrived, and that fight occurred? Would Yuki still fall for him, even if that objectively didn't match up with her character? Is there a hidden reason why all of this happened like this?
The world we're in revolves around the main character. Everything that's written is written for the sake of him. So, the world without him seems so much different.
Did the author know all of these things and not include them, or did these things crop up as a result of poor writing being converted into an entire world, universe, existence.
It strikes me for a moment that, if that's the case, and every book written becomes its own reality, then, how many are malformed and fundamentally decaying? How many are people that don't make sense, settings and places with no thought or energy put into their existence? For every world with coherent logic, there would be hundreds, if not thousands that don't. What happens to those?
I…I've read a lot of books that involve people getting transported into novels, but not that many discuss the implications of such a thing. Are all novels worlds, or, are just a few? Is only this novel an alternative world, and, if so, why?
I can scream into the void all I like, but I won't actually get any answers will I? I guess that's why it's never brought up. Because there's nowhere to go now.
All that I can know for sure, is that I am here, and the characters are here. So, not much more than I knew in the real world huh? In most novels I've read, the original plot falls apart almost instantly with the intrusion of the new character. That's the point of the whole thing after all. It's an easy setting, a way to give the MC a head start, and exposition dump about things with a clear reason the MC knows all of that.
When a character shows up, and the MC instantly knows everything about them, it makes sense. From the author's perspective, it's just easier to write like that.
So what's it mean in this instance, where nothing seems like how it should be? Have I actually changed the plot? Or, will the hand of fate wave away all my efforts?
How do I articulate this feeling, so that I can at least understand it?
I should've changed things enough already that Lilith won't die. But, the world that I'm in doesn't match the novel. Without me being here, I can't imagine things going the way of the novel anyways. So, either, things will change and become totally unpredictable, or, everything will stay the same without me being able to change anything at all. How shitty.