Chapter 6; Arthur; Hemhir 55th, 329SR; 18:22
Arthur silently dozed off in the dark room, he looked down at the report in front of him, shaking his head to stay awake. The dingy amber light from his desk lamp was enough to read comfortably with. Arthur noticed a shadow to his right, and he quickly turned his head. However, it was just the plaques on the wall and his black coat, no one was there. Arthur blinked repeatedly as he breathed in and out. He looked down at the paper, but then looked up at the chairs in front of the desk. He looked at the one on the left, remembering the feeling of sitting in it. He would usually wait in this office and read while his father finished the paper work for the day. He remembered the white book his father had left in his office. Arthur shook his head again, dimmed the light, then looked down.
"The… The girl expressed discomfort after the consistent usage of light steroid creams, rash also appeared inflamed upon presentation today. Their parents had applied the cream before… Arrival… I have advised them to stop using it until they've met with a proper dermatologist… I spoke with Dr. Ingrid to see if she could set up a consultation with this patient, but she is busy. As this family is from lower Helios, I recommended Doctor Raymon from the lower west district, and provided a letter of ref-"
A knock on the door broke his focus. Arthur looked up and blinked, inhaling air quickly into his parched throat. Leia stood at the door, her red eyes locked onto Arthurs and froze. She walked in and looked around, twirling her pony tail in her hands. She wore a white sleeveless shirt and black pants, on her left arm was a red band tightly wrapped around her upper arm. A smooth scent came off of it, the faint scent of Leia's gift, a flower that grew off her arm. The band was dyed red by the petals, it suppressed the powerful anesthetic capable of rendering someone unconscious.
"Hey Arthur, here are the afternoon reports…" Leia put the stack of papers in a rectangular tray hanging off the wall.
Arthur lifted his head, he didn't make eye contact as Leia walked past the desk. "You don't have to bring me the reports all the time, it's a short walk down the hall… I can get it myself…"
"Don't worry, I want to lend a hand… Spies don't get work often so I'm free right now…?" Leia pulled the blinds open.
The orange light of the sun broke into the room, striking Arthur's face and stinging his eyes. He reflexively flinched, Arthur sighed as he rubbed his eyes. Dandruff flew off his brows and sparkled in the bright light. The contents of the room came into better view. Numerous awards his father had been given weren't hung, but stacked high along the sides of the room. Along the left and right sides of the room were various medical posters. On the wall next to the entrance of the room were pictures of Shinra, his family, and his friends. Leia put a flask of water on the table.
"I wanted to ask you something but… You look like a mess…" Leia observed as she leaned against the table next to Arthur. "Drink some water… You're dried up like a prune…"
"What do you need?" Arthur asked as he took the cap off the flask.
Leia looked away for a moment. "I mostly wanted to check up on you… But I was going to ask… Did Shinra leave any reports regarding that boy? The one with the white-"
A knock on the door interrupted her, and a large man in a suit walked in. He had a large belly bulging over his suit. 'The head of the research division?' His hair was very short, and he was balding. The man walked in with a grin, and behind him was a bald man with a thin moustache. The bald man looked into the room, but stayed outside.
"Arthur!" The large man walked in with his arms outstretched in a jolly manner.
"Wilson Marberg…" Arthur stood up. "I'm sorry I haven't had time to come down to the research clinic…"
"Ah don't worry about it, Shinra never had time either…" Wilson sat next to Leia and nodded toward her. "Lieutenant."
"Mr. Marberg," Leia waved.
The large man sat down and leaned forward, he continued to nod while he rubbed his hands. The chair creaked as he leaned as far as he could. Wilson took a deep breath. However, as he glanced between Leia and Arthur his smile faded.
"I'm- I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Wilson asked. "I can come back later if it's alright…"
"No, I was just wrapping up for the day… What do you need?"
"We, at the research clinic, have made a breakthrough…" Wilson smiled as he looked at Arthur. "Imagine, instead of being cooped up in this office, you were enjoying the fresh air because you didn't have to deal with all the elderly patients who come in each week."
Arthur tilted his head and squinted at him, he glanced at Leia briefly and their eyes met.
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"Dementia, arthritis, even cancer…" Wilson stressed. "This breakthrough has the potential to stop all of it."
"You mean that anti ageing cream? I know you were enthusiastic about it, but… That sounds a little unbelievable…" Leia smirked doubtfully.
Wilson pointed at Leia as he grinned. "During our research into that, we tried simply making cosmetics… This… This can save lives."
"What is the breakthrough?" Arthur sighed.
"Logorite therapy," said Wilson.
Arthur squinted at him, Leia did as well.
"Logorite… Therapy?" Arthur shook his head.
"I know, I know… It sounds crazy…" Wilson laughed. "Like, why would you use such a toxic substance to help people, am I right?"
Arthur continued to listen silently, Wilson gulped.
"But… We've had slaves mining this stuff for years, and not a single one of them experienced the same effects…" Wilson explained. "Now… Do you know what the difference in average life expectancy is between non-unified and the angels? Almost thirty years. Yet they live in significantly worse conditions, but somehow are less prone to disease compared to us? Why?"
"So if this is a breakthrough… Have you confirmed it, or are you just observing a correlation?" Leia squinted at him.
"Well, in order to go further… Arthur, I was hoping you would approve the research clinic's use of non-unified for human trials."
"No," Arthur shut his proposition down without a second thought.
"On… Slaves?" Leia tilted her head, her voice raised. "Do you know how unethical that is?!"
"I know, I know! But we don't have to force them, I mean… Yes, Alexander Rael probably would… But… Yes I agree, we should be ethical, and-"
"I said no," Arthur glared at him.
Wilson froze as he leaned back, he pursed his lips slightly.
"I am interested in the work though, if you're right, we could help a lot of people… I want you to test on plants first, and if it's successful and without major risk, we'll move to animals… We do things ethically, Mr. Wilson. Bring me the paperwork as soon as you can, I'll approve testing on plants. How much funding do you think you'll need?"
Wilson looked down. "For trials on… Plants… I don't have an immediate estimate… But, I will get that to you soon. This was a great meeting though!"
Arthur was still expressionless. "Alright, get that to me tomorrow, and I'll speak with the Lightbringers about the funding."
"Excellent," Wilson stood up, he had a sly grin. "Oh and, I am very sorry for your loss. Shinra would be proud of the man you've become."
Wilson exited the room, Leia kept her eye on the large man the whole time. The bald man with the thin moustache followed Wilson Marberg as he walked down the hall. Leia turned back to Arthur and shook her head.
"He came in here, really expecting you to be onboard with that…" Leia whispered as she pointed her thumb to the door. "These idiots at the research clinic don't give a damn about morals… I swear… The Marberg family was also behind that opium scandal fifty years ago… Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree…" Leia shook her head.
"Dad told me about that…" Arthur looked up as he remembered. "That was when Dorad cut a lot of their trade with us… The economy must have been rough…"
"You know how much I had to pay for a meal?! Don't even get me started…" Leia groaned as she leaned back.
"You asked me if dad left anything about that kid…" Arthur rubbed his eyes. "He didn't… I don't know why…"
Leia looked down in thought as she slowly nodded.
"I'm just worried about the kid, hopefully Shinra managed to find his parents…" Leia sighed. "I looked over the documents Akovo sent to the bureau… But I couldn't find that book he had brought…"
"The Legend of Ragnarok?" Arthur reached for his pen. "Oh, Shinra brought that to the tower…"
"What?" Leia sounded confused. "He didn't leave it with the rest of what he recovered?"
"Yeah…" Arthur sighed. "I remember reading that book as a kid…"
"Hm…"
Leia looked down in thought.
"Well… I don't think I can do much with the book…" Leia stood up and thought about it.
"I was planning on going to the library later…" Arthur yawned. "I'm not sure about this, but… I really feel like that book is different… I wanted to go to the library and see if I could find a copy… Compare the two…"
"Hm… Are you sure you want to? You look really tired…"
"I'm fine… I'm just gonna finish up these reports and get going…"
"I can take the reports to Akovo for you," Leia offered.
"Uh…" Arthur thought about it, but he relaxed a little. "Yeah, yeah that'd be nice… Make sure everything's good for the night before you go though…"
"Heh, I've worked here longer than you've been alive bud!" Leia smirked. "I know how the show works."
Arthur's eyes felt like they would tear open, but he dragged the pen with his aching hand. His lips were dry, and his back was starting to ache from sitting all day. He signed the page quickly with his initials. He slid the report onto a stack of papers, took a rubber band, and then wrapped it around the bundle. Arthur looked at his sheet on the table, and then analyzed the list of visitors today. 'One report missing from Oliver? This happened a few days ago too…' Leia slapped her hand on top of the stack. Arthur stood up, pressed his fingers against his lower back, and pushed his hips forward. Three loud cracks in succession released the tension in his back.
"Everyone I see in that chair gets back pain, keep stretching," Leia smirked. "If there's one thing that Wilson said was true, it was that your father would be proud of you. My daughter saw you at the port, and she hasn't stopped talking about you since. I know the whole town thinks it too."
"You were there weren't you?" Arthur looked down. "In Welis… Did you see it…"
Leia looked down for a moment, she gulped as well. "No… We were ambushed by the enemy in the north of Welis… We were focused on keeping civilians away… But then Shinra got separated from us… All we saw from then… Was Balakin… Crying out in pain and falling from the sky…" Leia teared up and grimaced in fear.
"I'm sorry… That must have been traumatic… I shouldn't have ask-"
Leia hugged him tightly. She shut her eyes tightly as her breaths became uneven.
"I have never felt so powerless…" Leia sniffled before pressing her face into Arthur's shoulders and sobbing.
Arthur's eyes quivered, he grit his teeth, but he breathed in and opened his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling as he held Leia tightly. 'Throughout my entire life… I've never seen her like this… And out of all my fathers lieutenants over the years… I've known Leia the longest…' Arthur gently pushed Leia away and wiped her tears with his hand.
"Don't cry…" Arthur looked down with somber eyes. "My father wouldn't want to see you like this…"
Leia sniffled as she looked at Arthur, she wiped her tears. "You're right…"
Leia sat down in the chair behind the desk, Arthur patted her shoulder and made his way out of the room. He pulled the black coat off the rack and threw it over his shoulder, then pulled the door closed. Before it shut, Arthur nodded at Leia, and she nodded back.
He turned and walked down the hallway, he noticed the brown door to Oliver's office was shut. As he walked by, he looked through the window, the office was empty. 'He left without telling me? He's been missing reports lately too… I wonder how he's holding up…' Arthur continued down the hallway until he saw Ako reading a document behind the reception desk.
"Hey Ako," Arthur leaned against the desk. "Is Oliver still here?"
"Oliver? No, he left in the afternoon… Said he felt sick," Ako recounted as she continued to read. "This boy is quite smart for his age, Dr. Fost's son Liam… Here, take a look at this thesis…"
"Uh, yeah, I'll get to it some other time… You said Oliver felt sick? He didn't tell me?"
"Hm… That's odd… He usually would…" said Ako.
"Huh… He's been missing reports a lot recently…"
"What?" Ako replied with a puzzled tone.
"The number of patients he saw doesn't line up with the number of reports I've received from him…"
Ako squinted at Arthur. "I counted that as well, it seemed fine…"
"Huh…" Arthur tilted his head. "Maybe I miscounted?"
"Maybe, don't worry, I'll check it again. Honestly, Oliver has felt a little distant… Ever since he asked me about that boy, the one only your father could speak with, he wanted to know which foster home the boy went to… But he seemed a little tense."
Arthur squinted, something felt odd. "Yeah, Leia is worried about that too…"
"I'm not sure, Leia dropped his paperwork at your office yesterday… There shouldn't be a discrepancy…"
Arthur tilted his head.
"Uh… Huh…" Arthur looked around in confusion. "I'll… I'll talk to him about it tomorrow… Alright, I'm heading out, see you later Ako, thanks for everything!"
"Anytime Arthur," Ako waved as Arthur pushed the door to the stairwell open.
Arthur nodded and waved as he turned and walked into the stairwell. He made his way down quickly, the orange light from the setting sun was beginning to dim. Arthur reached the first floor and made his way down the hall. The people at the front desk looked up as he walked by.
"I'll be heading out for the night, Leia will be wrapping up for the people on the night shift…" Arthur waved. "Have a good night Lisa!"
"Oh, wait! Arthur! There was a letter for you!" the lady at the desk waved a sealed letter.
Arthur squinted. 'A letter?' He made his way over to Lisa, the front desk attendant. She was an elderly woman who had been working at the hospital for at least twenty years. She had wavy blonde hair that was cut short, the color was too rich to be naturally dyed. She pushed her glasses up and set the letter down on the desk before she sat back down with a huff.
"Oliver dropped it off before he left, I asked him what it was, and he said…" Lisa smirked, and started to giggle. "It was an invitation to his daughter's birthday!"
Arthur smiled, he held back a laugh as he shook his head. "Hana's birthday? Why would he need to give me a letter for that? He could have just asked…"
"Oh you know Oliver, he's crazy about his kid…"
"Alright, I better go gift shopping… What do you think Hana is into?"
"That little girl? She is such a tomboy that I really have no idea…"
"Heh… Alright, have a good night Lisa," Arthur smiled and waved.
Arthur walked out of the hospital, pushing the doors open and walking outside. He looked down at the white letter, flipping it to the other side. There was nothing written on it. Arthur pulled it open, and then pulled out a folded page. His smile faded. 'Huh… This is… A report?' Arthur turned around, he glanced at Lisa through the glass. Arthur turned and made his way to the side of the building.
"Consultation with a royal guard… Date of injury..." Arthur paused. "Hemhir twenty sixth…"
Arthur stared blankly at the page, he recalled speaking to his father that day. Arthur shook his head and continued through the document.
"A Lightbringer guard… Was attacked during the night… By a dog? This happened at the premises around House Lightbringer… Deep lacerations to the left shoulder appear to be healing without infection, clawing around the middle of their chest has healed after seven days, no signs of infection… I had reason to believe the dog was not normal. Worker was irate with me upon further questioning about the dog."
'Huh?'
"Was… Not normal? What?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "He claimed the dog was a stray today… As he was already irate, I didn't choose to press further on this. When asked to explain the dog's physical appearance, they were hesitant, but claimed it was a black and white dog, but didn't know the breed. It should also be of note, that during our first meeting, he did not describe the dog as a stray. And he had mentioned the dog belonging to two children. At the time, he did not say where they came, or where they went. They appeared to be no older than ten, however he was unsure if they were related. The only features of the children he could recall… One had black hair and green eyes, the other, white hair and blue eyes."
Arthur squinted at that line.
'Patient was given pain killers and prescribed antiseptic ointment for the wound. However, upon his presentation today, his wound was found to have trace amounts of ether present. The patient claims to have applied the cream for each day between the meetings. However, that should not have resulted in the presence of ether. They claimed to have not received any treatment via Celestial gifts, however that would be the only feasible means of ether depositing onto his wound. I will be referring him to Dr. Arthur Pendragon for a second opinion.'
Arthur looked up, 'Wait… What? But I never received this report?' Arthur glanced to the bottom of the page. 'A dog bite wasn't infected? That can't be right… Unless it's a really clean dog…'
"Follow-up consultation conducted and written by Doctor Bloom on the 54th of Hemhir…"
'Oliver saw this patient yesterday… Why is it dated for today? The consultation was yesterday, so why am I getting the report now? And… As a letter… Wait… He saw this patient days ago? I never saw anything…' Arthur folded the paper closed. 'Something about this doesn't feel right… Ether shouldn't be in a dog's mouth… Unless the dog itself was a gift… But I've never heard of something like that…' Arthur stopped and looked up for a moment. 'Two kids… One of them had… White hair…'
***
Arthur stood on the sidewalk as caravans passed by, he turned back and looked across the street. The library of Helios stood tall, it was the biggest building in the circle at the end of the boulevard. Arthur turned and looked up at the symbol of House Rover hanging from a banner outside. He'd receive an occasional wave, or greeting from angels passing by, but even more concerned stares. As the road cleared of horses and caravans, Arthur made his way across. 'Why didn't I see that report sooner… The kid with white hair… Is it the same kid? It has to be… That kid was the same… No older than ten… White hair… Blue eyes… And why did he have to hide the report like that…'
"Hey, Pipsqueek!" a woman called.
Arthur didn't stop, he kept his gaze locked on the library. 'And the book… Where did that copy of the book come from… I'm probably just overthinking things… But everything that's happened recently is strange…'
"Hey! Short Little, over here," the same woman shouted.
Arthur stepped onto the curb and made his way toward the stairs of the library. However, before he reached the first step, someone tapped his shoulder.
"Hey, Arthur! Called you like, three times, you deaf?" the loud woman he heard was behind him.
Arthur turned and looked her head to toe, there was a blue insignia of a mask on her white shirt. The mask had three slashes over the left side. 'Angela Rover?' The noble of House Rover had icy blonde hair that reached past her neck. She stood with her hands in her pocket, about a foot taller than Arthur. She leaned forward and tilted her head, observing the bags under his eyes closely.
"Oh, hey…" Arthur greeted her with a puzzled look.
"I haven't gotten a good chance to say hello, me and your dad used to talk a lot," Angela said.
"House… Rover handles public security right, you must've worked with him often…"
"Yeah pretty much," Angela shrugged. "How are you holding up? Wanna get some coffee? Grab a bite?"
"Uh, I'll… Pass… I'm trying to limit how much of that I drink… Dinner doesn't sound bad though…"
"Hospital work must have you busy, your eyes are popping out of your head man…" Angela commented. "If you need a hand, just let me know, although I'm not sure if there's much I can do when it comes to health care."
Arthur looked at her for a moment. 'She also seems concerned…'
"It's alright, really, the staff has been treating me well and being patient with me…" Arthur paused. "Wait…"
"Hm?" Angela glanced at him.
"You said Short Little earlier?" Arthur gave her a confused squint.
"Uh, no, musta been someone else," Angela looked up as she looked up and pursed her lips.
"You definitely did…"
"Haa…" Angela looked away awkwardly. "What brings you to this part of the city? Unless you were just heading to class…"
"I was going to… Yeah, okay, real funny… I'm almost twenty… And I graduated early, shut up…"
"Well, until you pass five feet I'm not stopping," Angela joked.
"I'm five foot seven!" Arthur yelled. "I'm not that short… I was going to the library… I was looking for something…"
"Hmm… Can I join you?" Angela smiled.
"Ugh…" Arthur groaned. "Fine…"
"I called you short once, it's not that big of a deal!"
"Not once!" Arthur snapped.
Arthur and Angela walked into the library, and continued to bicker, but quietly. However, that didn't last long, and they split up to widen their search. 'That book was pretty thick… It should be on the top floors…' Arthur made his way up to the upper levels of the library. He looked around the section for books starting with the letter T, and then eventually found the myriad of titles starting with the word 'the'. Arthur looked through each title, but didn't spot it. He looked through it again, but still didn't see anything. Angela walked up the steps and then approached him from behind, hitting him on the head with a black book.
"Legend of Ragnarok right? Why are you searching up here, it's a kids book…" Angela raised an eyebrow as she handed him the book.
As Arthur analyzed the cover, Angela walked toward the window and looked at the setting sun. 'I was right…' Arthur looked down at the copy of a book. 'The Legend of Ragnarok… This one is completely different…' The cover was different from the other one, this one depicted a white figure with the wings of an angel, holding a sword up straight upward. It stood on a giant skeleton. The yellow light from the sword illuminated the book, but the back of the cover and the spine was a black instead of white.
"Hey… Ain't that, Lieutenant Bloom down there?"
Arthur's head shot up, he turned to Angela. "What?!" Arthur looked out the window and saw Oliver's bright blonde hair.
Oliver was outside of a daycare, he seemed to be speaking with the owner. The other children ran about in an enclosed playground.
"What's he doing at a daycare?" Angela asked.
Arthur gulped. However, he squinted as he noticed Lightbringer guards approach the building from multiple angles. 'Huh-' The guards with golden masks surrounded the daycare. Oliver was still talking to the owner, however the closest guard put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold up… Wait… What's going on?" Angela sounded confused all of a sudden. "That's the royal guard!?"
"I'm going down there!" Arthur turned, his heart beating quickly.
Angela glanced between Arthur and the scene outside, she followed close behind. Arthur hurried down the stairs, and then vaulted over a railing. He dropped about ten feet, and landed on his knee. The librarian that walked by was suddenly startled, Arthur quickly dashed by. He ignored the pain in his knee, and just kept running.
"Hey no running in the-" the librarian paused.
"Sorry!" Arthur yelled back.
He quickly shoved the doors open and hurried toward the daycare, Oliver was arguing with the guards.
"If you can tell me what I've done, maybe I'll accept being taken in for questioning…"
"We have suspicion and reason to believe you are involved in an ongoing investigation," the guard explained as he grabbed Oliver's wrist.
Arthur stopped at the bottom of the steps. 'Ongoing investigation?' He glanced at Angela, who had paused as well with an equally confused look.
"And that answer," Oliver ripped his arm away. "Didn't answer shit! I ain't going nowhere, it's been a long ass day, i'm tired, I was about to head home, my daughter and wife are waiting, move."
"Your family is also involved…" a man with a dry, uninterested tone spoke.
"What ongoing investigation? Do you know?" Arthur asked Angela.
Angela simply shrugged with a confused look. The guards moved out of the way as a six foot tall angel walked through, his distinct white cowl hung off his shoulders. He had a blonde braided ponytail on the back of his head. A sheathed greatsword on his back revealed who he was, more specifically, its distinct oval shaped guard. 'That sword… Lawrence Lightbringer!'
"What the fuck did you just say?" Oliver said with an utmost livid tone.
"Your family is also suspected of conspiring with you in this matter," Lawrence said. "Failure to comply may result in their arrest as well."
"What?! Is that a threat? Are you threatening my wife? My daughter!"
"That's… What I said…" Lawrence nodded.
"You rotten fucking punk!" Oliver lunged forward, only to get stopped by the guards.
"Don't make this worse for yourself…"
Oliver raised his elbow, and brought it down on the head of a guard who held him back. 'Shit!' Arthur suddenly sprung back into motion. The guards pulled Oliver to the floor, pinning him down on his stomach as they held his limbs down.
"Arthur- Wait!" Angela tried to stop him.
"Get off him! Right now!" Arthur shouted.
"Arthur! Arthur, you can't trust these assholes! Don't trust anyone!" Oliver shouted on the ground.
Lawrence glanced to his right and noticed Arthur, he squinted with a displeased grimace. A guard struck Oliver in the head with his elbow repeatedly.
"Agh! Don't-" Oliver grunted, they forced his face against the concrete, cutting him off from speaking.
"I said get off of him!" Arthur shouted once more.
Before he could get close, Lawrence stood in his way.
"Get out of my way, lieutenant!" Arthur yelled.
Lawrence squinted at him for a moment.
"I'd prefer if you called me by my name, thanks," Lawrence sounded slightly annoyed. "Oliver Bloom of House Pendragon, as well as the rest of the Bloom family are under investigation."
"For?!" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not obligated to answer that…"
"What did he do? Can we talk about this? Maybe even somewhere private?" Arthur gestured toward all the people who watched.
"No, I don't need to," Lawrence declined and turned around. "Let's go, get him up…"
"The law say otherwise!" Arthur raised his tone.
Lawrence sighed and glanced back at Arthur.
"Listen, i'm tired of this, and I wanna go-"
"You cannot arrest someone without providing a cause! And my position as noble does obligate you to answer!" Arthur replied with a stern tone.
"Wait… Arthur…" Angela tried to get a word in.
"Except that it doesn't apply to me, so fuck off..." Lawrence turned and approached him. "But whatever, I'll oblige… He's been accused of conspiring against the third noble of House Pendragon, your father!"
"What?!" Oliver snapped, his tone spilling with disbelief.
"That's ridiculous…" Arthur shook his head. "Based on what evidence?!"
"We're done talking, piss off kid…"
Arthur felt his blood boil, he was about to walk forward once more, but Angela stopped him.
"Hey, let me go! He can't just-"
"He can Arthur…" Angela said with an intense look as she watched Lawrence walk away.
"What? Arthur ripped his hand from her grip.
He turned back to see them pull Oliver to his feet, he looked to Arthur with desperate eyes. The whole time, he was trying to say something, but couldn't, they had used a cloth to gag him. Arthur grimaced from how helpless he felt. Oliver was dragged into a black caravan. Arthur's rage bubbled within him as he stared at the symbol of a sword on the side of the caravan. The eye in the center of the symbol almost seemed like it stared back at him.
"Isn't House Rover responsible for the authority around the city!" Arthur turned to Angela, his teeth clenched.
"Yes… And no…" Angela answered slowly, there was undeniably a hint of shame in her mannerism.
"You just stood there and did nothing!"
"Because the city guard is trumped by the royal guard… Trust me I get why you're mad… I hate to say it, but Lightbringers are above the law… They don't normally do this, but Shinra was directly from the Pendragon bloodline, one of the founding families, and people are demanding justice for what happened to him…"
"But… Oliver?! He's been friends with my father for years!? There is no way Oliver had anything to do with my fathers death!"
Angela bit her thumb as she tried to think. "Do you know why he was at a daycare?"
Arthur turned back to the daycare Oliver had visited. The woman who ran it was outside, speaking to someone about what had happened. She was old, with dark wrinkled skin. She wore robes around her head that wrapped around her shoulders as well, the old lady was hunched over and had narrow eyes. Arthur briefly remembered his father's mannerism the day he left, and chose not to answer.
"No, I'm not sure… Let's… Go ask…" Arthur answered slowly, he breathed deeply in a pointless attempt to calm himself.
Arthur pushed open a brown picket fence, he walked through and the landlord immediately went pale. She quickly looked left and right, before getting ready to bow.
"No, no! There's no need… I just want to ask something…" Arthur waved both of his hands.
"Mr Pendragon, It's an hon-"
"Arthur, is fine…"
"That was your lieutenant right? Why was he arrested? You don't think the Lightbringers child was telling the truth, do you?" the old lady asked.
"Uh, no…"
"What did Oliver want from you, if you don't mind me asking?" Angela walked forward and leaned on Arthur's shoulder. "Pretty sure his daughter doesn't even go to this daycare…"
"He wanted to know… He wanted to know if Shinra had come by here a few weeks ago… I told him no, but… He got kind of upset, telling me that it wasn't possible, and that he checked every other day care. Then… The guards were suddenly upon him…" the old lady explained.
"The heck? Arthur, you still go to daycares?"
"Angela, I swear…"
"Sorry, sorry," Angela laughed, scratching her head as she stepped back. "Just… Trying to lighten the mood…"
Arthur stared at the old lady with a confused look. 'Why did Oliver try to find the boy, how come he didn't drop off his report normally, what the hell is going on…'
"Thank you, that's all I wanted to know, have a great night," Arthur waved as he turned.
Angela glanced between Arthur and the daycare, waving just before hurrying off.
"Well, that's weird… He checked every daycare in Helios…" said Angela. "But why?"
"In one day… Right after a long shift at work where he said he was sick… Oliver is way too lazy for something like that… This doesn't make sense…"
"I doubt he would plot against your father…" Angela mentioned. "He seemed the most angry out of the people who returned from Hiria."
"He hasn't really talked to me about what happened… Leia said there was a great battle in Welis… And they weren't with Father when he was defeated…"
"Wait… Oliver wasn't with him?" Angela tilted her head.
"No…"
"The second best warrior in House Pendragon wasn't on the front lines with his noble?" Angela squinted at Arthur with a confused look.
Arthur stopped, turning to Angela for a moment.
"Yeah… That's…" Arthur looked down.
He froze in thought. 'Something isn't right…'
"Angela, I… I have to head back to the office!" Arthur suddenly hurried off.
"Huh… Wait? What about dinner? Weren't you done with your shift!" Angela called.
***
Arthur hurried up the stairs of the Pendragon bureau, sweat dripped down his head. 'I knew something felt wrong about those final words… They definitely aren't his! And none of them saw father's defeat!' Arthur stormed out of House Pendragon's Bureau, and ran across the stone bridge leading to the tower he currently stayed at. The celestial loomed over him ominously. However, a sudden sight made him freeze.
"Huh…" Arthur uttered as he saw the door to the tower open.
An angel with a gold mask and white robes stepped out, a second one also stepped through the doorway, but they both stopped as they saw Arthur. 'What the…' The guard in front quickly turned to his comrade, their white cowls flapped in the strong winds.
"What are you doing…" Arthur uttered with wide eyes.
"Noble Pendragon, we… Have been tasked with bringing in Shinra's personal belongings for investigation," the guard said hesitantly.
"What investigation?" Arthur asked quickly.
The guards looked at each other for a moment.
"We… Aren't allowed to-"
"Arthur!" a familiar friendly voice called from behind.
Arthur glanced over his shoulder to see Leia, she paused as she saw him with the guards.
"I don't recall… Letting guards in…" Leia squinted at them.
"B-but…" the guards stuttered.
"No buts! You need a specially signed warrant to enter a noble's home even if you're a royal guard."
"But, Ms. Kagam-"
"I said no buts!" Leia suddenly shouted. "Now if you don't want to lose your job, I suggest you give those files back and leave!"
Arthur tucked the book from the library into his pocket, his fingers clenched on the hard cover's surface. The two guards looked at each other, before complying slowly. 'Lightbringers are above the law…' The two walked past Arthur. They gave the stacks of files to Leia and walked through the door to House Pendragon's Bureau. 'Leia is the one who's been bringing me reports…'
"You okay?" Leia put her hand on Arthur's shoulder.
Arthur was still glaring at the bridge. Leia patted his back.
"I'll help you take these back inside," Leia offered.
Arthur's grip on the book tightened even more.
"That won't be necessary," Arthur said quickly.
Leia stopped, she returned with a puzzled face.
"Oh… Uh, you sure?" Leia smiled.
"Yes…" Arthur answered with a dry tone. "Thank you for the help… Go home and get some rest, Leia…"
Arthur walked forward and took the stack of papers from Leia. He didn't turn to look at her as he crossed the bridge. However, he heard the clicks of her heels follow him. Leia's hand fell upon his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Leia asked.
"Yeah…" Arthur replied as he held the book tightly. "It's just… Been a long day…"
"Oh… I see, well, make sure you rest! It's not good to overwork yourself when you're so young!" Leia waved as she walked away.
Arthur didn't reply, he kept walking. He pulled the door open and walked into the tower, making his way up the stairs slowly as he took in everything that had happened. Oliver's words came back to him. 'Don't trust anyone…' Arthur looked down at the papers he held as he listened to the sound of his own breaths. He opened up the top file and observed the document. 'There were Lightbringer guards apprehending Oliver…' Arthur's hand shook as he held the book. He quickly ran up the steps and entered his fathers study. The room was tidy, as if no one was just here. 'Leia… How did Lightbringer guards get past her… Unless she let them in…' Arthur shook his head, denying the possibility. 'No… No Leia wouldn't-' He remembered how the guard addressed her, and his suspicions started to grow. 'This isn't right… Something is seriously wrong here…'
Arthur set the stack of papers down, in the middle of the bundle, was the white book. Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out the copy from the library. He held the two side by side, and confirmed his suspicions. 'The covers are completely different… And this one my father had found is significantly bigger… This one isn't a children's book…' Arthur opened the first page of the white book, and started to read. The first sentence made his eyes widen.
"This work is based on… A true story…"