BXBX NOVEL Chapter 83 Luna And Alayna
-- POV General --
Freya left the throne room followed by Luna and Alayna. The Empress still had a lot to do and had entrusted Alayna to Luna. The Princess had put her mask and hood back on so as not to alert anyone in the manor or in the street.
"Follow me."
The half-human beckoned the blonde girl to follow her as she made her way to her office which was in the barracks. The huge soldiers and commanders building had been built right next to the manor on its left, while the school was on its right. This way, when the commanders were summoned, they did not take too long to come. In addition, the soldiers took turns working in the Imperial building to guard areas that were restricted from access or even forbidden.
"I'll take you to my office, I feel like we have some things to talk about.."
Luna was not serene and dreaded to know why Alayna seemed to know her and why her eyes disturbed her so much. When she had removed her mask, her heart had leapt in her chest and still had not calmed down. The half-human tried to hide it but something made her want to know more about the young woman at her side. Despite her rather unkind face, Luna had a heart of gold and was always trying to help others. She was especially fond of the children at the orphanage whom she often visited to play and the cute young women she liked to flirt with. Although she was very serious about her job as a commander and her training, Luna always found a way to go and talk to the girls in the other sections.
Today was different, as they walked silently down the street to the barracks, the half-panther couldn't calm down. It was already the end of the afternoon and the two young women finally arrived at the big door of the building. There were no soldiers at the door as most of them were training on one of the two fields without the presence of their commanders and lieutenants, who were busy meeting Freya.
As the two young women walked in, Alayna looked around curiously, overwhelmed with stress.
The barracks was made of stone and was square in shape with a second dirt field in the center for those who wished to train in hand-to-hand combat. The one outside, among the trees, was mostly used for magical attacks that could be dangerous near a building. The corridors were large, open to the courtyard, and the princess could hear the sounds of swords clashing, cheers, and see the duel between two soldiers supported by the others. Luna didn't pay attention to all these noises because she was used to them but the one next to her was impressed.
"Don't dawdle, it's here."
While Alayna was still quietly staring at the soldiers, Luna had stopped in front of a door with a lightning bolt symbol.
"Y..yes sorry !"
As she entered, there was a window facing the door overlooking the courtyard as well as a desk in the back with a small couch and coffee table in the middle. The princess was shaking slightly and felt both scared of what was coming next and happy to finally be able to talk to the one she had dreamed of meeting. Luna closed the door as she motioned to the young human woman to sit on the couch, who complied without question. They were now alone.
"Alayna...I need to know...who are you ?"
Once the door closed, the commander had completely changed and displayed a lost and tired face. Her blue and gold eyes conveyed a sense of longing in the princess' heart, and she couldn't help but think of Luna's mother.
"I...I'll tell you everything."
As the half-human woman sat down beside her, Alayna took off her mask and hood taking care to keep her back to the window. The sun didn't reach her eyes but they shone brighter than ever.
"I..."
Luna waited patiently for the princess to explain, but Alayna didn't know where to start. This very moment was the most important moment of her life, but words could not come to her. So many things to say, so many feelings to express, so many thoughts to formulate and the young human didn't have the strength to do it, she couldn't. As she began to melt into tears, she put her hand in her pocket before silently sliding the light blue medallion into Luna's hands.
As the half-human woman discovered what she had given her, her eyes darkened before she lunged at Alayna like a fury.
"Where did you get that ????"
Luna's voice was a mixture of deep sadness and anger. She had placed her finger on the back of the young human's neck and towered over her as her body shook.
"Answer me if you don't want a taste of my lightning element ! Where did you get that ?!"
The sounds of the courtyard drowned out the young commander's screams and no one was aware of what was going on in her office. At that moment the half-panther was overcome with an unfathomable sadness as elements of her past surfaced in her mind. These feelings, these memories that she had buried for a long time in her heart to never have to face this pain again. All of this had been awakened by the mere sight of this medallion. Alayna, who was still crying, had her eyes plunged into Luna's as she began to explain her story from the beginning without forgetting anything.
_____
After talking for more than thirty minutes, the princess finally told her story to the one who was standing in front of her. Luna had let go of Alayna and was standing in the middle of the room motionless and silent. The young human woman was still sniffling as she continued to speak.
"Your...your parents loved you and never stopped thinking about you. The ones who gave me the strength to escape were them and the prospect of one day being able to return this precious object to you. It...it is what I have held most dear in my life, what I have protected, cherished and treasured."
Luna was still silent, staring at the object in her hands as she listened to the one across from her tell her about how her parents had fought for her. The young commander was going through every emotion. Anger, sadness, disappointment and regret were all mixed together without any of them taking over.
The room was silent and still without a word, Luna untied the thread she had around her neck to reveal a similar gold-colored medallion. Unlike the blue one, it didn't have a small L engraved on it but a small A. Taking a deep breath, the black-haired young woman finally spoke. Her voice was weak, shaky and confused.
"Ava..that was my mother's...name. My father's name was Tev and the night when all this happened I...I remember very little, only my mother the last time I saw her. When...when she left me in the bushes before running off in another direction, she gave me her medallion and took mine. My mother..."
Alayna was still silent as she watched Luna open up for the first time about her past. The princess had tears running down her cheeks which she always wiped away quickly as she listened to the rest.
"My mother promised me that night that...that somehow she would give it back to me. I was just a child, I was only 10 years old when my parents were taken away. I was too young to understand what had happened and for days, weeks, months I waited in the cold, in the rain, day and night. I...I waited for my parents to come back like they promised me but they never came back. I thought...I had forgotten this medallion that was mine."
As Luna finally lifted her eyes to look into Alayna's, her weak voice had become sad, carrying a hint of longing.
"Sigh..I understand better why your eyes were confusing me so much...they have the same color. Finally, it would seem that my heart had not completely forgotten..."
The princess, who had never heard this part of the story, couldn't take it anymore. Deep down she felt so guilty, she blamed her brother, her father and the whole world for putting Luna through this. Of course she wasn't the only one who had experienced a tragedy but for Alayna, no amount of actions, no amount of excuses, no amount of words could undo the harm that had been done and the family that had been shattered. The princess was angry and the pain in her heart had not subsided as she thought it would.
"I..I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you, if my brother hadn't...."
"It's okay. It's not your fault, I don't need to hear that. Don't feel guilty for what you didn't do, we don't choose our family so you don't have to feel responsible for them.."
As the half-human cut her off in her sentence to respond, Alayna could see her fists clenching before she let go. Luna hated Erzian the princess' brother and after learning what he had done, she had vowed to get revenge one day. However, she couldn't bring herself to hate the one who had gone through all this to give her back this precious object, the one her mother had chosen. The young commander didn't really know why, but she was even grateful to this human. There was something more that she couldn't describe or explain and as she sat down next to the princess, she made up her mind.
Without saying a word, Luna was slipping the blue medallion back into Alayna's hands and she couldn't believe what was happening.
"W...wait you can't ! Your mother..."
"My mother gave it to you didn't she ? It's yours to protect like you always have. You told me yourself, she wanted to give it to someone good and you are the person she chose. My mother never asked you to give it back to me or to come to me at the risk of your life."
As the commander spoke these words, Alayna bowed her head because her words were true. She had come of her own accord, guided by her own feelings and the promise she had made at 11 years old. The princess' face had become sad but without giving her time to think about it, Luna continued.
"What I mean is that...it is rightfully yours. Please...keep it. It's my choice."
"But..."
"Then keep it for me, protect it until I claim it for you, okay ?"
The young commander closed the princess' fingers on the small medallion, looking into her eyes. Their gazes were mesmerized by each other and no one spoke. Each saw sadness in the other but also relief, warmth and sincerity. The sun was setting and its amber rays made the two blue and golden medallions shine. As fate would have it, Alayna's medallion had an "L" and Luna's had an "A". They were the same color as the half-panther's eyes or the princess's hair and eyes.
"Thank you Luna...I promise to protect it until you ask me !"
Alayna had broken the silence to thank the young woman in front of her as she clutched the precious medallion in her hands. It meant so much to her and even though she had found Luna she was more than happy to continue to watch over it. In this way, the princess also felt that she was still connected to the young woman she wanted to get to know so much. Again, the tears began to flow silently down her freckled cheeks as Luna hesitated before putting her arm around her shoulders. At that moment it was no longer a question of hatred or two different races but of two relieved and soothed hearts.
"Every day I wished you were still in this world. I...I'm so glad you're alive !"
Alayna let her feelings flow and the happiness her words carried, filled the room and made Luna smile. The two young women had never met before today but felt so close, bound by the same fate and painful but precious memories. For the first time in a long time, the young commander felt warm and happy.
"I..I'll get some food, you must be hungry !"
Luna could feel her emotions rising as the princess cried with joy in her arms and so had decided to walk away so as not to be seen. As she stood up, for a moment she thought she saw her parents at the window smiling proudly at her before disappearing. At that moment, a huge weight disappeared from her heart and a feeling of fullness and comfort came over her.
"Mom you kept your promise.."
The beautiful half-human had whispered these words to herself as a warm and sad smile came across her face.
"I..I'm going, wait for me here !"
Having regained her senses, Luna was heading towards the door to get something to eat before suddenly stopping. She had her back to Alayna, her hand on the knob and as she was about to walk out, a soft and rather shy voice came into the room.
"Oh and Alayna..."
"Yes ?"
"Thank you..."
Hearing these words, the princess did not respond as a radiant smile broke out on her face. Alayna's heart was beating rapidly without knowing why and unaware that Luna had left the room with a red face and butterflies in her stomach.
____
FULL STATUS
Name : Freya
Age : 0 years / Mentally : 25 years
Sex : Female
Course : Ice Demon Wolf of chaos - Adult
Race : Major Demon
Titles : Blessed by Titania, Goddess of endless Chaos and eternal frozen Hell.
Dragon tamer
Ruthless slayer
Level : 33/70
Exp required for next level: 100 / 34 000
HP : 90 000 / 90 000 MP : 45 000 / 45 000
Strength : 425
Defense : 421
Agility : 435
Stamina : 428
Speed : 427
Intelligence : 425
Charisma : 410 (imperial she-wolf)
Attribute points to allocate : 0
Married to: Gaya
Daughter : Shiro
Empire (menu)
Subordinates : 387
Humans killed : 148
Elements: Ice / Chaos
Skills (all):
Attack - Demon Claws (Lvl 5)
- Bite of hell (Lvl 5)
- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)
- Fighting techniques (lvl max)
- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)
- Demonic aura of the empress (lvl 5)
Defense - Ice demon wall (lvl 6)
- Demonic cloak (lvl 5)
Pain Resistance (lvl 3)
Attack/Defense - Domain of the Ice Empress "frozen wrath" (lvl 1) - (under condition)
Others - Humanoid form
- Ice creation (Lvl 5)
- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)
- Devouring chaos (Lvl 5)
- Analysis
- Second soul (Lvl max) - unique
- Telepathy
Mana detection (lvl 1)
Passives - Commander (lvl max)
- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]