Chapter Text
It was bound to happen.
From the moment his fate was linked to him, he knew it would come to this and he was prepared for it.
He thought he was prepared to spend the rest of his life without the Duke sooner or later, after all he had managed it for the previous centuries, but he had to painfully realize what a fool he was.
The way I was going, it was bound to happen, but it wouldn't have happened if...
" Monsieur! You must let him go so that I can examine him!"
His body was so cold.
" Monsieur Neuvillette! Please try to keep a clear mind! The Duke is tough, but he needs medical attention first!"
Then why did he feel so fragile in my arms?
" Monsieur Neuvillette!"
It was my fault!
It was the last thought before he turned around and looked, eyes wide with terror, into the glittering rubies of Sigewinne, whose tears were already streaming down her round cheeks and her pistol with the stunning needles pointed at him.
"I'm really sorry Monsieur, but you're no help right now and would only complicate things."
His consciousness quickly faded and in his mind's eye he reviewed how it could have come to this.
~*~*~*~*~
"He's going to die, Monsieur!"
There was nothing he could have said against it.
Sedene was a calm and conscientious Melusine who always did her duty. Neuvillette had never seen her raise her voice in all these centuries and just today he realized that he had both disappointed her and made her deeply angry.
"I..."
He didn't know what he wanted to say.
He didn't know if the words he was about to utter would even be true or if they were just meant to reassure her. It was much more likely that his words were meant to reassure himself. There was a time when he could only trust himself. Where he was his own comfort and believed his words if he repeated them often enough to himself.
But empty words would do him no good and the stinging in his chest grew by the second. As a thousand thoughts raced through his head, he clung to the one that made his legs rush out of his office, regardless of the fact that he almost took the doors off their hinges with the force he applied.
He didn't care about the confused and shocked faces in the Palais. Let them think what they wanted of him and his behavior at that moment. None of this mattered if he didn't hurry.
When he left the Palais, the streets were deserted. His walk led him straight to the elevator that usually took people to the Waterway Hub and thus to the Aquabuses to leave Fontaine's courtyard, but no one would be riding due to the raging storm and this was not his plan from the beginning when he got into the elevator.
Not many people knew about the secret floor and used it at all, as it led directly into the sea. It was often used by members of the Marechaussee Phantom, as most of the employees there were Melusines and therefore also had a greater advantage by being able to go directly into the water.
He himself had rarely used this direct access to the waters of Fontaine. It was usually not necessary for him to move quickly from one place to another, as he was usually working in his office or was accompanied by Lady Furina. Theoretically, any Fontaine resident could use this route, but humans were always at a disadvantage underwater, unlike himself and the Melusines. Their origins lay in these waters and so it was only natural that they could move faster and easier in them.
The elevator only took a few seconds to get to the bottom and yet Neuvillette felt like each one was pure torture. He had stopped thinking about when the urge to see the other became so immense that he dropped everything to be with him and to know that he was all right. Had Sedene's words alone been enough to trigger this tugging restlessness in him? Every word was pure truth and sooner or later the duke would die, but why did it feel like every second mattered now, after all the years they had been dancing around each other?
It was as if someone was calling him from far away...
When the elevator door opened after what felt like an eternity, he stood in a small chamber with a hatch on the floor, which he immediately opened with a switch and jumped in without further ado.
In the water, he felt free of all the burdens he had been carrying for centuries, which were getting heavier by the day. In the past, the time when he had just become Iudex and which he could hardly remember, he often came out to swim with the sea creatures. Even though he had taken on human features, his heart had not become alienated from the water over the years.
Ordinary people would quickly lose track and lose their bearings, even if the underwater landscape usually appeared bright and friendly. Neuvillette knew instinctively where to go and swam so fast that under other circumstances it would have been pure joy for him, but his face was grim with pain and even the little otters, which he often watched secretly as they frolicked together in small groups, kept their distance from him and only looked after him sadly.
A little away from the Opera Epiclese, there was a small landing stage where a middle-aged gentleman had recently set up camp. In the storm that was raging, it was unlikely that he would be encountered, so Neuvillette gracefully stepped out of the water and walked north along the small path, finally changing to the cobbled road at the end that led directly to the Lucine Fountain.
He was just about to turn left when he sensed a familiar aura and turned in the opposite direction.
This path led to an altar that had long since been abandoned by humans and only rarely did anyone stray there, but Neuvillette sensed the presence of a familiar person. As if through several layers of thick fabric, he perceived the smell of blood and his heart pounded painfully fast, as if it threatened to collapse and stop at any moment.
"Wriothesley!"
Before he understood, he charged off again for the second time that day and only a few meters later came across a Primordial Bathysmal Vishap Hatchling with purple eyes carrying a person on its back.
"It was you who called me."
He came over to her and stood rooted to the spot when he saw who she was actually carrying on her back.
His black hair with silver strands hung heavily in his face, covering most of his eyes, which were closed. His clothes clung to him like a second skin and given that he had come here directly after they had parted ways, he was in a critical situation.
"Wriothesley! Wriothesley! Wake up!"
As gently as he could, he picked up the unconscious body and looked down at the little Melusine who had just stood before him in the form of the Primordial Bathysmal Vishap Hatchling. Neuvillette realized that she was torn in her actions. In this form, she had the power to take Wriothesley to a safe place, but there would be a riot if a Vishap suddenly appeared at the Opéra Épliclèse with an unconscious Duke on its back. Even if all the Melusines were connected to him and to each other, this Melusine was a loner and had nothing to do with the other Melusines from Merusea.
She would have caused less of a stir in this form, even if she was not known, but she did not have the necessary strength to safely transport the body of a grown man with countless layers of soaked clothing. After all, she couldn't leave him alone either, as there were monsters in the area from time to time, and as weak as they might be, they were deadly for someone who wasn't conscious.
She had only one last resort and that was to get in touch with Neuvillette, who had unconsciously responded immediately to the Melusine's calls.
In the past, it had often happened that she brought him samples of the waters and other things from which he obtained useful information. He had never expected to be so deeply in her debt.
Neuvillette nodded to her in acknowledgment and thanks. As soon as the opportunity arose, he would give her his sincerest thanks, but first he had to get Wriothesley to safety. The square of the Lucine Fountain was not far away and even if he hoped not to cause a great stir, he didn't care at all what would happen to him and his own reputation afterwards.
He was completely absorbed in the thought of saving the other that he completely forgot to get in touch with the other Melusines, but they sensed from a distance that something was wrong and so it was no wonder that Sigewinne was already running towards him. The rain and the roaring of the wind didn't seem to bother her in any way and she would normally have waited in peace. Seeing her relieved Neuvillette as much as it frightened him.
"Sigewinne!"
" Monsieur Neuvillette! We have to get him out of the storm and into the infirmary. I have the necessary resources there to take care of him. So if you would please take him to the Fort-"
Even before she had spoken, he stormed past the imposing opera house towards the main entrance of the Fortress of Meropide. Even though Neuvillette would have preferred to treat him directly on site at the Opera Epiclese, he knew that this would not be a good idea due to the crowds of people who were most likely seeking shelter there and the lack of medical equipment. Besides, he didn't want to embarrass Wriothesley unnecessarily. He certainly wouldn't appreciate presenting this weak moment for all to see.
No.
Neuvillette wanted to be alone with him when the other one woke up. He would wake up again.
His body was as icy as the element he was able to control, but he would wake up again and look at him with those crystal-clear eyes that the Iudex had lost himself in far too often without realizing it.
He wakes up again.
He gets well again.
He'll wake up soon enough.
Wriothesley... I'm sorry...
The journey to the Fortress had never seemed so long and relentless. With each successive elevator they boarded, Neuvillette threatened to lose his nerve more and more, even though his face had the appearance of stature. Dogged, anxious, wracked with guilt, he blamed himself for how the whole situation had escalated so quickly and he hadn't even noticed.
Had he closed his eyes to how critical the Duke's situation already was?
Had he really been so blinded by the uncertainty that had plagued him all these years since their first encounter?
What good had it done him to ignore what connected the two of them? Who was he actually fooling here? Who was he actually trying to protect with this ignorance? He had lived in this world as a human for almost 800 years and should know better than anyone that ignorance had never gotten anyone anywhere. Even the Melusines knew how to adapt to humans better than he did. Out of rejection, he never wanted to interact with them more than necessary. Protecting Fontaine as a whole was his sole purpose. He never thought it possible to experience the qualities of a bond of destiny as he only possessed a fraction of the ancient power that the Hydro Dragon possessed.
That it had to come to this until he realized what it really meant... Why couldn't he take on the suffering that plagued Wriothesley? It was his fault that it came to this!
All because he had to experience what it really meant to feel fear for the first time in his long life.
Fear of change.
Fear of what came afterwards.
But above all, fear of the feelings that could not be described as anything other than 'love' in the language of humans and the resulting fear of losing this warm feeling again in just a few decades...
"Monsieur! You must let him go so that I can examine him!"
Neuvillette had not noticed how they had already arrived in the infirmary, passing all the curious inmates and guards that Sigewinne tried to calm as they walked past.
"Monsieur Neuvillette! Please try to keep a clear mind! The Duke is tough, but he needs medical attention first!"
He knew the time had come when he had to let him go, but the fear inside him left him petrified. All he could do was press the cold body against him. This cold body that usually seemed so strong and warm, while now it just lay powerless in his arms without the slightest movement.
"Monsieur Neuvillette!"
His thoughts were merging into a storm that was even worse than the one he was causing for the outside world. As if he was being pulled into a deep black hole from which there was no escape.
~*~*~*~*~
"Why doesn't anyone here listen to me? Why do I have to look after you now too, Monsieur? I can't believe how two grown men can act so unreasonably. I didn't expect anything else from the Duke, but you should have realized after centuries that the approach you chose wasn't exactly optimal."
The little Melusine mumbled this and much more to herself while she mixed medicine and various types of ointment to stabilize Wriothesley's bodily functions and treat the small scratches he had unknowingly inflicted so that there was no risk of blood poisoning. The storm had subsided shortly after Sigewinne had hit the Iudex with a special needle. It was in no way harmful and would only 'put its target to sleep' for a few hours, but she wasn't sure if this would be the case with Neuvillette. Human body or not, the blood of the hydro-dragon was still flowing through him and so she assumed that the effects of the anaesthetic would wear off very soon.
As an agonized groan went through the infirmary, Sigewinne dropped everything to check on Wriothesley, whose face was contorted in pain and a thin film of sweat covered his body.
She had only managed to undress the Duke a little with difficulty so that she could examine him thoroughly. The rain-soaked coat lay unnoticed on the floor of the infirmary, followed by the extraordinarily heavy and wide boots. An extremely laborious task given the amount of fastenings, but she succeeded and spent the next half hour peeling Wriothesley out of the various layers of clothing and drying him off.
"What would we have done if..."
She couldn't say anything else. She would have liked to be angry, and deep down she was, but not at Wriothesley directly. Neuvillette had given the Melusines the opportunity to integrate with the humans. He had integrated them and made them part of Fontainer culture and society. Everyone respected him very much and appreciated the way he treated them. Despite the long experience he had gained as a human, he was the least able to empathize with the people.
When his fate was sealed, the Melusines quickly sensed the change in the Chief Justice. Restlessness, irritation and sometimes even fear. A fear that Sigewinne could understand all too well. It was something new and unfamiliar. Just as people were afraid of change when they came to the land, so it was with Neuvillette, whose emotions could affect not only the weather, but all of Fontaine.
None of the Melusines knew who the Iudex's fated partner was at first, nor would anyone mention it to him. Sigewinne rarely saw Neuvillette and she herself often simply didn't have the time to go to the surface. She knew that he didn't like the fact that she was the only Melusine working in such a dark and dreary place as te Fortress of Meropide, but she always rejected his suggestions to work somewhere else. She didn't find her work down here bleak, nor was it a place dominated exclusively by darkness. Not all the people who came here were abysmally evil. In fact, they were the exception rather than the rule. But when she thought back to the time before the Duke's 'reign', she could understand why Neuvillette was always worried about her.
When she saw Wriothesley for the first time, she was shocked. It had never happened before that a child had been brought through the gates of Meropides and the look on his face could be described as nothing other than 'blankness'. What must a child have endured to get such a look on his face?
When their eyes met briefly, she thought she saw the beginnings of a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. She could see that he seemed to be injured all over his body. There were countless wounds and scars, some fresher than others and only poorly cared for. She had seen this kind of thing many times before. Many of the new inmates were sometimes badly injured and had only been given the bare necessities to be able to attend a hearing without collapsing. Such people were rejected by society and no longer recognized as part of it. Meropide was a catch basin and this view would probably not change, or so she thought.
In the weeks that followed, the young Wriothesley came to her in the infirmary more and more often. Sometimes he was even carried because he no longer had the strength to do so himself and the guards seemed to take pity on him. The motto was eat or be eaten if you wanted to survive down here. You came with nothing and had to earn your living over several weeks. The best way to do this was with nefarious fights in the Pankration Arena or with jobs that sometimes entailed illegal business, but this was normal everyday life.
Wriothesley didn't talk much at first and even when he was seriously injured he didn't seem to be in pain. Sigewinne always tried to distract him with conversation, even though she knew it seemed futile. One day, however, he replied to one of her trivial topics. Delighted by this, she just kept on talking and was happy about every comment the boy made.
After a few months there was no one who did not know the name 'Wriothesley' and a few years later he had finally managed to accumulate an above-average fortune in Credit Coupons by fighting in the arena. His stays in the infirmary became fewer and his dexterity and fighting skills improved, but this did not prevent him from regularly visiting Sigewinne and chatting with her. A kind of friendship developed between the two and Wriothesley was very careful to protect her from any harm.
"How about I cut your hair? It must get in the way of fighting, even if you tie it up in a braid."
She knew it would be a delicate subject to bring up because over the time she had known him, she quickly realized that he had a problem with people getting too close to his head, neck or even nape. For this reason, he always wore his hair long and, if necessary, tied it up in a plait.
She didn't expect an answer and was just about to move on to a less awkward topic when a thoughtful humming sounded.
"I'll gladly let you cut my hair."
At these words, the doctor's instruments almost fell out of her hand as she was about to treat a wound on his hand that he had inflicted with his newly assembled Gauntlets. "Really?" Her hopeful look made him laugh out loud and she enjoyed seeing him so amused.
"Have I ever lied?"
She giggled and got back to work tending to him before she could indulge in her non-existent haircutting skills.
After a few more months had passed, more and more things changed in the Fortress and Wriothesley became a respected figure who was even recognized by Neuvillette, who also gave him the title 'Duke'. Sigewinne had already suspected that the boy was important to the Iudex in some way, but she would not reveal this to them. Wriothesley was inquisitive and asked more often about the Chief Justice and after a while he confided in Sigewinne what it was like when he reached out his hand and was the only one who did not close his eyes and turn away. His words sounded as warm and gentle as one would never think possible from him, but she quickly realized that not only Neuvillette felt this bond and even if Wriothesley was still too young to really understand everything, she was secretly happy.
He would never see the small knowing smile that graced her lips and she continued to work on taming the young man's long and wild hair.
~*~*~*~*~
At these memories, a slight smile flitted across her lips again as she continued to peel the Duke out of his soaking wet clothes, which clung to him like a second skin and made it extremely difficult to remove them. Outwardly, he didn't seem to have sustained any major injuries, but the dangerous thing was the wounds that weren't visible, and from the time his body had spent in the cold of the storm, it was safe to assume that his vital bodily functions had been reduced to a minimum. Not to mention the damage he had sustained from the alliance with Neuvillette, which she could not say for sure how much she could alleviate.
Only Monsieur Neuvillette can ultimately ensure that you get well again...
As she was working on the dark-haired man's belt to free him from his legwear, she heard an irritated clearing of the throat behind her, which released her from her medical focus.
"May I ask what you're doing, Sigewinne?"
She hadn't expected the effects to wear off so quickly, but at least he could give her a hand to speed up the medical treatment process.
"Ah, you are awake your Honor. Forgive my approach, but I had no other choice. If you could please give me a little help here-"
She couldn't even finish the sentence before Neuvillette was standing next to her, gently pushing her aside to get an overview of the Duke's condition. His lips were pressed together in a thin line and he began to carefully undo the dark-haired man's large belt buckle when he heard a nervous cough, which did not come from Sigewinne but from Wriothesley himself, who looked at him with tired eyes and a wry grin.
"Didn't think the Chief Justice would go after someones body when they're unconscious."
The clink of the bowl of herbs could probably be heard throughout Meropide, as could the Iudex's loud cry of relief and shame at this outrageous statement.
"Wriothesley!"