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This day would go down in history as the happiest day in Lugnica. The streets crowded with people celebrating and cheering for the events starting to unfold. Cheer and joy took center stage today. How could it not? Widespread festivities making the feelings contagious to the people of the Dragon Kingdom.
It was the culmination of a long and arduous journey both for the Kingdom and it's people. From the beginning of the royal selection to its end, the eventual fate of the Kingdom been shrouded in uncertainty and fear. Not everyone had been certain that the Royal selection would end well, or that it would bring a proper replacement in the place of the royal family. All those concerns had been alleviated however, because the actions of their Queen had put the naysayers to rest.
The Queen of Lugnica had united the people of the nation around her, had gained the support of the Dragon and the Sword Saint. Truly everyone had united under her command. Even the other candidates from the Royal Selection had rallied around her. Each being appointed to oversee different aspects of the nation. She was Kingdom's pride and joy.
Today however was special for her as well, because today was the day in which Lugnica would receive it's new King, and the hope for a new Royal Bloodline would begin anew. A new royal family to rule over the nation, for years to come. So her subjects celebrated, for the queen and her chosen Consort.
The Consort, by all means he would be the King of Lugnica, and one a fair few people would choose to follow over the Queen, although no one dared to express that sentiment publicly. After all he was the one responsible for the peaceful situation of the Kingdom. The hero that had defeated the dreaded Witch Cult. The hero that had defended the people at the battle of Priestella. The hero that had entered into a peace treaty with the Empire. He was loved and respected by all. A Knight who had done what many deemed impossible. An otherworldly figure to match the Kingdom's beloved Queen.
The day that their legendary Knight would take the hand of their beloved Queen in marriage. Today was the day, and many were already celebrating it.
In the capital, colourful banners decorated the streets, and people partying away without a care in the world. Which only increased in intensity as you got closer to the Dragon Church, a place of great importance for the Kingdom, for it was the place where the Royal couple would be getting married.
Finally the long awaited hour had arrived, the immense crowd that had arrived to oversee the event were very much excited, talking about the Royal couple to be, and how well they fit in with each other, and so on... The Knights had arrived to usher the important visitors into the church. Starting with the Nobles, the Sage Council, the Royal Knights, and the members of the Royal camps. Followed by a select few special guests allowed in...
When all was said for done, it was finally time for the bride and groom to be wed. Through colourful sparks of magic, the Queen, the somewhat nervous bride was led up to her lover. The Knight gave her a small smile, reassuring her that all would be okay. Priestess Melty, stood in front of them. Finally the moment had arrived. Their lips met together, as their lips met together in a chaste, yet passionate kiss...
"... Emilia Juukulius!"
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......... Through all of this, a person walked up to the vicinity of the Dragon Church. Blending in with the huge crowd that were there to see the Royal Marriage. Moving through the sea of people proved to be more difficult than he had expected, with his already weak body, he was pushed out of the way by excited throes of people many time, but he continued on. He paused for a moment, to catch his breath. Fighting through the huge crowd had been troublesome, and if that wasn't enough, he had lost sight of his two companions.
Cursing at his rotten luck, he looked around, the huge amount of people here made it difficult to see pretty much anything, for a split second he considered shouting for his friend, but quickly dismissed the idea. With a sigh, he continued to push through the crowd. It was probably a pointless endeavour anyway, because he very much doubted that he would be allowed in by himself. Yet, he would still try.
Then he was helped up by a girl wearing a white, green and black funeral dress. He had found one of his friends. Thankfully her sharp glare, and threatening expression kept people away from them. Making it easier for the two of them to move through the crowd.
"Thanks Tia."
"My pleasure. Can't let these imbeciles trample you after all."
With this she managed to get them through the ocean like crowd, and to the front of the dragon church.
"Sorry, but commoners are not allowed inside.", The Guards stopped them from continuing inside. There was nothing he could day, nothing at all. He squeezed the scary looking girl's hand to stop her from saying anything that could anger the guard. He was having second thoughts about the entire affair, and seeing as they couldn't continue forwards, he prepared to leave, when suddenly he felt someone grab his shoulder.
"These are my friends, they're with me." Just in the nick of time, the Shinobi had found them. The guard realising who he was, began to panic.
"Ah! - Sorry Halibel-sama! Please continue inside!" The guard gave an apologetic bow to him and his friend. Hal was thankfully well recognised enough to get them in...
He had to admit, the church was beautiful, even though his attention was not on it, be could still admire it's beauty. He hoped that Roswaal's identity hiding cloak was working properly, because the rows of the church were filled with people that could identify him if it wasn't, bringing major trouble to both him and his companions.
"Over here, you two. Su, you go in first." Halibel had found a place for the three of them to sit. Near the back of the church, with only a single girl sharing the row with them. As the three sat down, he couldn't help but notice the irony.
He could see the members from the different royal selection camps... Reinhard and Felt, along with old man Rom. Crusch, Felix and Willheim. Priscilla, Al. He noticed that Anastasia wasn't present, but he had already expected that she wouldn't show up. She had probably made the better choice when compared to him.
What really made him emotional was seeing the Emilia camps members. They looked the happiest that they had ever been. Ram, Otto, Garf, Roswaal, and Ryuzu. Frederica and Petra were probably nearby as well... but he couldn't see them. His breath hitched as he saw the two people he wanted to see the most - Rem and Beatrice. For a moment he lost control of the barrier that kept his feelings at bay, and let out a sob, tears streaming down his face. It was alright to cry, it wasn't like anyone could see his tears anyway.
"It's alright..." Noticing his despair, the scary looking girl squeezed his hand. The cloak only hid his appearance from the people that he wanted to be hidden from, it wouldn't work on Tia and Hal.
The Wolf already understood that he couldn't do much for his friend except be by his side. Zarestia was already giving the nasty eyed boy the emotional support he needed. He focused on the people around them. This row was only occupied by the three of them and a girl. Call it intuition, but the girl, with long platinum hair and a somewhat disturbing smile sitting next to his friend, made the Shinobi uncomfortable - so he focused on keeping an eye on her.
As the moment arrived, the bride and groom stepped in front of the crowd. He didn't feel anything in particular looking at them. Julius... The greatest of the Knights. Emilia... The Queen of Lugnica. In another time he would feel horrible and depressed, but now looking at the two of them, he didn't feel anything.
He still felt a little hollow, but Zarestia's touch kept him from feeling any negativity towards himself. Halibel's precense was also comforting to him. Instead of focusing on the horrible feelings bubbling beneath the surface, he instead focused on the happiness he felt at being with his friends...
The great Spirit of Murder, felt everything through their bond. As far as she was concerned, coming here was a horrible idea, but he had wanted to see how his friends were doing. She felt his sadness, as he stared at a child and a blue haired girl. She didn't know much about his circumstances, but she already disliked these people. Even though she could feel the happiness directed at her, she still hoped that this thing would be done with quickly.
... When their lips finally touched, and the deafening sound of applause and cheers filled the church. The tension that he had been feeling dissipated away. Looking at it, he didn't really feel anything,
It was finally over. He could finally move on. He could finally leave this part of his life behind...
To be perfectly honest, he had no intention of seeing Julius or Emilia, his intention of coming here was to see how everyone else was doing. Rem and Beatrice in particular, and seeing them along with his other former friends doing well was what he needed to find closure.
His goal completed, he walked out of the church...
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Now that it was over. The trio was walking back to their accommodations in a Hotel at the capital...
Perhaps deep down, he had accepted that Emilia would never return his feelings long before he had lost his name. Maybe his mind was protecting him by making him feel disconnected from all this... He didn't know, and to be honest he didn't care.
A tap to his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. It was the girl that had been sitting to his right. He hadn't really paid much attention to her before, but now he was looking at her, she looked incredibly out of place. Otherworldly even.
"An interesting turn of events isn't it? I look forward to seeing what happens in the future." The Platinum haired girl softly spoke. "...I wish you the best as well."
Before anyone could respond, she turned around and walked away, seemingly unnoticed by anyone except him, Zarestia and Halibel.
"A friend of yours, Su?" Halibel had instinctively reached for a knife that he had sneaked in with him.
"Whoever she is, I think.we should stay away from her..." Zarestia shook her head, instinctively having reached for the nasty eyed boy, when she saw the girl.
"Ha!" The Wolf bit down on his Kiseru. "Considering young Su's ability to attract troublesome young girls. Think about it. He's courting you after all! So anythings possible!" The Wolf laughed, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
"Hey! Who are you calling troublesome!?" Zarestia waved her hands around. "I'll have you know that I'm the best girl Baru knows!"
"Tia is the best. Don't need anyone else." His immediate agreement causing the scary looking girl to turn as red as a ripe Appa.
"Uwah! Stupid Baru! I'll kill you!" She shook his by the shoulders.
"What about me!? Don't leave your old man behind!" Halibel faked a shocked face, which somehow looked silly instead of actually serious.
He never thought that he would end up in love with a girl who shows her affection through death threats, but he ended up here anyway, and he wasn't complaining.
This was the result of his Zero, for the girl that he had fallen in love with, and the Shinobi that had helped him regain his self. He would create a better future for.
The Sage, the Spirit of Murder, and the Shinobi would strive to reach that future.