Chapter Text
Emilia stepped inside the dragon carriage with a renewed feeling of hope. Roswaal promised to help her in whichever way he could. Rem also vowed to dedicate herself to reviving Subaru. She felt lonely, but she wasn't alone. She had allies who were working with her towards the same goal.
Beatrice sat next to her, lost in her own world. She had been doing that a lot ever since her contractor passed.
Rem opted to drive the carriage. Emilia tried to thank her for it, but she clarified that she would rather keep her eye on the road than stay in a closed space with her and be forced to engage in small talk she didn't want to have. It hurt Emilia, but she let it go.
Reinhard sat across from her in the carriage, his expression as unreadable as ever. His serene smile was on his face. The same smile that stayed through happy moments and devastating ones.
She understood why Otto and Garfiel were so mad at her in the capital. She vowed to apologise. She should have told them of her plan. They would have likely tried to help her.
Reinhard: "Emilia-sama, I have to voice my opposition to your plan once again. It is not too late. Please call it off. We can still mourn Subaru. We can-"
Emilia cut him off: "I have already made my decision, Reinhard. I appreciate your concern, but I accept the risks and the potential consequences that may result from my choice."
Reinhard frowned. "In that case, there really isn't anything I can do to stop you, Emilia-sama. I pray your choice yields your desired outcome."
His face softened. "Despite my opposition, I also would love to see Subaru again. All I can do is offer you my sword and my protection. It is the last vow I made to Subaru's soul."
A small smile was drawn on Emilia's face. Having the backing of the Sword Saint was always reassuring.
She heard a noise coming from outside the carriage. She looked out of the side window out of curiosity.
They were passing by Arlam Village. She saw a large gathering of people. They were doing body movements that were strange by Lugunican standards, but were very common in the mathers domain.
At the centre of the crowd, she saw two girls leading them in their movements. A girl with short auburn hair, tied with a red ribbon, and a girl with long blue hair braided neatly into one braid. She could hear their voices vividly.
"Victory!" "Victoryyyyy!"
A sight that screamed that this was a loving community. One where young children and elders alike had a shared activity that helped them bond. A sight that only inspired warmth and connection.
But to Emilia, it only made her feel loss. This was the activity that her knight had started and popularised in the village. They adopted his mannerisms in it and everything. He was supposed to be the one in the centre, leading them in their movements. They all had smiles on their faces. They looked joyful. It made her feel an ache in her heart.
'Now, raise both of your arms and shout "Victory!"' 'V-Victory!'
A tear slid down her cheek. One of the many happy memories that she made with her precious knight was now a testament to the void his absence left in her soul.
The happy villagers would never feel that if they knew the truth. If they knew that the man they all admired was already gone and buried.
Emilia wanted to scream. She wanted to rush out of the carriage and stop their blissful ignorance. She noticed that Rem was feeling something similar. She was audibly grinding her teeth, but she made no moves. If Beatrice had been paying attention, she would have never let them continue being happy when her contractor was dead.
That grounded her. It let her know that she wasn't alone in feeling like that. She glanced sadly towards Petra and Meili. She knew that they loved Subaru. She didn't want the sound of their laughter to turn into grieving wails.
She silently vowed to Petra and Meili that she would bring him back, as if he had never left.
The carriage soon reached the gates of the capital. As it was making its way to the royal palace, Emilia noticed that the streets were crowded. Many people were gathering around. Some completely ignored her carriage and appeared to be locked in deep conversations. Some spotted the royal carriage and shot her some nasty looks. Some looked at her with hurt and disbelief. Some looked with disappointment.
It puzzled her. She was gone for just three days. What could have happened that changed their perception of her?
Emilia thought about it for a moment. Her eyes widened at the realisation.
'Did Subaru's death somehow get leaked?'
She started to feel panic. This was not a part of her plan. She wanted to keep it a secret, hoping that she could bring him back without anyone noticing that he was gone. Now, reviving him would only raise way too many questions.
Allegations of dark magic and links to the Witch Cult would be the least of the possible accusations thrown at her. Her heritage would almost guarantee that comparisons with the Witch of Envy would start circulating around again.
But worst of all is what they could potentially do to the revived Subaru. She fears that the people might treat him like a freak or an amalgamation. He could be looked down upon just by virtue of being tied to the queen. She didn't want her knight to have to deal with this upon his revival.
Her rage was starting to boil over. She had made it very clear that the news of his death was to be kept a secret until she deemed otherwise. She promised harsh punishments for whoever was behind this.
Emilia shook her head. 'Calm down, Emilia. Don't jump to conclusions. This is just a theory for now. I need to make sure before I take any drastic actions.'
She turned to Reinhard. "Reinhard. Could you please issue a summons to the Sage Council? There is a topic of utmost importance that I need to discuss with them."
Reinhard bowed his head. "As you wish, Emilia-sama."
He then stepped out of the carriage and sped up in the direction of the palace.
Emilia looked back at the crowds with a heavy heart.
Once they arrived, Emilia stepped out of the carriage and turned to Rem. She was preparing to take the ground dragon to the stable.
Emilia: "Rem, you can leave that to one of the stable boys. There is something that I need you to see."
Rem stared at her for a second. "Is it important?"
Emilia: "More than you think."
Rem sighed to herself. "Very well, Emilia-sama."
Emilia did not smile. She simply nodded and took Beatrice by the hand. Beatrice did not offer any resistance.
Rem followed Emilia silently. She didn't know where she was leading her, and she honestly cared very little. They walked through the halls of the royal palace. The eyes of the palace maids and butlers lingered on them as they walked past.
Rem started to feel a little uneasy when they exited the palace through a back door and entered a large field.
Her heartbeat fastened the moment she saw the first tombstone. Her eyes widened in realisation. She stared at Emilia's back as she kept moving through the graveyard.
Her breathing quickened. She didn't want to see it. If she saw it... If she saw his grave... A tombstone with his name etched on it... She wouldn't be able to deny it to herself anymore.
She heard faint whimpers coming from Beatrice as they made their way up a lonely hill. A hill free of graves. It stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of a graveyard filled with neatly lined-up graves.
She saw a shape at the top of the hill. Her heart begged her not to look, to turn back and leave, but her feet kept following Emilia. Every step made the outline sharper. Every blink was a prayer that what she was seeing was just an apparition. That her eyes were the ones that hallucinated the ethereal outline that sat a few meters away from her.
It started to get clearer with each step she took. Her feet kept moving against her will until it became too clear to deny.
A lone tombstone on top of the hill.
It was unlike all others. While they were made of stone, and some of them were covered in mould, this one was made of bluish white ice. This one looked clean... Unblemished... Recent...
Her eyes started to water as they drew closer.
Emilia stopped a few meters away.
She opened her mouth. "Subaru... I am back."
Rem's knees wobbled. She hesitantly took a few steps forward. She closed her eyes and opened them. She repeated it many times. Each time, she hoped that the sight in front of her was nothing more than an illusion in her head. She hoped that it would be gone when she opened her eyes, but every time she did, she was met with it.
A cold, icy tombstone engraved with letters she couldn't read. Despite that, she recognised them.
She hesitantly extended her hand to it, pleading in her mind for one thing and one thing only. 'Please be an illusion... Please let my hand pass through...'
But it did not.
Her hand made contact with the tombstone. She felt its coldness through her fingertips.
Her knees could hold her up no longer. She fell next to it, and her tears followed through.
Rem: "S-subaru... Kun?"
She felt cold. The wind made her feel cold. The tombstone was cold. The graveyard floor beneath her legs felt cold.
She sensed it. It was very faint, but she sensed it. She sensed a scent... His scent... It was fading, but it was unquestionably him.
She couldn't deny it anymore. All evidence pointed to one cruel truth.
Her hero was buried in the dirt that was before her.
A weak sob escaped her throat.
A shivering arm extended from her and wrapped around the cold tombstone. It felt cold, but it emanated his scent. She hugged the tombstone to herself, and her dam broke.
Her tears fell on the dry tombstone, freezing into tiny crystalised droplets.
A maiden clinging to an icy tombstone. The sound of her sobs filled the silent graveyard. Her soul is grieving the loss of her soulmate.