I looked up and saw Verain and Lunette silently listening, "When I went through everything happened so fast. I'm guessing I got knocked out or something. The next time I woke up I was being carried by a dozen imps to somewhere. I tried to struggle and fight but they weren't having that. They quickly beat any resistance out of me. We soon came upon a cave and they brought me to a big room inside it. There was an incubus there, I believe his name was Itai. He told me the truth. Ignis for the last several years or so had been sacrificing us to Itai. Ignis had struck a deal that for every sacrifice given, he would only have to give a champion every other year instead of the usual yearly quota. He could also have his pick of whatever mind broken whores that he wanted. I don't know where he kept them and I don't really care. After he was done laughing at my despair he sent me off to be changed. I was dragged to another room where there was this large pink bath. I knew that if I got dunked in there then I wouldn't be coming back. Luckily there was only one imp dragging me along so I waited until the last moment before knocking him into the pool. I didn't wait to see what happened as he sank below the surface. I snuck around and luckily was able to get through the entrance before I was spotted. I ran and ran but I knew it was only a matter of time until they would catch up to me. That's when Sica saved me. She's a bee girl who luckily didn't have any eggs to unload if you know what I mean. She just decided to help me on a whim. She hid me away and when the coast was clear she directed me to this town. And well, I've been going out and fighting in the day and coming here at night. Just trying to get by."
There is nothing but silence as I shakily finish my drink. I'm a little surprised that me retelling the story affected me so much, though I also felt relieved that I had told the story. Though I look up in surprise as Verain says, "So it seems that I wasn't the only one to have met with misfortune in being chosen as a champion," she downs her beer and yells for another one before continuing, "My parents actually come from this land. They told me that they were born in the Convent of Purity. So they were able to stay generally uncorrupted. But I guess things became pretty bad about thirty years ago or so. Enough to make them desperate. So they took a chance and went into a portal. Nowadays you can't do that what with the portal's enchantments being tightened up. But they got through and the city took pity on them and let them stay but...kept them at a safe distance so to speak. We lived on the outskirts of the city and never really went into the city except to sell our harvest. Life was good for our family but hard. Me, my parents, and my sister Andretta were happy. Then one winter there was a bad fever that went through the city. We think it may have been demonic in nature. A lot of people died, including my parents which I think was the reason we weren't blamed all that much. After that things were sad, but we were alright since Ms. Thresher took us in. She was tough but fair. She let us be ourselves as long as we worked around the house and her store. And she defended us. Kept us safe."
Her face lights up with a smile that made her intimidating demeanor disappear. "And then everything changed. Ms. Thresher has a flower business you see. A lot of people came in for flowers, floral arrangement, and other botanical needs. It was quite popular. Me and my sister were also able to learn and be 'decent enough to not be an embarrassment' as Ms. Thresher put it. One day a noble came in and he asked us to put together a flower arrangement. It was for the courtship of an Elena Cantabree. Ms. Thresher allowed me to be the one to do it and I asked him for a drawing of the woman he wanted to court and his letter of love for her for artistic inspiration. He gave these things and I admittedly was taken with the picture. But I of course was professional and continued my job. Ms. Thresher asked me to get some supplies the next day and while I was out I saw her. Elena was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The photo did her no justice, and her laugh, you see she out with her other friends having a happy time shopping, when she laughed at a joke or something it sounded like an angel had dropped down from heaven."
"Y'know that she would be a fallen angel right? A demon in that case, so to speak." I chimed in.
Lunette shushes me and motions for Verain to continue. "I stayed up all night trying to make the perfect flower arrangement for her. I knew that she would be receiving it through another but at the very least I wanted to make the best I could. For her. By the time the sun rose up I was done and it was everything that represented how I felt. I made it personal I guess you could say, but I figured it would be fine and if she fell in love with the floral arrangement then that would be shifted to the man. The noble came and picked up the flowers and I resolved to throw away my feelings along with the picture. It took a day more than it should've to throw it away I'll admit," she bashfully smiles with embarrassment, "Several days later a royal messenger arrives asking for 'the artist who crafted a most exquisite and lovely arrangement for an Elena Cantabree', I admitted it was me and he said that I was invited to speak with Elena at the Cantabree estate later that week. After he left I was equal parts excited and at the same time dreading what she would have to say. Andretta and Ms. Thresher were both excited for me and Ms. Thresher told me time and time again to make the best impression I can as her employee. Pretty much don't make a fool of myself and bring shame to her business. Which was fair enough.
"The day came and I went to the estate. I was let in and told to wait in a room. I had nearly worked myself into a frenzy by the time she arrived. When she talked to me and asked to shake my hand I nearly fainted. She asked me to sit and when I did she asked me about myself. I was surprised but I answered any inconsequential question that she wanted. Then she asked me what was my inspiration for the flower arrangement and I said 'you'. She kept on digging in deeper and wanting more detail and before the end of it I had told her pretty much everything other than 'I love you.' She dismissed me and I returned home. I remember not sleeping that night. A couple of days later I was summoned again and soon hired as the Cantabree's florist. Over those months I would do numerous floral arrangements and other such decorations for her. Several weeks later she kissed me. You see, she had been so taken with my arrangement that she said no to the noble and resolved to see who crafted the gift. After that it was like a dream. Of course we had to keep it secret but no one suspected a thing. We were very secretive. I did tell Andretta and she was worried about it and I think Ms. Thresher warned me in her little ways. She was wise that way. But I found myself falling deeper and deeper and soon I wanted more. But I knew that we couldn't truly be together. I was an outsider and even more importantly a commoner. I asked her to run away with me like an idiot. She agreed to do so like an idiot. Like some fools in love."
She grew somber at this point as she downed another beer. "We were caught. Didn't get far out of sight of the village before we walked into a trap. During my incarceration I learned that the royal guard had received a tip. From the city's local mob family. Somebody had betrayed me. Luckily the town focused their hate towards me and not my sister. Ms. Thresher's business took a hit though she told me it was nothing to worry about. Elena I was told was fine though she was being punished for what she did. At the end of the torture, shame, and scorn. I was given a choice. Death or become the champion of my city. You can guess what I chose." By the end she was shaking with anger as I could see her struggling to not snap her fork in two.
I was quiet for a while before asking, "And you have no idea who could've betrayed you."
She sighs, "Oh I have several ideas but I can't go about proving them is the problem."
I look at Lunette smile and say, "I'm guessing that you have a more happier story huh? We could definitely use a happy tale right about now."
She sadly smiles, "Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to help you there. I didn't come here under the best of circumstances either."
Verain cracks a wicked smile, "Yeah you don't seem like the type who usually gets chosen for this type of thing. What happened?"
"Well the short version is I was a noble who was framed for murder. I woke up next to my dead husband. We had eighteen beautiful years together," her voice and her eyes became colder as she told the story. "It was made to look like there had been a fight between us that got way out of hand. So out of hand that it ended with him being stabbed repeatedly by me. He and I were the last of our family's bloodline. In the kingdom of Manea there were four main royal families. His and mine were on the decline but things were looking up so to speak. An heir was going to be born after trying for so many years. But also along with the death of my husband was the death of our unborn child. They used some type of poison to kill the pregnancy. The other two families were so smug whenever they came to see me in between torture sessions. I gave them nothing in terms of pain or despair, and I'm sure they were quite scared by the way I behaved," she chuckled.
I gave Verain a look and she mirrored mine. There was a lot more to Lunette than her pretty appearance. I could see her facing her enemies with the ice she was displaying now as she calmly told her tale. I would've been scared for my life if I was them. "After they grew tired of me they finally handed me what they figured to be the ultimate punishment. The privilege to be chosen as Manea's champion. And so here I am."
I swallow nervously before saying, "No offense, but you seem awfully calm for someone..."
Lunette's knife slams into her plate though no one notices except for the tables around us which eventually go back to their meals, "I am not as calm as I seem." Lunette growls, "I've just been trained in a certain way. You don't get far being a noble by revealing your true face," She lets the knife clatter on the plate, closes her eyes, and takes several breaths. After she opens them and looks at me with sincerity, "I am sorry for doing that. It was out of line. Forgive me." She ends this bowing her head.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have accused of being cold after hearing your story. I don't know how I would react if something like that happened to me so...yeah," I hurriedly respond.
We pick at our food silently for a while before Verain ask, "So Elysra, what would you do if you could take down Ignis? How would you do it?"
I stop and say with some surprise, "I actually haven't thought about it. I mean you think I would but I don't know. You?"
