B9 - Chapter 29: Goodbye, Grandpa

"The Commander calls for you, Miss Windtänzer."

The adjutant bowed deeply as he once again stood before her chambers, delivering the same message she had received every day since their departure.

Viola nodded, signaling that she had heard. Seemingly aware of her poor mood, the man excused himself without pressing her.

He was smart to do so. It wasn't his place to involve himself in matters such as these.

Despite her current plight, she was still the Patriarch's daughter, a woman favored by one of the Prime Elders.

Viola's expression grew complicated at the thought.

...The Patriarch's daughter.

The title might sound prestigious to an outsider, but only those within the innermost circle of the Windtänzer family could know how meaningless it truly was.

Viola's mother, Dilina, was the Patriarch's ninth wife... out of thirteen.

As for the number of children he had, Viola couldn't say. She had met at least three dozen, but she wouldn't have been surprised if there were just as many she had never met.

Calling her the Patriarch's daughter truly didn't fit. She was simply the second child of the ninth wife. It was a completely meaningless title. If not for her considerable accomplishments in her magical studies and the favor of her grandfather, she would likely have been married off to some accomplished Elder years ago.

But now, despite all her struggles, that time had still come.

Viola let out another deep sigh. It had to be the thousandth that day.

In truth, her situation wasn't all that bad, all things considered.

Marriage in the Windtänzer family was simply a way to pair promising Mages. There were almost no further restrictions. As long as she produced one or two promising descendants, she would not be forced to do anything else.

Viola herself knew several aunts and uncles who had grown entirely estranged from their nominal spouses after fulfilling their duty. Some lived on opposite ends of the Empire and hadn't exchanged a word in decades.

She could still have a life, maybe even the life she wanted.

But, for some reason, it felt completely wrong to her.

At first, Reinold had merely asked her to join him for a meal. The following day, he had invited her to take a tour of the flagship. Yesterday, he had sent her a list of possible dates for their formal engagement.

Today's message had come with a request to discuss the ceremony.

Viola stared at the closed door.

She couldn't delay forever. Otherwise, their glorious commander, the ever-so-illustrious Reinold, would simply send more and more messengers until she finally relented.

He didn't even have the spine to pester her in person, that turtle-like bastard.

The thought of meeting that man again made her shiver. Whenever she saw him, she felt an almost physical revulsion. It wasn't that he was ugly or deformed, nor did he carry some foul stench. But his cowardly and timid, yet simultaneously strangely insistent nature left a sour taste in her mouth.

Talking to him felt like walking through a swamp. It wasn't particularly dangerous, but every second felt like a chore, and the experience left you feeling constantly sullied.

How could a man allow himself to become like this? An Archmage, even?

Despite possessing such might, Reinold couldn't muster even a fraction of the composure he should have had. Every time he flinched or shrank his neck, his image overlapped with that of Zeke, who had stood before the united army of the Ehrenlegion without a change in expression.

The contrast was simply too stark...

Where Reinold couldn't even properly meet her eyes half the time, Zeke would stare death in the face until it looked away.

Where Reinold slunk away from the gazes of figures such as her grandfather, Zeke had looked him in the eyes with a gaze that promised bloody revenge.

Where Reinold couldn't even...

No. Enough.

There was no point in comparing them, and berating the man in her mind wouldn't change anything.

For now, none of it mattered. She would have to meet him sooner or later.

Viola grabbed her trusty overcoat and put it on. Glancing in the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction. The garment hid her entire figure, from neck to ankles, giving her the silhouette of a sack of rice.

It stung her pride slightly to walk around like this, but it couldn't be helped. At least that toad Reinold wouldn't get any ideas.

Having made herself look as unflattering as possible, Viola left her room and started walking. Her chambers were actually not far from the commander's, but she preferred to take the long way.

Well... she called it the long way, but...

If the fastest path between two points was a direct line, then this course could be called the least direct path. It led in the opposite direction of her destination and took her around nearly the entire ship before finally arriving where she needed to go.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Over the last several days, she had grown intimately familiar with every observation deck, balcony, and unobstructed railing along the route.

Purely by coincidence, of course.

She first reached the main observation deck and looked out over the dark landscape below. Her eyes flicked to the stars before scanning the distant horizon. Her gaze wandered until, finally, it settled on a jagged mountain that vaguely resembled a breaking wave.

Grundiss Mountain.

Its position told her everything she needed to know. At their current speed, the fleet would pass it by the following morning.

Viola turned toward the southeast. There, the crowns of a vast forest could be vaguely seen through the darkness.

The Grimmgar Forest. One of the last truly wild areas within the Empire's borders.

Her eyes followed the endless sea of trees until they vanished into the horizon. Beyond them lay a lake so vast that it could be mistaken for the sea. And on its shore, the Empire's border.

Viola's steps paused, and her hands gripped the railing.

She had studied this part of their route before they even left the capital. The fleet would never fly directly over the Grimmgar Forest. The creatures living within it were too territorial, and the chaotic currents above the ancient trees made maintaining formation unnecessarily difficult.

Tonight would be the closest they came to it.

She leaned over the railing and looked down. She could see only darkness. But instead of frightening her, the sight looked inviting.

If she could reach the forest, nobody would be able to catch her. Not at night and not beneath that canopy.

Viola shook her head. Such thoughts were utterly meaningless.

Her eyes moved across the fleet, searching for the familiar figure stationed near the foremost ship. But...

Melissa wasn't there.

Viola frowned.

Her aunt had spent every evening since their departure overseeing the fleet from that position. She claimed to be enjoying the view, but Viola knew better. She was intentionally positioning herself at the very spot where she could oversee everything during the time the fleet was at its weakest.

Her grip on the railing tightened.

With Melissa present, there was no possibility of escape. Viola wouldn't make it halfway to the trees. But if she actually...

"...We will reach the territory of the Windiger family in about an hour, but there shouldn't be any problems this time."

The chatter of two passing sailors reached her ears.

Viola straightened her posture, but the two men completely ignored her. They must not have recognized her, no doubt thanks to her outfit.

"Of course there won't be," the other man responded. "Lady Melissa has a good relationship with their Patriarch. If anything, they'll try to invite us to a feast instead of causing trouble."

The first man looked dubious. "Isn't that just a rumor?"

The second shook his head with complete confidence. "Others might think so, but not me. I was actually in the room when she informed the commander."

The first man snorted. "Informed him? Why would somebody like the lady inform that sniveling bastard?"

Viola felt a surge of pleasure upon hearing that even the troops held no better opinion of Reinold than she did. At least she wasn't completely biased.

"Of course she wouldn't," the second man explained. "But this time it's different. She said she would visit her old friend. She left earlier in the afternoon and said she would only be back by morning."

Viola whirled around. The sudden movement made both sailors tense as if bracing for an attack.

"What did you just say?"

Upon seeing her face, both men paled.

"Miss... Miss Viola..." the first man stammered. "I... I didn't mean what I said about your prospective husband. I just meant that..."

Viola waved him off. "Never mind that." She turned to the second man. "My aunt left the fleet?"

The man nodded as quickly as a chicken pecking at rice. "She left! She left! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"When will she return?"

"Not before morning, young Miss. Those were her exact words."

Viola froze, making the two sailors tense even further.

Not before morning.

A slight smile spread across her face.

"My apologies for startling you," she said, her demeanor becoming that of a refined young lady once more. "I was merely surprised by the news."

"Yes, yes, of course."

"Please don't mind it, young Miss."

Viola smiled warmly. "You may leave now."

The two sailors exchanged a glance before doing exactly that. They fled the scene like criminals who had just been pardoned, but it didn't bother Viola. In fact, she wished they could've left even quicker.

Soon, their footsteps faded into the distance, leaving the observation deck deserted once more.

Viola turned toward the forest.

She had imagined this moment countless times. She had studied the fleet's formation, memorized the patrol rotations, and searched for every place where the ships passed close to uncivilized land.

She had told herself that it was nothing more than a way to pass the time, but she had known better all along. She had only been waiting for the right chance.

This chance.

But now that the opportunity had finally appeared, she hesitated.

Leaving would mean defying the family.

It might destroy her standing. It might cost her the protection of the Windtänzer name. Her father would be furious, and her mother would...

Viola took a deep breath.

Then another.

Cold air rushed past her face.

A feeling of complete weightlessness gripped her as she dove headfirst into the darkness.

Privilege? Standing?

She had never asked for or wanted any of those things. The family, her name, her status... None of it had ever felt like a privilege, only a burden.

The wind around her changed direction, turning her vertical fall into a horizontal glide. Within moments, she had already crossed half the distance to the edge of the forest.

There was still no alarm from behind. They must not have noticed her departure.

Viola flattened herself against the current and accelerated. The cold wind clawed at her face and sent her overcoat flapping wildly behind her. It probably made her look like a flying sack of rice.

For once, she didn't care.

The ominous silhouette of the forest grew larger and larger in her vision. It was a monster-infested region, an uncivilized stretch of wilderness that even most adventurers avoided like the plague.

She couldn't reach it quickly enough.

Finally, an alarm was raised aboard one of the ships. The sound spread throughout the fleet in a matter of moments.

Late.

Far too late.

Viola dipped beneath the uppermost branches just as dozens of figures took to the air behind her. The wind changed the instant she entered the forest. Smooth currents shattered against trunks and branches, breaking into countless chaotic streams.

She released her hold on the surrounding air and dropped onto a thick branch beneath the crown of one of the outermost trees.

In the distance, the fleet had erupted into motion. One of the figures even looked like that toad Reinold. They swarmed in every direction, with several heading toward the exact place where she had entered the canopy.

Viola remained there for one moment longer, staring at the massive fleet.

In that moment, it seemed to overlap with the image of everything House Windtänzer stood for.

Majestic. Powerful. Overwhelming.

A force capable of carrying her wherever it pleased.

She thought of her grandfather again, and this time the memory nearly stopped her.

Then she remembered the images from that dream. The betrayal that had led to Maximilian's death. Her grandfather's admission that he had sent her away on purpose. He hadn't said it outright, but he had done so to take the choice out of her hands.

Despite his best intentions, Victor had made the choice for her, just like all the others.

Viola's eyes flashed as they reflected the approaching figures.

She pulled the air close around her, containing every disturbance caused by her movements. Then she stepped backward and dropped soundlessly from the branch, vanishing into the tangled darkness below.

A deep sigh escaped her.

It would be the last.

"Goodbye, Grandpa."

The slight rustle of leaves was all that remained as quiet returned to the edge of the forest.