「 Alistair's Pov. 」
"—Alistair, you need to wake up."
Hearing a very familiar voice, along with a hand gently shaking me awake, I groggily opened my eyes, only to see a set of emerald ones looking gently into my own.
"Morgan?" I groggily asked while pushing myself up from the bed.
Hearing my voice, the witch gave a smile before letting go of my shoulder and straightening up. "The flight attendants told me that we'll be landing soon, and they asked me to wake you up so that you could find your seat and put on your safety belt," she explained.
Her words made me draw a blank for a moment before I let out a groan. "I slept through the flight," I remarked with annoyance, only for Morgan to give a soft sigh. "I'm sorry for not waking you after an hour, but you needed this," she explained.
Fully sitting up, I felt almost no discomfort in the action, causing me to raise a brow in intrigue before pushing myself out of the bed. Morgan was about to reach out a hand to help steady me, only for me to raise a hand, stopping her mid-action.
"I think I'm fine," I explained, before giving a light stretch. The action gave way to a few pops and an involuntary groan.
Back pain was such a bitch, and I'm so happy to be free from it.
Lowering my arms, I gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks for not waking me, it seems it did me some good," I expressed happily.
Morgan only smiled before grabbing one of my hands and guiding me out of the plane's Royal Suite.
We quickly entered the adjacent room, allowing us to enter the Royal Office, where a sleepy-looking Sakura was tiredly sitting on a sofa.
She looked like she was a good lullaby away from sleeping, causing me to glance at Morgan with a hint of disapproval.
Catching my gaze, she returned an unimpressed raised brow. "She's had a nap or two, but I thought it best to keep her awake for as long as possible, to combat her future jet lag," she explained.
That was an actual good point, though it was surprising that she had thought of it, given the fact that I don't think jet lag was a thing, or at least not a concern a thousand years ago.
Nodding slightly, I didn't rebuke her point, causing her to smile slightly and move us towards the seats facing Sakura. As the two of us sat down, we put on our seatbelts, and I gave a slight yawn, which was quickly mirrored by the little girl.
It would seem fourteen hours of sleep wasn't enough for me, somehow.
And like clockwork, the overhead sign with the seatbelt icon glowed alight, followed by a slight chime to notify the rest of the crew to prepare for landing.
Not having anything to do, I was about to pick up the newspaper I had discarded at the beginning of the flight, only for Morgan to tap my shoulder, followed by the feeling of a subtle Bounded Field springing to life.
Turning to look at her, I gave her an intrigued look, all but telling her to explain.
"You know how the flight was quite long," she started, causing me to give a nod for her to continue. "Well, I've been thinking about a few things…" she trailed off almost absentmindedly, even glancing away, before refocusing on me.
That's not a good sign…
"And, well… I've stumbled upon a slight issue, and I'd like to get some input before I go through with anything," she stated, causing me to internally grimace.
Morgan needing help on a 'slight issue' doesn't sound good… Not that I am incompetent, but I'd rather not deal with something that has stumped her, or at least I'd rather not deal with it right now.
Inhaling a deep breath, I asked the question. "How can I help?"
Seemingly catching onto my slight hesitancy to get involved, she quickly cleared things up. "No, it's nothing like that," she assured. "I just need some more insight on Altrouge," she explained.
Ah.
Right, that's an issue.
"I see," I said neutrally.
Pursing her lips slightly, she gave me a slightly concerned look. "What are the odds of her just outright exposing my identity and origins to Amelia to spite me?"
…
Fuck…
"One hundred percent," I affirmed with a twinge of unease. Morgan's lips quickly pressed themselves into a line before speaking. "I thought so."
Altrouge would certainly be spiteful, given the fact that she's given Morgan a death threat before we left, so seeing her in the flesh, along with our not-so-subtle 'ambiguous' relationship, she'll certainly try something. And burning any bridges between Amelia and Morgan before they could even be built would be a smart way to go about it.
Massaging my brows, I gave Morgan a slightly pleading look. "Please tell me you have some ideas."
I didn't want to need to choose between Morgan and Amelia, as she was practically my aunt, and in the practical sense, losing her now would likely mess up a lot of the family's deals and plans, meaning Morgan and me would have a much harder time picking things up from where Mo—, from where things had been left off.
"I have a few that could work, but only one that I'd like to use," she said, causing me to focus on her rather than my depressing thoughts.
"Only one?" I probed, earning a nod from her. "Yes," she reaffirmed.
"I'd like to come clean first," she explained, causing me to open my mouth to interject, only for her to place a finger on my lips in a shushing gesture. "Let me finish," she said firmly, causing me to slowly nod, and she retracted her hand.
"I'd like to come clean first, and explain things in a way that's as close to the truth as possible," she said decisively. "Of course, your past life won't be touched upon, but I'll still be mentioning the Counter Force, as it would be a good scapegoat for a lot of the things that wouldn't be explainable without it," she soothed, before giving a slight sigh.
"It's just," she began, before she cut herself off, gaining a sorrowful look on her face. "I–I regret not truly getting to know Rosalind," she wheezed out, and I could feel her latch on to my hand and grip it tightly. The mention of her name felt like a lead weight was dropped in my stomach.
Morgan slightly lowered her head, causing her bangs to cover her eyes. "So if I'm going to live under the same house as her, work with her and get to know her, then I don't want to pretend anymore," she pressed, before lightly biting her lower lip. "I–I don't want to repeat that mistake."
The tone in her voice was clearly remorseful, bitter even, though the target for that last emotion seemed to be directed at herself. It was clear that Morgan wasn't taking the death well, and she was likely under the mistaken belief that it was her fault.
Not allowing her to continue, I pulled her into a hug and gently placed my chin on the crown of her head. "All right then, I see no issue with your idea," I affirmed calmly. "As long as you're happy," I soothed.
Morgan didn't give a verbal answer, but her tightening of the hug was all the response I needed.
The two of us stayed like that for a little while until we were startled out of our hug by the feeling of the plane's wheels hitting the runway.
Morgan gave a slight huff of annoyance, before moving her gaze to look at Sakura, who looked a lot more awake thanks to the sudden jolt, and started fussing over her.
Leaning back into my seat, I let Morgan do her thing, instead peering out of the window, revealing a bright winter night.
This went on for a few minutes until I heard a knock on the office door.
"Come in," I said, before turning to look at the door, which smoothly swung open, revealing a male flight attendant.
As our eyes met, he lowered his head in a bow. "Your Majesty," he greeted, and I gave a hum in affirmation, allowing him to raise his head. "Your luggage has been transferred to your departure vehicle, which is ready to leave at any moment, and the air stair has been prepped for your use."
Nodding slightly, I subtly glanced at his nameplate before speaking. "Thank you, Mr. Thompson," I expressed appreciatively, before unbuckling my seatbelt and standing up. "We shall depart immediately," I said, which caused Morgan to mirror my action, before helping Sakura out of her seat.
Mr. Thompson gave a shallow nod before turning around and holding the door open for us. Glancing at Morgan and Sakura, I gave them a curious look. "Are the two of you ready to go?" I asked more out of courtesy, which was met by a nod from Morgan and a sleepy bob of Sakura's head.
With everyone's approval, we walked through the plane's dining room, lounge and reception area before arriving at the plane's door.
Another flight attendant stood by the door, and he gave a respectful nod of his head before unlatching the door and opening it.
As the cold winter air hit me, I was met by an air stair with a red carpet draped over it, which continued all the way past the stairs to a very familiar Rolls-Royce Phantom and an equally familiar woman standing beside it.
Smiling slightly, I started making my way down the staircase, with Morgan and Sakura following in tow, allowing us to quickly make our way to the car, meeting a somewhat pensive Amelia.
Seeing her, I felt my smile slowly vanish, instead replacing it with a slightly concerned look. "Amelia?" I said questioningly, causing her to slightly purse her lips.
"Alistair," she stated flatly, causing me to feel confused at the odd greeting. "What happened to your skin, hair and eyes?"
Ah, I seem to have forgotten to mention that… Oops…
I gave a slightly cramped smile. "Not a fan of the makeover?" I asked half-jokingly, only to not receive any reaction from her, causing me to sigh. "How about I give you a rundown while you drive us home? The explanation would take a bit of time, and I'd rather not have Sakura freeze her little toes off while listening to us," I explained, causing Amelia to glance past me at the sleepy little girl.
Seeing her, I could see Amelia's expression soften imperceptibly before refocusing back on me. "I suppose that is fine," she said with a hint of exasperation, before a smile graced her face. "Welcome home, Alistair," she said pleasantly, causing me to nod. "It's good to be back."
Having said hello to me, Amelia turned to look at Morgan and gave her an appraisal once-over. The more she looked, the further up her brows went, and her eyes even flickered to me from time to time, before she extended a hand to her. "Amelia Ashborn," she said pleasantly, causing Morgan to clasp her hand. "Morgan Pendragon."
And like that, Amelia's face broke into a mix of immense confusion, suspicion and surprise. But before she could give voice to any of the numerous questions she certainly had, Morgan spoke up. "How about we have a chat together once we get home," she stated while letting go of her hand, before placing it on Sakura's shoulder. "As Alistair said, we wouldn't want our youngest here to get cold, would we?" she asked, raising a brow.
Amelia quickly schooled her expression and gave Morgan a slow nod. "I'll prepare some refreshments for our talk then," she affirmed, before softening her expression and looking at the little girl, even slightly crouching down to meet her eyes.
"Hello there," she said kindly in Japanese to the slightly uncomfortable-looking girl. "My name is Amelia," she stated, before reaching a hand out. "You must be Sakura," she affirmed pleasantly. "Rosalind had lots of good things to say about you," she continued, causing the little girl to brighten up.
I didn't know whether to be surprised or just impressed at the fact that Amelia spoke Japanese, as I knew that she took plenty of courses to learn extra languages to be more competent, and therefore get a bonus for every extra language she's learnt.
"Is Rose here?" Sakura asked hopefully, only for Amelia's expression to lightly tighten, followed by a slow shake of her head. "No, she's unfortunately not among us," she said diplomatically, causing Sakura to lightly slump.
Seeing that the girl was not in the mood to shake her hand, Amelia gave a rueful smile and retracted her hand while standing up. Dusting off imaginary dust, she straightened her outfit out before opening the rear door. "Please have a seat, we'll be at the manor in a little under an hour."
Smiling slightly, Morgan ushered Sakura into the back before giving me a wink. After the two had settled in, Amelia closed the door and opened the passenger door for me. "Would you mind sitting in the front with me?" she asked with a strained smile, making it clear that she wouldn't appreciate me saying no.
Nodding slightly, I entered the car and seated myself in the passenger seat while strapping on the seatbelt. Amelia quickly entered the car, turned on the engine, and slowly slid the divider between the back seats and us to give the two of us some privacy.
I felt a small privacy Bounded Field erect itself before Amelia started to drive. "Who is she?" Amelia carefully asked while keeping her eyes on the road.
"She is who she said she was," I replied cryptically, earning an annoyed glance from the woman before refocusing on the road. "Alistair," she said my name with a hint of disapproval.
Sighing slightly, I propped up an elbow against the window and leaned my head on my knuckles. "I think it's for the best that I keep my mouth shut and let her explain herself to you properly," I explained, before clicking my tongue subtly. "The only thing I can realistically say is to give her a chance to explain herself, as things aren't as simple as they seem."
There was a slight pause in conversation before Amelia sighed. "Just tell me, is she dangerous? Are you safe? Or are you being threatened in any way?" she asked seriously.
Humming slightly, I answered her questions chronologically. "Yes, yes and no," I replied without hesitation before explaining her questions in full. "She's definitely dangerous, but she's already saved my life once, and she doesn't want to hurt me."
Shrugging slightly, I continued. "As I said, just keep an open mind and try not to jump to any conclusions," I said, before giving a low hum. "Giving her a blank slate when you connect the dots would go a long way," I added offhandedly.
Amelia didn't give me any sign that she had heard me before giving a slight sigh. "Fine, I'll try to do what you said, but your words are giving me a few theories on who she is, and they are making me uneasy," she stated with a hint of humor.
When I didn't retort with anything, she slowly turned to look at me with a worried look. I could only sheepishly smile. "I'd like to remind you that I asked you to give her a blank slate," I repeated, which caused her face to slightly pale, before turning back to look at the road and start to mutter to herself.
"First it was a God-damned Apostle, and now it might even be a witch…" she grumbled worriedly, and I could only try to avert her grumblings to something else in an attempt to distract her.
"Amelia?" I asked, earning a quick and clipped, "Yes," in return.
"You wanted to learn about my appearance change, right?" I started, and I could see her mood do a swift 180, from the slightly annoyed panic she was showing earlier, to a more serious mood. "Yes, I did."
Coughing slightly, I gave her a lopsided smile, as I knew that this explanation would at the very least have her worry less about Morgan. "How much do you know about Divine Spirits?"
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Well, a bit short I admit, but if I continued then the chapter would be really long, so this was the best cut off point.
So yeah, a lot is happening, and Morgan is prepared to step out of her comfort zone to ensure that she doesn't repeat what happened with Rosalind. Not that she thinks that Amelia and herself would get as close, or get along as well as she did with Rosalind, but she is willing to take that first step to ensure that something might be able to happen.
Alistair himself is going through a lot in regards to his regret with his mothers death, and the fact that he blames himself. Which is why we see him dance around using her name or referring to her in any way.
But other than that, he is going to need to distract Altrouge until Morgan and Amelia clear the air, and talk. Which will be rather simple, as Altrouge thinks Morgan is dead, as she felt her contract with her vanish when Morgan got incarnated, as her Servant self 'died', so our poor little gremlin is about to be hit with major whiplash when she sees the witch.
Anyways, before I end the chapter, I'd like to thank all of you on Discord who wished me a happy birthday! And I am sorry for not responding, I was spending the day with my family, and watched Star Wars III on the big screen, so I was relatively busy.
Now, any questions? If not, then I'll see you all next week!
Hop onto my Discord Server, I'd love to have a chat: https://discord.gg/HAPhryp5M2
Now, hand over those Power Stones, can't you see they are lonely when not used? Give them to me, and allow them to socialize, it's for their best... I swear...