2. Crossing Lily
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It was just a day like many others in my life, a perfectly ordinary day many like myself go through. Being a child walking back to her home by her lonesome, house merely a few minutes walk away even on those tiny legs. It was a simple time where they merely thought to wake up and go to school then back home. I was no different, but at some point we all came across something, and our life changed forever, becoming a tale in itself.

“Waaaah!” A girl crying. It wasn’t if I haven’t ever heard a girl cry before. Sometimes at school one of us will get into a bit of trouble and cry every now and then. But here isn’t the school, just a lonely street with scarcely anyone passing by. Even as a child I know that it’s unusual to hear someone cry out, especially as it continued, seemingly with no one to come to the girl’s aid.

I can’t help but walk over. The cry came out off the beaten path, going off the sidewalk and into the forage to the side. It was weird. Why would a child be out there and seem as though no one was around to accompany her? She was probably lost is my line of thought, and I was not wrong in thinking that, so it was good that I went to find her even if it was a spur of the moment decision.

Shock came naturally upon my face. The source of the crying was both as I expected and not. True to my line of thought it was another girl, looking to be similar age to myself if perhaps a bit younger but her appearance I did not expect. She doesn’t look like any girl I know, having a sort of foreign charm to her that I can’t quite articulate. Compared to myself with my dull black hair and eyes, hers shines bright compared to my own. The platinum blonde hair that shines even under the tree shades, bright blue eyes that shone through the tear in her eyes. I wore a simple school uniform that was lacking in color, while her dress was regal, shining in white and gold, with a necklace with a beautiful crystal that absorbed light into its deep blue body.

“She’s someone special.” That was my first line of thought. An appearance I simply cannot forget. It was so shocking to see someone that seemed to walk out of a fairy tale that I froze for a few seconds. My attempt at being a good samaritan was briefly halted despite the fact that she was still crying. Embarrassing at my own conduct I still pressed on regardless, and began talking. “Uhhh… Hello? Are you lost?”

Still a child myself I don’t have full confidence in my approach. She took notice of my words and stopped crying, looking at me with a great deal of apprehension and what seemed to be fear. It feels like I messed up when she looks at me like that.

“A-Are you alright?” I tried to ask something again only to receive silence as a reply. Stopping her crying doesn’t help with my self-esteem much.

“Dsl ziv blf?” I have no idea what she was saying at all, it was a foreign language that I could not recognize let alone understand. I stood there confused as she started to sound more desperate and fearful. “Dsviv zn R!? Wzwwb! Nlnnb!”

It was like she was calling out to someone, yet there was no one around. Her parents, friends? I have no idea, it’s just clear to me that she needs help that clearly doesn’t come. Another spur of a moment decision I made. I need to take her with me, find someone who can help her, just doing something aside from listening to her crying and screaming.

I grabbed her by the arm perhaps a bit forcefully with only my expression to convey apologies to such a rough escort. She was clearly panicking but there was no helping it, only after understanding my intention does she stop resisting.

“Mom! Dad!” As soon as I got home, still holding tight to her, I yelled out. They quickly rushed over, seeing me with a girl they don’t know looking as if she’s about to panic.

“Dear what’s going on?” Mom asked, sounding concerned.

“Who is she?” Dad immediately asked.

As for the girl herself she looked stunned seeing more people she didn’t recognize.

“She was crying and all alone so I brought her here!” I declared.

“So she’s lost is what you’re saying.” Dad summarized. I nodded hearing his words. The one besides me still has no idea what’s going on due to not sharing a common tongue.

“Don’t worry little lady we’ll find your parents.” Mom walked over and patted the girl’s head, still frozen and not processing the scene before her well.

“Mom, she doesn’t speak what we speak.” I mentioned noticing that both of them don’t know that yet.

“Ah. I see… A foreigner then? Maybe we should take her to the authorities in that case, maybe they’ll know something.” Dad suggested. He then takes a moment to contemplate before pulling out his phone, dialing something and putting it to his ear. He began talking and asking me some questions of where I found her, then with him finished talking he turned to look at us. “We just need to keep our eyes on her til the authorities arrive. Shouldn’t be too long, you can look after her right?”

“Of course!” I said with confidence I don’t actually have. Just trying to put on the air of someone who others can rely on, so this person by my side can feel safe despite neither of us understanding each other. I look at her with a smile to emphasize that, only to get a confused look in return, simply not sure what to make of the situation still. I tried and failed multiple times to gestured to her to sit beside me as we waited for the authorities to come.

The authorities do come quickly and investigate into who she is and who her parents might be, but all they have to say is, “We have no information on her whatsoever.”

It was like she appeared out of thin air, in the dress of a noble lady as well. Everyone involved was so perplexed they simply left her with us.

The day after that I approached her, feeling a bit too curious to keep the questions to myself. I then point at myself while looking her in the eyes. “Yua.”

I pointed repeatedly at myself while saying my name, hoping she’ll give me her name when I point at her with a head tilt. Doing this a few times before something clicked in her eyes, pointing at herself and said, “Moira.”

“Moira.” I said while pointing at her, in which she responded with a nod.

“Yua.” She returns the favor, pointing at me while repeating my name, which I nod in return.

A bond between us was formed, something which I understand well even back then, there was no going back from this, and our bond deepened with passing events.

“Here.” One time I handed her an unwrapped candy that she stared at with much confusion, so I picked it up and plop it in her mouth to her surprise. That little expression of her was so cute, especially when she was enjoying it.

*Flip* Another time I flipped through old picture books with fantasy settings, and Moira sometimes joined in. Sometimes I can spot a melancholic look on her, even when she tries to not make it show. I would close the book whenever she started looking sad. I don’t want to see her sad, I want to see her smile. It has been just for a short while but there’s this feeling in me that’s different from when I interacted with my friend at school. Back then I merely think it’s because she’s different.

“How about you try teaching her the language if you are so sure you’re so good at it?” One day when I was discussing my school performance with my parents my mom said that as a joke. It would help us talking to each other if I can do that. And so as months passed I began teaching her little by little, but there’s only so much a child can teach another child, so it just turned into a bit of a silly debacle. We sometimes laugh over it.

There were a multitude of feelings I got from her smile, seeing that she no longer cried like when we first met. At some point in my mind, I feel the need to never let her go, but it was buried deep within me while consciously I hope she will return to her true family one day.

Then that day comes as if a comet landed right in front of me. Walking beside me when suddenly a strong pillar of light that radiates power appeared in front of us, coming out from thin air.

A man in regal armor appeared with a powerful presence. His blonde hair and bright blue eyes stand in contrast to everyone I have met, aside from her. Suddenly I can feel something sharp at my neck as I froze in fear.

“Wzwwb! Wzwwb hglk!” The girl who barely spoke, the one I spent my few months with looking after, spoke up against this man.

“Moira!” He spoke her name as he quickly lowered his blade and walked towards her, hugging her tight as if to never let go. “Gszmp gsv tlwwvhh blf'iv zorev…”

He then turned his sharp eyes toward me, carrying her and taking a step back. I thought I was going to die. My face was pale.

“Wzwwb sv'h nb uirvmw kovzhv hglk!” She shouted out to the man, who quickly lost his gaze.

“Uirvmw blf hzb?” He looked at her bewildered. “Rm gsrh lgsvi dliow? R'n rnkivhhrev nb wvzi. Hgroo dv xzmmlg hgzb sviv li ovg lgsvih hzd fh. Ovg'h ovzev gsrh dliow mld, blfi nln rh dliirvw hrxp!”

She looks like she’s conflicted, and I was unable to understand what was going on with my brain brimmed with fear and confusion. She then spoke up. “Y-Yfg... R wlm'g dzmg gl tl bvg…”

“Gszg droo mlg wl nb wvzi. R'n hliib yfg dv mvvw gl ovzev blfi uirvmw yvsrmw.” He said in a sympathetic tone, placing her down and said to her, “Hzb blfi tllwybvh mld.”

She then turned to look at me with regret and guilt, suddenly taking off her necklace and handed it over to me. “...Gs-Th-ank you… for everything.”

Suddenly everything was enveloped in light and she was gone. Both of them were gone in an instant, with only the necklace I described as beautiful deep blue as proof they were ever here.

They were gone... That clicked in my head... They were gone... She was gone…

Now it was my turn to cry.

 

xxXxx

 

Years have passed since then. She simply cannot be removed from my memory, I kept the necklace with me as proof she was there, she was there with me.

“Today we will be learning about letter substitution. Some probably have heard of this, with a shift of 25 a turn to z…” Just some random lecture in college. Regaining normalcy I honestly didn’t care for.

When will I ever see her again? That’s all I can think about, even when my parents and friends tried to console me I just can’t drop that desire… I keep that necklace hoping that it might be why we can see each other again, probably wishful thinking, but what is a desperate woman to do but turn to such a thought?

When the lessons are over some take their time chatting with others. I usually don’t partake in conversations but a few times they will call out to me with some questions, few I saw as simply asinine. “Hey Yua, anyone you’re dating now? With that pretty face of yours I bet you easily hook some guys right?”

“No. I don’t care about any guys.” I said straight to her face, with her looking slightly annoyed.

“Sheesh. Do you seriously have no one you love? What’s the pretty look for then?” She said somewhat mockingly. I turned to look at her and answered calmly.

“I have one, can that be said about you?” Then I left, not looking back at faces I have no real attachment to.

A day of walking back home, no different from usual, then something unexpected happened. A shining light reached out to consume me. I closed my eyes in response, my head hurt with information invading my brain, and when I came to a spectacle can be seen.

Multiple people besides me I do not know, some pompous people in front speaking about different worlds and war. Those are words with heavy implication, but those are not what caught my eyes. Instead it’s the man who sits on the throne, he’s the one who took her away from me. I met him again. Then she must be here, somewhere, that’s where my mind went to, and I want answers. We gazed at each other all the while.

By the time the speech was over and we were escorted to our dorms, I received an invite to the king of this kingdom I was transported to. I answered the call knowing full well who that is. We met face to face and had a little heart to heart, all the while the atmosphere filled with tension and a sense of melancholy.

“I can see that neither of us are surprised to meet again.” He commented. The hostility he once showed me no longer present. “And I know what you want to ask next.”

“Where is she then?” I cut right to the chase. He looked guilty in response.

“Kidnapped by the enemy kingdom I’m afraid… It’s why I resorted to their ways and summoned more help, which expectedly includes you.” He explained. My expression is still blank despite the news. So she has been kidnapped, as if she needs to be in any more trouble. I simply can’t stand for this.

“You should know better than anyone aside from her what I’ll do, do you not?” I asked another question.

“Yes.” He answered simply.

“Then we’re done here. I’ll go save her. Now where exactly is she?” My tone is starting to become more and more impatient. He held his hand up as a gesture to stop.

“Don’t be hasty. I don’t want to lose her as much as you do, but you’re still new here, do you even know how to fight? We need to take things slowly.” His words ring true but frustrating all the same. “I don’t want my daughter to see someone she wishes to see all these years to arrive dead.”

“And your reason for not letting her before this?” I asked in a heavy tone.

“Such magic is simply too dangerous, it’ll be a risk she takes every time she comes to see you, I cannot allow that as a father.” He explained. “I’m sorry for ever separating you two. Honestly I was shocked by the bond you shared even when it’s a fraction of your lifetime.”

“What? You think our few months of relationship should be shallow?” I mockingly retorted.

“Haaah… I wasn’t trying to insinuate that… I see you still have that necklace. Perhaps that bond really did run deeper than I think.” He commented. It was obvious that I keep it, keep it for her.

“Regardless, please stay safe out there, any news on her I’ll make sure to notify you.” He said seeing my impatience, readying to leave at any minute.

“I will, for her sake.” I said before walking towards the door, stopping just as I have one other thing on my mind. “Say. She isn’t engaged to anyone has she?”
“Hm? No I would never, there was no one I found suitable.” He confidently answered.

“I see. When I rescue her, I will take her hand then.” I said confidently as well.
“Is that so? I will allow it if you manage to do so, and I will not back off on that statement.” He said half-jokingly.

“I’ll hold you to your words, father-in-law.” I said with a small grin on me, leaving the room for the man to be alone with his thoughts.

Second time of her in peril, and like the first, I’ll be there.

 

xxXxx

 

“P-Please spare me! I'll give you wealth! Land! Anything!” The man who I have blade at his throat said, squealing like a pathetic pig.

“Keep your words. You took someone from me and I’ll take her back.” *Slash* I cut down the scum that dared to endanger her. With him dead all the forces in this fort are wiped out.

Now I can finally see her. Walking over to the room I opened it to see a face I recognized even with years passed. Sitting there in melancholy before this moment.

Our eyes met. There was water in both our eyes as we stared meaningfully at each other. An overwhelming sense of joy we were missing since that day, all either of us could think about.

I walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. Both of us point towards each other, overwhelmed with feelings long pented up, now intimately closer even with years of separation, touching each other’s chest, and muttering each other’s name. With those words we will be together forever, til death do us part.

 

“Yua | Moira”

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