<Ignavus>

'What am I doing?'

Sat in a bed of perfectly laid leaves, Ignavus could only question himself. His makeshift shelter, which consisted of green vibrant roofed leaves supported by sticks, felt cramped and unpleasant.

'Those damn kids...' 

They had constructed this shelter in order to hide Ignavus. It was supposed to be part of the last game. A game Ignavus hoped would end soon.

'Princess in Peril... what a dumb name! Marie needs to...! needs to...'

It was hard for Ignavus to put what he was feeling into clear words. His feelings towards Marie were mixed. They were like his whole experience as Navy. Confused. He wanted her close but not too close, far but not too far, present but not too present. It was a whole mess.

"Ugh, I dislike this so much"(I)

Never being sure anymore. Never being certain anymore. These things were just so tiring.

"How about we get out of here then?"

'Huh?'

Ignavus turned to the voice. The familiar voice.

He should be the only one here. The last patrol had just left.

"YOU!"(I)

"Me!"

"Not this again!"(I)

The makeshift shelter shuddered.

'Oh no'

The brief lapse in concentration had caused Ignavus to relax his wings. An action that could result in the destruction of his small shelter.

'That was too close!'

The shelter itself was funnily enough not actually small. It was just that Ignavus' wings made it feel small. In reality, it could have probably fit three kids at a time.

Ignavus opened his once shut eyes. A smile accompanied by a pair of dark, black, abyssal eyes greeted him. They were lucky the whole structure hadn't collapsed. 

"You. shouldn't. be. here!"(I)

The boy with dark skin, clad in his signature charcoal-coloured shorts, long-sleeved shirt, and a whimsical pointed hat, gazed at Ignavus, a hint of mild confusion in his expression.

"Didn't you call me?"

"NO!"(I)

There were many things Ignavus wanted to say to this kid. None of them nice. It took everything he had in him to not explode in his face.

"Oh, I guess I sensed it wrong..."

'Sensed it wrong? Sensed it wrong!? How does that even-'

A scary thought suddenly flashed in mind. What once appeared as a poor excuse might turn out to be the death of Ignavus.

'The card! They took the stupid card!'

Ignavus felt his anger lessen. The fact that this was happening after yesterday couldn't be a coincidence. In fact, it might possibly be his fault. 

The boy had raised his hand to his chin. Striking a pose reserved for people with the ability to think. The smile that had once been replaced with a serious face returned in full force.

"Though, it's not like I need a reason to see my love!"

Ignavus felt his whole-body violently shiver at those words. While he may be at fault for leading the kid here, it didn't mean he would let him mouth off.

"Don't call me-!"(I)

The makeshift shelter suddenly shuddered once more... before finally crashing down.

Ignavus closed his eyes and hurriedly lifted his hands in a weak attempt to shield himself.

"Wow, that was close!"

After hearing those words, Ignavus opened his eyes to taken in the scene.

The disturbing scene.

The once vibrant green leaves had become a mere shadow of their former glory. A sickly grey decay clung to them, consuming their very essence. It spread swiftly, infecting every part of the leaves. Not a single piece was spared. All was laid to waste. Only the little flakes floating about in the air gave credence to the existence of what once was.

A chill climbed down Ignavus' back. An aspect that should have been obvious from his first encounter with the kid had only now become more evident. This boy was dangerous. Really dangerous. A fact Ignavus' past self was too drunk on old success to truly see. The boy was more than just troublesome. He was a walking disaster.

'He said he was a maid of death or something... Argh! what am I supposed to do?!'

Ignavus needed to think. He wasn't the same delusional idiot he had been when he first met this kid. A lot changed and, for better or for worse, he begrudgingly started to accept his reality.  Unfortunately, upon accepting reality, certain truths became apparent; Ignavus was nowhere near able to take on this kid. Not that he should. A princess wasn't expected to fight people who seemed important.

'Ugh... I should've never taken that card'

Ignavus, once again, found himself lamenting his past actions. He had taken the card for a rather stupid reason. He wanted an answer to a question he already knew. He wanted to know if he was truly immortal. Something that was self-evident with him being able to see the boy but... at the time Ignavus wasn't thinking straight. He just wanted to confirm, to make sure and certain.

'I'm...I'm so dumb'

Ignavus had let such a small insecurity get the better of him. He should have never made a deal with this kid.

"Helllllo... Navy? You listening? You're not hurt my love, are you?"

Ignavus felt his face twitch and before he registered what he was doing, he was up and yelling.

"Don't say that! Do you know what my Mommy-Mother! - would do if she heard you!? Are you trying to get me in trouble?!"(I)

Ignavus had already suffered a punishment he, himself didn't understand. A punishment that roped in his silly bird. He couldn't afford to suffer anymore due to this kid.

"H-huh? What, what word?"

Ignavus moved close to the boy and stared at his face. He put every little detail, as disturbing as some of them were, under intense scrutiny.

'Does... does he really not know?'

At the end of the day, this kid was just that- a kid. He was childish and immature while probably not knowing much. It was likely he was behaving in this way because someone was yet to tell him it was wrong.

'I-I'll just have to correct him'

Ignavus was the more experienced party, he should lead.

"Don't say... don't say..."(I)

He just had to find a way to not make it odd.

'Damn it, I'll just say it'

It was only odd if Ignavus made it odd.

"Don't say m-my l-love, okay?!"(I)

"Yes! Finally!!"

'Huh?'

It took Ignavus a minute of staring at the dancing boy to realise his error.

'Damn it, that was so dumb! I knew he was a cheat! Why did I walk into his trap so willingly!!'

Ignavus stared down at his open hands. He couldn't help but wonder, were these the effects of minimal social interaction? Or just his plain stupidity. His naivety that seemed to be growing was concerning. This wasn't the first time he was being played.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it all!'

Swallowing that bitter truth, Ignavus pulled his hands into a fist.

"Can you leave! I don't have the time for this!"(I)

This kid being important could be damned.

The kid gave a weak smile while rubbing the back of his head.

"W-Well, I can't really just leave"

'For crying out loud, what does he want now?'

Ignavus' patience had long since run out. He needed this kid to leave before anyone found out he was even here.  For, it was not only his mother's wrath he feared. If Marie or worse, his aunt found out, he wouldn't be able to live with the shame. He needed to do whatever it took.

Cupping his hands with newfound resolve, Ignavus tried to imagine a simple shape. The shape of a cube.

'We got this, we got this!'

Feeling the energy finally settle down, Ignavus peeked into his closed hands. A ghastly deformed cuboid greeted his eyes. Masking his disappointment with a cheerful smile, Ignavus spoke in his most merry voice.

"Thank you greatly for coming! But unfortunately, I must attend to some very serious princess duties!"(I)

Finally opening his hands completely, the ghastly abomination greeted the world. 

"You may take this as a special parting gift!"(I)

Ignavus watched as the boy's eyes lit up from the gift presented.

'Yes!'

The boy reached out his hand and just as he was about to grab the gift, Ignavus pulled back. 

"Though... since this is a PARTING gift, it is expected that the receiver immediately leaves upon receiving it"(I)

The light that had once previously shone in the boy's eyes dimmed.

'Come on! Just take it!'

After pulling out his hands again, Ignavus waited for the boy.

"Uhmm...W-Well as I was trying to tell you earlier, I can't just-"

A sudden snap caught both of their attention.

'Crap! That must be the patrol! Screw it!'

Ignavus thrusted the gift into the boy's hand then started shoving him into the nearby bushes.

"See you later then!"(I)

"W-Wait, they won't-"

Ignavus kicked out his leg in an effort to trip the boy. It was a success.

Finally comfortable with him gone, Ignavus turned to greet the newcomer.

A short distance away, a boy with brown hair, appearing weary, held onto a tree.

 

"Princess...! I... have something... important to tell... you!"

The boy looked like he would collapse any second.

'Wow, these kids are really taking the game seriously'

The game Princess in Peril revolved around Ignavus. Marie had split the kids into two teams, one tasked with capturing Ignavus, another with protecting him. The team tasked with protecting Ignavus had devised a plan to hide him and then lure the enemy team away. It wasn't the worst plan but had the major caveat of leaving Ignavus completely defenceless. So, to combat this, the kids created a rotating patrol that would occasionally check up on Ignavus.

A stupid idea.

When Ignavus pointed out that such a thing might inadvertently lead to him being found, he was told not to worry. So, he responded by repeatedly warning them. His warnings fell on deaf ears as the kids seemed fixated on this part of the plan. It was only when the game started, and the rotations happen did he understand why. The kids each wanted some individual time to chat with him. Something they finally got after the two ring leaders were put on the opposite team.

Ignavus walked over to the boy slouching on the tree. He was not the only one who apparently had something important to say to him today.

"Relax, we got time"(I)

The other team seemed unable to get this location. Ignavus could easily guess the likely reason for their failure. Those two group leaders simply didn't mix.

Inspecting the kid, Ignavus struggled to hold in his surprise.

'These spoiled kids can really do a number'

Particularly though, if Ignavus was being honest, this brown-haired kid seemed far worse off than any patroller before.

Taking care not to lay in any dirt patches, Ignavus sat on his knees next to the boy. A position which didn't make him feel as small.

"Are you alright?"(I)

If there was one good thing that came out of this specific game, it would be the fact it allowed Ignavus to practice speaking. Granted, most conversations were short and Ignavus didn't engage first, but they were the start of something.

With a slow exhale, Ignavus prepared to continue the conversation with the boy. So far, he was the only kid he had been able to engage somewhat normal. Maybe it was due to his earlier display or his calm demeanour, but Ignavus felt like he could actually make a friend of this kid.

'Just one friend today! That's all I need!'

Ignavus had crafted this short mantra in order to force himself to interact. He really didn't want to fail.

"Yes... but that's not important now"

The boy looked at Ignavus with a sense of urgency. 

"Today, something bad is going to happen"

'Is he talking about the game? That's a little bit of a dramatic way of putting it'

"Oh, don't worry about the game. It's not-"(I)

"No, no! That's not what I mean!!"

Ignavus stared at the boy in silence. He was acting odd. He had never shouted before, not even in the games they played earlier.

"S-Sorry, princess. I-I didn't mean to shout"

A moment of silence passed after the boy's apology.

'What am I doing? Say something damn it?!'

Ignavus hadn't expected such a reaction from the boy but to be thrown off this much by it was ridiculous.

"I-It's okay, what-what were you saying?"(I)

 The boy opened his mouth to speak but before a word could travel, loud arguing filled the air.

"I swear I saw him run off here!"(L.T)

"Uh-huh, sure. Just like the last twenty times you- Oh, OH! Princess, we have come to save you!"(S.S)

Ignavus turned his head, his eyes meeting with the two troublemakers. A group mixed with both teams formed behind them, Ignavus' teammates had definitely seen better days. 

"Now shove off, you're blocking me. This truce is over, and I need to save the princess!"(L.T)

The boy took off and ahead of the lizard girl.

"You bastard!"(S.S)

The girl slithered after the boy. Both kids were coming at Ignavus and the brown-haired boy and they didn't seem to be slowing down.

Ignavus felt a tug on his sleeve. It was the brown-haired boy.

"Princess, the hero-!"

"Time!"(M)

Seemingly appearing from thin air, Marie stood in the mid-point between each duo.

"The protectors have the win!"(M)

 

Ignavus stood next to Marie watching the children enjoy solid food once more.

"So, how was it my lady?"(M)

Facing sideways, Ignavus greeted a crouched Marie. He reframed from letting out a sigh. Even if he told Marie she looked ridiculous, he doubted she would stop. Thus, he chose to respond to the question.

"Fun"(I)

'Huh?'

Marie smiled dumbly and let out a light chuckle.

"Was it now?"(M)

Without his notice, Ignavus found both his hands covering his mouth.

"So, did you manage?"(M)

Marie didn't have to say anymore for Ignavus to understand the question. Looking to the crowd of children, Ignavus' eyes landed on a lone brown-haired boy. He sat on the grass gazing up to the sky.

"M-Maybe?"(I)

Throughout all the games and conversations, Ignavus found that one kid to be the closest semblance of a friend. Which was a great shame considering Ignavus didn't even know his name. The kid was the only person there Ignavus managed to somewhat click with and Ignavus didn't really know why.

'What even is a friend?'

It was a question that should have been asked before undertaking this task.

'Mhmm... friends should be just people you are comfortable talking with? Right? And if that's the case...'

"Actually, I think I managed"(I)

Ignavus still wasn't fully sure if their conversations could be counted but he felt like it should. 

It happened in a sudden flash. 

Ignavus found himself swinging high up in the air without any warning.

"Marie! Stop! There are guests here! Guests!!"(I)

The world around Ignavus blurred as Marie let out what sounded like a squeal.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!! It's that boy, Marc, isn't it?!"(M)

The world continued to shift patterns until it finally slowed down.

Ignavus felt his feet touch the ground. His tired legs gave out almost immediately resulting in a rescue by Marie. Now cradled in her arm, Ignavus felt he had earned the right to complain.

"Marieee, please. Never do that again"(I)

"Cough, S-Sorry, my lady. My excitement got the better of me"(M)

Despite apologising, the excitement in Marie's voice was still ever present.

"It's just so hard to resist when my lady is doing something amazing"(M)

'Flattery will get you nowhere' 

Perhaps sensing Ignavus' mood, Marie started petting his hair.

"I do have an apology as a gift for you. One I am sure you are bound to love"(M)

Ignavus squeezed his already shut eyes even tighter. He didn't want whatever she was selling.

"Please open your eyes, my lady. Please do it for me"(M)

Hearing the earnestness in Marie's voice, Ignavus eventually gave in.

'This better not be something dumb'

Opening his eyes, Ignavus expected to see the faces of the gathered kids.

His expectations were betrayed.

Instead of the forested area they had been playing in, Ignavus opened his eyes to an enclosed field. From the walls Ignavus could tell that they were in the castle.

'Seriously, how big is this place!?'

Ignavus looked up at Marie, she had definitely used her magic. Marie merely smiled and pointed forward with her free hand. Ignavus traced the hand until his eyes came upon a figure. A lone figure. Sat at a golden table of two sipping on a glass.

It was the warrior.

It was White.