Chapter Text
The case with the melusines brought more unresolved feelings within Neuvillette, more than he would’ve like to admit, especially after the recent... Fall of Focalors, he can tell his instincts have been acting up.
He has often found himself stepping in between what should be normal conversations between the humans and the melusines even more so he has caught himself looking at the water far too long. He had originally assumed this was due to his time spent within the city but even within his own home, he doesn’t feel…. Safe? Is that the word? If he’s honest these past couple of weeks, the only peace he’s found is with Wriothesley as weak as that sounds, he feels…. Safe almost with him. It might be the action he took during what should’ve been the fall of the Fontaine people or how he stood by Neuvillette in almost everything but, it was something about Wriothesley that made him feel undoubtedly safe.
A soft knock on his door drags his attention from his thoughts, his eyes narrow on the door as he commands.
“Come in.”
The door opens softly and in slides one of his most trusted Melusines, Sedene her soft smile greets him though a bit of a shocked look is on her face as she holds a pile of papers in her hands.
“Monsieur Neuvillette? You are oftenly calm for how close the trial is, it’s less than an hour away and you aren’t even on the hydro station yet. “ he pauses at her words, eyes widening as he looks over at the clock, he didn’t realize how long he had been sitting here in his own thoughts.
“I didn’t even notice the time, you are right I should get going.” he quickly stands and falters, placing a hand on his head as a wave of nausea and dizziness overtook him, his eyes stung as he heard Sedene gasp and drop the papers, rushing to his side.
“Neuvillette? Are you okay?” her tone distressed as she hovered her hands around him. Placing a lot of his weight on his cane, he tries to steadied himself, the dizziness not leaving him quite yet as he mutters.
“I apologize, I seem to have stood up too fast. However I must get going, i cannot be late.” he shudders, when has it become cold here? He ponders as he ignores Sedene concerned whining and pushes through the door.
——
The ride on the aquabus was long and painfully slow, he could see the concerned looks that he kept getting from Elphane but he ignored them. He had almost arrived to the opera too late, at least by a minute, he ignored the looks from the other melusines as he rushed to his chair and began court.
“So you admit it then! You murdered them !” a lawyer shouted as Neuvillette grinded his teeth through the pain, everytime one of the sides shouted he could feel a intense pain from the base of his horns to front of his forehead, he can feel his vision beginning to blur but he forces himself to stay still, to listen, he can’t fail now.
“Fine! I admit it! I murdered them! I murdered them and I enjoyed it! How dare those brats think they-” before the guilty pardon could speak another word, he slams his cane down, the sound of it echoing through the opera like that of the ringing bell.
“Silence, here by the judgment of the Oratrice medcanique d’analyse cardinale, you are guilty and will serve life in the fortress. And with that court is over.” he shouts, his words ringing out loud through the commotion, he watches as two gardes drag the raging man away, he steps behind his chair and through the door and only then does he allow his legs to buckle and for him to fall, his landing is hard as his body hit the ground and his canes slide out and away from him.
Instantly two melusines rush to his side, “Monistour Neuvillette! You're ill! What has happened?” one cries whilst the other places their palm on his head. “Sedene informed us that you were feeling unwell but not this unwell.. “ the other mutters, soon the door is opened by said Sedene and her gasps echo far too long for his pounding head as he lets out a whimper.
“We need to send for Sigeweenie! Quickly get Neuvillette to melusine village! No one can see him this way” she orders, as the other two melusines nod and place each one of their arms under his arms, pulling him only slightly from the ground. “We can’t carry him like this.. “ they mutter worry in their tones as Neuvillette groans.
“No need, i- i will… be fine” he chokes out as his head never stops pounding and before he knows it, the world spins and the last thing he sees is Sedene teary gaze as the world goes dark.
The soft sound of rain hitting the windows echoes through the darkness of his mind
——
Wriothesley sits in his office, sipping the tea as he hums, the traveler has helped them out more than the would’ve light to admit and they time and effort in everything has been nice, and to see Monsieur Neuvillette outside of the opera and here, for something that no doubt the gardes would dealt with was interesting. He had his own thoughts on Neuvillette plenty of times but to hear his deep care on the melusines as well as hearing something unpleasant with them happened in the past..
He wonders if the same could be said towards Neuvillette, he had heard from tells of seniors and past gardes that had been passed down through generations that Neuvillette had been treated as nothing but an outsider however he couldn’t believe it at that time… he wonders if Neuvillette still thought to himself as a outsider, he finds himself frowning at that thought. He has enjoyed his company with Neuvillette endlessly, their cups of tea over their duty, catching him in the rain looking almost somber, he doesn’t like the idea that despite all the time they spent, Neuvillette might seem himself as nothing short of an outsider.
Soft padding footsteps and harsh breathing snaps him from his thoughts as he stands up, something wrong is all he can think as Sigeweenie rushes up the stairs.
“Your grace! I have to request leave” she shouts, her tone shaky as Wriothesley frowns and stares at her disheveled look.
“Sigeweenie, you know you're free to leave at any time but if i am honest, you are freaking me out right now, has something happened? Did someone threaten you like they did with-” before he can even finish his sentence, Sigweenie shakes her head furiously, her tiny hands shaking as she does so.
“No, it's much worse! And I have to leave but there are patients in my wait! But if I don't leave this could be of national concern!” even more alarmed, he straightens up and moves out from his desk, rushing to her side.
“What do you mean by national concern? Is something wrong with the prophecy? Did we not-” again he is interrupted as she shakes her head before pausing and taking a deep breath, her gaze filling with guilt and concern.
“I- shouldn’t have said of national concern.. But it’s- i can’t say i’m not sure I'd be allowed, no one has ever… “ she pauses, staring at him as he remains silently carefully waiting for her explanation, a rush of relief at the fact it wasn’t a actual national concern.
“But if I don't tell you then you can’t help and the patient's life might even be more at risk.. That’s it i’ve made up my mind” she announces, crossing her arms and staring at him with assurance.
“You are coming with me, maybe then we can have someone from the human world get whatever we need!” confused Wriothesley stares at her, he’s curious on who she is speaking about.. Is it possible one of the melusines has gotten ill? But why would she use the word of national concern? Maybe some primal sea water- no that can’t be it they were freed of it.. So what could it be? He ponders.
“Sigeweenie can you explain to me anymore of this? I am willing to come with but i would like to know more.” he states as she shakes her head once again,
“Nope! I can’t tell you but I can show you!” she declares before grabbing his hand and practically dragging him out of his office, the sight must’ve been something from the muffled laughter from the gardes he heard.
——
He is dragged onto the aquabus and as he sat there, he could see that the melusine that usually operates it at such ease was tense, in fact as he was dragged through the city of the fontaine and out of fontaine into the wilderness, he noticed more and more of the Melusines were tense, on edge or even not there at all. In fact it seemed as if most of the melusines that weren’t always on job were gone, vanished and with that observation more concern grew in him and the never ending rain didn’t help.
Sigeweenie had been tense throughout the entire trip, even as she dragged him under water and into a cave, never once telling him where they were going, only nudging him along. The moment they are out of the water and into the main area of the cave, he can feel how still air was, the tenseness of Sigeweenie almost seemed to transfer to the air as she kept pulling him along.
“We are almost there.. “
Her words echo through the cave as he follows, silently waiting for whatever lines behind the next cave wall and there as he steps past the ladder is a small village but that’s not what takes his breath away, it’s how many Melusines are gathered there, all panicked and whines echo as they shuffle around holding boxes and bins of random items.
“Melusine village” he utters as Sigeweenie nods and pushes through the crowd with ease, up the steps to the shell house in the middle where what looks like the main melusine lives. “Thank goodness you are here, Sigeweenie! He’s up in the waterfall! Sedene is there with him!” the Melusine announces as Sigeweenie nods her head and continues whilst Wriothesley pauses.
Even Sedene, one of the most trusted melusines by Monster Neuvillette here? He thinks to himself as he looks up towards the waterfall where a tall ladder has been built up to it, as well as a small elevator that many melusines are placing items like fish and… is that a box of otters?
“Your grace please hurry up,” Sigeweenie calls as he shakes his thoughts away and walks to the ladder, climbing the unsafe ladder is one of the worst things he has done but once he reaches the top, where Sigeweenie stands her feet in the water alongside Sedene, he finally understands.
Laying in the water surrounded by otters, shells is Neuvillette, he has been stripped of his coat, his boots and gloves, his hair is flowing throughout the water and despite the fact he is wearing a pair of pants and shirt, he looks almost naked without his usual getup but what catches his attention most, is the glowing of what he had always assumed was hair now clearly they something else.
“Sigeweenie thank hydro dragon you are here! He collapsed after trial and he hasn’t woken up since! “ Sedene declares, her words echoing throughout the cave as Sigeweenie falters. Wriothesley pauses at her words, eyes widening.
“He collapsed at the trial? And no gardes were notified? Nor a doctor?” he asks calmly despite the ever growing anxiety in him as he looks at Neuvillette, the otters pushing shells at him and whining when he doesn’t push them back.
“Ah your grace! I didn’t… realize Sigeweenie brought you- but yes, we instantly brought him here, no one saw him so don’t worry” Sedene says as if her words are comforting.
“That’s not a good thing! What if-” he tunes out the rest of whatever Sigeweenie says after that, instead giving his attention to Neuvillette who lays in the water still as can be, if it wasn’t for the rising and falling of his chest Wriothesley would’ve thought he had passed. Stripping off his usual coat and boots, he steps into the deep water almost instantly losing the ground below as he realizes how truly deep the water goes.
Still continuing on, he swims over to Neuvillette, his hands brush over Neuvillette’s forehead, frowning at how hot it is despite the coldness of the water, activating his vision slightly he places his palm on Neuvillette’s forehead and begins to cool him down. It’s a while before he feels the water shift as Sigeweenie joins him, floating beside and checking on Neuvillette, frowning almost the entire time.
“I believe, it is time you tell me what is going on” Wriothesley states, his tone soft as Sigeweenie looks up at him and sighs.
“Neuvillette is the hydro dragon.. And for him to fall ill isn’t a good sign, it’s why all melusines are here. “ Her words don’t shock him, he’s always had his suspicions on Neuvillete being the hydro dragon but, he’s never heard of him ever being ill and her words.. Scare him, scare him in a way he hasn’t been scared since he was little, when had this attachment to Neuvillette began? When he had realized how much he truly cared- was it gonna be too late what- he stops his thoughts there as he looks at Sigeweenie with nothing short of fear.
“What can I do?” he whispers the words, almost afraid to say them as she looks down at Neuvillette and mutters.
“Be here”