Thank you both so much! About Regret, Van... His backstory is... Well, it's hard to explain. Let's just say the truth about his past is a big, important secret to be revealed later in the story.
Alright, it's time for chapter twenty-nine! This chapter is mainly focused on character development, so there isn't too much action this time. It's also a bit longer than usual. I hope you enjoy it all the same, and get ready, because something big is on its way!
Friendly Warning: This chapter contains suggestive dialogue and content.
Enjoy, guys!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I didn’t even realize it happened at first.
I was laying in the sand, sprawled out on my back. My eyes were half closed. Gradually, my enhanced sense of perception faded away, and the background and noise slowly faded back.
My eyes sprang wide open, and I sat up like a rocket. I looked to my left and right, and then dead ahead. Regret walked over to me.
“Good fight, Alphonse! For a second there, I thought I was a goner!” he said while grinning cheerfully.
He extended his hand, and after a slight hesitation, I grabbed it. He pulled me to my feet, and we shook hands.
“Yeah. Good fight.” I agreed, smiling softly, sheathing my sword.
“Alphonse! What happened back there?!” the voice of Layla called out from behind me.
I turned around, and saw Layla hop down from the stands, followed by Zelda.
“I thought you were winning! What happened?!” Zelda exclaimed.
“I guess he got the better of me!” I answered with a laugh.
“What does that mean?!” Layla snapped. She puffed out her cheeks and pouted. “And I worked so hard to cheer for you, too.”
Suddenly, something clicked with in my brain. “Oh, yeah, Regret...” I began, turning back around to face him.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I have something I wanna ask you. Can we meet up later and talk?” I told him.
“Sure thing. You can come by my place tomorrow, around noon.” he agreed.
“Y-Your place?” I asked, feeling confused.
“That’s right. I live with a Gerudo named Maika in the east side of town. I’ll tell her you’ll be dropping by.” he said.
And with that, Regret turned and walked away.
“Alphonse, what’s this about?” Zelda asked.
“That guy could use magic, which is unheard of for humans. I’m an exception, being the Hero of Spirits. I just want to confirm something with that guy.” I explained.
“But he was pretty vague on his directions.” Layla complained. “I haven’t met any Gerudo named Maika.”
“I know her.” I said. “I fought her in the second round. I’m gonna go see if I can find her. I’ll meet you two back at the palace, okay?” I said as I dashed off.
“Ah-- Alphonse! … Man, that guy...” Layla moaned.
“Come on, let’s go, Layla!” Zelda said.
“Fine.” Layla reluctantly agreed.
I quickly dashed through the crowd exiting through the front gates of the stadium, trying to find Maika. Shaking off all the people trying to congratulate me for doing so well in the Fighting Festival, I ducked and dodged through the crowd, and accidentally bumped into King Ganondorf.
“Ah, there you are Alphonse. I was looking for you.” he said.
“Ah... Hello, Your Highness.” I said, bowing to him.
“I wanted to congratulate you for making it so far in the festival! You put on a grand display, especially during the final round! I was starting to think that you might be the one to seize the title of Champion from young Regret, but I guess that kid isn’t going to lose his place at the top for a long time after all.” he said with a laugh.
“Champion? How many times has Regret won?” I asked.
“He’s won the festival four years in a row now!” Ganondorf told me.
“I see... Um, do you know where I can find Maika?” I asked him.
“Ah, Maika. Yes, you should talk to Marluxia about her. They’re sisters, after all.” he told me.
“Thank you.” I said, bowing once again before dashing off.
I knew that Marluxia worked as a palace guard when she wasn’t out hunting, so I headed right to the palace. I ran from the stadium back into the city, and ran as fast as I could through the streets. I eventually reached the palace steps and dashed up.
I came to a stop in front of the doors, panting and heaving. Once I caught my breath, I went inside and tried to find Marluxia. I asked one of the guards, and she said that Marluxia was positioned by the throne room. I went there and found her standing outside.
“Hello, Alphonse. How did the festival go?” she asked.
“I lost to Regret in the final round." I told her.
“Ah, that’s too bad. Then again, Regret is a very skilled fighter.” she laughed.
“Yeah, about him... I heard he lives with your sister, Maika.” I said.
“Yes. What of it?”
“Regret invited me to their place tomorrow. Can you tell me where they live?” I asked her.
“Sure thing.” she responded.
After giving me very clear directions to Regret and Maika’s house, I thanked her and headed back to my room. I passed the front gates on my way and ran into Layla and Zelda, who were just coming in.
“A-Alphonse?!” Layla exclaimed. “I thought you were looking for that Maika person! What are you doing here?”
“I’ll explain in a bit. Let’s get back to our rooms first.” I told her.
* * *
“I see... So you’ll be going over tomorrow at noon, then?” Layla confirmed after I finished explaining everything to her.
We were sitting next to each other on my bed, with Zelda hovering over us.
“That’s right.” I nodded.
“Geez, you leave us alone here so you can go solve your mysteries... How rude can you get?” Layla snapped playfully.
“Want to come?” I asked her.
“... Well, I don’t have anything better to do.” she answered.
“This could be fun! I’m kind of excited!” Zelda said.
“Great. Well, I guess we have the rest of the day to ourselves then. What do you guys wanna do?” I asked.
“I’m going to go relax.” Layla said as she stood up. “See you later.”
And with that, she left my room.
“What will you do, Alphonse?” Zelda asked.
“I think I’ll go take a bath. I’m kinda worn out from all the action today.” I answered.
“Okay. See you in a bit.” she replied.
I stood up and grabbed a bath towel from a rack in the corner of my room, and left to head to the bath.
I walked down the hallway outside my room to the right, turned a corner, said “Hi” to the Gerudo guard I passed on my way there, and entered the bath house. I got undressed in the changing room and left my clothes in there. With the towel wrapped around my waist, I walked into the bath.
It was like a hot spring of sorts. It was filled with hot water and lots of steam. Unraveling the towel from my waist and folding it atop my head, I tested the water with my toe and stepped in. The water was pretty hot, but it felt very refreshing.
I waded in all the way and sank down into the water at one side of the large bath. I let out a large sigh.
“This is great...” I said to myself.
I heard the door to the changing room slide open, and I quickly looked over to see who had opened it.
Layla was standing there with a towel folded on top of her head like mine. She had nothing else on.
I let out a gasp as I quickly turned away from her with a loud splash. “What the heck are you doing in here?!” I freaked.
“I came here to take a bath! I didn’t know you’d be in here!” she yelled back. After a short silence, I heard her sigh and say, “You know, this has happened twice already. At this point, I just don’t care anymore.”
I heard her footsteps enter the bath, and I said, “W-wait, what are you doing?!” without turning to face her.
“Taking a bath. What else?” she answered. I heard her plop down in the water close to me.
“B-but... Don’t you care that I’m in here?!” I asked nervously.
“Alphonse... You’ve already seen them twice. I don’t see the point in freaking out at you for seeing them again.” she said simply.
I gulped nervously.
- What is she thinking? Why is she being so relaxed around me all of a sudden?
“Will you quit turning your head away from me?” she suddenly snapped. “I already told you I don’t care if you see them anymore. Quit acting like a child.”
I gulped even harder, and I slowly turned my head to face her.
“See? Was that so hard?” she said plainly.
My eyes accidentally drifted down, and I quickly turned my head away again on reflex.
“Sigh... You really are just too innocent.” Layla sighed.
At first I was confused about why she entered the same bath as me, but then I remembered that the Gerudo are a race of women. It made sense that they wouldn't have separate baths for men and women, because there were no men aside from Ganondorf, who probably had his own private bath.
For several minutes, nothing was said. I kept my head facing forward but I kept my eyes focused away from her. My face was bright red with embarrassment and nervousness. I could hear Layla washing herself, and that only made me feel more uncomfortable.
“Hey Alphonse.” Layla said suddenly.
“W-what?” I replied.
“What do you think of me? You know... as a girl?” she asked suddenly.
“H-huh?!” I said in surprise, finally fully turning to face her. I wasn’t expecting her to ask me something like that.
“W-well... It’s just... My mother died when I was little... So all I had was my dad. But he loved nothing more than the sea, and all he would do was sail with his crew. He would even take me out to sea with him, and he trained me to be a sailor just like him. After he died, I took over as captain...”
She paused for a bit.
“... The thing is, I never had the chance to experience a normal childhood. You know... To go out and play with friends... And talk about girly things with my friends... Or... You know, get a boyfriend... I... I never even had
any friends... I missed out on all of that... So I was wondering... Since I have you as my friend now... What do you think of me?”
As she talked, I realized she was being completely serious. She really wanted me to answer this question. But I didn’t know what to say.
Layla had been robbed of much of her childhood due to her father always dragging her out to sea, and when he died she had to take his place. I didn’t have much of a childhood either, having lost my parents at a young age. However, I had Rena to help me through those tough times. But Layla didn’t have anyone. So I honestly didn’t know what to say to her. And that’s what I told her.
“Well... I really don’t know how to answer that...” I said.
“W-well, you know... Do you... Think I’m pretty? You know, that kind of answer.” she said nervously.
That wasn’t hard to answer. “Well, of course I do. You’re very pretty.”
Layla seemed to come alive after hearing that. “You... You mean it?!” she exclaimed.
She leaned close to me excitedly, and suddenly I remembered that both of us were in a bath, and I started panicking as I doubled back. Layla didn’t seem to notice as she cupped both my hands with hers.
“You... You really think so, Alphonse?” she asked again.
“O-o-of course I do.” I answered in a panicked voice.
Layla being this close to me in a situation like this was making me incredibly uncomfortable. I absentmindedly thought about what would happen if Naomi saw me like this, and I suddenly felt like I was going to die of embarrassment.
“... Pretty enough to date?”
Layla’s sudden question made me freeze up.
- … To date? Does she... like me?
“Uhm...” was all that I could manage to get out.
My heart was beating ridiculously fast as Layla’s desperate brown eyes locked with my panicking golden eyes.
Layla suddenly flashed a look that seemed as if she remembered something, and she lowered her eyes and backed off from me a little.
“Oh yeah, that’s right... You told me you have a girlfriend, didn’t you...” she said in a pained voice.
“Y-yeah, I do...” I answered. My heart was still racing.
“... I’m sorry. I kind of forgot myself there, didn’t I...” Layla said sadly. “I’m sorry for saying so many things so suddenly like that, Alphonse...”
“N-no, it’s... You don’t have to apologize.” I said nervously.
“... It’s just... You‘re the first real friend I’ve ever had. You’ve been so great to me... I just...” she paused for a bit. “... I’m sorry. I guess I let my feelings get a little out of control.”
Layla looked like she was about to cry. I didn’t want to let that happen, so I wracked my brain to come up with a way to calm her down. I gulped nervously, apologized to Naomi in my thoughts, and did the only thing I could think of.
I put my hand on Layla’s shoulder. “Alphonse?” Layla began. She was suddenly cut off.
I kissed her.
It was a short kiss on her forehead, and I felt bad about it because I had Naomi, but it was the only way I could think of to settle this for good.
After my lips parted from her forehead, Layla gazed at me with blushing cheeks and trembling eyes. “Alphonse...” she whispered in shock.
“I’m sorry Layla.” I began. “You’re right, I do have Naomi. But don’t... Don’t get so upset, okay? I do like you a little, but... Listen, it doesn’t have to be
me. You’re a wonderful person, you have a great personality, and you’re very beautiful. There’s no way you
won’t find someone who’s going to completely fall for you. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Just give it some time, okay? And I’ll be with you every step of the way if you need help. That’s what friends are for.”
Layla stared at me in shock for a little while. Soon enough, her lips began to spread into a smile, and tears started to roll down her cheeks.
“... Thank you, Alphonse... You’re always here to help me... I... Thank you...” she cried.
Layla hugged me tightly and buried her face into my chest and cried. I hugged her back, trying my best to comfort her.
But then I remembered where we were.
And I felt what was pressing up against my body.
* * *
“Alphonse?! What happened?!” Zelda freaked.
She hovered in front of Layla, who had just entered my room. She was wearing a teal bathrobe, and was holding me up with her arms around me with a wry expression on her face. I was limp and barely moving. I also had a bathrobe on.
“I... had gone into the bath and found him passed out in there. I guess the heat was too much for him.” she lied.
“Oh no... Are you okay?” Zelda fussed.
“Y-yeah... I’ll be okay...” I said in an exhausted tone.
Layla helped me to the bed and laid me down. “You should take it easy tonight. Get plenty of rest okay?” she told me. She leaned in closer to me and whispered, “And thanks again for what you said, Alphonse.”
Layla waved to Zelda and went into her own room. Zelda floated worryingly above me saying, “You poor thing...”
What
really happened was that I fainted from feeling Layla pressing against my body in the bath lwhile she hugged me. After I came around, Layla was hovering over me with a worried expression. She joked about me being innocent again, and once she realized that I was still feeling woozy, she came up with that lie so Zelda wouldn’t question why we took a bath together. After we got changed into the bathrobes provided in the changing room, Layla helped me back to my room.
- Man, that was really embarrassing...
As I rested my arm over my eyes, I let myself drift off to sleep. I was glad that I had cheered Layla up, but I didn’t really want to think about it anymore. The guilt of kissing another girl, even if it was just on the forehead, was something I wanted to forget about.
* * *
Late that night, after dinner, Layla plopped down onto her bed. She laid sprawled out on her back, and sighed. Looking up at the ceiling, she thought back to the events that took place in the bath, and her cheeks flooded with color. But strangely enough, she was happy.
She couldn’t help but smile as she thought back to it. Was it because Alphonse had kissed her, or was it because of what he said to her afterwards? She couldn’t be sure, but either way, she was happy.
Layla felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her feelings for Alphonse had been eating at her since they left Zora Hall, but she didn’t have the courage to say anything to Alphonse until now. Even if her feelings couldn’t be reciprocated, because of what Alphonse said and did, she still felt satisfied. And that made her happy.
“Alphonse... Thanks so much...” she whispered before drifting off to sleep.
* * *
“Are we almost there?” Layla moaned as she strutted along behind me.
“We
are there.” I answered, coming to a stop in front of a small house.
“Oh...” she said, feeling embarrassed.
Today was the day I agreed to meet Regret at his house, and Layla and Zelda came along. We stood in front of a small house near the outskirts of the city of Nabooru. It looked small and roomy, and it also reminded me of Rena’s cabin. I began to feel a bit homesick. I quickly shook that feeling away and knocked on the door.
“Coming!” a soft and sweet voice answered from within the house.
Before long, the door opened, and I was face to face with Maika. “Hi there.” I greeted.
“Oh, Alphonse! Welcome! Regret told me you’d be coming. Come in!” she said cheerfully.
I thanked her, and entered the house, followed by Zelda and Layla who also said hello to Maika. We were standing in a well-furnished room, with a brown carpet on the floor beneath a glass table, and a big brown couch in front of it. There was an open threshold on both sides of the wall behind the couch, and I guessed that led into the kitchen.
Regret walked into the room from the right threshold, and an excited smile spread across his face.
“Good to see you, Alphonse! Glad you could make it!"
"No thanks to you!" Maika said. "I can't believe you forgot to tell him where we lived! Who does that?"
"Ack! I'm sorry! It was an honest mistake, really!" Regret pleaded.
"It's alright, we still made it here in the end." I said.
"Phew. Glad you're not mad. Sorry, I can be a little... forgetful sometimes." Regret said. He had an odd look on his face as he spoke those words, but it was gone in a second. "Now, what is it you wanted to ask me?”
“Ooh, can we get to that after lunch? I just made sandwiches.” Maika said. “Why don’t you guys sit down and have a bite to eat while we talk?”
Layla and I simultaneously said our thanks and followed Regret and Maika into the kitchen. We sat down at the wooden table in the center of the room, and Maika passed out plates with sandwiches cut in a triangular shape on them. It appeared to have Komodo lizard meat on it.
After saying out thanks, we all dug in. The sandwiches were really delicious. Maika was an excellent cook. I sat next to Regret on one side, and Layla sat next to Maika on the other. Zelda simply floated by my head.
While Layla and Maika began to talk and get to know each other, Regret picked up the conversation from earlier. "So, what exactly did you wanna talk about?"
“Well, I was curious about your magic.” I answered.
“Oh, I see! Isn’t it neat? I’ve heard that humans normally can’t use magic, but here I am! I don’t know how I can use magic, but I’ve been able to use it ever since I can remember.” he explained to me.
- I see... So he doesn’t even know himself... But I’m definitely not wrong... Well, if he doesn’t know, then I guess I’ll leave it alone for now.
“Come to think of it, Alphonse...” Regret continued, “You’re the only other person I’ve met who can use magic!”
“Oh, that’s because I’m the Hero of Spirits.” I told him. “I have permission to use the power of the Spirits.”
Regret’s jaw dropped. “You-You’re... You’re
that Alphonse?! I didn’t know that... That’s amazing! No wonder you were so tough! I’d expect nothing less from the Hero of Spirits himself! ... Hey, wow, I just beat the Hero of Spirits himself! Man, I'm awesome!”
“So, Regret...” I began, dodging both is praise for me and for himself. “How did you end up living here with the Gerudo?”
“Maika found me wandering the desert near here when I was little. I don’t really remember anything else before that.” he told me.
“Amnesia?" I asked. He nodded. "I see."
- That may explain why he doesn't know...
Just then, the mood was interrupted by the loud sound of marching coming from outside.
“What’s going on?” I said, confused. “Is there another festival or something?”
Regret's expression suddenly became serious. “No... Something’s wrong.” he said as he got up.
He dashed out of the house, and Maika, Layla, Zelda, and I followed after him. We ran down the street and reached the main road. An army of Gerudo women was racing down the street, heading out of the city.
“What’s going on?” Regret asked one of the soldiers.
“Some stranger is causing trouble at the Desert Colossus!” she answered before continuing to run.
“The Desert Colossus?! But that’s the place where...” Maika exclaimed in a panic.
“This is bad... We have to go check it out.” Regret said.
He raced out of the city and followed after the army into the desert. Maika quickly chased after him.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but we should go too.” I said.
“Right!” Layla and Zelda agreed in unison, and together the three of us followed Regret and Maika.
After several minutes of running, we saw the army come to a stop near the base of a tall rock. The five of us ran around the crowd to the front, and I got a good look at the Desert Colossus. It was an enormous statue of a beautiful goddess carved into the face of the enormous rock. The craftsmanship was absolutely stunning, but I didn’t have time to admire it. There was supposed to be a stranger causing trouble here, so I looked around to try and spot them.
“Well, well... Look who’s still among the living. Fancy meeting you here.”
Every fiber of my being shook as the familiar voice penetrated my ears. I stepped forward, to the front of the crowd, and standing several feet ahead was a man I knew.
I bit my lip, and gave a wry smile. “I could say the same to you. I didn’t expect we’d meet again like this.” I answered.
“Yes, it’s been quite a while, hasn’t it Alphonse. I still have that scar you gave me on my chest.” the man answered coyly, placing his right palm on his breast. “I still have to pay you back for that.”
“You did say you’d fight me again, didn’t you... And now here you are...” I said anxiously.
“We finally meet again... Ghirahim."