—–
“Queen Titania!” Nieve cried, flying towards the sleeping Queen.
“Don’t scream like that, Nieve!” I said angrily. “She’s alright.”
I approached the Queen and held her hand, infusing my Spiritual Essence from the Great Spirit of Farming and Harvest into her body. The moment that happened, I was able to sense her health and how she was… she was barely hanging on a thread.
However, she was still alive for now.
“We have to hurry and get a cure to this, there might only be a few days before… the Queen might perish.” I sighed.
“No…” Nieve cried.
“Acorn might had already gotten something by now, should we go look for him?” Titan wondered.
“Sounds like a good idea, Titan.” I said with a nod.
“Then let’s get to it.” Achlys added, urging us to get moving.
I suppose she might also want to heal the fairy queen. Although Rita tries to make herself be dumb about these things or simply see them as a game, she still feels moved by what is happening, and wants to help as well. I know her very well.
“I bet you’re worried, right? Alright, let’s go see Acorn and the Mushroom Brigade, I’m sure they’re working hard.” I said. “Wait, let’s go take a visit to Florie first.”
“Oh, right…” Said Titan. “Is Florie okay, Nieve?”
“Yes… She’s sleeping now but it was all thanks to Planta and your help. She was purified and even healed… But I don’t know what to even talk to her whenever she wakes up. I am… afraid.” Sighed Nieve. “I don’t want to see her as someone evil, nor I want to blame her, but I don’t know how she’ll react after realizing that everything she was might had been a fabrication of the Snake Queen… I am so worried and afraid of how she’ll react to everything.” Nieve sighed once more, she seemed very concerned.
I quickly moved to her side and hugged her.
“Uwah… P-Planta?!”
“Don’t worry, Nieve. Everything will be alright. I am sure that your love for Florie goes past such things. Let’s talk with her about this peaceful, I am sure that a girl as smart as her will realize what had happened.” ．
“R-Really…?”
Nieve sighed, looking into the mirror.
“I sometimes feel like I don’t even know her well… I am so insecure of knowing how she’ll react to this. And I am afraid that I have no idea how to help her… I’ve trained my entire life as a magic knight, but I was never good in all of these other things about talking, dealing with people’s emotions and all of that… I wish I could had paid more attention to her. Maybe this wouldn’t had happened if I had discovered it earlier and would had helped her. Maybe Florie had been in pain this entire time, and I’ve been ignorant to this for so long… Could you think of all the times she might had wanted my help, but could had never asked for it? While I simply never could even catch a clue…” Nieve cried, beginning to look vulnerable, she was opening her icy heart to us.
I kept hugging her as she cried in my shoulders, caressing her head.
“You’re such a good-hearted person, Nieve… To think you would think so ahead and consider even her feelings in such a way. Don’t worry, you’re a good person, you simply couldn’t see through it due to the magic’s powers, not because of your negligence. Don’t blame yourself for everything here.” I told her.
“Hm, that’s right. It wasn’t something you could had ever predicted, you did something nice for her, and brought her home, gave her food, raised her, and loved her as your little sister.” Said Titan. “I believe you can do that again, right? Come on, don’t cry now, you’re prettier and more dazzling when you smile.”
Titan’s words and my words quickly made Nieve calm down a bit more.
“M-Maybe…” She sighed. “But now, what should I do?” She wondered.
“Come on, they already told you, we’ll go meet Florie and talk this out with her.” Rita said. “Let’s go dear.”
“Thank you…” Nieve felt more comfortable with the three of us helping her, as we quickly made our way across the castle’s corridors until we reached a room which was being heavily guarded by five guards.
With Nieve’s authority, we were quickly allowed to enter the room, and in there, on a tiny bed, there was Florie sleeping peacefully.
“Florie…” Nieve flew towards her little sister, quickly touching her hand and remaining at her side. “I think she’s sleeping…” She sighed. “Maybe we should-”
“Big… sis?”
Suddenly, Florie heard Nieve’s words, as she slowly woke up. Her beautiful pink eyes opened slowly, as she looked at her big sister, speaking with a weak voice.
“Florie!” Nieve cried. “A-Are you okay? Do you feel good? Y-You should sleep some more…”
“Big sis…” Florie cried again. Suddenly, her eyes began to cry, as tears flowed from her eyes, covering her face like two rivers. “Ugh… I’m sorry…”
“F-Florie?!” Nieve cried. “Don’t cry…!”
“Ugh… I remember everything now… Guh.. I’m sorry… I didn’t wanted to hurt anybody… But if I didn’t obey… she said they would kill you… And she said she would kill me after… I couldn’t resist her manipulation… It hurt so much…” She cried. “I’m sorry for being bad…”
“N-No, please… You were never bad. If you were being manipulated by the Snake Queen… Then it wasn’t your fault!” Said Nieve. “I-It wasn’t your fault…”
“But I still feel bad about it… T-There’s no way it still not my fault… I’ve hurt so many people… B-Because of me, many died from the disease… I am a bad person… Sniff… I’m sorry…!” Florie cried again, as Nieve quickly hugged her, sitting over the bed at her side.
“It’s okay, my little Florie… It’s okay…” Cried Nieve. “It wasn’t your fault… I am just happy to have you back…”
—–