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saratogaroadwrites · 1 year ago

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For King and Country (103/122)

For King and Country | saratogaroad rating: T total wordcount: 280,466 characters: Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane, Aranella, Batu, Tani, Lofty, Leander Aristidies, Bracken Meadows relationships: Roland Crane & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Aranella & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane & Aranella, Batu & Tani, Batu & Evan, Tani & Evan, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum & Lofty, Rolander other tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Mother-Son Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Place Slowly Becomes Home People Slowly Become Family, Found Family, For Want of A Nail warnings: none

Pulled from his world by mysterious powers, former president Roland Crane finds himself caught in the middle of a coup meant to take the life of the young King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum. Joining forces with Aranella, the pair of them set out to aid Evan in making his dream of a kingdom where everyone can live happily ever after a reality.

But the road to peace is a long and treacherous one and there is no promise of success in a world where darkness spreads ever thicker with each passing day. If they are to stand a chance, they must stand together, for king and for country.

(A retelling.)

"Get some water on those buildings!” Grimm shouted, “You three—check that shop! Make sure the basement’s empty!”

“Come along, loves," Ratja hurried past, herding a group of scared children—Grimalkin and Mousekind both—along the road out of the city. “That’s it, this way, quickly now. Stay together!”

“This one’s empty!” A soldier called.

“Then check the next one!” Grimm called back, hurrying along the road. Behind him, the castle continued to burn. Roland had missed most of the fight, but it had been impossible to miss the gigantic fireball that had been sent out of the foyer. Embers had rained down all over the castle grounds, setting the gardens alight. The back half of the castle, the kitchens and the wood stores, hadn’t been far behind. Now, anything flammable was burning, sending huge plumes of thick smoke into the winter sky. The river would keep it from spreading into the city itself, but they would be lucky if anything that wasn’t stone survived.

Glass shattered as another window gave way to the heat. Roland sighed heavily. They had been lucky enough to escape with their lives. The battle with Oakenhart had been a long one and they had snatched victory only by the skin of their teeth. They had returned to find the fire licking down the halls, a battered Batu and Leander stumbling out of the throne room and too hurt to carry anyone out. Thankfully, Grimm had managed to escape the castle in the chaos and returned with his soldiers. They had been the ones to drag the wounded Delegation and their King to safety in the lower plaza. Most of the group had collapsed in an exhausted huddle, but Roland, comparatively fresh thanks to the now exhausted Tove, stayed awake to keep watch. The castle doctor had looked over the others, prescribed rest and Soreaway, and declared them lucky to have not breathed in more smoke before scurrying off to help other, worse off patients.

Lucky. Roland didn’t feel very lucky. Watching the Dellians do their best to keep the fire from spreading, he just felt cold.

“…we failed.” Evan said beside him. Somehow still awake he was curled into a ball, face hidden in his knees. Roland reached down and adjusted the blanket that had begun to slip from his shoulders. “We couldn’t stop him.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Roland said soothingly, “You did the best you could in a terrible situation. Sometimes there’s just no way to come out on top.”

Especially in a rigged game. They hadn’t known enough and it had cost them. He looked up as a column of fire erupted from the back of the castle, a finger of flame curling into the gray sky.

“This was our last chance to stop Doloran,” Evan rasped despondently, “And we couldn’t…I couldn’t…” he tightened his grip on his legs. “This is all my fault.”

Roland blinked. He jerked his head back around to stare at Evan.

“What?”

“All of this.” Evan sniffled, gesturing with one hand at the shoddily organized chaos that was Dell, Mousefolk and Grimalkin and Humans rushing around. “This is my fault. If I had just talked to him sooner, if I had even tried, none of this would have happened!”

“You can’t know that,” Roland said, bending to try and look Evan in the eye. His king—his son, his poor, heartbroken son—turned his head away. “Evan, you can’t have known any of this would happen. And even if you had, you’re not responsible for the choices other leaders make!”

“But I am responsible for my choices, Roland, and I chose to keep running! If I had talked to Mausinger before, we could have come up with some sort of plan, some way to hold Doloran off, or—I don’t know!” He reached up, hands fisting in his hair. “Maybe we could have reached an agreement and he never would have needed to prove anything!”

“Evan—”

“He wouldn’t have had to—had to—” Evan’s hoarse voice cracked down the middle. “You could have died and it would have been my fault!”

No. Oh, no. This couldn’t stand.

“Evan, stop. Look at me.” Roland went to his knees in front of the boy, hands on his shoulders. When Evan still wouldn’t look at him, he cupped the boy’s face in both hands and gently lifted his head. Tears slid down Evan’s cheeks, slipping over his fingers. His heart ached at the sight. “Look at me. You didn’t force me into this. It was my plan—hell, you tried to talk me out of it, remember?”

“I still should have…” Evan sniffled. “I should have been braver. I’m responsible for all of you, but you still felt you had to protect me!”

“Of course I did,” Roland said gently, “You’re my son. It’s a father’s job to protect his children, no matter how kingly or wise they may grow up to be.”

No. Not just his job. His honor. He wiped a tear away as Evan stared at him. They had said it a few times in the heat of a moment, in a fit of terror, but now that it was out in the open between them…he pressed on.

“It’s okay, Evan. We’re okay.”

It was the final straw. With a quiet whimper, Evan threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around Roland’s shoulders and clinging with all the strength left in his tired body. Roland sat back, holding him close, cradling the back of his head in his hand. He may have been a King and wise beyond his years, but he was still only thirteen.

“I’m sorry,” Evan whimpered, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shh,” Roland soothed, “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Somehow, they had all pulled through. Things weren’t perfect—his aching shoulder was a fine reminder of that—but they had survived. Everything else they could deal with, somehow. They would find a way.

They had to find a way.

For a while, they stayed there, just as they were. The others slept on, recovering their strength, and the Dellians continued to rush back and forth. The castle continued to burn, anything not stone consumed by flames. It would be a while before it burned out, Roland thought. Maybe even the rest of the day.

Evan didn’t take nearly that long to calm down. Slowly, he pulled back. With a sniffle, he rubbed the heel of his palm into his already red eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, “That was very unkingly of me. I shouldn’t have—"

“Don’t.” Roland said. “You don’t have to apologize for having an emotional reaction. It’s been…” He grimaced. “It’s been a very long day.”

And it wasn’t over yet. One of Evan’s ears flicked back, causing both he and Roland to look down the road. Mausinger was making his way towards them, hobbling, bandages wrapped tightly around his middle. He seemed in no shape to pick a fight, for which Roland was grateful. The curse hurt less, sapped less of his energy now that Vermine was gone and the Darkness with him, but he didn’t have another fight left in him. Neither did Evan.

Thankfully, it seemed that Mausinger didn’t either.

“Your Majesty,” Roland greeted coolly. Mausinger grimaced, gingerly lowering himself to the ground nearby. Evan sat back on his heels and watched him, a deep frown on his young face.

“You don’t have to call me that,” Mausinger said, “I have no right to the title, neither in rank nor in spirit. Not after I…” He looked up to the fire still raging in the distance. “…I have doomed the very Kingdom I once swore to protect. What right do I have to be called King after all I have done?”

It wasn’t a question that had an answer. Mausinger took a moment to stare at his burning home, then lowered his eyes to the stone road they all sat on.

“…Roland…I owe you an apology. My sincerest regrets mean nothing after what I nearly did to you, but…they are all I have. And,” he looked at Evan. “To you as well, King Evan, though I suspect my words mean even less still in the face of the pain I have caused you. Truly, I am sorry.”

Evan didn’t say a word. Roland shifted his weight.

“If you’re apologizing for what happened, does that mean you think you caused it?”

“I did cause it,” Mausinger said. “You asked me how much of this was my decision, Roland. The truthful answer is all of it.” He sighed. “Looking back on things, I can see where Vermine might have manipulated me. Nudged me down a darker road than I would have taken on my own, but…the thoughts that he made worse were my own. My feelings, my doubts…they were born of my own mind, no one else’s. It was my weakness that Vermine exploited, nothing more, nothing less.”

Evan’s face softened just a touch. Roland eyed him.

“You were manipulated,” he said to Mausinger as Evan held his silence. “The Darkness got to you. It does that to all of us if we’re not careful.”

“Perhaps,” Mausinger nodded, “But this goes beyond chasing phantoms or courting whispers. The things I have done cannot be undone. I would have ended all of your lives for no reason other than a falsehood. I should have been more patient, more willing to see beyond my own doubts and fears.” He closed his eyes. “But I was not, and now, the Kingdom I claimed to love is doomed. It will be better off in the hands of another.”

Opening his eyes, he looked Evan square in the face.

“My life is yours, King Evan. Take it. It is your right, as your father’s son.”

Roland watched silently. He understood what Mausinger was saying. He was expecting Evan to react as he might have, with anger and hate in his heart. To strike out in vengeance for his father and his people, to pay Mausinger in kind for the lives lost over the last year.

Roland knew better. He watched with no small amount of pride in his own heart as Evan shook his head.

“No.” He said, “There has been enough needless death.” He clenched his fists tightly. “My father would not want your death. I do not want you dead. And Dell is not doomed. It will rise from the ashes, and it will do so because its people will work together to rebuild it. Cat and mouse, hand in hand.”

He gestured with both hands, trying to encompass the entire city. Mausinger turned, his eyes widening as he took in the sight. All around them, the Grimalkin were working side by side with the soldiers, paying no mind to the species divide in their number. Though the Grimalkin that had been in hiding had fled the city at the first sign of trouble that morning, they had seen the fire and returned to help as best they could. That was what Whiska had told Roland, passing blankets along to everyone who could not be moved just yet.

This was their home as much as it was Mausinger’s, and they intended to stay. Moving past the hatred their races had shared wouldn’t be easy, but if there was anyone who could overcome it, it was these hardy people.

“This is what my father would have wanted. Not more needless death and pain.” Evan took a deep breath. “He would have wanted us all to work together, and now, his dream falls to us. We must see that it becomes a reality.”

“His…dream…” Mausinger repeated slowly. He blinked a few times, the oddest expression on his face, then shook himself as if coming out of deep water. “You would. You would trust me with such an important thing now? Evan after all I have done?”

“I do.” Evan nodded. “I cannot say that I forgive you, not yet. Perhaps I never will. But…” His shoulders slumped. “…when I was little, I thought of you as family. You and my father were always close. That man…the man who shared in my father’s dream of a better Dell.” Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head. “That is the man I believe you still are, somewhere. That is the man I trust to look after our people, and the man that I choose to believe in, as my father once did. Will you accept that trust? Will you care for Dell?”

“I…”

Mausinger couldn’t seem to find the words. The seconds ticked by, though Evan never looked away. Almost a minute passed before Mausinger took a shaky breath.

“Yes.” He said, softly at first and then in a stronger voice, “Yes. To honor the memory of you father, and to make right what I did wrong, Yes. If it pleases you, King Evan of Evermore, I shall watch over Ding Dong Dell.” Though he didn’t stand, he pressed a hand to his heart and bowed his head as low as he could, one King to another. “Truly, you are a merciful and wise ruler. King Leonhard would have been so very proud of how you have grown.”

Evan startled. Another tear slid down his cheek before he could wipe it away.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” he said, and had to clear his throat, “I certainly hope he would be.”

Roland knew he would be. He’d never had the honor of meeting the late King, but one couldn’t look at Evan and not be proud of how far he’d come. He certainly was, sitting back on his hands and watching as Evan pulled himself back under control. The Evan he’d first met all those months ago never could have done this. To think, it had been less than a year!

“There is one thing we have left to discuss,” Evan said, clearing his throat, “With your bond with Oakenhart severed, Dell is under considerable risk should he awaken before you face the trials once more. I truly did mean what I said when I offered you all protection. Will you sign the Declaration of Interdependence?”

“For the sake of our people, yes.” Mausinger nodded. It was clear he no longer believed the Union was some tyrannical power grab. “And…it is what your father would have wanted. For our nations to work hand in hand, for the sake of a better, more peaceful world.” He took a deep breath, then grimaced. “Though I am afraid that it may…take a bit of time to draw up the paperwork.”

The three of them looked back at the still burning castle. Evan’s ears folded back, his teeth bared in a grimace of his own.

“Yes,” he agreed, “I…believe it will.”

Roland chose not to say they may not have had that time. Doloran had the last of what he needed, and something told him it wouldn’t be long before the Horned One made a reappearance. He had no reason to wait, after all, so why would he delay any longer now? He wouldn’t. Roland wouldn’t have, in his shoes. He closed his eyes.

“Let’s just take it one step at a time,” he said, “We’ll handle what comes up as it comes up. For now, I think we can all agree being alive is good enough.”

“Yes,” Evan agreed, “It is.”

#nnk2 #ni no kuni 2 #nnk2 fic #!fic #fic: for king and country

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