Chapter 36: Millicent
A/N: The forbidden lands! We finally made it to the Mountaintop of the Giants! Wooo!
Ohey Millicent, fancy meeting you here.
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She'd come far, hadn't she? And yet… she could tell, she still had further to go. Inhaling and exhaling, Millicent stands upon the Mountaintop of the Giants, gazing out at the snowstorm currently buffeting the surrounding area. For the moment, at least, she has to take shelter in these ruins. There is no other choice. But soon, she'll move on again. She feels… drawn, in a way. Drawn ever Northward.
Her savior had not called upon her again. Millicent had trained her blade arm tirelessly, but he did not need her assistance. Perhaps she had been foolish to think he would. It was clear that their paths had finally diverged. He had his destiny, and she… she had hers. Indeed, Millicent's memory was beginning to play tricks on her.
She vaguely remembered walking this path before. And yet, at the same time, it felt like she'd never been here in her life. It was a strange sensation, to be sure. She was not entirely sure she enjoyed it. But as far as a guiding light was concerned, it was the best she had. Yes. Her purpose… her purpose seemed to be in the North.
But then, what was her purpose? What was to be her destiny? If she'd had her own choice, Millicent would have liked to have stayed by her savior's side. The Tarnished who had come upon her in that Church so long ago and given her back her life… Millicent would have done anything for him. But he did not need her, not truly. In the same way that a King did not need a Beggar.
With nothing else to guide her, Millicent had come North to this snowy place. But where did it all end? Were her memories her own? Was her body her own? What… what WAS her purpose?
In the midst of this introspection and the snow falling all around her, the red head doesn't hear the hooves approaching, at first. In truth, she doesn't hear him coming until he's already upon her. Luckily, it's not an enemy. Millicent gets to her feet, sword in her prosthetic hand, but she does not lift it. Instead, her eyes widen as she realizes just who's managed to come upon her little campsite.
As her savior, the Tarnished, hops off of his Spectral Steed and strides forward with a smile on his face, Millicent flushes. What was he doing here? Had he come for her? No… no, that would be ridiculous. Still…
"T-Tarnished. To think… to think we'd meet in such a place. What could your purpose possibly…?"
Millicent trails off, and then flushes even harder and ducks her head in embarrassment. She had been about to question the man who had not only saved her life but given her back her arm. She had been about to assail his integrity and strength of character, by calling his intentions into doubt. What an awful wretch she was, deep down inside. She would need to curtail such impulses… it was unbecoming of one such of her.
She was just shocked, to tell it plainly. The Tarnished… she'd had her savior pegged as the next Elden Lord. Call it what you will. Intuition. Hopeful Optimism. But still… he had seemed so capable and so strong. And Millicent knew what the Tarnished in general were after. As a whole, the group were not quiet about their purpose in the Lands Between.
She had assumed that HER Tarnished was no different, even if he'd shown himself to be incredibly different all the same. She had believed he sought the throne of the Elden Lord beneath the Erdtree and hadn't considered another possibility for even a second. What other reason would he have for gallivanting across the Lands Between? What other reason would he have for all his heroics and brave deeds?
He would make an excellent Elden Lord. But then… why was he here, in the lands long forbidden by the Two Fingers? Why was he here, instead of in Leyndell sitting upon the Elden Throne? The Royal Capital awaited, or so she'd thought, but he'd come here instead? Bypassing it like she had?
Lips thinning out, Millicent shakes her head and banishes her doubts.
"No… No, I know well enough who you are, and what I know is good enough for me."
Stepping forward, she reaches out with her flesh and blood hand and takes her Tarnished's hand in her own. He's wearing a glove of course, but still… it feels good, to intertwine her fingers with his own. He lets her, smiling softly as she slowly, carefully pulls him over to the small amount of shelter she's managed to find from the snowstorm. He allows her to lead him over and sit him down again right beside her.
"You may call upon me in battle, whenever you should have the need, Brave Tarnished. And… you can call upon me for the… other reason as well, if need be."
She does not remain seated next to him. Instead, with her flesh and blood hand still holding his, Millicent shifts off and onto her knees in front of him, the snow beneath her crunching as she settles into place. Her prosthetic comes up and begins to deftly work to free his member from its confines. Glancing up at her Tarnished, Millicent is pleased to receive a soft nod of encouragement. Good… she… at the very least, she can do this much.
His secondary 'sword' is soon freed of its confines. Pulling it free of its 'sheath', Millicent wastes no time in wrapping the fingers of her prosthetics around his shaft once more, stroking up and down as she gazes up at him, trying to gauge her effect on him. This much, she can do. This much. Ah… w-what is he doing?!
Millicent's eyes go wide, and her cheeks are on fire despite the cold around them, as her Tarnished savior reaches out with his free gloved hand and strokes her cheek gently. She's still holding his other hand, still squeezing it as he squeezes back affectionately in return. And her prosthetic remains wrapped around the haft of his 'blade', as she licks her lips… and chooses to lean into his touch.
Trying to hide the embarrassment she's feeling, she swallows and speaks up after a moment. Perhaps if she pretends that all of this is… perfectly normal, t-then he won't realize just how out of her depths she truly is?
"… I'm searching for a fort, to the North of these ruins."
She blushes immediately after talking, nearly clamming up and keeping her mouth shut. But he just looks at her and smiles, giving her another encouraging nod that has Millicent furiously blushing but nevertheless continuing on.
"I have heard tell that the master of that fort was g-given a medallion that allowed him to visit the Haligtree."
She takes in a deep, ragged breath, her eyes flickering down to the Tarnished's mast, for a moment. His secondary 'sword' has grown long in her prosthetic's palm, and throbs with a need that Millicent knows will soon… express itself as it did the last time. She can't bring herself to hold back though, not in her movements or anything else. She wants it. She wants him to… to paint her with his essence.
She's already unclean. What does more mess matter, at this point?
"I believe that is where Malenia will be found. Furthermore… I know in my heart of hearts that the Haligtree is Northward, hidden somewhere in these lands."
Glancing back up to her Tarnished's face, Millicent watches him curiously for his reaction. He, to her surprise and immense satisfaction, lets out a soft groan. A moment later, and he covers her in his seed, just as Millicent had been somewhat eagerly anticipating. Of course, once she's coated in the warm, sticky substance, she's much more embarrassed about it. Pulling back, she uses some of the snow around them to clean herself off, the frozen water washing away his essence… well, most of it.
Some, lands on her tongue. She truly is a filthy wench, to enjoy the taste as much as she does. Regardless, Millicent cleans herself up, and by the time she's done, her Tarnished has fixed his armor and clothing as well. For a beat, she expects him to be on his way… but when he stays, she startles, a sudden realization coming to her.
Eyes widening in shock, Millicent gazes at her savior, mouth slightly agape.
"C-Could it be… that you seek the Haligtree as well?"
Cocking his head to the side, the Tarnished inclines it in acknowledgment after a moment. Then, he reaches into his pack and to Millicent's shock, pulls out half of a medallion… the very medallion she sought. No, rather, this is the other half of that very same medallion, isn't it? The medallion she'd heard about, it had been broken in two. He had found the other half at some point in his travels, and now sought the same thing she did.
Millicent reels at this realization, as well as the knowledge that she would have been completely adrift if not for his arrival. What good would only one half of the medallion have done her, truly? Still, no wonder they kept running into each other. Their destinies were more intertwined than she'd known, weren't they? The Haligtree called to both of them. Then maybe…
"Shall we… travel together then, for a time? To this Northern Fort? And then… even further North still?"
Her words are hesitant, as she can't help but be afraid that he'll reject her. What if he says no? What if he abandons her here after all? What if- ah, he's nodding. She's being silly again. Millicent ducks her head, both to hide her blush and the small smile that spreads across her face.
"Then… I am in your care. And you shall be in mine. I look forward to fighting beside you in battle, Brave Tarnished."
He does not respond with words, of course. He is as silent as ever. But Millicent does not need to hear him speak to know where they stand. Side by side, in their pursuit of the same goal. To say her heart soars, as the snows finally quiet and they can be on their way again, would be an understatement. To stand by her savior's side… it is all she, Millicent, has ever wanted. Completely divorced of these strange feelings inside of her, these odd memories that she is not entirely sure are her own. She just doesn't want to be alone.
Together, they make their way to that northern fort. It's called Castle Sol, Millicent discovers, as she and her savior besiege the place. Tis a Castle of the dead and damned. Spectral Knights and Castle Guards are all that remains on the lower levels, of whatever population once lived within the Castle Walls. Meanwhile, animals of all shapes have also taken up residence within Sol. There are eagles, and lions, and wolves, my oh my. Oh, and the slugs. Eugh, Millicent rather detests the slugs.
Perhaps that's hypocritical of her, given her infection, but they are disgusting, worthless creatures. Luckily, the Tarnished kills them all for her, not forcing her to close the distance with her simple one-handed sword to deliver any killing blows. In turn, Millicent does her level best to support him against the other foes. She will not be dead weight, not when the Tarnished is finally relying on her. Not now, when their shared goal is within reach.
It turns out that the other half of the medallion that they seek can indeed be found on the master of the fort, as Millicent had been told. However, she's surprised to learn… he's still alive. Perhaps the only being left alive in the entirety of Castle Sol, Commander Niall doesn't go down without a fight. And while Millicent does feel some meager semblance of kinship to the one-legged man, as he uses his leg prosthesis to GREAT effect during the ensuing battle, it is not nearly enough to stay her blade.
No, her savior is counting on her, and Millicent refuses to be undone by simple sentiment at a time like this. In the end, Niall is an obstacle. He gets in their way… and that means he has to go. It is not an easy fight, by Millicent's estimation. But her Tarnished… he does battle like a man possessed. The enemy commander does not so much as touch him a single time, even with some of the larger indiscriminate attacks that catch Millicent on their edges, no matter how fleet of foot she is.
When Commander Niall finally goes down, her Tarnished stands untouched, even as he retrieves what they seek from their opponent's corpse. For a brief moment, as Millicent limps over to his side, she fears he will begin to question their current partnership, and what value or use she even brings to the table, especially if he can fight like that. But then he just smiles at her and holds up the medallion, as if to show that he's gotten it. And Millicent… Millicent just smiles back, knowing then and there in her heart of hearts that he will never abandon her.
With the medallion whole, they retrace their steps, the two of them. Back through the forbidden lands, across the snowy tundra of the Mountaintop of Giants. They reach the Great Lift of Rold, and when he uses the medallion on it… it shifts, everything changing as Millicent watches on in awe, just glad to be a part of… all of this.
It feels right in two ways. That part of her that she doesn't fully understand fills her with a sense of KNOWING that she's on the right track. Meanwhile, her true self, the part of her that is wholly, unapologetically Millicent… is happy to be stood at her Tarnished's side.
Taking the Great Lift of Rold up to this new destination, the moment they step out into yet another snowy area, Millicent can feel it. This Consecrated Snowfield… this is where they need to be. The Haligtree beckons them ever Northward, and they must answer its call.
"We're close now. The Haligtree awaits."
When her Tarnished shakes his head and holds up a hand, Millicent blinks and frowns.
"No…? Or rather… not yet?"
He nods, and smiles, before beckoning her to follow. For a brief moment, Millicent is indecisive… torn, even. She's so close now. So very close. By all rights, she should not hesitate. She should make for the Haligtree, now that she's here in this land, now that she KNOWS the path before her is clear. But her Tarnished apparently has other business before he makes his way to their mutual destination.
… And what sort of woman would she be, if she did not help him as he'd helped her? Had she not told him to call on her in battle, whenever he had need of her? She could not go back on her word now, of all times.
Millicent silences the part of her that demands she continue on her way, even if it means leaving her savior behind. She will NOT leave him behind. She will stay by his side. Until the end. Whatever form that takes.
"Very well… where to, then?"
His smile broadens into a grin, and rather than answer her with words, he begins leading her across the snow. Millicent follows, of course. She'd follow him to the ends of the world, if he asked it of her.
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A/N: Look at you Millicent, breaking convention and actually traveling with the Tarnished as his companion. You go girl. Luckily Melina is still sulking, or she might have something to say about this favoritism huehuehue.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated/encouraged! Let me know what you think!
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