Chapter Text
It’s strange, having memories that aren’t your own. Scott’s mother calls it a blessing. His father calls it a curse.
Scott tries not to dwell on it too much. He has a country to run, after all.
The only person Scott thinks is right in this situation is his advisor, who says it is simply another challenge he has to overcome in order to be a better person, come to terms with himself, and stop acting like such a fucking child. That he needs to accept it, learn from it, and move on. And it is that very same advisor who is currently standing over his bed, telling him to wake up.
“You have a court case to oversee in half an hour, and unless you want to starve I suggest you get out of bed,” Conairor informed him as she pulled back the curtains overlooking the rest of Rivendell.
“I blissfully await the day you let me sleep in.”
“You can sleep in tomorrow, Smajor.”
“Your jokes are getting worse by the day, Conairor. We both know I’ll get to sleep in when I’m dead.”
“Yes,” she continued absentmindedly, “and while we’re on the subject of you dying, I think I can only reasonably push back your arrival at the manor until 7 pm, under the condition that you are productive and helpful around here.” He watched as she moved swiftly from one the window back to his bedside, not wasting a moment before beginning to pester him again. “With that being said, I hope that you’ll be a little more inclined to get your work done today.”
“I am always nothing short of enthusiastic about paperwork. Almost as enthusiastic as I am towards the way you force me to do it.”
Conairor sighed, “I hope to see you at your office by ten,” and left, closing the door with a soft thunk behind her.
Scott took a moment longer to appreciate the soft silk of his linens and the ornate details on the bed frame before he decided that he would be spending enough time here tomorrow. Conairor was right; as much as he didn’t want to, he really should get his day started.
As much as he detested the blue robes and golden filigree that dominated his clothing, he had to say, getting ready in the morning had to be one of his favorite parts of his day. It was one of the only times he could truly enjoy the quiet of his thoughts and the world around him and just breathe.
He still slept in the same room he slept in as a child, the same white walls, the same golden furniture, the same blue bedspread. The only thing that ever changed was him.
Once he was ready, he looked himself in the mirror, took a breath, and left his room to go face Rivendell.
&
Normally, Scott would have rushed through the halls of the castle, not bothering to stop once. He had seen every inch of the place a thousand times before, and besides, he typically had more important matters to attend to.
Today however, he was in no rush. The thought of dinner was appealing, but the thought of dinner with his parents was not, so suddenly the decorations that had been put up in honor of the holiday were nothing short of enthralling as he brisked down the hallways and staircases, making sure to admire and complement every nook and cranny before Conairor showed up and made him leave at sword-point or the staff started asking questions.
And sure, he had seen it all in great detail yesterday when the crown had all of its formal festivities, but he needed to stall.
It really was pretty, seeing the lavender added to the bouquets of hydrangeas and purple heather at the top of the stairs and the arches decorated with yellow chrysanthemums and daisies out front. The extra purple always brought a little bit of life to the stiff, steel gray corridors.
It wasn’t life he would be around to see, though.
At 7:08 pm, Scott decided he really couldn’t put off leaving any longer and left the gates of the castle behind him. At 7:19, he, along with a guard, boarded a train and, at 7:34, Scott exited it unwillingly.
At 7:37 he reached his parents manor and began the long walk up to the door, flanked by tiger lilies and tall trees on both sides. The dark golds and greens of the lawn are beautiful at night, stark against the expansive gray and black house.
Finally, at 7:39 pm, Scott knocked on the door, a booming noise in the quiet of the street. A few seconds later, the door was opened by the house butler whose name Scott had never managed to remember.
“Ah, Scott, we didn’t know if you were coming.” Even though it was technically more personal, being called “Scott” put him on edge. Being referred to almost exclusively by your last name for a year will do that to you.
Add that to the fact that it struck some deep memory of Other Scott’s and, well, let’s just say they weren’t off to a great start.
He chuckled, clipped and strained. “To be honest I didn’t know if I’d be able to come either. I’m sure my parents will be happy to see me, though.”
“It’s always so sweet, seeing how much they care about you.” They smiled, evil and genuine and understanding without sympathy. “Would you like to come in?”
“I’d love to,” he said, hesitating at the doorway.
The manor might not have been as big as the castel, but it was, if possible, more lifeless. As he passed off his coat and ventured down the hall, he heard every click of his heel against the floor, every rustle of fabric, every breath he took. It felt abandoned.
It was only after he had passed the dining room and kitchen and begun to approach the lounge that he began to hear hushed voices. Four, from what he could hear, and if he had to guess he would assume it was his parents, his aunt, and a staff member.
Indeed, when he opened the door, he was met not only with abrupt silence but with the faces of his mother, father, his mother’s sister, and the second of the eight staff members here, Libal. Even with the additions of Scott and the butler guy, the only people who really seemed comfortable and happy to be there were Scott’s parents.
Scott hovered at the doorway for a moment before sitting on the only unoccupied chair.
“Ah, Scott, darling,” his mother said, “we were just waiting for you. Thank you, Libal, we will be taking dinner now.”
Scott swallowed his exasperated sigh and stood up again. “Thank you for waiting for me, you really didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, but we did. We couldn’t have such an important dinner without you.”
“Exactly,” his father said, coming into step next to him as they walked down the hall. “Today is such an important day, and who could possibly be more important than family.”
Scott knew where this was going, so he just plastered on a smile and said, “No one.”
Sure enough, as soon as they had all sat down and gotten served at the spacious table, his father broke the silence by saying, “So, I hear the economy is flourishing, right now.”
Scott sucked in a breath and said, “Yes, I like to think I’ve gotten quite good at protecting the state of things.”
Or; ‘The economy is doing well, but is that really what’s safest for the country?’ ‘Yes, I have things covered, nothing’s going to go wrong.’
His mother cut in, “I’ve heard that you’ve been giving away mountains of iron, Scott, but that can’t be true, can it?”
Now that, that rubbed him the wrong way. He’d been trading away excess iron with other countries, because they had barely any and it went for so much over there. He saw a business move and took it. He wasn’t- creating alliances, or whatever they thought he was doing. He wasn’t even taking in much as payment.
But, of course, he didn’t want to escalate the conversation. He was on thin ice already.
“Are you really sure it’s a good idea for you to be making alliances with people you don’t know?” That was his father.
“I am being as cautious as I can be, don’t worry. I’ve always taken your advice to heart.”
“But- you’ve been talking to- what, four or five countries in this past year alone. That’s not very wise.” His mother.
“I am only talking to them for trading purposes, and four isn’t that many. They’ll be gone by next year.”
“Isn’t now as good a time as any to sever ties?” His mother, again.
“I can’t very well do it right now, but trust, once the new year has begun I will no longer be in contact with them.” A strong promise, and an even more butal lie.
“Well, at least those visions of yours have stopped you from getting in contact with the Cod Empire. I’ve heard they’re starting alliances with almost every country in the area! Nice to know those memories have taught you something, eh.”
Yes, Scott thought as he tuned out his mother’s indignant cries of “Take that back,” they have taught me something. Now if only you’d learn that lesson too.
&
When Scott finally got back home, it was to darkness and silence. Everyone had gone home, back to their own homes, first to visit family, and then to be on their own for the holiday. This foreboding giant of a building was a home to no one but Scott.
Much like when he had first walked into the manor, there was no sound here except his own breathing. Unlike the manor, however, there was no muttering to walk in on, no discussions to interrupt, nothing that wasn’t his. There was only Scott.
Memories dripped from the walls, calling to be examined, but there was tomorrow for that. It was still only- he checked his pocket watch- 11:12, and he could cheat a little. No one would have to know. No one but him and Aeor was around.
The offices belonging to the Crown of Rivendell seemed even emptier than the rest of the castle, with no one else there. Good. It would be easy, then, to leave at midnight. He intended to go over his papers one last time, maybe send a letter or two. He didn’t really have anything to do.
What he did not expect to see was a card on his deck with a single purple verbena taped to it and sealed with the Cod Empire’s stamp. Next to it was a card that read:
Smajor,
In case you get back early and decide today of all days is the day to get things done, here’s something to start off your evening.
I trust that you’ll go to your room at midnight, and have a good new year.
Conairor
Scott sighed. She knew him too well. Of course he would come here looking for a distraction, and of course he would stop at midnight, and of course he would feel just bad enough about shouldering Aeor that he would face his problems head on for once instead of pretending the Cod Empire didn’t exist.
He opened the letter.
To all who receive this message,
The Cod Empire has officially gone to war with the Grimlands. All support you can provide is greatly appreciated. You will be compensated for everything that you give to help.
Thank you,
The Cod Empire
Maybe it was all of the lavender and daisies that were strewn around the palace for the occasion that made the verbena meaningless. Maybe that was why the allium he considered sending back ended up in the fire. Maybe they were the reason the verbena caught his eye. Maybe they were the whole reason he even bothered to open the letter in the first place. Does it really matter in the end? (Yes, it all does.)
Well, either way, he was on holiday. They were all on break. There really wasn’t much Scott could do without going against Aeor, going against himself, no matter how tied to his past Jimmy might be.
They were different people now, and Scott had to put himself, and his country, first.
&
It was the letter, Scott decided later, that caused the nightmares.
The first morning of the new year, Scott woke up from a fitful night of sleep with the images of blood and red spider lilies still fresh in his mind.
Scott might start agreeing with his father, maybe this was a curse.
But Aeor gave him these memories, so he was going to fucking accept them.
Crawling out of bed and rubbing his eyes, Scott decided he needed to do something. Write, probably. Figure out what Other Scott had to tell him.
Oh, and get food, too. That was probably important.
Twenty minutes later, Scott was sitting alone at the long, long table in the formal dining room with a piece of toast and eggs in front of him, next to an open notebook, ready to throw Other Scott into the fucking void.
Today was about him, and figuring out who he was, so why was he sat going over someone else’s memories? What was there to gain from this?
Of course, there was the obvious. Learning that his Aeor had done the right thing in protecting them from outside harm on this mountain didn’t stop him from finding some wonder in the company he kept in another life. Knowing that people, all people, were capable of kindness has been one of his greatest reassurances to date.
Maybe the fear of the unknown is greater than the fear of death, especially when you’ve already died.
Maybe up here in the palace he has nothing to fear at all, with power and security and freedom and friends and anything one could ever ask for.
Which has lead him to his current conclusion, that all of this is stupid and weighing him down. He has his own life to live, why bother overthinking someone else’s.
He packed up his things, making sure to wash and put away his dishes in the proper places. Honestly, the best thing for him to do is to find something to do, not think about.
Jimmy wasn’t his issue to be concerned about.
&
Around lunch of Tuesday, three weeks later, Scott had almost put the new year out of his mind. There really wasn’t much to think about, especially since he had about thirty other issues demanding his attention. Overall, however, it was a fairly standard day running Rivendell.
So it came as a surprise when, as he was walking past the main doors, he heard the faint buzzing of an elytra and the firework rockets that power it. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen anyone wearing an elytra. They were typically reserved for people with injured wings and, while not uncommon, from the way that person was flying, they were injured badly.
Scott was feeling the cold wind on his face and hearing the thump of the door behind him before he could think it through.
The snow crunched beneath him- no, it was dirt, grass- the sky was clear- no, it was cloudy- and all Scott could focus on was Jimmy’s airborne body, covered in burns from explosions.
How ironic, that he was only there to catch him this time around.
It was sort of awkward, with Jimmy’s arms slung over his shoulders and Scott’s wings flared at an awkward angle to keep him upright and Jimmy’s weight entirely on Scott, but he was alive.
They were as alive as they could be.
&
Scott was in charge of a country that didn’t accept foreigners, who looked for danger at every turn, and it was his job to keep them safe. Scott wasn’t married, didn’t have to be there for Jimmy no matter what, didn’t live under any vows. Scott had no business with the Cod Empire.
He brought him inside anyway.
Maybe Scott just wanted to do a good deed for once. Maybe dropping all of his duties for that day was simply the right thing to do. That’s what he told himself, at least.
He had barely managed to step back into the palace and place Jimmy back on his own to feet when Jimmy decided that no, they were not doing that, and collapsed right onto Scott all over again.
All at once, and for multiple reasons, it suddenly dawned on Scott that this was going to be a long afternoon.
“Can you- stand? I’m sorry, it’s just a bit difficult to walk like this.”
Jimmy mumbled. Scott asked him to speak up. He got back, “...hurts,” somehow said with more than the pain of the current burns they were dealing with. The pain in that voice was enough to kill him, to kill anyone.
If Scott found the will within him at that very moment to carry Jimmy to the ends of the Earth and back, that was between him and Aeor.
Luckily, they only saw four people on the way to Scott’s rooms, and thus only got stopped four times. Scott was sure if they ran into even one more person, he would start yelling, formality be damned.
The first was an ambassador, visiting for the day, and subsequently already treated to the worst accommodations they had to offer. Despite their pleas to know if Jimmy was alright, Scott wasn’t proud to say he didn’t make their stay any more welcoming.
The second was a judge, who stopped him for by far the longest time, yelling at him about bringing the untrustworthy onto sacred ground. While he probably had a point, Scott tuned him out and pushed on as soon as he could.
The third was a maid, who honestly was more concerned for how distraught Scott looked than anything else. They were likely the person Scott was least annoyed to stop for.
The last person, and by far the worst, was Conairor, waiting at the top of the stairs. All she said was, “There you are, Scott, I was looking for you all- oh.”, before brushing past them, clearly deciding she didn’t want to be involved. Fair, Scott didn’t want to be involved either.
Jimmy ended up lying on the couch next to the window in Scott’s room (he had never felt the need for it until now, but now, oh lord was he grateful) and under a pile of Scott’s blankets (he needed them more). He whined a little when Scott pulled away, put overall stayed disturbingly quiet.
The burns were easy enough to treat with the first aid supplies Scott had in his room, but that by no means made them light wounds. Whatever tnt had done this had clearly done some real damage. Still, though, when news eventually spread to the medical staff, no matter how much Scott tried to keep it to himself and go about his day-to-day life as usual, he denied their assistance.
He wouldn’t trust anyone here with anything but Rivendell.
Jimmy was his own personal matter.
&
During the 2 days Jimmy was healing, Scott somehow managed to get the bare minimum it takes to run a country accomplished. It was lucky, then, that Jimmy woke up at nearly 1 am, because if it had been during the day, Scott was sure that bare minimum would have been thrown out the window.