3rd Person's POV

Madeline restarted her journey the morning after the storm passes, Escanor tagging along with her, his muscled form carrying both her and the liquor on the wagon, his towering form effectively blocking out the sun from her eyes. They stuck to abandoned roads and off-putting paths through different forests, to shield Escanor's large form from any unwanted attention.

Madeline didn't find the slight bouncing she was encountering while sat on top of the wagon, letting her legs swing over the ledge as she hums softly to herself a small little song.

"The duchess brings perfume and jelly to the court, strawberries lining her lips, and jewels encasing her luscious hair, mhmm...~" She sings softly to keep her mind occupied, Escanor listening in with a soft smile on her face. "On the floor, the shining scarlet water reflects the rising moon, mhmm~" The song was quite morbid for a children's song, but honestly, in the day and age it was created, she couldn't blame it for being so. Even then, it was still quite catchy and relaxing.

"The duchess screams out, 'Down the winding paths of the earth, through the tunnels of light, she airs out the life of the world'~ Welcome to the court, my dear, drenched in scarlet, and jewels lining the pockets of the noblemen~!" She giggles softly, shaking her head at the next part of the song, "The cut-up piglet on the table, roasted and stuffed with gravy, the duchess shows off all of her jewels, diamonds, sapphires, galore! Jelly on the table smothered in nightshade~" Madeline squeaks in surprise as they pass over a large bump, leaving her body to jump up with the wagon.

"Sorry! Couldn't avoid it-" Escanor pauses in his apology as he looks back at Madeline, his brows arching down. He stops pulling the wagon, letting go of the handle, and walking around the wagon to the back. The green-haired girl stares after him, still softly humming the lyrics under her breath.

"...The court drenched in scarlet, pig bellies filled with nightshade jelly, the duchess stands above them all on the throne of light..." Madeline jumps up in shock at the imprint in the ground Escanor discovered. The small child song drifting away from her thoughts.

"Escanor, that is too big for a bear..." Madeline points out with a frown. Escanor nods, mirroring the look his non-biological daughter wore.

"Let's get moving, we will head east for a couple of miles, we don't want to run into whatever created this," Escanor tells her. Madeline nods in agreement, waiting for Escanor to retake his place at the front of the wagon, crouching down to grab the handle before he began pulling again, going off-trail to head east.

She jumps off of the wagon, walking at the tall man's side, her cheeks puffing out at the thought of just how much he towers over her in this form. "Why can't I just grow taller?" She asks in a semi-whine, gaining a laugh from the Sin of Pride.

"Be thankful for your height, one's height doesn't measure to their true power, remember that!" He tells her, hoping to boost up her confidence.

"Easy for you to say, Mr. Buff Giraffe." She makes herself laugh at the comparison, the ginger not minding the nickname. Enjoying hearing her laugh at times like these. He was happy that the two met one another again after so long, especially after Madeline for so long thought of him to be dead. She was eternally grateful that, that it wasn't the case at all. He just hid really well to the point that the entire country thought that he kicked the bucket.

"Where did you learn of that song you were singing earlier?"

"From my dad, it was one of the only songs I really learned. He told me that it was a Senex Nursery Rhyme. A quite morbid one as well." She answers him.

"What is it about?"

"Well... It's about a Duchess, and from what I understand of it, it's about her taking over the lands the late Duke looked after. After many tireless nights and days, of her court thinking ill of her, always undermining her, she decided to get rid of the court."

"Ah, so it is a song about female empowerment!" Madeline laughs, covering her mouth to stop herself from snorting, "Haha, uh, yeah! Sure, Escanor. Female empowerment about overthrowing the monarchy. By use of nightshade."

"Nightshade?"

"A very strong poison that acts as a paralysis. At first consumption, your throat will swell up as it travels down before your body goes numb, unable to feel anything, but still able to move, then minutes later, it paralyzes you. If not treated within the first hour, it will eat away at your muscle composition until there is nothing left. It will start at your feet, all the way up to the brain. An hour and a half after eating the poison, you will be dead." Madeline states the information with a smile, finding the type of poison quite interesting, Escanor glances down at her, noticing her smile, before he looks up and away from her, nervously chuckling, "You perhaps shouldn't explain a type of poison with a smile on your face like that, my dear." Heat rushes to her face, slapping her hands over her cheeks, "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize that I was smiling! Sorry~ I just get really excited over different medicines." He furrows his brows, earning an exciting jump from her.

"Oh yeah, nightshade can also be used as an ailment! With its paralysis properties, it can and will stop the blood throw within the body! Which can counterattack inflammation, other fast-acting poisons, and bone erosion! As long as you siphon the nightshade out of the body within the first hour, it won't harm the patient!" Madeline ranted to him, a wide grin on her face, ignoring how flushed her cheeks had become. She was excited, speaking to him about the different ways you could use nightshade. And Escanor, didn't mind it. She was happy.

A few hours later, as the sun began to set into the clouds, the smell of incoming rain wafting into their noses, they changed direction, heading back to the west, having walked a couple of miles, deeming them both safe from whatever made those large tracks in the ground.

Under the brush of pine trees- Escanor's large intimidating body slowly deflated into normal size as the sun began to hide behind the dark clouds.

"Do you want to stop a bit to eat some lunch?" Asks Madeline, having returned on the wagon, but not for long since Escanor was losing his strength, soon she would have to aid him in pulling the wagon.

"There should be a village within the next mile, perhaps we could grab a bit to eat there? I have money on me, so do not worry about paying-" Madeline hums softly, tapping the front of her chin as she thinks back on the route they were currently on, trying to remember which village they would be visiting.

"Oh Oh! Is it a village called Bumb?!" Escanor shrugs softly, shaking his head, cracking it in the process as he stops walking, his transformed form back to his casual lanky appearance. Madeline takes this as her cue to jump off of the wagon, turning and grabbing Escanor's long sleeve and vest for him to put on, along with his glasses.

"I don't know, I never really paid much attention."

"Really? As a Doctor, I traveled around quite a bit, so I had to remember different names so I didn't get lost." She states truthfully, always having been the type to think that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. "Also Bumb is quite a funny name, it's fun to say, Bumb, Bumb, Bumb, Bumb-" She begins to repeat, giggling to herself as Escanor fixes his glasses on his face.

"Madeline, you are in your 20s, almost 30s, be more proper." She huffs, crossing her arms childishly, "My brain may be older, but I am forever young, Escanor!" She states loudly, grabbing the handle from off of the ground. "Onward! I am starving!" He smiles softly, hiding back a small remark over how excited and full of energy the young woman was.

---

Gowther stares in front of him, a faraway look present on his face, his thoughts lost on Madeline, imagining her laugh, her smile, her voice, her eyes twinkling, and the warmth of her hands in his, watching her work skillfully as she treats her patients, speaking eloquently and without a single pause.

Merlin walks up from behind him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "You have been standing here for half an hour, Gowther. It's time to stop being lazy." He blinks slowly, his face disinterested in what she was saying.

"Lazy is a strong word, as there are 24 hours in a day, I have spent 17 hours of this day working on myself, percentage-wise, these 32 minutes and 27 seconds will not hinder my average performance today." He tells her, not missing a beat. He earns a laugh from the mage, slightly doubling over as she clutches at her stomach. "Oh-oh! Haha, really now? I know what you are thinking about, or in your case, who. It isn't productive to wallow in self-pity." She slaps the back of his head gently, not gaining any form of reaction from him. Only his usual monotonous voice.

"Productive or not, it's not up to you to decide on what my thoughts transpire on." His gaze flickers to the side, remembering of a task for him to do, "Now, excuse me, Merlin. It's been 34 minutes now, fractionally I must start on the next thing for my productive day." He walks away, not noticing the glare that forms on the woman's features. She frowns, sighing loudly. 'He is in denial that he misses her, if this continues on... The feeling will only grow worse, and I fear what he may do when it becomes too much to handle.' She thinks to herself before moving on, deciding that she better go and try and speak to Arthur.

"The duchess brings perfume and jelly to the court, strawberries lining her lips, and jewels encasing her luscious hair, mhmm..." Gowther listens to her singing in the memory, his eyes closing peacefully as he stops in the hallway. "On the floor, the shining scarlet water reflects the rising moon, mhmm... The duchess screams out, 'Down the winding paths of the earth, through the tunnels of light, she airs out the life of the world'~ Welcome to the court, my dear, drenched in scarlet, and jewels lining the pockets of the noblemen~!" He imagines her singing the song as she dances through the palace, twirling around in the fabric of her white gown, eyes of a Senex swirling, gold, and red.

"The cut-up piglet on the table, roasted and stuffed with gravy, the duchess shows off all of her jewels, diamonds, sapphires, galore! Jelly on the table smothered in nightshade...The court drenched in scarlet, pig bellies filled with nightshade jelly, the duchess stands above them all on the throne of light..." She stops twirling, falling down into a crouched position before down onto her butt, pulling her knees up to her chest, resting her chin down on the bones. "Scarlet water... Twisted swindling jelly made into wine... The aftermath of such injustice sprayed and boiled down until only the bones of the court are left." She hums softly, swaying from side to side, blood beginning to seep out of the floor, drenching the whites of her dress.

"Welcome to the court of the Senexes, a race filled with swindling light and prohibiting lies. The Duchess raises her glass of white wine, immune to the stares she gains as she drinks from the blood of the piglet and court, the nightshade tingling down her throat. Lightning shockwaves~ And the blistering light of the sky, the Duchess heaves a sigh, and says-" The green of the girl's hair falls victim to the blood as she lays down on her side, continuing to sing, "...'Welcome to the court my dear citizens, scarlet water is for all who wants to stay and be loyal,' liquid draining from their lips, falling and falling, into endless light, until there is nothing left, mhmm..." Madeline closes her eyes, small wings sprouting from her back, colored gold.

"The story of Duchess Kleodora, Queen of the Senexes, bids you greeting.".

Fluttering wings, and smiles, high above the clouds, in the depths of the storm, they watch over the healer, blood-red eyes narrowed, studying her every movement as she weaves through the village, excitement pulsing through her veins.

"Watching over her again, aren't we, Camille?" Camille turns, acknowledging the full-blood with a small nod before returning their attention back to the little half-ling speaking to the ginger beside her.

"A peculiar youngling, don't you think?"

"I do indeed, quite strong if she were to actually use her powers to their full capacity."

"Ah, that is at the fault of the old woman that taught her, cursed human magic..." They reply bitterly in disgust. They sigh, twirling a long piece of dark hair around their pinky. "Camille, this is quite boring to watch her."

"Not to me, it is always interesting to see where she goes, her actions, and words. Always truthful, I don't believe I have ever witnessed a lie pass her lips."

"Ah, so innocent. Well, darling Camille. I am off to do more important duties. Toodaloo~" The full-blooded waves their hand at Camille, earning an annoyed groan from the Senex.

"Yeah, yeah. You are making it sound like I am not watching the future of our race, Timbar." Timbar twirls around on their heel, their flowy dress and cape showing off just how quick they spun.

"Pfft! Almost 30 years, Camille! It will never happen. The Young Duchess hasn't eaten her fill yet, and never will." They state in a mocking tone. Camille growls in reply, standing up straighter and extending their golden wings, growing them bigger to intimidate Timbar.

"If you dare mock Duchess ever again, I will not hesitate to slit your throat, Timbar." The airy and deep voice of the Senex sent frightening shivers down Timbar's spine. Camille's smile warps into deranged happiness at the sight of Timbar easily affected by the intimidation. Timbar doesn't reply, only turning around and continuing on their way. Far away from Camille.

Camille releases a breath of relief, releasing the tension in their shoulders, their wings reverting back to normal size as they returned back to watching the young woman fondly. If only they could spend every day watching over her, watching her live her life as she wanted. But she knew, once she gains that taste for scarlet water, there would be no going back.

"Duchess Jinx... I await for you."

To Be continued

o.o