Preparations

One day had passed, and preparations for a search party to go look for Queen Isabelle were underway. Valeria was tasked with putting a group together.

It was another wonderful morning as I stood on the balcony where she once was, playing violin just the other night, and now she wasn't here anymore.

As I looked around at what remained of the wasted lair and the damage caused, I just felt powerless. Not being able to do anything in the face of foes such as Gelidra still made my stomach churn and deeply angered me.

"Are you okay there?" My brother's voice sounded from the direction of the door, and I turned around to see him poking only his head through.

"What do you want?" I had a dismissive tone, not wanting to see him of all people right now.

"Nothing, just checking up on you. Given the recent events that transpired a couple of days ago, it is quite understandable that anyone would be emotionally affected and shaken." His voice gave off a sense of sorrow.

"Yeah, I know." I let out a sigh, trying my best to mask my emotions.

My brother nodded solemnly, came into the room, closed the door, and came up next to me.

"It's tough." My voice was tinged with frustration. He put his arm around my shoulder.

"It's okay, brother. Sometimes, things outside of our control happen, and there is nothing we can do."

"Yeah, but If I were just stronger or faster..." I looked off into the distance. "I get it. Sometimes, life just isn't fair, no matter how much you want it to be." Hagen replied, and I turned to face him.

"That is why, Ed, if life is unfair, I believe it is okay to be unfair in life too."

He turned to look at me, his face brimming with determination, like a wise father imparting his wisdom to his son. There was a hint of admiration and confusion in my gaze as I continued to watch him.

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head to the side, puzzled by his bizarre statement.

He turned and gazed at the expansive scenery stretching out, the sun lighting up the snow-white hills in dazzling white.

"Sometimes, if life knocks you down, you learn to get up. It will knock you down again and again, but you should keep getting up. That is the power we should focus on getting." His grip on my shoulder tightened.

"I will try harder, brother. Thanks." I expected him to face me with a warm smile, but he was still staring off into the distance.

"You know, a couple years back, when I was still honing the skill of my swordplay, I challenged Zorro to a swordfight, and I absolutely dominated."

I was not in the mood to listen to any of his self-glorification right now.

"Oh wow, that sounds so cool, Hagen. I love the anecdote, but can we?"

"So like I said, Eduardo—" Hagen cut me off again with a louder voice. I was growing increasingly frustrated, as I had no desire to listen to all of this.

"Ahem!" A familiar, boomy voice sounded from behind. "What were you saying about that match we had a couple years ago, You little fibber?" I turned to see Zorro, who had an angelic smile plastered across his face, although the person behind the smile didn't seem very pleased about our little conversation.

Hagen let out a nervous chuckle, his confident façade slowly crumbling.

"Come on, come on, tell us what really happened out there two years ago, Hagen Herakles." His voice had an upward inflection at the end, the angelic smile wasn't disappearing, and Zorro was closer than before.

He was sweating bullets. "I, uh, well..." He searched for the right response, but it seemed to escape him. "Or, do you want me to remind you of that embarrassing incident?" Zorro's hulking frame towered above us, casting a shadow on us from his standing between us and the sunlight that permeated the room.

Hagen's face turned pale, and he quickly interjected, "Okay! Please, anything but that! Let's not bring it up in front of Ed, I beg you."

I was now more curious about the incident my dear commander had brought up.

Hagen cleared his throat and gave a recount of the real incident.

"Well, you see, it was a rather epic battle. I was in the heat of the moment, swinging my sword like a true warrior, but then a distraction caught my eye—a dazzling butterfly, of all things! I couldn't resist taking a quick glance, and in that split second, I lost my footing entirely. My sword slipped from my grip, and with a thud, I ended up planted face-first into the ground."

My face remained deadpan, but inwardly, I was disappointed. In that very instant, whatever little respect I had managed to gain for my brother seemed to dissipate.

"Are you sure it was a butterfly?" I asked. I couldn't trust another word that came out of this man's mouth.

"That isn't the point right now! Zorro, why did you interrupt me when I was trying to cheer up my beloved brother, who's obviously depressed?!" Hagen snapped at Zorro, losing his composure.

Zorro's expression instantly softened into a face showing slight signs of remorse. His hulking frame didn't seem so threatening anymore.

"I apologize, Hagen. I didn't mean to disrupt your intentions," Zorro replied, trying to make amends.

"I understand," Hagen said with a reassuring smile. "Let's find another way to cheer him up together." Suddenly, Hagen's eyes lit up like a candle, and he shot a wink at Zorro.

"I'll be right back, Eduardo." Saying that, Hagen started to leave the room as if he were going to grab something.

What were they planning?

"Where are you going, Hagen?" I asked him.

"You just wait here." Saying that, he slammed the door as he ran to get something.

I turned to Zorro, now facing him. "What is this all about?"

He came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder, similar to Hagen's, but his hand was huge compared to mine, and started to talk.

"I can see that you're frustrated, Ed. I know your disposition all too well. At times like these, I know exactly what it is that you need to do to stop being so negative, and it is easier than you think."

What is it? I wondered.