Grampa is a suspicious character

"Now that the first born is here shall we name her under the witness of the priests?"

Asked one of the blurry blob strangers, an old man by the sounds of it. They all looked the same to me, now and from last time. All stuffy beards and judgmental stares.

"Excellent idea, well then my Maria, what shall we name her?"

A strange but half familiar scent surrounds me. My mother's perfumed sachets, her room, the lingering gunpowder and something else that's distinctively my father's. He was a refined and handsome man from what I can remember, a good fit for the beauty that was my mother. But I can't say I know much about him, he was always busy or away. Except for his awkwardly curt language at times, that was definitely rememberable.

"Hmm well then, something to suit with Lilyanne Maria, since they are twins. Perhaps Licillia? Another flower? Oh what about a name from your side of the family my dear?"

"Well let me see..."

Another old man coughs repeatedly in a way that can't be called subtle.

"Ahem if I may be so bold to interject but Lady Maria, your father has already named the child her first by this time."

"Oh!? How marvelous! Papa never said anything about helping with names. But isn't it wonderful! I'm so glad he did."

"A little strange but it is fitting for him to name our first child. We couldn't, wouldn't possibly refuse."

"Oh do tell, what did papa name her?"

At my birth parents' prompting the old man finally gives up his play of dramatic silence and answers against the murmuring crowd.

"The great Lord has blessed her with the name Rosalia under his cloak."

My mother seems to approve at least, her voice bright and cheerful despite her obviously exhausted state.

"Rosalia, a rose and a lily! It's perfect, I must find the chance to thank papa later for this."

"It's a fair and beautiful name dear...it's a bit much but wonderful none the less."

"Oh but Frederick darling you must choose a name from your side, she hasn't received any from us,"

"Yes, well then how about from my great aunt Therese? It has a certain ring of dignity to it."

"Oh, Rosalia Therese Ventrella. Yes, that sounds right on the tongue. Rosalia Therese and Lilyanne Maria, it's perfect."

"So it shall be my Lord and Lady!"

The blobs make a fuss of movement around us, ringing this bell and scribbling this or that. There's the smell of something burning and the sounds of people chanting. Lucky me, what child gets to remember their own baptism, wine bath and all. It's just how birth certificates work around here.

It's a lot to take in. Memories aside this is still not my own world nor my own time.

These people look like foreigners to me, despite my blurred baby vision. Everything looks...different.

What's even more concerning is the structure of everything.

It's not exactly dirty, not with the work and manpower the servants put in.. But that's only in noble households and such. Nothing is sanitized and soap is something of a luxury item. The buildings are made primarily of wood and stone, people use carriage instead of cars, while swords and cold weapons are openly carried around with the people.

Some people even have magical powers, rare but not impossible. People like Lilyanne.

I am obviously somewhere far away from the home I know. Or should I say some time?

Both! Again, let's go with both.

History and lore say that it was worse, not so long ago. Nations and states were fractured, constantly at war. Famine, monstrous beast rampages, and death were all too common. People survived miserably by the skin of their teeth. It was lawless chaos.

Until the hero came.

He rallied the different states together, fought back hoards of beasts, created numerous weapons, plans and ultimately bringing peace to our land. This land has no king but if there's any figure that could be called one it would be him. There isn't a person alive here who doesn't know his name.

Ronald

That was my grandfather or still is. How heroic....and suspicious.

He sounds like a character from a generic stallion novel. His story is too fishy, too perfect. In a backward medieval world like this, a nobody like him comes sweeping in to save the day? Bringing all sorts of inventions, battle plans and even restricting various small state nations into a collective government? It's ridiculous, unheard of and extremely unlikely to happen naturally. Is he's this Goddess' blessed one?!

More importantly, he was the strange man that held and named me the moment I was born. He's a shady person regardless. There's little to no way to reason around it, he knows about me. He knows I've been reborn in some way.

"...done this before..."

That's what he was going on about, right? I don't think he knows everything but....it's dangerous.

He's honestly more than a little terrifying, there's something about his aura. It's the aura of a man who has seen things, who doesn't mind killing. He's a man that doesn't leave a threat unattended.

He was always kind to me in my memories. He spoiled and loved Lilyanne with a disgusting amount of affection but he was...alright. That man would still try to comfort me if I cried or was upset, that's more than I can say about anyone else in my depressing childhood. And he took us in when our parents died.

We weren't close, but I don't think anyone here was ever close to him.

He smiled a lot and was like Lilyanne in the number of people who loved and seemed to worship him. And yet he was....distant, lonely I think. He only seemed right when he was somewhere in a foreign land or off to see an old friend. But how could us common people possibly understand the mind of the great hero, they said.

Bullshit.

He disappeared not too many years after our parents died. Just left for another adventure and never came back. Maybe he did...I didn't live long enough to see him return.

But he's here now and there are things I need to find out from him. Things I need to know.

Family relations aside if he wanted to do something about me, he already would have. Nothing could threaten Lilyanne while he was around after all.

He's scary but his hands were gentle when they held me.

Alright old man, I don't have much of a choice so I'll play your game. Whatever it may be. I'm still onto you though. Are you also like me in that way? Is that what you meant, someone not from this world? That would explain so much but if not...well it's worth a shot. There are many ways to test this out later on.

I hope you don't expect too much gramps, it leads to less disappointment after all. It will also make things easier for me.

What things?

I really have no real plans outside of simply surviving, just as comfortably as I can. A few things may get shaken up and I'm sure I'll piss off even more people than before but I could care less. This world sucks and it owes me, it owes Rosalia.

And I'll gladly collect every drop of that.

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