CHAPTER 47: LYRA V. ISOBEL II

"Do you take anything seriously?!" Lyra found herself shouting. "Everything has to be some sort of snide comment. A wisecrack. A joke. And if you aren’t trying to pretend like you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re being a petulant child!"

Isobel’s eyes widened. "Petulant?! Coming from the resident drama queen? Need I remind you that your first decision after going through my things was to kill me?! I’d imagine an ant would be the ’smartest person in the room’ when they share it with someone like you!"

"Finally! A shred of honesty! I’m sick and tired of you lying to us. I can’t wait until Lloyd and I kick your ass. That way, we don’t have to deal with you and your deceitful ass ever again!"

"I never intended to deceive you. My calendar and my journal are where I write my personal, private thoughts. Just because I thought about rejecting the sale didn’t mean I was actually going to do it! How do you know I wasn’t going to speak with Lloyd and communicate my anxieties to him? How do you know I wasn’t going to challenge you both to a duel without provocation?! It’s like I told Lloyd: I originally wanted to bring you two on as Paladin and Instructor, but when it was clear that I couldn’t do that, I started thinking of alternatives." She frowned, genuine anger in her face. "You never allowed me to think of alternatives before you started spouting on about killing me. Killing me!" She pressed her fingers deeper into Lyra’s head, eyes wide. "Are you fucking insane?!"

Lyra charged the Eldritch Blast even more. It wasn’t just going to rip a hole through her. It was going to eviscerate her. That Cleric was going to be working overtime today. "Sorry for not being trusting, Isobel. Sure, you manipulated us and made us take you on bullshit Quests for almost a week without telling us your intentions, all while plotting against us, but at least you got some dick out of it. I’m proud of you!"

Isobel’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t be angry with me because I did what you were too afraid to–"

Lyra unleashed the Eldritch Blast. It ripped through Isobel, who, somewhat unsurprisingly, faded to mist. This was a clone. Of course.

A cold hand gripped her neck. It sent small shocks through her body, which, while not painful, prevented her from moving. A paralytic Spell. Since when did Isobel know how to do that?!

"Is that what this is about?" Isobel called from behind her. She was inches away from her ear, voice soft yet venomous. Just like the Demon Queen. "Jealousy? You’re angry that I ’took’ Lloyd from you?"

Lyra tried to time-travel, but she couldn’t. The only parts of her body not paralyzed were those that allowed her to breathe, blink, and speak. Everything else, including her aura channels, was frozen in time, ironically enough. Left with no other choice, Lyra decided to tell the truth.

"I can’t trust you. Everything I know about you says you’re going to betray him. Betray us. I tried not to see you as the Demon Queen for his sake, but that just isn’t working. Everything you do reminds me of the person I’ve spent years fighting. I know the Demon Queen, and you are literally her. I can’t not see her when I see you. And when I see that woman getting so close to Lloyd, I get scared."

"Hmm... I suppose I haven’t been the most forthcoming with you. If you want me to be more blatantly honest, I hadn’t considered you up to this point. My focus was on House Greaves and on Lloyd. I didn’t care much for you, nor what your desires were. Yet, truth be told, you are as much a part of Lloyd’s life as anything else. You very well may be the most important thing in his life! And so, if I am to love him, I suppose it’s important I win you over as well."

"...What are you getting at?"

Isobel laughed softly. "Don’t misunderstand, Lyra. I have no intentions of making advances towards you. This is simply about the two of us coming to a mutual understanding regarding where we stand with Lloyd."

Isobel turned Lyra around, which allowed Lyra to see the sincerity in Isobel’s eyes and the sincerity in the eyes of the hundred clones behind her. Goddamn it.

"I love Lloyd May. Perhaps the love I have for him isn’t the same as the love you have for him, but it is, undoubtedly, love. I want to grow this House with him by my side, and once it’s turned into the Great House it’s meant to be, I want to marry him. I want to have children with him. I want to grow old with him, and I want to die with him. Even so, I can’t do that without you. You’re his best friend, and I can’t imagine he wants to be with me if you weren’t also there, so I say we come to an understanding." She removed her hand from Isobel’s neck and unsummoned her clones before holding her hands behind her back. "Regardless of the nature of this battle, I want us to be friends. Would you like that?"

Lyra considered Isobel’s words for a long while. Friends? With Isobel? That sounded so... wrong. What did they even have in–

Isobel closed the distance between them once again. Dazed as she was, Lyra wasn’t able to defend against... a hug? Isobel was hugging her? Why?

"I’m sorry for the pain that my prior incarnations put you through, and I’m sorry for unintentionally triggering any PTSD she may have given you. Lloyd may be my first lover, but you, Lyra, are my first friend aside from my brother. At least, I want you to be. I believe that with you by my side to keep me grounded and call me out whenever I may be doing something I shouldn’t, you will be the one who prevents the ’Demon Queen’ from ever being born in this time." Isobel’s hands moved to Lyra’s, looking the girl over with a genuine smile. "This may be fast, but my mother always said it’s important for people to argue sometimes. It’s the easiest way for people to communicate. Sure, there are better, healthier ways, but I don’t think either of us has learned them yet."

Lyra stared at Isobel for a long time, completely dumbfounded. "This has to be a trick."

"Nope. The only trick was getting behind you and poisoning you. The moment you use aura, it’s going to kick in. You’re out of the fight, Lyra." She smiled mischievously, though she corrected herself. "That’s the only reason I’m talking to you like this."

That... goddamn it. Goddamn it. That was the kind of trick Mr. Shaw would’ve done! It was how she learned her whole ’Analyze and Adapt’ mantra to begin with! How did–

"I think you were thinking about me for a while, now. It must’ve clouded your judgment more than you realized. From what I know, this timeline has been entirely foreign to you. You aren’t immune to surprise, Lyra, even if it’s rare for you to feel it."

"Don’t speak as if you know me."

"I don’t," Isobel admitted. "But... I’d like to get to. If you’d have me."

Lyra took a deep breath. Just in case she was lying, she gathered a bit of aura... and immediately regretted it. It was as if needles stabbed her through every pore in her body. She fell to her knees, where Isobel of all people caught her.

"I wasn’t lying..." Isobel muttered.

"I’ll be your friend if you give me a fair fight," Lyra finally answered, begrudgingly. She smiled. "After Lloyd wipes the floor with you."

Isobel looked over her shoulder. "I dunno. I’d say the main Isobel is keeping up well with him. But you have a deal. I think I’d like to train myself against you for real."