we are the cursed we came from fire and ice

[advancements]

(catchall for camilla's and xander's adventures through fódlan!)

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[anythingforyou]

[It's just as she expected. Camilla feels her anger spike, and her eyes widen as she hears those seethed words, and she could swear she was seeing red again. She wants nothing more than to kill him, make it look like an accident, and never have to deal with him ever again.

But he moves on, all too quickly, and Camilla forces herself to straighten up with a sharp glare, and the click of her tongue.]

You couldn't stop me even if you wished to. I will never go back to that wretched castle. My service to my lord is the highest priority I have, and I shall never leave him behind.

[That's firm. Incredibly so, and incredibly threatening at that. It's unspoken, but if anything should befall Lord Lorenz because of him? Well...it's not going to end well.]

You should truly mind your own business from now on, and keep your nose out from where it's not wanted.

[...Of course, Camilla being the petty, angry woman she is, smirks. She's absolutely not leaving behind that first bit.]

I will not leave her out of this, however. Tell me, did you have any inkling of just how jealous of a woman that wretch was? Just how obsessive she was to keep her position, and ensure your success--at the cost of any and every wretched child of that castle? [Camilla sneers.] She tried to kill me, you know. If my mother had not gotten there in time, she would have succeeded.

And we wanted nothing to do with any of the power of House Krakenburg anymore. Not that your mother truly cared, despite my dear mother's insistence.

[It could be kind, to let him know just what happened. Just how much of a wicked woman Katerina truly was, underneath her appearance. But nothing about what Camilla is saying is kind; it's a decade spanning grudge that she has held so very close to her heart, that's finally getting the chance to explode.]

[advancements]

[Had Camilla stopped at the first part, he would have been content to let her go. He would have been annoyed with her, but he would have given himself time to cool off and perhaps eventually try to seek her out again, to understand what she'd been through and why she's like this now. He would have wanted to repair their relationship, at the very least because of old times and their shared blood.

But Camilla doesn't leave it at that and she continues. The words that come from her are completely and utterly unbelievable, and he can't imagine why she would ever spew such lies about his mother. She had always been harsh with Garon's other mistresses, but that's certainly no reason to claim that she tried to kill a child, and Xander's only friend at that.]

I can't believe you would stoop to something so low.

[There's genuine anger there, unchecked and hidden only by the tight expression he's wearing. His shoulders remain squared and firm, but goddess, he wants to shake. Why would she go after his mother like that? It doesn't make any sense, none of this makes any sense.]

Do you intend to spread these lies through your house and to anyone who will listen? What do you hope to accomplish with this? My mother has been dead for a decade; smearing her name will do you no good.

[anythingforyou]

[Camilla's own expression goes cold at that, and she stares at Xander once again like she sees right through him. Her own anger is slowly going unchecked, and she's about ready to exact vengeance--vengeance she exacted years ago, bloody, blinding vengeance that left her empty for a decade after. When she arrived to House Gloucester's territory with nothing but a minor crest, a letter from her mother, and the clothes on her back--alone, without anyone until she became Lord Lorenz's retainer.

She's not surprised that he's calling her a liar. Really, she isn't. But she's absolutely not going to let go of this.]

Stooping, dear brother? Don't make me laugh. It's hardly my fault that you wish to spend your entire life burying your head under the ground and eating every pretty lie out of our father's hands. He likely fed you a pretty little story to explain all of our deaths to you, didn't he? And you bought every word of it.

[Camilla shrugs, debonair and without a single care.]

Truly, Xander? I almost pity you, and your closed-minded nature. You're likely going to meet the same fate as the others; to be used until there's nothing left, and tossed aside like everyone else in father's life.

[But, to the point.]

I don't intend to spread lies. Truthfully, I intend to keep the truth of the events that transpired that night close at hand, because I saw the truth--I nearly died to keep that truth to myself. My house does not need to know my past, other than my allegiance to my lord.

But one day...one, sweet day...I will tell the whole world the truth. I care not about what happens after, but I will have vengeance for my mother.

[advancements]

[Every word that leaves her is more unbelievable than the last, and his anger reaches a boiling point. Were it not completely improper to do so, he would have lashed out by now.

But it is improper and she is his sister like it or not, so he doesn't. His hands clench and unclench at his sides for a moment before he moves by her toward the door. He almost leaves without saying anything.

Almost.]

...Despite what's become of you, I'm glad you're alive.

[The words are bitter, angry, but no less true. She's his sister, and while that might not mean anything to her anymore, it certainly does to him.]

As long as you keep your mouth shut, we won't have a problem.

[And with that he's gone, refusing to look back at her for even a moment.

He has a very important letter he needs to write to father, after all.]

[anythingforyou]

[Finally, she can have some peace and quiet with the wyverns. At least, that's what she hopes when Xander leaves, but then he says--

...

Why is he glad that she's alive? That's the last thing she wants to hear from the man who she's very certain is her sworn enemy, and Camilla scoffs at his words. They're pretty lies with no meaning behind them, nothing at all.]

I suppose I'll keep that in mind.

[That's stated long after he's gone, and quite frankly, Camilla could care less about him. She'll keep her mouth closed so long as he keeps his, after all.

...She's not going to look forward to explaining why she's so tense to Lorenz later, but it's fine. It'll be fine. Camilla just needs to keep calm, that's all.]