Video ❖ 4 || Private to Guilford 95%

[knightmare_hime]

[Backdated to yesterday, October 9th, after this conversation]

[Her tone is urgent and commanding while her face, now drained completely of color, is blurred on the screen as she moves around her hut, heading for the door.]

Guildford! Tell me your location now.

[It would seem that this sort of message is beginning to become a common occurrence

Comments

[as_you_command]

[ Though the feed comes in with ease, there is the crackle of static on the audio track and the footage is dark.

No, not just dark. Everything is in black and white, and the would-be recipient of the call is asleep... but she might not notice this immediately, for his face is looking back at her, with gold eyes hidden by dark glasses. ]

The hour is late, and your demand is sudden. Is there some urgent need you have, Princess?

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[knightmare_hime]

[She halts just short of the door, a prickle of something unnatural stirring the hairs at the back of her neck, causing her expression to freeze into a mask of surprise.]

P-Princess? [What is he...? It takes her a moment. Her eyes are wide, unblinking, coated with an emotion that is both dark and vulnerable. But it is only for a moment.]

[knightmare_hime]

[The next, she is forcing herself to swallow, forcing her shoulders to relax and she is glaring into the screen. Of course. Val said there had been another Guilford. One that represents his shadow. The glare becomes a deep scowl and she is soon slamming the door to her hut as she moves outside.]

You have no right to call me that! Now where is he?!

[Despite the late evening, her voice is loud and imperious in the darkness. She is already heading next door to his hut, hoping that she will find him asleep and unharmed by this foul creation.]

[as_you_command]

[ The strict expression melts into something with a hint of sadness in it, his brows turning up. ] No right, Princess? [ He's not saying it to get under her skin. Yet. ] I beg to differ.

I took that oath.

I swore my allegiance.

I chose to throw that title away. [ The last bit was almost spat out, the camera shifting to show Guilford sleeping fitfully on the cot, oblivious to the rest of the world. ] Now look at what that has done to me. Why would I not wish to return to the duty I promised to uphold?

[action]

[knightmare_hime]

[The door to Guilford's hut is roughly shoved open seconds later and Cornelia stands in the doorway. The hand holding her communication device presses the button that will end their connection, but her eyes remain on the impostor, the words of warning from Souji Seta ringing in her ears.

The Shadow is dangerous and should not be faced alone. It represents a part of the subconscious that one may want to repress or hide. It has yellow eyes. It must be accepted in order for it to return to where it belongs.

Instead of inquiring about the so called truth he speaks of, Cornela decides to defend the unconscious man in the cot. She isn't sure that she completely believes her own words, but she somehow knows that she will eventually have to acknowledge and accept them.]

I see nothing pitiful about it. A man should regard himself above all others. Isn't that right? How else will he maintain enough respect for himself to aid those around him?

[as_you_command]

[ There is an echo of cold laughter, but it is only a weak sound in his throat. ] And who do you think I regard highest of all?

[ He takes a step closer, tossing Guilford's communicator onto the bed. ] Whose respect do you believe I wished for?

[ His expression turns... sympathetic; almost mournful. ] Do not tell me that you have forgotten what has happened in your time.

Do not think I have been blind to your uncertainty, Princess. [ Now he reaches up to adjust the dark glasses via a finger to the bridge, and when they shift into place, the lenses go clear. His golden eyes are plain as day now, glowing faintly in the darkness of the room. ]

[knightmare_hime]

[She meets the incandescent glow of his eyes with a lift of her chin. The hand holding her device lowers, and if he is as observant as the man still sleeping nearby, he might notice the slight tremble of her fingers as she does.

It is concealed. Everything. All of the affliction and turmoil lumping together in her throat, compressing her chest and leaving an empty sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, it's all internal. She refuses to let this monster get the best of her. Not when his very existence threatens the safety of the one person she can fully trust.

But inside, she is shaking. Her conscience has been pierced by his laughter and the whirlwind of memories that come to mind just with a few words from his mouth. She wants to shut him up. Anything to silence him. To make him stop calling her that.]

Do you enjoy speaking in riddles? I am no longer a princess, as you know. If you have something to say to me, then you will do well to state it clearly.

[Her tone sounds bored, despite the inner conflict. And even though it

[as_you_command]

[ The moment the door slides shut, his domain is made clear once again. Like a sudden draft drawing heat from a room, all color is peeled away from everything in the room, save for the glowing of his twin amber eyes.

There's a momentary wicked smile, but it fades swiftly as he takes note of her stance. ] Titles mean little. They are but decorations. [ His hand comes up to the level of his eyes, fingers curling and then uncurling as he tilts his palm down; as if he were crushing a leaf in his hand and letting the brittle remains float off in the breeze. ] Formalities.

Who you are has never, and will never change, Cornelia. [ The man on the bed stirs at the spoken name, but the Shadow pays it no heed. ]

I shall not harm him. I cannot. [ Bringing his hands up in a gesture of futility. ] Not unless he were to awaken. [ Sneering, he looks down at the prone figure. ] But he insists on letting his doubt and fear rule him. To trap him in an endless spiral of nightmares and dark illusions.

[ Slyly, he looks at Cornelia out of the corner