Chapter Text
Emmy didn’t know how Vania knew, but she was there at the stables when she and Alanna reached the palace.
“Emmy!” Vania was grinning and waving at her.
Emmy tightened her grip on the reins, grinning and waving back, feeling her heart lighten. If not for the presence of other people in the stables, she would have jumped off Whisper and ran to her. There were two hostlers behind Vania, and they followed her as she came to meet them.
“Welcome back, Aunt Alanna!”
“Thank you,” Alanna said dryly, “I was beginning to wonder if Emmy had grown taller without me realising. You seemed to have noticed her first.”
Vania bit her lip and ducked her head a little. “You’re hard to miss, Aunt Alanna. Your armour is gold in colour.”
Alanna hummed a little, raising her eyebrow in question. Emmy barely fought back a grin.
“In any case,” Vania straightened up, her face serious but tinged with pink, “I’m to bring you to father’s study. He wants to meet the two of you.”
Alanna gave Emmy a glance, and both of them hopped off their mares, handing the reins to the waiting hostlers.
“Where’s the fire?” Alanna asked as Vania led them towards the corridors. “Haven’t things settle down? When did the company get in?”
“We got in three days ago,” Vania said, and Emmy blinked in surprise.
She had stayed with Alanna at the camp site for four days, and they had ridden at a leisurely pace on the way back. All that, and they were only three days behind the main party?
Vania caught her look, and reminded her, “The prisoners were on foot.”
Emmy nodded, her curiosity placated. Ill as she was at the beginning, she hadn’t realise how fast they were traveling — or how slowly. But it made sense that the large number of prisoners would have slowed the main party down.
“Father gave everyone two days off — I think the servants are still cleaning off some of the stains on the walls in the dining hall.” Vania continued.
Alanna snorted. “Time off wasn’t the only thing Jon gave them, was it?”
Vania grinned. “No. There was a huge feast, and everyone involved in the mission was rewarded a special purse.” She caught Emmy’s eyes and winked, “I heard a rumour that your purse would be bigger than most, Emmy.”
It was Emmy’s turn to flush in embarrassment.
Alanna hummed in approval. “It’d better be.”
“My lady,” Emmy protested weakly. Had Alanna said something to the king about rewarding her again?
“You killed Silversmith and broke the spell that had us trapped, Emmy.” Alanna said matter-of-factly, “If you hadn’t done what you did, we would have been in serious trouble.”
“I would have been held as a hostage and used to get to my father,” Vania said, her face sour. “You know how much I hate having my status get in the way of things.”
“But it is what it is, Vania.” Emmy hurried to say, “you can’t help it.”
Vania grinned slowly. “Back at you. You saved us all, Emmy. My father wants to reward you for it. It is what it is.”
Emmy blinked stupidly at her as Alanna chuckled and patted Vania on the back.
Emmy was trying to think about what to say when Vania started asking Alanna about their journey. She shook her head with a smile. It was good to be back.
King Jonathan was in his study, and he got up and around his desk to greet them. He gave Alanna a warm hug, and clasped Emmy’s hand.
“Are you feeling better now, Emmy?” He asked as he steered them towards the couches in front of the fireplace. “You had us worried. I read the reports — you were in the room when the spell imploded, weren’t you?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Emmy said as she took a seat next to Alanna. Vania sat on Alanna’s other side, next to the king’s armchair. She started pouring drinks for all of them.
“I’m feeling fine now. Thank you for your concern.”
“Good. I would hate for anything to happen to one of our finest squires.” He said with a smile. Emmy felt her cheeks flush as Alanna snorted.
“Well, what are you giving my fine squire?”
Vania snickered, and Emmy ducked her head.
“Thanks for stealing my thunder, Alanna,” he said dryly, “I had a speech all planned out.”
Alanna started counting on her fingers, “I spent the morning on horseback, I’m hungry, and you had to see us right after we reached the palace. You can save your speech for yourself.”
“The food is almost here,” he said, shaking his head, “I had the kitchen prepare ahead, but of course you are faster than I thought.”
He clapped his hands together, “I have other things to discuss. But let’s get this out of the way — Emmy, you’ve done well on this mission. Things could have gone very wrong if you hadn’t stopped Silversmith. I might have lost Alanna, my top mages, and of course, Vania.” He paused and patted Vania’s knee, his eyes somber.
“In light of your deeds, I am taking another two years off your ten-year sentence. This means you only need to serve five years under the original terms. And as you’re still not a knight, you will be getting a special purse of two hundred gold nobles.”
Emmy stared at the king until Alanna nudged her in the ribs. She shot to her feet and bowed deeply. “Thank you, your majesty.”
He smiled. “You deserve it.”
Someone knocked on the door, and it turned out to be the promised food. As the servants placed warm pastries on the table, Vania caught Emmy’s eyes from behind Alanna’s back, and beamed at her. Emmy could only grin back. Two more years off her sentence! Only five years of service to the Crown without pay or any say in her work. Five years before her life would be her own, and she could find work that bring her closer to Vania, whatever she ended up doing.
Alanna let out a contented moan as she bit into her pastry.
“Does the food meet your standards, my Champion?”
Alanna swallowed. “Close enough. So, what do you want to talk about? And start eating, Emmy. You’ve been on the road as long as I have. I know you’re hungry.”
The king gave her a subtle nod, and Vania started helping herself to the food. Emmy followed suit.
“Keladry has given me the full report, of course. But I wanted to talk about the spell Silversmith used.”
Alanna froze, and lowered her half-eaten pastry. “The Gate of Idramm.”
He nodded. “We both know that, the last time the spell was used, it was used by Roger at my coronation.”
At this, Vania made a choking sound and coughed. Alanna patted her back absently as Emmy looked on in shock. They were talking about the Roger. Roger of Conté, the king’s cousin and the mastermind behind the treason involving her own uncle and the house of Eldorne.
“I’d imagine it was a shock to you as well.” He said to Alanna, handing Vania her goblet of juice as she recovered.
“Of course. I never thought I’d see it again, or meet anyone foolish enough to use it.” Alanna said, her face grim.
“That’s what I’m worried about. I’ve asked Numair the same question, but you’re the one most familiar with the spell. Was there anything about it that was odd? Anything that could tell us where Silversmith learned it from?”
Alanna set her plate on the table, her appetite seemingly gone. “Everything about the spell was odd. The circle of runes were much bigger, drawn around the whole dining table. He barely needed anything personal of ours — he used the goblets we drank from. It was a much more powerful version of the spell, far beyond what Roger had attempted all those years ago. I don’t know where he could have learned something like that.”
The king sighed, leaning back on his armchair. “Myles has his people interrogating the prisoners. But it seems like nothing much would come out of it. We’ve been trying to get more information about their magecraft for years. What Emmy learned from the spidrens told us how little we know, and this spell has proven that again. The mastermind is still out there, and we don’t know exactly what he is capable of.”
No one knew what to say for a few moments.
Vania straightened up. “But surely we’ve dealt them a heavy blow? Silversmith had been a key figure in the rebellion. Now he’s dead, and Genlith, who must be a source of funds for them, has fallen. Maybe some of the prisoners would rat out the other houses involved.”
“The prisoners could well give us good information. But any accusations against other houses would not hold up. The accused house would say that the words of traitors hold no credibility.”
“How convenient.” Alanna muttered.
He waved a little. “I’m not concerned about that. George has all the houses under suspicion watched closely. I don’t expect them to be able to make any moves soon, not when Genlith is going to lose its lands and titles. What irks me is that we haven’t found the mastermind, and this would likely send him into hiding for a while. It could be months or even years before we stamp this out for good.”
Alanna sighed, and picked up her plate again.
He watched her curiously. “I just told you that this cursed mess might drag on for another few years. And it gave you your appetite back?’’
Alanna raised her eyebrow at him halfway through a bite. She chewed and swallowed before saying, “It reminded me that I need to eat, see my husband, and get a good soak. We can’t let this cursed mess stop us from living our lives, Jon.”
He laughed. “Thayet said the same thing the other night.”
“Then you know it’s right.”
The king chuckled, and urged both Emmy and Vania to keep eating. Emmy obeyed, exchanging a smile with Vania across the couch.
Alanna was right. Life goes on.
*
The moment the door to her father’s study closed behind them, Vania stepped in front of Alanna and Emmy.
“Now that the first stop is done, I’m to bring you to your second welcome party.” She announced with a bow, her hand pointing to the left side of the corridors.
Alanna sighed.
“Uncle George is waiting for you there, Aunt Alanna.” Vania said before Alanna could grumble.
Alanna relaxed, and her lips twitched. “Well, let’s get going then.” She turned and strode down the corridor.
Vania turned and exchanged a grin with Emmy. They started walking behind Alanna, and Vania got as close to Emmy as she could. Their elbows brushed against each other, and her hand itched to hold Emmy’s. She caught her eyes, and saw her own longing reflected in them.
“Well,” She started, trying to distract them both, “congratulations! I’m so happy for you. Two more years off your sentence! I —” she frowned, “well, I wanted to say that if you keep this up, you won’t have to serve any sentence by the time you’re a knight. But you almost got yourself killed both times, maybe let’s not.”
Ahead of them, Alanna snorted. “Yes, let’s not. Where are we going?”
“Roald’s study.” Vania replied, and they took a right turn.
“I don’t think I’ve been there before.” Emmy said, her face thoughtful.
Vania rolled her eyes. “You could have, if you hadn’t turned down my invitations to visit Lianny. She’s adorable!”
“I haven’t seen her in ages.” Alanna said, “Has she learned any new words?”
Vania replied her eagerly, chattering about all the things her niece did over her past few visits. Having been the youngest among her siblings, she had never really had much experience with young children. Playing with Lianny, as well as Neal and Yuki’s daughter, and Numair and Daine’s children had been both an educational and a charming experience.
Roald’s study was filled with people by the time they arrived.
George greeted them briefly by the door before sweeping Alanna into an embrace and a long kiss. Cheers and catcalls echoed from the room. Vania chuckled, and tugged Emmy by the hand into the room.
“Emmy!”
“Welcome back, Emmy!”
Fianola and Patrine took turns hugging Emmy before giving way to Ahmad and Gerald. Ahmad gave Emmy a hug, though Gerald stood stiffly for a few moments before patting her shoulder awkwardly.
“It’s good to see you well, Emmy.” Gerald said with a smile.
“Thank you.” Emmy replied, avoiding his eyes.
Vania tried not to wince in pity. It was sad to see them being so formal with each other when they had all been close friends once.
Fortunately, Daine cut into the group then, with baby Rikash on her hip. She opened up her free arm and gave Emmy a hug. “Welcome back, Emmy. You saved Numair’s life. Thank you.”
“Well, my lady did —”
“You broke the spell that had them trapped,” Daine said firmly. Rikash reached forward with a tiny fist, and Daine grinned as she introduced her son.
Someone nudged Vania, and she turned to see Fianola nodding at Gerald, who was politely listening on. “I heard Gerald is courting a Rider.”
Vania’s eyes widened, and she barely managed to keep her voice low, “What? When did that happen?”
Fianola shrugged, though she had a small smile. “Liam let it slip by accident. He wouldn’t tell me more.”
Vania turned to the right side of the room, where Liam was chatting with Alanna and George. She grinned slowly, “He let it slip, didn’t he? How often are you two talking that he has had a chance to let things slip?”
Fianola ducked her head with a pleased smile, and Vania felt her heart burst in joy for her friend. “He’s been courting me for a few weeks now. We’re keeping it discreet — you know it’s usually scandalous for squires to have any romantic entanglements —”
“Please,” Vania scoffed, “everyone knows about them anyway.”
Fianola shrugged again, “It would be worse for us, you know that. But he’s made his feelings clear. And with the uncertainty in Tyra at the moment, there’s no telling what would happen. He’s a free man for now, and he said he’s not going to wait around for what-ifs.”
“Are you… are you fine with that?” Vania asked tentatively.
Fianola’s smile was wistful. “The Tyra situation could resolve in a few months, or in a few years. I’m not going to wait for things to settle down. I’m seizing what I can.”
Vania’s face softened. She put her arm around Fianola and gave her a quick squeeze. “I’m happy for you.”
Fianola hugged her back. “I’m happy for you too. I heard Emmy had another two years shaved off her sentence.”
Vania grinned, looking on proudly as Patrine begged Emmy for more details while their fellow squires and a few of the adults listened with rapt attention. Emmy’s cheeks were a little flushed as she told her story.
“She did. She’s becoming quite the hero. Even if she scares me to death sometimes.”
“Indeed! I always find out late, I don’t know how you deal with it,” Fianola said, crossing her arms. “How does she always get herself into so much trouble?”
Vania started a sigh, but ended with a chuckle instead. “I ask myself that all the time.”
*
Emmy got the next two days off, like everyone who went on the mission did. Vania showed up early at her door, telling her smugly that she had delayed her own days off so that she could enjoy them with Emmy instead. Emmy had grinned and pulled her into a kiss, which evolved into a long morning spent in bed.
In the afternoon, they went into the city, excited to see the play that Shinko had sponsored. It was about two samurai — Yamani military elite warriors, who are kind of like knights — who fell in love. Even though Patrine had said that Shinko had been thinking about something like this, they were surprised that it was already happening. But it turned out that Shinko had been planning it for months; she had brought in Yamani artists to work with local Players, spread the word among the people in court, and even supervised some of the rehearsals herself. The play would be performed every other night for two months, and the two of them would be catching the tenth performance.
They spent the afternoon wandering around Corus. Their first stop was at Raven Armoury, where they were to collect Emmy’s new sword. Alanna had sent word ahead of their return for an order.
Emmy held the sword in front of her, admiring the blue sheen reflecting off the steel. “This is… are you sure this is the right one?”
Her previous sword was also from Raven Armoury — courtesy of her knight mistress, of course. It was a good, well-made sword.
But this? This was beautiful. And the weight fit her perfectly.
The shop owner nodded with a smile, his hands behind his back. “Indeed. We would never misplace the Lioness’ order. And it fits you well, does it not?”
“It does.” Emmy breathed, turning the blade so she could look at it from the hilt.
Vania chuckled. “I would say you’re being silly, except I’m actually a little envious.”
Emmy took her eyes off her new sword — her new, beautiful sword — and turned to Vania. “You could get one, couldn’t you?”
Vania nodded at the blade. “That is the finest Yamani steel there is. I’m not sure I could afford one on my own. Besides, some things are better when it’s earned. You’ve earned this, Emmy. I’ll earn mine some day.”
Emmy smiled, her heart full. She gave Vania’s shoulder a quick squeeze with her free hand. “I know you will.”
With the new sword on her hip, she brought Vania to her first massage parlour, which was just down the street from Lalasa’s shop. Amicia helps Emmy run both her shops in the city, but she was based in this one. She greeted them warmly at the door.
“I heard you did another great deed and was rewarded by the king again,” The older girl said with a grin, “Congratulations!”
Emmy felt her cheeks warm. “I see word travels fast.”
“It travels faster when you have tea with Eleni every other day.” Amicia winked. “Anyway, what can I do for you today? I can show you the latest books, but since you’ve brought Vania here, I assume your visit is not all business?”
“You’re right. Could we both get massages? Vania doesn’t get them often, but she trains every day too.”
Amicia chuckled, and ushered them towards a private room at the back. “Of course you can. You own the place, Emmy.”
Vania elbowed her ribs, muttering with a grin, “Boss lady.”
Emmy nudged her back.
The private room had three thin beds lined up against the wall, each lined with soft dark towels. They settled down on adjacent beds, and Amicia brought in Rosa, one of her more senior employees. Emmy was surprised when Amicia started rolling up her own sleeves and tying an apron around her dress.
Amicia caught her eyes. “I have to keep my skills sharp. I still train the new employees myself, you know.”
Amicia took her station beside Vania’s bed, while Rosa stood next to Emmy’s. As they started kneading Emmy’s shoulder, she felt herself relax.
“So what else are you ladies up to today? There are a few new eating houses that I can recommend, if you don’t already have one in mind.” Amicia said.
“We’re catching a play tonight.” Vania said, her voice slower and more relaxed than usual, “the one about the two samurai.”
“That’s right, Princess Shinkokami sponsored the play, didn’t she?”
“She did.”
“Have you seen it?” Emmy asked. She remembered her visit to Lalasa’s shop last winter, and the shock on Amicia’s face when she had witnessed a tender moment between Lalasa and Tian, like Emmy did. She never said anything about it afterwards, and had continued talking about Lalasa with high respect.
“I have.” Amicia said slowly, as if considering her words. “It is a beautiful love story. And quite a few of my customers agreed.”
“Oh?”
“Not all of them, of course. Some of them came with a group of friends, and they talk. There are usually one or two who are more hesitant, but most of them seem fine with it. Her highness did a great job of showing the history of same-sex lovers in the Isles.”
Emmy turned her head a little, and caught Vania’s eyes in the next bed. The hope in her eyes were familiar.
“That is… great to hear.” Vania finally said. “I’ll let Shinko know. She’ll be glad.”
“I hope so. Please thank her for me as well,” Amicia said, her voice heavy with emotion. Emmy wished she could see her face. “She has done so much for those who are honeylove and bardash. People are starting to talk more about them, and about the their history in our own land. I’m not so naive to think that it would be safe for us to live out in the open overnight, but this play… it opens doors.” Her voice cracked.
There was a rustle in the next bed, and Emmy felt Rosa pause. Emmy pushed herself up on her knees on the bed, and saw that Vania had got up as well. Both of them were looking at Amicia in surprise as she dabbed at her eyes.
“Are you…?”
Amicia smiled and nodded shyly. “I am a honeylove. Rosa knows.”
Emmy turned to catch Rosa’s encouraging smile. When she turned back, Vania had taken both of Amicia’s hands in her own.
“This is great! I am, too! Emmy and I are both… well.”
Amicia chuckled. “You’re together, are you not?” She caught the sheepish glance between the two of them and laughed a little, “It’s not hard to tell, when one knows to look for it.”
Emmy ducked her head, a little embarrassed, but also delighted to find someone like them. But then she remembered how Amicia got here, and she hopped off her bed.
She walked towards the older girl, her heart already heavy. “Eleni said… she said your family kicked you out because you loved the wrong person. Was it because…?”
Amicia lowered her head, and clenched her fists.
Emmy stepped forward and closed her arms tightly around Amicia. Her eyes welled with tears for the other girl, but also partly for herself. She knew how much it hurt to be rejected by people who were supposed to love you. Xander still had not said a single word about the matter.
“I’m sorry.”
Amicia hugged her back, and sniffled. When Emmy let go, she was trying to smile. “All that’s in the past. I have a different life now. And with the changes that her highness is stirring, who knows? Maybe one day I wouldn’t have to hide anymore.”
Vania slipped her hand into Emmy’s and gave it a squeeze, her face determined. “I’ll fight for that day. None of us should have to hide.”
It was Amicia’s turn to throw her arms around Vania, and both their chuckles were watery.
It took them all a few moments to settle down again.
Amicia clapped her hands together, “Well, you should lie back down. I didn’t mean to interrupt what you came here for.”
“I’m glad you told us,” Emmy tried to say, but Amicia made a shooing motion, and she retreated back to her bed. “We don’t have to —”
“Nonsense, you both train hard, you could use this.” Amicia said firmly, guiding Vania back on the bed as well. “Besides, now that we can all be honest, I want to know about how the two of you met and fell in love!”
Emmy caught Vania’s mischievous eyes as she settled down on her bed. Emmy followed suit, and Rosa started kneading her back again.
“Well, Emmy has this terrible habit of saving my life,” Vania began, winking at Emmy from the other side.
Emmy chuckled. “Vania has this terrible habit of sneaking food onto my plate…”
*
That night, when they reached Emmy’s room, both of them still giddy from watching the love story between two male warriors, they locked the door behind them. Vania’s lips found hers first, and they both surrendered to the beauty and hope of that evening.
Afterwards, they cuddled up in bed, not quite bringing themselves to put their clothes back on yet. Vania played absently with Emmy’s loose hair.
Emmy hugged Vania close, wishing that the day would not end.
“You will tell me if something’s wrong, won’t you?” Vania suddenly asked, her voice tinged with worry.
Emmy frowned and turned to look up at her. “Why do you ask?”
Vania tried to smile, her eyes knowing. “Are you still getting headaches from the concussion?” Emmy looked away. “I saw you, when we were at Raven Armoury, and later when we were settling down for the play. I wouldn’t have dragged you all over the city if I’d known you weren’t feeling well.”
Emmy tried to grin. “As I recall, I was the one who dragged you all over the city today.”
Vania knocked her knee into Emmy’s leg. “Don’t change the topic.”
Emmy sighed. “Yes, I was getting headaches. But they were much less frequent than before, and they went away quickly. It’s not a big deal.”
Vania swallowed. “Have you told Aunt Alanna?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Vania took her hand. “Love, I know you don’t like being fussed over. But it’s been more than twenty days since your injury. You shouldn’t be getting headaches anymore. You should tell Aunt Alanna, let her take a look.”
Emmy kept quiet. What Vania said make sense. But she knew that Alanna felt guilty for what happened at Genlith, and she really did not want to add to that. Besides, it was just headaches that came and went quickly. Why make a big fuss about it?
“Emmy?”
Vania would push for it, she knew. She would even tell Alanna herself if Emmy didn’t agree. “I’ll tell her if it happens again, all right?”
Vania pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “All right. Thank you.”
That made Emmy feel a little guilty. Vania was only worried about her, after all. She turned and kissed her on the lips.
“I hope you enjoyed our trip.”
Vania’s grin was relaxed. “Of course I did. Learning about Amicia was great. The play was beautiful. We should find Shinko tomorrow and tell her about it.” Emmy nodded. “And what Amicia said, about people becoming more open to honeylove and bardash… it gives me hope.
“I know the path I should take, but I know reviving the Order of the Crescent Moon alone isn’t going to be enough. I’m glad we have Shinko on our side.”
Emmy nodded. “Me too. And we have many more on our side. My lady, Kel, Myles and Eleni, even your parents.”
Vania gave her a squeeze. “We do.”
She looked up, and saw that her eyes were shining with tears. “We’ll get there, love. One day, I’ll be able to tell the world how much I love you.”
“And how much do you love me?”
Emmy pushed herself up on her elbow, and cupped Vania’s cheek with her free hand. “I’ll show you.”
She closed the gap between them, and their lips met in a kiss.
*
…
She was running. Yellow wheat stalks that were taller than she was surrounded her, but she knew where she was headed.
Childish laughter echoed all around her. She was laughing, but so was the boy in front of her. The boy was about five years old, and he was running as he laughed. She was shouting something, pushing the tall stalks away as she tried to close the distance.
He was fast. His dark hair flopped messily about him. But for a moment, he turned back to toss a grin her way, and she caught a glimpse of his face.
His eyes were a startling blue.
…
Emmy sat up in bed, panting. Her heart raced.
Her room was dark around her. Scant moonlight illuminated the shapes of her bed, and the sleeping form of Vania next to her.
A quick glance told her that it was the middle of the night, and dawn was still a long way to go.
She took a few deep breaths, brushing hair out of her face as she tried to catch the fleeting images of her dream. She had thought that the boy was Xander. But Xander didn’t have blue eyes.
The more she tried to recall the dream, the more it slipped away from her.
She took another deep breath, and slumped back onto the bed.
It didn’t matter. It was just a silly dream.
She wiggled close to Vania, resting her arm gently over her waist. Vania somehow sensed it, and leaned closer. Emmy dropped a soft kiss on her forehead, and closed her eyes.
It wasn’t long before she could hear the childish laughter in the distance, echoing all over golden fields.