Chapter Text
Chapter Two: Reassurance
The castle in the middle of lake was eerily quiet, almost as if the lake itself knew that its inhabitants were on edge. It was the night before they were to leave for Sol-Falena, to take back the Queendom from the Godwins. Few were more nervous about the coming day than Miakis, although at this moment she was puzzling over a very different kind of uncertainty.
One, two, three, four doors down, she counted as she padded down the corridor, or did he say five?
She decided that Rahal had said four doors down and turned the handle, hoping she wasn't stepping into the private rooms of any soldiers. It opened to reveal a small room, with a bed, dresser, table and three chairs. More to her relief, Rahal was leaning on the window sill.
"Phew, I got the right place," she sighed.
"Yeah, this is it," Rahal smiled, gesturing to the room with a sweep of his arm.
Her keen eyes darted around the room, noting the lack of personal items to accompany the furniture.
"No one lives here, if that's what you're wondering," he said softly, folding his arms.
"Another empty room," she mused in a similar hushed tone.
"They crop up from time to time during a war," he said, with only the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice, "at least we're giving this one a purpose. Roog will be here soon, too."
"You're right. It's about time we had a proper drink together, and Kisara's will be packed tonight…" her voice trailed off.
Rahal turned his head slightly to the side, picking up on her anxiety. He watched her as she chewed her lip in thought. She glanced up at the delicate features of her friend's face. There was something about him that had always comforted her. He looked at her with concern, but never with criticism.
"Rahal… Do you ever think about what will happen if we lose?" she asked finally.
He pushed himself up off the window sill, and took a few steps towards her. His blue robes swished as he lifted his arm up and placed a pale hand on her shoulder.
"Of course I do. It's impossible not to. But the Princess- no, the Queen, will not come to harm either way. She'll be safe no matter what, Miakis."
Miakis nodded. It wasn't much of a positive, but it was one less person to worry about. Lymsleia had never been far from her thoughts, although Miakis hadn't really considered her mortality, only her happiness.
"Hey," Rahal said, sternly.
His hand on her shoulder reached behind her and pulled her into a hug. She was powerless to resist, not just because her friend was stronger than he looked, but because the contact was exactly what she needed.
"We'll win," he said in her ear, "don't you worry."
The sincerity in his voice made her eyes prickle. She was torn. It was something she needed to hear, but she was ashamed to need it. She wished she could carry on as usual, a smile constantly on her face. Something about Rahal made her feel like a child again. Miakis decided she didn't mind needing his strength. She always had. It was Rahal.
The sound of the door handle reached her ears, turning her head towards the disturbance. Roog burst in, bottle in one hand, wine glasses in the other.
"Am I uh, interrupting anything?" he asked, staring at his friends' embrace.
Rahal released her and she wiped the almost-tears from her eyes.
"I'm fine," she smiled, suddenly feeling the desire to be composed again, "it was just nerves. Of course well win tomorrow. We have to."
Roog set the wine and glasses down on the table before rounded on Miakis.
"Yeah!" he agreed, "Barows took the Dawn Rune, and look what happened. The Prince got it back. The Godwins are crooks too, the same thing will happen. Don't worry."
She felt her forced smile break into a real one. He seemed so sure of his logic; Miakis felt it difficult to disagree. They all took a seat at the table as Rahal filled their glasses.
"This was a pretty good idea, Rahal," Roog remarked, "the bar will be full tonight."
"I'm nothing if not resourceful," Rahal said with a smile.
"So I never asked," Miakis chirped, "how did that fishing competition go again?"
Rahal swirled his wine with an even rotation of his wrist, watching the liquid climb the sides of his glass.
"Well I uh," Roog began, pausing with his glass halfway to his mouth.
Both Miakis and Rahal looked at him in anticipation.
"Uh, yeah," he started, before giving up and taking a drink.
"That bad huh?" Miakis sighed, "you poor souls."
"Hey, come on, you would have lost too!" he retorted.
"We nearly beat Lun," Rahal reminded his friend, "but that Subala…"
"Bah!" Roog replied, "don't remind me…"
Miakis knew that Roog hated to lose, but the thought of him losing to a young girl like Subala made the situation even funnier.
"Isn't she like, fifteen years old, Roog?" she asked, stifling a giggle.
"She's sixteen actually!" he argued.
The seriousness in his voice dissolved her self-control, and she let out a burst of laughter. Miakis clapped her hand over her mouth, having to turn away from his sour expression to supress her reaction.
"You lost-" she managed between breaths, "-to a sixteen year old girl."
Roog folded his arms across his chest, as he always did when she began to tease him.
"Yeah, you try beating her then," he huffed, "that girl could haul Byakuren."
Miakis took a sip of her wine to mask her grin, and a glance at Rahal told her that he was trying to do the same. Unfortunately for Rahal, Roog noticed his expression.
"Hey!" he said, "you lost too!"
"I concede," Rahal said, raising both hands in surrender.
"Good. So you can't pin all of this on me," Roog muttered.
"You haven't told her your main achievement though, Roog," he said, with a sly glance at Miakis.
"What's that?" the big man asked, confused.
"Well, you must have some kind of boot catching record by now," Rahal grinned, "should I ask the Raftfleeters?"
Miakis burst into laughter, while Roog simply groaned. He leaned forward and planted his forehead on the table with a thump. Rahal chuckled at his friend's antics. After a few moments of silence, Miakis noticed that Roog's shoulders were trembling.
"Roog?" she peered at her friend, but she couldn't see his face.
She sent a questioning look to Rahal, who shook his head and shrugged.
"Hahahaha," Roog slammed a fist on the table as he straightened up, laughing "I'd better not die in this battle, or that'll be my last achievement in this world!."
"You'd better not," Rahal told his friend, "or I'm carving it into your tombstone."
"That's it, I'm living for sure," Roog replied as he struck a confident pose, squaring his shoulders and straightening his robe.
"Watch out, Godwins," Rahal muttered drily.
Miakis couldn't help but grin as she listened to her friends squabble. Even though she was a little bit uncomfortable joking about the possibility of them dying, she was impressed that they always found a way to make light of things. When they were young they may have made similar jokes, but with none of the awareness they now possessed. There was a sense of maturity behind their humour now, a knowingness that allowed them to laugh despite the struggles they faced. It was a way of accepting it, rather than running from it.
They're just like me, she realised, smiling away their troubles. Did they teach me to be like this? Or was it the other way round?
"So, Miakis," Rahal interrupted her train of thought, "what are you going to do after the war, now that we're not honouring Roog's fishing abilities?"
She noticed Roog roll his eyes and grinned.
"Well if we're not doing that, then I suppose I'll just do what I'm best at I guess," she answered cheerfully.
"What's that?" Roog asked.
"Guarding Princesses and beating up bad guys, of course!" she winked.
"She's a Queen now, you know," Rahal corrected.
"And so that heavy crown will slow her down so she's easier to chase around," she retorted.
"Does she run around that much?" Roog inquired.
"Mostly just when she spots the Prince," Miakis sighed, "she doesn't really get to see him much anymore now she's getting older. Her days are filled with lessons. And Sun Palace is a big place, someone's gotta keep an eye on her."
"It's a big place alright," Rahal agreed, "remember when we thought Sauronix Castle was big?"
"We used to get so lost," Miakis added, "it was almost a blessing to be dragged up to Craig, just to find a way out of there. Have you guys been to the Palace?"
"We have," Rahal replied, "Sol Falena really is a beautiful place. Roog hated it, but I found it quite a wonderful experience."
Miakis frowned at the red-robed dragon rider.
"You didn't like it, Roog?" she asked, concerned.
He shrugged and picked up the bottle from the table.
"It's all very grand," he began, topping up each of their glasses, "like we wouldn't be pouring our own wine, that's for sure. We'd only be doing it wrong. Everything's so damn big and shiny. Just kinda reminds you of your place in the world, y'know?"
"I guess…"she breathed, "but it's not really like that all the time. Under Commander Ferid, sometimes it could be really fun."
If you avoid the stubborn, old, and uptight, she added mentally.
"I suppose it's alright for a royal babysitter," Roog continued, "you'd get all of the parties and ceremonies you could stand."
"That's bodyguard," she shot back, "and it's not like it was my first choice, y'know!"
"Aw jeez," he conceded as he realised the source her frustration, "I'm sorry Miakis. I'd forgotten you wanted to be a dragon horse rider… the pomp of the Palace just frustrates me is all."
She let out a heavy sigh. She had wanted to be a dragon horse rider. Growing up in Sauronix, she had wanted that more than anything. Watching her two best friends get the life she wanted had been difficult for her. Sol Falena had been her escape from that envy.
"It's okay," she told him after a few moments.
And she was pleased to find that she meant it. The Dragon Cavalry did not accept women. She had known this her entire life, but Mikais was glad to find that in her heart, she had finally accepted it as impossible.
"What about you two?" she asked them.
"Well, nothing is gonna separate me and Lance," Roog replied with a grin, "so you'll know where to find me. Right Rahal?"
"That's true," Rahal agreed, before adding "Commander Craig has been musing on some possible changes to the way the Dragon Cavalry is organised. It's likely there will be new positions for us at Sauronix."
"Aw well, it'd fall apart without ya," Miakis smiled.
"It's entirely possible," Rahal smiled softly as he rose from his chair.
"Speaking of Commander Craig," he said, "I have a few things to run through with him."
"Now?" Roog inquired.
"Yes," Rahal replied, "the thing with plans, is they need to be made before the battle."
"Can't argue with that I guess," Miakis admitted, rising from her seat as well.
Rahal placed a hand on her shoulder once again. He bent slightly so that their eyes were on the same level.
"Stay. Finish the bottle," he told her with a reassuring smile, "I'll make sure to see you tomorrow when we set off."
"Okaaaay" she accepted as he pulled her into a brief hug.
She didn't want him to leave, but she resisted the childish urge to cling to him so he couldn't get away. Once she had been released she slumped back down into her seat.
Rahal smiled at her defeated expression and turned to leave. He gave Roog a friendly clap on the shoulder as he left. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Miakis and Roog sitting in silence.
"So you think things will go back to normal?" Roog asked, standing up and moving to the window behind her.
Miakis twisted in her chair to look at him, but she could only see the back of his robe. She got out of her chair and stepped towards him, leaning forward to peer around at his face.
"I'm not so sure that 'normal' really applies anymore, ya know?" she said as she leaned on the wall beside the window, "we might have to create a new one!"
"You sound excited," he said quietly.
He was bent over with his elbows on the window sill, bringing his face at equal height with hers. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were hard as he stared out at the lake water. Miakis wondered if she'd ever seen him so pensive. She wanted to throw her arms around him and make him feel better, as Rahal had done for her.
It dawned on her that this might be her last chance. She looked at the remaining wine left in her glass. Would they ever be able to share a drink again after tonight? Would she ever get to know her childhood friend as he was now - as the man standing in front of her? Maybe half a glass of time was all they'd get.
"Roog…" she began quietly.
His expression softened as he turned to look at her. The steel in his warrior's eyes melted away, replaced by the familiar warmth of the boy Miakis was used to.
"Sorry," he said with a half-grin, "I was just thinking."
"Thinking?" she smirked, "you sure have changed, Roog!"
"Hey!" he laughed, "still with the teasing!"
She winked as she took another sip from her glass. His grin faded into a small smile.
"You haven't changed a bit, Mia."
She almost gasped out loud at the nickname from her early childhood. She hadn't heard it in the longest time, and had forgot that anyone had ever called her that.
"No one calls me that anymore!" she replied with a huff, "it's strictly 'Miakis' now!"
Roog let out the smallest of laughs.
"Now that you're all important at the palace? I bet it's all Sir and Madam there," he sighed.
"Aw, come on, it's not that bad!" she gave a smile to convince him.
"Suppose it can't be," he shrugged, "if you're going straight back to it."
Roog turned back to the view of the lake, paused for a moment, and then finished what was left of his wine. Miakis glanced down at her own glass. There was only one mouthful left. She reluctantly finished it off and placed her empty glass on the window sill next to his.
For a few seconds, they both stood absolutely still, staring at the two empty glasses. He opened his mouth to speak, and Miakis shifted her gaze to his face, but before any words were spoken, he closed it again. His face was strained, eyebrows together, and his jaw and lips tight. It was a tense expression – one she'd never seen him wear.
"Look…" he began, "just look after yourself, okay?"
Roog had never been one for talking about his feelings, usually preferring to make light of a situation. It was a trait they shared. But it was hard to maintain that attitude all of the time.
The urge to fling her arms around his neck and reassure him rushed back into her head. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to turn towards her. No longer leaning on the window sill, Roog was brought to his full height.
Damn, why'd he have to grow so much? That's a hell of a jump.
She decided against it as she stepped closer, choosing to wrap her arms round his torso instead. He froze for a few moments before she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders. She took this as a signal to give him a tight squeeze, pressing her face into his chest.
"You'd better not die," she warned, her voice partially muffled by his robe, "or else."
The large frame that surrounded her shook as he chuckled. Roog gave her a firm, reassuring squeeze before he released her.
"Jeez, I'd better stay alive for sure, now," he joked as he collected the empty glasses and bottle and made for the door, "might be time to rest up to make sure."
"You'd better. Or else I'll get ya!" she teased, "You can't escape me!"
Roog paused for a fraction of a second, his hand lingering on the doorknob. He let out a quiet, single huff of laughter before pulling it open.
"Never could," he replied over his shoulder.
Miakis watched the red-robed figure disappear into the hallway – the boy she knew, and the man she'd just met.