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"Cloud, requesting permission to kill."
- Aerith
"The decision is up to you, Wilkes."
"Sounds to me like the decision's already been made."
- Viper
"When a plot against the Emperor failed, the plotters were always given a chance to let their families keep their fortunes. Right?"
"Yeah, but only the rich guys, Tom. The little guys got knocked off and all their estates went to the Emperors. Unless they went home and killed themselves, then nothing happened. And the families... the families were taken care of, Tom."
"That was a good break. A nice deal."
- The Godfather Part II
"Gamsa!"
- D. Va
Seiya and his companions narrowly defeated the Demon Lord. Their journey together lasted the better part of a year, and there were moments where they weren't even sure if they could win. Despite all their struggles that seemed to go on for ages, the party of three adventurers and their guardian goddess managed to pull through in the end.
The trip back to Termine should have been peaceful. In the minds of Seiya and Tiana, however, there was one last challenge they had to overcome. The Demon Lord was dead and gone, but a single threat remained that was even more likely to tear them apart.
Tiana's mother.
Seiya and Tiana were standing nervously on one side of a long lavish table. Behind them, Aria waited patiently with a suppressed look of concern in her eyes. Colt was just kinda there, but it was still a better alternative to getting eaten.
Queen Carmilla spent this afternoon like most others: Sitting in a sturdy oak chair and working over a conference desk flooded with official correspondence. When she wasn't writing letters to some nobleperson or some other foreign dignitary, she was reading whatever articles she received that morning. When she ran out of things to read, she'd look for more things to read or find some reason to write more correspondence. The king may have been the face of the Termine kingdom, but she was the rigid, supportive, unbreakable backbone.
Watching in collected silence, Aria couldn't help but notice how Carmilla reminded her of the Great Goddess Ishtar. But while Ishtar was an immortal deity with endless time to be ruthlessly kind and patient, this woman seemed to lean more toward plain ruthlessness. It was understandable difference: She was a mortal who ruled a country with her husband and she had substantially less time to spare.
Carmilla closed the ledger she was working on when her four guests entered the office. Looking up, she offered the party's guiding goddess a simple nod first.
"You have all my gratitude for saving our world, Lady Ariadoa. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"
"Your family has already done everything they can to make me feel honored, Your Highness," Aria replied courteously. "The moment I first heard your daughter's prayers, I knew I needed to take special care finding the right kind of Hero to send to this world. Seeing Tiana smile is the only reward I need."
Carmilla's attention shifted toward Tiana. The party's priestess was standing in a demure manner beside the much taller swordsman. Her right arm was looped through his left, and their hands were gently clasping each other. The queen took note of their not-so-subtle body language.
"Tiana, you and your companions put yourselves through so much for all of our sake. Is there anything you need? Are you feeling well?"
Tiana swallowed before she replied.
"A little tired, but I'm fine. Everyone came out safe." Her voice paused for a moment. She sounded much more timid when she gathered the resolve to speak again.
"The baby's safe, too."
Her head leaned noticeably closely to Seiya's shoulder while she shyly cupped her palm over her flat waist.
Carmilla recognized the gesture in an instant. She kept to herself, but her eyes silently narrowed toward her daughter. Sighing with anxiety, Tiana continued.
"I only found out a few weeks ago when I was checking my vitals. I told Aria first. I was little scared. I mean, Seiya and I weren't planning on this, but… it's not like I never wanted it to happen eventually."
A smile started to cross the priestess's lips.
"After spending all that time fighting monsters and going through so many close calls together, I guess we just got a little ahead of ourselves."
"I never would have made it if I didn't have such a devoted healer keeping me alive," Seiya added with a uneasy chuckle. He was trying to put a lighthearted spin on a tense situation.
Carmilla simply offered a slow, patient, understanding nod. She was surprised and leery toward her daughter, but above all else, she proud. The small hints of iciness in her stare slowly melted, allowing the tension to lift from the room.
"Well, now I can be certain you didn't come back as an undead or possessed by one of the Demon Lord's imps. That sounds just like my Tiana. Always meaning well, but clumsy with how she follows through. But if you've set your mind that this is what you really want, I'm not going to prevent you from having it. I just don't want you to feel like anything is being forced on you."
Tiana became noticeably less nervous thanks to her mother's acceptance. Carmilla calmly turned her head toward the leader of the party.
"Don't let any of this worry you, Seiya. You've done more than I could have ever hoped for from any Summoned Hero. I can see you love my daughter as much as I. Rest assured, she and your child will have all of my support when you return to your own world."
What she wasn't expecting was the Hero's reaction. Seiya tightened his fingers around Tiana's as he took a step forward. He placed himself between the queen and the princess with a subservient bow.
"I'll take this responsibility if you allow me, Your Majesty. Tiana shouldn't have to raise the child on her own."
Carmilla's eyes glanced behind Seiya and her daughter, peering toward the goddess for insight.
"Lady Aria, are there any divine laws I need to take into consideration?"
Aria politely shook her head.
"We've seen plenty of cases like this. Heroes or Heroines sometimes develop a strong attachment to the world they're summoned to. Attachment leads to admiration. Admiration leads to love. They're free to go where they choose once their quest is successful. Traditionally, we've always left it up to the mortals to decide what's best for themselves."
The goddess looked aside toward Tiana and Seiya with a hopeful smile.
"But if I may offer my advice, Your Highness, I feel these these two humans have formed a bond that is truly miraculous. I think it would be a terrible sin to separate them."
She quietly left out the detail of how the Demon Lord had recognized the same thing as her... and wanted to devour it for his own gain.
Carmilla turned her attention back toward Seiya. She responded with a nod that was small but extremely humbled.
"Then I'll be proud to have you as a son. Gentlemen such as you can be difficult to find these days."
She leaned back in her stiff wooden chair and turned toward her daughter again. The queen's strict and regal expression was softened by the congratulatory gleam in her eyes.
"Well, Tiana. You've taken quite a husband for yourself. You rushed things a little more than I would have advised, but I never could have matched you with someone as prestigious as a Summoned Hero."
Brushing away all the papers she was working on, she spread out fresh parchment and started writing something different.
"I'll have the wedding arranged immediately. The two of you shall be husband and wife by the end of next week."
The news made Tiana gasp in wide-eyed disbelief.
"Wait. Isn't that going too fast? Royal weddings are always set months after the engagement. Even years sometimes. We just got back home!"
"Heavens, no. That wouldn't be prudent," Carmilla shook her head with a sly but protective smile. "We need to get you wedded before your belly starts to show. Tongues tend to flap any time the topic of unexpected parentage is involved, and I'll let no one make a shame out my daughter. Everything will be formalized before anyone has a chance to start spreading hearsay about the legitimacy of the child."
Seiya and Tiana bowed their heads in unison. It was partially a display of gratitude and respect, and partially so they could both exhale long sighs of relief. Tiana felt Aria giving her a spiritual pat on the shoulder even when the goddess was standing well out of arm's reach with her hands folded.
That night, Seiya and Tiana stood on the balcony of the princess's room watching fireworks burst over the horizon and light up the sky in pastel shimmers. The kingdom was hosting an extravagant celebration for the victory over the Demon Lord, but in the back of all of her joyful and optimistic thoughts, Tiana felt almost like she was a goddess watching a festival dedicated specifically to her.
Sighing comfortably against her fiancé's shoulder, she whispered in a soft voice only she could hear.
"...Thanks, mom."
Author's note: And you'd totally get it if you were reading Book 3.