Summary: Takes place in the 3-month period when the Germanians ceased their attack on Eylstadt. Bianca and Lotte had to deal with a problem they never expected to occur within the von Eylstadt household: what to do when your ruler is secretly dating a really, really innocent and formerly secluded witch.

A/N: Hello everyone, this is my first Shuumatsu no Izetta fanfic! This is just a quick light-hearted piece that I made, about what could happen in the course of that 3-month period before shit went down in episode 9. The character that was being focused on would change every chapter. As mentioned in the summary, this fic would have Finé x Izetta pairing.

Enjoy!

The Season of Peace

Chapter 1: Bianca

Royal Guard Commander Bianca had one of the best jobs in the world.

She was living in a castle to protect the Archduchess of Eylstadt that she loved and admired more than anyone else.

Her Royal Guards respected her, and she had never let anyone suspicious near the Archduchess under her watch.

At least until this redheaded witch suddenly came and introduced herself as Finé's childhood friend.

Bianca had grown protective of the Archduchess even before she became one, so at first her instincts instantly tensed up in Izetta's presence, and unlike Lotte, it was hard for Bianca to accept this total, magical stranger suddenly walking and goofing around in the castle.

However, gradually she came to see that Izetta was far from an insufferable girl that Bianca expected her to be, and that Finé and Izetta did care a lot about each other, perhaps much more than Bianca could understood.

Bianca thought Izetta was a close friend of Finé (and Bianca was truly thankful of it, the Archduchess didn't exactly have a lot of those!), but then something happened that shook her belief to the very core.

The Germanians hadn't launched an attack in days and in the interim Izetta's foreign interference had been going rather nicely. It was a sunny day that was perfect for a picnic, so they decided to have lunch in the castle gardens when Finé suddenly had an urgent business to attend to.

So her seat was left empty, as Lotte served some cakes for Izetta and Bianca instead of a full meal.

"I mean, really, Sieg became ill and Archduchess had to replace him instead? I thought nothing can get that man," Bianca laughed before taking a sip from her teacup.

"I heard the instigators of the recent opposition in Thermidor had been caught by Germania, so maybe they are going to discuss that?" Lotte said, picking up a teapot with one hand.

"What a pity, and it was just when they were intensifying their attacks too. Sieg thought their radio signals were intercepted or something, but now he's just too sick to make any more guesses..."

Izetta giggled and said, "We should visit Sieg together once Princess comes back."

By this point, Izetta and Bianca could have normal conversation about pretty much anything, but nothing could prepare Bianca for Izetta's question that came after that ordinary light-hearted banter.

"By the way, Bianca..." she said, with all the innocence of a four-year-old girl, "...what's 'making love'?"

The raven-haired girl nearly spit all over the table and dropped her cup, while Lotte didn't even notice all of it happening because she was too busy standing there dumbfounded with a teapot.

"Um..." Izetta looked more awkward than usual, "I'm sorry for asking that, I think it's not something a commoner like me is permitted to know...?"

"No, no, no, it's not like that, it is something everyone is allowed to know. But...but...umm..."

When it's coming from you, suddenly it feels very weird! ...was what Bianca and Lotte were thinking, but of course they couldn't just say it out loud to Izetta.

Bianca, with her face still soaked in tea, was thinking in full speed.

Is this girl serious? Why is she asking this now? Well, we are indeed in a (temporary) moment of peace now, so she might have time to think about these things. And I guess we have instilled some confidence and trust in her that she can come to us and ask...about...sex... but she looks so clueless even now! Does she really not know anything about what she asked? And what suddenly made her ask this? Is this how parents feel when their children finally hit puberty? And why do I have a feeling she intentionally asked us this when Finé-sama isn't around?

"Uh...it is something that you know by instinct?" the tiny maid replied lamely.

"Like magic?"

"Well, magic might...make it more exciting?" she said with a cheerful smile.

"Lotte... stop teasing her," Bianca muttered.

"I'm trying to help!"

"I just wonder if...it is something that can be mastered...or if there are instructions I can follow...from the more experienced...since magic is a bit like that..." Izetta shyly mumbled.

Bianca was screaming internally.

She tried to calm herself down. Izetta was a helpful and kind girl, she had been nothing but friendly and polite during her stay in the castle, and she was instrumental in bringing about an end to the war. So Bianca wanted to help her, she really did.

"...No, no, Izetta... We might have answers but... we're pretty sure our knowledge is... insufficient, so we can't promise you anything...but first of all, we need to know why you're asking."

Because it honestly boggled their minds.

"Yeah, yeah, are you actually going out with someone?" Lotte asked excitedly.

"No! No, there's nobody I..."

If there was one thing Bianca learned of Izetta, it was that she was a really horrible liar.

"It's okay. You can tell us anything. We won't be mad," Bianca assured her.

"You will be mad, I know you will...and I'm not sure if I can just..."

The way she refused to look at them only made them more curious.

"Izetta, how could we be mad at you for going out with some..."

But then it hit Bianca like lightning.

It wasn't hard to reach that conclusion, really. She was just blinded because...it's just...because...she refused to see it...

Izetta, the almighty witch with currently zero access to ley lines, seemed to shrink in fear in front of Bianca when they both knew she had finally figured it out.

"You're dating the Archduchess."

The Archduchess that Bianca admired, the Archduchess that had earned Bianca's loyalty since she was younger...

Bianca's first emotion to that news was...not pleasant.

"...Being the second coming of White Witch is one thing...but..." Lotte slowly said, "Um...this is a bit...scandalous, isn't it?"

Bianca threw her head back and let out a long sigh.

This is going to be a long day.

"I am sorry, the meeting dragged on interminably...I guess the food has become pretty cold now."

"It's alright, Finé-sama, we can always heat it up again."

"Thank you, Lotte, you're always so helpful."

How the heck the Archduchess didn't notice Lotte's strange forceful smile, Bianca would never know.

Before they continue their conversation, Finé had come back to them so the topic was immediately shut down.

What was left was a rather tense atmosphere that was felt by everyone except the blond Archduchess.

However, when lunch was served, they could all still exchange words like they normally should.

Kind of.

"Princess, this tastes so good!" Izetta chirped out, seemingly distracted by the golden yellow Wiener Schnitzel.

"I agree! It seems that the cook did carry out my instructions to slightly increase the temperature during heating. It looks very pleasant now."

"Can you cook Wiener Schintzel, Princess?"

"I'm...not sure."

"Of course she can, Finé-sama can do anything she puts her mind into. You also think that as her best friend, right, Izetta?" Bianca gave her a bright, brilliant smile.

Izetta's reaction was to recoil in horror, but Finé only seemed slightly confused.

"A-aah, dessert is ready! !" Lotte exclaimed, obviously trying to defuse the situation before Finé found out.

She hurriedly served apple strudels for each of them, and soon they were back to eating.

Bianca knew she was being unreasonable.

She had been a fan of the legend of the White Witch since she was a child (the traditional version. Ugh, she wished she never heard of that alternate version). She should be happy that Izetta and Finé fell for each other like in the legend...but why did she feel so...irritated? It was like...Finé was being taken away.

But Bianca knew Finé was probably going to marry someday. Her conflicted mind was an insult to the Archduchess. She really wanted to punish herself.

Aaargh, what the hell is wrong with me? ?

She should've noticed earlier that Finé held Izetta very dear, not just as a friend, but as a lover. Sure, from the outside some people might think that Finé only treated Izetta like some sort of insurance against the destruction of Eylstadt, but Bianca knew it wasn't true.

The little things they did: the way they exchanged glances... the way they held hands and hugged each other... that corronation arrangement... the Archduchess moving her to a bedroom which interconnected with hers... the hints were all there for Bianca to see. It all made sense now.

And yet...

"Izetta!" Finé's voice snapped Bianca out of her musings.

Finé held up a piece of the strudel with her fork and told Izetta, "Say aaah."

"Huh? ? Umm..."

This was not the first time Finé tried to feed Izetta in front of them.

It seemed playful, back then.

But now when everyone around the table knew that Finé was doing this romantically, Izetta obviously felt more self-conscious than ever.

"Um...uh...Princess...?" Her eyes darted from the cake to Bianca to Lotte then back to the cake, "Can we...um..."

She was blushing furiously and she knew Bianca and Lotte were watching them intently...way too intently for her liking.

"Can we...do this some other time?"

She lowered her voice there, but it was loud enough for Bianca to hear.

"Eh...why?" Finé stared at her dejectedly, like a stray puppy, and Izetta was weak to Finé and puppies.

"I...I...uh..."

Izetta's expression screamed "Someone please help me!" ...and Bianca couldn't help but take pity on her.

"...Finé-sama," Bianca put her own fork back on her plate, "I remember there is something I need to discuss with Lotte, in private. Can we leave for awhile?"

"Eh, what?" Lotte blurted out.

"Oh? Sure," Finé said, Izetta deflated with relief beside her.

"Please excuse us."

Bianca stood up and grabbed the bewildered maid's wrist before striding back to the castle without looking back.

Finé watched them go for a while, then turned to Izetta and asked her with raised eyebrows, "Is it just me, or is everyone acting rather strange today...?"

"So they really are going out! I knew it! It has been a hot gossip among the maids!"

"A hot gossip?"

"There's a rumor going around that somebody saw them kissing in Finé-sama's bedroom! I think it was Elvira who started it."

"Elvira? ? That woman, she really had an instinct for spreading weird rumors."

"Um, hey, Bianca..." Lotte said in a more serious tone, "You don't sound too happy about this."

Bianca found it hard to reply honestly. "What do you mean...? If Finé-sama found someone she loves then it's none of my business, and I have to protect that person all the same!"

"Hmm..." Lotte mumbled, "Do you...perhaps..."

"Anyway! I was being really rude to Izetta earlier, so I have to make up for it. You're going to help me, right, Lotte?"

Lotte gazed up to her for a moment, her expression unreadable.

"Of course I am," she answered cheerfully before adding, "...I'm your best friend after all."

"When...uh...when it's just the two of us..." Izetta began, "We have never done anything beyond k...k-ki..."

"Kissing? ?"

"Y-yes!"

After the lunch was over, Bianca and Lotte managed to drag Izetta away to a quiet, empty room and put her on a chair to "talk it further". It was certainly an unpleasant experience for Izetta, who kept fidgeting and staring at the floor nervously. Bianca felt a little guilty about this, but it was Lotte's idea and she was fired up to know more. She really didn't want to be an interfering busybody, but she couldn't deny she was curious herself.

"A...and then, one night, Princess came to my room... I didn't know why, but...she just seemed...more beautiful than usual. We talked a little... and kissed... then... all of a sudden she was already on top of me and... she was kissing my neck while whispering, 'Izetta...can I...?' and I absolutely had no idea how to react so I just...asked her... 'Can what...?' ...and she stared deeply into my eyes and answered, '...make love to you...' with very low voice... Then when she saw how confused I was... she just chuckled and stopped..."

Oh man...that's gotta hurt a bit, Bianca wondered, Finé-sama has good instincts...she probably knew it was not going to work.

"So that is why you asked us what making love is..."

"She said it was alright...but she looked a little sad, so I..." she uttered, "I just have to find out..."

Bianca and Lotte glanced at each other. Could they really explain this in a way that was intelligible to Izetta? Is there a book or something about this that was intended for children?

"...listen, Izetta...'making love' is exactly what it sounds like."

"But I don't understand. Everything we did all this time... is it not 'making love'?"

"She had a point there, in a way," Lotte piped in.

"It's...different. 'Making love' is...when you love someone very, very much...you...take your partner to the bedroom and then...Lotte, can you please stop giggling?"

"I'm sorry, Bianca, you are really not suited for this," Lotte said before keeping on laughing.

"I can't help it, can I? It's not like I have any experience myself!"

"You don't...?" Izetta asked, looking a bit downcast.

"Is there anyone around here with a lot of experience?" Lotte said.

"Elvira...? Well...learning from her would surely be an...instructive experience," Bianca pointed out.

"No, not her! I-I'll just stick with you guys," Izetta shuddered.

Bianca sighed and put her hand on Izetta's shoulder, "When two people love each other very much, sometimes, they want to be one with each other. They want their bodies to be close, to be inseparable, they want to show their affection to that person in ways only they are able to do, and it differs from person to person. Kissing is one of those things, but there are more ways to express that feeling out there...especially to...other parts of your body, and love is an integral part of them."

"I...still don't really get it."

"For example, would you feel happy when Elvira touches your breasts?"

"No."

"What about Finé-sama then...?"

When Izetta's face flushed so much it was now the same color as her hair, Bianca knew she had gotten that point across.

"Well...I think that is enough for today, we'll talk about this some other time," Bianca winked.

"I...I see," Izetta said, "Thank...thank you for your help, Bianca...!"

Bianca observed how flustered she was, how she stammered with her words, how she bowed her head...and how Finé's heart belonged to her.

To her, and only to her.

"...don't mention it."

She walked away and Lotte followed suit, staring at her the whole time.