Beata had become wary of priests. Especially when they asked for her by name.
"Which god does he worship?" she asked. She had done nothing of late that should merit religious attention. She'd been quite careful on that score. If it was a dedicate of Máni she might refuse to see him outright, she'd had enough of the White Lord's attention for a lifetime. And if any of the gods started meddling in her life again like they had last year she might consider becoming an atheist out of spite.
"The Lady of the Isles," said the servant. "I asked him to specify which Isles but he..."
"Oh," said Beata, more curious now than concerned, "That's fine, send him in." What was one of Ann's preists doing in the Six Cities? And since when did she have priests at all? Beata had kept an ear out for news of the Tirannin Isles during her travels with the Sylvanians and then on the long journey home, and from everything she'd heard the shrines still functioned as Ann's only earthly representatives.
Unless the shrines were calling themselves priests now. It would make sense, the word "shrine" was even less appropriate now that Ann's young men were animate than it had been when they were dead.
The persistent whine of hope raised it's head and she told it to hush. And then the servant opened the door.
Rob had been remarkably pretty even as a corpse. As a living man he was quite attractive indeed, though he looked a little odd in the local dress with his pale skin and northern features. He looked a little older, too, for all that his face was much rounder and softer looking than it had been the last time she saw him.
"Beata." There was a warmth to Rob's voice now that she hadn't heard before, but the familiar strain of bitterness was not entirely gone.
She had tried consoling herself with the thought that he was whole and happy somewhere, free of his godly shackles and undeserved death. But she hadn't entirely believed it. Seeing him here, now, alive, made Beata's heart ache in a very pleasant way and she felt the melancholy she'd been ignoring for months on end finally dissipate.
She stood and smiled. "Rob," she said. "I wasn't sure if we would ever meet again. I am glad to see you...well."
He smiled back at her, causing soft little wrinkles to form in his warm looking skin. "As am I," he said. "But..." He gave a familiar sigh. "I am here on business, which must be attended to. After that...I would like to talk, if you are willing." He gave her a wry smile. "I am only a lowly priest after all, and you a princess. I think you could fit all of Twoford in your waiting room. So if you are too busy..."
"I was always a princess," she said, "And I would love to talk. We have some smaller rooms if that would make you more comfortable." She could feel herself grinning in a most unbecoming way, but then considered the import of his sigh. "But by business, you mean..."
He rolled his eyes and gave a tired nod of his head, and then his eyes turned purple.
It turned out that the goddess Ann was here, of all things, as a tourist. She claimed to desire nothing more of Beata than to be left her own devices, saying that her only purpose in visiting today was to prevent any awkward misunderstandings. "I told my priest it would be easier to simply avoid you," said Ann. Her irritated voice seemed even less godlike coming from a living body. "But he insisted."
"I am glad to hear he has some say in it," said Beata, coldly. She had hoped that Rob had somehow escaped the goddess by escaping Twoford, but of course Ann was not so easily thrown off. Had he been forced into doing errands for her this whole time? So much for Beata's happy imaginings. "But after all he has suffered for your sake... why have you not let him be free? You have many more...priests who entered your service willingly. Surely..."
"I have need of his services," said Ann bluntly, "and he is still mine. Under the circumstances I have been more than generous. The...Rob has more freedom than most priests, his duties are very light and he is his own master the rest of the time. Not to mention that thanks to me he has powers and oppurtunities far beyond those typical for a man of his station. Yes, I have been quite generous." Ann sounded like she was muttering to herself as much as to Beata. Beata thought about retorting that most priests had more choice about their occupation, but she doubted she could argue Ann into leaving Rob alone, and there was the danger of antagonising her into making his life more difficult. At least he had a life now, of sorts. Ann stood, staring at Beata, Rob's body stiff like a posed puppet. "If we are done here I will go and you can ask him yourself."
"Very well," said Beata, trying to keep her tone level. "Welcome to Kakiaretë, Lady of the Isles. May you enjoy your stay. And as a friend of the royal family, Rob is quite welcome to stay in the castle as our guest."
"And I as his guest, I suppose," said Ann, dryly. "Thank you for the offer, but our current living quarters are sufficient. We do not wish to draw attentions to ourselves."
As much as she hated the situation, Beata liked the sound of that we. It implied far greater consultation than Ann had ever offered her vassals before.
"I understand," said Beata. "Well then. Good bye, Ann."
"Until we meet again, Béatyel kel Kakiaretë," said Ann, and then Rob blinked and was himself again.
Beata smiled. "Hello again," she said.
"Hello," said Rob. "Sorry about that."
Beata shrugged and moved to the sofa by the window and gestured towards him. "Come, sit!" she said. "Tell me what you've been doing! Is she really letting you do what you want most of the time? Where have you been? I kept looking for news but never heard anything."
He sat, poised self consciously on the edge of the sofa. "So you didn't get my letters?"
"You sent me letters? Oh, that's..." He'd sent her letters! She was not going to giggle girlishly. "Were they full of useful facts?"
"Of course!" said Rob with mock offense. "I even included diagrams. I should have expected them to get lost, Jael did warn me about the post through the mountains. Now I'll have to remember everything." He gave a long suffering sigh. "And thank you for speaking on my behalf. The goddess is...trying to treat me well. She's still inclined to tell me what we're doing instead of asking but she listens if I want to argue about it afterwards. Sometimes she even lets me win the argument. Life isn't too bad. Comparitively." Not exactly a glowing account of happiness. But then he smiled at her. "And in this case I, uh...was quite happy to agree to travel south. Though not for quite the same reasons as her."
"Mmm?" asked Beata archly.
He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. His lips were soft and warm. "That's for always treating me like a person. Even when I wasn't one."
"Oh," said Beata, wonderingly. She hadn't been sure how Rob had felt about her, if feelings were even something he could even do. But that kiss had not felt entirely chaste, for all it's gentleness.
"Mmm?" asked Rob, doing his best to mimic her expression.
"Your cheeks go such a lovely pink when you blush," she said. Which of course made them go pinker. She was blushing herself, a little, though luckily for her it didn't show.
"Oh I..." his voice cracked slightly, and then he coughed. "...I'd forgotten about blushing. I guess blood flow has it's disadvantages."
She leaned closer and felt the soft puff of his breath on her face. "Is it worth it?"
"Yes," he breathed. She kissed him on the lips and he tasted much nicer than he had before. For a moment he stayed still, processing the situation, then he kissed her back. She put her hand on his cheek and felt the faint roughness of shaved stubble and the subtle beat of his pulse. He was alive and happy and he was here. She pulled him into a hug and he gave a happy laugh and hugged her back. He took her face in his hands and kissed the tip of her nose then gave her a beautiful smile, the first truly happy smile she'd ever seen on him.
"Sometimes I get confused, I'm not sure how much of me is me, and how much is her. But with you...with you I know. I'm not sure how long the goddess will let us stay here before she gets bored, but if your busy schedule has time..."
"I think I can squeeze you in," she said with a grin. "In fact I'm nearly done with my business in Kakiaretë, and was looking for a new venture. Perhaps, if you wouldn't mind, I might tag along with you and your goddess as you explore the world. I'm sure I could find a way to make it profitable."
"I'm sure you could. And I certainly wouldn't mind, not at all."
"Good." She squeezed his hand.
"And you don't mind that we're not entirely alone?"
Beata shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time I've been with a man and woman." Rob turned a very charming shade of crimson and then gave a short surprised laugh. Beata remembered how everyone in Twoford had emphasised what a good boy he'd been.
"Congratulations," he said through a snicker, "You just scandalised a several thousand year old goddess." She'd scandalised him a little too, she could tell, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. Good.
"Now," said Beata, snuggling closer to Rob. "I believe you said something about facts?"
He gave her an affectionate smile. "You're right," he said. "I did. Maybe I should space them out before you tire of me. Let me see...how much do you know about the Last God?"