Rosary had just been passing through one of the main halls of Castle Paltina to get to a more... sophisticated district on the other side of the city by means of the castle's many connecting passageways. The way the capital city had been built, with one colossal, fortifying structure in the center—the castle itself—and the streets, shops, and houses that populated the area outside the castle walls—the rest of the city, made it very easy to keep guard over the whole entire city. Garrisons were set up at each corner of the castle and each corner of the outer wall, and that way guards could keep watch over the capital without much hassle.
In other words, it gave her an excuse to roam about Castle Paltina at her own will without too much complaint, and if someone did, she could "accidentally" burn them, if slightly, and blame it on something else which she was sure her quick wit could supply.
And, yes, she had been passing through, that is, until she noticed a very high-strung, jittery Queen Yggdra standing-or-maybe-not at the entrance to the royal garden, which, in fact, really was quite a pretty place in the springtime, except for the fact that Yggdra seemed nowhere near composed enough to enter such a gorgeous place without ruining one or four of the flowers.
So she just had to stop. And stare rudely, but that was something she always did because she could, and if they didn't like it, well, they could get squashed by an eight-foot stone golem if they so dearly wished.
"Yggdra?" the witch ventured, curiosity piqued (But that wasn't very hard, now was it?) and eyebrow raised, half in amusement and half in genuine concern.
The tips of her silver tiara never failed to twinkle and glimmer in the face of the afternoon sun as the princess—err, queen turned around, the ends of her knee-length blond hair failing to catch up with her in time. As all of this was going on, Rosary also noticed the distracted, though not entirely unusual look in Yggdra's periwinkle blue eyes. In fact, it was quite typical.
"Y-yes?" stuttered the shy, soft-spoken queen, shaking her head back into reality.
She was still a girl, really, despite having turned eighteen this year. Yggdra had been known to speak in a stronger tone of voice at times, but, most of the time... yeah, not so much. She was always so worried and concerned and also possibly angsty and insecure during the war (though Rosary didn't exactly stalk her, so she didn't know that much); now with the reconstruction of Bronquia, Embellia, and Fantasinia itself at hand, things weren't looking much less cluttered or busy for the young monarch, either.
"What are you doing?"
Rosary decided to make herself blunt. Not much worse could happen with the way that girl made things look, anyway.
"Waiting," Yggdra quietly replied. "I've invited someone for tea and don't want to be late."
Rosary looked over the neatly trimmed hedges that cut off the garden from the rest of Paltina as well as she could. Sure enough, there had been a small table and two chairs set out in the center of the garden with plates, teacups, and all the necessary utensils on either side of the tabletop. In the middle of table, there was more room for food and, of course, the tea.
The witch turned back to Yggdra, noticing that she wasn't holding her scepter right now. Her hands were neatly folded in front of her, and her eyes managed to avert Rosary even as the lady stood directly in front of her. She was obviously looking for someone, probably the person she was supposed to be having tea with.
Mm, yes, tea would be nice at this hour of day, as well as proper. Four o' clock, more or less; it meant the whole world would stop and return to their houses to drink tea—yes, everyone, which meant that tea merchants made quite a lot of money—and have little cakes and scones and whatnot. It wasn't a necessary meal, per se, but it was excellent for formal occasions in which a very highly regarded person was coming to your home and you wanted to make a good first impression. Cucumber sandwiches weren't exactly the most filling fare, however, so it wasn't the sort of meal to have if you were actually... you know, hungry. Might as well have an early dinner or eat when you weren't supposed to, which was fun, especially when you could manage, and manage without complaint.
But her thoughts were roaming again, so back to the matter at hand, which happened to be a very uppity queen.
"Are you sure this person knows this thing is today?" Rosary asked.
Well, she felt it was getting just a bit late for tea. Or perhaps she was wrong; she wasn't sure. But. Still, Yggdra looked like she had been waiting for a while. 'Twould be a shame to see that her visitor wasn't going to come, and a disappointed Yggdra made Rosary very apprehensive, indeed. Because, Yggdra had that sort of air about her when she was sad; her eyes would get glossy and she might even start to sniffle, but she'd hold it back in, but you could tell she was crying, and then it made you sad and weepy, and the next thing you knew, you'd be crying with her even though, just a minute before, you had been feeling quite fine, dandy even. Their queen was just that sort of person and... hell, did it work.
Maybe Yggdra had never admitted to manipulating people's emotions, but Rosary knew—oh, yes, she knew it as absolute truth—that one way or another, this sort of peace throughout the world could not have been gained without a few dirty tricks on the monarch's part. Everyone did it in one way or another, though, shameful as it may have been. Just went to show that man really was flawed, but the gods were too, so that didn't really make her feel bad. Rosary, at least.
"He should know," Yggdra replied matter-of-factly. "I sent a messenger to tell him so; 'twas at promptly four-o'-clock, at the Royal Garden. 'Tea, if you'd like, I have some things to discuss with you privately, but pleasantly. We can discuss it then, or later, if you would rather somewhere else, or under different circumstances, but please meet me there regardless, signed Queen Yggdra Yuril Artwaltz, 32nd Monarch of Fantasinia,' was exactly as I wrote it, and it was also stamped with the royal seal on the back."
"Who exactly is this person?" Rosary demanded (kindly, of course), with a tilt of her head.
If Yggdra had been so polite, and the person so... late, then they either hated her or had one damn busy schedule. Or they were habitually late. Actually... there was a lot of reasons for the tardiness... But, still.
"...Milanor," the queen answered belatedly. The name came out as if she had thought of it, and then it had stuck in her throat and not come out until it thought it was ready, rather than her having said it herself.
"Oh," Rosary said, looking unamused. "Him. You can't expect him to get to anything on time. Thieves live by their own time, not yours. I'm not surprised, though," she added, slyness apparent in her eyes, "private things, you said?" The witch looked away, smiling and shaking her head. "Oh, I can only wonder what you're going to be 'talking' about..."
Yggdra flushed. "W-wait! That's not what... that's not what I... had planned. Um... Well..."
Rosary turned back around. "Well, I think," she said, her voice dripping with an apparent intent to completely embarrass the poor girl, "that something's just going to 'accidentally' slip out. Let's face it, Yggdra," she put a hand on her hip, "and I can't say I'm surprised at all, but you do seem to have some sort of... oh," being slightly taller than the queen, she sort of leaned over her in discernment, causing Yggdra to feel rather uncomfortable and turning her face even redder, "infatuation, maybe? Or..." Rosary leaned in a little closer, and her hand moved from her hip to put a finger to her mouth, "judging by the look on your face," the queen's face, was, in fact, blazing, "maybe you really do love him... Just maybe..."
"P-please..." the young monarch squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut and putting her hand out in the other person's face, "just please do stop it!"
Rosary stood up straight. "Nah. Maybe... Actually, yes," she finally concluded.
"I hope you're quite satisfied," Yggdra mumbled into her collar, waiting for the extraneous blood to drain from her face. "You took... unnecessary measures to clarify your beliefs."
However, the lady's attention was not direction towards her queen anymore. She was looking at a thief dressed in ragged gray clothing and an aqua-blue cloak, with spiky silver hair and equally aqua-blue eyes, and equally aqua-blue markings below his eyes and in the center of his forehead.
In other words, Milanor had finally arrived, if very late and looking very awkward.
"Sorry," he muttered towards Yggdra. He didn't seem to notice Rosary at all. "I got a little sidetracked. But... uh, I made it."
Rosary frowned at him. "You made her worried," she said. "She was waiting her all day for you," the lady put a protective arm around Yggdra's shoulders, though this time she didn't really seem to care, "and you left her here for so long..."
"Well, I wasn't expectin' you to be here," Milanor replied with mild repugnance. "Seems like you were botherin' her, too!"
Rosary huffed in indignation and folded her arms. "For your information, I was merely allowing her to realize the depth of her feelings. Isn't that right?" She cast a sideways glance towards Yggdra.
Milanor reddened, but managed to hide it. "You're not even supposed to be here, anyway," he said, disinterested, "and how the hell you manage to get in the middle of everything that isn't your business, you weasel, I won't even bother to ask."
His expression softened towards Yggdra. "Well?" asked the thief. He motioned towards the gate to the garden. "Shall we?"
"Wait!" said Rosary. She set her hands on Yggdra's shoulders, bent down to her height, and narrowed her eyes, running a finger down the girl's face for extra measure. "You wouldn't mind if we... talked for a moment, would you?" She could feel Yggdra tense slightly at her touch.
Well, of course it had to be uncomfortable...
Milanor was seething, practically about to explode. "Kkk..."
Rosary took that as a yes, as she probably would have regardless of how he reacted, and pushed Yggdra just a few feet away from the garden entrance behind a few convenient hedges.
The young monarch was stunned, stupefied, dazed, and generally looked like she had no idea what to think. "You... What... You...?" She pointed towards the garden, speechless.
Rosary gave a cryptic smile. "Listen here, Yggdra: that thief is your friend, and you have no reason not to listen to him. However, you must also remember that men have a tendency to be brusquely dominant... so..." her eyes took on a serious light, "keep sharp, all right? I don't want him taking advantage of you."
"Why would he do that?" she asked softly.
The lady looked back with a frown. "Hmph. Some people have two faces. Milanor might, he might not; you never know. And it's all fine and dandy if you're in love with him, but when it's right in front of you that something's wrong with him, don't blind yourself, all right?"
"A-all right... I suppose. But, still, what was that for—"
Rosary quickly pushed Yggdra out towards the garden. She was insistent. "Go, go! You don't want to keep him waiting now, do you? Please, enjoy yourself, but keep in mind what I told you!"
Yggdra turned back towards the witch with an uncertain expression, but before she could say anything, the girl was pulled into the garden by an equally insistent Milanor.
"C'mon, Yggdra, let's go..."
-
"So, that's how it is with Embellia, huh?" Milanor asked, polishing off another scone. "Nice to hear at least one country's doing well. I heard from Durant they're all having trouble rebuilding, 'specially without a ruler. I feel kinda useless, y' know? Like I got nothin' to do... except steal, of course." He shrugged and grinned. "But that's sorta a given."
"We're trying our best," Yggdra said, sipping her tea delicately. "Negotiations are going well so far, it's just that—Bronquia especially—the people in both Embellia and Bronquia are quite opposed to any intervention from the Fantasinian authorities. They despise us now, to put it bluntly." She sighed, putting her arms on the table and resting her head on them. Her tiara began to slide off her head. "It's been so tumultuous since the war. Everything is a mess, and, as I'm sure you know, some people have even been so cruel as to take advantage of the situation."
"C'mon, Yggdra..."
Milanor, distressed from seeing her unhappy, put a gloved hand out on her shoulder. She flinched, looking at his hand as if recalling something.
The thief blinked in surprise at the sudden look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Yggdra shook her head, but it was clear she was trying to hide something. "It's nothing," she replied. "Just... just something Rosary told me."
Milanor gritted his teeth, clearly annoyed at the mention of her name. "It's always her, ain't it? You'd guess she was trying to break us up..."
Yggdra's face colored. "Ah?"
"It's... It's not like we're together or anything," Milanor spluttered, waving his arms, "b-but... it's like, she doesn't even want you to see me at all..." He slammed his hands on the table and frowned. "What's wrong with her?"
"It's that she doesn't trust you," answered Yggdra, frank as she could be. "She thinks you might be dishonest."
"Me? Dishonest? But I'm a... Oh..." Milanor slumped over the table, unamused. "Right. I'm a thief. No wonder. Ain't like she trusts anybody else, either."
"But she has more reason not to trust you; at least, that's how I would think of it from her standpoint."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Milanor grumbled, flapping his hand at her. "Still..." he set his hands on his thighs, under the table. "Why does she care about me seeing you so much? What does she think I'll do to you?"
"It's quite obvious," Yggdra admitted, smiling sheepishly as Milanor grimaced.
"Yeah? What's that?"
"She thinks you'll go and break my heart, of course," the queen replied. "That you'll lead me to think that you do, in fact, love me in return as I do you, and then turn your back on me somehow and leave me."
"Why would I do that?" Anger rose in the thief's voice. He was indignant. Why would he do that? There was no point in going around depressing people, and besides, he... He... didn't want to.
"I don't know." Yggdra shook her head. "Perhaps she sees something in you that I don't, or maybe it's just a simple misconception."
"She likes tickin' me off, too," Milanor muttered.
"And where did you get that idea?" Though, it seemed that she did, in fact, have some idea of what the thief was going to say.
"The way she acts around you and stuff," Milanor continued. He folded his arms. "Like she owns you, or something. She doesn't care how anyone else reacts, she does what she likes, whenever the hell she feels like it."
"Sometimes I wish you would act that way," Yggdra mentioned, her eyes becoming stern and serious.
Milanor looked at her. His expression grew solemn as he saw her face. "What do you mean?"
She put out her hand to touch his face, urging him closer over the table. "Tell me..." she said, her voice soft, "what do you really think? How do you really feel? About... about me?"
Milanor touched her arm. His mind was scrambling to get the right words out. "Yggdra... I..."
-
The next morning, Rosary was to leave for Verlaine. She couldn't stay in Paltina forever, despite the wondrous shopping and excellent food. Ah, well. Such was life, and her serfs would be getting annoyed with her once she got back. Bah. They always hated her, especially the people of the Black Rose Manor, who, technically, were under her rule now, with their lord dead. Nobody liked her. Huh...
Rosary simply could not leave without seeing Yggdra again, however. She had to see how things turned out... Well, that actually would take more than a little while, but it'd be nice to see her today. She needed the... immediate results. The long-term could wait.
When she finally found the young monarch, she was in Castle Paltina, and, gladly, by herself. It would be nice to get a goodbye out of her without anyone else in the way.
"Yggdra!" Rosary chirped.
"Rosary?" Yggdra, ecstatic, flew over to the lady. Her long, expensive-looking dress glided behind her and her shoes clacked noisily against the stone floor as she came over to greet Rosary. She was rather excited, wasn't she?
She smiled and rose an eyebrow. There was that special something in Yggdra's eyes that caused the witch to think that something had gone properly yesterday... so far, anyway. "Looks like something went right, hmm?"
Yggdra didn't even blush. "Oh, certainly! Very much so."
"So," Rosary said, folding her arms, "you're telling me I should be happy for you two?"
"Ah?" Yggdra put her pointer finger out, bemused. "Wait... How...?"
Rosary simpered. "Well, my dear, it's written all over your face."
Yggdra's face suddenly turned strained. "Though... I know what you're going to say..."
"That the relationship is going to go down the drain; yes, I can read my own mind quite clearly, thank you very much," Rosary responded with a nod. "However... I am willing to give it a chance if you promise me you won't take things too seriously too quickly, hmm? Only the wrong men do that, and I know you must be curious as to how exactly I came to know of this, but I'm saying this for your sake, and your sake only. I don't give out this kind of advice to every person I see on the street, you know."
Yggdra gave a shy smile, slightly embarrassed by Rosary's verbose speech. "Thank you very much for your support, Rosary, I... I really didn't know how you would react. It's just that you seem so set on antagonizing him," she shook her head, "I thought you hated him."
"Oh, I never said I didn't hate him," she replied. She looked to the side, disgusted that the girl would even think such a thing.
Milanor? Hah!
Yggdra stared at her. She was dumbfounded. "But... you just said..."
Rosary smiled at her. "I did say this was for your sake, did I not? That's 'yours', and yours only. I trust that you do the right thing, not that Milanor takes care of you properly. No, I said 'you,'" she bent down and poked Yggdra in the chest, "and I always mean what I say. I could care less what that petty thief thinks of me, much less of what he thinks of you, but if this is what you want, then by all means, go for it."
Yggdra beamed. "So you do accept that...?"
Rosary stood up straight. "Why, of course! What, did you think I want you to be depressed? Certainly not! I might be cruel, but I'm not that cruel.
"I must get going now," sighed the witch, looking back at where she had come from. "Those idiot serfs are going to be screaming at me again, though, as life has it, I cannot just burn down all their houses... Why must they be the ones to produce all the food?" With an exaggerated shake of her head, she sighed and walked off.
Yggdra was still smiling.
A/N: This has been sitting in my Document Manager for days, so I figured I might as well put it up now rather than forgetting to post it entirely. Yep. It's long enough for reviews, so I expect 'em. Even if there are instances of shojo-ai.