Almost
It will take two weeks for Rydia's letter to get to Eblan and it will take another two weeks for a response to make its way back. Rydia knows this, but it doesn't make the waiting any easier.
In the meantime, she has things to take care of.
She approaches Granny's home in the mid-morning, when most of the village is occupied with chores. She asks to see Alain, and the woman's pinched eyes and pursed lips warn Rydia that the family already knows what's coming. Alain comes to the door, and while his physical appearance is the same as always, there's a guarded look in his eyes that she's never seen before. She knows he's bracing himself for this meeting, but then again, so is she. She's never done this before.
She asks to speak with him in the garden, away from his grandparent's shrewd eyes. He agrees, and they stand under the apple tree. Rydia planned what to say, but the sudden rift she senses between the two of them steals the words from her lips. She's standing right next to him but she feels like there's a giant cliff that she will now have to shout over. She swallows.
"Alain," she starts, but then she doesn't know where to go from there. Instead she stands there and stares down at her shoes, feeling so very foolish.
Alain's chuckle draws her head up. "You know," he says, sounding weary. "This is what I like about you so much. You're funny and sarcastic and beautiful and so in control of everything, but then you go and act so innocent, like everything you experience is so new. You've never done this before, have you?"
Rydia cautiously shakes her head and he chuckles again. Now that she's heard it a second time, she can hear that there's a hard edge to the laugh. "Well, I'll give you a hand then. First, you tell me that it's you who has the issues, not me. That I'm a great guy, and that any girl would be lucky to be with me, just not you. I'm not the right guy; I'm not what you want. That's how it usually goes, anyway."
Rydia bites her lip. Part of her just wants to take it all back and change what she needs to say here so she can give him what he wants, just to take that bleak look off his face, but... It just wouldn't be fair. Not to her, not to Edge, not to Alain. "Alain," she says, "I do like you. There's no denying that. You've made this past year..." She shouldn't use the word bearable. "Fun. You've made it worth living. But..." And then she decides to just put it out there. "While I was fighting in the wars, I met someone. And while I thought I could leave that all behind and move on and start a new life here, I guess I had stronger feelings than I realized. I just want you to know that I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you or trivialize your feelings. I just messed up. I really messed up."
She looks at Alain, who is staring at the ground. A moment passes and he lifts his head and meets eyes for the first time during this conversation. "Someone else, huh?" She hesitates, but nods anyway. "Hell of a lucky guy."
"Alain." Rydia is startled to find she's ready to cry.
He shakes his head, and then reaches out and grabs her arm, pulling her close. The hug is awkward because she's so stiff, but when he lets her go there's something close to a smile on his face. "You make sure he knows just how lucky he is."
He walks back through the garden to the home. He doesn't look at her, and Rydia discovers that she is crying. She feels horrible, knowing that she has caused someone else to suffer. But there's nothing else that she can do. She swallows, wipes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and goes home.
Alain leaves Mist a few days later. He doesn't say goodbye to her but she hears through the grapevine that he is gone. She wishes that his departure hadn't left a hole in her life. There's no one to talk to anymore. The other villagers are cold to her, disappointed in her choice. Some of the younger ones are more understanding, but they're also the busiest in their daily lives. She's lonely and upset and she has nothing to do but mope.
When the post arrives with a letter addressed to her, she scoffs at herself for being breathless, but she can't help it. It's like the paper is burning into her palm as she hurries from the store to her home. She tears open the letter the moment she's in her front door. There's only one word.
Soon.
Rydia blinks. That's it?
She turns the stationary over to check the back, but that's really all there is to the letter. One word. She at least mailed him a full sentence; he could have the grace to do the same. And what is it supposed to mean, anyway? Soon? Soon what? Soon she'll get another letter? Soon he'll come to visit? Soon what?
She scowls, and then stalks over to her desk and shoves the letter in her drawer with all the others. Not even the sight of his Eblanese characters, still resting on top, is enough to stall her suddenly foul temper. This is not the response she was expecting.
The days drag by after the letter arrives. Fall is descending on the little village, which leaves everyone busy with harvest. Rydia still has no one to talk to, and there's not much for her to do around the house. She's left with an abundance of time to think, which does nothing for her temper, as that time to think leads her to consider just what her expectations regarding Edge are.
This is a topic she has been avoiding for a very long time.
She knows that Edge wants an actual relationship with her. That became pretty evident as they neared the end of the war. Though he's never outright verbalized that wish, their conversations have made what he wants clear. Her own feelings, on the other hand, have never been so clean-cut.
The thing is, she knows that it's all or nothing with him. With Edge comes a kingdom. If she enters into a relationship with him, he's going to be playing for keeps, and if he wins, she'll end up with a crown on her head, whether she likes it or not. And while Rydia feels strong and confident in her own skills, being a Queen is a daunting prospect, so very outside her comfort zone. She's doesn't even speak Eblanese, for crying out loud.
But she's tried to let him go. And yes, she could try again, but is there really a point? It would just be a repetition of what she's been through with Alain. And when she thinks of Edge doing the same, moving on by choosing a quiet, polite, Eblanese noblewoman to marry, she wants to throw up. It's not out of jealousy or spite, but she can imagine what that would be like for him. He would hate every second of it.
And so would she.
Five weeks pass. Rydia is rinsing off her dishes when a loud knock sounds at her door. She wipes her hands on a dishcloth and another set of knocks echo through her home. Frowning at this unknown visitor's impatience, she hurries over to answer.
There's a ninja standing on her porch. A woman garbed in blue, with dark hair and dark blue eyes. Her arms are crossed and her face is close to a scowl. "This is for you," she says without hesitation, handing out a letter. "My name is Izayoi, and I'm here to take you to Eblan."
Rydia blinks. "What?" It's the only thing she can think to say.
The woman huffs. "My name is Izayoi, and I'm here to take you to Eblan. Are you hard of hearing? Read the letter; he explains everything in there."
Rydia stares at her for a moment, and then turns her attention to the letter in her hand. It's in Edge's handwriting.
His Majesty, the Heavenly Sovereign, Honored King of Eblan, requests the presence of the beautiful, stunningly gorgeous, fiery tempered Lady of Mist immediately. He hopes she will overlook this sudden intrusion, but His Majesty has realized he cannot go another day without seeing her lovely face. Should she accept this urgent invitation, she will journey on the fastest airship in Eblan's newly constructed fleet, so as to reach His Majesty's side as soon as possible. Her safety shall be guaranteed by the ninja before her, the honorable kunoichi Izayoi of Water. Though His Majesty knows that the Lady Rydia is perfectly capable of protecting herself, he hopes she will allow this small formality. The Lady Rydia is welcome to stay in Eblan as long as she wishes (preferably forever).
Rydia's already laughing. She can't help it. There's a chunk of blank space, followed by another block of text.
I hope you'll at least consider staying for a few weeks. I have a window of opportunity that we can take advantage of. Izayoi can be trusted, and I think you'll enjoy what I have planned.
I hope to see you soon. I'll be counting down the hours.
His Majesty, the Heavenly blah blah blah, can you believe I have such an awesome title?
Edge
She looks up from the letter to the ninja, Izayoi. "How much time do I have to pack? Do you know if I need anything specific?"
"Something comfortable and easy to walk in," the woman answers. "And not too much time. We need to be back in Baron by sunset so we'll have no delays when we want to leave tomorrow. Be quick, please."
Rydia wants to roll her eyes. Yes, be quick, when she's had all of two minutes warning? But luckily, her packing skills from traveling around during their long battles haven't abandoned her. She sticks with her usual flowing dresses, figuring that while they may not be shinobi gear, they've served her well enough over the years, but she does switch out her heeled boots for some flat ones. She hates that they diminish her height, but they will be more comfortable.
While she's hastily folding her clothing and shoving it in her pack, she takes another glance at the letter now resting on her bed. What kind of plans has he got up his sleeve?
Izayoi has a couple of chocobos tied up outside, and the birds quickly run them through the village and out to where Rydia sees a small but sleek airship hovering above the ground. She wants to laugh, but holds it in. This is crazy, but this is it.
She's going to Eblan. Finally.
She can't stop smiling on the flight to Baron. Izayoi and the other ninjas manning the airship probably think she's insane, but she can't help it. Her blood is bubbling like champagne, and she wants to sing and dance and do anything to release this sudden excitement. It's a bit startling, yes, to go from such a dull day to this, but it's also thrilling.
Her energy doesn't diminish once they land in Baron. While the Eblanese ninjas deal with paperwork and officials, she steals off to visit Cecil and Rosa, who are delighted to see her. They feed her dinner but she can barely focus on the conversation. She's being absolutely ridiculous but Cecil and Rosa shoot smiles at each other and seem not to mind.
The three days on the airship flying to Eblan, however, serve to dampen her mood a bit.
Rydia is accustomed to sticking out among people. She is green, for crying out loud. Close scrutiny is nothing new to her. But among the ninjas on the airship, she sticks out far more than normal, and in new and unsettling ways.
Izayoi is the only person on board with command of the Baronian language. Everyone else speaks solely Eblanese, and though the language is beautiful to listen to, it leaves her lost. The second afternoon, Izayoi takes a moment to teach her the basic sounds of the language, but the smiles from the other ninjas as she stumbles over the syllables make Rydia feel shy and stupid, so she cuts off the lesson and flees below.
Sitting in the hammock that serves as her bed, she scowls as she considers her behavior. She has memorized and delivered the complex chants that call the elements to dance at her behest. If she can master Meteo, she can master Eblanese. It will just take time and effort, the same as everything else. But she just doesn't want to do so in front of people that she may rule someday.
That stray thought makes her tremble.
They reach Eblan in the late afternoon on the third day, but Rydia is surprised when they don't land outside the castle and city. Instead they land very close to the mountains. The other ninjas don't disembark. Instead, Izayoi leads Rydia off the ship.
"They'll be heading onto the city," she tells Rydia as they walk toward the mountains. "We'll be meeting up with the others in the caves. Edge is supposedly training for a few weeks with his closest guards, but we know better, now don't we?" She winks at Rydia, and Rydia finds herself blushing.
The caves are as dark and damp as Rydia remembers. She recognizes some of the rock formations and caverns they pass through, but they don't continue to the small makeshift town Rydia remembers. Instead, they pass down dark passages, moving far deeper into the caves than she's ever been. Rydia wants to ask where they are going, but Izayoi's focus seems to be on navigation and dispatching the few monsters they encounter on the way. They walk for close to two hours before Izayoi stops and turns to Rydia.
"It's just up in that crevice right there," she says. "I'll give you a boost up."
Rydia eyes the wall of rock, but sighs and nods. Izayoi cups her hands together for Rydia's foot, and Rydia braces her hands against the wall and guides herself up as Izayoi pushes. The crack in the wall is larger than it appears from the ground and she braces her elbows on the rocky floor and tucks her legs underneath to scramble up. She turns to help Izayoi, but the kunoichi easily runs up the wall and hauls her body over the edge herself. She smiles a little at Rydia's stare.
"C'mon," she says. "It's just a little further, and I, for one, am ready for a nice long soak."
Rydia's brow furrows as Izayoi turns and walks down the passage hidden in the crevice. A soak? In what?
The answer is down the passageway. It opens out into a large open cavern with a hot spring bubbling up to form a large pool. Several small buildings stand near the edge of the spring, and relaxing around a fire in the center of those buildings is a small group of ninjas. One of them is Edge.
He looks up as they draw near, and the smile that splits his face takes Rydia aback. He shoots to his feet and bounds over to her, and before she can even draw a breath, his arms are around her, squeezing out what little air she has in her lungs. He lets her go but he doesn't go far, leaving his arms wrapped around her waist. He's still smiling. "You're here," he says. "You're finally here."
She smiles for a moment, but then she frowns and smacks him lightly on the chest. "Oh yes, finally," she scolds. "You know, you could have at least given me a bit of a warning. An actual invitation, or even just a note telling me to pack, maybe? Rather than just sending a ninja to hustle me out of my house."
"I thought you'd like the surprise! A little adventure, to break up the monotony."
"Oh sure, easy for you to say. What if I needed to make arrangements? What if I needed someone to feed my cat or something?"
"You don't have a cat."
"That you know of."
He laughs, and then he draws her into his arms once more. "I missed you too," he whispers in her ear, and Rydia finds that she just can't hold it in. When he releases her, she's got a stupid grin on her own face. And she's blushing. Ah, well.
He leads her over to the fire, where she is introduced to Tsukinowa, Gekkou, and Zangetsu. Together with Izayoi, they make the Eblan Four, the core of Edge's royal guards. "When he actually allows us to guard him," Tsukinowa says after the introductions. The other three hum in agreement.
"I keep them on their toes," Edge says, with a wink in Rydia's direction.
"Which is going to get you killed one day," Izayoi says with a snort. She peers inside a pot suspended over the fire. "Is it ready yet? I'm starving, and itching for a nice long dip in the springs!"
Dinner is rice, served out a clay pot and topped with a thick meaty sauce. When Rydia is handed the small sticks that are used to eat the food, she inwardly winces and quietly tries to imitate Edge. The sticks slip and clatter in her hand and naturally Izayoi notices. "Here," she says, reaching over to arrange the sticks in her hand. "Don't imitate Edge; he holds them wrong anyway."
"What?" Edge asks, looking over in confusion. "Oh," he says, seeing Rydia still struggling. He switches his sticks to his right hand and holds them out for her to see. Izayoi huffs and pushes his hand away.
"I just told her, you hold them wrong."
"I do not," the king in question grumbles.
"Yes, you do. Your clan is a clan of barbarians. Honestly."
"And your clan is a clan of thieves and murderers," Edge retorts. "Show me how you hold them." Izayoi demonstrates. "You hold them exactly like I do!"
"I do not!" Izayoi snaps back.
They continue to bicker, and Rydia stares at them helplessly. She's surprised when a large hand gently moves the sticks in her hands, and looks up to find that Gekkou has moved in. "They both hold them wrong," he tells her softly with a wink. "It's easiest like this."
Sure enough, with a little manipulation, she's soon scooping up her food. It's delicious. When Edge and Izayoi finally notice how easily she's now eating, their dumbfounded expressions and Gekkou's secretive smile send her into a fit of giggles.
They finish the meal with a savory soup, and Iyzyoi elects Tsukinowa to clean up the meal. She grabs Rydia by the arm and hauls her up. "Now I know," she tells Edge, "that you are going to want to spend every second with her, but we have had a long journey, and we are going to have a soak before going to bed. You can have her all to yourself after that. Yes?"
Edge laughs. "As if I can argue with you." He looks at Rydia. "Enjoy the spring. I'll see you later tonight."
Rydia is about to ask just what they mean, but Izayoi doesn't give her time to open her mouth. Instead, the ninja tows her away from the fire and over to a small building hugging the side of the spring. It's slightly elevated from the ground and the exterior is made from panels of wood and paper. Some sort of screen runs off the building and cuts through part of the hot spring, partially enclosing some of the water. Izayoi slides a door open and pulls her into the building. "Are you always so pushy?" Rydia asks, exasperated.
Izayoi looks back. "Yes." She barks a laugh. "You're not the first to ask that. Yes, I'm pushy, but trust me, you will understand once you're in that spring."
Izayoi guides Rydia through the preparations. "You need to be clean," she explains, and helps Rydia pin her hair up off her neck and disrobe. She does the same and then pours water into a set of shallow basins and brings out a bar of soap. Rydia follows the ninja's example and scrubs and rinses herself clean. After three days on an airship, the sensation is heavenly.
Izayoi provides a small towel and leads her to a different door in the small room. She slides it open and steps out into a small enclosure. "Before we were born," the ninja says, throwing off her towel and setting it on the stones, "men and women bathed together, but Edge's grandfather put a stop to that. So you can thank him in your prayers. The boys have their own bathing area." She sticks her toe in the water, smiles, and then plunges into the spring.
Rydia steps out a little more cautiously, ensuring that their area is indeed enclosed. Seeing that it is, she also slips off her towel and enters the spring.
The heated water instantly reminds her of the Feymarch, where the close proximity of magma left water sources scalding hot. Though this spring isn't hot enough to be uncomfortable, it feels homey to Rydia. She follows Izayoi over to where the woman lounges and joins her in the relaxation. She lets her eyes slip closed and breathes deeply, letting the steam rising up from the spring infiltrate and clear her lungs.
A little time passes before she hears distant splashes and loud laugher and knew that the rest of their party has also entered the spring. She keeps her eyes closed, but listens closely to try and pick out Edge's voice from the others.
"I like you," Izayoi declares from next to her, interrupting Rydia's reverie. Rydia's eyes pop open and she turns to regard to woman next to her.
"I beg your pardon?"
Izayoi keeps her eyes closed. "I like you. We snatched you out of your home with no warning and dragged you halfway across the world, fed you strange food and forced you into a bathing ritual with which you must be unfamiliar. And you just went with it, not because you let people push you around, but because you want to be with him. You don't mind these things because you don't mind him." Now her eyes open. "I've known Edge for a long time. I'm glad that he picked someone like you. I think you're a good choice."
With that, Izayoi closes her eyes and resumes her soak. Rydia considers her for a long moment, and then shakes her head and sits back as well.
"Thank you," she says softly.
They sit there for a long time, and Rydia lets the hot water sooth away her stress. In a way, Izayoi's words have put her own fears to rest. Yes, there are challenges ahead, but she's here and she's with Edge. And that's all that matters for now.
She is starting to feel sleepy when a loud whistle echoes through the cavern, causing Izayoi to stir next to her. The ninja yawns. "That's Zangetsu," she says. "He usually decides when we've had enough of anything, and he says it's time to be done soaking." She maneuvers herself over the rocks they're sitting on until she's in deep enough water to stand. Rydia stays a moment longer, feeling lethargic, and then follows.
They dress in sleepwear and Izayoi opens a small crate and pulls out two silky robes for them to throw on over their clothing. They exit the small building and find Edge already waiting.
"Say goodnight," Izayoi says, yawning again. "We've got an early start tomorrow."
"What are we doing tomorrow?" Rydia asks, as Izayoi wanders ahead to another building in the small complex. Edge takes her arm.
"That's a surprise."
"More of a surprise than this?"
"Maybe not quite as large in scope. Still something you'll like though, I think."
She can't help but smile at him, a silly smile that wrinkles her nose. "What is this kind of treatment? How often does a girl like me from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere get spoiled by the King of Eblan?"
"Not often enough." He tucks her arm more tightly around his, pulling her a little closer. "I'd do this every day if I could. And you are just about anything but a typical girl, Summoner Rydia of Mist."
She laughs. "You just contradicted yourself. I'm from Mist. It doesn't get much more provincial than that."
"It'll get back on its feet," he tells her. "Don't you think?"
She makes some noncommittal sound. "We'll see." The thought of Mist growing and regaining its power and status pulls up thoughts of Alain. She doesn't want to go there, even in her thoughts.
"Rydia? Something bothering you?"
"No," she sighs. "I just don't want to think about Mist right now." She smiles at him again. "I'm in Eblan. I want to focus on being here."
"Well, I have no objections to that."
They reach the building, already lit, Izayoi's shoes left neatly on what Edge tells her is an engawa. Rydia steps up onto strip of wooden flooring, leaving Edge on the ground. She can look directly into his eyes now.
"I've barely gotten to see you today," he says, the back of his fingers brushing her cheek. She shies away on instinct, which makes him laugh quietly. His hand leaves her face, but only so it can catch her own hand in his. He rubs her fingers lightly.
"We'll have lots of time later, right?" she says, curling her fingers until their hands are intertwined.
"Yeah." They both trail off, and Rydia realizes how close they're standing to one another. Edge keeps his hand in hers, but reaches up with his other hand. It settles on her neck, and then he leans forward. He kisses her twice. Once on her cheek, and then once right above his hand, where her jaw meets her neck. He pulls back, and their eyes meet once more. He smiles. "Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning."
"Early in the morning," Rydia keeps her voice low, not wanting to break this moment.
"Yeah." He lets her go slowly, keeping ahold of her fingers until the very last second before he turns away. "Goodnight, Rydia."
"Goodnight, Edge." They look at each other one more time before Rydia turns and darts inside the small building.
Izayoi is already lying on her futon on the floor. She smirks and Rydia starts laughing. She can't help it. The ninja joins in, and Rydia is delighted when her companion regales her with funny stories about Eblan's king as they settle in for bed.
Izayoi seems to drop off instantly, but Rydia finds it difficult to sleep. The futon is comfortable and the cavern is warm, but her mind can't seem to settle down. She tosses and turns for what must be an hour before she gives up.
The cavern still has light. Zangetsu is sitting at the fire, and she assumes another member of the Eblan Four must be patrolling the cavern's perimeter. She considers joining the elderly ninja at the fire but decides to walk around instead. The cavern isn't overly large, but there's still a fair amount of space for wandering. She weaves in between the small buildings and starts circling the spring.
She about a quarter of the way around when she sees Edge. He's seated on a small flat plateau overlooking the spring. She stops, startled, but he glances over at her and she knows he heard her approaching, probably long before she saw him. "Couldn't sleep?" he asks.
She nods, and he gestures for her to take a seat. She does, but she's careful to maintain a proper distance between them. She wouldn't mind being closer, but she's still thinking about the kiss he gave her earlier and her admittedly childish reaction and it makes her cautious. She's not sure how to proceed.
He smiles at her once she's settled. "I still can't get over you being here," he says. "It's like I'm wandering around in a dream or something."
She rolls her eyes. "You're awake. We both are, even though we both should be sleeping."
"Yes we should. Thoughts of me keeping you awake?"
"You wish."
"Yes I do."
She reaches over and smacks him lightly. "Still full of yourself, I see. Or has being a king made that trait even worse?"
"Maybe." He frowns and narrows his eyes at her. "Still shooting me down, I see. Isn't absence supposed to make the heart grow fonder? What happened to the girl who said she missed me?"
Rydia looks away immediately, not wanting to think about that confession but unable to deny it. When she looks back, Edge is still looking at her. "You couldn't sleep either," she says, to break the silence and change the subject. "What's on your mind?"
'You."
She scoffs. "Be serious."
"I am." She glares at him and he shrugs. "I am! Whether you believe it or not." He lies down, cushioning his head with his hands. "You're here. Now I don't want to have to let you go back."
Rydia joins him, curling on her side so she can still see him. She considers her next words. 'Would you really want me to stay?"
He turns his head sharply to look at her. "Rydia. Do you even need to ask that?"
She bites her tongue and looks at him, not sure of what to say. His eyes narrow when he sees her hesitation. "Yes," he says, his voice like iron. "Yes, I want you to stay. I can't believe you even need to ask."
Rydia shrinks back a little from his harsh stare, and his expression softens. "Rydia," he says, much more gently. "Of course, I want you to stay. Is there anything I've done that would make you doubt that?"
Rydia shakes her head slightly. She knows what he wants, but she also still remembers their conversation at the wedding, so it's nice to hear it like that, out in the open, without their typical innuendo or teasing. "Tell me everything," she says.
"What?"
"Everything. I want to know about everything."
He regards her with a wry smile. "Define everything."
"Edge," she warns. "I want to know about Eblan. It's been a few months, and obviously if you're letting me visit, something is different. What has been happening?"
"Why are you so curious?"
She narrows her eyes at him and frowns. He chuckles and holds his hands up in a show of surrender. "Alright, alright, you win. As usual.
"We've made progress. Since we last met, I've convinced two clans to switch over to my side, so to speak. Culturally, the changes in the kingdom are radical, which is why it's been so hard, but now that the airships are getting up and flying and our trade routes are becoming more established, some of the clans are beginning to see and share the vision."
"How many are left?"
"Three. Two are smaller clans, but the last one of the largest clan outside my own. They're the ones I warned you about before, so they will be the most difficult. The other two follow where the murderers lead, I'm afraid."
"That's so terrible," she says, seeing that sudden draw in his eyes. "Is there any easy way to fix this? Anyway to coerce them, or some way you can maneuver—" she trails off when she sees him smiling. "Don't laugh at me!" she snaps. "I'm just trying to help!"
"Hey, hey," he says, reaching out a laying a hand over her own. "I'm not making fun of you. There is a way to coerce them. I'm laughing because the way to do it is ridiculous."
"How?"
"The easiest way would just be to marry Izayoi."
"What?" she exclaims.
He sighs. "Izayoi is the heir to the most powerful clan opposing me. Though marrying her would likely make them hungrier for political power, she would be in an excellent position to keep them in line. They'd support it, thinking she's still one of them, and once they learned differently, it would be too late."
Rydia sits up. "She's one of your enemies?"
He scoffs. "Not really. Izayoi has been more than she seems for a long time."
She looks over across the small encampment to the building where Izayoi is resting. "She's one of your guards! Are you sure she's not still working for them? What if she's just biding her time, like Golbez did with Kain that one time?"
"Rydia," he admonishes gently. "I'm not that stupid. I entrusted her with you. Do you really think I would do that if I weren't absolutely sure?"
Rydia takes that in for a moment. "All right, I'm sure you have your reasons. And I like her. But... I mean, that's just crazy!"
"Like I said, Izayoi has been more than she seems for a long time. She was a friend of my younger sister. They were more like rivals, really, but sometimes that turns in the closest of relationships. When her family killed Akemi, she was a wreck. She came to my father and demanded that he kill her to restore her clan's honor. Instead, he convinced her to bide her time. Officially, her clan has appointed her to spy on me, but she's really been working with my family for years."
Rydia lies back down. "Wow," she murmurs. She turns to look at him. "Have you considered it?"
He raises his eyebrows at her, and then chuckles. "Absolutely not. Others have, but I know, and Izayoi knows, that that solution is not really an option. For many reasons. One being that we would kill each other by the end of the first day."
She laughs a little at that, but her mind is whirling with this new information.
"Hey," he says, interrupting her sudden panic. She looks over at him, eyes wide, and he smiles. "It's okay. It's just Eblan. There's always secrets here."
She nods a little, and he settles back down. "Well, I've caught you up; now you need to catch me up. Tell me about Mist."
A sound emits from her throat, something between a gasp and a laugh. "Tell you about Mist?" she says, after clearing her throat. "There's really not much to tell. It's not nearly as exciting as Eblan seems to be."
He makes a humming sound low in his throat, and turns his head to regard her. "You haven't written me in a long time. Until that last letter, at least."
She looks away. "There's not much to tell about. Mist is Mist. People grow plants and eat dinner and gossip. It's just a little village; nothing important to report."
"You met someone, didn't you?" he says softly. "You don't want to tell me, but you did."
Rydia turns to look at him, but even with his face uncovered, she still can't read the expression on his face, so she turns her head and looks up at the inky blackness above her. It's easier that way. "Yeah," she says. "I did."
Edge doesn't reply. She can't even hear him breathing and so the words come out in a rush. "His name was Alain. He's not a Summoner, but he has the blood, so the village people arranged our introduction. He was nice, and it was fun to spend time together and everything, but... I don't know. He asked me if he could kiss me, and I panicked and ran away. And then I realized that, even though he was nice and I liked him, he just wasn't... right. He wasn't the right person."
She falls silent, still looking straight up. She doesn't want to look at him after that confession, but she also would really like a response right about now.
Instead of words, she hears movement beside her. Curious, she turns her head to find that Edge has shifted closer to her, and is now propping himself up on his elbow to look down at her. "So he wasn't the right person?" he asks, his voice even softer than before. Rydia shakes her head, a minute movement. "Who would the right person be, then?"
Rydia lips part, because his hand has reached over her and is pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Edge," she whispers, questioning his actions.
He apparently takes his name as a declaration, though, because then his fingers are gliding past her cheek and Rydia closes her eyes as he kisses her.
It's a soft kiss. Slow and warm, and it sends tingles through Rydia, all the way down to her toes. He draws back and Rydia's eyes open to see his, looking down at her. She's breathing much harder than warranted by one little kiss, and the air escaping her lips makes a little sighing noise and draws Edge's attention back to her mouth. He leans back down to her and kisses her again.
This time he doesn't draw away.
Rydia hasn't spent much time thinking about what kissing Edge would be like, but now that it's happening, she doesn't think she'll ever be able to think about much else ever again. It feels so amazingly good. Each kiss is slow and controlled, with just enough time in between for her to draw a breath. One of his hands is tangled in her hair, and his position above her leaves just a little space between them, but his chest still dips down to brush against her own. The warmth spreading through her body from the contact make her dizzy, and she's glad she lying down.
She thinks to herself that it can't get any better than this, but then, her mouth parts a little during one of Edge's kisses, and he takes the invitation. This kiss is even deeper and slower, and Rydia can barely even think. Edge is exploring her mouth, giving her no chance to breathe and recover. He lets his weight settle on top of her, and it feels so good and warm to connect to him from shoulder to hip, to feel his body shifting in response to her own. Her arms reach up and wrap around him to pull him even closer, and she's startled when he rips his mouth away from her and groans.
He moves them, rolling her over, and then she's on top of him. She barely has time to catch her weight on her hands so she can look down at him. He's panting slightly and his eyes are still closed. "Sorry," he gasps. "Sorry, I didn't mean to rush you. I've just been waiting so long... Just... Sorry."
Sorry? That's not what she wants to hear after that. She glares down at him, and then leans down to kiss him again.
His intake of breath at her actions is gratifying and Rydia licks her way past his lips to invade his mouth. He actually trembles for a moment, but then he's kissing her back and pulling her firmly against him. The pressure of his hands on her back pressing her into his body makes her shudder. He leaves his arms wrapped around her back for a long moment, focusing on matching her kisses, but then one of his hands slides to her waist and slips past the folds of fabric to stroke directly on her skin.
The contact makes Rydia break away from him and gasp, which makes Edge chuckle, a rumbling that she can feel underneath her. "You okay?" he murmurs.
"Yeah," she whispers, still breathless. "Don't stop."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he whispers back, and then his other hand slides beneath her chemise and he's pulling her down again.
She doesn't know how long they lie there, tangled together exploring each other's mouths. It could be hours, it could be merely minutes; Rydia can't even tell. Edge gradually eases away from her lips, dropping kisses along her neck that make her whimper, before he draws one hand away from her bare back and slips it into her hair. He tugs her head down to rest on his shoulder and Rydia focuses on catching her breath. His other hand traces soothing circles on the small of her back. "Hey," he whispers.
She hums back and buries her face in the crook of his neck. He laughs softly, and uses his one arm to squeeze her to him. Rydia stays there until her heart has stopped trying to burst out of her chest.
Edge seems to sense that she needs a moment to adjust to what has happened. His hands continue to softly stroke her back. She lets him. When she feels completely calm again, she lifts her head to look at him. "Hi," she says.
He smiles at her, a sweet smile that she's never seen on his face before. "Hello," he says.
"So," she says. "What now?"
He chuckles and scrunches his face up at her like a mischievous little boy. "Rydia! Back to business already?"
She pokes him. " What do you want me to do, bask in your arms forever?" His answering smirk leads her to poke him again, harder this time. "Seriously, Edge. What now?"
He sighs. "I don't really know, Rydia."
She nods, and then lays her head back on his shoulder. "I assume I'm not really able to stay forever, like you asked in his note?"
"Not yet," he says. "But I am making progress. You know I'm down to three clans to convince. I either force Izayoi's clan to submit, or I steal the allegiance of the other two out from under them. I've already done that with two clans. I have the majority, so I could technically bring you in now, but my advisors think it's best for us to wait until I have everything under control before I introduce you into things. They're worried it'll push some clans away from me if I bring you in too soon."
"It's because I'm an outsider, isn't it?" Rydia fists his shirt in her hand.
Edge goes back to stroking her back, noticing her agitation. "Yes and no. It's not just because you're an outsider, it's because I kind of am too."
She looks up at him. "What?"
"My clan history is partly what makes this whole situation so difficult. When we lost the war against Baron, my paternal grandfather was elected by Baron to rule the country. He surprised them by breaking all ties with his mother country and marrying into the royal family, but it doesn't change the fact that we are in many ways considered a clan of outsiders. Not by very many people, my family has done a good enough job ruling, and we have such strong ties with the original ruling line that most don't even think about it. But a few clans do."
"The ones that are causing you trouble."
"Exactly."
"Okay," she says.
Edge shifts, moving them both, and soon, they are sitting up, Rydia curled up in his lap. He wraps both his arms around her, crushing her to him. "I will find a way to get you here safely, Rydia," he tells her. "It's been one of my primary goals since the start of this. It's taking time, but it will happen. You have my word on that."
She pulls back from him a bit, but remains in his lap. "Are you sure that's what you want? I mean, if it's going to make your life easier to marry someone else, shouldn't you at least consider—" She's cut off suddenly by a long, deep kiss.
When Edge releases her again, he looks at her and she can't ever recall seeing him so serious. "There is no other option, Rydia. It's you or no one."
She looks at him for a moment, memorizing the look in his eyes, and then she smiles.
He smiles back.
He holds her for a while longer, until her yawns start to take over, which makes him laugh. She complains when he lifts her up in his arms, but he ignores her protests and carries her back to where her bed is waiting. When he lets her down on the engawa, he doesn't let go right away. Instead, she's pulled in for another round of dizzying kisses. They're more playful than the ones before, and when she breaks away from him, she's giggling.
He waves and turns to leave, and Rydia quickly takes off her shoes and opens the shoji. She's hoping Izayoi is still asleep, but she braces herself for an interrogation anyway.
The sight inside the room is so strange that it takes her a moment to comprehend what she is seeing. Izayoi is sprawled atop her futon, seemingly in restless sleep, but a puddle of blood is pooling beneath her head. When the sight in front of her finally clicks, all Rydia has time to do is scream Edge's name before something strikes her neck and everything turns black.
Notes
Well that took long enough!
Props to mythweaver1 and iflip4dolphins. Reading their stories makes me less lazy and gets me motivated to write and finish things. As do the lovely reviews I receive!
We've got a chapter, maybe two to go. I know what's coming up this time, and am already groaning because I know how much work it's going to be to write. But it will be worth it in the end!
As usual, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
SJ
