A/N: In which Suzanne is a scary person.
The three of them stood in the water, Suzanne sighing. "My dress is going to get all wet," she mumbled.
Yulia shook her head then pressed a hand against the water, closing her eyes. The water began to glow, and suddenly they seemed to drop through it. Suzanne screamed, clutching at her dress, and Lorelei glanced over at her before sighing.
The three of them landed with a dull thump, Lorelei staggering while Suzanne fell. Yulia, already kneeling, was fine, and straightened with a surprised glance at them.
"Are you alright?" asked Lorelei, walking over to Suzanne and helping her up. She quickly brushed her dress off, trying to regain composure.
"I'm fine," she said stiffly, then glared at him. "And I saw you looking, you pervert."
"I wasn't looking!" Lorelei defended, groaning.
Suzanne ignored him, striding ahead while Yulia giggled and followed. Lorelei brought up the rear as they glanced around.
"It's a bit desolate," Suzanne noted.
"But it seems safe. We can at least hold the meeting here."
"Right. Should we head back then?" suggested Lorelei.
"Yes. We need to plan what to do next," Yulia said, turning and walking back to the waterfall.
"We have to go back up that?" sighed Suzanne, joining them.
"It should be easier this time," Yulia soothed, kneeling and pressing a hand against the water again before they went shooting up.
"We should go to Kimlasca first," Lorelei said that evening as they ate the animal he had hunted.
"Why? Isn't Malkuth more of a threat?" asked Suzanne.
"Maybe, but you'll be able to help convince the king to sign a peace treaty. He's not going to attack his own daughter, after all," Lorelei pointed out.
Yulia nodded. "Indeed. Kimlasca is also probably the easier to get to at this time," she said.
Suzanna sighed then nodded. "We'll need to get some transport then."
"That shouldn't be too difficult, especially if they recognise you or Yulia," Lorelei said.
"Actually, it may be better that they don't know who Suzanne is," Yulia interrupted.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because if they knew the Kimlascan princess was on board their ship, they may attack her if they're from Malkuth," she explained.
"It's not the first time I've had someone attack me, Yulia," Suzanne said.
"Maybe not, but we don't particularly want to risk it. Don't worry, it'll be easy enough to get there if they recognise me, and even if not it won't be too difficult," Yulia soothed.
"Alright. But I won't hide my identity to my own subjects."
"That's fine. When we're in Kimlasca, we're less likely to be attacked anyway."
The three of them stepped off the boat, heading up to the castle. Suzanne happily thrust back the hood she had been wearing, allowing her long hair to cascade down her back.
"I'm glad we're finally home. It's nice being outside Baticul, but I feel safer here," she said, glancing around.
"It does have a certain...calming nature to it," Yulia agreed, glancing around.
As they started walking, Lorelei noted there were a lot less people in the streets this time. A lot of the stalls were closed, and he frowned; war certainly changed a place in a short time.
They arrived at the palace, the guards bowing to Suzanne before opening the gates. She walked through, Lorelei and Yulia following, and the three of them went up the steps before entering.
The King wasn't on the throne this time, and Lorelei looked surprised. Suzanne noticed his confusion, and glanced at him.
"My Father and Ingobert have withdrawn to the war room, to plan strategies and such. No one is granted an audience with the King during this time," she explained.
"Will they let us in then?" asked Lorelei.
"Well, they can't exactly keep me out, and you're with me, so you're automatically granted royal access. Just don't wander off," she warned, before walking forward.
They went down a side corridor, heading down it towards a pair of large doors. A guard at the side of the door quickly bowed as he spotted Suzanne.
"At ease. Where is my father?" she asked.
"Within, Your Highness. Should I alert him that you are here?"
"No, thank you. I think I want to surprise him," she replied.
"Very well, Your Highness."
Suzanne motioned for Yulia and Lorelei to follow and went to the doors, grabbing them and thrusting them open with a loud bang before striding in. The two of them followed slowly, a little surprised by her sudden change in demeanor.
Several people stood around a table as they walked in, though they had turned to look at Suzanne in surprise. The King stood, turning to her.
"Suzanne? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I have a proposition, Father," she replied.
"Indeed?"
"Yes. We believe a peace treaty would be the best outcome of this."
He frowned. "And you believe you can get Malkuth to sign this peace treaty?"
"I believe if you and the Emperor of Malkuth meet and sign it together, then this silly war can end."
The King shook his head. "Just meeting with the Emperor is hardly going to make a difference, Suzanne."
"Actually, it can make all the difference, Father. When you get to know your enemy, you grow more hesitant to attack them."
"There is no guarantee he wouldn't just attack us. And where would we even sign it? In Daath? The church is against Kimlasca and Malkuth."
"It would be signed at a special place, Father. A place no one lives, beneath the ground."
"That's an old wives' tale, Suzanne," the King snorted.
"Actually, Your Majesty, we've found it," Yulia said, smoothly cutting in.
The King looked at her in surprise, then frowned. "There's still no guarantee that this will work. I refuse."
Suzanne sighed. "Father, you leave me no choice," she said, before drawing herself up and sending him a withering glare. "If you do not do this, I will cook for you and force you to abdicate so that Ingobert takes over!"
The room went silent, staring at Suzanne, then Lorelei snorted, quickly trying to cover it with a cough. Yulia turned away, shoulders shaking a little before she regained composure and faced forward again.
Fianlly the King sighed. "Oh...Very well. You are determined if you would threaten me with your cooking."
Suzanne's glare quickly changed to a serene smile. "I just knew you'd see the sense in it," she said sweetly.
"Y'know...Suzanne can be a little scary sometimes," Lorelei murmured to Yulia, who held back another laugh.
A/N: After an incident in which the King was ill and Suzanne cooked a meal for him, causing him to also have food poisoning, Suzanne was banned from the kitchen.
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