XI.
When Estelle and Judith came out on deck, they found Rita hanging most of the way over the side of the ship, chin resting on her arms. "Are you okay, Rita?" Judith inquired from a safe distance. The mage looked more sulky than suicidal, but it always paid to be careful.
Rita didn't move, except to lift one finger and point it straight downward. "Check this out."
Her friends glanced at each other, shrugged, and came closer to the railing, following her gaze over the side.
There was a long pause.
"Oh, dear," Estelle said weakly.
"This could be a problem," Judith agreed.
"I just wanted to get inside and get some sleep, dammit!" Rita scrubbed her eyes with her sleeve, but that only made the stinging worse. "Why does today suck so hard?"
They knew better than to answer. In gloomy silence, the three watched a crowd gather below them, right where the Fiertia always landed outside the lower quarter. Brave Vesperia usually had an audience when they disembarked, but this was ridiculous; instead of staying in the streets, hundreds of people were streaming out of Zaphias and milling around in aimless excitement, with more coming every minute.
Few of them had brought lamps or torches, and no one seemed to think the ship would need a clear patch of ground before it could land. Thus, some of the Knights and guild members on patrol around the city were leaving their posts to act as crowd control; now there were huge gaps in the city's last line of defense against monsters, some of which would probably be attracted by all the noise.
And for what? So people could gawk at something they'd already seen dozens of times!
On one hand, it was kind of flattering. On the other, more dominant hand, Rita wanted to strangle every last one of them.
"Bet they'll blame us for this," she said sourly, kicking the side of the ship hard enough to hurt her foot. "How the hell are we supposed to get down without squashing anyone? They're gonna take forever to move!"
Estelle put a hand to her mouth. "You know...from now on, maybe we should land outside the perimeter. This isn't safe anymore."
"Screw that!" The princess flinched. Rita tried to soften her tone: "Of course this isn't safe, Estelle. But I'm not going to walk through monsters just because people are too stupid to get out of our way."
They were directly over the field now, and the crowd's noise suddenly became a roar—ah, the ship was silhouetted against the crescent moon. It probably did look pretty cool from the ground; she'd give them that.
"Could you stop for a minute, Ba'ul?" Judith asked. He rumbled assent, and they braced for the momentary heaviness that came with a midair halt.
Rita kicked the boards again, and again. "Maybe we could just squash a few of 'em. People learn best by example, right? We only have to get five, maybe ten, tops."
"Rita!" Estelle protested.
Judith considered the idea for a moment, then shook her head. "No, that would be murder. What if we asked Ioder to put up a fence or paint the ground to let people know where they're going to be in danger?"
"I like my idea better," Rita muttered.
"What's up?" Yuri asked from the cabin door. When no one answered, he walked over to see what they were looking at, and did a double take. "Well...crap." The patrol members had gotten more torches lit, and started herding people to different sides of the field; it was going to take a while to clear enough room, though, and even longer to make sure people stayed put.
"Fun, huh?" Rita suddenly wanted to spit over the side. She'd have done it, too, if Estelle hadn't been standing right there.
"Yep." Yuri plopped onto the deck, yawned, and stretched out on his side. "Awesome." He closed his eyes. "Wake me when we get there."
A moment later, Karol came out to join them. Before he could ask what they were looking at, Rita turned her head and jerked a thumb at the cabin. "Hey. Go check on the old man. Tell him he may not be able to sneak out this time. Oh, and get my bag, and my notes."
Karol got a good look at her expression and gulped. "Sure. Sounds great." The boy risked a peek over the railing first, said, "Yikes," and ran back inside, slamming the door behind him.
Repede came over to curl up beside Yuri; Estelle seated herself against the cabin, while Judith sidled closer to Rita and said, very quietly, "You know, I think most of them are here to see you."
"What?" If it had been anyone else, the mage would have thought she was being teased, and reacted accordingly. But Judith was resting her chin on one hand, looking thoughtfully at the ragged rectangle forming below them. "Why me?" Rita demanded.
"Well..." Judith gave her a quick, strange little look. "Everyone saw you at the joust, remember? The Schwann Brigade's been talking nonstop about how you saved their captain's life. You're a hero." The Krityan stretched her arms out in front of her. "That's also why there's so much stuff in your room now. You're not allergic to flowers, are you?"
"Are you serious?" Rita looked down again. Now she really wanted to spit over the side. "Okay, fine. I'm a hero. Do I have to do anything? I just want to go back up to the castle, not be stared at by a zillion people!"
Judith smiled. "You'll be fine. The rest of us are getting our share of attention, too." She tapped the boards near Yuri's head. "Isn't that right, Yuri?"
"Good thing I'm asleep and can't hear you," he murmured, eyes closed. "So I can't say, 'Ha ha, Rita. See what it feels like?'" Yuri yawned behind his free hand. "'Cause I'm asleep."
The mage stomped right next to his ear. "Good! So I don't have to point out that I'm being singled out for my good work, while you're being singled out because you're a stupid—"
"Hey, Rita!" Karol came jogging out of the cabin with her bag and papers in hand. "Here you go." He handed them to her with exaggerated care, stepped to the side, and peered over. "Should we start coming down now?"
"Not so fast," Rita said, and crouched beside Repede, tapping him on the collar. "Hey, dog. Could you hold onto something for me?"
Repede raised his head as she folded all the notes together, new and old, rolling and pinching the edges till she had a thick, narrow pack of papers. To her relief, he allowed her to pull his leather harness back and tuck the notes inside, snug between his shoulders.
"What's that?" Karol asked.
"The other mages really want this information," Rita explained, patting the harness to check for telltale crinkling. "They could use it to pull an Alexei on someone else, so I'm not sharing." Satisfied, she let go and folded her arms. "They know I'm hiding my notes, but I doubt they'll look on Repede. What do you guys think?"
Repede barked twice in what sounded like agreement. Yuri's eyes were still closed, but she saw him nod approval.
"I wouldn't have thought of that," Judith said admiringly. "But then, I wouldn't have thought to try anything you've done with his heart."
Karol wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, talk about gross." He looked at the cabin. "So...those papers will help you fix his blastia?"
Crap. Rita examined her thumbnail, picking out a strand of blue fur. "Basically, yeah. I know exactly what information I don't have, and that's always a good start."
"But you can fix him, right?" he persisted, just in case she wasn't feeling bad enough.
"Like I said, I'm not really sure I can," Rita told him honestly, ignoring the squeeze in her chest as she stood up. "All I can do is try."
"I know you're doing your best. I really do. But..." Karol swallowed hard.
"But he's the closest thing to a dad you've got, and you don't want to lose him. I got it." Rita knew she sounded callous, but it was better than busting out crying again. "I'm doing all I can, okay? It's not like I want him to die, either."
"Okay, okay." With a discreet swipe at his nose, Karol wandered to the side of the ship. "Geez, look at that. I haven't seen this many people since that last big show in Dahngrest. We're as popular as actors."
"We saved the world, you idiot," Rita snapped. "I sure hope people like us as much as a bunch of pansies dancing around in stupid costumes."
"Yeah... Yeah!" Karol slapped the railing, all his ebullience suddenly restored. "C'mon, let's land already! I promised Raven I'd distract everyone so no one'll see him get down."
"Whatever works," Yuri said underfoot, and sprang up as Judith checked the ground below. "Lookin' good?"
"As always." Judith smiled, unabashed, and called to Ba'ul, "Down we go!"
They descended to wild cheering, only partially muted by the mounted Knights who had come down from the city to help restore order. Rita had to hand it to them: they'd gotten things under control pretty fast, reinforcing the lines around the ship's landing spot and forming a protective ring around the onlookers.
The Knights would also be handy for wading through all those people, the prospect of which was starting to scare her. Why hadn't she brought her flying machine? She'd be flashing hundreds of people, but it'd be worth it to go straight over their heads. Too late now.
Ba'ul touched down with the gentlest pressure on the ship's keel, holding just low enough for the gangplank to reach the ground. "After you," Yuri said cheerfully to Rita.
There was no point delaying the inevitable. She made a rude gesture at Yuri, then took a deep breath, stepped up into the light—and recoiled as a wave of sound crashed over her. The sheer volume hit her like a handful of stones, far more painful than gratifying. "Shit," Rita said involuntarily, and felt more self-conscious than ever; luckily, no one could hear.
"Go on," Yuri and Judith said, almost as one. Estelle stepped up, too, and took her arm, so that the noise got louder, but she felt less exposed. The princess put on a smile, nodding encouragement.
Feeling only a little better, Rita tried not to look scared, or angry, or tired as hell, and followed her friend down with as much dignity as she could muster. Whatever else might happen, she would not make Estelle look bad.
Partly out of self-defense, and partly from concern, Rita focused on Estelle instead of the mass of humanity below them. The princess' smile was fixed, and her grip on Rita's arm was much too tight. Come to think of it, she hadn't said a word in several minutes, either. "Are you okay?" Rita asked worriedly.
"No. I'm pretty mad, but it's mostly not your fault," Estelle replied, and picked up her pace as Rita tried to stop. "Come on, we have to—"
"NAN!"
Karol's bellow of joy silenced everyone in a hundred-yard radius. As they jerked around to look, he made a spectacular leap from the ship onto the gangplank, took two bounding steps past the young women, and flung his arms out in appeal. "HEY! NAN! WHERE'D YOU GO?" He turned to the Knights on their left. "I just saw her! Did you see a girl with brown hair going like this—" He grabbed a sideways chunk of his own hair. "Black clothes? Really cute? I think I—HEY!" Pause. "Oh, no, not her, sorry. Sorry! But you're cute, too." Laughter. "Hey, seriously! Have any of you guys seen Nan?"
"There's a distraction for you," Yuri said to no one in particular. One foot on the plank, he took the opportunity to glance back at the cabin. The door had drifted open, as if by accident. "I'm sure it'll be even more distracting in a minute," Yuri said, louder, and the door clicked shut.
Karol was now pointing here and there, repeating a description of his girlfriend for anyone who cared to listen. As it happened, he had several hundred people caring to listen; his antics were so infectious that Rita and Estelle almost didn't need their escort of Knights against the press of people. They got stares, and shouts, and a few grabby hands as they stepped down, but the majority of the crowd was now looking elsewhere. She really owed Karol one.
He was still yelling, but making his way toward Zaphias, dragging hundreds in his wake. Some standing room was now open for those who had been on the far side of the Fiertia; as they surged forward to see what was happening, the perimeter closed up behind them, funneling everyone back toward the city. There couldn't be anyone left on that side of the ship, Yuri thought as the last few Knights came up to call "All clear!" down their line.
Sure enough – but only because he was watching closely – Yuri saw the cabin door slip open and shut. In the dark, he heard someone throwing down the line of rope that Raven had tied to the railing months ago; a few seconds later, there was the soft thud of rope being hurled back onto the deck from the ground.
Damn, that was fast. Yuri just hoped the old man's heart could take it.
He and Judith had just reached the ground when a bone-piercing whistle sounded from the darkness behind them. "First line," Yuri said. Judith nodded as people around them cried out, clutched each other's hands, and started running towards the city.
"Don't panic," a woman called from some distance away. They saw Sodia ride out to what was now the middle of the crowd, one hand raised. "There are three more lines between us and the monsters," she said sternly. "Move quickly, but do not run, and do not panic, no matter what you—"
A second, even louder whistle, layered over the first. "Nothing to worry about. Move along," Sodia repeated. "You, there. Keep moving. Move along, all of you."
Yuri didn't like her tone, but he held his peace: people were visibly calming down as she kept up the orders. "Nice work, lieutenant," he called as they walked by.
"If anyone is hurt, it will be your fault," Sodia said without looking down. She nudged her mount a few steps away and raised her voice. "Move along. Back to the city."
Yuri grimaced. "Always a pleasure."
Judith tossed her spear from hand to hand. "I hope I get to fight her at least once in the tournament."
"What? Oh. Right." Yuri had completely forgotten about that. "Fought her once this morning. She's a lot faster than she looks." That was an understatement: tired as he'd been, Sodia had knocked him flat on his back in less than fifteen seconds. It'd be a while before he could think of it without wincing.
"Oh, I tried her a few times. I was faster." The Krityan smirked. "Don't forget, you and I might get to fight, too."
He'd thought of that, and he wasn't at all sure he could beat her. "Yeah, that might be...interesting."
"Especially if you got some sleep first," Judith said pointedly.
The third whistle came as they approached the city limits. Most of the guards behind them turned back to rejoin the patrols; luckily, the civilians were almost back in Zaphias by now.
"Over here!" they heard Rita yell. She was waving at them from the foot of the ramp leading up to the lower quarter. Nearby, Estelle was turning to speak to someone who had just ridden down to meet them. It was...huh.
How in the ever-living—
"Welcome back," Schwann said, one hand directing a cluster of Knights behind him to surround the princess. "I trust you had a safe journey, Lady Estellise?"
It was hard not to gape at him, as Rita was doing. Yuri could only imagine that he'd nabbed someone's horse and ridden around the crowd to head them off; in a situation like that, with so many people and the Princess' safety at stake, no one would think it odd for a Captain to be down there in person, or wonder if anyone had seen him ride down from the city in the first place. Who would bother? And if they did, who'd believe he had actually come from the ship?
Tricky bastard. No wonder he'd kept this up for so many years.
"Fancy meeting you here," Yuri said coolly, and Judith nodded in greeting.
"Sir Schwann! How nice to see you. I do hope you're feeling better." Rita was furious, but doing her best to play along in public; it was almost funny to watch. "The next time we visit, please, please feel free to stay put." She glared up at him, fists on hips. "I seem to recall telling you not to exert yourself—does that sound at all familiar?"
Yuri had no idea how Schwann kept from laughing. Rita was trying, she really was, but her sarcasm had all the delicate subtlety of a kick in the crotch. On fire.
Judith caught Yuri's eye, and they both had to turn away. Estelle's face was buried in her hands.
Schwann turned his horse and gestured for the Knights to follow. "I had confidence in your work," the Captain said brusquely, surveying the remnants of the crowd. "Shall we return to the castle, Lady Estellise?"
"Just as soon as...Karol!" Estelle waved the boy over with almost hysterical relief. "Karol! Ready to go back?" she asked as he freed himself from a knot of passerby.
"Sure..." Karol leaned heavily on the nearest wall, panting. "Oh, man, I'm gonna be sore tomorrow! I can't believe I—" He looked up and feigned surprise. "Hey, it's Captain Schwann! Are you taking us all back to the castle?"
"Not me. I think I'll stay down here tonight," Yuri said on impulse. "I haven't seen Hanks and everyone else in a while. I'll get better sleep in my own room, too."
"Really?" Estelle couldn't help looking a little hurt. She shrugged, and tried to smile. "Get some rest, then. Please tell everyone I said hello—they're all invited tomorrow night, you know."
"Of course," he said lightly. "I'll see you guys in the morning." Yuri started up the ramp, eyes on his feet. He was ready to drop with exhaustion. Anyone could see that. If it meant he didn't have to look at Estelle, well...
"Yuri," Rita snapped. "What're you—"
"Yuri Lowell," Schwann said over her. "I have something for you." To their surprise, he reached into the front of his uniform – Yuri hoped no one else noticed a flash of blue light – and pulled out a long envelope. "You may find this interesting."
Yuri hadn't meant to stop, but something in Schwann's tone caught his attention. "Really." He stepped over to the Captain's horse, accepting the envelope and turning it over for a better look in the torchlight. His name was written in fine, flowing cursive on the front; there was no wax seal, just a tucked-in flap. "What is this, a letter?" Schwann nodded, and Yuri's curiosity increased. "From who? Anyone I know?"
"I will see you tomorrow night," the Captain said. He turned his head. "Lady Estellise."
"Yes, let's go now." Yuri heard her walk past him, and kept his gaze on the letter as Rita, Judith, and Karol followed. If they said anything to him in passing, he hoped it wasn't important, because he wasn't listening.
That handwriting definitely wasn't Estelle's; it didn't look like Raven's blocky print, either. In a fit of curiosity, Yuri ripped the letter out, unfolded the first sheet, and got his answer immediately: it was dated from this morning, prefaced Schwann Oltorain, First Captain of the Imperial Knights. This must've been one of the envelopes he'd seen on Rita's nightstand when they came to pick them up—she'd probably stuffed them into her bag before she left, and Schwann had retrieved this one so he could give it to Yuri. But why now?
"Tricky bastard," Yuri muttered. Of course Schwann had different writing than Raven. And a chill crept down Yuri's back at the thought of those envelopes—of course Schwann would have had things left to say to people, and written them all down in case Rita's operation failed. But, again, why not just tell him in person?
He was thinking too much. That was his problem in a nutshell. Yuri shook himself and resumed his trek toward the lower quarter, folding Schwann's letter as he walked. He'd just get back to his room, read this thing, and go to bed.
Yep. In his own bed, maybe he'd finally be able to relax. No more agonizing all night over what he was going to do when the Council finally decided who Estelle was going to marry. No more debating with himself whether he'd be able to step back and let them stick her with some flaccid little piece of blue-blooded crap, or a rich, decrepit old bastard plotting his way onto the throne. Worrying about it wouldn't change a damn thing.
...Of course, Estelle would have some choice in the matter; her father wasn't around to speak for her, and she was of age. But what did she have to choose from? Nobles!
Nearly beside himself with disgust, Yuri hurried around the edges of the fountain square, keeping out of sight. He trotted up the back stairs to his old room at the inn, one hand on the wall to steady himself.
Repede was waiting for him at the door. Yuri grunted, unlocked it, and felt around in his pocket for matches. "Man, Raven's full of it. Like they'd ever let some kid from the lower quarter have her," he said aloud, so bitter that he could taste it.
He stepped inside, struck a match, and held it to his lamp. It didn't take. Yuri swore under his breath and picked another one. "What do you think?" he said to the dog. "Would they ever let a guild member marry their last princess?" The wick caught. Yuri shook the match out and tossed it to the floor. "How about a guild member who's been known to murder Councilmen and Knights who pissed him off? Sound good to you?"
Repede turned around and curled up on the floor. Yuri sighed. "All right, all right. I need to relax, and we both need some sleep. Let's just see what Sir Raven has to say." The young man shook out the letter and fell onto his bed with it, holding the paper up to the light.
If you are reading this, Yuri, I am either dead, or incapable of explaining myself in full. Whichever may be the case, and whatever you choose to do with this information, please hear me out before you make any rash decisions. If I am alive, rest assured that I wish only the best for the both of you, and have written this letter to help you towards that end.
Yuri sat up straighter.
If I am dead,
There was a single line drawn through that phrase, and several scratched-out lines after that, where he must have changed his mind, or just given up entirely. Yuri managed to read a couple of them, and felt his eyebrows twitch. "Huh." Well, that confirmed some of his weirder suspicions.
...Rita? Really?
To secure her hand, you must act sooner than later, but not until you fully understand the ramifications.
Heart pounding, Yuri stopped to look at the rest of the letter. The whole thing was written on the front and back of three long sheets of paper, and the writing got smaller as it went. His eyes hurt already, but he swallowed his hopes, and kept reading.
By the end of the first page, his hands were shaking. Even when he heard voices outside his open window, and Ted saying, "I think there's a light on in his room," and an eager knock on the door, Yuri didn't look up.
"Is he okay?" someone else asked.
"Dunno," Hanks answered. "He'll come out when he's ready. You can wait here if you want, but I'm going to bed."
Twenty minutes later, Yuri flung the door open. Muttering under his breath, he crammed the letter into his belt, grabbed his satchel from under the bed, and kicked the door shut behind him. Then he opened it again – "Sorry, Repede" – and closed it carefully.
"There he is," Hanks said from the foot of the stairs. He ambled over, lifting his lamp as Yuri hurried downstairs. "What's the rush? You just got back. Everyone's waitin' to see you."
"Sorry, Hanks, gotta get to the castle!" Yuri clapped the old man on the back. "Are you guys coming to the banquet?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Hanks replied. "Tell the young lady I—hmm." Yuri had gone right by him and taken off at a sprint. "Time I got to bed anyway," the old man grumbled, and said to Repede. "Make sure he stays out of trouble, hear?"
Repede woofed, and trotted after Yuri in mild annoyance. It had been a long day, but this was a promising development; it was worth the walk to see what Yuri was going to do. If nothing came of it, though, someone was going to get bitten.
A/N: I split this chapter off here; lots more is already written. SOON