XII.
"All right. What's wrong with Estelle?" Rita asked Judith. The princess was riding next to Schwann at the head of the group, but they had elected to walk.
Judith grimaced. "The usual. You saw her last night, right, Karol?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah, she'd been crying."
"What, is she still worried about Yuri?" Rita thought about it as they trudged up toward the public quarter. "I guess I didn't help much back there when I said he was being stupid..." Great. She'd been too self-absorbed to think about Estelle's feelings, after all Estelle had done to help her feel better. On top of everything else, now Rita felt like a total jerk.
"It's not just that," Judith said. "You can ask her when we get inside."
Rita scowled. What else could possibly be wrong?
"Karol," a girl said beside them.
"Nan!" Karol turned, opening his arms. "There you are! I've been looking all—"
Nan cut him off with a fist in the gut. "I know you've been looking all over for me!" she snarled, and seized him by the shirt before he could hit the ground. "Do you know how I know? Because the whole city is telling me so!"
"But I...uh...help!" Karol flailed his arms as Nan turned and began hauling him away. It was no use: she had grown as much as he had in the past year, and was still stronger. "I can explain!" was the last they heard before he disappeared down a dark side street.
"He's dead," Rita observed. She shook her head at the Knights who were whispering to each other about whether they'd just permitted an attack on the Lady Estellise's guests. "It's okay, guys. He earned it. Don't worry, she'll let him go eventually."
When they got to the castle, Schwann announced to the gate guards that the Lady Estellise had returned. He turned to address to his Knights and suddenly lurched sideways, nearly falling out of the saddle.
"Whoa!" Rita ran forward as Schwann waved off his subordinates' attempts to help. "That does it," she said through clenched teeth, and grabbed the horse's bridle. "You, and you!" Rita pointed to several random Knights. "I want you to help Sir Schwann down, and I want you to get him back to his room. I don't care if you have to carry him—"
"I'm all right, Miss Mordio," Schwann objected.
"I don't care if you have to carry him up there," she continued, louder, because the hell with him. "Get him to his room safely, and stay there to make sure no one bothers him for the rest of the night. You got it?"
"That's all right, young lady," one of the older Knights said, in what he probably thought was a soothing voice. "The Captain will decide whether he needs assistance or not."
"The Captain will listen to me for once, or he will drop dead of heart failure," Rita retorted. "And if you speak to me like that again, I'll find some way to make you drop dead. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," Schwann answered for the shocked Knight. He swung one leg over the side of his horse and slid down, leaning against the animal for balance. "Please do me the honor of a visit once you've had some rest." He inclined his head. "Till then—you heard her, men!"
"Sir!" To Rita's relief, a party of Knights split off from their group as they headed inside, trailing upstairs after the Captain.
"I wish you wouldn't do things like that, Rita," Estelle said on their way up the opposite staircase.
"It's his fault for pushing it." Rita shook her head. "Even with you healing him, there's no telling how much that moron's heart can take right now."
The princess sighed, and picked up her skirt to walk faster. "If you say so."
Rita's heart sank—she was stressing Estelle out again. "You know," Rita said tentatively, reaching up to touch her friend's shoulder, "I didn't mean to upset you just now, or earlier, on the ship. It's just..." A few servants stopped to bow and ask if they needed anything; she waited for Estelle to send them away before she finished, "I know you like Yuri and he's being stupid and it sucks. And...I'm sorry."
Estelle gave her a sweet, pained smile. "It's not your fault, Rita. To tell you the truth, things have gotten a lot worse since you were last here. I talked to some Council members the other day...ah! I almost forgot!" She brightened as they approached the door to Rita's room. "You have to see this!" the princess exclaimed. "Close your eyes first. Come on, close them!"
Right. Flowers. Bemused, Rita shut her eyes and let Estelle take her by the hand. "Okay..."
The door opened, and Estelle pulled her inside with a trill of "Ta-da! Look at this!"
Rita opened her eyes and felt her jaw drop. There weren't just flowers in here, though every available surface was covered with them: an entire ecosystem of expensive crap had taken over her room. Scented candles were lit everywhere, glinting off elegant little boxes of jewelry, or candy, or whatever, nestled amongst more bottles and baskets and vases. Packages littered the bed, too, supporting a stack of calling cards.
"Wha...?" Rita didn't even know where to start. The room smelled like someone had broken a perfume bottle in a flower shop, then set the whole place on fire. "What the hell's all this?" She poked a box at random. "Where did it even come from? Is everyone that happy I saved Schwann?"
"Three reasons, Rita," Judith said, shutting the door behind them. She put one hand on her hip, holding up her other index finger. "One: you not only failed to scare people off at the dance, some of them really liked you. So you've got some admirers from there."
"Admirers?" The thought made her shudder. "How do I get rid of them? Can I burn any of this stuff, or should I just send it back and hope they take the hint?"
Estelle sighed again. "Please don't burn your presents, Rita."
"Two," the Krityan continued serenely, "you saved the First Captain of the Imperial Knights from death and dishonor, right in front of a huge crowd." Judith picked up a fallen rose petal, holding it up to inspect the delicate veins around its edges. "A few people still think he was faking it, but you were so mad that everyone else was convinced."
"The Knights are all very grateful," Estelle added. "This one's from Flynn, see?" She hefted a bowl of red-and-white water lilies. "And that one, over there, is from the whole Schwann Brigade."
"Holy..." Rita hadn't realized that the heap of flowers on the sideboard was a single arrangement. Fire lilies, irises, white and yellow roses, every color of carnation, sprays of plum blossom, and several others she couldn't identify were piled into a gold-woven basket wide enough to hold a small child. It was bigger, prettier, and probably more expensive than every other flower in the room combined.
"Here!" The princess fished an elegant little card out of the basket and handed it to Rita. "They wanted to give it to you in person, but you left too early."
The card even had gilt edges. Was that really necessary? "'To Rita Mordio. With greatest respect and eternal gratitude for your incomparable service,'" she read aloud, and snorted. "There goes a few months of their pay. I thought it was the thought that counts?"
She got a couple of exasperated looks for that one. "It is, and that's how they chose to express it," Estelle scolded her. "You're not the easiest person to thank, you know. You should be happy that so many people took the time to send you something."
"Yeah, yeah." The mage turned the card over, grateful that no one else was around to hear her being ungracious. "I guess this was pretty nice of them." She'd have to keep the basket, at the very least.
Was she expected to thank them for the thank-you present? Or did this make them even? She had no idea. Maybe Schwann could tell her, after she got done kicking his ass.
Rita scratched her cheek with a gilt corner. "Okay, then. The flowers are from Knights, and the other crap is from those old guys I already turned down at the dance?" She liked that idea, but it didn't explain the sheer quantity of stuff in here.
Sure enough, Judith said, "Nope," and picked up a crystal vase on the back of the nightstand. "Most of the flowers and jewelry are from your other admirers." The Krityan held up a hand as Rita started to speak. "Believe it or not, the third reason you're getting all these things is that people think Schwann is interested in you. Romantically."
The card crumpled in Rita's grip. Her lips moved, but no words got past the shriek building in her chest.
"Please don't start yelling, Rita," the princess said quickly, and Rita obediently swallowed hard. "It doesn't mean anything. It's just people talking—"
"They do that, you know," Judith said, tipping the vase to examine its base.
Rita had to swallow again before she could choke out, "B-but...he's...old!" She flung the card to the floor. "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever—"
"Is it?" Judith asked suddenly. "From what I've seen, his body doesn't look very old at all."
"Judith!" Estelle protested.
"I—I—ewwww!" Rita had to walk a couple of rapid circles around the room, hands pressed to her temples in...disgust. Yes. Total disgust. "Why would you even say that?"
"What? I had no idea he was in such good shape," the Krityan remarked, setting the vase down. "It's a shame he can't show it off the way Yuri does. He's actually got better musculature."
"Anyway," Estelle said, scandalized, "you shouldn't worry about it, Rita." She picked up a lace fan and flicked it open. "Captain Schwann hadn't attended a single ball since the war ended, so when he asked you to dance the other night, that really got people's attention. Then there was the joust..."
"I knew I should've let him croak." Estelle wasn't the only one getting warm in here. Rita dipped her fingers in a nearby flower-bowl and rubbed her cheeks with the cool water. "So now all these guys are trying to get into my pants so they can get bragging rights over Schwann? Is that it?" No wonder Judith had chosen not to tell her this on the ship. She'd probably have started throwing fireballs into the crowd.
"Not just that. You were famous to begin with," Judith pointed out. "After Estelle's book came out, and the dance, and the joust, it's only natural that you're getting so much attention."
"What about you, Judith?" Rita shoved some packages aside so she could sit on the bed. "You only had a couple hundred guys after you at the dance. Didn't you get anything like this?"
"Of course," her friend said, much to Rita's relief. "I got more cards than you, and almost as many flowers. Mostly red roses."
The mage exhaled and flopped onto her back. "Subtle. At least mine were more creative than that."
"Except for this one." Judith retrieved the crystal vase and tilted its enormous red-ruffled rose toward them. "It's silk, not real. I'm not sure what that says about his intentions, whoever it is—there's no card."
Rita sat up, took it in both hands, and sloshed the heavy vase from side to side. "Huh. If it's fake, why's there water in it?"
"I've heard of these!" Estelle leaned in for a closer look. "The water's scented. The stem wicks it up to the top and makes it smell like a real flower. See?"
The petals did have a nice scent. "What a stupid idea," Rita said. "Why not just get a real one?" Her name was carved along the base, like on Estelle's birthday whistle. It was beautiful, but something made her feel uneasy as she turned it this way and that. "Weird. Well, whoever it was, I hope he knows it's not gonna get him anywhere."
"Probably." Judith moved another armful of gifts aside and sat down next to her. "Speaking of which—don't take this the wrong way, Rita, but...are you sure Raven doesn't think any differently of you than he used to?"
"Raven?" Rita paused with the rose cupped in one hand. "Like, romantically? Hell no. We've just been fighting most of the time, same as always." Without thinking, she tugged at her hair, still damp and loose from washing it out. "Why do you ask?"
Estelle thumped her fist into her palm, a gesture she'd picked up from Yuri. "That's right! I was going to ask if Raven had braided your hair for you. It was so cute!" Rita sputtered, and the princess hastened to explain, "It's an old military style, so I thought he must've done it. Right?"
"Right," said Judith. "It looked great on you. You should wear it like that more often, minus the blood."
"Y-yeah?" Rita felt warmer than ever. She plunked the vase onto the nightstand. "It was just...it wasn't a big deal."
The Krityan leaned back on one hand. "Really? I can't imagine you letting him get close enough to—"
"Look, he's old and sick, okay? It's not a big deal," Rita snapped, and pushed to her feet, stalking over to the dresser. "If you guys know a way I can study him without being anywhere near him, I'd love to hear it. In the meantime, I've just gotta get used to it."
"There's studying him, and there's climbing on him in front of everyone," Estelle said sternly. "I know you wanted us to see his blastia, but..."
"Don't worry about it, Estelle." The mage turned her back and began picking apart a bouquet that particularly annoyed her. "I mean, it's not like he'd ever try anything. And if he did?" Rita made a slashing motion with a rose stem.
"That's not it," Judith said, so seriously that Rita half turned to look at her. "When you were showing us his heart, I was down like this—" She leaned forward and motioned at her chest. "He only looked at my boobs for a couple seconds. The rest of the time, he was just looking at you."
He was? "Well, duh," Rita replied after a moment, and jammed the flowers back into the vase. "He really hates having it open. If I was him, I'd be waiting for me to close it, too."
Judith clicked her heels idly on the floor tiles. "No, he wasn't being impatient. It was different than that." She gave Rita another strange look. "You didn't notice?"
Rita shrugged. "Nope," she said, and left it at that. No way she was going to tell them how he'd looked at her when she threw the pill bottle out, or when she'd opened the window, or during the dance—she had definitely noticed those, even if she still had no clue what he'd been thinking.
Why would he pass up a chance to ogle Judith? The idea was utterly ridiculous. But Judith wasn't prone to lying, or imagining things, any more than Rita was herself. So, what was going on?
Her body had its own ideas about that. Rita grabbed another fan and thought very hard about how gross it would be to have Raven and/or Schwann interested in her. Ridiculous, disgusting, stupid, creepy—
"Are you sure Schwann didn't send this?" Judith asked, indicating the silk rose.
"Wh—yes, I'm sure!" Resisting the urge to break something, Rita dunked her hand up to the wrist in another bowl and swiped her face, cursing her endocrine system all over again. "He didn't have time between the joust and going home with me, and he wouldn't be that creepy to begin with, and—look, this is stupid! Can't we talk about something else?" She pointed her fan at Estelle. "What were you going to say before? Something about Yuri? Go ahead and tell me while we're all here."
"Um." Caught off guard, Estelle blinked, clasping and unclasping her hands. "Well, yes. I..."
"Let's go sit down," Judith suggested, picking up a candle in each hand. Estelle did, too, and hurried after her into the adjoining room. Rita wet the end of her scarf, then followed them to the low ebony tables, moving more flowers out of their way.
Once they were seated, Estelle took a deep breath. "Did you hear that Ioder's going to announce his engagement at his sixteenth birthday?" she asked Rita.
"Yeah." The mage dabbed at her forehead. "His birthday's in the middle of winter, isn't it?"
"Yes." Estelle fidgeted, picking up one of Judith's vases and putting it down without looking at it. Rita made herself stay still and quiet; the princess was obviously working up to something. "I...um..."
"It's all right, Estelle. I'm sure Rita's not going to overreact," Judith said soothingly.
Far from being offended, Rita felt a stab of gratitude for the Krityan's unflappable presence. How much more upset would Estelle be if Judith hadn't been here to support her? The mage forced a smile. "Whatever you tell me, I won't do anything to embarrass you. And I won't say anything to Yuri if you don't want me to. I promise."
"Good," said Estelle, "because the Council wants me to marry Ioder in the spring."
Rita should have learned her lesson from the ruined card. When she looked down at her hands a few seconds later, she found she had crushed the silk fan. "Why?" she asked faintly.
The princess swallowed hard. "To 'unite the royal bloodlines.' It'd also save them the trouble of picking spouses for each of us. And they wouldn't have to pay for two weddings."
"Cheap old bastards!" Rita slammed the broken fan on the table. "What are the odds they'll just forget about this?"
Estelle shook her head, pressing the back of her hand to her lips.
It took every shred of Rita's remaining self-control not to yell or throw anything. "Estelle, why would you marry Ioder? He's a kid! And isn't he your cousin?"
"Second cousin!" The princess covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what to do," she moaned. "I thought I had more time than this!"
"We just heard for sure last night," Judith said, leaning over to pat Estelle's shoulder. "She's not looking forward to telling Yuri about it."
"Yeah, I can see that!" The mage was so upset on Estelle's behalf that she had to get up and start pacing the floor again. "If you tell him, he might freak out and do something stupid. Or he might say he doesn't mind as long as you're with a good guy like Ioder, and you'll really be stuck. But if you don't, he'll find out somewhere else!" In which case, she thought darkly, he might do something really stupid. Rita wheeled around, gripping the back of her chair. "Isn't there some way you could get Yuri instead, Estelle?"
"I can't!" Estelle's voice was so raw that Rita cringed. "He's not...he wouldn't even be allowed into the Council chamber!"
"He has to put himself forward as a candidate first. If she married him any other way, it wouldn't be legal," Judith explained to Rita. "And if she entered into an unofficial marriage, they'd strip her of her rank, permanently. It's happened before."
"I'd do it, too," Estelle said, and looked up at both her friends, almost defiantly. "But then..."
"Then the Empire wouldn't have a princess," Judith said. From her tone, Rita guessed they had been through this more than once.
"And there'd only be one heir left," Estelle said slowly. She exhaled. "And if anything happened to Ioder, there could be another war. Relations with the guilds would break down, and everyone all over the world would end up fighting each other again instead of working together to keep monsters out of the cities." Estelle shook her head again. "And I wouldn't be able to do anything, because I wouldn't be a princess anymore. I can't risk that, not even for Yuri."
Rita rocked the chair back and forth as hard as she could. "If you're that paranoid, why don't you just slap a title on him before you get hitched? Problem solved."
Estelle's shoulders hunched. "I...I'm too scared to ask if he'd do it." The mage stared at her, incredulous, and Estelle protested, "I know I should, Rita, but—he hates nobles! And we haven't ever talked about...about us, at all. Even if he agreed to—"
Rita cut her off with an exasperated growl. "Yeah, he hates nobles, but guess what, Estelle? He loves you." She drummed her fingers on the chair, feeling more heat rise to her face. "I can't believe I'm the one who has to say it, either. Didn't Judith tell you any of this crap already?"
Judith shrugged, giving the princess another pat. "She needed a second opinion."
"Just lay it all out for him, Estelle," Rita urged her. "I know it's scary, but—"
"The Council wouldn't allow it anyway," Estelle said dully. She closed her eyes until she had gotten herself back under control. "Even the Emperor can't just hand out noble titles," she continued, stronger. "The Council has to ratify a commoner's elevation. It's usually just a formality, but in this case, they'd never let a guild member become a lord, much less marry a princess. I've thought about it for days, and...I don't think it's possible."
Rita said a couple of choice words. "I'm gonna go see about this," she declared, and took a step back. "Don't wait up for me."
"What are you going to do?" Judith asked.
"I don't know. I'll figure it out—without hurting anyone, Estelle, so don't give me that look. Good night." Rita turned on her heel, thought briefly of sleep, and hurried out of the room anyway. Like she'd get any rest while Estelle was looking like that, she thought angrily. She'd go bug Flynn, Ioder, anyone else who might be able to help—she'd wake the whole damn Council if she had to!
"Lady Mordio?"
Rita stopped at the base of the staircase leading to the uppermost floors. "Don't call me that. Just 'Miss' is fine," she told the maid who had intercepted her. "What do you want?"
"Ah...yes, miss." The girl lowered her voice: "Miss, did you see Master Lowell just now?"
"Yuri?" Startled, Rita took a few steps closer. "Is he in the castle?"
"Yes, miss!" The maid crept even closer, whispering, "I wanted to be sure you knew—he tried to see Sir Schwann, and the Knights turned him away!"
Rita blinked at her. "Really? Why?"
The maid giggled. "You'll never guess—the Knights said Sir Schwann said he wasn't the one Master Lowell should be talking to right now!" Her eyes were alight with conspiratorial glee. "And then they said Sir Schwann was under your orders not to be bothered tonight, and they wouldn't let anyone in till he'd had some rest! Is that true, miss?"
"Uh...yeah." Hot damn, Schwann was actually listening to her. But why would Yuri want to...?
Rita's mind flashed to the letter Schwann had handed him outside. That was the only reason she could think of; Yuri would have had time to read and react to it by now. ...And Raven had been writing when she went to sleep earlier today. He'd had the time and opportunity to steal the envelope back out of her bag on the Fiertia, too,the sneaky bastard. It fit, even if it didn't really make sense.
Evidently, the letter's contents had been urgent enough to make Yuri run all the way back to the castle and try to see Schwann alone. But what could he possibly—
"Boo," Yuri said behind them, and grinned as they both jumped out of their skins. "Sorry, but I've gotta borrow Rita for a minute," he told the maid. "Give us some space, would you?"
"Yes, sir," the girl said, politely enough. By the speed with which she bowed herself away and took off down the hall, though, Rita was sure the rest of the castle would hear about this in short order.
The mage was expecting some kind of explanation, but Yuri just took the letter from his belt, shook out the pages, and thrust them at her. "Read this. Starting here," he ordered, stabbing a finger halfway down the first page. When she hesitated, he deigned to add, "Schwann wrote it this morning. It's about Estelle."
"What? Lemme see!" Afire with curiosity, Rita snatched the letter and began reading as fast as she could.
Yuri leaned one arm against the wall, resting his forehead on the cold, smooth stone. "I can't believe that guy. He told me to come talk to him about marrying Estelle—"
Rita's head shot up. "He did?"
"Yeah. Then he gave me this thing, and now he won't let me talk to him," Yuri grumbled.
She nodded. "Good. I told him not to see anyone tonight. Now shut up and let me read."
He did, and Rita finished the first page in a matter of seconds. "Damn. He guessed right about the Council wanting her and Ioder to get together, instead of having to actually pick for each of 'em," she said, equally disgusted and impressed. "I just heard about it from Estelle and Judith, too." Rita flipped the page over. "Estelle's really upset about it." Pause. "Really, really upset. Y'know?"
No response. She shrugged, decided to leave it there for now, and sped through the rest of the letter without comment.
And she was glad she did. Her heart lightened with each neat-written line, even the parts she didn't get, till she was smiling and nodding along. So much for staying up till she found a solution! Maybe she wouldn't kick Schwann's ass after all...
Upon finishing the letter, Rita made an appreciative noise and shoved the pages back at Yuri. "Sounds like a plan to me," she said cheerfully. "I don't know much about legal loopholes, but it sounds sneaky enough to work. I mean, look who came up with it." She snorted. "He's sure got you pegged."
"It can't be that easy," Yuri argued, folding the letter back up. "If I could've done this any time, why didn't he tell me earlier?"
"Why would he? It's not like you've ever said anything to anyone about your feelings for her, ever." Rita jabbed a finger at him, nearly poking his nose. "As far as we know, you don't give a crap who she ends up with, as long as he's not a complete monster."
"Yeah, well, maybe I do," he muttered, leaning against the wall.
"Really! I'm so glad to hear that. In exchange, let me tell you something interesting." Rita swiftly reached up and yanked one of his ears down, yelling into it, "You don't have time to dick around anymore!"
"Owww!" He pulled free and stumbled away, rubbing his ear. "Geez, Rita! Charmingly put. I'll have to remember that." With his other hand, Yuri unfolded the letter yet again, scanning the second page. "I didn't know there was suddenly this big time limit, okay? She could've just told me yesterday instead of letting me think everything was fine."
The mage folded her arms. "She only suspected it till she got confirmation right before the melee. Then she was scared of what you'd say, and I can't really blame her." Belatedly, she remembered her promise not to tell Yuri anything, and tempered her guilt with the thought of Estelle finding out what she had just read.
Besides, Rita's patience with Yuri had long since run dry. If he'd just stop being stubborn, he and Estelle could both be happy; why was that so difficult? She thought she knew, and it made her madder than ever.
"Mm." Yuri put one hand on his hip, glancing down the page. It seemed to be his final answer.
Rita pressed her lips together, plucked the page out of his grasp, and gave him her most penetrating stare. "Why don't you just go ask her?" she demanded. "Right now?"
Yuri started, then assumed an expression of mock thoughtfulness. "Right now? Let's see...should I go propose marriage to the last Imperial Princess, or should I have dinner first?" He scowled at her. "What kind of question is that?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Rita threw her hands into the air. "You know damn well what I mean, Yuri! If all you have to do to approach the Council is put on some fancy clothes, why wouldn't you at least try?" His jaw clenched, and she knew she was pushing too hard. Good. "I'll tell you something else that might make you feel better," Rita said bitingly. "I don't think you're good enough for her, either."
Yuri's face went white. If she'd been male, he'd have hit her; as it was, his fist struck the wall with terrific force. "Is that so?" he ground out. "Which is why you've been harassing us both about it? And why you're still bugging me like this?"
"Why'd you come up here tonight, Yuri?" she shot back. "Was it to tell Schwann thanks, but you're not going to do it?"
He started to speak, thought better of it, and gave a grim little shake of the head, pulling his hand back to flex his bruised fingers.
"And why'd you come show me the letter? Did you think I'd try to talk you out of it?" Rita kept up the glare, even when he looked away. "Then I'll tell you what I think, Yuri, and I've done a lot of thinking about it—I don't think anyone is good enough for her, but you're on a whole different level. It's like...you're everything a princess's husband shouldn't be." The mage ticked them off on her fingers: "You're common as dirt, you kill people, and you're so convinced you're a bad guy that you get mad when someone tries to give you any credit! So you act the part, and guess what happens?" She prodded his shoulder. "I think you've got a lot of problems, pretty big ones. And yeah, that's coming from me."
Yuri tilted his head back to look down at her, a mixture of angry disbelief and...hope? "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Thanks," he said sardonically. "Don't even try to tell me there's a 'but' in here somewhere."
"But," she agreed, and poked his other shoulder. "Even if her other suitors weren't all grody old men – and her cousin – I'd say you're the best choice Estelle's got. The way Schwann sets it out, you wouldn't have to do anything but make sure she stayed safe and happy, and I think you'd try harder at that than anyone else would." Rita coughed. "You also...y'know. Heirs." She waved an embarrassed, dismissive hand. "A-anyway, don't you think it'd be worth it?"
"Easy for you to say," Yuri muttered, and shook his head with a wry half smile. "Man, I don't know why I expected any sympathy out of you. Pretty stupid, huh?"
"Yep. I don't feel sorry for you at all." Rita folded her arms, foot tapping. "If you're scared of screwing up, just make sure you don't screw up. And if you're scared of being rejected?" She pointed at him accusingly. "Estelle's worried that you don't even think she's worth it!"
Yuri flinched as though she'd struck him. "Is she?" he said after a moment. "I hope you told her that's a load of crap." She nodded vigorously. He cocked his head at her. "Good. But please tell me you at least tried to be tactful."
"I...told her you loved her." Rita scuffed the carpet with one toe. Where was the stupid fan when she needed it? She glanced up at him. "You have to admit, it's really pretty obvious."
His eyes were as wide as she'd ever seen them. "You." He squinted at her. "You told her that? You? Rita Mordio?" She nodded again, and had the pleasure of seeing his face turn bright red. "Dammit! What'd you do that for?"
"Because I knew you wouldn't, stupid!" She aimed a kick at his shin, but he skipped aside and began jogging down the hall. "Hey!" Rita shouted.
Yuri halted, and came back to retrieve the letter page still clutched in her hand. "Right," he said, and he was off again.
"Hey! Hey, wait!" Rita trotted after him. "Are you at least going to talk to her?"
"Where do you think I'm going?" he asked over his shoulder.
Ha. "The wrong way, that's where!"
"Huh?" Yuri looked around. "Oh. Gotcha." He did an about-face and walked back toward her.
"You guys really owe Schwann, you know," Rita told him in passing.
He stopped again. "Yeah, I guess so," he mused, one hand to his chin. "And you, too. Even if you were a jerk about it." Yuri suddenly smirked at her. "If it wasn't for that, I might have shown you what Schwann wrote about you."
"What?" Rita watched him pull out the first page and point to a series of scribbled lines near the top. "What are you talking about?" she asked suspiciously.
"I dunno if he wanted me to see it, or if he was too tired to start a new sheet, or what." Yuri winked at her. "But everything he scratched out was about you, and I'm not telling you what it said." Her rage seemed to amuse him quite a bit. "Why do you think I started you so far down?" he asked gaily.
"You son of a—give me that!" Rita lunged at the page, which he raised above his head, far out of reach. The mage tried to double him over with a knee in the groin, only to have him sidestep and nudge her away with his elbow. "You're probably lying anyway," she snarled, and turned to stalk back to her room.
"'Course I am, Rita," he said, "which is how I know he wanted to thank you for throwing the pills out."
Rita froze. Her head turned, just enough for him to see her expression.
"What?" Yuri tapped the side of his head with the pages. "Did I hit a nerve? 'Cause I know I'd hate it if someone ever did that to me."
"Go to hell," the mage said shortly. "No—go talk to Estelle. And if you make her cry again, I'll kill you."
Yuri rocked back on his heels. "Will do, Rita. Will do." He rolled the letter up and stuck it through his belt loops. "Good luck in your own romantic endeavors, by the way. I wish you as much compassion and sensitivity as you've shown me through these difficult times."
"You're welcome," Rita snapped, and walked away before she said something she couldn't take back.
"Rita," he called after her. But she didn't stop long enough to hear him say, "Thanks," or to see that he meant it.
Estelle sat in front of her dressing mirror and stared at the dozens of earrings her servants had set out. She was supposed to choose something to go with her dress for the banquet tomorrow, but she didn't feel up to it just now. Even the prospect of attending a grand party with all her friends didn't seem that exciting. In fact, the princess had been sitting in that pose for so long that her backside was going numb; shifting her weight seemed too much effort, never mind getting up.
All her life, Estelle thought, no matter how many romances she'd read, she had never really understood this part of the process. Pining away for someone was just a bit of melancholy for the reader to sigh over before everything came out all right in the end. In most of her favorite stories, this tragic feeling lasted a few pages, maybe a chapter or two, just long enough to create suspense between the falling-in-love and confessing-your-love bits; for her, it had been hours of crying, of sore sides and burning eyes and choking on her own snot, mostly when she was alone at night. Stories liked to dwell on the weeping and solitude, but none of them ever mentioned snot.
It could be worse. She could be the heroine of a hundred-volume epic, one of the ones where lovers were forced to marry other people and pine for each other their whole—
And to think, she used to love those when she was little!
A bell rang in the other room, the signal to dress for bed. The princess felt herself swivel – knees politely together – and stand up, removing her clothes by sheer force of habit. Now that she was grown, she was allowed to choose her own nightdress, so she pulled the first thing she saw out of the wardrobe, slipped it over her head, and blew out the lamp.
"Lady Estellise," her maid chided her as she walked into the bedroom. The old woman frowned at Estelle's knee-length hem, scandalously short by royal standards. "This isn't proper for a young lady, even if it is warm out. Wouldn't you like something a bit more...substantial?"
"I'm fine, thank you," she said mechanically.
The maid's frown deepened. "Estellise, dear, what's gotten into you? Are you feeling all right?" She removed a couple of short pins from her pocket, and began coiling Estelle's hair into a bun. "Would you like something to help you sleep?"
Estelle felt her eyes prickling again. She shook her head. "No. Thank you. Right now, I just need—"
There was a bang on the bedroom door, and the sound of muffled voices. The door was stout and securely locked, so that they could barely hear her guards arguing with someone. "Oh, my," her maid said in dismay.
Another bang. The lock rattled. "Hey," they both heard. "Hey, Estelle!"
Estelle stiffened, feeling the color rush back to her cheeks. "Open it," she said.
"What?" The servant looked askance at her. "You can't be serious, dear. It's the middle of the night, and you're certainly not dressed to receive—"
"Open the door!" the princess shouted.
The maid, who had not been shouted at since Estelle was six years old, nearly tripped in her haste to get across the room and throw back the bolts. Estelle paid no attention to her whispered conference with the guards; her feet were rooted to the floor, paralyzed by the simple knowledge that Yuri was here, and he wanted to talk to her.
Had he heard about Ioder? Was that it? It must be...but what could he possibly have to say to her at this hour? Her heart was pounding so hard that she felt faint.
"Lady Estellise. Master Lowell to see you," her maid said, reproachfully formal.
Whatever he wanted to say, there was no point delaying the conversation. Estelle had to wet her lips before she could get the words out: "Let him in, please."
Yuri had never been inside her room before.
As the maid swung the door open, the first thing that hit him was Estelle's scent. It was weird, but pleasant, something vaguely floral but not too sweet. He'd always liked that smell, right from the beginning, when she was still just a noble girl who'd tried to bash his head in with a vase.
Yuri took another long, deep breath, and stepped into the room. He was fine. He could do this. If he could just get his hands to stop shaking...
"Don't try anything stupid," one of the guards warned him. The maid gave the man a resolute nod – as if to say it was all right, she was there – and pulled the door shut.
Once inside, Yuri found he had no clue what to do. Remembering his manners, he nodded to the scowling servant, then raised a hand at Estelle, who was standing by the bed and...not wearing much. "Uh. Hey, Estelle." He coughed. "Sorry to barge in so late at night," he said, and tried to smile at the princess without looking directly at her. "I've been doing a lot of...I just wanted to show you something real quick. It's important."
Estelle didn't answer. In a fit of cowardice, Yuri took his time propping his sword up against the doorframe, glancing around the room in which she'd grown up. Unlike most nobles' suites, it looked about the size of his guest quarters, with only a couple of smaller chambers for bathing and dressing. The blastia fixtures hadn't been converted to electricity yet, so the room's sole light sources were a couple of bedside candles, and one by the door. "Nice place," he mumbled.
"What do you want, Yuri?" Her voice, loud and sharp, startled both Yuri and the maid, who took a prudent step back. "You really should be asleep right now."
"I know, but something came up," Yuri said, tugging the pages from his belt. "Remember how Schwann gave me a letter earlier? It's got...actually, it's too much to explain at once." He picked his way across the dark room, banging his knee on a low table. "Here, read these." Yuri stopped just outside the circle of light and held the letter out at arm's length.
Estelle frowned at the pages, but didn't take them. "If it's about Ioder, I already know," she said, folding her arms under her breasts. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I wasn't sure about it yet."
It didn't take a genius to see she had been crying, or that she was still upset. Strands of hair were falling out of her loose bun; Yuri couldn't believe how much effort it suddenly took not to lean over and tuck those behind her ear, or try to put it back up for her, or do something else that'd let him touch her. He stuffed his free hand into his pockets, and shrugged. "Yeah, I kinda wish you'd said something. But it's not like I could've done anything about it. So..."
"What do you want?" she burst out. Her hands came up to her mouth, as if to stuff the words back in. But she shook her head a little, and Yuri was horrified to see her shoulders heave. "I'm sorry. If you have something to say, please just say it."
Yuri's tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth. How had he convinced himself that she couldn't be feeling as bad as Rita said she was? Because it was easier than actually seeing her like this?
Well, now he was seeing her like this, and he couldn't stand it. He should apologize, and leave the damn letter on the table for her, and let her decide what to do in the—
No. No, he shouldn't. He should stay here and...goddammit, he was still scared to even think it!
Yuri flexed his sore hand again, wishing it hurt a lot more. "Look, Estelle. It's..."
"It's what, Yuri?" Her hands curled into fists. "Either tell me something I don't know already, or go away!" A sob escaped her, and Estelle suddenly ducked her head. "Please go away, Yuri! I...I can't—"
"If I accept the title Ioder gave me last year, they can't keep me out of the Council room, and I can ask to marry you," Yuri blurted out.
Never, for the rest of his life, would he forget how fast her head whipped around, eyes wide, more hair escaping the bun as she stared up at him. "It's in the letter," he said lamely, and shut his eyes, trying to remember without the distraction of seeing her. "What was it...?" The candles sputtered in silence. "True Knight. The Emperor can give it to anyone he deems worthy, like Ioder did, because it's military, not under the Council's purview. Schwann says the title's socially equivalent to a Captain, you just don't get your own brigade or anything." Pause for breath. "Captains have always been allowed to address the Council, regardless of their birth, so I can get in and request a morganatic marriage, where you'd keep all the power and I'd just...be there. If...if you want." He exhaled, feeling a tremendous weight slip off his shoulders—and another hovering, ready to take its place, and then some.
Estelle took two steps toward him. "Yuri." A hand touched his arm, and his eyes opened. It was a mistake: the princess was just as lovely and vulnerable as a moment before, only now she was right there. "You...you wouldn't mind?"
The pages fell, unnoticed, from his hand. Estelle's lips parted as his hands dropped to her waist, resting very lightly for a moment, in case she wanted to push away—and then tugged her against him and pressed her face into his chest, arms warm and strong around her shoulders.
"Yuri!" She clutched at his front, leaning harder against him as her head swam and her eyes stung anew. There were a thousand things to say, but it would all have to wait till she was through crying.
"I'm sorry," he said into her hair, running a hand down her back as tears soaked his shirt. If he'd had any idea she was this soft, Yuri reflected, his self-control wouldn't have lasted half this long. Not that her attire helped... "I didn't mean to—I know I'd be the worst consort in history, but...here we are." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Man. I can't believe how selfish I am."
"You have no idea," said the maid, and they looked up guiltily as she walked into the light, face like a wrinkled stormcloud. Silent seconds ticked by; despite the old woman's expectant scowl, Yuri did not release Estelle, who was not trying to get loose. The maid gestured curtly at them. "It's past time you went to sleep, Your Highness. And as for you, young man—"
"Yeah, yeah. I spent all that time finding the laundry, so it'll take me a while to get my uniform in the morning," Yuri said loudly, giving Estelle another gentle squeeze. He let go and stepped back to pick up the letter. "Thanks for sticking that outfit in my bag, by the way," he told the princess. "It might just come in handy." He held out the pages again. "When your eyes are feeling better, look that over. It's full of crap no one in their right mind would ever think of." As she tried to take the letter, Yuri took her other hand. "Make sure to thank Sir Schwann at the banquet tomorrow, and your friend, what's her name, the mage? She's pretty rude, but she brought up some good points just now."
"Rita?" With so much emotion – and more – still coursing through her, Estelle was too dismayed to smile at his teasing. "What—good points? She promised not to say anything!"
"Hey, if she hadn't, I wouldn't have come up here to intrude on Your Majesty's sleep." Yuri caught the maid's expression and sighed. "Anyway, Estelle. I'll talk to Ioder tomorrow. Till then, good ni—"
"You really will?" Estelle asked anxiously.
"I really will." Even with the maid watching, Yuri pulled her close enough to whisper, "Rita was right, you know."
Estelle looked confused for a moment. He knew the exact moment she figured it out, because it made her blush to the roots of her hair. "I am going to kill her!" she wailed.
"I know. I mean, no one should have to hear that from Rita first." At the old lady's approach, Yuri held up his hands and backpedaled right into the table. "Ow! All right, all right, I'm going. Good night." He turned to Estelle. "And good night to you, Estellise," he said softly, and made himself leave the room before he messed things up any further.
The maid bustled around, muttering about impudent young men and ridiculous schemes as Estelle smoothed the papers out. "Did that really just happen?" the princess asked, dazed.
"Did you just promise to wed a commoner and let him put his hands on you, in nothing more than a slip? You certainly did." The servant shook out a pillowcase with unnecessary force, folding it over and over and over.
"And you were right there to stop it beforehand," Estelle noted.
"Yes, I was." Her maid paused in her work long enough to smile at the young princess. "And you seem to be feeling better, so we'll overlook it this once." She shook out another pillowcase with a brisk snap. "Just once, you understand."
"Of course," Estelle said, reaching for a handkerchief. Once her eyes cleared, then she could settle down to read and see if there was any chance of Schwann's idea working. Once her eyes cleared, and her skin cooled, and she couldn't feel Yuri's hands on her back. Then...
A/N: "True Knight" was the title you got for Yuri by completing all 23 damn Secret Missions in one damn playthrough; for those of you less patient and/or anal than that (SCREW YOU, YEAGER. SCREW YOUR MOM, TOO), that scene did indeed consist of Ioder trying to give him a sooper-speshul rank, and Yuri refusing...and Estelle putting the outfit in his bag anyway. :D More to follow once I've gotten some sleep.
