My apologies that it took me ages to update this story. The structure of this and the following chapters gave me some trouble, and I've been undecided about it for a long while...

TheVillainess

Bodies lined the ravaged streets. So many, Malty had trouble finding space to place her feet. Her boots were soaked, creating a very unpleasant feeling with each step. At least the blood was warm.

Raphtalia whimpered, rigid in her arms, and Malty tightened her grip. Increased her speed. She needed to get out of there. She rounded a wooden house with a destroyed roof.

No, Malty thought in horror, staring down the alley. It looked exactly like the one she'd just left: endless rows of death and desolation, destroyed house after destroyed house, some burnt. She waded through the blood, stepped past body parts. Very rarely did she pass corpses that weren't human.

"You did this," a voice called, from the direction of where a man had been impaled on a fence.

"No."

"This is your fault," the dead man said.

"No!" Malty ran. Panic permeating her mind, she ran and ran. Her dress caught on something and ripped. She took a left turn. Again, she was greeted by the same alley, the same dead in the streets.

"You did this," a child whose left arm and leg were missing said, staring up with empty eyes from the sea of the dead.

Malty ran. She stumbled and crashed into the blood. "Raphtalia!"

The girl righted herself, her dress tinged in blood.

"Raphtalia." Malty reached with a hand, but Raphtalia took a step back.

"This is your fault." Raphtalia glared. "I hate you!" She turned and ran.

"No. Raphtalia! Raphtalia!" Malty made to give chase, but she got suddenly grasped by a skeletal hand around her left calf and crashed back into the puddle of blood. More hands grasped her, keeping her in place as she called out for Raphtalia again and again. She struggled with all she got but couldn't break free.

"You did this. This is your fault. You could have saved us, but you were too selfish. It's all your fault."

Malty shot up in her bed. She gasped for breath, her heart hammering in her ribcage. Just a dream. Just a stupid dream. She could still feel the skeletal hands holding her in place, the panic, the despair, the hopelessness.

"Malty?" Raphtalia asked sleepily. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Malty let herself collapse back on the mattress, forcing herself to relax. She grabbed Raphtalia and drew her on top of her. "Go back to sleep, little sis."

"Okay..." Raphtalia was asleep a moment later, happily dozing on Malty's chest.

I don't care about those stupid commoners, she told herself over and over, caressing Raphtalia's ears. Yet, sleep wouldn't come. She stared up at the bed's canopy, not wanting to close her eyes and relive the disturbing images of her nightmare. The accusing eyes. Raphtalia staring at her with disgust. Running away.

Malty held her tighter. It's just a dumb dream. No one could possibly know. No one will take her away.

The sun dawned. Raphtalia woke. She raised her head off Malty's chest. Yawned and smiled sleepily.

Malty found it difficult to return the smile. "You like it here, don't you?"

"In bed?"

Malty grinned faintly. "No, here in the castle. With me."

"Yes! It's the best thing that happened to me since... since..." Her eyes grew distant. After a second, she snapped out of it. She hugged Malty's chest, smiling. The content hum was more answer than a thousand words.

Malty held her tight. "So if you could, you wouldn't leave?"

"Hm-m." Raphtalia shook her head no. Vehemently.

"Even if I did something bad. You wouldn't leave me?"

"Of course not! Sisters are supposed to stick together!" Raphtalia looked at her, grinning. "Silly."

Malty giggled. "Yes, I'm being silly. You'll stay with me forever."

Raphtalia nodded enthusiastically.

Malty smiled, calm spreading through her. She cuddled her little raccoon plushie for a little longer before calling for breakfast.

Malty successfully ignored those stupid thoughts and fell back into a familiar rhythm. She enjoyed massages. Played Chess and Rock Paper Scissors. Visited Rellaya. Practiced the violin. Raphtalia finally got her tour of the castle, and she even apologized to that knight she'd already forgotten the name of again. Aultcray was a bit more composed when they visited him for dinner. She didn't beat him at chess again, though.

"Malty, I wanted to get your input on something," he said one day while they played chess.

"Of course, father," Malty said and instructed Raphtalia what move to make. As always, the girl was situated in her lap. "What do you want to talk about?"

"The Waves. More specifically, our defense. The next Wave will hit in nearly two weeks. The plan is to let the Heroes handle it. The knights will be stationed in Castle Town and ready to move out wherever it'll hit. What do you think, Malty?"

Malty didn't think anything. Except that she knew where exactly the Wave would hit. This is my chance. Just tell him, she thought, heart hammering. You can save them all. Be a hero. Just this once.

"Malty? Are you well?"

"Yes, actually, I have some thoughts on the matter. If I may, Father?"

"Please."

"I think we should station our troops outside of Castle Town. It's doubtful the Wave will hit here, and even if it did, we could deal with it easily. So... I'd suggest somewhere a little outside. Riyute, do you know the village? That seems like a strategic point to station some knights." Even though everything she'd said was probably completely wrong, she finished with a confident smile.

"Riyute?" Aultcray looked puzzled. "Isn't that just some little farming village? Why there?"

Malty groaned inwardly, faltering for a second. "As I was saying. It offers a strategic position. And as you said, it's a farming village. We'd do well to protect our food supplies. Famine isn't something we can allow to happen in these difficult times."

Aultcray's frown deepened. "But we just passed the harvesting season. All our supplies are here in Castle Town. Hence why we can't leave it unprotected." His face darkened. "I've heard reports that the Shield Hero has been active in that village. Is that what this is about?"

"What? No no. Not at all. I didn't even know that," she lied smoothly, then took a sip of wine.

Aultcray hummed, skeptical. "How much did you have to drink, Malty? You seem...off. And your chess skills seem to have degenerated. Is something the matter? Talk to me, child."

"Nothing. I'm fine. Just think we should protect that village..."

"Hm. I'll take that into consideration." He didn't sound like he would.

Well, I tried my best, Malty thought on the way back to her rooms, carrying Raphtalia. It's not my fault no one listens. Not my fault at all.

It helped clear her conscience for a few days more. Then it was already time for Tolia's wedding.

Malty was very pleased—very pleased with herself—to note that Raphtalia barely showed any signs of apprehension as they left the castle. They'd done a little stroll around the castle walls yesterday to prepare her for it, and it had gone well.

It was a small entourage that left the gates that day. More than a few of her servants had decided to tag along. Malty was carrying Raphtalia, as always, both in especially pretty dresses, crimson and blue respectively. She'd done Raphtalia's hair with extra care today. Secured into thick braids that were graced by a dozen silver ringlets, they tumbled down her shoulders. Malty may have gone a bit overboard... But when it came to making sure her new and best and favorite sister looked pretty, no effort was too much.

They made it toward the Iron Square and the designated meadow without being robbed. People were already gathered there. A lot of people. Malty's mouth watered at all the foods she could make out from afar, stacked on tables in the shadow of the trees.

They approached, forming pairs. Blue-Eyes had come with Vyllia, much to the Demi-woman's pleasure. She wore a simple but pretty white dress with the odd purple highlight, the inverse of her fur color. Bald was accompanying Mala, much to the older woman's displeasure. She was constantly telling Bald just how silly he was, but he took it in stride and an amused grin on his face. Perhaps she was just apprehensive to be surrounded by so many Demi-humans. The knights wore armor and were armed, of course.

"Malty!" Tolia called and hurried over to greet them. Her wedding dress wasn't nearly as fancy as Malty's, but the aura of happiness radiating off her made her incredibly beautiful. "I'm so glad you could make it. And you must be Raphtalia. My mother told me all about you. She said you're a real prodigy with the violin."

Raphtalia gave an awkward giggle. "I'm not so sure about that…"

Tolia frowned.

Something on my dress? Malty wondered, self-conscious.

"Malty, where's your pendant?"

"My pendant?" Malty asked, a hand automatically reaching for it. But there was nothing on her chest. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment. How could I...? "I, I forgot—"

"Hey, it's no big deal." Tolia smiled gently. "You're here. That's what matters. Come come. Let me introduce you to everyone!"

Naturally, the people were eager to meet royalty. Demi-humans have some odd names, Malty thought, her head already spinning after a few. She gave up memorizing them shortly after.

Then someone introduced themselves and mentioned that they were from Riyute, and the world seemed to stand still.

Riyute Riyute Riyute, Malty thought, blood thumping in her ears, drowning out all other noise. Riy—I don't care about—ute. Don't care, don't care— Tolia must have noticed her discomfort and let her be, greeting other guests.

When Malty managed to curb her panic, the wedding was about to commence. It started with your typical sermon. The many many guests—there had to be at least 300, humans and Beast-men making out the minority—simply sat down on the grass. Malty and her entourage got "seats" on the front, of course. She resisted a grimace when her dress came in contact with the dirty ground.

Malty only half-listened as Father Bauley spoke, absentmindedly petting Raphtalia's tail while she let her gaze swipe across the nearby trees and bushes. There was a small lake a little further down the meadow. Did they perhaps baptize people there?

Malty had always hated it when her parents had taken her along to the Church to listen to the two-faced pope. In her opinion, it was a bunch of empty talk, and while she agreed with a lot of the Four Saints Faith's teachings, she couldn't bring herself to pay attention. That she hadn't managed to catch a lot of sleep last night wasn't helping either. Repeatedly, she had to resist the urge to yawn.

The sermon came to an end, and the wedding ceremony started. Tolia's to-be-wife, Micca, was a young human woman with dark hair and blue eyes. White suited her better than her lover.

They made their vows, staring into each other's eyes the whole time. They looked so incredibly happy and even choked up a few times as they got overwhelmed by their feelings.

When it finally got to the kiss, Malty also had tears in her eyes. Would she ever find someone to share such a wonderful bond with? Who would want her, after all? The Drunken Princess? Why would anyone love her for something more than her beauty or station? When not even her family truly cared for her, who would?

Applause sounded, and she dutifully joined in, although without much enthusiasm. Afterward, people rose and, one-by-one, approached the newlyweds to offer congratulations.

Malty kept her words short as she shook hands with Tolia and Micca, and it was only due to years of practice that she managed to keep her true thoughts hidden behind a friendly smile. They were oblivious to it.

Malty hated them. Despised them. Envied them. The love between the happy pair was as obvious as being hit by a fire spell in the face. It was hard coming up with any reason for why things weren't as perfect as they seemed. Clearly, they simply loved each other that much. There wasn't anything to gain from this union. Micca was probably sacrificing a lot by associating with Demis like this—Malty hadn't seen any of the human bride's family around. And neither did Tolia. She was sure that some Demi-human purists disapproved of the marriage. That they married nonetheless spoke of the authenticity of their love.

How dare they be so blissfully happy when I'll never have something like that! Malty fumed, letting a bit of anger show on her face as she turned away from the newlyweds. If anyone ever married Malty, it would be for political gain. Mother would probably use the first chance to get rid of her when she returned. It's not fair!

She felt like stomping her feet as she walked over toward the tables stacked with food, Raphtalia in her arms. Lost in her despair, she'd picked her up without thinking.

"Malty?" Raphtalia asked. "Are you okay?"

"It's fine. I'm fine." Forcing a smile for her adopted sister, she inspected the assorted food. Colorful salads, on this table. "What would you like?"

Raphtalia thought for a moment, finger on her lips, then pointed. Malty didn't even manage to grin at her cuteness. She sat Raphtalia down, and they helped themselves to some food. When people came to talk to her, she brushed them off with a few curt words.

Behind her, she could make out Bald's deep voice amidst the chatter of the crowd as he recited one of his silly stories, eliciting laughter and giggles. It seemed even her bodyguards didn't care enough to actually do their fucking job.

Scowling, Malty found some alcoholic beverages further down in the shadow of a spikeberry tree. It tasted strange and bitter, and she had no idea what it was made out of, but anything was welcome. She grimaced past the distaste.

No one cares about me, Malty thought, bitter. And no one ever will. It was so obvious. Everyone only pretended, because of what it would gain them. Rellaya only pretended because it gained her money and status. Her servants, Bald and Blue-Eyes, were duty-bound to appease her. Her father mistrusted her, just like Mother. Raphtalia only appeared to like Malty because she'd rescued the girl and was giving her a luxurious life. Because her well-being depended on it. Sooner or later, she was going to turn against her, just like in her dream. I won't allow it! She's mine! My prize! I'll put a slave crest on her chest or… or lock her in a cage! I can't—

Malty exhaled shakily, steadying herself against the nearby tree. She reached for the cross pendant that wasn't there, then placed a hand on her chest to try calm her racing heart. A sudden sob shook her body, and she placed her head in her hands, leaning with her back against the tree trunk.

"Malty?" Raphtalia's hesitant voice reached her. "B-big sis?" The girl was sitting in the grass next to her with a bowl of fruit salad in her lap, looking up worriedly. "Malty, you…" She trailed off and averted her eyes.

Malty schooled her features. She groaned. Ugh, that damn peasant brew is messing with my head. Why did I drink so much of that anyway? I mean— She squeaked as, suddenly, images of her nightmare flashed in front of her mind, and she dropped her glass.

"Malty? Princess?" someone was calling her. It was Tolia, from the sound of it.

That stupid little— Malty cut herself off. She bent down and picked Raphtalia up, making the girl drop her bowl and squeak.

Malty stumbled away from the voice calling her. She really couldn't stare in that stupidly happy face right now. Saints knew what she'd do or say.

"Princess?"

She bumped into Blue-Eyes. "We're leaving!" she said.

"Already?"

How dare you question me! she thought but bit back a snapped reply. "I'm unwell. Now do your job and escort me back to the castle!"

"Of course, Your Highness."

A small commotion broke out as her servants got called and made aware of the new development, making apologies to the other guests.

Malty didn't wait for them all to gather and marched off. Hurrying after her, they soon caught up. It was a wonder she didn't trip on the way back to the castle. She really felt quite unwell, uncomfortable emotions churning in her stomach and chest, making it hard to breathe. Her heart hammered like crazy the whole way. She picked up the odd comments of her servants about how they had, surprisingly, enjoyed the whole ordeal—and it was obvious they were sad to leave early, even if they didn't say it.

"I, for one, am glad we got out of there," Mala said. "Way too many…foreign people. Who knows what they do for a living?"

It cheered Malty up a little. She didn't slow down, as if being chased by monsters of the Wave. The whole time, images of the stupid couple flashed through her head, taunting her. Her lungs were aching when she finally arrived at her rooms in the castle.

The familiarity granted her a flicker of comfort, but she still felt as if she was about to completely lose her mind. A bath was in order, and a cold one at that. Her servants asked three times whether she'd meant that. She never took cold baths.

Malty squeaked and gasped as she, in one go, jumped into the water, not caring that she splashed the stone floor in the washroom—and poor Raphtalia standing there. The cold bit her skin and drowned her of warmth. For a second, she thought her hammering heart had stopped, but then it kept beating, then slowed down, but not too much. Tears came to her eyes, and she didn't suppress a sob escaping her. The sadness passed after another few moments. The cold didn't hurt quite so bad anymore.

Saints, I'm a mess, Malty thought. She closed her eyes, breathed a sigh of relief, and made to heat the water. Once it was at an acceptable temperature, she had Raphtalia join her in the bathtub.

"Are you feeling better?" the girl asked. Her big, innocent eyes were filled with concern.

"Yes, thank you. Now give me a massage."

Raphtalia grinned. "Yes, Malty!"

Letting her head droop forward, Malty released pleased groans as she let the girl knead the tension out of her shoulders. She felt foolish for how she'd let doubt and negativity consume herself. Someone to love her? She didn't need that. She never had, and she never would. Love was for fools, anyway. And neither did she care for the lives of these dumb peasants. She never had, and she never would. People always died. It was the nature of things.

What I care about is myself, she thought. My comfort. My luxury. "Mala!" she called, eyes closed.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Go to Rellaya and her sister and invite them over for tea."

"Of course, Your Highness."

TheVillainess

The long-overdue tea party turned out to be a great success, and Malty found herself completely absorbed in the fun.

Bald and Blue-Eyes had volunteered to act as wine/tea butlers, and with their silliness, they were practically born for the roles.

"Some more tea, Miss Raphtalia?" Bald asked, speaking in a high-pitched voice.

"Yes please!" Raphtalia barely managed to get the word out in-between giggles.

Malty burst out laughing. Saints, I'll never get used to this, she thought, wheezing for breath. The amusement was heavenly, though, and the two knights practically preened because of their success.

In contrast to Bald's "female" voice, Blue-Eyes was talking in some odd accent Malty had no idea where it originated from or whether it was even real. It was hilarious nonetheless.

Raphtalia and Lirrelain were talking about this and that, both overexaggerating the poshness of their tone and etiquette. Especially in Raphtalia's case, it was beyond ridiculous.

Malty laughed harder. She knew she was way beyond drunk, but hardly cared. Blue-Eyes dutifully refilled her teacup—with Seaetto wine, of course—whenever she waved for him. It was evening, so they had dinner during their tea party as well. In her drunken mind, that made perfect sense.

"I completely forgot," Rellaya said during a rare reprieve of laughter. "How was the wedding, Malty?"

Malty pushed past the irritating feelings and giggled. "It was a real bore. Hence why I left early."

"I wouldn't have expected much else…considering the company."

"Yeah…" Malty stared at her friend. Fuck, she's beautiful. Maybe we can— She grimaced and averted her eyes when she remembered that they were only friends now. Thankfully, Bald distracted her a second later by balancing a teacup plus saucer on his bald head.

Sadly, like all good things, it had to come to an end eventually. It was dark outside when the laughter fully died down and everyone suddenly seemed lost in thought, though Malty doubted very much that the others had such troubled minds as hers.

The thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. When something touched her foot beneath the table, she shot up with a panicked squeak, images of skeleton fingers flashing through her mind. The rattling of cutlery filled the silence.

"Malty?" Rellaya asked. "Are you alright?

"Yes." Malty smiled, fighting the sudden feeling of vertigo. She grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come, Rellaya. Why don't you...show me how those dresses are coming along?" Not waiting for an answer, she dragged her to her room, proud that she was able to keep her drunken stumbling to a minimum.

Rellaya, frowning, went along with it.

It was only after she closed the door behind them that Malty realized that Rellaya hadn't brought her dresses, and that her excuse was very obviously just that. An excuse.

Fuck it, Malty thought, grabbed Rellaya's head, and kissed her.

"Malty?!" Rellaya gasped.

"Just this once. Please."

"Okay."

Malty kissed her hungrily, groped her, enjoyed the sounds she was eliciting. Sweet sweet lips. Hmm… soft. She tried guiding them toward her bed, but bumped into one of her wardrobes instead. She giggled.

Kiss broken, Rellaya shot her a worried look.

Malty grasped her head and pushed her downward. "Lick me," she rasped out.

Rellaya obeyed. She slid her hands along Malty's thighs and pulled down her panties with practiced ease, then burrowed her head underneath the crimson skirt.

"Fuck yes." Malty's eyes fluttered shut at the first stroke of her lover's tongue. It's been too long… She grasped one of her tits through her dress and squeezed, stimulating her hardening nipple. Her hips rocked against Rellaya's head with insatiable want.

She groaned and moaned but had enough awareness left to keep quiet and slap a hand in front of her mouth to muffle the sounds.

When she came, it was pure relief. A wave of pleasure, then calm, washed over her, leaving behind a blissful absence of thoughts. She relished it for a long while, just standing there with a big smile on her face.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that Rellaya was sitting at her vanity, making sure her appearance was immaculate. Malty thought about following her example, but why bother? She was so sleepy, and the bed was right there, looking incredibly inviting.

"Malty?" Rellaya asked.

"You can leave." Giving her friend a dismissive hand gesture, Malty stumbled toward her bed, then crawled onto the mattress, fully clothed. Rellaya was saying something, but her mind was already drifting off to sleep.

TheVillainess

Malty jerked awake, and a shrill shriek pierced the silence of the moon-lit bedroom, echoing about. She snapped her mouth shut. Images of her nightmare fresh on her mind, she looked left and right frantically, looking for the monsters, searching for Raphtalia.

Then she realized that the girl was lying on top of her, that she was even hugging her, and Malty burst out crying, collapsing back into the mattress.

"Malty?"

Her sobs were sounds of pure despair. Her head hurt as if she'd been kicked by a Filolial, she had trouble breathing, pain contracting her chest, and her heart was hammering like never before in her life. Illogical panic and fear haunted her, the chorus of the dead accusing her echoing in her ears over and over again.

Make it stop, Malty thought, rubbing a hand against her forehead to try alleviate the discomfort. Saints, make it stop! I don't want to suffer anymore. Please. I'll do anything. Just make it stop... Her patheticness made her cry harder, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Something touched her hair, then her face. Tiny fingers brushed across her wet skin. It was oddly comforting.

"It's okay, Malty," Raphtalia murmured. "Everything's okay."

Lies, she thought. You'll leave sooner or later. Don't lie. Nonetheless, she nodded. And when the girl drew Malty's head against her, hugging her, she didn't resist and cried even harder, her whole body shaking.

The circumstances were anything but ideal, but the way those fingers combed through her hair and made her scalp tingle was simply perfect. Somehow, it was all Malty had ever wanted. She calmed. Focused on it. The small arms holding her. The scent enveloping her.

"Nightmare?" Raphtalia asked gently, in a way as if she already knew.

Malty nodded.

"Do you… do you want to tell me?"

Malty swallowed thickly. "Okay."

TheVillainess

Cliffhanger! :3

Jk, the next chapter is already up on my Pātreon (for free.) See my profile for more information.