Chapter 23
Persephone trekked through the forest, walking the long path as soldiers patrolled around her. The sun had barely risen as they walked, the dull sky hardly letting sunlight through as the sky lightened gradually.
"Your Majesty, we found the teens!" One of the soldiers yelled, gesturing to one area with an arm. "Do you want us to escort them to the main area?"
"No, just warn them that they should stay closer to the main area," She said loudly back. "No reason to ruin their fun. I want some of you patrolling this area, and a few stationed near the entrances. Get a few Telepaths to monitor people as they leave later on."
The soldiers acknowledged this with a quick tap of their right hands on their hearts before they did as instructed. Some of them fell back as Persephone continued to walk towards the main area, only a couple dozen yards away as she could see the lights and hear the music from the party.
"Your Majesty," General Hardrada greeted, coming from the other direction to quickly fall in step with Persephone. "Everyone is on the lake as requested. The other Crowns want a status update from you."
"I don't really want to speak to them, I want to go hang out with my friends." Persephone scowled.
"I can update them for you,"
"That would be excellent. Tell them the threat has been crushed but to maintain face, keep everyone near the ice so they can have some fun."
"Is that all?"
"I'll tell the Crowns the rest tomorrow after we all have had rested."
As they broke through the treeline, General Hardrada strutted away to the other side of the area to speak to the Crowns.
Perse quickly found her friends near the edge of the lake, a few had gotten onto the ice but not gotten far. She quickened her step to get there, stopping with a fake smile to maintain the fact that everything was alright.
"Everything alright?" She asked.
"We should be asking you that," Ichiru said. "You disappeared without a word."
"I had to sort something out but it's fine now," She smiled. "Are you all getting on the ice?"
"We were waiting for you,"
"Aw, you didn't have to do that. I'm getting on later. I'm hungry again so I'm gonna grab some food. Anyone want some?" Perse watched them all shake their heads or verbally say no.
Perse summoned a blanket to put on the floor a couple of metres away from the ice, enough space for all of them to easily sit on and perhaps even lay if they stayed close.
Wandering over to the buffet tables near the treeline and benches, she carefully picked food she knew the others would like. As she piled up each large plate with food, she let the plate float up around her so she didn't have to carry them. They just floated around her, staying enough distance away from her so she didn't accidentally hit them as she piled on another plate.
It wasn't hard to know who liked what when you lived with them for the last several months. Hanabusa liked sweet treats, Senri didn't as much but he still ate them, Rima didn't like olives, Ruka liked chocolate, Akatsuki liked raspberries, Takuma liked everything from her knowledge. Growing up with her cousins, she knew exactly what they ate and what they wouldn't. Ichiru and Seiren were a little difficult so she put neutral foods in and put a couple of each flavour.
She didn't make separate plates for everyone, instead, she just chose thirteen things of each so each of them could get a piece. It was all mostly finger food that they could eat to retain their energy.
As she finished piling food onto the last plate, she turned back to call Kaname over.
"Is there anything you would like?" She asked him as he stood next to her, observing the array of foods before them. She felt his hand at the small of her back, reminding her of how her aunt and uncle acted when standing next to each other.
"I will be fine," He said, glancing at the table and the plates that were floating around them. Gesturing to another dish that had cheesecake on it, he nodded. "I think that will be enjoyable. The others are not big fans of cheesecake, but I know you are."
She grinned. "I love cheesecake, salted caramel, Raspberry ripple, and white chocolate are my favourite flavours. How'd you know?"
"You ask the chef at the manor for it whenever you have a proper dinner with us all, which isn't often but it has happened enough to notice," He said, shrugging a touch. "And Ruka might have mentioned it a while back."
"My dad makes amazing cheesecake," She smiled in memory, "Whenever he had me for the summer or for a holiday, he made me it."
"Someone always complains if she didn't have her favourite dessert," Jupiter Dunner said, grabbing his daughter by the shoulders as she launched herself at him. He hugged her earnestly, suddenly making her let go as he took his lucky jacket off. "You're fucking freezing, Perse!"
"It's not that cold!" She whined but allowed him to make her put the jacket on. It was long with a couple inches on the sleeves but it was warm and suddenly she realised how cold she was. "Okay. Now I feel the cold. Thank you."
Kaname frowned. "You didn't say you were cold."
"I didn't realise," She said, letting out a half-smile to try and reassure him but it didn't work.
Jupiter reached for two glasses with pink liquid in them, giving one to each of them. "No alcohol, just a warming spell in it. Should last for a couple hours."
"Thank you," Kaname said, sipping at it as he tasted cherries while Perse just downed it.
"Perse!" Ruka called from the frozen lake as she and Akatsuki were on the ice, sliding around in whatever shoes they wore as if they were ice skates. "Come on with us!"
"Maybe later," Perse called out, bringing the plates of food over to the huge blanket as her father went on his merry way to find someone else he could talk to. He left the jacket with her.
Kaname took a seat at the blanket with her, crossing his legs neatly as he sat next to her. They both looked out to the ice.
"Why don't you go on now?" Kaname asked. "You look like you would want to."
"Why don't you?"
"If you do, I will,"
Perse paused before cringing as she admitted, "I can't skate."
Kaname smirked at that, stopping a laugh but he shook his head at her. "Is that why you are so reluctant to go on the ice?"
"Last time I went on the ice, I was about fourteen and I belly-flopped the ice… Don't laugh!" Perse gasped and shoved Kaname in the shoulder as he continued. He stood up and held a hand out for her. "No. Not happening."
"You don't even know what I was going to do,"
"You want me to go on the ice," Perse stayed sitting down, stubborn to not get up. "I can't ice skate to save my life and I'm not going to embarrass myself in front of you just to prove it."
"Why don't I teach you how?"
"There was never a need for me to learn. I've only been on ice once in my life and I don't want to kiss it like I did last time."
"There might be a time you could use the skill, Perse," He said. "Great bonding experiment."
"Fine," Perse pouted. He stuck out a hand to help her get up. "Just so you know, if I fall on my face, I will blame you, Kaname."
"Even if I'm helping you?"
"Yep!"
She was unsteady as they got onto the ice, shoes acting as if they were ice skates.
Kaname grasped both of her forearms as Perse was able to balance herself properly. Her hands were white with how hard she gripped his arms, afraid to let go and fall again as she did years ago. He gently slid backwards until there were a few more metres between them and the shore.
"I feel like a penguin," Perse muttered.
Her knees were bent and arms out a little to keep her balance as she marched forward in tiny steps. Kaname stood right in front of her, trying to keep her on her feet instead of the floor.
Perse leaned forward a little too much, making her muscles quiver as she had to rebalance herself before she fell.
"Careful," Kaname said, readjusting her posture.
"I'm—" Perse yelped as she fell forward and onto her hands and knees. "Falling. For fuck's sake. Kaname, stop laughing!"
"You truly look like Bambi on ice," He shook his head as Perse put one leg up properly, using both of her hands on that knee to get up. "Stiffen your stomach to activate your core muscles. It will help you keep from tilting forward or back too much."
"I'm gonna have a bruise tomorrow," Perse complained as she did as he said.
"You can heal your knee later," Kaname mused as Perse was able to slide a few feet without falling again. After she got the technique down, it was down to practise. "Now try and do it without your arms out."
"Still feel like a penguin," Perse laughed as she was just about able to skate a metre or two without falling.
"Try going a few metres and then stopping," Kaname suggested, watching as she tried. "Dig your skate in and twist a little so you don't fall completely or debalance yourself again. There you go."
"Never thought I would be able to do this," Perse smiled as she went back to him again, stopping easily. "Thank you."
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By the start of July, only a week or so after the festival, the group headed for Sweden where Jupiter Dunner lived.
Hanabusa stayed with the triplets in England as they decided to stay home for the rest of the summer. They'd stay with Minthe for as long as they could before they left for school again as September later came.
One of the first things Perse did as soon as they got settled in the manor was dragging Takuma to the tea shop.
Last time Perse had been in Sweden was for Halloween last year, two weeks before her seventeenth birthday which she had to celebrate with her mother and other Crowns. She missed her lavender tea so she absolutely had to show Takuma where she got the ingredients from.
The town's sign had been painted by hand, deductible by the intricate details on each layer. Dunner Market Town was written in white outlined by black.
The whole town's ground was cobblestone. This place didn't have many cars come through, though the shop owned vans sat in neat little rows and only ever in front of the shop. The shops and buildings were made completely of the same stone, creating a uniformed little town with its brass accessories. The whole place was open, there was a designated road but most people simply walked on it constantly.
Perse and Takuma went into town alone, quietly linking arms as they made their way down to the town the next afternoon.
They walked into the store and were bombarded by a huge Komodo dragon. Takuma jumped out of the way but Perse let it come to her, watching as it circled her feet.
Duke was puppy-sized now, still a dog but he was small enough for her to lift up and hug.
The Komodo dragon snapped its jaws once before trailing back to behind the counter before it appeared on top of it as its master also appeared.
"Princess!" The owner grinned brightly. "It has been too long, young lady. I've been overflowing with lavender tea because you haven't been here to drink it! How has the last half of the year treated you?"
"It's been good, Zander," Perse said. "This is Takuma, he's a friend and he loves tea. I thought since we were spending the rest of the summer up at the Dunner lodgings, he definitely had to see your collections of teas and ingredients."
"I think he likes it," Zander Kettle nodded to Takuma who was looking around like he died and was in heaven. "Do you want your usual?"
"Yeah, can I also have the shipments be sent to the school? I've changed schools and I've been craving your tea for ages !"
"Of course," He said. "I'll have it sorted and they'll be sent over."
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Kaname glanced to his left, eyes softening as he kept his gaze on the royal Witch next to him.
She watched the scenery pass by them, the car they were in going quickly towards the gates of the school once again.
He saw her sigh in something he would call defeat. The way she fiddled with the hem of her sleeve with anxious fingers was making him uncomfortable. He didn't like the fact she was feeling anxious or worried about something, nothing should distress her enough to make her worry but she was only Human.
He rarely worried himself.
Having ways to get what he wanted, he never had a need to worry about being betrayed or have something be taken away from him. Of course, there were people trying to do just that, but he knew it wouldn't be possible.
Angering a Pureblood would end in corpses, more so when a Beloved was involved.
"You're worried," He stopped her picking at her sleeve threads by pulling her right hand away and lacing his fingers between hers. "Why?"
It took her a moment to reply.
"Less worried and more concerned," She said, relaxing as she felt a familiar presence of Magic come from him. There was a pull from within her chest, her blood seeming to ooze Magic for only a minuscule amount of time before she closed it off.
They both felt the way their respective Magics seemed to merge too close for comfort, confusing both of them.
"What are you concerned about?" Kanama asked, moving their entwined hands until they rested on his left knee as he stroked a thumb over the side of her hand.
Perse pulled her Magic back in, fixing him with a glance that allowed him to see the touch of purple in her otherwise light eyes.
With each new stroke of his thumb against her hand, the touch of his skin against hers with the hum of Magic and blood under his skin, Perse stroked Duke who was a tiny puppy in her lap. Tsar was curled under Kaname's free arm, tucked into his elbow to nap.
"With so many variables, so many people with different agendas," Perse said, looking out the window. "I'm getting tired of being left out of the loop of discussion within my own kingdom. The Order is a Triumvirate monarchy. We were a Quadrumvirate monarchy. I fear that the Order will become too unstable going back to four."
"What would happen if the Order becomes a monarchy with one ruler?"
She let her lips twerk up in a smile, a simple thought coming to her head as the car slowed down as it approached the Moon Dorms.
"Order cannot live without Chaos. Magic is Ordered Chaos." She said as they got out of the car. She looked up and at one of the windows, seeing a familiar face of a friend of her traitorous mother. "And I'm that in Human form."
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