Medina, Cordea Plains, three days later

Once again, she's beset by confusion by the actions of the Lord of Knights. She remembers, once long ago, she told him he never showed worry or burden as he tried taking it all on his own, but ever since the Ancient Apostles started popping up, he has been nothing but quiet and apprehensive. It wouldn't be so worrisome if he talked to her, but he's been avoiding Medina like she's a sickness. Though maybe that's the wrong term, since she hasn't actively sought him out, but she does want to talk to him.

The last time he avoided her, it was right before the war, when her family made the proposal for Jaymes to marry Medina. Back then, Medina kept her feelings hidden. Well, not exactly hidden, she did kiss Jaymes before her original death, but she doesn't know if that was a romantic kiss or just something in the moment.

She just knows she let Eydis win without a fight until the proposal, then he left. He claims he headed for the World's End Altar deep in the Dark Territory, then they reunited during the first day of the War of Underworld. With him joining the raid party escorting Alice to the World's End Altar and her defending the gate with Eydis, they wouldn't meet again until she caught up with what remained of the raiders and otherworldly allies. She caught him dissecting a tree, stopping him before collapsing in his arms.

In the end, he rejected her and chose the Knight of the Abyss. She deigned to keep her feelings in control, and for a year and three months, it worked...until it slipped the night they spoke on the balcony. For the Medina that loved him, it was a wonderful moment, but for the side of Medina that was Eydis' friend, it was a betrayal.

That guilt has dominated her since their return to the capital and her talk with Ilia. Speaking of taking action, even if it is wrong, doing something in the present rather than regretting it later seems to be the opposite of Medina's life story. She spoke ill of her father (which she doesn't fully remember due to the severe retrograde amnesia her soul suffered before her revival, although her past memories before meeting Kirito two years ago are slowly returning) and initially self-rejected Jaymes, both she regrets she didn't do anything about it while she could.

Enough of regrets. They did what they did that night, but that's not why he's avoiding her. He's been this way since he took Mia back to the dark world, and having experienced this side of him before when Administrator killed her, nearly losing his protégé while he's away is enough to shake his core. But unlike that time, or when Vecta hurt two girls he called Shino and Lievre while also chasing Alice, Jaymes cannot release his feelings on the person responsible. Neither can Medina who feels the same way after seeing Ilia in the same condition.

That is, of course, the attacker truly is Eydis. Right now, all they have is circumstantial evidence in the power of the Dark Slash Sword.

First, they need to find Eydis and make her explain everything. Like Medina, Eydis is not bound to the "natural" laws of the world after breaking her seal, so murder without consequence is quite possible for her. But Eydis is a gentle soul, quite unlike the more serious Medina. Not that Eydis doesn't have the ability to be angry, Medina still feels the cold steel that once left a mark on her face two years ago, but it's out of Eydis' nature.

"Lady Medina, Sir Jaymes has arrived at the estate."

Sighing, Medina half-raises her head from the discourse called a desk and nods in acknowledgement. "Do you think you can bring him to me?"

"We'll do our best, milady. Also, you have a message from your mother." Medina holds her hand out as the butler gives her the rolled parchment and takes his leave. She sets the letter aside and continues looking over her documents as Jaymes' replacement on the Unification Council. Eventually her doors are knocked upon again, with the same butler making a different announcement, the one she's hoping for.

After a moment, she hears his footsteps as they come towards her desk, then end as he takes a seat and stays quiet as Medina continues to work for another minute, then neatly stacks the paper and sets them aside. Rather than speak on what's on her mind, she opens up their first conversation in days with her eyes on the documents. "See the work you left me with?"

"You've doing well, as I see it. Better than I could. I hate busy work...though it seems like it'll be my life."

"Yeah, you can't hide behind the Council of Five forever, Your Majesty. You should be more proactive."

"I told you, I have no bravery for politics."

"You're the emperor."

"As a means to keep order and peace, yes. Not because I'm a conqueror… You know, if you hate it here, you're welcome to join me on the other side."

"And what is it you do there?"

"Most times I am doing as I please, like training Mia or researching. Not many adventures to be had over there. Heck, I was preparing for the meeting next month with the Unification Council. And before you ask, I do keep up with affairs."

Medina smirks to herself and relaxes in her chair, but the smirk falls as the topic on her mind settles on her tongue. "Hey. Why are you avoiding me?"

"...I'm not avoiding you. I'm working on this apostle thing, trying to find Eydis, trying to figure out what the hell's going on." Jaymes sighs and crosses his arms, looking at the rolled paper on Medina's desk. "What's that?"

"Don't change the subject. You're avoiding me."

"What makes you think so?"

"You're feeling guilty about Mia, that I know. Maybe even Ilia, which is why you're avoiding me. You haven't been to the cathedral since we returned, so you haven't seen her and the other girls, nor Ronie's mentor." Medina stands up and walks to Jaymes' side of the desk, sitting on the edge. "I may not know...the real you, the one Asuna and Kirito know, but the you I've learned about the previous two years would feel guilty if someone got hurt because of him. You did because of me twice, but I saw how you were with Mia. I've never seen that look on your face, not since I stopped you from destroying that tree. You're angry. So am I."

"...Well, I haven't found anything substantial. Eydis and whoever she's with are good at hiding. Not even the wayfarers are finding apostles, which is a good thing. I can tell you they're not popping up randomly."

"That's good news. But you need to relax."

Jaymes looks up to Medina like she just said the most incredulous thing he's ever heard. "Did you, Medina Orthinanos, just say 'relax' to me?"

"I did. You're worried about Eydis, and when you get worried, you get angry, and when you get angry, it's very frightening. Occasionally attractive, but always frightening. The best way to help Eydis is to let the trouble come to us."

Jaymes sighs and stands up. "Occasionally… Fine. We'll let the trouble come to us. What do we do in the meantime?"

"Hmm… I have an idea."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Ilia, Central Cathedral

Currently off duty from her training as a trainee and relieved from being from her mentor's side until called, Ilia finds herself walking through the Rose Gardens. It's still February, so barely any of the flowers have started to form buds. Thanks to the gardener, the place was kept orderly in the cold winter, and Ilia is anticipating seeing the garden in full bloom in the coming spring.

She does have a reason to be here. Just moments before, she ran into Sir Deusolbert, who informed her that Ronie and Tiese left Seated Meditation training early. After inquiring with some of the workers, she found out the girls were headed towards the garden, and the gardener pointed him in the direction the girls went.

She finally hears some sniffling and approaches her friends. Ronie is first to look up, first alert to the sound of Ilia's footsteps then lowers her guard upon seeing the girl. "Oh, Ilia."

Ilia nods to Ronie then glances at the red-eyed, wet-faced Tiese. "Tiese… Is everything okay? Sir Deusolbert said you were unwell."

"That was a lie I made up," Ronie answers. "I figured it was a better excuse than...well, you see." Ilia nods and walks over to the bench, sitting on the other side of Tiese as she wipes her face.

"I'm actually glad you're here, Ilia. I did say I wanted to tell you both the news, but I told Ronie earlier today. Sorry."

"It's fine. So what's the news?"

Tiese gulps before spilling the news. "Four nights ago… Renly proposed to me."

"That's...excellent, right? After all that happened in Wesdarath recently, I'm sure you really like him and all."

"I do like him, but I couldn't give him an answer because of the reason I like him."

"Because of the reason… Oh." Ilia is instantly reminded of part of the events in the westernmost parts of Wesdarath the past week. The noble who looked just like Ilia's former mentor, Sir Eugeo, and Renly also being called out as a mirror to the former Fourth Delegate in both likeness and personality. Ilia figured that the ordeal would bring the pair closer, but the timing of things may have been off for the twenty-seventh Integrity Knight.

"I believed that...if I was with Sir Renly, I would finally be able to forget about him… I mean, I wished that I could. But...then I realized that I'm always looking for signs of him in Renly's smiles and words and gestures… And Renly knows that I'm not able to forget about him, either. We went through all that the other day. He said it was fine. And he still chose to ask me to marry him. It made me so happy...so happy...but… It made me happy, but I really don't want to forget. Dee in my heart, I know that I want to remain with my memories of him forever. And because I'm aware of that… I just can't… I want to see him… I want to see Eugeo, the real Eugeo, again!" Tiese sobs on Ronie's chest, Ronie holding her tight, and Ilia...well she didn't know what to do. She was still embarrassed she cried in front of Medina the last time they saw each other.

Since that day, Ilia swore to be a better friend to Ronie and Tiese. Not just to view them as fellow trainees or occasional comrades out in the field, but to bear a true friendship with the pair. So with no other idea what to do or say, Ilia leans herself against Tiese, hugging her from behind. She didn't understand what it is like to love another person the way Tiese loved Eugeo, or the internal conflict she has about Sir Renly currently. Unlike Ronie, who loves a taken man, and unlike Medina, who loves a man who she let slip by. Tiese will never see Eugeo again.

xxxxxxxxxx

Tiese's tears abate by sunset, and Ilia offers to take the girls to a small shop just outside the campus of their former academy. Paying for their pastries, the three girls sit on a bench and chew on their treats in harmonious silence.

"Thank you both," Tiese says, finally breaking the silence.

Ronie answers first by shaking her head. "It's fine. In fact, I'm sorry, Tiese. I… I completely failed to understand how you felt. Here I was, just hoping on my own that you would move on and be happy with Sir Renly."

"It's fine. There's a part of me that does want to do exactly that." Tiese takes a deep breath and looks to the darkening sky. "I'm going to ask Sir Renly to wait a little bit longer. Maye additional time isn't going to make any difference...but I just have a feeling."

"A feeling?"

"Yes. From the moment I saw Kirito's dragoncraft… I had a feeling that something was about to happen. Something was going to change."

"Yes, I feel it too."

Ilia wasn't there to see Kirito's dragoncraft, but she heard what happened. However, she agrees with the girls, times are changing, but she has a feeling it's not for the best. Before things get good, things are going to get bad, and the rise of the apostles is just the first step, Eydis' attack the second.

Those thoughts cloud Ilia's mind as Tiese starts to talk about Ronie's infatuation with Kirito, which Ilia doesn't have the heart or mind to tell both girls that Ronie's chances are slim to none. That's not her guessing, but a fact stated by Sir Jaymes. Kirito's heart belongs to one woman only, and in the emperor's words, "'He's too stupid to realize the feelings of other girls or, if he does, too damn stupid to shut them down for his own good.'" She could judge Jaymes too, but the difference between the black swordsman and the red warrior is that Jaymes is fully aware of Medina's feelings for him.

"Honestly, I'm fine! Just worry about yourself, Tiese! Or about Ilia's love life, jeez!"

"We both know how pointless it is to talk about that," Tiese remarks. "Her only love is the sword and Lady Medina."

"...I don't see the issue."

"One day, Ilia will find a man to sweep her off her feet, and I want to be there to see him. Or maybe she secretly harbors love for her lady's man? I did hear Medina and Jaymes are at the cathedral on the upper floors. The 90th, right, Ronie?"

"Mhm. Who knows what they're up to in the baths."

Ilia sighs and stands up, ignoring their jests. "What my lady and Sir Jaymes do is not of my concern, nor do I have any interest in interfering in their personal lives. Now we should head back, I'm sure your dragons are starving while you two act like teenage girls."

"When are you getting your dragon, Ilia?"

"When I connect with one, I guess. It has been a while since I've tried to--"

"Someone called the guards!"

"I really needed this." Medina lets her head flex back to the cold floor as her towel-wrapped body soaked in the refreshing hot baths of the 90th Floor. She sighs in relief, feeling her stiff muscles unwind and relax, then faces her companion sitting to her right a few short measurements away, barely avoiding shoulder contact. While he looks relaxed, his eyes are closed and his posture is stiff for another reason. For some reason, it annoys her more than his earlier suggestion that they sit in adjacent baths back to back. "You could at least pretend you aren't trying to be modest."

"Would you rather I look at you like a creep?"

Medina looks down to her large cleavage, mostly covered by the white towel. "I rather you steal glances at me than not at all. I am a girl, we do like to be appreciated to some degree. I'm sure if I was Lady Asuna or Lady Terraria, you'd have no problem."

Jaymes opens his eyes and gives her a side-eye glare. "Don't joke about either of those, especially Kirito's sister."

"Oh? Something you did in the past?"

"I didn't do anything. I was there, and...well, you've seen her. Besides the hair and the eyes, she's physically the same in real life. A friend of ours...juggled those things." Jaymes clears his throat and looks forward. "And there's no way in hell I'll look at Asuna that way. Her attitude counters her beauty."

"As far as I see it, it's just you who has that problem with her. You...and Lady Fanatio."

"Hmph. You know what, I don't like that you mellowed out in your second life. I prefer the much more serious version of you."

"That's a lie and you know it. Besides, who I am now is your fault." Medina smiles as the Lord of Knights rolls his eyes. Feeling a change of subject, Medina looks up to the ceiling with a frown. "The last time I came here without you, it was with Eydis. It was sometime between the end of the rebellion and your departure to the Dark Territory, closer to the latter. It was the last time we talked as friends, I think. No, not just friends, as girls."

"What did you talk about?"

"Lots. The changing world, people we lost, and our favorite knight in red." Medina brings her knees to her chest and places her chin on the joints. "She misses Alice so much. I honestly believe that is her problem, living in a world without her, trying not to find someone to blame for her little sister's absence. And then you were planning on leaving for the Dark Territory. She asked me a question, one that might've been the catalyst of our changed relationship."

"What was it?"

"If she should go with you. I don't remember all I said, but I know my answer was for her to decide for herself. Then she switched it on me, if I had the chance, would I follow you. I told her no, for my responsibility here was far more important. That, I think, she took as her choice. Her duty as an Integrity Knight outweighed everything else, but in the end, all it did was drive a wedge between us. But Jaymes, I do not believe Eydis has betrayed us."

"No, neither do I. But she most likely did attack our apprentices, that is a fact. We just need to find the truth behind that...and go from there."

"Right… But if I must be honest, I lied to her. Right now, I would have to consider my options if you asked me to come, but if you asked me back then, I would have joined you." Medina looks at Jaymes, their eyes connecting for the first time in the bath, and she's sure she looks embarrassing. "I just couldn't say it, yet I felt she knew it too."

"Medina…"

"Medina! There's--mhm." Interrupted, Jaymes and Medina (after turning away from each other) turn their heads to the entrance, seeing an exhausted Ilia approach. She doesn't too look shocked (for the amount of expression she usually presents) to see the pair in an intimate setting, but shakes her head and continues her quick report. "Medina, Jaymes, there's a situation in the city."

Medina turns to Jaymes, who shrugs, and glances back at Ilia. "Ilia, not that I want to ignore it, but that's for the city guards to handle, not us."

"Oh, no, no it's not a disturbance the guards can handle. Ronie, Tiese, and I found a man ill with some sort of pox, and he's originating from Norlangarth."

"Pox? That is more distressing, sure, but once again, that's not in our realm of--"

"Hold, Jaymes." Medina lowers her brow as she places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Ilia, you say Norlangarth?" She recalls the letter sent to her from her mother, which she ignored not thinking the contents could need immediate reading. But now that she hears that her and Ilia's home kingdom is in trouble, she wonders if that was the contents of the message. Ilia nods in confirmation, so Medina glances back at Jaymes with her usual serious expression. "We should listen."

"Okay... Ilia, tell us what you know."