===== Chapter 5 =====
Finding Happiness
After giving up her life as an assassin and traveling to Broken Crescent Island to be with Koko, Yuri had to find another job to provide a steady source of income to preoccupy herself with. Shortly after moving in with her girlfriend, Koko suggested Yuri join the Order. Yuri was reluctant at first, not particularly liking the notion of being a knight and working strictly for the forces of good, but Koko eventually convinced her to give it a shot. Over the next few days or so, she taught Yuri the basic curriculum of an Order of the Sacred Fire trainee, hoping to give her a better chance of getting through the course.
When the next training class was about to start, Koko helped Yuri enlist and enrolled her into the basic training program, wishing her the best of luck. Yuri put up with it all and feigned being excited to make Koko happy. She went through the course and did her best, surprisingly graduating a bit early. She figured Koko pulled some strings and used her influence to help her out, which was fine by her. After graduating and becoming a full-fledged member of the Order, she was given the rank of knight and immediately assigned to Koko's unit under her direct supervision. Using the last of her contacts within the training cadre and OSF leadership, Koko begged them to allow Yuri to bypass the mandatory, year-long commitment doing menial tasks as an augmentee in order to be assigned to her team. Thankfully, they granted her request and allowed Yuri to join Koko's unit early.
For the next few months, Koko and Yuri did missions together for the Order with Koko acting as the commanding officer and Yuri a member of her team. They mainly did minor missions that mainly included hunting down troublesome creatures and the like. Yuri wasn't a fan of wearing a uniform and fighting creatures head-on, but for the sake of being with Koko, she continued to endure it regardless of how much she disliked it.
As time went on during her tenure as a knight of the OSF, everything Yuri hated about it began to wear on her and become too much to suppress. One night, she had reached a breaking point and couldn't hold in her frustrations and feelings any longer.
One night, while Koko was lying in bed, she heard an odd noise coming from somewhere in the house. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, noticing that Yuri was not next to her. Realizing that she was gone, Koko called out for her, "Yuri? Are you okay?" After getting no response, she decided to get out of bed to investigate the noise.
As Koko moved closer to her bedroom door, the noise became louder and more discernable. It sounded almost like whimpering or weeping. She left her room and stood just outside the bathroom door which was closed. She listened closely and heard that the sounds seemed to be coming from within there. Again, she called out for Yuri, "Yuri? Are you in there? You okay?"
After hearing Koko's voice calling out to her, Yuri shuffled around within the bathroom. "I'm- I'm fine," she said from behind the door as she tried to stifle her crying.
Concerned by hearing Yuri's voice followed by stifled sobbing, Koko opened the door to find Yuri standing before her with teary eyes. Immediately after seeing her, Koko got really worried and placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Have you been crying in there all alone? What's the matter?" she asked, giving her arm a comforting rub.
Yuri tried to give Koko a reassuring smile, but her sobs interfered with that. As she tried to speak, nothing but hiccups came out as more tears began to flow from her eyes. Seeing her partner in such a distressed state, Koko led Yuri back into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed to talk things out.
Once they were sitting on the bed next to each other, Koko brought Yuri in close for a hug. "It's okay, Darling. I'm here for you. Now just tell me what's bothering you so we can get you into a better state. You're scaring me," said Koko as she continued to console Yuri in her embrace.
Yuri just held Koko close as she tried to get her emotions under control, continuing to cry as the two of them sat together. Koko sat patiently beside her as she waited until Yuri was ready to talk. After a bit more crying, Yuri was finally in a state where she was able to speak clearly.
"It's- It's nothing. Don't worry about it," said Yuri as she continued to hold on to Koko.
Koko wasn't going to let it slide as whatever was bothering Yuri seemed to be quite significant. "I am worried. Please, tell me what's bothering you. Whatever it is, it's making you unhappy. And seeing you unhappy makes me unhappy," she said.
Yuri shook her head as tears began to form in her eyes again. "I- I can't," she said.
"I'm not going to let you go until you tell me. We're in this together, so your problems are my problems and I'll do whatever I can to help you through them," said Koko as she kept Yuri in her loving embrace.
Yuri tried her best to resist telling Koko in order to avoid hurting her feelings, but the more she tried, the more it hurt, so she decided to come clean and tell Koko everything. "I… I hate it here," she finally said under her breath, wincing as it sounded much harsher than she intended it to.
Koko flinched at what Yuri said, loosening her grip slightly on her lover. "Huh?" she asked, unsure if she had heard her correctly.
Yuri began to get emotional again as she didn't want to continue on if it meant potentially offending Koko, but she had to let it all out. It hurt too much to keep it all bottled up inside her. "I don't like being here," she said.
Koko started to get anxious, wondering what Yuri meant by that. "You mean… with me?" she asked, feeling a knot begin to form in her gut.
"No, silly. You're about the only good thing in my life right now," said Yuri with a slight smile, hugging Koko close.
"Then what? What do you mean you don't like being here?" asked Koko, relieved that she wasn't the immediate source of Yuri's troubles.
Yuri then sighed and explained what had been troubling her so all that time. She began by telling Koko how much she despised being constantly assaulted by bugs and how on edge she'd been because of it. The buzzing of flying bugs around her head and the occasional creepy-crawly she found while walking around the island. It was all so very disturbing that she hadn't been able to sleep well at night because of it, even with Koko by her side. During the day, she often found herself ducking her head or avoiding an area because of bugs and insects which the constant heat didn't help with. The hot and sticky climate of the island also bothered Yuri greatly. It was always uncomfortably hot which made her sweat and she constantly got burned by being under the direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. It didn't help that she had to wear a uniform and couldn't wear her cloak to block the sun's rays and to protect herself from pesky flies. That led to another thing that bothered Yuri: her employment as a knight of the Order. She didn't like the institutionalized nature of the Order with all its rules and regulations. Sure the Guild had its fair share of rules, but they were simple enough to follow and didn't stifle individuality like the Order did. She also didn't like being on the front lines, exposed to direct combat all the time. She was an assassin who struck from the shadows, but as a knight of the Order, she had been reduced to a mere grunt. And to top it all off, she couldn't go into town and relax from it all like she normally did back in Yoitz. The small port town of Seaside on Lesser Broken Crescent Isle just didn't offer the same amenities larger cities did that Yuri was so very accustomed to. Most of the time, she just went home and turned to Koko to help relieve her stress, but that wasn't always a readily available option. After Yuri was done griping, she remained silent and continued to hold on to Koko.
Koko just sat there, taking it all in as she realized what had been causing Yuri so much strife. After thinking on it for a few moments, she spoke up to break the silence. "If that's the case, then let's go. We can move somewhere far from here where you won't have to deal with any of this anymore. I'm willing to leave it all behind if it means being in a place where you can be more comfortable and happy again," she said.
Yuri was surprised by Koko's words, almost unable to believe it. "You- You are? But this is your home," she said, almost regretting telling Koko everything and possibly making her feel guilty.
"It's just a house and this is just an island. It'll always be here if we decide to come back. And in the meantime, I could even let Kia stay here as a permanent resident," said Koko as she tried to make Yuri feel better.
"But what about the Order? Can we really just leave without saying a word?" asked Yuri.
"Don't worry about that. We can turn in our resignations as early as tomorrow and have it processed in just a day or so. I can handle all the paperwork so you won't have to worry about that. After it gets approved, we can be on our merry way," said Koko as she caressed the back of Yuri's head.
Yuri managed to stop crying and looked up to Koko, giving her a feeble smile as their stares met. "Do you really mean it? We can start a new life somewhere else? Together?" she asked.
Koko gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. "We can. Just say the word and we can be gone by the end of the week," she said.
"I just… don't want to make you feel like you're being forced to do all this for me. I can try and adapt to all this if this is where you truly want to be," said Yuri.
"No, my Darling. Wherever you want to be is where I want to be. So if you don't want to be here, then neither do I," said Koko. "Besides, I know you've tried really hard to get used to this new life already, and for that I'm thankful. So allow me to return the favor by giving you the life you want."
Hearing Koko's words made Yuri tear up once more, though, not out of grief but instead out of hope. "Thank you, my Love. Then please, rescue me from this place as soon as possible," she said, burying her face in Koko's chest.
Koko patted Yuri on the back as she smiled warmly. "As you wish," she said. "Where would you like to go?"
Yuri sat there, thinking about where they would go next. Suddenly, an idea popped into her brain as she remembered something a close friend once told her. "I think I have a place in mind. You handle everything here and I'll arrange plans for our new home," she said.
"Are you going to tell me?" asked Koko, curious as to what Yuri had in mind.
"It's a surprise. Trust me. You're going to love it," said Yuri.
"Is it your old home, Yoitz?" asked Koko.
"Even better," said Yuri, barely able to contain her anticipation.
Koko just smiled at her then gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Okay then. A surprise it is. Now let's get back to sleep. After we wake up, I'll begin putting everything in motion for our departure," she said as she moved back into position on the bed.
Yuri smiled and followed her, returning to her spot next to her in bed, cuddling up close to Koko as she rested her tired eyes.
In the morning, once they awoke from their slumber, Koko got to work arranging for their resignation from the Order. She headed over to the headquarters on Greater Broken Crescent Isle and filled out the appropriate paperwork for both herself and Yuri. Her superiors were disappointed to see her go, but they couldn't stop her; however, in order to severe Yuri's ties to the Order completely, Koko had to agree to be put on reserve status instead of being fully separated. While on reserve status, Koko was able to be recalled to the Order and put back on active status from anywhere and at any time. The chances of that happening were very low, with the only instance of it might actually occurring being in the event of a world-ending crisis. Koko thanked her superiors and left to meet back up with Yuri to tell her the good news.
While Koko was taking care of that, Yuri was writing a letter to her cousin, Karen, to arrange a meeting with Arin so they could talk about potentially moving to Gilderland. She wanted someone to scout ahead and get an idea of what was available before she and Koko arrived there. In the letter, she detailed what she was looking for in a possible property, giving some general preferences. When Yuri and Koko met Arin in person, they'd go into more detail about what they were looking for, making decisions together as a couple so they'd both be happy. Before wrapping up the letter, she gave Arin a rough estimate about the price range they could afford at the moment. It wasn't much, but as long as they found something, they could make it work. Once she was done writing the letter, she sealed it up and dropped it off at the post office in Seaside.
After taking care of business at the headquarters, Koko returned home and met up with Yuri, telling her they could leave in a couple days. In the meantime, she began to clean up the house to make it ready for Kia to move in as its new permanent resident. After several years of keeping it closed off for use, Koko finally managed to open up her mother's bedroom door and stepped inside. Everything was exactly the way she had left it aside from a layer of dust. All her mother's belongings had been put away in the closet and the furniture had been left undisturbed, just as Koko had left it the day her mother had passed away. Koko couldn't help but feel a bit emotional, seeing the empty bed there, but Yuri was there with her, standing beside her as she held her hand to comfort her. After saying a few words for Koko's deceased mother, they went about cleaning the room and moving all of Koko's possessions into there, at least, the things she wasn't going to immediately take with her. They used what space remained in the closet so store things then began placing boxes neatly off to the side in a corner of the room.
Once Koko's room was cleared, they cleaned it up and prepared it for Kia to take over as her own. As soon as it was ready, Yuri and Koko left to tell Kia the good news and she was more than happy to accept the offer. Even though Kia was sad to see Koko go, Koko reassured her that they'd visit the island again and if Kia ever got the chance, she was more than welcome to come visit them. After breaking the news to her, they helped Kia move her things into her new room at Koko's house.
The cleaning of the house and moving of items from Koko's room to her mother's bedroom, then Kia's dorm room to the house, took around a day and a half, so by the time they were done, the paperwork at higher headquarters was also completed. Koko and Yuri were free to leave at their earliest convenience, so when they finally got word, they picked up their bags and began the long journey to the Kingdom of Gilderland.
Along the way, Koko began to grow more curious and asked Yuri where they were headed. "So, I know it's a surprise and all, but is there anything you can tell me about where we're going?" she asked.
"Hmm? You don't trust me or something?" asked Yuri as the two of them walked along down a main road, carrying backpacks and other bags containing a good portion of their belongings.
"No. It's not that. I'm just curious is all," said Koko.
Yuri thought for a moment, trying to think of something to tell her without giving their destination fully away. "Well, it's not an island, but there are places around where you can still swim. There's a big city situated next to a wonderful castle that has everything you could ever want. It doesn't get too hot and there are hardly any bugs around all year long," she said, reminiscing about her homeland.
"Sounds like just the place for you," said Koko with a chuckle. "How do you know of this place? Have you been there before?"
"It's a bit complicated, but yeah. You can say I've been there before…," said Yuri as she hesitated telling Koko more about her past.
"Complicated, huh? This is starting to sound sketchy in my honest opinion," said Koko as she turned her head towards Yuri. "You sure you can't just tell me where we're headed?"
"And ruin the surprise? Oh c'mon, Koko. Just trust me. It's going to be fine," said Yuri.
"All right then," said Koko as she placed her hands in her pockets. After walking for a few minutes in silence, she began probing Yuri for more information. "So what about our new house? How do you plan on taking care of that?" she asked.
"I've got it covered, Koko. Just leave it to me," said Yuri.
Koko then walked over to Yuri's other side as she continued asking questions. "Covered, huh? How so? You suddenly inherit a large sum of money that I'm not aware of?" she asked.
Yuri eyed Koko as she watched her switch sides. "No. I sent a letter to a contact of mine ahead of our arrival. They're going to look into things and take care of it," said Yuri as she started to get slightly annoyed.
"Contact? Like… an assassin buddy of yours?" asked Koko.
Yuri grumbled but kept her composure. "I know other people than just assassins, you know. Take yourself for instance," she said.
Koko playfully gasped, placing a hand to her mouth. "Oh! You mean… like another lover?" she asked before snickering.
Yuri just grumbled again. "You know what I mean," she said.
"So if they're not a friend of yours from the Guild, who are they?" asked Koko.
Yuri was really beginning to get annoyed by Koko's constant pestering, but then she exhaled deeply. She figured if she didn't tell Koko everything before they got to the kingdom, she'd have to do it when they got there anyway. If she waited until then, she'd have to explain everything which would stall them from getting to the real business at hand. After coming to that conclusion, Yuri sighed once more and prepared herself. She then looked to Koko as they walked and held her hand.
"All right. You win. I'll tell you everything," said Yuri.
After feeling Yuri's hand in hers, Koko turned to her and saw the serious expression on her face. "Uh, okay, Darling. I didn't mean to make you ruin the surprise or anything," she said.
Yuri shook her head then gave a smile. "Don't worry. I was going to tell you all this anyway, so I might as well get it all out of the way so we can enjoy ourselves when we get to our destination," she said.
Koko gave a nod then listened intently. "Okay. Go ahead then. I'm listening," she said.
After a bit of apprehension, Yuri finally came clean and told Koko where they were headed, telling her all about her past. She told her about her lineage and royal ties, her uncle's coup and death of her parents, her life as an orphan on the streets and the horrible things she had to endure, her meeting with Monika and her training to become an assassin, and her uncle's assassination and her subsequent refusal of the throne.
Koko had no idea that Yuri had been through so much before meeting her. After hearing everything, she just hugged Yuri close and thanked her for telling her all that, saying that she'd keep her secret close as well. The two of them continued on with their journey and eventually passed Gilderland's border.
As they did, they began to see more trademark signs that they were getting close to the capital. There were golden fields of wheat and rolling hills of green. There was a slight breeze and Yuri could swear she smelled the scent of fresh-baked bread on it. All the sights, sounds, and scents brought a smile to Yuri's face as she began to reminisce about her homeland. Soon enough, they ended up arriving at the capital of the Kingdom of Gilderland.
"Wow, so this- this is your kingdom?" asked Koko as they arrived at the main gate leading into the city.
"Technically, but I gave up my right to rule, so it's not really mine at the moment. But it could be mine if I so choose to take back the throne. How 'bout it, Koko? Wanna be my bride and rule over an entire kingdom together?" asked Yuri with a playful smirk.
Koko smirked as well, shaking her head at her. "I don't think that's my style. It sounds like too much work," she said.
Yuri shrugged as she looked around her surroundings. "Yeah. You're right. But maybe one day…," she said.
"And you think your cousin would just let you have it back?" asked Koko as she followed Yuri inside.
"I'm sure he would. He's nice like that and offered it to me in the first place, but I declined at the time. I'll let him keep it for the time being. I'm not quite ready nor wanting to take the throne for myself," said Yuri as she continued to search for something, or rather, someone.
Koko noticed her scanning the crowds and offered to help. "What are you looking for?" she asked.
"My cousin, Karen, or one of her knights. Arin told me if I ever needed to get in touch with him, I should tell Karen or one of her subordinates a secret passphrase. Then Karen would meet me at a specified location to take me to him," said Yuri.
"How can you tell if a knight is one of your cousin's subordinates?" asked Koko.
"They'd be wearing a special badge signifying them as a member of her special unit. Her subordinates are also all female, so that narrows it down greatly," said Yuri as she continued to walk around, keeping an eye open.
"So what's this phrase you're supposed to tell them?" asked Koko.
Hearing Koko's question, Yuri went over to her and whispered in her ear. "The phrase is: 'the pup is in need of its mother', but don't say it out loud," she said.
The two of them continued searching around and made their way to the more well-off part of town near the castle. Eventually, Yuri spotted one of Karen's knights and turned to Koko. "All right. Found one. I just hope Arin set everything up like he was supposed to," said Yuri as she began walking over to the knight who was casually strolling down the road. Yuri nonchalantly came up beside her and addressed the knight politely. "Um, excuse me, ma'am?" she asked.
Hearing Yuri behind her, the knight turned around and faced her. "Yes? How can I be of service?" asked the knight. She was a human named Natasha and she was fully clad in Royal Guard armor with a longsword sheathed at her side.
Yuri gave her a welcoming smile then came closer to her. "The pup is in need of its mother," she said quietly before withdrawing.
Natasha eyed Yuri closely then gave a slight nod. "Head to the rendezvous point. Princes Karen will meet you there," she said before hurrying off to relay the message to her commander.
Yuri was worried at first, but once the knight acknowledged and left, she relaxed. "Well, you heard the lady. To the rendezvous point," said Yuri to Koko as they headed towards a specific tavern within the city.
"Does she know who you are? She seemed to be off in a hurry," said Koko as she followed alongside Yuri.
"I don't think so," said Yuri. "It was just probably the fact that the phrase was arranged by the king personally, so she must've guessed it was related to something very important."
"Oh. But your cousin, Karen, knows. Right?" asked Koko.
"Yeah. She knows. She's going to help us get into the castle to meet with Arin. Though, I haven't seen her in years," said Yuri.
"Then how's she supposed to recognize you?" asked Koko.
"Oh, she'll recognize me. We spent a lot of time together in our youth," said Yuri.
"Were you two close?" asked Koko.
"Uh, not exactly. I was close with Arin, but Karen- not so much. We didn't exactly see eye-to-eye," said Yuri as she remembered all the times she and Karen fought as children.
"So it's like that, huh? Do you think we can trust her then?" asked Koko.
"Yeah. We should be all right. She's the Captain of the Royal Guard, after all. And she's also Arin's sister, so she wouldn't do anything to make him angry, since he's the king and all," said Yuri.
Soon enough, Yuri and Koko arrived at the appointed rendezvous site and went inside. They found an empty table off to the side and sat down, waiting for Karen to arrive. While they waited, Yuri told Koko a bit more about the city and things to do and see around it. Eventually, Yuri heard a familiar voice as a knight fully clad in armor came over to them.
"So… she wasn't kidding. You really are here," said Karen as she stood by the table in front of Yuri and Koko.
Yuri looked to the knight and saw a human woman standing there with short, blonde hair and blue eyes. She had on the same armor as Natasha, only a bit more ornately decorated which signified her position as Captain of the Royal Guard.
"Hello, Princess Karen. Good to see you too," said Yuri.
Karen just gave her a smirk then looked to the two knights accompanying her, one of which was Natasha. The other knight was a female human by the name of Marianne. She was Karen's second-in-command and best friend. She had the same armor as Natasha and wielded a halberd.
"All right, cuff her," said Karen as she motioned to Yuri. She then looked to Koko and asked, "This one with you?"
"Yeah. She's with me," said Yuri as she calmly allowed Marianne to arrest her, having a pair of manacles secured on her wrists in front of her.
Koko gave Yuri a concerned look but she just held out her hands, reassuring her that it was going to be okay. Koko then looked to Natasha and held out her wrists, allowing the knight to cuff her as well using a pair of iron manacles. Once Yuri and Koko were restrained, the knights lifted them to their feet and led them out of the tavern. Yuri was at the front of the group with Karen beside her while Koko and Marianne followed behind them with Natasha picking up the rear.
"So, why come back home after all this time?" asked Karen as she looked to Yuri.
"Just calling in a favor," said Yuri as she kept her attention forward, not wanting to look at Karen. "I assume you got my letter?"
Seeing that Yuri wasn't going to face her, Karen scoffed at her then looked forward as well. "Seems you haven't changed, your majesty," said Karen in a sarcastic manner. "And yes. I received your letter. I passed it on to Arin as you had requested."
Yuri glanced at Karen momentarily out of the corner of her eye then looked back forward. "…thank you," she said.
"Yeah, well don't get used to this. I'm only being nice because it was only through certain circumstances, in which only a few of us are privy too, that the last king was suddenly relieved of his title, allowing Arin to be crowned king," said Karen.
"So… he told you about that?" asked Yuri.
"Of course. Who else was going to cover it up?" said Karen.
"Is that what happened?" asked Yuri.
"Yeah. Made it seem like a guard still loyal to your father carried out the assassination," said Karen. "
"Well, thank you again," said Yuri.
"Oh please. It was Arin's idea anyway. I just did as I was commanded," said Karen.
As they were catching up on things, Karen led the group to the castle and entered using a side-entrance that led down into the dungeon. Once they were inside, Karen dismissed her escort which left her alone with Yuri and Koko inside the detention in-processing area.
"Okay, so you're taking us to Arin now, right?" asked Yuri as she stood in front of Karen with her wrists still cuffed together.
Karen grinned then snapped her fingers. "Not quite," she said as Natasha and Marianne returned, each of them holding a set of prison clothes.
Yuri watched them enter then glared at Karen. "You can't be serious," she said.
"Sorry. I'm a slave to appearances," said Karen with a devious smirk. "Now, if you'd be so kind…" Natasha and Marianne approached Yuri and Koko and dropped the clothes on the floor in front of them. They then unlocked their manacles before stepping back beside Karen.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Yuri as she stood there, refusing to change into the prison garb.
Seeing Yuri's reluctance to strip and change, Karen just smiled. "Ladies…," she said, looking to her knights beside her. Natasha and Marianne gave a nod in acknowledgement then drew their weapons, keeping them pointed at Yuri and Koko. "Let's just say I haven't forgotten what you did to me back when we were kids," said Karen as she held her hands behind her. "My teeth… were black… for a month!"
Yuri smirked, remembering the prank that caused that as well. "If I do recall, Arin was in on it as well," she said.
"But you were the mastermind behind it all. Because of that, the other girls never let me live it down! They always made fun of me whenever they could," said Karen. Natasha and Marianne exchanged confused looks then refocused on Yuri and Koko.
"Well, we were kids, so I'm sorry if the little prank affected you this badly," said Yuri, anxious to get this all over with and meet with Arin. "Now, can we get going? I've got business to attend to."
Karen sneered at her, stepping forward and aggressively gesturing to her. "If you want to leave, then you know what to do. Strip down and change into the damn prison clothes. Then my knights will cuff you again and I'll escort you to the meeting personally," she said, glaring directly at Yuri.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Yuri sneered at her then gave in to her demands. She looked to Koko who was following her lead and gave a nod. The two of them then began to remove their belongings and put them on the tables beside them in an orderly fashion. After that, they stripped down until they were bare then slipped into the prison garb laid out for them. As she was watching, Karen sneered at Yuri under her breath after seeing that she had bigger breasts than her even though Yuri was younger than she was. Once Yuri and Koko were dressed in their new outfits, the manacles were placed back on their wrists. Karen then dismissed her knights once more before leading Yuri and Koko up into the castle proper.
The three of them walked through the castle corridors until they were brought to a large room with a table situated in the center. Around the table were several chairs which were all vacant. Karen had Yuri and Koko sit down at one end while she left to go get Arin. While they waited, Yuri and Koko chatted amongst themselves.
"I can see why you don't like this cousin of yours," said Koko as she sat beside Yuri. "But what was that about her having black teeth?"
Yuri chuckled, remembering what she and Arin did to her long ago. "It was only supposed to be a simple prank. I dared Arin to put ink in Karen's tea, and when she drank it, it dyed her teeth black for a month, I guess," she said.
"Hmm. Something tells me she may not have forgotten that," said Koko as she looked herself over while also raising her manacled wrists.
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Yuri with a smile.
Just as Koko was about to speak, the door to the room opened as Arin and Karen entered. As the two came inside and closed the door, Arin looked to Yuri and Koko with a puzzled look.
"Okay. What in the world is this?" asked Arin as he looked to Karen who had just closed the door.
"What?" asked Karen as she stood beside him, looking to Yuri with a coy smile. "It's just Yuri and her, uh, friend."
Arin pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before motioning to Yuri with his hand. "Why… are they wearing prison rags and bound in manacles?" he asked.
"Rags? That's kinda mean. I'd like to think our standard-issue prison garb is of much better quality than other places," said Karen as she looked to her brother. Seeing his aggravated expression, she looked back to Yuri. "What? They came through the dungeon so I couldn't just break protocol because she's our cousin now, can I?"
Arin let out an exasperated sigh and turned to Karen. "Okay, before we continue, I want you to retrieve all their belongings and clothes and bring them here," he said as he opened the door. "And not a single thing better be missing."
Karen gave him a cross expression but Arin wasn't budging in his command. She then looked to Yuri and sneered at her before leaving to get their things. Once she was gone, Arin closed the door and turned to Yuri and Koko.
"Sorry 'bout that. Guess she hasn't changed much, has she?" said Arin.
"It's nothing I can't handle. She's just upset about the tea thing," said Yuri as she stood up to greet her cousin. She walked over to him and gave him a hug, though her wrists were still cuffed together which made it a bit awkward.
After giving her a hug, Arin looked over to Koko. "And who's this you have with you?" he asked, giving her a welcoming smile.
Koko flinched then promptly stood up, never having met royalty before. "Oh, um! Me? Koko! I'm Koko," she said as she hurried over to shake his hand. She stood beside Yuri and gave his hand a firm shake, slightly bowing her head as she was completely flustered and unprepared for such a casual interaction with a king.
"Koko is it? And who are you to my dear cousin? A friend?" asked Arin after shaking Koko's hand.
As Koko choked on her words, Yuri came to her rescue and placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's actually my girlfriend," said Yuri, giving Koko a calming smile.
Just then, the door opened as Karen and Marianne came in, carrying Yuri's and Koko's belongings in two separate boxes. Karen just barged in while Marianne politely excused herself in the presence of the king. After dropping off the boxes, Arin shooed Karen and her subordinate out as he followed after them, allowing Yuri and Koko to change back into their normal clothes in peace. Before leaving, Marianne unlocked the manacles on their wrists then left the room with Arin and Karen.
Once they had the room to themselves, Yuri let out an embarrassed sigh. "I'm sorry your initial visit to Gilderland has been… odd at best," she said as she began changing back into her previous outfit.
Koko smiled as she set aside the prison garb and began getting dressed in her own clothes. "It's not so bad. It only gets better from here, right?" she said. "By the way, did you happen to catch Karen's scowl as she watched you change into the prison clothes?"
"She what? Why was she watching me change? Weird," said Yuri as she looked to Koko.
"Maybe she was just jealous of how much you've grown? You did say you haven't seen her in a long time, so maybe she was just jealous of your… um, chest? Even though she was wearing armor, I could tell she wasn't packing much," said Koko.
"My chest? Oh, you mean… these?" said Yuri as she caressed her breasts in her hands, giving Koko a sultry look.
Koko blushed as she looked away, focusing on getting changed before Arin and Karen came back. After they were done getting changed, Yuri knocked on the door to signal that they were done. They then sat back down in their spots at the table as Arin and Karen entered back into the room, sitting across from them. Arin had a smile on his face while Karen had cooled off somewhat during the wait.
"All right, down to business," said Arin after sitting down. "I read your letter. So it seems you want to come back home and- Um, before we continue, I assume Koko here knows everything about you as well?"
"Yeah. She's privy to everything so don't worry about that," said Yuri.
Arin cleared his throat and continued on. "Very good. So, you're planning to relocate to Gilderland? Is this a temporary thing or something more permanent?" he asked.
Yuri looked to Koko then to Arin. "Hopefully permanently. Koko and I are looking to settle down somewhere, so I figured why not here? You did say I'd always have a place to call home if I ever wanted to return, right?" she said.
"That I did," said Arin as he recalled their meeting after his coronation. He then took out a stack of papers from a bag on the floor and placed them on the table. "And I think I already have something picked out that you might like."
Arin then showed Yuri and Koko a map of the capital and the surrounding area. He had his people do some scouting and found a perfect spot in the countryside for their new home. There were a couple of acres of land situated on top of a hill that was unoccupied and in a prime location. It was far enough away from the city to offer a fair amount of privacy, but not too much so to become a hassle to get to and from the city and the property. Arin saw that Yuri and Koko were skeptical, so he took out another piece of paper with a close up of the property. He had his civil engineers draw up some plans of what the property would look like using Yuri's input from the letter. Of course, it was just a generic blueprint and Yuri and Koko could personalize it more at a later time, but Arin just wanted to give them a visualization of what it would all look like on the property.
As Yuri and Koko took the piece of paper from him to look over, they were immediately amazed. The property had a main house the size of a small mansion with two stories, a basement, and an attic. Next to it, there was a modest, one-story guesthouse and across from it was a small swimming lap-pool, which Yuri specifically said in her letter that she wanted; it was a surprise for Koko. In the middle between it all was a large fountain that seemed to have a bronze fox statue in the center of it. The main estate was walled off with a brick perimeter wall and secured by a single iron gate at the front. Even though the blueprints were lacking details in order to allow for customization later on, Yuri and Koko were thoroughly impressed so far.
After looking the papers over, Yuri glanced over to Arin with a regretful expression. "This is amazing but- I don't think we'll be able to afford all this. I told you our budget in the letter and figured we'd only be able to afford maybe- a small house in the commoner district or something," she said.
Arin just gave her a smile and said, "Nonsense. Think of this as a gift, one fit for royalty."
"A gift?" asked Yuri.
Arin nodded. "Indeed. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to claim the crown… even if it was by less than ideal circumstances. But regardless, I owe you a great amount of debt and also wanted to apologize for what happened to you and your parents," he said.
Yuri shook her head. "It's okay, Arin. It wasn't as if it was your fault that it happened. It was our uncle's fault and he paid the price for it. I made damn sure of that," she said.
"Even so, it was a travesty what happened to you and we all thought you were dead. This is the least the kingdom and I can do to make up for all the pain and suffering you had to endure over the years. This way, you can hopefully live comfortably and happily like you were supposed to," said Arin.
"So, we won't have to pay for anything?" asked Koko who was growing more enthusiastic by the second. Yuri then gave her a sharp look and elbowed her in the arm, not wanting her to take the gift so eagerly.
"Certainly. The property, house, and all the furnishings will be free of charge, courtesy of the people of Gilderland who still mourn your parents' death. You'll also be given tax-exempt status as well," said Arin.
"Are you sure that's okay? I mean, I don't want the people to suffer in the slightest if they're paying for all this," said Yuri.
"The kingdom is prospering, no thanks to you. Arin has done a fine job of running it in your stead," said Karen as she crossed her arms.
Arin gave his sister an annoyed glance then looked to Yuri. "I would've phrased it a bit more delicately, but she's right. The kingdom has never been more financially secure. The royal bank can more than afford it all without it impacting the people," he said. "Oh, and what do you two plan on doing regarding work?"
Yuri and Koko exchanged clueless looks then shrugged. "Haven't really thought about that yet," said Yuri.
Arin smirked as he took note of that on a piece of paper. "In that case, you will each be given a monthly stipend to spend at your leisure. I haven't decided on the amount, but it should be more than enough to cover whatever it is you need. That way, you don't have to worry about working another day in your life, that is, if you don't want to. I can't force you to take it easy, but I could rest easier knowing my cousin wasn't endangering herself by continuing on as an assassin," he said.
Yuri could hardly believe the news. "That's- That's so generous of you! I mean, if we can, Koko and I could help out around the castle. Right, Koko?" asked Yuri as she looked to her.
"Um, sure. If you need someone to swing a sword, I guess I can help," said Koko, unsure of how she could be of service to the Kingdom of Gilderland.
"Duly noted," said Arin. "Now, I've already had workers begin prepping the site for construction, but if you want to add some input, I can get you in contact with the project manager. He's the one you want to talk to about adding specifics to the blueprints. But all that can wait, if you'd prefer. It'll take a few more days before they're even ready to begin construction. In the meantime, let's get you checked in to the hotel where you'll be staying until the construction is complete. You two must've had a long journey to get here, so I'll give you some time to relax before continuing with this venture. Karen will escort you to the Grand Marquis Hotel and take care of everything." Arin then stood up and looked to his sister. "You will take care of them, right? No more funny business," he said, looking her in the eye.
Karen rolled her eyes and stood up as well. "Yes, of course. I'll take care of them," she said with a reluctant tone.
"Good," said Arin as he turned to Yuri and Koko, giving them a slight bow. "Until next time, ladies. If you ever need anything else, just let Karen know and I will attend to it as soon as I can." He then opened the door and left to return to his kingly duties, leaving Yuri and Koko alone with Karen.
"All right, you two. Let's get going. I don't intend to spend the rest of my day pampering to your every whim," said Karen as she held the door open. "This way, your majesty."
Yuri ignored Karen's sarcasm and got up, making her way out of the room along with Koko. Karen then led them out of the castle back through the dungeon and into the city. After a short walk through the more affluent part of the city, they arrived at the Grand Marquis Hotel, the best hotel within the kingdom. Karen chauffeured them inside and approached the front desk to check them in. She talked with the attendant there and told her that Yuri and Koko were royal guests. They were to be treated as such, so the hotel offered them the best suite they had available. Karen told them that the crown would take care of the bill then turned back to Yuri and Koko.
"Okay, it's all taken care of. Just don't get into any trouble, all right? If you need anything, just find one of my knights," said Karen as she began to walk away.
Before she got too far away, Yuri called out to her, "Hey, Kar- Er, Princess Karen."
Karen stopped midway to the exit then turned around. "What?" she asked through gritted teeth.
Yuri let out a sigh then turned fully towards her. "I'm really sorry about the whole ink thing," she said as sincerely as she could.
Karen just looked at her then turned back around, leaving the hotel and heading outside.
Koko walked up beside Yuri and placed a hand on her shoulder. "She'll be fine. I'm sure she appreciates the apology, even though it came a few years too late. But still. Better late than never," she said.
"I suppose," said Yuri as she went back over to the front desk.
When Yuri retrieved their room key, the attendant also let them know that all the hotel's services were at their disposal, meaning they had unlimited room service. Yuri gave her a polite smile and thanked her for the hospitality. She then went with Koko upstairs to unwind after a long day of traveling and abnormal reunions. When they arrived in front of their room, Yuri unlocked the door using the key the attendant gave her and stepped inside.
Immediately upon entering, Yuri and Koko were taken aback by how lavish everything inside was. They started to wander around, looking at the room's décor and the elegant furniture that populated its interior. Everything from the tables and chairs to the king-sized bed were expertly crafted with high-quality materials and sophistically decorated. Even though Yuri had briefly lived a life as royalty, she was still amazed by the luxurious amenities surrounding her in the room. She found an empty chair and took off her backpack, setting it there along with her sword and satchel. Koko continued into the bedroom and set her things down on a bench there, giving the bed a keen look.
"This is pretty amazing, isn't it?" asked Yuri as she made her way into the bedroom, coming up behind Koko.
"Simply spectacular. I can't thank you enough for setting all this up and working with your cousins to make it all possible. I never would have guessed this could be possible for us," said Koko as she turned to Yuri.
Yuri smiled then gave Koko a hug, holding her close. "I'm just glad we can be together," she said, relieved that they were in Gilderland. She was also thankful she no longer had to hide her past from Koko, removing a significant weight from her shoulders. "I love you, Koko."
The simple yet powerful phrase tugged strongly at Koko's heartstrings as she then wrapped her arms around Yuri as well. "I love you too," she said.