Everything inside the barracks was much the same as they had left it: people milled about in rooms and hallways of the first two floors. Andromeda thought she heard music in a few distant rooms. As celebratory as they were supposed to be, there was not enough noise to make a real party. No one seemed to have noticed that the two women had gone off and hid somewhere for awhile.
She wasn't sure where exactly the beer was. No one had said that she couldn't drink.
"I'm going to find another beer," Andromeda told Luna. It wasn't something the princess would want to tag along for.
Luna gave a nod and parted from her as they came to the first floor. She went on ahead down the hall. Andromeda proceeded slowly, glancing about in the rooms for sight of Suman or Hira. The latter would show her where the alcohol was. Yet as she came across the room where the card game had been, she only saw Glaives in there now.
She suspected the beer would be kept in the kitchen, and made her way down the hall. Before she could enter the kitchen, however, Klahan came through the doorway, his hands empty.
He gave her a harsh look. "I've been looking for you. Suman wants to talk to you."
Without further explanation, he turned and started walking away. Andromeda kept up with him. "I thought you guys were playing cards."
"We were killing time."
Klahan took her into the mess hall. The whole Galahdian delegation had returned, and was standing off to the side, further away from the kitchen. Quite a few people had remained in the mess hall, rather than move into marginally more comfortable lounge rooms. Many Glaives mingled about, all off-duty.
Suman and Hira both had beers in hand, while Kalpana had a glass of wine—proving Andromeda's suspicion about the kitchen entrance. They all turned their attention away from the room and towards Andromeda and Klahan as they approached them.
Narayan was still with them. Andromeda looked him over. "It's getting late. You should think about bed."
The boy scowled. "I'm not a child."
"He has a point," Kalpana agreed. "It's been an important day for us all."
Suman nodded and glanced at Andromeda. "Now that independence has been given, we must discuss your oath. Sonam's original stipulation is not feasible to honor. He played a trick on you."
Andromeda didn't see it as a trick at all. She looked between all of them warily.
"Helping us get independence should be enough," Hira added, appearing unusually bright-eyed.
"Sonam had mentioned a couple of times sending you to Tenebrae if we had ever won, to help them fight too," Klahan recalled.
Sonam had mentioned it to her before—Andromeda had rejected the notion then, too. After what she had seen, she had had no intention of returning to Tenebrae.
"Tenebrae is already independent. There wasn't even a fight there," She told them.
Klahan countered. "From talking with Gobaed, your people don't seem to favor their new king too much."
Gobaed was some distance away in the mess hall as well. He was in conversation with Dave and the old woman accompanying him. They stood apart from Ravus, the Tenebraen official, and Luna. It appeared that everyone else in the room was far enough away to not hear this conversation. They didn't pay the group any mind.
"The Morrigals should not be independent from the south," Andromeda said. Gobaed had said they were a small population.
"While we appreciate what you've done for us, there is little you can do among us, because you are foreign," Kalpana explained. "Ending the oath and handing you off to your people will be an important olive branch to develop a strong relationship. Besides, what use do we have for you now?"
Andromeda didn't like this at all, yet she was outnumbered. Even Hira seemed on board with it. They had always planned on sticking together, although things were complicated between them now.
Throughout the past two years, Andromeda had always believed that no matter what happened, she could go back to Galahd. Her oath with Sonam would give her some certainty and purpose. Everything had been worse than she had imagined there, but she had still had the oath to give her some direction. Without it, she would have nothing to lean on.
She looked at Narayan again. "Are you okay with this?"
He was the keeper of the oath: he had the final say, no matter what Suman would assume.
The boy gave a nod, but his tone was depressed. "It's not like you'll disappear forever."
"I won't," Andromeda agreed. "You have my phone number."
Suman nodded in approval as she gave in. "We should make it official, then." He looked to Klahan. "Bring Gobaed over here."
The young man crossed the room to the head hunter and the Morrigal. Andromeda stood near Suman as they watched the two men take notice of Klahan after a moment. With a brief word, Klahan led Gobaed over to them. The older man eyed the group warily, but offered a smile to them.
"Hello again," Suman greeted. They had already spoken with him earlier in the evening, when Andromeda had been lectured by Aulea.
"Is there something I can do for you?" Gobaed asked, his tone friendly.
"There is something we can do for you," The other man replied. He gestured to Andromeda. "You and she are of the same people. Yet she has been bound to my family in Galahd for some time. She has served us well, and with her help we have come here to gain our freedom. For this, we're all in agreement that she has completed the stipulations of her bond with us as well. We would like to return her to her people."
Gobaed glanced around at them again. An understanding crossed his face. He became eager.
"Of course. We will gladly take her back," He said. "Thank you all for taking Andromeda in and helping her on her way."
"The Galahdians once had contact with Morrigals," Klahan brought up. "We supported one another as empires invaded our lands."
"I hope such an alliance can resume under more peaceful circumstances now," Gobaed replied.
He and Suman stepped closer to shake hands. The deal was sealed. The oath was ended.
"Andromeda has always acted honorably. She brings much credit to her people," Kalpana added. "She will be a valuable asset to you."
Her words came off a little strange, but Andromeda understood her implication: they expected her to rally the Morrigals against the rest of Tenebrae. She had no intentions of doing that.
Suman glanced at her and nodded his head towards Gobaed. Andromeda stepped over to the other man, unsure of what this meant for her now. She assumed she would still sleep in the room with the Galahdians—it was too late now to change room assignments. She was still uncertain about Gobaed.
"Do you accept all of this?" He asked, noticing her trepidation.
"I do," She confirmed.
He grinned, and it seemed to take up much of his face. "Welcome back. I wish it was actually in our homeland, under better conditions. You must come visit the other Morrigals when we've finished here." He glanced at the others. "You're all more than welcome to come as well."
"We will, if such travel is permitted for us," Kalpana promised. "But it seems that we will be restricted to our assigned bases."
"It doesn't appear to be the case for the Glaives and hunters," Gobaed acknowledged. "I was just speaking with the leader of the hunters. They have plenty of game in this land."
"You need a license to hunt in Lucis," Andromeda mentioned. "But yes, hunters have some freedom to go where they want. Glaives go where they are assigned."
"Where we come from, once a child does their First Hunt, they can hunt as they please," Gobaed said, pride in his voice.
"We have a First Hunt, too," Hira spoke up. "We made sure Andromeda completed hers. Ten years late, but better late that never."
The older man looked at Andromeda with interest again. She obliged to tell the story of her two-day hunt that ended with a snake.
They all continued to talk for some time. People began to leave the mess hall as it became later, in search of their beds. Narayan and Suman were among the first to leave.
Andromeda managed to get a second beer, which helped to calm her nerves again. She took some time to comprehend that the bond was over. She didn't want it to be over: it had given her a place, an obligation, a duty, and protection most of all. All of those were gone now. She didn't know what Gobaed would have her do. Galahd had always acted as a nation, even if its freedom had just been granted. The Morrigals were just loosely organized backwoods people that somewhat governed themselves separately from the rest of Tenebrae—if it could be called governance.
Now that Andromeda had been handed over, it wouldn't take long for others to learn that the unbreakable bond had been ended. She didn't want to face Aulea. Thankfully, she didn't see the older woman all night.
When it seemed appropriate, Andromeda took her leave of the mess hall. It was very late. Most people that she wanted to avoid had probably already turned in.
"Andromeda!"
As she passed one of the lounge rooms, Hira's voice called her back. The other woman had slipped away a little earlier. Andromeda hadn't followed her then because she hadn't wanted to be alone with her.
She entered the room to find her seated at a small table with Aranea's two henchmen. A tall bottle of clear liquid stood on the table between them. They were in the middle of another card game. Hira had had a couple more drinks than Andromeda while in the mess hall, and she wasn't hiding her hand very well.
"You have to try some of this!" She insisted. "It's so much stronger than what they've been giving out all night."
Andromeda believed it. Only domestic Lucian beer had been offered all night. It was not very strong stuff. Even the few drinks Hira had had did not get her this drunk.
"I shouldn't," Andromeda began.
The man in the white trench coat slid the bottle towards her. "C'mon. I want to see you handle your liquor."
The right thing to do was to get Hira off to bed before she made a fool of herself. To do that, Andromeda would need a stiff drink.
She opened the bottle and took a large swig. The vodka seared her mouth and throat, all the way down to her stomach. She barely set the bottle back onto the table before the room turned sideways, and suddenly she fell on her ass on the floor.
Hira and the two men broke out in loud laughter. Andromeda couldn't help but laugh herself. She had never drank anything so strong to knock her down, much less anything made by Nifs. It was still awful, but at least it did something.
"Finally," Hira exclaimed. "About time you stopped being miserable!"
A sharp pain in her neck woke Andromeda. Her head pounded—the lights seemed brighter. The heaviness on her chest turned out to be Hira's head. Both women were slouched on a couch.
Her tongue felt too thick in her dry mouth. Though her head felt too heavy, Andromeda lifted it slightly anyway. She pulled her phone from her pocket. They had slept in.
Aranea's men were still in the room as well, both slouched over the table. Cards were scattered all about the floor. The tall bottle—now empty—had gotten knocked onto the floor at some point in the night. Andromeda didn't remember that part, but some things came back to her.
Her stomach gave a sudden lurch. She shoved Hira off of herself and dashed for the nearest bathroom. She heard the other woman drop to the floor and groan loudly behind her.
Hira followed her soon after. When it seemed that they were both finished vomiting, they cleaned themselves up as best as possible. Everyone was gone from their assigned room when they retrieved clean clothes from their packs. After showers, Andromeda and Hira looked mostly rested, which wasn't the truth at all.
Most everyone was finished with breakfast when they finally showed up in the mess hall. Andromeda had some herbs in her bag that helped with hangover, and only took two cups of hot water from the kitchen. She poured the herbs in both and handed one cup to Hira. The other woman went to the food line. Andromeda did not feel ready yet to try to stomach food.
She took a moment to scan the mess hall, then made for the table where Suman and the rest of the Galahdian delegation sat. She only took a few steps before noticing a man in white walk through the door and step into her path.
"May I have a word with you?" Ravus asked quietly.
Neither his expression nor his tone indicated any hostility, yet he had an expectant look. He remained planted in her way. Andromeda couldn't come up with a reason to refuse him. Judging from his face, it was not an option.
"Fine," She said.
No sooner had she acceded did Ravus turn around and walk out. She followed him.
She was surprised it was not Aulea requesting a word with her; in her glance around the mess hall, she had spotted the queen mother speaking with Luna. Andromeda didn't know if she had heard what had happened the night before. Aulea would at least scold Andromeda for getting so drunk at such an important meeting. Andromeda felt bad enough about it already.
Ravus led her into a vacant lounge room. Once she walked inside, he closed the door. When he turned to face her, he held out his hand.
"Let us have a truce," He said.
Andromeda looked at his hand skeptically, then his face. His natural expression was always some form of displeasure, and gave nothing away.
"What for?" She asked.
Ravus frowned, but kept most of the irritation from his voice. "We have been at odds since the moment we met. It's in everyone's best interest that we put that aside now. Even yours."
She didn't appreciate him assuming what was for her best interest. She especially didn't like that he was right. Andromeda couldn't afford any more enemies.
She shook his hand. "It doesn't mean much when there aren't any witnesses."
He only continued to frown. "You are well-regarded among the Morrigals. Their relation with the throne has always been tenuous, and it's only gotten worse after my mother's death. I plan to restore it, yet I know they do not trust me."
"You did join the Empire," Andromeda pointed out.
"It was the best option for Tenebrae," Ravus asserted. "If I hadn't, the Empire would have been harsher."
From what she had seen, he was probably right about that, too: the Imperials apparently had been long gone from Galthaeus, once the village had rebuilt itself. Aside from the immediate area around Fenestala Manor, Andromeda hadn't seen any Imperial troops in her brief visit to Tenebrae a few years ago.
"I would like your help engaging with the Morrigals," He said. "I don't doubt they will be intrigued by your involvement with the Galahdians. It might have worked out for them, but it will not for the Morrigals."
"Right," She had to agree.
It would be futile especially now: the Morrigals were few in number. They had always venerated the Oracle like all of Tenebrae; it wasn't worth the trouble to cede because of one terrible king's reign. If they had lasted through the Empire, they could endure Ravus, for however long he would live this time.
"What would you have me do?" She asked.
Andromeda was leery of committing to this. Yet it dawned on her that in being handed over to Gobaed, she had joined the Tenebraen delegation, led by Ravus. She might have been released to the Morrigals, but she was a subject under him.
"You would work alongside Gobaed to keep the Morrigals in order and safe. You would keep me informed of their activities and plans," He explained.
"I'll be spying for you, then."
Another frown of disapproval. "It is without ill intent."
Andromeda considered it. It wasn't as though she would have much of a choice: she would be with the Morrigals regardless. Ravus was right to assume they might be encouraged to seek independence themselves; Klahan and Kalpana might have already given the idea to Gobaed. It would be awkward when she tried to convince the Morrigals that it would be wrong now. They needed the throne's help. Andromeda doubted she would receive it when she was caught and ousted by the Morrigals—if they didn't kill her.
If it hadn't been for Luna's pleas for her brother, Ravus would be dead right now. She would be queen in his place—a better alternative to what they had now. There were others that could have been brought back instead. Andromeda kept her regret of her part in Ravus's revival as one of her closest secrets. If it ever came out, he would hear it from her herself.
She glanced at his prosthetic arm. It was more subtle than his previous one, fitting into his coat sleeve. Again, Andromeda had to wonder how much he had actually helped refugees in Tenebrae, while reconnecting with Imperial doctors and recovering from such a surgery. Yet hadn't she also pursued her own goals once she had set foot in Galahd?
"Alright," She finally agreed. Now she technically worked for Ravus.
"Thank you," He sounded genuine; the slight bitterness that was in his tone was always there.
She wasn't sure what was more surprising: his tone, or his gratitude. She put it out of her mind.
"Do I have to sit through the meetings today?" She asked.
Andromeda hoped not: clearly she had caused enough problems in the previous meeting, and had nothing to contribute herself. She had no title nor office, nor was she military. She was just a plebeian. There was no point in her being there, and she was hungover. Surely now that she was being so amenable to Ravus, he would oblige her of this.
He gave it a moment of shrewd consideration. "Yes. We'd best get to it."
Andromeda scowled as she followed him out of the room to reconvene with everyone else. She took a large sip of her tea. This was not her day.
Luna was elated to have Andromeda sit next to her during the meeting—she was no longer the only woman of that corner of the table. Andromeda, of course, did not share her, nor Gobaed's, enthusiasm. Her hangover made the meeting seem to last forever, and it was pointless for her to sit through it. It was all menial stuff to her: allocation of resources, what each outpost was responsible for, the capacities of each outpost and town, and who was going to be in charge of each place. The latter two remained undecided. The talk of defense was somewhat interesting, as was the discussion of what was to be done with the bases. Noctis handled the majority of the meeting fine, but clearly Ignis was the better speaker.
Andromeda's mood improved when the meeting finally ended for lunch, and she learned that it would be the last meeting for awhile. A majority of those assembled planned to go to Lestallum next, and she assumed she would be taken along. She hoped she would not have to come back for any more meetings of this sort.
Once she had eaten a sandwich and drank another cup of tea, and Luna left her alone, she was in an even better mood. It dampened slightly as she saw Crowe and her friends come into the mess hall rather late for the lunch rush, having just come off of watch duty. Andromeda lingered in her seat, carefully glancing in their direction when she thought they wouldn't notice. She pretending to be listening to a nearby conversation between some Glaives.
She had promised Luna she would talk to Crowe. It had been a whole month since they had really talked. She wasn't going to become any more ready than she felt at the moment. She mulled over how she would even start the conversation. Luckily, no one had really told her to do anything. After the meeting, Ravus hadn't stuck around with everyone else.
Eventually, Andromeda had been sitting there too long. She looked suspicious. She decided to talk a walk somewhere that wasn't the mess hall. Wandering would help her think.
She stepped outside. Glaives went about on the ground between the buildings, going about their orders. On the high walls of the base, two Glaives stood looking out to the surroundings. She wondered where they had all come from.
When Andromeda noticed Cor walking in her general direction, she didn't think much of it until he was much closer. It was then clear that he was walking to her. By that point, there was nothing she could go off to do, nor anyone to talk to. She was cornered.
He stopped before her. His expression was neutral, but she remained guarded.
"Do you have a moment?" Cor asked.
Andromeda couldn't lie when he had watched her stand idly for a minute. "Yes."
"I want to show you something."
He turned around and began walking back to the administration building. Andromeda followed cautiously. She tensed, expecting another reprimand like Aulea's from the captain of the Kingsglaive. At least Cor similarly would do it in private. Yet his shoulders were relaxed and his tone had been amicable, as though he held no resentment towards her. It could be a ploy, but she doubted he was one for deceit. She was intrigued to see what this would be about.
He took her to the office he had claimed for himself. It looked the same as before, with the big desk and simple fold-out chairs. Cor went behind the desk and took something out of one of the drawers. He came back around the desk and held it out for Andromeda to take. It was an ankle bracelet. Her heart sank at the sight of it.
"I want you to have this," Cor said. "We found it while digging around here. I had Prompto tweak its radius to be as small as possible. It isn't anything more than an arm's length. You're the best judge of when you're about to lose control, so you should have it. You don't have to wear it all the time. Only when you feel you need to."
His expression did not change. Andromeda reluctantly took the ankle bracelet, expecting a trick. He only let his hand drop when it was empty.
"Thanks," She said warily.
"It still has a tracker in it," Cor explained. "When you turn it on, we'll be notified and someone will be sent to you. The battery should last you several hours."
She had almost forgotten that he had found one of these bracelets. Of course, she wasn't supposed to know he had. It was unexpected, though: Andromeda had anticipated he would force it on her, to always wear. It was a little surprising that he hadn't when she first arrived in this base.
Sonam had once suggested keeping one of these ankle bracelets on hand. She had rejected it sharply, and had him throw it away and destroy it. Only Niflheim had had them then—they had used them to keep track of her, and shock her when she didn't obey. Now the Empire was practically defunct. The Lucians would be able to track her as well, but only when she wanted them to.
Tension had been building for Andromeda since everything had gone down in Galahd, and only escalated as she had come here. They couldn't afford any of her slip-ups. Cor was trusting her to stop them from happening. She had never thought of finding a way to stop them—they seemed inevitable.
Yet she was reluctant to ever wear the ankle bracelet again. Only bad things happened when she had before. It was humiliating. At least it wasn't the neck collar.
"I'll keep it close," Andromeda said.
Cor gave a nod of approval, then his brow furrowed. "A Glaive will be assigned to you before we leave in the morning."
She had seen that coming. There were probably so many eyes around here keeping watch that there was no need for an escort for her. She just hoped it wouldn't be Crowe. She nodded in return.
"That's all," Cor told her. "You can go."
Andromeda left at that. She tucked the bracelet deep into her bag.
