Louise flinched as Siesta dabbed the healing ointment on her sunburns. Then she sighed in relief as the soothing cream took effect. "Thanks." She wrinkled her nose as the itching started up again. "You have anything for the peeling?"

"No, sorry." Siesta put away her kit. "If I'd been able to heal you immediately I could have stopped that, but I'm afraid now that the burn has had time to sink in the skin's already dead."

"Drat." Louise sighed and worked very hard to keep herself from rubbing the itching. She tried focusing on the room they'd been given to keep her mind off the annoyance.

It was one of the castle's better rooms, probably meant for the royal family's handmaidens or some other high ranking attendant. Which meant it was close to the princess if Louise had to run over and help. It was spacious, had a balcony that Louise had locked and barred first thing, and was lavishly furnished. There was a wardrobe, a divan, a whole table for meals, and a massive bed.

A few seconds later Louise groaned. "One bed. Did you get a room of your own Siesta?"

"I'm afraid not," Siesta replied. "I believe this room was meant for either a married couple or a single noblewoman. I was thinking of taking the divan."

Louise looked at the padded sofa. It was large, but probably far less comfortable to sleep on than the bed. "That's ridiculous I'll-" she paused. She wanted to call up another bed, but it was after midnight, and that would be miserable for the poor servants who were forced to humor her. "I'll take the divan. I'm shorter," she finished.

"But-" Siesta looked shocked for a second, then she blushed. "Louise, I don't think less of you for anything you said. I know that was all the potion."

"Then why'd you offer to take the divan?" Louise asked. The itching on her nose started again and this time she gave in and rubbed viciously at it. "That bed's big enough for four people. If we were just friends we'd be sharing it no questions asked. But because of that stupid potion..." Louise ripped a bit of peeling skin off. She was going to kill Montmorency.

Siesta was bright crimson now. She chewed on her lip, then stood up straight and looked Louise in the eyes. "Was everything you said because of the potion?"

"Of course!" Louise snapped. "That's what a love potion does!"

The crimson faded a little from Siesta's cheeks, but instead of feeling the old connection return, Louise felt as if they'd grown more distant. "I see. Then I suppose there should be no problem. Other than your tendency to grab onto people thinking they're your big sister."

Had Louise heard disappointment in Siesta's voice? Her mind flickered back to when the potion kicked in. Had Siesta leaned into her kiss, or was that her drugged up mind making up nonsense?

Wait, that was the wrong question, she realized. What was she thinking? Why was she considering if Siesta was interested in her if she wasn't interested in Siesta?

Her head was swimming now. There was just too much to think about and it was too late for all this. She reached out mentally for Utsuho, but all she got in return was sleep sounds from her familiar. Great. She felt tears of frustration welling up.

"Louise?" Siesta was worried now. The distance had crumbled away. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

To hell with it. Louise wiped her eyes and forced herself to regain control. To tell the whole truth instead of snapping out denials. "I don't know how much of that was the potion and how much is me. And I don't know how I could figure it out. I... I just can't..."

Siesta's blush returned full force. The darked haired woman took a deep breath. "I might have an idea." Then she leaned down, her eyes half closing as her lips approached.

Louise froze. Her first kiss. Was she willing to sacrifice it for an experiment? To learn her true feelings?

Yes.

She tilted her head to accept Siesta's offer, and their lips met. Soft and sweet. And while there were so many questions rattling around inside Louise's head she didn't want to pull away.

Finally though the itching in her nose and the strain on her neck forced the golden moment to end. She pulled away slowly, her eyes flickering open to see Siesta's blush had subsided into a pleasant glow. The woman really was beautiful.

"Does that answer your questions?" Siesta asked softly.

"Some," Louise admitted. "Did it answer yours?"

Siesta closed her eyes. "Some."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Siesta said "So are we dating in secret, now?"

The churning mess of emotions that bubbled up made Louise hesitate. "I... I don't know. After everything that's happened I don't know what I want. And I'm not sure I can figure it out right now." She hated saying those words. If it had been anyone else she'd have found some other excuse. But Siesta knew too many of her secrets to lie to her now.

"I think I understand." Siesta's words helped Louise relax. "Let's talk more later."

Louise reached out and gently squeezed Siesta's hand. "We should probably go to bed." She grimaced as a thought struck her. "Oh, uh, and if I end up clinging to you in my sleep that's just reflex and not me trying to force you into anything."

Seista's giggle actually made her feel better about the whole mess.

Louise groaned as light hit her closed eyes. She really wanted to keep sleeping. Maybe she could tell Utsuho to turn off the sun for a bit? With all the god talk the bird should be able to do that, right?

Harsh cawing put an end to that hope. Even Utsuho was working against her. She groaned and rubbed her face in her pillow one last time before forcing herself to sit upright.

"Good morning Louise," Siesta said.

Louise blinked a few times, then blushed as she realized she hadn't just rubbed her face in her pillow. "Sorry," she said.

Further conversation was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Utsuho flapped her wings. "That's the second knock. It's probably important."

"What could be important enough to wake me up now?" Louise muttered as she dragged herself out of bed. Sure she didn't know what time it was, but anything important enough to require her immediate attention should have involved alarms and screaming. She had important personal matters to handle.

Still she threw on a simple dress and cape and moved to peek out the door. "What is it?"

She found herself looking up at Cardinal Mazarin, the queen's personal advisor. She'd just snapped at possibly the second most powerful person in the country. Great.

Fortunately he didn't seem to care. "Forgive me, but her Majesty requests a private audience with you at your earliest convenience regarding recent events."

The tone in his voice worried Louise. "Please tell me that recent events means last night."

"I'm afraid not." The Cardinal looked grim. "This morning, Albion attacked our navy on route to Germania for the wedding planning. The entire fleet was lost."

"WHAT?!" Louise's jaw dropped. The entire fleet? Gone? What the hell had happened? "I'll be right there."

She closed the door and turned to Siesta who simply nodded. "You have to go," the other woman said. "I'll get breakfast and see what I can learn."

"Thank you," Louise replied.

Utsuho fluttered to her shoulder and rubbed against her cheek. "I'll tell Miss Satori about what's happening so she and Momiji can help."

"Good idea." Louise ran to the washbowl and quickly cleaned her face and brushed her hair, then took out at a brisk pace to Henrietta's chambers.

The castle wasn't in a full uproar, but that was only because this was the royal family's private quarters. The meeting rooms of the castle were probably filled with arguing nobles. And more would be showing up soon.

All this after Henrietta had been kidnapped and spiritually wounded by that disgusting fake Wales. Louise added yet another reason to kill Cromwell to the list. She wondered if it was possible to double kill someone. Orin would know. She'd have to ask.

Two guards were standing before the princess' quarters. As she approached one pulled a bellcord announcing her arrival, while the other opened the door. "Please enter, Lady Valliere."

Louise walked in, finding Henrietta sitting at a small table, with breakfast set out. The princess looked tired, even with a fair amount of makeup to hide the strain of last night. Still Henrietta held herself upright and gestured to the other seat. "Please join me Louise. I didn't want to disturb you so early, but it seems I have little choice in the matter."

"I heard." Louise sat down. She wanted to get immediately to business, but her stomach told her she'd missed her normal breakfast. She grabbed some food for herself and Utsuho before turning her full attention to the princess. "What happened?"

"Early this morning our fleet was maneuvering to serve as an honor guard for my upcoming wedding." Henrietta's voice was nearly toneless. "The Albion navy passed by. As far as we can determine, the Albion navy used our cannon salute as an excuse to attack. The Admiral in charge took too long trying to resolve the situation peacefully, leading to the complete destruction of our air fleet."

Henrietta finally sagged in her chair, letting the pain and fatigue show. "In the last day I've betrayed my country, tried to kill my only friend, lost the royal guard, and now the entire navy. I've failed completely."

The pain in her friend's voice tore into Louise's heart. She dropped her fork with a clatter making Henrietta look up. "You haven't failed us completely. Everyone else has failed you! How the hell did a bunch of Albion nobles waltz into the palace to kidnap you? How did the Royal Guard get totally wiped out by a handful of enemies? And who was stupid enough to beg for peace while his ship was getting shot to hell?!"

Henrietta stared in shock as Louise continued her rant. "Yes you screwed up. But you were half asleep, drunk, and being strung along by a vision of the person you loved. What's everyone else's excuse? Why do I have to run around and put half the kingdom back together on your orders, with the help of a Germanian and a Gallian? I swear Satori's suggestion to kill the Headmaster Osmund for incompetence is starting to sound like a good idea! Because half our nobility seems to be useless!"

As Louise caught her breath from her rant Utsuho pecked at a soft boiled egg. "You should probably finish killing all our enemies in Albion before starting any more fights."

Henrietta slowly leaned back blinking. It seemed some of Louise's words had hit home. At least it had shaken the princess out of her self loathing for a bit. Finally Henrietta bowed her head. "I still tried to hurt you Louise. And I can't forgive myself for that."

"Well you'll have to figure out some way." Louise said. "For now I forgive you. At least until you try to take my favorite dress again."

Henrietta managed a bit of a smile. "I'd have to be quite petty to do that now. It would be unseemly for me to wear any of your dresses."

Louise frowned at the dig on her height. Soon. She'd have to hit her growth spurt soon. At least the princess was feeling a little better.

After a moment Henrietta asked, "How did you know I was drunk last night?"

"Siesta found out you've been using half a bottle of wine as a nightcap," Louise replied. "All the servants know."

Henrietta blushed. "Oh." She shook her head. "I suppose it would be hard to hide the evidence from them."

They ate in silence for a while, Utsuho tearing apart a muffin to the side. At least the raven was nice enough to dismember it over a plate.

Finally Henrietta spoke again. "I've seriously been thinking of abdicating."

"What?!" Louise nearly dropped her tea. "Why? How?"

"I was willing to sacrifice my position for Prince Wales, why not do it for my nation?" Henrietta's eyes grew distant. "You know, even at the end, with his life fading away, he couldn't say he loved me. Because of duty."

Louise pretended not to hear that and instead focused on the bigger problem. "You can't abdicate in the middle of a war! Besides who would take over?"

Henrietta held up a sealed envelope. "I've named you my heir."

Louise's jaw dropped. Her? Queen? That didn't make any sense!

"Oh! Maybe I should ask Kaguya to give you princess lessons!" Utsuho clacked her beak happily. "I bet she'd be interested. She's always looking for something new."

"Princess lessons won't help!" Louise replied before turning to the princess. "I'm not qualified to rule the kingdom!"

"You have the sacred power of the Void, the strongest familiar in the world, and several skilled advisors," Henrietta replied simply. "In addition the Valliere family is related to the royal family by blood. You are perhaps the best choice."

Louise felt dizzy. Yes everything Henrietta said was true but... queen? "The nobles would never agree. And then there's the problems with the church that might come up. Not to mention the fact that I'd scream at any idiot who wastes my time instead of acting polite like a proper ruler..." Louise groaned at the thought of all the obsequious courtiers she'd have to deal with.

"That's why I decided against it in the end," Henrietta said before placing the sealed envelope down. "But given last night... I will still keep you as my heir. I may need one."

Utsuho perked up. "Should I schedule those princess lessons?"

"Let's spend more time making sure that never happens," Louise muttered. "So how do we beat Albion?"

Henrietta folded her hands. "We need allies more than ever. Messengers are working with Germania to see if we can form a military alliance with or without the marriage. Beyond that I've summoned the generals to plan." She took a deep breath. "But while we work to gather everyone, I have to pretend to be a good fiancée preparing for her wedding. Which means I'd like you to make a benediction. Or at least be seen crafting one."

Louise felt mildly ill. Not only because she knew how much Henrietta didn't want the wedding, but because she had no idea how to make a good prayer. "Um, can't I just get one from one of the priests? One that won't be terrible?"

"I'm sure you'll figure out something passable. Besides it's quite likely you won't have to actually give it." Henrietta handed over an old, well bound book. "Perhaps you can find something in the founder's prayer book to help."

"This is Brimir's prayer book?" Louise looked over the artifact. She knew that Tristain held it, but she hadn't expected to see it. Much less for the book to be in such good condition. She carefully took the book, then gasped as it started to glow. "Eh?"

Henrietta blinked. "What's wrong Louise?"

"It's glowing!" Louise said. "Is that normal?"

"I don't see anything," Henrietta replied. "Are you feeling okay, Louise?"

Utsuho flapped her wings. "I can see it. Maybe it's void related. Look inside."

That seemed like a good idea. Louise opened the book and gasped as she saw the writing within. "'I have hidden my notes within this book, so only a user of the void with one of my descendant's rings may see the writing.'" She looked up at Henrietta with wonder. "This isn't the founder's prayer book. It's his spell book!"

Louise placed the two spells in front of Marisa. "So this is my Explosion spell, and this is the Founder's." She grimaced. "I'm not sure why there's so many differences."

"Thousands of years of spell improvements will do that," Marisa replied looking over the formula. "See here and here I think your spell is better. The wording changes probably boost your spell a good deal."

Utsuho poked at the scrolls. "Why is the old guy's spell so much longer? It'd take almost twice as much time to cast."

"More power." Marisa tapped a number of the center verses. "From the stories Louise told me that Brimir guy had a strong warrior helping him out. Which meant he could spend the time to really charge up his spells. If Louise tried that she'd get stabbed."

"So if I want to make an even bigger Explosion, I should use the founder's spell," Louise said.

Marisa shrugged. "Or use his work to enhance your own. Like I said, even if he was the best around at the time, thousands of years of magical improvements mean you can probably put something together that's better."

Louise flopped back in her chair. "Drat. I was hoping I could learn something here. Like a line spell or some new tricks for the Void. All I got was Explosion and Dispel variants. The book doesn't even have Stasis."

"Now I can't read it myself," Marisa said, "but are there any pages that are fuzzy? Hard to look at?"

"Actually now that you mention it..." Louise flipped through to one. "Yeah this is just a blurry glow."

"Huh," Marisa rubbed her chin. "This Brimir guy's better than I thought then. That's a spell to protect your spells and your apprentices. When you've got the skill and power to use whatever's blurred out there it'll become clear. Until then you just gotta train with what you've got."

Louise peered at the book. "I see. Is there any way around it?" She really wanted to learn more about her element.

Marisa chuckled. "There is, but it's hard on the book. Figured since it was an important artifact you'd want to keep it intact."

The thought of explaining what had happened to the great founder's sacred prayer book to an angry group of nobles and clergy flashed through her head. "Let's not." Louise sighed and looked over the spells. "So what can I do with this?"

"Learn how to customize on the fly." Marisa circled a few more sections. "These here control the power, speed, and area of the Explosion. Now you can look into how to tweak it to fire off the spell you need right now, instead of doing a one size fits all boom."

That did sound very useful. "Thanks!" She looked over the spell differences and started mentally going through her mystical knowledge. "I should look over the differences between the Dispel magic as well."

"Yep!" Marisa stood up. "When you've got some ideas feel free to run them by me. I'll give you some extra pointers! And maybe if I figure out some of this void magic for myself I can give you some more spell ideas."

Louise went over the spell a few times, trying to make faster versions as well as something she could take her time with. The latter would probably only be useful if she was trying to blow up a castle, but given her country was about to go to war, that might happen.

"Heya Okuu. Heya sis." Louise looked up to see Orin walk in and flop down next to Utsuho. "Working on magic?"

"Yeah. Louise is thinking about it too much, but that's humans for you." Utsuho shrugged while Louise rolled her eyes.

Orin stretched. "So anyway if you're gonna be dragging me over to help you with zombies and stuff, I was wondering if you could get me some corpses."

Louise froze. "Why do you need corpses? We don't need more zombies."

"Eh? Nah like I said I don't make zombies often." Orin sat up, her tails lashing. "If you leave a soul in a corpse it starts rotting. They just lose some of their self, ya know. That's why I stick to evil spirits and fairy cosplayers."

"I see." Louise had asked about Prince Wales, but Orin had said fixing him would be near impossible, and her zombies wouldn't last. So Louise hadn't even offered that information to the princess. "So why do you want them?"

Orin blinked. "Because I want them. Why else would I ask sis? I suppose getting the souls to follow around is fun too, but corpse collecting is its own reward!"

Louise looked at the kassha. Orin seemed perfectly fine with that answer, despite the fact that it answered nothing.

Finally Utsuho explained it in a much better fashion. "Cats."

"Right. Cats." Louise turned back to her spellwork. "I can't promise anything but I'll consider it." Especially when it came to Cromwell.

"Thanks sis!"

I was writing along worried about how I wasn't getting to the ending area, and then realized I was at like 15 pages. So let's break this up a bit.