KATSA WAS BEGINNING to benefit from the Lienid way. She'd made use of Po's words and stood up for herself in Randa's throne room. She hadn't killed him, and she announced that she was leaving his services indefinitely, for she was a Graceling worth more than property belonging to the Royal Continent kings. She thought this now as something to tell Po, as she made her way up to his room.
Her hand had grazed the doorknob when Po opened the door from the other side. She looked at him, numb from the day's events to be surprised from the doings of his Grace.
"I'm coming with you," is all she said.
The only thing stopping Po from kissing her forehead in thanks was the newfound appreciation Katsa had for the space that separated them. "Bring a knife this time," he replied instead. "Murgon will confess right away if he sees you holding one."
A faint smile made its way onto her face. This was something she knew well, unlike his lies.
She left Po in his room, his saddlebags on his bed as he resumed his packing. Once he left the Middluns, he doubted he would return anytime soon.
They left well before daylight. Raffin and Bann saw them off, the two medicine makers bleary-eyed, and Bann yawning endlessly. The morning was cold, and Katsa was wide awake, and quiet, for she was shy of her riding partner.
Po couldn't deny his envy of her Grace to see her awake and moving frantically. The sun had yet to rise, and he hadn't slept much, his mind preoccupied with the journey ahead. He secured his saddlebags to his horse, a horse with a coat darker than Rita's. Like the cat yesterday, no thoughts came to him, though his drowsiness made it hard to focus on the horse's energy. But it wasn't all bad. It was good that he was moving now, and the answers he was seeking were going to benefit his grandfather, his aunt in Monsea, and his family in Lienid.
Across from him, Katsa was a different story. She was reluctant to leave the castle now that she took her last glances at it. Po and Raffin, she thought, were impossible, for if one did not make her cry, the other did. There was little to be happy of this morning, except that she was not, at least, leaving Po; and then she realized that he was probably standing there beside his horse, registering her every feeling on the matter.
She leaned over her horse and gave Po a withering look for good measure. Po played it off as unknowing, though he couldn't hide his smile and yawn.
She rolled her eyes at him, but it didn't hide her impatience. She wasn't in the mood to dawdle. And he'd better not ride as if he were half asleep, she added, or I'll leave him in the dust.
Raffin fussed back and forth between their horses, checking saddles, testing the holds of their stirrups. "I suppose I needn't worry about your safety," he mused, "with the two of you riding together."
"We'll be safe." Katsa yanked at a strap that held a bag to her saddle. This bag is for Po. Po caught it as she tossed it over her horse's back to him, and he tied it to his saddle.
"You have the list of Council contacts in Sunder?" Raffin asked. "And the maps? You have food for the day? You have money?"
Katsa smirked up at him then. "Po's a prince of Lienid," she reminded him. "Why do you think he rides such a big horse, if not to carry his bags of gold?"
After all that had happened, Po supposed he deserved that one.
Raffin's eyes laughed down to Katsa. "Take this." He closed her hands over a small satchel. "It's a bag of medicines, in case you should need them. I've marked them so you'll know what each is for."
Po tied the last knot on his saddle and joined them. He held out his hand to Bann while Katsa and Raffin embraced. It was the least he could do. "Thank you for all you've done," he told Bann.
A flicker of shame went through Bann as he squeezed Po's hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help."
"Nonsense," Po promised him. "You've helped plenty by stitching me back together from the fights. I'm sorry we couldn't have had more time to get to know each other."
A good man, Bann decided. Beautiful and humble. "Perhaps if you return?" he asked hopefully.
Po pretended not to hear his thoughts, though it lifted his spirits on this dark morning. "Perhaps so," Po agreed. "You'll be the first person I seek out if I do."
They shook on it, and Po turned to a waiting Raffin and took his hand. "You'll take care of my grandfather in my absence?"
You'll go livid if you keep doubting my answers. Despite his thoughts, Raffin smiled. "He'll be safe with us," he vowed.
"Thank you, Raffin."
Po returned to his horse and swung onto its back, turning his horse around as Katsa said her goodbyes. The wild energy in her calmed some as she held the two medicine makers' hands. She drew closer to Raffin, and Po noted once more that she didn't shy away from his touch… not like she did with Po's.
Raffin murmured something to her, and Katsa nodded. He looked at his feet, rubbed his neck, and sighed. He said something else before the two embraced a last time.
They let go, though Katsa's eyes lingered. She turned away with much difficulty and climbed into her saddle. She looked to Po, the softness gone, replaced with the familiar determination she had whenever they grappled together. "We leave now," she declared.
Safe travels, Po, Raffin thought as Katsa turned her horse around.
Po caught Raffin's gaze and nodded his thanks.
One last thing, Raffin finished, raising his eyebrows in amusement. He reached for Bann's hand, and his smile grew bigger. I put the contraceptives with the medicines.
Po would have said something to that if it wasn't for Katsa already thundering down into the city below. He shot Raffin a look that conveyed everything words couldn't, and he set out behind Katsa, leaving Raffin and Bann waving as the dust settled beneath their feet.
END OF PART ONE
A/N: So there we have it. Po's relationship with Katsa is established. I've gone through countless drafts and seven months of writing to get to this point, and so much has changed since then, since January 2021.
I had this idea in my mind for a while. The Lienid culture, in particular, interested me for years. I felt that Kristin Cashore gave it a shallow view, especially given how we learned about it from an outsider's (Katsa's) perspective, with her regarding the Lienid for the majority of the book as "strange" and "foreign." I expected a bit more respect and interest in this culture, since Katsa's lover was a Lienid himself, but it was disappointing to me to have to see this culture being viewed with ethnocentrism. Rather than viewing this culture in its own light, it was constantly compared to the culture of the Royal Continent and shut down, mostly because it was different and did not adhere to the mores of the Royal Continent. :(
I wanted to know why the Lienid men wear sacred tattoos, and I wanted to know why the Lienid wear gold jewelry while the rest of the Royal Continent doesn't. I wanted to see a culture told by someone from that culture, so that we wouldn't have to see it degraded by clueless and judgmental foreigners. I also wanted to go in depth on Po's interesting Grace. I wanted to give him and his culture justice, to see how he sees the Royal Continent and what he goes through while giving Katsa advice. What better way to do that than to rewrite Graceling in Po's perspective?
I normally don't share my writing. In fact, before the first 20k words, this was purely a fanfiction written for self-indulgence and not meant to be shared with others. Then I joined some Graceling Discord servers and found that people were interested in this idea as well. In the end, I decided to post it, first as a way to give back to Discord as thanks for your months of advice, and second for anyone else who might be looking to read this kind of story to relax with after a long day.
Despite these motivations, there were times where I almost gave up on it. I want to thank Discord and my lovely beta one last time for your months of appreciation, comments, and advice. Po's Grace is overwhelming to write, the character dynamics are impossible to get right, and I almost gave up on this fanfiction… but you guys were there to cheer me up every time. Whether I know you or not, please know that you're loved and appreciated and that you're worth something. May the winds blow good fortune your way! :)
PS: Be on the lookout for another story in Po's perspective. In an earlier version of this story, I included a prologue of scenes of Po growing up in Lienid. In the end, we decided not to include it here. There was too much going on just for a prologue, so I shall be working on that story next, along with Part Two of Po's Perspective. :)
