In Which Xanaria and Lupe Reunite
Justina and Lupe heard a horn call in the distance. Lupe broke off mid sentence and listened intently for a moment before relaxing somewhat.
"Is something wrong?" Justina asked.
"More or less. There's an unrecognized intruder, but it's not an all hands on deck call. I trust my people to handle it and if the situation changes they will let me know."
They returned to the map on the desk, the corners held down by sea-rounded stones, and were still there when a girl burst into the tent, almost yelling in panic.
"There's a crazy lady! I was doing laundry! She's crazy! Why isn't she dead?!"
"What!" Justina yelped, but Lupe had already crossed the tent and was guiding the girl to a chair.
"Take a breath." Lupe's voice was gentle. "Where is-"
She was interrupted when outside they heard Xanaria shout: "Where did you take my friend!"
Justina and Lupe shared a shocked look and ran from the tent. They saw Xanaria as soon as they reached the open space on top of the hill. She had two arrows sticking out of her and was covered in mud and blood. Somewhere she had gotten a sword and was holding it like a baseball bat. A small crowd of Lupe's people, who'd been socializing around the fire, were watching her wide eyed. Some had weapons out but no one seemed willing to approach her.
"Xanaria!" Lupe didn't sound like she believed what she was seeing.
Xanaria whirled toward the sound of her voice. When she saw Lupe she dropped the sword and all the anger drained from her body.
"Lupe." Xanaria breathed.
She took two steps toward Lupe before her eyes rolled up and she passed out on the grass. Lupe and Justina rushed forward. Justina got to her first but Lupe pushed her out of the way and took charge. Before long Xanaria had been cleaned up, bandaged, and tucked into a cot in a plain tent near the edge of the encampment. Lupe refused to leave her side. Justina realized she was only getting in the way and reluctantly gave them some privacy.
Xanaria struggled her way back to consciousness. I need to be awake. It's important for me to be awake. Why is that again? She blinked her eyes until blurry shapes became a face. An important face. The most important face.
"Lupe?"
"Xanaria." Lupe was smiling and there were tears in her eyes.
Xanaria reached out to pull her in and buried her face in Lupe's hair. Pain was forgotten, bulky bandages barely an afterthought. Lupe was here. Lupe was alive. Nothing could be wrong with Lupe in her arms.
For a long time they just held each other. Finally Lupe sighed and pulled away her eyes studying Xanaria's face. Xanaria tried to sit up but a throbbing pain hit her from the wound just above her hip and she fell back with a hiss. Lupe put a hand on her good shoulder to keep her from trying again.
"Try not to move too much. I don't like how many holes you have in you right now."
"Then you need to come closer."
Lupe stood and stretched her legs. She's been kneeling on the floor to let me hug her, Xanaria realized.
Lupe winced slightly as her knees popped and then sat on the edge of the cot. Xanaria looked up at her hungrily drinking in the soft black glossy eyes she never thought she would see again, the smile tugging at Lupe's mouth, the way her nose twitched when she was thinking. Xanaria raised a hand to hold her cheek, one thumb brushing the edge of the scar that, while healed, was starkly visible against her freckles.
Lupe's hand settled on top of hers pressing her close.
Xanaria began to whisper, "I'm s-"
But Lupe interrupted her, "If you try to apologize for anything about this situation, I will bite you for being stupid." Her tone was soft as a winter pelt and warm as a summer afternoon.
Xanaria grinned as something inside her thawed and began to flow again. "Promise?"
Lupe laughed, and leaned down to kiss her. It was long minutes before they did any more talking. When they came up for air Lupe looked down at her smiling and studying the shape their hands made twisted together.
"I thought you were dead." Xanaria whispered.
"I thought you were."
"A lot has changed since we were last together."
Lupe nodded. "I'm glad you're here, I'm glad we have a chance to catch up."
"Me too."
Xanaria was having trouble keeping her eyes open between the warmth of the fire in the brazier and her relief.
Lupe noticed and helped tuck the pillow more firmly under her head. "But tomorrow okay?"
"Okay…" Then her eyes flew open again and she tried to sit back up. "Justina! I was trying to find Justina!"
"Shhh... She's here, you're both safe. Tomorrow, okay?"
Xanaria sank back, nodding. "Tomorrow." And slept.
Justina paced around the camp. Her thoughts running around without going anywhere.
Oh god. I want to help. But… I'm not sure what else I can do? I can't go back to the command tent. It's not my space. Besides, I don't think I can sit still right now. I can't wait outside Xanaria's tent either. That would be kinda creepy and I really don't want to eavesdrop.
She wandered by the food fire where it seemed dinner was being served. She was going to walk right by, but Bale got in her way and handed her a bowl. She blinked and thanked him automatically. She continued to prowl, picking at the bowl of stew. She didn't remember what it tasted like. She kept finding herself back at the tent where her friend was lying, covered in bandages, but she didn't go inside.
Xanaria would not thank me for interrupting her reunion with her fiance. She would understand I was concerned, but I don't think she'd be happy.
When Lupe eventually came to find her, Justina was still pacing, her bowl of stew gone cold in her hands.
"Xanaria's sleeping, she wants to see you in the morning. Well, she wanted to see you now, but she's exhausted."
"Can I… can I sit with her?"
"Of course. I'll have someone bring you a bed roll."
Justina accepted the bedroll but she didn't lie down. She wanted to keep an eye on Xanaria, so she sat in the chair and draped the blankets over her lap for warmth. But she was exhausted and fell asleep without noticing.
Justina woke to a touch on her knee. Light was coming in around the tent flap and making the walls glow so she could see Xanaria's smile as she reached out. Justina blinked and pushed herself upright in the chair, flinching at the nasty crick in her neck.
"Found you…" Xanaria said muzzily. "Why are you sleeping in a chair?"
"I was… oh, it doesn't matter now. I'm so glad to see you."
Xanaria smiled, "You weren't easy to follow, you know."
"I didn't mean to be any trouble."
"You want some breakfast? I think I smell something cooking."
Justina's stomach grumbled. "Absolutely."
She stood, wincing as her body let her know it did not like sleeping in a hard chair, especially when she was still covered in her own bruises, thank you very much. But before Xanaria could try to sit up the tent flap pulled back and Lupe stood there balancing three bowls of porridge. She hesitated when she saw them.
"Oh! You're awake." She sounded nervous and very different from the confident leader Justina had worked with the day before.
"Am I?" Xanaria seemed dazed.
"Ah," Justina hesitated. "Should I go? Do you want some time alone?"
"No." Lupe said, then quickly amended, "I mean, yes, but there'll be time for that. First I want to hear this impossible story you keep hinting at, and for that I think I need both of you. I brought food."
Lupe pressed a bowl into Justina's hands. "Thank you."
Justina took a bite. It was bland, but warm, fresh, and solid. Lupe settled on the edge of the cot next to Xanaria and held out a spoonful for her.
"I can feed myself." Xanaria protested but Lupe put a hand on her chest to keep her down.
"I know you can, but I don't want you trying to sit up with that hole in your back. Humor me?"
Xanaria sighed and opened her mouth. When they finished breakfast Lupe stacked up their empty bowls and set them aside.
"Alright." Lupe leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "Now, please explain."
Between them, in spurts and starts with some backtracking and pauses they got her caught up. Lupe waited for them to finish before she began asking questions. Some they could answer, like: "What exactly did you get from each avatar and how much compared to them?"
But some they couldn't, like: "What happens to your body when you use the Metastone?"
And some Justina wished she had thought of sooner, like: "If time runs differently, how do you know it's been years for him just because you visited that metaverse years after he did?"
Eventually, Lupe sat back with a slow nod, satisfied for the time being. "Well, then." She said and smiled at Xanaria. "It sounds like you're the person to ask as backup if someone were to go on a risky and treasonous caper."
"Please wait until she's healed." Justina sighed.
"I'm fine."
"You're not!" Lupe and Justina said together.
"But that doesn't stop us from planning now." Lupe pointed out reasonably, "As long as you don't run off trying to fix things all by yourself." She raised her eyebrows at Xanaria.
"I wouldn't!"
"Uh huh…"
Xanaria stuck her tongue out at Lupe. "So, a risky plan?"
"Yes, and it's one part protecting my people, and one part revenge on the Baron."
"I'm in."
"At least hear her plan first!"
"Oh, yes, of course. Plans are good. I'm even more in."
"Great!" Lupe pulled out a map, unrolled it, and pinned it to the wall of the tent. It showed the coast, the forest towns, and Baron Grason's keep. The map was smaller, portable, and much less detailed than the one Justina had seen the day before, but it was all Lupe needed for this.
"We are about here." Lupe took a bead of yellow wax and stuck it to the map. "Grayson has a search team looking for us. They are currently up here," a bead of reddish wax was placed higher up the map, "but they're heading down this way." Lupe brushed her fingers along the coast. "They aren't even bothering to be subtle. If we run we're very likely to be spotted. If we stay we will eventually be flushed out. So my plan is to hit them while they are still up here." She tapped the red wax. "We'll do everything we can to make their lives miserable. Hopefully, we can slow them down and distract them into looking in the wrong spot." She shrugged. "It's not a perfect plan but it might buy us time to come up with a more long term solution."
"Sounds like an adventure." Xanaria grinned at her. "When do we start?"
