Princess Zelda Sophitia paced back and forth inside her audience chambers, her hands nervously closing and unclosing. She had already spent a great deal of time arguing with herself over what she was about to do, but at long last, she had made her decision. However, that did not mean sharing her decision would be pleasant.
"They're going to hate it," the princess said aloud, her eyes cast downward. "Varke especially. She may even call it sinful. What if she does? Will my soul be damned?"
"I doubt the bishop of Snowpeak has such power, Princess," Liliana told her, standing off to the side with her usual expressionless look on her face. Her eyes followed Sophitia back and forth, watching her pace.
"Arbiter Ponthos will side with me," Sophitia said, allowing herself a smile at her optimistic thought. "I have the authority to do this, do I not? It is within the law, is it not? I do not have the king or queen's permission, though. But we don't have one right now, do we? Surely Victorique has not yet been coronated. But should I not defer to her anyway, as she is the queen-in-waiting?"
"It's almost time, Sophitia," Liliana pointed out. "The others will be here soon."
The princess jumped, jolting back to reality at her bodyguard's words. "Yes. Yes! I cannot be seen like this, can I? I must be composed. Like Victorique. Or Percival. Or Father. I must-" She stopped, closing her eyes and holding her hands together in a sign of the Triforce. Breathing deeply, Sophitia attempted to clear her mind.
Opening her eyes, Sophitia turned to her retainer and smiled cooly. "Care to join me at the table, my dear?" she asked, gesturing daintily with as much poise as she could muster.
Liliana bowed respectfully, then approached the table and pulled out the chair at the head of it. "Please have a seat, Princess Zelda." The bodyguard held out her hand, and the princess took it.
"I am most grateful," Sophitia said.
As she stepped in front of the chair to take her seat, Liliana bent forward and gently kissed the back of the princess's hand.
"A-Ah, yes." Sophitia sat down. "Thank you." After having just calmed down, her heart was now racing again, so she took another deep breath to try to refocus.
"You will do fine, Sophitia," Liliana told her. "These people all respect you. Your work here in Snowpeak has been admirable, especially considering your circumstances. All you must do is explain your reasoning, and they are certain to agree with you."
Sophitia nodded as Liliana brought her some tea. "I pray you are right."
"And if they do not, I can always kill them for you."
The princess nearly choked on her tea.
After their conversation, Sophitia allowed herself another few minutes to compose herself while she waited for her Hebran advisors to arrive. By the time the door opened and Arbiter Ponthos entered the room, Sophitia was feeling much more confident.
"Thank you for coming, Your Honor. I appreciate your punctuality," Sophitia told him, deciding to open with a compliment.
"Of course, Princess," the older Hylian man said simply. He took his seat at the table while two of his assistants sat in the chairs along the wall.
Lord Nobiro arrived next, along with a small entourage of assistants. He was the most important of Sophitia's guests. Her plans relied heavily on his cooperation, so she hoped dearly to get him on her side then and there. "Lord Nobiro, so glad you could join us. Would either of you care for some tea?"
"No, thank you," Arbiter Ponthos declined.
"Yes, that would be lovely, thank you." The Hebran lord nodded and sat down. Liliana quickly poured him some tea.
While there were other Hebran nobles currently staying in Snowpeak Palace for various reasons, Sophitia had only invited Nobiro, Ponthos, and Varke to this briefing. They had been advising her since her arrival in the palace, and they were the most powerful and influential among the Hylians who controlled the Hebra Province. As long as she had their support, that would be enough.
After a few minutes of small talk, Varke finally arrived with four other priests escorting her. "I was honored to receive your invitation, Daughter of Hylia," the bishop said, making the sign of the Triforce with her hands.
Sophitia returned the gesture with a modest smile. "The honor is mine, Your Holiness."
"We are here to discuss your next meeting with Chief Revalco?" Arbiter Ponthos asked as soon as the bishop sat down, confirming the agenda right away.
"Yes, that is correct," the princess replied, noticing several of the lords' subordinates jotting down notes already. "I have given quite a bit of thought to the matter, of course, and I believe I have arrived at a proposal that shall finally bring peace to the province." She turned to Lord Nobiro. "Also, I thought it best to inform you all that I intend to return to the capital once the matter is settled with Chief Revalco. If Lord Remoth has indeed committed treason, I would like to aid my brother in reclaiming the throne for my sister's sake. Therefore, I wish for us all to be on the same page so that my replacement is not surprised or overwhelmed by the responsibilities I will be shouldering them with upon my departure."
In addition to her plan for how to respond to the Rito, the announcement of her intention to depart from Hebra was something Sophitia had been dreading. She waited for one of the nobles to respond, hoping none of them would accuse her of abandoning them now that things were getting tough.
Varke was the first to speak up. "You are most thoughtful, princess. After this is over, I shall pray for your safe journey home. I am certain Queen Zelda Victorique will be able to accomplish even more with you by her side."
Sophitia smiled gratefully.
I hope the others feel the same way.
"Yes, that makes sense. Your presence in Hebra has been a boon for the morale of the citizens, but we must all keep the best interests of the kingdom as a whole in mind," Lord Nobiro commented.
"What proposal do you intend to bring to Chief Revalco?" Arbiter Ponthos asked, clearly more focused on the pressing matter of the Rito than anything else.
The princess nodded, ready to continue.
So far, so good. Perhaps that was the easy part.
Sophitia held out her hand. Liliana, already prepared, handed her a small stack of papers. "Chief Revalco- or, rather, High Chief Revalco-" Sophitia began, passing a copy of her proposal across the table to each of her advisors. "He is requesting independence from the Kingdom of Hyrule, with the threat of war should we refuse," she reiterated. "His tribe and many others want the same thing. Other tribes, however, do not. Regardless, every Rito tribe would be better off without war. The Kingdom of Hyrule, whether we would win the war or not, would be better off without it as well."
"Of course," Lord Nobiro agreed.
Sophitia had decided to start off with a simple summary, essentially stating the obvious. By the nods and murmurs of agreement from the others, it was clear they were beginning on the same page already.
"Naturally, the situation necessitates a compromise that can never fully satisfy both parties," the princess went on. "However, I believe we should prioritize peace, and with that in mind, I have a simple yet difficult compromise that should, at the very least, allow the Rito Tribes and the Kingdom of Hyrule to reach some level of common ground."
Waiting for Revalco's second visit felt much the same as waiting for the first. Sophitia once again found herself out on the balcony overlooking the city of Snowpeak down below, dressed in her white furs and drinking hot tea to combat the cold. All of her guards and subordinates had been placed at a distance once more. She had insisted on there being fewer visible guards this time around, despite her advisors telling her otherwise. Only Liliana remained at her side.
Her meeting with Nobiro, Ponthos, and Varke had been difficult, but successful. She'd met with varying degrees of resistance from them over what she planned to do next, but she'd convinced them in the end. All that remained was to convince Revalco of the same compromise.
"The falcon-headed one will accept, you know," Liliana assured the princess, pouring her another cup of tea. "Convincing your own advisors was the hard part, and you managed it well enough."
"Your confidence in me is appreciated, Liliana," the princess replied. "And, of course, I pray you are correct. But we both know how stubborn the High Chieftain can be. Accepting any less than what he demanded might be too big a wound to his pride."
"And you know a thing or two about pride."
Sophitia smiled. "Your tongue remains as sharp as ever."
"You allow it much practice."
"Hush." The princess sipped her tea, gazing out over the horizon. "I don't mind the view," she said aloud. "My incumbency as governor of this province has provided me with a wealth of experience, brief though it may have been."
"Do you intend to return?" Liliana asked.
Sophitia thought about it. "Not as governor," she decided. "But, if things go according to plan here today, I would like to return to check on things every now and then."
"Perhaps you could try being governor of Ordona next," Liliana said. "It would give you an excuse to visit my home."
Sophitia laughed haughtily. "I'd like that." The princess thought about which other provinces she might like to be governor of someday, but the thought was not as pleasant as she'd hoped.
I could have been queen instead.
She shook her head, not wishing to dwell on those thoughts again. For now, she wished to remain focused on the task in front of her. "With any luck, I will be returning home soon. I hope my brother will be happy to see me."
"Prince Percival is never happy to see anybody."
The princess chuckled once more. "Be nice." Tilting her head up to the sky, Sophitia thought of her other brother. "I hope Lancel does not do anything to interfere with my negotiations," she said aloud, realizing that he may be battling with the Rito in Skyloft at that very moment.
"Prince Lancel interfering? I couldn't imagine."
Sophitia put her hand over her mouth, stifling another laugh. "I shudder to imagine what you say about me behind my back."
"You don't give me enough days off to have the chance to talk about you behind your back."
"Smart move on my part, then." Sophitia sipped her tea.
The princess was grateful to Liliana for once again helping her to calm her nerves. After a few more minutes of smalltalk, they heard the sentries signaling the arrival of the Rito.
Just like last time, the birdfolk arose from the mountainside, filling the skies above them. Having experienced this already, Sophitia trusted the guards not to do anything aggressive. They had many archers at the ready, but they would only release their arrows if defenses were necessary.
The princess adjusted her sitting position as soon as she saw Ravalco descend with his honor guard. Trying to remain calm, she smiled pleasantly at him as he approached the meeting table, handing his greatbow to one of his braves.
"Here we are, back for more," the Rito high chieftain declared, taking a seat across from Sophitia. "Let's make this quick. If we're going to be killing each other today, I'd rather get to it sooner than later."
"Don't be so hasty, High Chieftain." The princess attempted to take his aggressive attitude with aplomb, pouring him a cup of tea. "There shall be no violence today. Only words, and perhaps the sound of a quill scratching across parchment."
"You've come to surrender, then?" The falcon-headed man's smug aura only seemed to increase. "Excellent. That makes things much easier."
Sophitia kept up her polite smile as best she could. "I have not come here to surrender, I'm afraid," she corrected him.
"Is that so?" Revalco leaned forward. "Odd. I thought I'd made myself clear last time. You claim there will be no violence today, yet you refuse to surrender. How might that be?"
"Simple. There is an easy compromise that has been staring us in the face this whole time," the princess replied, handing a few sheets of parchment to her counterparty.
Revalco snatched the papers out of Sophitia's hand with annoyance. He flipped through them quickly, then went back to the page with the map. It displayed a territorial map Hebra, split up into several sections of varying size, shape, and color.
"What is this?" the Rito high chieftain asked. His tone implied that he understood what she was suggesting, but he was somewhat put off by it.
"It is as I've said. An easy compromise." Sophitia continued smiling politely, but she did not take Revalco's reaction as a good sign.
"You wish to chop up our lands into little pieces and keep what you want most for yourselves," Revalco declared, smacking the parchment with the back of his wing.
"Not true. That map is merely an estimated projection," the princess explained. "The territories I've marked to remain a part of the Kingdom of Hyrule are the territories belonging to tribes that I believe shall elect to remain united with us. The others, including your own tribe's territory, are those which have petitioned for independence repeatedly in the past. However, the decision to remain or secede from the kingdom will lie with each tribe individually."
"This is not what my people and I have fought for," Revalco insisted, clearly still very resistant to the idea. "I will not accept a half-measure like this. Either all of my people shall be free, or I shall die fighting."
Perfect.
The best case scenario would have been Revalco accepting her proposal outright, but this was the reaction Sophitia had expected to be the most probable. She was well prepared for it.
"And in what way does my proposal fail to grant freedom, High Chieftain?" Sophitia inquired, keeping her tone devoid of hostility. "If an individual tribe is not allowed to make its own choice to remain a part of the Kingdom of Hyrule, can that truly be called freedom?"
Revalco clicked his beak. "Do not try to play word games with me, Hylian. I suppose it's awfully convenient that what you consider to be freedom is others doing what you want them to."
"Can I not say the same of you, in that case?" Sophitia smoothly replied. She briefly wondered if she was pressing too hard, but she did not allow herself to stumble. Revalco did not seem like the kind of person who could be convinced in any other way. She needed to maintain the offensive. "You want all the Rito tribes to secede. It does not sound like you care very much about what they want. You would think me a tyrant if I forced them to stay, yet you are their savior for forcing them to leave?"
Revalco slammed his balled up wing onto the table. The sudden aggressive sound caused Sophitia to jump in her chair. Liliana stepped forward with her hand on the hilt of her sword. One of Revalco's braves took a step towards them as well, brandishing a spear. However, both Sophitia and Revalco raised an arm, signaling for their guards to stand down.
"You really should have some tea," Sophitia offered once more. "It calms the nerves." Even as she said it, her heart was racing.
"Hilarious," Revalco replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look, Hylian. I am the high chieftain now. The other chieftains elected me to replace Kanelo. The other tribes have already realized I was right all along."
"If they all wish to leave as you do, then what are you worried about?" Sophitia asked. "Besides, need I remind you that the position of high chieftain only exists within the power structure put in place by the Kingdom of Hyrule? I, as governor of Hebra, no longer lay claim to the entirety of the Hebra province or to the Rito tribes within it. Thus, your position is defunct. You may be the chief of your own tribe, but you have no say over the others unless they decide you do."
"Don't think for a second I don't see what you're doing here, Princess." Revalco narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at her. "You wish to paint me as a hypocrite. I've spent years fighting against Hylian rule, criticizing you and your family for forcing the Rito to follow you, so now you wish to claim I am forcing the Rito to follow me. Well, it won't work. Ever since Kanelo's assassination, my people have begun to see through you."
Sophitia cursed internally. Her inability to solve High Chief Kanelo's murder was one of her greatest setbacks in her campaign to make peace with the Rito. Everything would have been so much easier if she had a culprit to point to. At the very least, it would have made it easier to convince the Rito that she and her brother had not been the ones responsible.
"The Rito have my deepest sympathies for High Chief Kanelo's death. Nothing so tragic should ever have occurred on our peaceful joint expedition to Skyloft," Sophitia said, trying to make it as clear as possible that her regrets and condolences were genuine. "But we have been through this matter before. My brother and I had no hand in that event. There are many Rito, including Sage Balla, who see this as true."
"Balla is a child," Revalco reminded her. "Sage or not, her wisdom is limited. As is yours."
Sophitia stopped herself from taking the bait. Revalco was leading her into an argument that would take them down an unproductive path.
"I understand that you and I do not see eye to eye on many things, high chieftain," Sophitia told him, hoping to get things back on track. "However, in the end, this is the situation we find ourselves in: You have come to me in search of freedom for the Rito, and that is what I am offering. You, of course, are free to try to persuade the other tribes into making the same choice as your tribe, but ultimately, if we wish to stay true to our word, we must both respect each tribe's right to choose for themselves. Don't you agree?"
Revalco was silent for a few moments. Sophitia took a prolonged sip of tea to keep herself occupied while she tried to imagine what he was thinking.
He is not getting everything he wanted. He has two choices now: Take what he can get, or go to war. Is he considering whether or not it is worth the sacrifice? But perhaps that's not what he's thinking at all. Maybe he's trying to decide if I'm right. Maybe he thinks he's been a hypocrite, and that doesn't sit well with him.
"You said before that the position of high chieftain is to be dissolved," Revalco reiterated.
Sophitia put her teacup down. "That's correct. The tribes are to be independent again, unless they choose to reunite."
"Indeed. The position your people created will disappear, but the fact remains that the other chieftains chose me to lead them," the falcon-headed Rito went on. "I am Chief Among Chiefs, which makes the wellbeing of all Rito my responsibility. I do not intend to shirk that duty just because a Hylian told me to."
Sophitia paused. She'd realized something.
He wants to lead his people. Just like…
The princess cupped her hands in front of her, letting her calm and collected smile drop for the first time since the high chieftain had arrived. "May I share something with you, High Chief Revalco?"
"If you insist," he replied, clearly uninterested.
"My father died recently," Sophitia said plainly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Liliana turn her head slightly in reaction to the princess's words, but if the round-eared girl was going to do anything, she stopped herself.
Revalco paused. "So I've heard…" He did not extend condolences or any of the usual courtesies, but Sophitia noticed his voice lacked much of its usual venom.
"I wanted to succeed him, you know," the princess went on. "I might have had a chance to do so, but now the throne shall go to my elder sister."
Revalco said nothing. He clearly did not see the point of what Sophitia was saying, but he seemed too bewildered to interrupt.
"It's a disappointing feeling. There's so much I wish to do for my people. I keep thinking to myself, if I were in charge of everything, I could just fix it all. But in the end, it isn't my role to do so, and it would be wrong of me to seize that kind of power out of some sense of self-righteousness. So, instead, I will do whatever I can for my kingdom. I want the Rito to remain united with the rest of Hyrule because I believe I can help them, too. But there are some who will not want my help, and I need to accept that I cannot help everyone. Do you see what I mean?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Sophitia could see Liliana staring at her intently. Something in the little speech she'd just given had strongly captured her attention.
Revalco sighed. "Is this your way of telling me we're the same?"
"No," Sophitia denied, shaking her head. "It's my way of telling you I understand your position."
The falcon-headed Rito went silent again. The princess waited patiently for his answer, worrying that she'd made a bad move. She'd spoken without thinking, simply saying how she really felt. If she'd been wrong and Revalco couldn't actually relate to anything she was going through, then everything she'd said might've come off as pathetic.
"I have fought with Hyrule for many years," Revalco said finally. "The self-righteous attitude and the unearned sense of entitlement and superiority of Hylians has constantly infuriated me. When Kanelo was killed, I was not at all surprised, because I'd been expecting worse to happen for years. I finally had the reason I needed to kick all of you apes off of my land for good."
Sophitia hoped the shock did not show plainly on her face.
This is not good.
Revalco clicked his beak. "I do so wish the other tribes had the same ambitions for independence that I do, but truth be told, my people are no less stupid than yours. And, as you've so annoyingly pointed out, I cannot force them to do what is best for them without becoming what I hate." The high chieftain picked up Sophitia's proposal again, flipping through a few pages. "I suppose this is the best I can hope for given the circumstances. I don't like it, and I don't like you, but you're giving me what I wanted, so I guess I can't complain too much."
Sophitia blinked.
Was that him saying yes?
Revalco was rude, belligerent, and crass. He was vastly different from the Hylian nobles Sophitia was used to dealing with. However, despite all his pride, it sounded as if the falcon-headed Rito was reluctantly accepting her proposal.
"I am sorry I could not meet your expectations today," Sophitia said, once again putting on her calm and polite façade. "But I appreciate your willingness to compromise. Satisfied or not, this will benefit both our peoples in the end."
"Yeah, yeah." Revalco was clearly over his quota on swallowing his pride for the day. "Just tell me where to sign the damn thing," he said, dropping the papers down onto the table.
Sophitia smiled, relief washing over her.
It's over.
Of course, there was still so much more work to be done, but the possibility of war seemed to have evaporated. If even Revalco can be convinced, then surely the rest of the Rito could be.
"Your signature here would be marvelous, thank you. As well as here, here, and here," she instructed him, flipping through the correct pages. "Please bring my proposal back to the Chieftains' Council and discuss it thoroughly with them. Each tribe may use any method they wish to decide whether to secede or to remain a part of the Kingdom of Hyrule."
"I'm sure they'll be pleased," Revalco said with some level of sarcasm, although his words were likely correct. Lifting a quill off of the table, he put it to the page and signed his name.
"I must return to the City of Hyrule soon to aid my siblings, so I will be leaving the late Governor Koridai's majordomo, Lord Nobiro, to handle things in my absence," Sophitia explained. "I still intend to oversee the process as well as I can, so please send me a message if you require my input at any point."
Sophitia feared that Revalco would belittle her for shouldering her subordinate with her responsibilities, but something she'd said seemed to have piqued his interest. "Are the stories coming from Hyrule true?" he asked. "I hear talk of a headless demon appearing under the Blood Moon."
"As far as I'm aware, that is the case," Sophitia confirmed. "I'm not sure whether or not the Headless Demon has been spotted since, so it is unclear if or when it will return."
Revalco nodded. "If it appears in Hebra, leave it to me," he said. "But if it appears in Hyrule again, it is your problem."
Sophitia furrowed her brow, unsure why he'd felt the need to say this. "Demons and monsters are the common enemy of all Children of Nayru," she told him. "Hyrule intends to fight them wherever they are found, even in Hebra."
Revalco was silent for a moment, then he crossed his wings. "Hm. Fine. I suppose I can't have you stealing all the glory. If this demon is truly a threat to the Inner Continent, then the Rito will stand against it as well."
The princess tilted her head slightly in curiosity.
That was him saying he would fight alongside me, was it not?
She smiled, nodding graciously. "Splendid. I would be happy to call you an ally, much more so than an enemy."
"Ally is a stretch, Hylian," Revalco replied, finishing his signatures and putting the pen and paper down.
"Then I suppose I shall settle for 'enemy of your enemy.'" Despite Revalco's refusal to act friendly, Sophitia was in good spirits, and she could not help but find some humor in the situation. "Here. These are yours to take to the council." The princess held out a few of the signed pages, handing them back to Revalco.
The Rito chieftain snatched them from her as he climbed to his feet. "Glad that's over with," he declared, taking his greatbow back from his subordinate.
"Farewell, High Chieftain." Sophitia stood from the table, attempting to speak graciously. She hoped their final interaction would allow them to part on relatively good terms. "You have my thanks for choosing peace. Your people are lucky to have a leader like you."
"And yours have you," Revalco said, although Sophitia was unclear if it was meant to be a compliment or an insult. "Farewell, Princess." With that, he and his guards took to the sky.
Sophitia was a bit surprised, and she wondered if that was the first time Revalco had ever addressed her by her proper title.
Surely that is a good sign.
The princess remained on her feet until the last Rito disappeared from view. But, as soon as they were gone, she collapsed back into her chair, feeling the stress and exhaustion catch up to her all at once.
Without saying anything, Liliana turned in place and waved to the other Hylians who had been watching from a distance, letting them know they were dismissed. Most of the guards and servants went back into the palace, but Lord Nobiro and some of the other advisors waited.
"Shall I take these to Nobiro?" Liliana asked, lifting Sophitia's signed treaty off of the table.
The princess nodded, sending her on her way.
For a very brief period, Sophitia was left all by herself. Others in the distance might have still been able to see her, so she did not break her composure too much, but she allowed herself to lie back into her chair and rest.
It's over.
She could not bring herself to see this outcome as a complete success. After all, she had still allowed some portion of the Hebra Province to secede, and she wouldn't even know how much of the province she'd lost until sometime later. She dreaded how her sister, the new queen, would react to this news.
However, she'd avoided war. After the brief conflict atop Skyloft, there had been no further fighting amongst the Children of Nayru under her watch. This was the outcome she'd been aiming for in her discussion with Revalco, so at least she could call her negotiations a success. Regardless, the important thing was that it was over.
"You look like you've run a marathon," Liliana said upon her return.
Sophitia weakly gestured to the chair Revalco had sat in, imploring her retainer to sit with her. "If this is what a queen has to deal with every day, then perhaps I should thank my sister for claiming the throne before I could."
"Technically speaking, she has not claimed it yet," Liliana reminded her.
"Don't give me any more ideas, Lili."
The round-eared girl sat down and poured some tea for herself. "Lord Nobiro went with his subordinates to discuss their plans for the future of Hebra under his governorship," she informed the princess. "Would you like him to make a public announcement, or do you want to take that responsibility?"
"A good question," Sophitia admitted, opening her eyes and sitting upright. "I avoided war, but may have lost a significant portion of Hebra in the process. How might the people react to that?"
"A good question," Liliana said, repeating Sophitia's words back to her.
The princess chuckled weakly, realizing she was probably asking the wrong person. "Well. I guess it should be me who makes the announcement. It was my decision, so I must own it, for better or for worse. I suppose I can step down as governor and hand the position over to Lord Nobiro during that announcement as well."
Liliana sipped her tea, nodding along with the princess's words. "For what it's worth, Sophitia, I think you did the right thing."
Sophitia's lips curled into a smile upon hearing that, and her cheeks reddened slightly. "Thank you. That means more than you know."
"You're quite certain you must go?" Varke the bishop asked. "The presence of a descendant of Hylia has been a true blessing for the Hebra Province. We would be honored to have you reside here longer."
The princess shook her head. "Your hospitality is appreciated, Your Holiness, but it is as I've said. My brother Percival requires my aid, and no doubt my sister, the new queen, will require it as well."
"That is agreeable," Arbiter Ponthos said with a nod. "Hebra shall continue to run smoothly in your absence. You are correct to prioritize your duty to the throne."
Sophitia bowed to the elderly gentleman. "You have served your duty as well, arbiter. I am grateful for the assistance you provided during my time here." She turned to Lord Nobiro next. "Governor, I leave Hebra in your capable hands. I have faith that our people, as well as the Rito, will remain safe and cared for under your watchful eye."
"You honor me." Governor Nobiro bowed to her.
The princess smiled, slinging one of her traveling bags over her shoulder. "I shall be off, then. Farewell." She and Liliana turned and left. A pair of guards opened the double doors before them, allowing them to exit the throne room.
"Everything is prepared for the journey back to the capital," Liliana informed her.
"Good. Have we heard from Lancel yet?" Sophitia was still curious what her elder brother was doing in Skyloft. The last thing she needed was for him to cause trouble after she had finally settled things with the Rito.
Liliana shook her head. "No, your highness."
"What about Percival? Or Victorique?"
"No, and no," her retainer responded with the same less-than-interested tone.
"Hmm. Curses," Sophitia muttered. "Oh well. I suppose we'll be able to take stock of the situation in the capital once we arrive, at least."
As they made their way through the rest of Snowpeak Palace, Sophitia felt a tinge of sadness. Their visit had been a relatively short one, and much of it had been anxiety-inducing, but she'd felt oddly at home there.
I had the chance to be governor.
It had been nowhere near as prestigious as being queen, but for the duration of her stay, she'd had the chance to live out a portion of her dream. She'd gotten to be a leader.
I just hope I was a good one.
A detachment of her guards were waiting for her in the entrance hall. They bowed respectfully and opened the grand doors that led outside. It wasn't snowing, but the weather was cold, as it always was in Snowpeak. Sophitia could see her own breath, but the white fur traveling clothes she wore kept her warm. Liliana was similarly dressed in a dark gray fur traveling cloak that hid the sword on her side. The princess's carriage was waiting for her across the bridge, along with her entire retinue of horse-mounted knights.
Sophitia took one last look back at the palace. "I suppose I'll be back relatively soon," she said aloud, knowing there was more work to be done with the Rito.
"Think of it this way, Princess," Liliana said as she helped her climb into the back of the carriage. "At least you're going home."
The princess smiled to herself as she took her seat. "I suppose so. Let us hope for a warm welcome."