It turned out the knights celebrations had to be delayed, for Katarina slept all day and all night.
Well, Maria supposed Katarina was really tired. She rewrote her note to extend the window of free time into the next day.
The next day, she received several annoying visitors. Again.
"Hello Dame Campbell, I'm here to see my fiancée," the Third Prince said as soon as he stepped out of his carriage, handing her a basket of oranges. "How's your mother? Doing better, I hope? How are the children's studies going? Where is Katarina?!"
"Hello as well, your highness," Maria said. "Thank you for the oranges, I'm sure the children will love them." They would, too. "My mother is nearly back to normal, thank you for asking. She's finally recovered all the weight she'd lost, and the scars are almost faded. The children's studies proceed, and I'm being inundated with several samples of short-form poetry as a result. Squire Katarina is still asleep." She turned and nodded. "Hello Prince Alan. It's been a while. Did the nighflowers you commission generate the note you wanted?"
The Fourth Prince, who Maria supposed was at least never referred to as the Last Prince, gave a grumpy wave as he stepped out of the carriage with his brother. "Yeah, they worked great. Just make them exactly like that from now on, it's exactly the sound I need. Also, for the record, I'm here because he dragged me along." He gave his slightly-older brother a glare. "I was in the middle of scoring something."
"You were going around hitting the decorative shield with a stick and trying to assign them a musical note," the Third Prince said.
"I was testing possible new instruments for inspiration!"
"You were climbing the walls with worry and boredom," the Third Prince said, and even Maria had to nod in agreement. While the Fourth Prince buried his feelings for Katarina Claes almost as deeply as Nicol Ascart did, it was the sort of burying where people could see the disturbed earth, the planks on the ground, and smell the equipment destroying acid coming from the bottom of the bit: the only one he was hiding it from was himself and the blind (read: Katarina). "I figured I'd save you from yourself and get you doing something productive by having you help me rescue my fiancée from her unlawful imprisonment!"
Technically true. Isolating a squire during their training could be considered unlawful imprisonment, it's just the charge has never held up in court due to tradition and the united political power of the covenants. Maria wondered if the Third Prince would finally be powerful enough to win such a case.
"Well, come in then," Maria said. "Lady Hunt has already arrived and is no doubt trying to sneak out a window again, or conspiring with Lady Sophia on some ill-advised 'prison break' stratagem."
Beneath their feet, the ground shook.
Prince Alan swayed, grabbing on to the carriage to steady himself. "What was that?! Earthquake?"
"No, probably just Lord Keith trying to tunnel under the estate again," Maria sighed. "Shall we go inside? I've already left orders with the knights to give him to my armsmen."
The Third Prince glowered, but he already knew that the knights wouldn't allow him into the restricted area, prince or no. Maria had been glad for that. It meant that the king had ordered his people to stay out of it. there had been a politely phrased suggestion that the prince be allowed to see his fiancée, but after her response in the negative and her explanation as to Katarina's current ordeal, the suggestion had not been repeated.
Still, the Prince had come often in the last month to try and ask, cajole, intimidate, pressure and, when all else had failed, point-blank asked nicely to see his fiancée. Not every day, but often enough that Maria was reminded of those time he would rush through Student Council paperwork to be the first to finish so he could leave… at least until Maria had caught on and just given him more paperwork because he was obviously so good at it. Whoever has was giving the Third Prince paperwork at the castle was obviously getting short-changed.
Well, they would be getting short-changed if they were paying the prince.
They entered the sitting room to find Mary Hunt trying to climb out the window and being held back by Sadako's grip on the back of her dress while Nicol Ascart enjoyed a cut of tea and a snack and the covered tea cart surreptitiously tried to roll out of the room.
Maria stopped the tea cart and turned it around. "Lady Sophia, please stop hiding under there. You are being very juvenile."
"You're being very juvenile!" was the witty retort, but a grumbling Sopha nevertheless rolled slipped out from under the tea cart.
Maria sighed. "Lady Hunt, please stop that. Hello Lord Ascart. I apologize for keeping you waiting. "
Lord Ascart gave her asmall smile and a nod. "It's no trouble. I was just enjoying a snack. I must say, I've really missed them since I left the Academy."
"I shall have a basket readied for you to take with you," Maria said.
"That would be wonderful, thank you," Lord Ascart said.
"Abyss consume big brother, stop fraternizing with the enemy!" Sophia said.
Lady Hunt flounced back to her seat, giving up the window as a lost cause as Sadako moved to close the window. "Izalith it, Campbell, you have to let your guard down sometime!"
"I don't see why," Maria said, sitting down at her seat facing the door. "After all, this is the most all of you have visited me for me for as long as we've known each other. It can't possibly because of Squire Claes, as it was in previous times, as you haven't even seen her."
"Because of YOU!" Lady Hunt said, pointing dramatically at Maria.
Lord Ascart coughed politely. "While I do, of course, enjoy your company Lady Campbell, and am truly sorry I haven't been able to visit more, given historical precedent, when certain rumors began to circulate I found it imperative to dismiss them for myself."
Maria blinked. "Rumors?"
"It is whispered in the city that you have kidnapped Lady Katarina and are holding her hostage to convince the Third Prince to marry you," Lord Ascart said, sounding almost apologetic.
Maria scowled. "Do you happen to have any indication as to who began these rumors? I wish to have words with them for spreading such slander about myself. As if I would have such poor taste in men."
Prince Alan nearly choked on a cookie as he started laughing.
"Excuse you?" the Third Prince said, looking offended.
"You are not nearly Rafael-esque enough to be my type," Maria said. She reached over and thumped Prince Alan hard on the back while at the same time wreathing that hand in eldritch light, just in case he was in danger of choking.
"That's fair," Lord Ascart said, nodding in agreement.
"Nicol, you're supposed to be on my side," the Third Prince said.
"But it's true," Lord Ascart said. "You're definitely not Rafael-esque enough to be her type."
"That's not the problem," the Third Prince said. "Alan, stop laughing, this isn't funny."
"Nevertheless, Lady Campbell, given Katarina has been kidnapped before, not counting the false alarm some months ago," Lord Ascart said. "It would greatly help my peace of mind if I could see her, even if only briefly."
"She won't do it," Lady Hunt said with a scowl. "We've all be trying for weeks–"
"Of course, that can easily be arranged, Lord Ascart," Maria said.
"WHAT THE ABYSS, CAMPBELL?!" the Third Prince, Lady Hunt and Lady Sophia all exclaimed violently.
"Thank you," Lord Ascart said. "I am most grateful for your consideration, Lady Campbell."
"I can't see her, but you're letting him in?" the Third Prince said. "I'm her fiancé! I definitely have more right to see her than Nicol does! No offense, Nicol."
"None taken," Lord Ascart said, not even looking a little smug
"He asked nicely," Maria said. "As a first resort and not as a last one."
"Um, if you're letting Nicol see her, can I see her too, please?" Prince Alan said, finally recovering from his laughing fit. "I just wanna say hi."
"Of course, your highness," Maria said.
Before the Third Prince, Lady Hunt and Lady Sophia uttered something strongly expletive, the door opened and her Master-at-Arms Colin entered, escorting a slightly dusty Lord Keith and an exasperated-looking Dame Matthew. "Your guest is here, my lady," Colin said, standing at ease with his halberd.
"Thank you Colin," Maria said. "That will be all."
"Very good, my lady," Colin said, not looking at anyone else in the room as he stepped out.
"I told you that would happen," Dame Matthew sighed.
"I had to try!" Lord Keith said.
"No," Dame Matthew said. "You really, really didn't. Hello, Dame Maria. How is cousin Katarina lately."
"She passed," Maria said simply.
Dame Matthew broke into a smile. "Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I hope it went well?"
"She is recovering as we speak," Maria said. "I've given her a free day. If she wakes up soon enough to enjoy it, at least."
"Wait, recovering?" the Third Prince said sharply. "Why would Katarina be recovering?"
"She is training to be a knight, your highness," Maria said. "Some level of difficulty and strain is expected, nay, required."
As if on cue, the door opened.
"Huh? What's everyone doing here?" Katarina said. "Ah! Are you all having a party without me?"
There were several cracking sounds as many people turned towards the speaker, exclamations of joy on their lips–
"Hello cousin. How's your training coming along?"
"Lady Katarina! What happened to you?"
"Agh! Lady Katarina! Your face!"
"Sister, are you all right?"
"My Katarina, sit down, I'll call for doctors and Light Mages–"
"Dung pies, Katarina, you look like you went swimming in a swamp. What happened?"
"…"
"Eh?" Katarina Claes said, blinking in confusion. That blink became a yawn partway through. "Ah… sorry guys, I guess I'm still sleepy. I had this horrible dream about having to the same test over and over again for a month…"
"That really happened," Maria said.
"Eh? No, it was this really stupid test about table manners and dinner etiquette and there were all these questions about titanite spoons and sitting beside second-most-important women…"
"Yes, that really happened," Maria said, taking a small cookie and tasting it. Hmm, wonderful. Whoever was making the snacks in the kitchen were getting passably good at reproducing her recipes.
"Eh? Even the parts about me staying up three days to study?" Katarina said.
"The test was yesterday," Maria said. "You passed, by the way. I assume you know, since if you're here you must have read my note."
"Y-yes, I did… ugh, that was all real? It was all real…" Katarina said. "I really passed? I only scored 16 out of 50… was that the passing score?"
"Oh no, you definitely got a failing grade," Maria said, and Katarina slumped. "But you passed the test."
"Eh?" Katarina said. "I don't get it…"
"Lady Campbell, this is no time for this!" the Third Prince exclaimed. "Katarina is obviously unwell! Look at her!"
Maria looked. Katarina had a heavy tan from sitting under the sun all those days studying the book, while at the same time looking very wan under it because of the nights she'd stayed up. She had dark circles under her eyes, her eyes where half-lidded from tiredness, and she'd visibly lost weight from not having had any snacks all month. Still, Maria wasn't too worried. It was just a little unnecessary padding, and Katarina would have lost it anyway during her training. Her muscle tone had been preserved, even if her face looked more severe and much more like her mother with all the extra fat gone.
"What's the problem?" Maria said.
"Katarina looks terrible, that's what's the problem!" the Third Prince said.
"Take that back!"
Maria blinked in surprise at the violent exclamation, and she wasn't the only one as Dame Matthew interspersed herself between the Third Prince and Katarina.
"I don't care who you are," she said, eyes titanitey and determined behind her glass. Fortunately, her shield still hung at her waist. "No one is allowed to speak that way about my cousin! Katarina is not ugly and I will strike down anyone who says so!"
The prince stumbled back in surprise. "Ah, Dame Romani, I presume?" he said. "I'm not sure what provoked you, but I'm afraid I must disagree. Katarina objectively looks terrible."
"That's twice," Dame Matthew said, her voice strained and cold, and Maria suddenly found herself worried she might have a dead prince in her estate. Or at least one that was struck down. "Say it a third time, and there will be no more words."
"Uh, Mashu?" Katarina said. "Calm down Mashu. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. I mean, I do look pretty terrible, I only had time for a bath…" Katarina broke off to yawn again, rubbing her eyes.
Dame Matthew glanced at her cousin, and seemed to relax slightly. Still, she levelled a truly intense glare at the Third Prince and made a gesture with two fingers, meaning she was watching.
"Well!" Lady Hunt said, smiling maliciously, "while I agree with this young lady who I realize is a wonderful person I must come to know, that Lady Katarina is the complete opposite of ugly, I must say I am a bit concerned about her appearance. Lady Katarina, have you slept at all?"
"Uh, not really?" Katarina said. "I had to study. I remember it was so boring! And complicated! And boring! And I got the feeling it was all very impolite! I mean, the book said what behavior was considered rude a lot, but I got the sense it was telling you this so you could do it to other people, which is just really mean…"
"Sounds about right for Lady Katarina studying," Sophia said, nodding. "What were you studying, Lady Katarina?"
"The Noble's Proper Etiquette Reference and Manual of Propriety and Action," Maria said.
"Ah, I could have helped you with that Lady Katarina, I have the whole book memorized cover to cover!" Lady Hunt said proudly. "No one has mastered the sixth edition like I have!"
"I was studying the seventh edition," Katarina said.
"UMBASA, SERIOUSLY?!" Lady Hunt exclaimed explosively. "That whole book is a gamechanger! A lot of the basic principles remain the same, like how to snub people and the conflict incitation mechanics, but there are all sort of new rules put in, like rules about farming, climbing trees and fishing! Some of it directly contradicts the previous books, it's causing a great stir in noble society–"
"No, just the etiquette rules-lawyers," Sophia said blandly. The Princes, Lord Ascart, Lord Keith and Dame Matthew all nodded.
"–some are even saying they don't accept the book as canon! A few are talking about writing their own manual, based on the sixth edition, using the rules that worked… a sort of sixth-and-a-half edition… Oh, Lady Katarina, if you were studying the seventh edition no wonder you were so confused! They changed everything but the chapter on meal etiquette, and even then they added something about cold foods into the desserts."
Katarina visibly twitched. "Can we… not talk about it? Please, Mary?"
Maria considered it, and decided as today was a free day she would not correct her Squire's incorrect address…but only today.
"So, Katarina's been studying etiquette this whole time? With no one to help her? Give her notes?" Alan said, looking doubtful. "Wow, that must have been the abyss, she sucks at studying."
"What have I told you about trying to train Katarina to be proper Campbell?" the Third Prince said. "She's perfect just the way she is."
For some reason, this incited Dame Matthew to level at glare at the prince that should have killed him on the spot, or at least resulted in him being struck by a massive, spear-sized arrow.
"Knights need to know proper etiquette," Maria said. "As she is being trained as a knight, Squire Katarina needs to know it too."
"Do I have to?" Katarina asked.
"Yes," Maria said in a tone that brooked no argument. "It's either that or quit being a knight."
"Well, obviously she needs to quit," the Third Prince said. "There's no reason for Katarina to even be a knight at all, especially not once we are married."
It was a wonder frost wasn't streaming down from Dame Matthew's eyes.
As Katarina blinked again and rubbed her sleepy eyes once more, Lady Hunt frowned. "I hate to agree with him, but he has a point Lady Katarina, even if it's a small one. You look very tired. Maybe just take a rest? I know you probably tried your best, but it seems like it was very hard for you."
Katarina nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty hard. I had to study over and over because after the test I'd forget what I studied, so I had to study it all over again…"
"Well, you can take a little rest, can't you?" Lady Hunt said.
"She can," Maria said. "That's why today is a free day. But tomorrow, we go back to training."
"One day is obviously not enough!" Lord Keith said. "Whatever you're doing to my sister is obviously too much, Lady Maria. I mean, look at Katarina! She usually has way too much energy, and you've made her like… this!"
He gestured at the slumping Katarina with the wan smile, dark tired eyes and slumped shoulders.
"She can have a longer rest if she wants," Maria said, and Katarina perked up. "But only if she stops being my squire and quits. Then she can have all the time she wants. I'll even make her snacks."
"Then she'll quit!" Lady Sophia said. "Just quit Lady Katarina, all these outdoor activities and exercise is obviously bad for your health! You should just stay inside and read novels with me like nature intended. Lady Katarina, the new Night Fall just came out1 We can read and react to it together!"
"There's nothing wrong with the outdoors," Lady Hunt said. "But it's true, if she quits, then Lady Katarina and I can finally work on her garden again. It's getting very neglected."
"Katarina, a lot of cafes just debuted lots of new products," the Third Prince said. "We can spend the days going to each of them and trying them out while you get your health and strength back!"
"Which I'll be happy to chaperone," Lord Keith said, smiling widely.
"We can ALL go," Sophia said, smiling towards her brother.
Katarina, for a moment, wavered. A smile began to spread on her face, eagerness entering her eyes. "Well, that sounds nice–"
"Whatever you do, it was to be finished in time for Squire Claes to return for dinner and lights out at the dormitory," Maria said, her voice cutting through the cheer. "Otherwise I shall consider her to be away without leave and dismiss her as my squire, as she has chosen to quit being a knight." Maria tilted her head, balancing a cup of tea– not made by Rafael, unfortunately– in her hands. "If that is her choice."
"Well, there's no downside," Lady Hunt said, reaching for Katarina's hand. "Come on Lady Katarina, we can–"
She nearly stumbled as Katarina pulled away.
"Lady Katarina?" Lady Hunt gasped in shock.
Katarina smiled a wan, tired smile. "That… all sounds fun guys. Tell me all about it next time, all right? I think I'll stay here and rest for tomorrow."
"Wait, what?" Sophia said, sounding equally shocked.
"I'd better stay here," Katarina said. "If I go with you, I might get back late and L– Dame Campbell might think I quit. After all…"
And for the first time since she'd stepped into the room, Katarina's back straightened. Her slump went away, and her shoulders squared. Even with darkened eyes, even looking completely exhausted, her gaze was clear.
"I want to be a knight."
Maria was not so crass as to give any sign of pride or victory. Instead, she serenely sipped on her tea.
"Well, it's nice to see you haven't been kidnapped, Lady Katarina," Lord Ascart said.
…Cut Content…
"Yes," Maria said in a tone that brooked no argument. "It's either that or quit being a knight."
"Well, obviously she needs to quit," the Third Prince said. "There's no reason for Katarina to even be a knight at all, especially not once we are married."
"There's never a reason for someone to be a knight," Dame Matthew said coldly. "We choose it anyway."
The Third Prince eyed her, as if suddenly realizing that for whatever reason, Dame Matthew was actually intensely hostile to him. "Dame Matthew, we have only just met, but if I have offended you in any way, I apologize."
"I accept your apology," Dame Matthew said. "Please do not speak so thoughtlessly about the choice to take up arms in knighthood in future. Knights guard your person, after all."
"They do," the Third Prince said warily, as if not certain this was the end of Dame Matthew's hostility. "It was thoughtless of me to reward them with disrespect, absent as they are. Still, the fact remains, to be a knight is a difficult path. "
Cut for being too confrontational
A/N: So, my Pat-reon is up now at P.A.T.R.E.O.N.C.O.M -/-SCM2814. If you want to support this fic, that would be great, but no pressure. But if you do, you'll also get advanced access to my new original fiction series about a wizard on the frontier, her dungeon, and the idiots around her...