Andreas was relieved to see Miya return without any complaint or injury. Still, he didn’t plan to keep the meeting to himself. When Miya came home, everyone was out—Amanda was hunting, Lizette was visiting friends, and Elias was somewhere else.

He was tending to the fire when his wife came in, smiling as a greeting. “How was the trip?” Andreas asked kindly.

Miya took off the outdoor coats she was wearing, replying cheerfully. “Better than I expected, to be honest. I mostly just spoke with my brother—he wants to visit at some point so he can meet you.”

She came to sit down in front of the fire, and Andreas gave her an amused look. “I take it you didn’t say I was Elias’s son?”

“He’ll find out soon enough,” Miya replied. “You’ll get along well, I think—even being Sólstaðuric shouldn’t bother him too much, so long as I’m happy.”

“It’s a nice thought,” Andreas decided. He threw another log into the fire, then sat down next to Miya; she frowned when she noticed his expression changed. “But a visit may have to wait.”

“Something happened at the meeting?” Miya guessed.

“They’re thinking of trying to remove the Kuro occupation,” he explained. “They decided that, since Nari is dead and Shunji doesn’t seem to care, we might be able to pull it off.”

Miya frowned a little deeper, moved a bit closer. “That’s not what’s bothering you, though, is it?”

“Sometimes I feel like you would know better than I,” Andreas admitted, giving her a brief, small smile. He sighed and continued, looking back at the fire. “If things go wrong—if Sólstaður loses—they want to use your status to clear things up for us. It sounds like they want you to feign ignorance, claim it was a mistake or misunderstanding, and Kuro might believe you.”

Miya chuckled grimly. “Well, you’d best win, then. I didn’t see Shunji at all during that trip, and I doubt Lady Yanami will genuinely believe an attempt at revolution a ‘mistake.’” She leaned into him, also looking into the fire. “It’s…a chilling thought, actually—Sólstaður fighting against Kuro. You’d imagine I would be the first to leave.”

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“Maybe you being their backup plan is what’s keeping you here,” Andreas mused. Quietly, he continued, “Still, if you don’t think they’ll listen to you… Gods, now you have me worried.”

“Sorry,” she murmured.

They fell into silence and both took time to think about the subject. Andreas didn’t want to lose her—it took him this long to figure out he needed her by his side. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Sólstaður won, and sent her away or killed her—and if Sólstaður lost and she couldn’t negotiate with her family, would she be lost as well?

He almost wanted, right then and there, to just leave the damn place. It wouldn’t be the first time Sólstaðuric leaders were changed; Andreas could pack up what he had, and take Miya with him. As for where they would go, well…anywhere would be better than here, if she could be killed for petty reasons.

In the end, he decided against it. He could at least wait until his fears seemed more likely; the other chiefs wouldn’t bother hiding it from him if they did wish Miya dead at some point.

The two sat there for a little while longer, and Miya announced the end of the silence by giving Andreas a brief kiss.

“Regardless,” she said, “I’ll be staying here. My brother should send word before he leaves, so I can let him know if things get too dangerous.”

“It would be best if he avoided whatever battles come,” Andreas agreed. “They’re supposed to be deciding on early strategies now to determine if we can fight it in a way we’d prefer; I should hear something in a few days.”

“Please let me know,” Miya replied. “I…would rather be informed.”

Andreas nodded, and after another few moments of silence Miya stood up.

“I should actually unpack my things,” Miya decided. “You didn’t make a mess of the room while I was gone, I hope?”

“Your side is untouched,” Andreas replied with a little smile. “My area isn’t any worse than it usually is.”

Miya chuckled—genuinely this time. “Mhm. We’ll see about that.”

He decided to help her, despite the lack of things—it was mostly clothes suitable for a Sólstaðuric summer, which was still more than warm enough for winter in Gin and Kuro. While they did that, Miya entertained some conversation about her trip, mostly discussing things relating to her brother.

Lizette came home not too long after, so Andreas stood in as a translator so Miya and Lizette could talk. Nothing eventful really happened until the meeting near the end of the following week.