“Are you fully sure you want to do this?” Colette asked, placing a gentle hand on Malori’s shoulder.
Malori took a deep breath. She kept walking, refusing to let herself stop lest she be unable to start again. “Of course not,” she all but whimpered. “I mean, this is t-terrifying, and could end up being a h-horrible idea, but…”
“But?”
The little esper stared at the ground. “But I think it’s w-worth the risk. It’s inevitable that she’d a-ask questions, and perfectly reasonable. I think being put on the b-back foot, so to speak, wouldn’t work very well for something this delicate. D-Did that make any sense? I’m very nervous, so I might be speaking g-gibberish.”
“No, it makes sense,” Colette said. She still hadn’t moved her hand from Malori’s shoulder. It drifted down and started to rub her back softly. More of the tension that filled her body melted away like ice. “It’s far better to come clean about something yourself rather than have it be figured out after the fact. It builds trust too, which is likely something we’re going to need.”
Some of that trust was going to be spent immediately. She’d been in the palace for nearly a month, and she was only coming clean about this now. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for Gertrud to be furious that such a thing would be hidden. Malori clapped her hands against her face. Whatever was going to happen would happen. Worrying about it and thinking of worst case scenarios would serve no one unless she wanted to think of solutions. She tried to hold her head a little higher. It didn’t feel like she was succeeding, but the way she could feel Colette’s smile like rays of sunshine gave her another surge of energy.
“B-Besides, your guard serves you, but I don’t think it would be remiss to assume they would r-report a variable like me to the King,” she said.
Colette sighed. “Most likely Eurytus, if I’m being honest. He takes his duty very seriously.”
“He and Castor really are o-opposites,” Malori giggled, thinking about the bowman’s lackadaisical nature. The two turned the corner into the hall that held Gertrud’s study. It was rather unassuming, especially for what Malori would have expected of a King. With what little she knew of Gertrud, that wasn’t particularly surprising.
Only one guard stood outside of the room. He was tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and heavy armor, a spear in one hand and a shield in another. The presence of only one guard meant that there was almost certainly a Shadow hidden somewhere nearby, though for the life of her Malori couldn’t think of where. They earned their name.
Colette stepped forward, bowing in front of the guard. “We’re here to see her majesty,” she said respectfully.
The man nodded, looking over Malori. After scanning her for a moment, he stepped to the side and opened the door. Colette waited, giving her another moment to calm herself before stepping inside. Malori followed behind.
Though she never would allow herself to show it, Gertrud looked almost comical sitting behind her desk. Such a massive woman in threatening armor scribbling away at paperwork felt oddly out of place in the otherwise lavish study. Something told Malori that Gertrud wasn’t the one who had decorated the room. Its walls were lined with paintings of mountainsides and scenic views, and a few that she recognized of streets in Acyrgos. Colorfully woven rugs occupied the floor, resting underneath ornately carved furniture. It felt like a different world compared to the rest of the castle.
The King glanced up at them as they entered, her eyes following them for a moment before returning to the piece of parchment in front of her. She wordlessly scribbled a few more lines upon it, then returned her quill to an inkwell.
“Colette, you wished to speak with me?” she said, leaning back in the oversized chair and resting her chin upon her gauntlet.
The Archmage bowed, not needing to remind Malori to as well. “Yes, Gertrud. It’s a rather important subject, but I decided it would be best to meet you now, rather than scheduling a proper audience.”
“So you interrupt me as I’m sifting through a mountain of paperwork in preparation for the festival?”
“Yes.”
There was a moment of pause.
“You know me well, Colette,” the King smiled, standing up from her desk. The plates of her armor clanked against each other as she stretched. “You couldn’t have picked a better time. I swear to the gods if I had to fill out one more requisition form or turn down another personal gala invitation I think I would have lost my mind.”
Malori had been skeptical of Colette’s suggestion to speak with her during her busiest hours, but elected to trust her friend. She was glad to see that once again, trusting her was the best decision she’d ever made.
I-Is she always this informal?
Considering you aren’t a noble? Yes. She despises that sort of thing, Colette said telepathically, her face unchanging.
“Please, sit,” the woman insisted, gesturing to the square of cushioned benches near the far wall. Malori glanced up, waiting for her to sit down first. “Please, I’ve been sitting for hours. I need to stand,” she huffed in amusement.
Colette motioned for Malori to sit next to her, which she happily obliged. Gertrud stood across from them, leaning forward to rest on the back of one of the benches like a railing. More out of nervousness than anything else, Malori let her mind briefly poke at the King’s psyche. The only thing she found was a mental stone wall that reminded her of Lilith. If she really had spent so many decades with Colette’s grandmother though, it made sense that she’d been taught ways to resist tricks such as that. Initially, she wanted to compliment the woman on her mental fortitude, but decided that any goodwill the comment would earn would likely be dashed by admitting that she had attempted pseudo-mind reading. Best to just leave it.
“So, given your company I assume this isn’t a progress update in preparation for the festival. What was it you wished to speak to me about?” she asked. Her eyes lingered on Malori as the question was asked. Even her calm voice was imposing. The echo that had amplified it in the throne room was nowhere to be found, but it was still deep and booming.
“Well, would you prefer me to start with the end, so to speak?” Colette asked politely.
Gertrud nodded. “This much paperwork turns my brain to mush. I’d rather know where this is going beforehand.”
“I see. As you know, I still have two vacancies in my honor guard that I intend on filling. As a less combat oriented mage, I feel it may be prudent,” she started, straightening her posture. “After my time with her, I believe that Malori would be an excellent fit for one of those spaces.”
Malori tensed. She’d been informed beforehand that the conversation would likely involve ripping off the metaphorical bandaid, then explaining their reasoning as they continued. Colette had apologized profusely, knowing that it was the kind of approach that meshed terribly with her anxiety. It was what worked best for the King, however, meaning that it was their best course of action.
The King gave the pair a quizzical look, briefly narrowing her eyes at Colette before turning to Malori. The tiny girl withered at her gaze. Somehow, it was far worse than Berith. He looked at her like a meal, or a puzzle to be picked apart and examined. Malori didn’t know how to put a label on this. It felt as though weight was being physically put onto her as the gaze lingered. If it went on any longer, she swore that she’d pop like a bubble.
She hoped that her sigh of relief wasn’t audible as Gertrud crossed her arms and looked back to Colette, now standing up straight. There was a beat of silence. “Colette, you’re young, though the time we’ve spent together has more than convinced me of your skills in judgment. I’m not one to judge books on their covers, but she is a little…” she looked Malori up and down. “I’ll wait for your explanation before I make any comments.”
Malori winced.
The Archmage placed a hand on hers, giving her a comforting smile before turning back to the King. “I’m far less combat oriented than my mother was as an Archmage, that is no secret. As such, I would like to fill all six positions, rather than two as she did. As of now, my guard is fairly well balanced. Eurytus and Eurydice make a highly effective front line, Castor provides excellent ranged support, and Medea’s magic is excellent for giving them extra defense. What Malori provides is a highly uncommon niche within Amalthea,” she explained. It was fascinating seeing the woman swap from personal conversations to professional ones. It was like she was watching two completely different people. Mesmerizing, in its own way. “While I haven’t met many, Malori is without a doubt the most talented healer I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. If I may give an example, you mentioned yesterday that you slept wrong, and had a horrible knot in your neck, didn’t you?”
As it was mentioned, Gertrud’s hand rubbed at the base of her neck, just above her right shoulder blade. “Ugh, yes. The crossguard got under my neck without me noticing. It’s hard to turn my head all the way to the left,” she grunted. “Though given your talk of an example,” she removed her pauldron, loosening a few straps of her armor as she moved around the bench to sit down. She almost took up the entire thing.
Crossguard… Did she sleep with her greatsword? Malori asked telepathically.
She generally does. She doesn’t go anywhere without it.
Malori decided not to question the matter further as she stood up. Gertrud looked at her curiously. While it still felt like every move she made was being calculated, she didn’t feel that crushing weight that had been present earlier. Bowing quickly, she approached the King. The monstrous woman didn’t say a word as she placed her hands on her muscular shoulders. If Malori wasn’t so terrified, she’d likely be having to hold back a blush. A tall, older woman in armor who could probably body check down reinforced walls? By all accounts she should have been a blushing, stuttering mess. Maybe her time with Colette really had helped her confidence.
Her friend had brought this up as an example before, so she knew what to expect. Something as minimal as this would be fairly simple, meaning she didn’t need a focus or catalyst to channel the magic. As she pressed her fingers into the muscle, it was clear that things were a little bit more complicated than initially thought. Her magic pulsed through the tissues and nerves, painting a picture in her mind of the makeup and structure of her body. Already, she could feel more scars than she could count while focused littering the woman’s body. Not wanting to harm any pride or offend, she left them alone. She’d heard plenty of stories of warriors taking pride in their scars and the stories that they came from. If the King wanted them gone, she’d speak up.
The tissues around her left shoulder were knotted heavily, but their makeup was odd. She could smooth out the knot and remove the cramp, but the tissues would still be positioned haphazardly. The King had clearly put on muscle quickly, and it was like her body had struggled to keep up and gotten confused. That, and there was scar tissue mixed in that prevented them from naturally resetting themselves.
“Um, your Highness, if I may, are these knots common?”
She shifted slightly, metal plates clanking. “More common than I’d like them to be. Why do you ask?”
Malori furrowed her brow. “I see. By any chance, did you receive an injury to that shoulder in recent years?”
Even with her eyes closed, the way Colette’s emotions shifted told her they were exchanging a glance.
“Not too recent. About a decade ago, I was in a battle that tore it open. The doctors warned me it may not heal fully, but they were surprised at how well it did.”
She nodded, focusing the vitality of her own body into her fingertips. “Depending on the injury, it did heal quite well. The muscles are layered incorrectly though. Your body has attempted to reset them, but scar tissue has prevented it,” she explained. Taking a deep breath, she pressed her hand harder into her shoulder, sending a pulse of healing magic into the area. Immediately, the cells responded. She wasn’t sure if the tensing was due to Gertrud’s surprise or an effect of the tissues rearranging themselves. Scar tissue burned away like a fuse as the magic took hold, muscle fibers disconnecting and reconnecting in new layers, straightening themselves out. The entire process took about thirty seconds. Opening her eyes, she stepped away. Gertrud rolled her shoulder a couple times, turning her head from side to side as if she was testing its articulation.
“I-I put everything in order, and smoothed out the knot. Y-you shouldn’t be getting them as often either, unless something is done to upset it,” she paused, glancing between the King and Archmage. “I l-left the scar on the surface. I wasn’t sure if it was s-something you took pride in.”
Gertrud turned to her, a pleasantly surprised look on her face that gradually formed into a smile. She turned to Colette. “Well, fugitive or not, I do like her,” she huffed in amusement. “That is another matter though. The girl is a criminal, and some word of her group has spread to the public, though not much outside of Kydanthus. While I appreciate my shoulder, it’s not exactly pardon worthy.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“As I said, Gertrud, this was just an example,” Colette said, “It’s also worth noting that she noticed damage that wasn’t initially known, and fixed it. You’re aware of my friend in the city, Adonis, correct?”
Gertrud crossed her arms. “The book store owner who my son insisted on sending our personal doctor? What about them?”
“Do you remember what their life expectancy was when presented to Doctor Clay?” Colette asked.
The King frowned. “I remember it was short. Remind me? It was years ago, and my head is far too stuffed with bureaucracy.”
“They were given around fifteen years at best, five at worst. That was about seven years ago now. Their disease ate away at vital organs and tissues that left them unable to walk without assistance, and extreme difficulty breathing at the best of times. It was an affliction they’d had since birth.”
Gertrud furrowed her brow. She glanced at Malori, then back at Colette. She was connecting the dots. “You mean to tell me…”
“I learned of Malori’s magic when we were making a trip to the city to discuss something with Adonis. They were having an episode, a particularly bad one. While I’m not the most experienced in medicine, I can confidently say that without intervention their life would have ended.”
The waver in her voice as she said the words wasn’t lost on Malori. Having to admit that one of her closest friends was going to die as if it were a simple piece of data clearly weighed heavily on her. Using it to prove a point as to why another friend should be permitted to stay at her side? Malori didn’t need to read her emotions to tell how nervous she was.
“I… did not handle things as well as I wish I had. Malori,” she stopped, clearing her throat to hide her voice cracking. “Malori was able to assess the situation, and offer them healing to a degree that saved their life. Their lungs were reconstructed, and they no longer have any troubles breathing. It’s worth noting that this was done without a proper healing catalyst. The erstonite in my grimoire was a stand-in, but a raw gem for a tangentially related school of magecraft is no substitute for a proper focus.”
Malori’s heart pounded with every word. Gertrud hadn’t even brought up the fact that she’d been hiding her magic. While such a boundary hadn’t properly been established, it was one that likely didn’t need to be stated. She wouldn’t be able to really blame the woman if such a development made her furious. Part of her almost wished that she was angry. Visibly at least. The silence as the King deliberated was enough to drive her mad. Colette wasn’t visibly showing much emotion, but a swirling chaos lay beneath her cool exterior. She was just as nervous as Malori was. There was a layer of confidence as well, which served to comfort Malori a bit, but thoughts of how things could go horribly wrong were clearly trying to force their way past it.
The bench creaked as Gertrud leaned back. Malori briefly wondered if the weight of her armor would break it. The woman beckoned the little esper forward, a silent look of appraisal on her face.
The weight returned as she approached. She hoped the King couldn’t see how hard her hands were shaking, but she was too nervous to look down and check to see if it was actually visible or not.
“Malori,” she said in a deep, powerful voice.
The esper gulped.
“I believe it goes without saying that you have surprised me, and in more ways than one,” Gertrud began. “Your crimes are one thing, but hiding your magic is another entirely.”
Her heart sank. There it was.
“However, if what Colette is saying is true, you healed a lifelong ailment, and one that should, would have ended in death. Such a feat would be considered a miracle regardless of any influence, but to do it without proper materials, most experts would scoff at the suggestion,” she glanced past her. Malori couldn’t see Colette behind her, but she swore she could feel the mental lapse as her heart skipped a beat. “And yet the one who tells me this is an individual I trust as dearly as my own son.”
If it weren’t for her anxiety causing her to go rigid with fear, she was certain her knees would have buckled under the King’s gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. Trying to talk could only make things worse.
“I won’t lie, such skills are an asset, and I’m considering them as such. However, you hid them when they could have been used for the greater good. When combined with your violation of the Accords, this can’t be overlooked,” she glanced at Colette. “You are forbidden from adding her to your guard. We can’t reward people for violations of such crucial laws.”
Malori’s heart skipped a beat. Her hands shook as she looked desperately at Colette.
“But,” Gertrud held up a hand. “You’re a magical anomaly. By our own law, that puts you under the jurisdiction of the acting Archmage. Somehow,” a ghost of a smile touched her lips, “I believe that such a sentence wouldn’t be entirely opposed.”
It took Malori a moment to realize what she had heard. She’d been ready for everything to come crashing down. Tears began pricking the corners of her eyes as the realization hit her. It wasn’t exactly what they had been shooting for. She wasn’t a guard. She was still serving a ‘sentence’ of some sort. No, it wasn’t what she had hoped for, but it was enough. More than enough. Before she even realized it, she’d rushed to Colette to wrap her arms around her. Once again, she didn’t want to stop the tears.
A pulse of emotion came from Colette as her heart skipped a beat. It was followed by a warm, radiant feeling of joy as she returned the hug.
“My heart really can’t take this, you know,” the Archmage joked, running her fingers through Malori’s hair. “And you’re sure about this?”
“Colette, rules are made to work in favor of people,” Gertrud said, “You give enough. Let something nice be done for you for a change.”
The girl squeezed Malori tighter, making it easy to feel the way her heart raced.
“I–Well, if she’s under my jurisdiction, it may be prudent to include her in some of the exercises performed by my guard,” she said quickly. “Thank you for your consideration, your Highness. We’ll be taking our leave.”
“Do it quickly, before I start looking for other excuses to avoid getting necessary work done,” the King huffed, shooing them off.
Colette didn’t need to be told twice. She separated from the hug, giving a low bow before taking Malori by the hand and leading her out of the office. The tiny girl could barely contain the mix of relief, joy, and excitement swirling in her head. The ice she was treading was thin, to be sure, but it continued to hold as she continued to take steps, each more confident than the last. Had she ever felt this hopeful before? The fact that she already knew the answer didn’t even matter. It was something she was content to leave in the past. For now, she just wanted to live in the moment. This wonderful moment with the girl who felt like home.
The clacking of wood rang throughout the training room. Eurytus danced around Eurydice, using his superior speed and mobility to constantly keep her on her guard. To the ursan’s credit, she was able to keep up with the constant flurry of attacks that seemingly came from all sides. Unfortunately, keeping up was all she could do. The twin wooden training axes were only slightly more maneuverable than her spear, but Eurytus made it look as though she was wielding a weapon made of bricks compared to him.
Malori was having a hard time following their movements. Even with all of Eurydice’s bulk, she moved with a surprising amount of finesse. She never seemed phased by the assault for even a moment. If anything, she looked calm with each attack she blocked. Her chest rose and fell evenly, her eyes flicking around to predict the next attack.
Patiently, she let Eurytus continue his assault, her spear flicking itself into position for a parry just a fraction of a second quicker than the last. The flurry continued at a steady, unchanging pace. It was remarkable how consistent it was. If it weren’t for the constant noise of the wooden weapons cracking against each other, she wouldn’t have even been able to notice the rhythm of it all.
The cacophony came to a sudden stop as Eurydice turned, raising the spear high and slamming it down like an axe behind her. To her dismay, Eurytus had stopped short just before stepping into its path. Before Malori could blink, the ursan was on the ground, Eurytus above her with one axe against her throat and the other against her chest. Eurydice sighed as she let her body go limp. The man above her relaxed and dropped his weapons, reaching down to help her up.
Malori tilted her head, casting a glance at where Medea was forming miniature ice sculptures in her hand. The gnome didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the fight, instead completely entranced by the sparkling pegasus in her palm.
“Need something?” she asked, surprising Malori.
“Oh! No, um, I just, I’m n-not quite sure what happened,” she said, composing herself.
“Which part are you confused about?”
Malori bit her lip. “At the last moment, why did Eurydice put that much force into a swing at nothing? It cost her the fight.”
Medea flicked her unoccupied hand to the side, causing the pegasus to spin. “Because it wasn’t supposed to be at nothing.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“E and E are a pretty close match. When they’re both giving it their all, it’s pretty much a coin flip on who wins. The win conditions are either that one of them gets tired, which means Eurytus can slip through her defense or she can start attacking, Eurytus switches up the rhythm in a way that’s random enough for Eurydice to lose track of it, or Eurydice predicts where he’s going to be. The issue is that aside from the first one, those are all gambles. If Eurytus isn’t perfect with the switching, then he leaves an opening to get decked. If Eurydice predicts wrong, then that happens. You should’ve seen them last week. Eurydice guessed right and slammed him into the floor so hard the spear broke.”
The esper winced at the thought. It reminded her of some of the hits she’d seen Natalia and Kallen take against Berith. She could barely handle getting tossed around by Zelzar and his group, let alone knocked out of the air and into a burning tent like Natalia. The feats people around her were capable of made her feel small in comparison. She wished she could be anything other than useless in a fight.
“Somethin’ on your mind?” Castor leaned in next to her, a confident smile reminiscent of Alice’s.
“Oh, just, um, th-thinking,” she lied. It was her third day as part of Colette’s retinue. While she wasn’t part of the Guard, that still meant she spent most of her time around them. Getting to know them was an interesting process, but Castor in particular seemed to be able to read her like a book. It would have been the slightest bit unsettling if it weren’t for how his interactions with her usually went.
He looked at her for a moment before standing up. “Well either way, you read Mezmer’s new book? I saw her on your recommendations list, but didn’t see it on the titles.”
“Huh? Oh, um, I-I wasn’t aware she published another!” she said, pulled from her thoughts.
Castor grinned. “Seriously? Oh man, I gotta tell Adonis to reserve you a copy, you’ll love it. It takes place in that techy world, and plays around with that a lot. It’s still got that classic ‘Princess and her bodyguard’ premise that I know you like though.”
“Oh gods, I need to p-put that on my list. Thank you for telling me! Everything has been s-so busy I didn’t even realize.”
“Don’t mention it. Honestly I’m just glad to have someone to talk about books with. I swear, sometimes I think I’m the only one here who isn’t a complete stick in the mud,” he said with mock sorrow.
“And talking to me dashes those thoughts, doesn’t it?” Eurytus mused, entering the rest area with Eurydice. The ursan approached the ice box for a snack while Eurytus plopped down next to Medea.
“Of course, oh dearest brother mine. Without you, how would I ever know the joys of woodcutting techniques that I completely remember the names of,” the bowman said in such a flat voice it was eerie.
“Oh? Would you like me to explain V-gouges again?”
“Okay, you have to be trying to bait me into an innuendo with that.”
Malori giggled at the back and forth. It was charming in its own way. She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, then turned to see Eurydice holding out a bowl of raspberries.
“I have not seen you eat once today. It is no wonder you are so thin,” she said, gesturing to the berries. “Come, share with me. Food tastes better among companions.”
It was hard not to smile as she sat down on one of the couches with the ursan. Eurydice didn’t seem to mind as Malori scooted herself closer either. She had no idea how the woman managed to keep her fur so soft, but it made for a wonderful resting spot. Looking around at the group before her, she thought back to one of the things mentioned in the talk with Gertrud.
“Um, is it alright if I a-ask something?” she said.
Castor and Eurytus decided to pause their argument momentarily. “Yeah, what’s up?” Castor smiled.
“Well, King Gertrud tends to put an e-emphasis on strength. I was surprised to hear Colette say she’s not very effective in combat. I-I was just wondering if there was a reason for the d-disconnect?” she explained, shifting in her seat.
Medea was the one who answered. “Strength is relative,” she said, making the icy wings of her pegasus flap. “Colette is learning basic self defense from Eurytus, but it’s not a focus. She has us because she can’t fight. We can. We can’t shape cities out of stone or defy gravity or set up country-wide teleportation networks though. She can.”
“C-Cities… like Kydanthus?” Malori murmured.
“I mean, that was her grandma, but last year she and a couple mages headed west, and had Philepios built in about a week. Not the whole thing mind you, a couple masons were sent over to make it look all fancy, but the point is that she’s kind of incredible,” Castor mused. “You don’t gotta be able to blow something up to be strong. Like you.”
“L-Like me?”
“Come on, how many other people in Amalthea could put someone’s lungs back together from scratch. I feel like you understate how amazing that is.”
Malori found herself blushing at the praise. “Sh-She hadn’t mentioned Philepios to me. D-Did she not think it was important?”
“If I’m not mistaken, she had other matters on her mind when it came to her interactions with you,” Eurytus chimed in.
“I mean I’m sure if you asked her she’d be happy to take you there, just the two of-OW! What the hell!” Castor grunted as his brother elbowed him.
“What he means is that she’d likely be happy to tell you about some of her exploits. They weren’t a priority when speaking to you because she was more focused on getting to know you rather than talking about the things she’d done.”
More worried about getting to know her? Given all of her interactions, it probably should have been an obvious conclusion. Malori wondered if she was willfully ignorant towards it, her paranoia insisting that no one could possibly care about the kind of person she was enough to make that effort. Despite the depressing thought, she smiled. For the first time, it felt like she was among friends. With a grin, she continued the conversation. If they were putting in effort for her, she was more than happy to get to know each and every one of them.