I can't quite tell whose lips these are.

The figure atop me could be either Her Majesty or Princess Theophania. They look so similar, and with what little I can see, I can't quite tell which one the figure is. Perhaps it is both of them, taking turns, or inhabiting a constantly shifting form. I only wish I found that idea more uncomfortable than I did, I really am a shameless, selfish girl.

And an utterly consumed one. Even as the crack of musket shot and screams of dying Alesians filter in from the world outside this little room I am focused solely on the hand gently touching my chest. It ran a thumb over my skin, letting me know that everything was going to be okay. I would squeal if my lips were still my own.

Even as blood begins to seep in from under the doorframe, carrying the last warmth of gods-only-know how many people, the figure does not cease. I slowly entwine my legs with theirs, wanting more... And more I am given, feeling her thigh gently press against my wetness. Because it belongs there, this magical feeling can only come from something being 'right'.

I hear creaking above me, and this finally opens my eyes, looking past the radiant figure that might just be Her Majesty to see the incredibly tall roof above us begin to crack and buckle. Dust starts to fall, which I know will soon be followed by falling stones. The figure atop me finally stops her beautiful little motions, but keeps her attention solely on me. She is smiling down at me, filling my field of view.

"Do you trust me, Serena Pollineux? Do you trust me with your life?"

"Serena! Breakfast is ready!"

Once again the knocking on the door saves me from my treacherous imagination. Celeste's voice calls me back from... Whatever the hell that dream was. I roll over where I lay, or try to, before the pain in my left arm comes shooting right back into reality. Oh right, it was almost cut off yesterday. Wait, how did I get home? I had passed out in the square, surrounded by my friends, my wound screaming and thirsting... And now I'm here, and it's morning again, and…

And there's a substantial wet patch on the sheets beneath me... I suddenly think back to my time in the Academy with Lazierte, with our little mutual worshiping of Her Majesty. At least now I know the figure in my dream must have been my goddess.

"It simply had to be... No one else can make me feel like this, right?"

"Huh? Serena, are you okay?"

Pasche? Pasche’s voice filters in from behind the door, along with Celeste’s... I have to be ready for a crowd when I finally make it outside this room. If I make it outside this room, rising to my feet is proving intensely difficult with only one working arm, one screaming wound, and a rather profound weakness in my legs.

I hear someone scrambling for the door, and I realize with a panic that I haven't answered Pasche's inquiry. "I'm okay! You don't need to come in, I'm not quite dressed!"

"Oh... Okay- Wait, I thought you said that wasn't an issue before." Pasche had said before I couldn't be deceitful to save my life, and it seems she has a point.

"Wait... You've seen Serena naked? When? Why?!" Celeste seems genuinely a little incensed, something which is both strange and weirdly reassuring to me.

"Hey, it wasn't like that! I swear, we just bathed together- Wait, why do you care?!"

"Of course I care! Serena's a precious sort, I want to make sure she's not getting involved with a bad crowd."

"I could say the same about you! You and your husband are pretty prominent political figures, surely associating with you is just going to put my girl- My general in danger!"

"Less danger than letting her sleep on the streets. Where exactly were you when she needed a place to stay, Mademoiselle Pasche?"

"Oh, don't even go there! I was still a day's hard ride away from Alesia! ... I've known Serena longer than you!"

"Oh yeah? Tell me at least three things about her then."

"... You first!"

The voices behind the door are strangely silent then, leaving me wondering if they can't even think of three things about me, or if they simply don't want to say the things that come to their minds. No matter, their bizarre little bickering gives me more than enough time to get dressed, and take a few deep breaths before coming out to greet them.

"My pre-Avernianized family name is Sophonisba, I’m a fan of fresh seafood, and I really like playing with cats." I roll my eyes at the pair of them, the two of them still staring at each other sharply.

"... Yeah, cats sound right..." Pasche... No, Celeste... No, both of them say that, which confuses both of them and diffuses the tension just a little.

Which is enough for me to get a word in edgeways. "Now, one of you mentioned breakfast?"

"Right! Let me help you down the stairs-" Celeste motions to take my working hand…

Before it is swatted away by Pasche, who motions to take it instead. "I think Serena would be happier having me do that-"

I make my own way down the stairs, it's the only way to not make either of them lose... And I am rather peckish, so I'd prefer to not wait for whatever is happening between them to resolve itself. They both follow me down the stairs, seemingly still sniping at one another silently as I make my way to the dining room. Auguste sits at the table with his newspaper, Xena sits on the opposite end. Katarina sits on the floor next to Xena, looking a little distraught despite Xena's gentle little pats to her head... She really is a dog sometimes.

"Xena... What's Katarina doing on the floor?"

Xena studies me closely, as if trying to diagnose some illness. "You were almost killed yesterday and the first thing on your mind is Katarina sitting on the floor?"

"... Yes?"

"She tried sitting on one of the chairs, but it broke under the weight of her muscle. She's further displeased because she tried helping in the kitchen earlier and broke one of the cutting boards. Apparently, the furniture here isn't designed to withstand her strength." Xena's eyes briefly glare at Auguste, as if this is entirely his fault for not accommodating the presence of whatever Katarina is.

He simply hides a little further behind his newspaper, clearly quite scared of the pair of girls sitting at the other end of the table. "... So uhh... Nine down, 'Jeanne's coalition was formalized here.'..."

Celeste behind me finally exits her little staring match with Pasche and bounds to Auguste's side, and I realize we're about to get a repeat performance of what happened yesterday. "That would be the Glass Garden, darling."

"Glass Garden... Fits perfectly! Thank you, love."

"Hey, I never said it was-"

"... We have guests..."

"..."

"..."

Auguste eventually relents, kissing an enthusiastic Celeste and being faced with a barrage of affection, one which the newspaper can barely contain. I look apologetically over to Pasche, Xena and Katarina, and find the latter two absorbed in their affectionate little puppy play, whispering together in German.

Pasche meanwhile only has her eyes on me... Specifically my dress buttons. "... You did these up wrong..."

I look down and find that Pasche is entirely right, it seems I mixed up a few buttons trying to get dressed quickly with only one hand. A silly mistake, I reach down to try to correct it-

And my hand is swatted away by Pasche, who starts working my buttons right at the breakfast table. "I swear, what would you do without me, Serena?"

... There's a desperation behind her voice, a need to be useful to me... But more to the point, she's undressing me at the table, and as shameless as Celeste could be with Auguste, this is a little abnormal, isn't it? Even if it was just to neaten me up, something about it feels a little too... Intimate. Not quite in the purview of best friend behavior... No. No this has to be normal. Pasche is doing it, Pasche is okay with it, so it has to be okay. She is my second best friend after all, so what she does simply has to be normal.

"Okay, breakfast is-" Theophania's voice filters in from the kitchen... Theophania is here? "... Served?"

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Everyone at the table suddenly turns their attention to their actual princess, who is currently struggling a few serving platters and a very confused face. A mixture of expressions greet Her Highness, who simply puts the dishes down on the table and takes a seat across from me, clearly having the weirdest morning of her entire life.

"... My knight, you certainly have some... Very interesting friends." She tries to nervously giggle off this atmosphere, but it's clear that there's still something of a tension weighing on her, just like everyone else.

"I'll... Take that as a compliment." I nervously chuckle, before trying to take up a fork with my hurt arm... Which the pain makes clear to me is simply not going to happen.

"Serena! You're still hurt, please..." Pasche seems genuinely quite upset with me, as she cuts up a morsel of food, offering it to me on the end of a fork. "Don't exert yourself... Let your knight handle this."

That feeling again, that feeling that this might not quite be as normal and friendly as best friends are supposed to be... But Pasche is okay with it, so it has to be okay. Just like with Lazierte. I take the little morsel in my mouth, just a little flustered in the cheeks despite how absolutely normal this simply has to be. I mean, I am wounded, this makes sense... Right?

Theophania quickly cuts up a morsel and offers it to me in turn, almost violently. "Well, I personally think a princess should be the one attending to her own knight, thank you very much!"

... If accepting food from friends is normal it would be abnormal to play favorites, so I take Theophania's offered morsel as well, and I make absolutely certain to smile. I have to appreciate the little things my friends are doing for me, that's important, that's normal... Maybe if I act normal enough my cheeks will stop being so red.

"Now now girls, please... Serena is my guest, I should be the one to attend to her." Celeste, who has apparently allowed Auguste to go free, cuts up a little morsel and offers it my way, much to Pasche and Theophania's mutual shock.

And I eat this one too, this is perfectly normal host behavior for their guest, absolutely. Which means I have to treat it like it is normal. I have to smile, take the morsel, try to ignore the fact that Celeste smells utterly divine, even from here... Something really must be broken in my brain for such normal things to make me feel so warm.

"You idiots have absolutely no idea how to care for a wounded woman." Xena pinches the bridge of her nose, before cutting up a little morsel and offering it to me. "Let the doctor handle the patient, please."

I take this one too, and I half expect to not get these same, abnormal feelings from such perfectly normal doctor behavior for their patient. Xena is probably the one who tied this bandage around my arm after all, she's probably the reason it didn't have to be amputated. I owe her some normalcy, I owe her a smile. Why do I still feel warm?

There are a few excited words in German, followed by a rather large morsel being roughly put in front of my face by a Katarina with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. I stare at it for a moment, honestly a little confused… Her fork-holding hand is still wrapped in bandages from yesterday. I can still see one of her finger bones poking out of her skin.

"Xena... Why is Katarina-"

"She saw everyone else do it and she wants to feel included. Just play along." There is clearly an implied 'or else' from Xena, making that request an order.

I take the mouthful, which seems to make Katarina happy, which in turn makes Xena happy, even if it doesn't show on her face. This is... Entirely normal mercenary-to-client behavior? ... So long as she isn't serving me human meat, I think I can count my blessings and appreciate the normalcy of being fed by the seven-foot-tall Thing that my friend and doctor is... With?

Finally, Auguste rather awkwardly cut up a morsel, hesitantly offering it to me. "... I'm technically your host too so it would be remiss of me not to offer you something... Apparently."

I look at the offered morsel and the sheer reluctance in Auguste's face, and I know I can't justify this to myself or to Her Majesty, this is simply weird. "... I'm actually full but thank you for the offer."

Auguste withdraws the offered fork with obvious gratitude, taking to his own plate and seriously considering what must have gone wrong in his life for a self-proclaimed knight, a self-proclaimed doctor, a self-proclaimed human, and an undeniable Princess to be having breakfast at his table, all doting upon a failed general. Mercifully the morsels stop after that... But that doesn't stop the girls on either side of me from playing with my hair.

"Serena, you have the worst case of bedhead that I've ever seen. Come on, let me untangle this a bit-" At least Pasche isn’t wearing her chainmail gloves…

"Hey, I think Serena's hair is at its best when it's rather messy! ... But it'll look even nicer with just a bit of attention." Celeste leans in closer… Dangerously close… Gods no, please…

Celeste and Pasche's little contest seems liable to tear me in half, as each one pulls gently on my hair in their attempts to style it to their preference.

Theophania is utterly fuming at the other end of the table, eating what must be an incredibly humble breakfast by her standards while looking on with clear jealousy. Xena shakes her head at the pair of girls pulling and tugging at me... Speaking of hair…

"Hey, Xena... What became of the ribbon that was tied around my wound?" I had been commanded to keep it by Princess Theophania, I'd like to hope I hadn't failed her very first command just because I nearly died.

"That pathetic excuse for a bandage? I removed it and replaced it." Xena's casual callousness seems to cut through Theophania's clear annoyance and humbles her into mere sadness.

"... But what did you do with the ribbon after?"

"It didn't seem important; I threw it away-"

"Hey, Princess Theophania gave me that ribbon, it was important!" I almost stand, but two pairs of hands are keeping me seated as they play with my increasingly doted-upon hair.

"So the Princess was the one who put that thing on your wound?" Xena looks over to Princess Theophania, who looks about to cry... And Xena slowly rises to her feet and looks down at Theophania with her typical dull eyes, before flicking her forehead. "Incorrectly performed first aid can be genuinely harmful. I had no idea where that ribbon had been, it might've caused an infection if it wasn't properly sterilized."

"... Sterilized? What does-"

"It means free of germs."

"... You're still speaking words I don't understand but I just wanted to help, I'm sorry-"

"Yes, well, the first step is wanting to help... But that's just the first step." Xena has taken Theophania's attention from me, in a way that belies her bizarre powers of sincerity. "... You care about Serena, right? You want to be able to help her?"

"I do... She's my knight, I have to-"

"None of that. Do you want to be able to actually, truly help her?"

"... I do."

"Then I will teach you everything I know."

The two girls enter their own little world as Xena, patient as anything, takes to teaching Princess Theophania proper first aid techniques, about the importance of sterilization, and of wound and patient management... And Theophania seems to actually take it on board, listening to every word, only occasionally sneaking a glance my way before being brought back to the topic by Xena. It’s weirdly heartwarming... Certainly more so than seeing what has become of my hair, as Pasche presents me with a mirror, clearly proud of exactly her half of my new hairstyle.

... I’m utterly asymmetrical! The two girls clearly have very different visions of how my hair should be, and quite incompatible ones at that. I’m appalled, but... Playing with my hair has to be completely and totally normal and not even slightly intimate, so I am obligated to smile.

"Wow... It sure is-"

"Mademoiselle Pasche, you went and ruined it. Look what you've done to my poor Serena."

"Me? You're the one who decided my girl- General needed braids! Braids are for schoolgirls, not generals!"

"The great warrior kings and queens of old wore braids in their hair."

"Yeah, well, Serena's not an old lady!"

"Are you implying something, Mademoiselle Pasche?"

... I pray to Her Majesty once again, hoping she will spare me from my second best friend and my unsettlingly attractive host…

And she delivers once again... In the dumbest way possible, as General Malmo walks into our dining room, with a less-than-pleased Auguste leading him through. "Ah, Mademoiselle Pollineux- ... And Her Highness. And Monsieur Pasche. And..."

Katarina looks at him curiously before giving him a big, toothy smile, which makes every single hair on Malmo's body stand on end. He looks pale, and his eyes quickly dart to every exit to the room he can find before he can finally calm himself.

"... How did you find me here, Malmo?" I must confess to being displeased at him having apparently tracked down my location, I was hoping to minimize the amount of Malmo in my life while in Alesia.

"It wasn't hard to see where the hero of Triumph Square was taken after her brave charge with the Gendarmerie into the smoke of battle. The papers are saying you personally slew a monster, and that you saved over a dozen civilians from the blades of Alemannian mercenaries. You weren't exactly subtle, mademoiselle Pollineux."

... The papers are saying nice things about me? Will that maybe be enough for me to be able to see Her Majesty again?! I almost bounce out of my seat in joy, I might possibly see the Queen again! I can see the one person for whom my feelings always make sense! I can maybe even... Talk with her more. I can maybe even…

Malmo looks upon my excitement with an obvious derision, clearly still displeased about a great many things probably. "And here I thought you didn't much care for what the papers said..."

"And what precisely are you doing here, Malmo?" Pasche gets to her feet, ready to stand off against General Malmo and come to my rescue. "I'm pretty certain Serena here isn't interested in talking to you, not after that bullshit you pulled with your 'testimony'."

"Ah, I am merely a messenger today... Antoine Pollineux has returned to Alesia for a brief bit of leave. After over two years of nobly fighting the Magyars in Samnia he wants to take a few days to settle some personal affairs. And seeing as you just so happen to be in Alesia, he wishes to see you today. A little family reunion."

I shudder just a little, hoping this one goes better than the last 'family reunion' I was party to. Still, my eldest brother is in the city? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any member of my family, him most of all... I wonder if he's still as dramatic and pretentious as I remember. I almost hope so, it’ll be a nice bit of nostalgia to hold on to.

I do something I never once thought I would do and give General Malmo a smile. "I think I'd like to see him again. Thank you, General Malmo."

"You're most welcome, Mademoiselle Pollineux... Oh, if you need to have your hair looked at, I happen to know an excellent hairdresser nearby, a personal friend of mine who might be able to offer you a discount given your... Circumstances."

Both Celeste and Pasche both looked at each other, then to the abomination they made out of my hair... Before grinning together, turning to the other General in our midst, and with one voice shouting. "Fuck off, Malmo!”