Yuueii has survived this fight relatively unscathed. Still, the mood is heavy and grim as soldiers escort you back to the castle. Everyone knows that this battle has only just begun.
Glowshrooms flicker to life, shining with green luminescence and filling the air with an earthy scent. Night has arrived to wrap Yuueii in its shadowy embrace.
Head Knight Izuku, Lady Mei, High Priestess Ibara, and Lord Aizawa walk with you. The four of them all wear dark, cloudy expressions. Your advisor looks exhausted as the women bicker half heartedly, and your Knight mumbles to himself in thought. It's shocking how quickly the day turned from a happy holy festival into a declaration of war against you and your people. You try to lift the mood by offering jokes to injured soldiers.
You salute a pale-faced soldier who lies prone on a stretcher with a bloody bandage around his head and two fingers missing from his hand. "I bet you could still out-count those Skegg bastards, even on your fingers," you say with a smile.
The soldier huffs a laugh. "I could beat them in an arm-wrestle too, Your Majesty! But I reckon you might pip me. I saw you charge into battle right alongside us. And you gave the Skegg a damn hard time! I bet they weren't expecting our Queen to push them off the wall like that." You chuckle easily and converse with the fallen soldier until he is grinning brightly.
Maybe it's just your imagination, but some of the tension seems to ease from the group as you keep walking back to the castle. Some of the soldiers escorting you even wear small smiles.
The ground slopes steeply as you follow the Pearl Boulevard up toward your home, the palace. When you reach the top of the castle's steps, you can see the whole of Yuueii, with the streets delineated by the luminescent green of glowshrooms. Beyond the wall, there is darkness. In the far distance, a line of fire breaks that darkness, stretching across the spit of land that Yuueii occupies. It's the Skegg's camp.
The wind shifts, bringing with it the noise of foreign voices and clanking hammers. The Skegg are building. Katsuki and his men have committed to destroying Yuueii. And only you can stop them.
You convene in the throne room to discuss plans with Head Knight Izuku, Lady Mei, Priestess Ibara, Lord Aizawa, and dozens of other important officers, nobles, and citizens. The entirety of the Court is present.
An aide hands Izuku a report. The Knight grunts in thanks, glowering at the map of Yuueii spread across the table before you. Knives weigh down the corners to stop the map curling up. As the aide departs, she casts you a look of glowing admiration. Everyone in the army seems to think highly of you after your actions today.
Izuku skims the report. "Our infantry remains strong, and our archers have retained most of their soldiers."
"And, as I understand it, our arborturgic soldiers are doing quite nicely, too," says Lady Mei, casting a smirk toward Priestess Ibara. At first you'd taken it personally, but perhaps the noblewoman just enjoys being a nuisance to everyone.
Ibara sniffs indignantly. "They're not soldiers. They're priests."
"Everyone's a soldier during war," replies Mei, and you hum in agreement.
Izuku glares down at the map of Yuueii, as if wishing it would change shape. "We have some hard choices to make, my Queen. There's no telling how or when the Skegg will attack again. Your orders tonight will be critical to continuing Yuueii's safety. First, our army. Should we recruit more soldiers? It may make your citizens angry to be drawn into the fight, although it could give us an advantage in battle."
You shake your head in dissent. "I have already razed their homes, and now you expect me to draft them? I simply cannot ask that much of my people."
"What about mercenaries?" suggests Lady Mei. "My sources suggest there are several hundred of them scattered throughout the city. They will not come cheap, but I'd be happy to enlist their services… in exchange for receiving a small slice of their commissions, of course."
Priestess Ibara rolls her eyes. "Naturally."
"We won't give the mercenaries money, per se," you speak tactfully. "Instead, we will boost their reputations. Special uniforms, perhaps, and bards to sing songs about their valor. In the long run, that will be worth far more to them than coin in hand."
Surprisingly, Mei nods. "Mercenaries don't like to fight without payment, but you make a good case. If we do win this siege, the benefit to them will greatly outweigh not being paid in the present, and they should command higher fees in the future. Yes, I think you'll find them willing to fight."
You breathe a sigh of relief, not expecting that to work out so well. You decide to recruit the mercenaries as an even split of infantry and archers.
Lord Aizawa clears his throat. "You need to send a message to your citizens before they sleep for the night, Your Majesty. Otherwise, if they don't hear from you… well, then I doubt they would sleep at all. The message needs to be something short, so that my aides can run into the streets and recite it with ease, but it also needs to be something that will help our citizens."
"Tell them how my orders drove the Skegg back from Yuueii's walls," you say. "And how I charged into battle alongside our troops. Make sure the people know that everything I do, I do for them."
Diplomacy was your mother's strength as a monarch, but for you it is a great chore, a conscious effort. Your father, the late King, was a scholar and a tactician (as well as a peerless card shark). You've inherited an even split of their skills to some extent.
Although you've never seen war before today, you think you handled yourself quite well given the circumstances. Defending your kingdom against an incoming attack felt more like fulfilling your duty than any other arbitrary act you've performed since your coronation. You wouldn't say it was easy— but certainly more natural than anything else.
Lord Aizawa nods. "Before Yuueii's bells are striking midnight, our citizens will be reassured that your military capabilities are more than strong enough to lead us through this crisis."
The throne room door slams open suddenly. Everyone turns to watch a dozen ceremonial courtiers march inside. They all wear expensive pink-and-yellow doublets, paired with feathered hats and glistening, midnight-blue capes. They part into two lines before kneeling. An even more elaborately dressed man strides through their ranks, wearing a bejeweled plague doctor mask. You roll your eyes. What now?
Next to you, Lord Aizawa frowns. "Who is this man? There's something awfully familiar about him…"
The brunette nobleman stops before you. He bows with perfect grace and humility.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," he says. "I wish to introduce myself to you and to your court. My name is Lord Kai Chisaki, and I am the heir to Yuueii's throne."
The assembled watchers gasp. Everyone turns to see your reaction. Another crack forms in your mask, spreading quickly. Within the sleeves of your voluminous silk gown, your hands fidget nervously. Nearby plants grow wilted. Are you subconsciously affecting them with your magic?
Lord Kai smiles. "When I say that I am the heir, I do not mean to dispute your claim, of course. My claim is second in line—immediately after yours."
"And I wish everything I touched turned to gold," you muse, "but our fantasies don't often become reality."
Everyone laughs. Kai nods, giving you a thin smile. "I'm afraid that there is no fantasy or fiction here," he says. "Simply fact."
Lord Aizawa's eyes widen. "Oh. I just remembered…. Your Majesty, now I know why he looks familiar. You do indeed have relations to the Chisaki family. They rule the small city-state of Shie Hassaikai, some two hundred miles to the south. They've shown no interest in Yuueii for decades, but he is indeed in line to Yuueii's throne, in lieu of your having any siblings or heirs."
Your breath hitches. Could this be the reason why the late Queen had wanted you to secure an heir so quickly, so desperately? So that the crown could not be stolen by a distant relative?
"Precisely." Lord Kai's eyes gleam. "I thought it was high time that our relations became more cordial— we are family, after all. Clearly, Yuueii felt the same, because a few weeks ago, I received an invitation from one of your citizens."
Kai gestures at the assembled crowd vaguely. Whether by accident or design, his waving hand could indicate any of the people gathered in your throne room. None of them step forward to take responsibility, but they all turn to frown at each other. Your eyes narrow. Who sent that invitation?
Lord Kai continues, seemingly unconcerned about the disquiet his offhanded remark has caused. "So I arrived in this fine city a few days ago, by boat. I didn't want to upset your preparations for the Festival of the Cultivator—a splendid event, by the way— so I was planning on presenting myself to you well after the feast was all settled and finished. But this unpleasant business with the Skegg… my, my. A dreadful calamity! Even more so for the fact that this Skegg Warlord seems to have had some kind of history with our glorious Queen."
Kai allows an uncomfortable silence to fill the air. Around the room, your Court frowns. Your reputation was already rocky at best due to your behavior as a Princess. When you were training in the jungle all those years ago, who knew that your relationship with Katsuki would come back to haunt you?
"Anyhow," says Lord Kai, "I'm not here to inconvenience you more than I already have. All I wish to say is that my experience of ruling Shie Hassaikai—and my closeness to your family by birth— would make me well placed to provide Yuueii with a steady hand in the tragic event that the Queen meets an untimely demise from these barbaric Skegg. And, as a gesture of help in these trying times, I would like to offer my personal guard to join Yuueii's army. How would you like ninety of Shie Hassaikai's finest soldiers to bolster your forces, Your Majesty?"
So Lord Kai came to your kingdom with ninety soldiers in tow? How were you not alerted? He must have private channels for entering the city— which is a cause for great concern. Your gaze turns frigid. Heads are most definitely going to roll for this.
Aizawa gives you a warning glance. Extra soldiers will be helpful, yes— but accepting the offer will put you in Kai's debt, bolster his reputation, and perhaps make the kingdom question who should really be in charge. You don't know what his ploy is, but you definitely don't like his smug grin. The safe move is to decline politely.
"I appreciate your offer," you say, "but I'll have to politely decline for now. Numbers matter, but so does cohesion, and having to integrate soldiers with a different fighting style would be too hard at the moment."
Kai's lips press together. "If you say so, Your Majesty. Very well— I must take my leave. I bid you a safe and productive evening. Good night." Kai strolls out of the room. His retinue follows him out.
Lord Kai's departure leaves the room with an uneasy silence. People exchange questioning glances. Quite a few of those glances are cast toward the Throne of Thorns. Could a different ruler soon sit in that chair? Lady Mei stares at you. As soon as you notice her gaze, she turns away. Everyone starts talking all at once. The frantic babbling echoes through the throne room. Could Kai's claim to your throne be genuine? It seems so, based on what Aizawa said— and if you upset the wrong people, they might be happy for Kai to take the Throne of Thorns, even if the man's claim is false.
With a snap of your fingers, bright yellow flowers burst from the vines coiled around the room's columns. The crowd yelps, stunned by your sudden display of magic.
"I'd like to see Kai do that ," whispers Lord Aizawa into your ear, rather proudly.
"The Queen is our rightful ruler." Head Knight Izuku scans the room with a hard stare, as if daring anyone to disagree. "We are at war. There is no time for squabbling or infighting. Forget about Kai. Focus on our jobs, and obey the Queen."
"Thank you, Head Knight," says Lord Aizawa. "I suppose that's an appropriate place to end this conference. All our major preparations have been made, and we could all use the sleep."
Aizawa turns toward you, waiting for your final words. "Time for some beauty sleep," you say with a soft smile. "Some of you are in more dire need of it than others."
The joke earns a few tired laughs. Everyone salutes, then slowly ambles out of the room one by one. Everyone except Head Knight Izuku. At first you don't notice him, too preoccupied with poring over the war map. For so long your mother had tried to shelter you from this aspect of leadership, and now you wish you had some insight to fall back on. Between Katsuki and Kai, you fear that you are falling behind as a sovereign.
The Knight approaches you. "My Queen, can I speak to you in private for a moment? Out on the balcony, perhaps?"
"Ooh, how remarkably secretive of you."
Izuku offers you a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "It's nothing untoward. I simply wish to keep this matter… confidential. For both our sakes." He leads you through a curtain of vines that drape down from the ceiling, then opens a stained-glass door.
You emerge onto a stone balcony that juts out from the castle, offering a stunning view over Yuueii. A cold breeze washes over your skin. The kingdom is quiet, but not with the peaceful quietness of sleep. No. It's a tense quietness; the kingdom is holding its breath. Izuku leans against the stone banister. The blue-green light of Yuueii's glowshroom lined streets washes over his pensive face.
"So all along, you were learning magic in the jungle… with him?" Izuku asks finally. You nod.
"You know him, don't you?" You ask. "How?"
The Knight sighs like he is recalling faraway memories from another life and looks up at the twinkling stars. "We grew up together… I was always chasing behind him on horseback, just out of reach. We were inseparable. Then his magic started showing. Kacchan was the only one in the whole tribe who could use arborturgy. He was special, and I was not… and he wouldn't ever let me forget that fact."
"He called you Deku?" You remember. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing," the Knight mumbles.
"It does not seem like nothing."
"No, Deku means nothing," Izuku grunts. "Useless, worthless… nothing."
"By the goddess…" Your heart aches. "Well, if it is any consolation, Chiyo stripped him of his magic. If that power was the only thing that made him special, then he is no different than you now."
Several garden pots filled with roses line the balcony. You wave your hand. The rosebuds bloom open, releasing globules of glowing pollen that float into the air. For a moment the balcony blazes with a purple radiance, and the air thickens with a honey-sweet scent. Then the wind catches the pollen, and it drifts away toward the sea, leaving you in darkness once more.
"Yet he brings an army to our doorstep," Izuku says. "Magic or not, he has always achieved the unachievable."
This is true, and yet? "He was not this way in the jungle," you mutter. "A brazen, arrogant man who curses like a sailor, yes. But a Warlord who cares not for life, who wishes to destroy without discretion? No, that is not the Katsuki I knew."
"And who is the Katsuki that you knew?" Izuku questions tactlessly, casting an accusatory glance that you do not appreciate. "Did you know him well?"
You know very well what it is that the Knight is truly asking, and it frustrates you— especially with the way he's already given himself so freely to others. "No, unlike you, I have a sense of loyalty. We were only peers; a rocky friendship at best, and a bitter rivalry at the worst of times… Before he was exiled, we fought viciously— over something that I cannot even recall the name of. He had went off in the jungle like usual, but he returned… different. The man tried to kill me," you finish in a whisper.
Izuku takes you into his arms. The cold steel against your skin grounds you in this moment, preventing you from slipping into the memories that begin to tug at your consciousness. The screams of the plants in your mind as they exploded upon Katsuki's will, the deadly look in the man's eyes, the way Chiyo cried for him to let you go, to release you. It took years for the nightmares to fade away.
"I am fine," you say, reassuring yourself just as much as the Knight. "Katsuki was… not himself that day. And he is not himself now."
"We can tell no one of this," Izuku's words are spoken directly into your temple as he holds you close. "It will only serve to make you more unpopular, and I won't risk having you sacked… or worse."
Worse. Yes, if the people grow intolerable then you could be publicly hanged or guillotined. Something like that hasn't happened in generations, but it is still a very real possibility. After all, war on Yuueii's soil was but a fanciful notion just yesterday. You allow the Knight to hold you, basking in his tender embrace.
Around the balcony, the roses fold back up into tight little buds as your enchantment wears off. Petals flutter off the balcony, whisked away on the wind. You hear shuffling from inside the castle and detach yourself from Izuku quickly, and you both place some respectful distance between yourselves to avoid suspicion.
A few moments later, Lord Aizawa emerges on the balcony. He chews his lip. "Your Majesty, I'm not sure if you want to hear this, but I have some news about Kai."
"Do you remember how Lord Kai claimed that someone in your Court invited him to Yuueii?" asks Aizawa in a hushed voice. "Well… I may have discovered who. But I should warn you: I'm not certain how reliable my information is. I heard it from a messenger who works for the person who invited Kai. Allegedly, at least. But Lord Kai may have bribed the messenger to misinform me, to sow further discord among us. So take this information with care, Your Majesty."
You urge the man to get on with it. Aizawa sighs. "Anyway, having given that caveat… Kai was invited to Yuueii by Lady Mei."
"What?! How dare she betray me like this?" You explode before cackling without humor. "I never liked that damn merchant anyway. Oh, I will have something for her when tax season comes around, you mark my words. I will hit her where it hurts: her pocketbook!"
The advisor winces. "Your relationship was strained, Your Majesty. Something of this nature was inevitable."
Aizawa leads you back into the throne room. "I know it's late," he says. "And I know you're probably tired, but there's one last matter to deal with before you rest for the night. I've hired an artist to join your Court. You already know of him and his work, but I thought it prudent that we work on improving your image." Aizawa turns toward the entrance door. "Send in Yuga Aoyama, please!"
The great doors swing open, and you perk up instantly. Yuga Aoyama waltzes inside, wearing paint-splattered overalls. You recognize him right away. Toeing the line between masculine and feminine, Yuga's androgynous beauty made him a popular model in his youth. Many painters, sculptors, and tailors clamored for his services. As a result, Yuga's influence manifests in many of Yuueii's recent artistic endeavors.
But his influence on the kingdom's culture doesn't stop there. For Yuga, modeling was simply a means to fund his own creative interests (and vain, hedonistic nature). Over the last decade, he has become Yuueii's preeminent artist. He's also one of your oldest comrades, a member of the nobility who has always forged his own path. You admire him greatly.
Among his many accomplishments, The Cultivator's Rose Garden sold for half a million gold pieces to a wealthy noblewoman from Fiore. Yuga also designed a mansion that was lauded as the greatest piece of architecture to appear in the city for two hundred years. It prompted hundreds of people to demand Yuga's services, but he refused, saying his design already said everything he wanted to say on the topic of architecture. And, in just the last few months, his statue of Himiko the Thief-Queen was so realistic that it had to be barricaded behind bars on account of so many people trying to touch the marble. Yuga is still young, but he's already achieved more than most artists do in their entire lifetimes.
A teeny tiny assistant wearing a long purple scarf follows behind Yuga, struggling under a huge bag of supplies while his master absorbs the throne room's grandeur, gaping. "Oh my!" Yuga spins on the spot, surveying the ceiling. "It's been forever since walking these fabled halls. I will have to do a painting of this. These entablatures are glorious…."
Aizawa clears his throat. Startled, Yuga turns back around. "Pardon me, Your Queenliness." Yuga bows. "Yuga Aoyama, at your service. And of course you remember my assistant, Minoru Mineta."
"A pleasure to even breathe your same air, Your Majesty," the assistant says, adjusting his scarf. Mineta pants. That bag of his looks heavy, and it's an awful lot of steps to reach the throne room.
"Yuga, darling!" You gush, embracing him warmly. Izuku peeks his head from the balcony, curious as to who has captured your attention.
"Yuga is an artist," says Lord Aizawa to Izuku by way of explanation. Caught, Izuku steps further into the throne room and nods in greeting.
"Yuueii's best, if I say so myself," you boast about your companion. "He's gifted in painting, sculpture, pageantry, and many other creative pursuits. You remember! He did the Royal Portrait with me, Mother, and Father years ago."
Izuku turns toward the painting in question, hanging above the throne. The portrait depicts you and your parents, and indeed the Knight has seen it countless times. He recalls when it was being commissioned, when you were unavailable for work or play in favor of sitting for hours on end to have the portrait completed on schedule. Still just a humble Squire at the time, Izuku was not properly informed about the how's and the why's of many things— if his Knight gave an order, then he obeyed it without question. Back then Izuku had truly thought you would rather sit immobile with your parents for hours rather than spend time with him. So silly.
"I've hired him to assist with your public image," Aizawa finishes.
"I do consider myself a patron of the arts," you muse. "This will be fun! And I can't wait to catch up with you, Yuga darling, it's been far too long!"
It bothers Izuku how much you compliment and dote on this person, soft and flowery as he may be. The Knight would not even need to brandish his weapon to incapacitate the slender branch of a man. Perhaps it is just his war torn mind conjuring up these violent images. He politely excuses himself and leaves the room.
Yuga bows again. "I wish all my clients shared your passion, Your Majesty." You tut playfully, reminding your friend that he needn't use such formalities with you.
"Now, in terms of the artwork itself, I believe you have prepared several ideas, Yuga?" asks Aizawa.
"Absolutely." Yuga snaps his fingers. From his gigantic backpack, Mineta hands you a scroll containing a list of potential projects written in neat, leftward-slanting script. You peruse the options for awhile before coming to a decision.
Yuga's eyes grow unfocused as he stares over your shoulder. "Yes… a fountain, to be displayed in Pearlescent Plaza, that reflects your magic…. This will be an interesting piece. All right, I think I have everything I need from you, Your Majesty. Time to start my work." Yuga spins around, then strides from the room. Mineta hurries after him.
Aizawa yawns. "Okay, I think that's all the fires dealt with for now. What a day it's been…. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Your Majesty." He leaves, wobbling with exhaustion as he walks.
You're alone now, for what feels like the first time in quite a while. It's late, but there's still enough time for one last activity before you turn in for the night, and perhaps doing something for yourself might let you sleep better. You decide to venture out to Yuueii's bathhouse to relax and heal after such a stressful day.
Yuueii's hot baths are housed in a blocky building, with dark gray walls carved from volcanic rock. Steam hits your skin when you step inside. The air is pleasantly humid, and a perfumed scent greets your nose. The entrance room is illuminated by soft golden light emanating from carefully cultivated glowshrooms. A relaxed-looking attendant stands behind a marble desk, which also doubles as a fountain. The steady trickle of the fountain adds to the soothing atmosphere. You choose to relax in the Emerald Room, with waters known to sharpen the mind as well as ease the body.
You step inside wearing only a silky robe. The room is circular, with sturdy columns supporting a domed roof. Beneath the dome, steam rises from a pool. Emeralds encrust the sides of the pool, turning the water a shimmering green. Flower petals float on the water, glowing with soft purple light. It is quite a surprise when you see the Head of the Royal Guard already soaking within. His muscular naked body, sculpted by the Goddess herself, peeks enticingly from the steaming waters. Izuku's head is tilted back in relaxation, and your eyes rake over his scarred form appreciatively.
After stripping off your robe, you ease into the pool. The water is warm against your skin. Tension eases from your muscles. After a day of stress and fighting, relaxing in this spa is the perfect antidote. It's no wonder the Knight is here, too. As the water ripples with your entrance, Izuku finally notices your presence. The Knight freezes, but his gaze roams your exposed skin, soaking in the way the water droplets traverse down the peaks and valleys of your body.
"Hope I'm not interrupting," you murmur.
"N-No, not at all," Izuku replies, licking his lips.
You hum in response, content to leave the man to enjoy his bath. The Knight has other plans. Just as your eyes are closing in blissful relaxation, you feel fingertips skimming up your waist.
"Apologies," Izuku whispers into your neck. "I have been unreasonable in my jealousy as of late. It is just… your betrothal to Prince Shouto has been weighing heavily on my heart."
Your eyes widen. You hadn't even thought of the Fiore Prince since the trade meeting this morning, which feels like a lifetime ago after everything else that's transpired. The engagement was null and void in your mind from the moment he tried to disrespect you as a leader through that original shitty offer. But there was surely paperwork to be done, and documents to sign in order to finalize the dissolution. Tedious.
"My Knight—"
"I know you must fulfill your duty," Izuku continues, taking you into his arms. Your back rests against his muscled chest as he speaks softly by your ear. "Even if you are promised to another, I want to enjoy every moment that I have with you all to myself."
You try to explain once more, but your breath hitches when you feel his length brushing against your inner thighs. The two of you have never been fully nude like this, and the sensation of his rippling arms holding you flush against him is almost overwhelming. You feel a second heart beat stirring to life between your legs.
"You have kept your chastity safeguarded for such a long time," Izuku rumbles, cupping your mound in his large hand. "Saving it for your future husband?" You gasp as the fat mushroom tip of his cock pokes at your entrance. "What if I want it? To be your first, to stretch you open and mold your insides to the shape of me."
You shudder at the thought. Even in some of your most compromising positions, Izuku has never spoken so deeply and openly of his own desires. How quickly you'd forgotten this morning, when you told the Knight that he need not wait to be called upon, that he was free to take what he wanted from you. But Izuku had not forgotten.
"Would you let me destroy your chastity, my Queen?" He asks, rolling his hips to grind against your slit, making you both gasp whenever the head catches on your swelling pearl. "We could do it right here, right now. Far away from the palace, so you could be as loud as you wish…"
Your awareness spreads outward with your building pleasure. It brushes against points of light around you, and the flowers respond by reaching back toward you. With a subtle touch of magic, the petals glow joyfully brighter, and a pleasant floral scent wafts across the water. Globules burst from the flowers, floating up into the air. They glow with an unworldly light, filling the chamber with a thousand points of brightness. It's as if the two of you are floating among a sea of stars.
"So many forces trying to take you away from me," Izuku moans, "but I just want to make you mine. Would you let me make you mine?"
"Y-Yes, yes," you chant as you feel the familiar tightening in the pit of your stomach. You're so close, so very close.
"You would?" Izuku gasps and presses the tip of his dick inside you as he finishes. He breathes heavily, trembling against you. "Oh, that's so lovely," he replies in his usual sweet voice before stepping out of the bath.
You watch in shock as he wraps himself up in a towel, eyeing the half hard shape of him beneath his covering. You didn't get to climax, and you whine his name in question. Is he really going to leave you unsatisfied? He's never done this before, not once! Izuku turns back to you with a look in his eyes much too dark to be considered playful.
"What is it, my dear? If you are in need of love and affection, then you need only ask," the Knight quotes with a smirk.
Your ruined orgasm makes tears of frustration prick at the corners of your eyes. "But… but you said…"
"Oh, my heart, did you really think I was going to make love to you for the first time in a public bathhouse?" Izuku shakes his head and tuts lightly. "How scandalous. You are the Queen— have some decorum, please. Finish up quickly so we can head home, yes?" And with that, he leaves the room.
It isn't until you are alone in the steaming bath that you realize he came inside of you. A surge of panic rises up. But the water is much too hot for the seed to take root, and it was only the tip, and you are probably just as barren as many of the other nobility, so there is little cause for alarm… right? You finish up in the bath quickly and redress, meeting the Knight outside the bathhouse. He offers you the rest of his cigarette, and you puff on the honeysmoke gratefully to collect your thoughts.
Yuueii's streets are quiet as the two of you walk back to the castle. The glowshrooms have dimmed. At this time of night, moonlight is your principle guide.
"Your Majesty?"
You turn. A little girl and a boy are sitting on a nearby porch, with a Gyo board laid between them. Judging by the pieces haphazardly scattered across the wood, they're halfway through the game. In the house behind them, the lights are on despite the late hour, and a muffled argument reverberates through the windows. The boy and girl look up at you with wide eyes. They can't be more than seven years old.
The girl glances toward Yuueii's wall. "What will happen to us, Your Highness?" Her voice trembles as she speaks. Beside her, the boy clutches at a worn teddy bear.
You extend one hand. Magic surges through you, and a tendril of green sprouts up between cracks in the cobblestones. As the plant grows, a bud unfurls from the tip, easing open to reveal a purple flower. The plant stops at the height of your waist. You pluck the flower, then give it to the girl.
"So long as you have this, you will be safe," you say.
The girl takes the flower from you with trembling fingers. A look of awestruck wonder spreads across her face. The door to the house swings open. A man steps out onto the porch, squinting at you with his eyebrows furrowed. An empty tankard dangles from one thick finger.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," he says. "Children, you're not bothering the Queen, are you?"
"No!" says the boy. "The Queen gave us a magic flower."
The man gapes. "Your Majesty, you needn't have done that! Run inside, children, and put that flower in water."
The boy and girl scoop up their game, bow to you, then scurry inside. Right before their father closes the door, he pauses. "You're leading well, Your Majesty," he says. "Let's beat these Skegg bastards." He bows, then closes the door.
Izuku smiles fondly at you, putting a hand to the small of your back to guide you back to the palace. The two of you are making your way through the merchant district, when you hear a voice call from the rooftops.
"Any more coins for me, Your Majesty?"
You glance up. Perched on a nearby rooftop is the boy who stole your purse during the festival. He gives you a cheerful wave and flashes a crude gesture at your Knight. You chuckle as Izuku rolls his eyes at the lad.
"I hope you spent my gold on something worthwhile, little sapling," you muse.
The spiky haired boy grins. "You bet. I'm still digesting the pies." He leaps off the low roof and drops into a hay cart with a muffled thump. The youth rolls backward out of the hay, landing on his feet without even the slightest stumble. He sticks out his hand. "I'm Kota."
"Normally subjects bow in greeting," Izuku mutters.
You give a good-natured chuckle, then shake the boy's hand. "You've got some nerve, and I like it."
Not many ordinary people are bold enough to approach you like this. The kid deserves a handshake for that alone. You stride back toward the palace with Kota walking beside you and Izuku, having to take two steps for every one of yours. Even though he snuck up on you, Kota doesn't feel threatening. After all, he can't be much older than thirteen. Still, you'd best return home before the guards worry about your absence.
"You know, I scoffed when you got the throne," Kota says. "Here I was, scrounging for every last gold coin, and you became the richest person in the city just 'cause you were the dead Queen's kid. It wasn't fair. Not that I should've been shocked. Life ain't fair. I've learned that the hard way. But then… you let the shanty-town people in. I didn't think a Queen would do that. Growing up, everyone I saw with even a bit of power just used it for themselves. I thought that's how the world was. But maybe it don't have to be like that." He shoots you an appraising glance. "Maybe there's some people who use their power for good."
An ear-splitting crash of breaking glass sounds from around the corner. Kota flinches, and Izuku reaches for his blade.
A man curses loudly. "I didn't think it would be that loud—"
"Quiet, Spinner!" hisses another voice.
During the day, workers cursing after they drop precious items is a common occurrence in the merchant district, owing to the constant loading of cargo into and out of the vast warehouses. But the merchant district has a work curfew to ensure silence at night. So who's making this racket?
You glance around the corner. Warehouses loom above either side of the street, marked with signs proudly declaring their ownership by Lady Mei. Two men and a woman are huddled beside a broken window leading into one of the warehouses. As you watch, the woman strikes a twistmatch, then uses it to ignite a ball of cloth.
You look back at Kota, but he's gone. How? Wasn't he standing right beside you when you looked around the corner? Izuku looks just as confused as to where the boy could've disappeared so quickly.
"Quick," says the man with the top hat. "Throw it in and we can go."
"Don't rush me, Compress," growls the woman.
The firelight grows brighter, casting light through the warehouse's window. Inside, it illuminates containers of oil and perfume. Mei's warehouse is filled with flammable tinder, which this gang seeks to explode. They mean to start a fire. A fire that could easily spread to the other warehouses—some of which contain items even more explosive than Mei's oils. If this gang throws that flaming cloth through the window, the merchant district could be ravaged.
Normally, guards patrol this district to prevent disasters like these. But all of those guards were pulled into fighting today, so these streets are empty. You and Izuku are the only ones who can stop the gang.