They stood there like that for a while before Lilly calmed down enough to explain. "Sorry, a lot happened today." She let go of Mia and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
Mia looked worried, but she also seemed eager to know what had made Lilly like this. "Do you want to talk about it in the bed?"
Lilly considered it briefly. She also needed to tell Gramps about what had happened, but right now, the thought of laying in Mia's arms sounded too nice. "Yeah, I'll just let Gramps know I'll tell him everything tomorrow."
"No, don't worry, I'll let him know. You just go ahead, Lilly." Mia seemed extra caring today, Lilly thought, but she didn't mind at all. All she wanted to do now was let her heart out to the girl she loved.
She walked up to the bedroom alone, letting the door stay open, and removed some of her clothes to get more comfortable. When she felt ready, she let gravity do all the work and leaned forward. The bed gave her a nice and soft landing, tucking her into its soft covers.
She lay there, thinking of the day and all its revelations. 'Gramps was right, awakening the flame was dangerous… But no one would have saved the city if I hadn't.'
Footsteps could be heard coming towards the door, and Lilly felt her spirits lifting slightly. Mia appeared in the doorway and stopped briefly to observe Lilly's position. "You look half-dead Lilly, what exactly happened? Did the princess do something?"
Lilly shook her head, but instead of replying she just said, "Get in the bed, I want to lie between your legs again."
"That's very forward of you," Mia said jokingly.
That got a small chuckle out of Lilly. She remembered saying the same thing to Mia when she had asked, which felt like a lifetime ago, just before Mia confessed her feelings properly.
Mia still started getting undressed and ready to jump in, but she didn't bother to stop where Lilly had. She just went straight down to her underwear, ready for bed.
"Are you trying to distract me?" Lilly asked with a smile.
"Just getting comfy, it's hard to adjust with people lying on top of you." She climbed into bed and got under the covers, adjusting the pillows so she could sit up properly. "Now come here!"
Lilly slowly moved towards her girlfriend's embrace, eventually finding her place and comfortably resting the back of her head against the softness of Mia's stomach. She could feel the rhythmic rise and fall of Mia's breathing as her fingers tenderly stroked Lilly's hair, ready to listen to her woes.
Lilly considered just staying like that for a while, but she knew Mia was both curious and worried. And there was quite a bit to get through. "Okay, first of all, just after you left, Elly returned." She could feel Mia tense up in surprise at that.
"Really? That's great! She came here?" Mia asked, happy to hear she was alright.
"Yeah, she came through the window due to the guards. She's been at the headquarters of the organization that attacked Selene, trying to convince them not to attack me. And she used to be their leader." Lilly's words were heavy, conveying the weight of the topic.
Mia seemed speechless, and her hand had stopped stroking Lilly's hair. "... She led assassins? And they would go after you without her?"
Lilly nodded against Mia's stomach, understanding her disbelief. "I know, it's a lot to take in. But she left over 200 years ago because she started hating it. They raised her, and everyone she knew was there, so leaving was difficult. I know she's a good person, but she has done bad things."
Mia sounded both surprised and empathic as she resumed stroking Lilly's hair. "Yeah, I know. I was just surprised she had such a dark past. She seems so cheery."
"Maybe that's why. Someone who has lived in darkness for longer than we can imagine would probably find a normal life wonderful." Lilly took a moment to contemplate Eolande's past before continuing. "As for them wanting to attack me… Elly promised to keep some secrets from me, so they wouldn't have a reason to attack. But I figured it out later anyway. They were the ones who killed all the members of the Vermilion family."
Mia's hand froze again. "... And now you're in danger if they learn that you know about that?"
"Well, sort of. I think they're scared of Myndia, and wouldn't risk antagonizing me too much. But I've chosen to keep it secret for now."
Mia's voice held a hint of relief as she replied, "That's probably for the best, Lilly. We don't want to antagonize people like that. But if they're behind the attack on Selene, they're on the side of Dortfell, right?"
Lilly shook her head slowly, preparing to reveal what she felt was the worst part. "No, that's the other secret… Our king tried to sacrifice Thundrel and Selene to make Dortfell think the assassins were on their side in the war, like double agents."
Mia needed a second to process that, but her view on the matter was clear. "That bastard! Sacrificing innocents and noble protectors for some game in the shadows? Is he mad?"
Lilly loved the energy Mia was reacting with and joined in. "Exactly! What sort of king would sacrifice his people for something like that? It might have improved our chances in the war, but as a citizen, especially someone living in Thundrel, I can't forgive him."
Mia sounded a bit nervous as she asked, "... But what will you do about it?"
"Hang on, there's more before that," Lilly said, taking a deep breath. "Selene was stripped of her title as Lady Protector and will be sent to the frontline in the war, but she seemed happy about that. And I was asked to step into a permanent position, which I accepted."
"... Lilly, this is all very much to take in."
"How do you think I felt?" Lilly replied quietly. She thought back to Selene's expression, and how she had been comforting Lilly instead of the other way around.
"Yeah, I can see why we're here now. Anything else?"
Lilly let out a long sigh. "You bet; my future teacher is the secret mastermind of the assassin clan and the most lethal person in Eldoria, probably."
"... You're just messing with me now, right?"
Lilly didn't blame her for thinking so, it was a ridiculous scenario. "Gods, I wish I was. But no, the person responsible for the extermination of the Vermilion clan will be my teacher after the ceremony. He's using Master Keldorn as an alias of sorts. And he knows I know who he actually is, even though he doesn't know that I know about the Vermilion family."
Mia sat in silence for a moment, digesting the layers of revelations. "... Anything else?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"The princess seemed nice. So at least there's that," Lilly replied, managing a faint smile.
"So, all in all, it was a nice day, then?" Mia asked, trying to coax Lilly into a brighter mood.
Lilly smiled, appreciating the thought. "Yeah, can't complain."
Mia shifted her position slightly, using her strength to gently but firmly drag Lilly up to her head, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting hug from behind.
"I love it when you use your muscles like that, Mia." Lilly could hear the dreamy appreciation in her own voice while saying that.
"You sound too cheery, be sad again," Mia joked, her lips curling into a small smile.
"Okay. Oh, woe is me, everything is horrible!" Lilly played along, making her voice as despondent as possible.
"Perfect. But seriously, what are you going to do?" Mia's tone shifted to one of genuine concern.
Lilly let the question linger for a moment before she started replying, feeling nervous about Mia's reaction. "I don't think I can let the king not take responsibility for his actions. And I also want the clan of assassins to pay, or at least swear never to repeat something like that again."
Mia sighed heavily, hitting Lilly in the neck and sending tingles down her spine. "I figured that would be your answer. But… well, how?"
Lilly gathered herself from the weird sensation with a single-shoulder shrug. "I'm not sure. I could gather a group of people I trust if it comes down to fighting, but that would take a long time to get us where we need to be. A political angle might work with the king, but we don't have proof of the scheme. And even if we did, revealing it would be terrible for the war."
"You've thought it through, I see."
Lilly nodded, casting a glance out the dark window. "Well, it's all I've been thinking about today. As for the clan, I have no idea. Revealing my knowledge is extremely dangerous, but I can't talk with them properly without doing so. If I could get a read on the leader during my training then I might find a solution, but I don't think there's any chance of me outsmarting him."
"So… wait and see? Everything depends on the war as well I guess, so we can't do much before it's decided," Mia said, her voice resigned yet supportive.
"I think a passive approach is best until the war comes closer to a conclusion. So far it has mostly been smaller skirmishes on the borders, but it will intensify soon according to the army. The attack here was supposed to be the beginning of the real war, but I delayed it."
Even if it was true she had stopped it, Lilly thought it felt surreal to say.
"And thank the gods you did," Mia said, hugging her tightly again. "I think waiting is the best choice for now, and then you can decide your direction later. I'll be here, whatever you decide to do."
Lilly felt the warmth in Mia's words, and her tired mind was ready to leave the problems to future Lilly at this point. Just taking things as they come sounded like a wonderful idea right now, accepting awards and training enchanting again. Even if the teacher was a terrifying mastermind of the shadows, Lilly did look forward to it. Someone like that would have millennia of experience to share if they were willing.
Lilly felt ready to get out of the loving embrace now, having shared her fill of problems. "I am super tired, but I have to make a small speech for tomorrow's ceremony. Thanks for being such a nice chair." Lilly moved towards her side of the bed and retrieved a notebook and a pen from the nightstand.
Mia nestled into her side of the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin, her eyes soft and content. "Anytime, love. Even before we started dating you could come to me like this, so why would it change?"
Lilly thought back. "It was mostly me coming to you with problems, wasn't it? Why's that?"
"Well, my main problem was centered around you, making you a bad comfort source. And you lost both your parents," Mia replied, her tone carrying a mix of fondness and understanding.
"Those are very good points," Lilly replied with a smile, before focusing on crafting her speech.
Mia rolled over and tucked herself in for the night, looking snug and warm. "I'll just head to sleep, I have a big day tomorrow. My girlfriend is getting a title and a medal from the princess during a ceremony."
Lilly chuckled slightly, joining in on the joke at first. "Wow, that's impressive. But honestly, I still can't process it properly. I always looked up to heroes, and now I'm considered one of them. Do you think they all feel like frauds, or am I special?"
"I think many of them just did what they felt they had to, like you. And you need to stop downplaying what you did, you saved the city. Even if Myndia technically helped you with most of it, it was your decision to sacrifice your secrets and the simple life you wanted."
Lilly nodded, absorbing Mia's words. "... I'll get used to it eventually. Thanks." She leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on Mia's lips before settling in for the night. "I love you, Mia."
Mia's face lit up with a soft, contented smile, a small yelp of surprise escaping her lips before she whispered back, "I love you too, Lilly. Good night."
"Good night," Lilly replied, finally feeling a sense of serenity after such a long day.