A constant knocking sounded noisily, disturbing me from my sleep.
I groaned as I stretched my arms above me. My muscles burned with a soreness beyond anything I'd experienced before.
After a moment of silently cursing the cerulean-haired battle-junkie who pushed me past my limits and put me in this state, I sat up in bed and acknowledged the disturbance.
"It's unlocked." I called out sleepily.
The door to my room opened slowly, and slightly. A tiny figure slipped through and closed the door behind themselves.
A girlish voice called out excitedly, "Are you up, are you up!? It's time for food, momma Airis!"
I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and focused on the tiny person in front of me.
Adorable face, yep.
Long and cute ears, yep.
Lovely pink hair, yep.
Slender tail, little batty wings, and horns, ye—wait… Nope?
"Akari?"
"Hmm?"
"How do you—where did your—huh!?"
"Heh heh! Auntie Sara taught me a new spell called GLAMOUR. Isn't it cool!"
"Auntie… Sara?" I questioned with a heavy inflection.
"Yeah! I spent the day with the black-haired elf lady yesterday since they said you were busy. She told me to call her that."
Black-haired elven—
"Ah, Lady Sara. Of course. I'm thankful she's treated you so well. But, auntie? Really?"
Akari jumped up into bed with me, climbing across the sheets to rest her head in my lap. "What does that mean? That word. Auntie."
"Uhm. It's simple enough to explain, I guess. Aunt is what you'd call your mom's sister. Since Lady Sara knows that you've been calling me 'momma Airis', she's implying that she's acting sort of like a sister to me."
"Oooh. 'Kay! Does that mean I should call Rias and Hailey auntie as well?"
"Ack!—" I choked on my tongue. "I think Rias might like that, you can ask her if she'd like to be called auntie after breakfast. But, sweetie, why do you think Hailey also should be called auntie?"
"Because you're really close to her too, like a sister!"
"Hailey and I have a bit of a different relationship. We're close, but it's not really the same as being sisters. I love her in a different way. She would be more like a 'momma Hailey' if anythi—"
Heat rushed to my face as I clambered my mouth shut in embarrassment.
I squirmed my way out of bed and quickly changed into an outfit that was semi-professional and presentable. I led a giggly Akari out of our room and headed to the dining room. We bumped into Rias in the hall where the limits of Akari's patience were showcased, as she immediately asked if it would be alright to call her 'auntie Rias'.
Rias accepted, as I expected her to, and we shuffled into the dining room where a great assortment of dishes were being brought out.
The nearest platter to our seats had some attractive looking pastries. I grabbed a muffin that looked tasty and took a bite—and fought back against an urge to spit it out immediately.
I really hate Hallonut. Blegh!
Julius and Mei arrived together, followed by Hailey and a procession of elven magistrates and other high-ranking elven nobles.
The absence of one blue-haired angelic warrior was noted.
I'll have to track down where she ended up after the Goddess chased her out yesterday.
Once everyone was seated and the last of the food was brought out to the table, I said a quick prayer to the Goddesses watching over us—to both ease everyone's possible anxiety at eating a meal alongside their new sovereign and for having to take that meal in an unfamiliar place which lacked the gilded elegance of Umbraedomis.
"Celestials above, which watch over and bless us. Bless this meal, a bounty of Terae, that it provides nourishment to our minds and spirits. Judicaer egos virtiae."
Lord Adellin raised a glass of white wine, "As always, Your Majesty finds a way to surprise me. To think you'd adapt a traditional Aestori blessing so well to fit the Imperial tongue, yet keep its elven grace. May we be judged worthy."
"Hear hear." "Cheers!" "Etiam."
A chorus of acknowledgment was raised across the dining table and everyone began to dig into their meals.
Breakfast flashed by uneventfully after that, with most of those in attendance making brief small talk or commenting on some of the unique accouterments the elven nobles had worn.
I excused myself before the table had been cleared and the majority of people had finished, escaping back to my room where I needed to start getting ready.
As I was finishing putting my proper uniform on, Rias arrived with Akari in tow. I called back to her while buttoning my blouse, "What are your plans today, sis?"
"Hmm, I'll probably visit Lira and Dori today—Dori has been helping the Astral Knight's set up their aetherflux equipment. I was hoping to learn some more about the elven variants compared to what we were using in Axio."
"Sounds like a busy day. I'll probably be stuck in meetings all day today. I think everyone else I'd trust to watch over Akari will also be stuck in those same meetings. Would you mind taking her with you, if she doesn't mind going that is."
Akari's head perked up at the mention of her name. "I enjoy spending time with auntie Rias! I'll go." She declared with a beaming smile.
"I don't mind at all," Rias replied while giving Akari's hair a playful toss, "I might even learn some more about Akari's magick if we can experiment with some of the aetherline devices."
"Don't catch anything important on fire."
Rias returned my warning with an embarrassed grimace.
There was a knock at the door, followed by a muffled voice. "Your Majesty, it's Knight Aeko. I have a delivery from the blacksmith for you. I'm told it was an urgent request."
"It's unlocked! You can enter, Aeko."
The door opened at an even pace, stopping at a firm ninety-degree angle, and Aeko walked in holding an ornately decorated box that looked like its purpose was meant to hold expensive jewelry or other gaudy and garish trinkets.
"I'm actually quite glad you've arrived as you have. Could you hand the box over to the little one over there, and then help me put on this breastplate? Getting the back plate strapped in is a pain since it buckles under my arms."
"Little one? Ah—I heard about a cute child arriving with Your Majesty from Knight Pearson." Aeko handed the small box off, which Akari took shyly into her hands and cupped gently.
Aeko quickly helped me strap myself into my armor and filed out of the room in a hurry. Both Akari and Rias looked at me expectantly after the door closed behind her.
"Go ahead and open it up."
Akari tried to pry the lid open, but it didn't budge. Rias leaned over and pointed out a small latch which, after Akari pressed, caused the lid to unlock.
Cushioned in red velvet was a silver-metal badge on a beautiful chain.
Akari's eyes gleamed wide, enthralled with the shiny present.
Rias looked up and asked, "What is this, sis?"
"I sent a request to Rhia to craft something similar to a Statesmen Pass so that Akari can come and go as she pleases through the Citadel, and other such restricted places in the city. I remembered getting one from Father when I was younger so I could move freely when I attended ceremonies with him."
Akari lifted the badge out from the box and drew it close to her face. She sniffed at it twice.
"It smells like momma Airis' metal." Akari then brought it down to her mouth, and chomped down on the metal. "Yep. Tastes the same as your metal."
"Airis' metal? Oh, your armor, maybe? Is the badge made of Chromasteel, Airis?"
"Yep. I figured not only would be bright and wear resistant, but if anyone inspected the badge they'd realize right away it was something important. I had our family crest etched into the badge. Nobody in their right mind would turn Akari away."
I hung the badge around Akari's neck, and tucked it between her blouse and undershirt. Gently patting it twice for good measure.
"If you get too bored, or if it becomes unpleasant any time today, ask one of the soldiers to escort you to me. If you show them this badge they'll take you right away."
"Mhmm!"
-✵-
I departed for the Citadel for my first round of morning meetings to confirm our next steps, now that the Aestori forces had been secured. They were camped outside the city for now and would eventually end up in the Citadel barracks, but that didn't mean we could sit around Tolin for long.
Passing through the main hall a cold shiver ran down my spine, and I had the feeling I was being watched. I glanced around, and spotted Hailey staring down at me from atop the northern balcony.
She pushed herself up from the railing she'd been leaning over, heading towards High Command.
I walked briskly to the end of the hall and up the stairs, meeting her before she'd entered the narrow hallway that led to our morning meeting.
She looked at me with a cold glare.
I'm still in trouble…
Against my better judgment I tried to ease into some small talk, "You've been busy with the Aestori. How are you holding up?"
"I've been extra busy, since our Empress locked herself up in the meeting hall for an entire day doing who knows what."
"Ah," I scratched at the back of my neck nervously, "I do have a good reason for that—but that doesn't matter. I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment with Ikuye, and then Virgo showed up."
"Caught up in the moment? Do I even want to ask…"
"Nothing improper happened! She helped me uncover some latent power I'd be unaware of. A combination of being Capricorn's disciple and Virgo's scion. I'll tell you about it in detail later—"
"Airis, you should be doing what's righteous and just! But recently, you've been doing nothing but seeking power like a starved predator. Was your oath as a paladin all for nothing?"
"We both know my specializing as a paladin had nothing to do with any sacred oath or a personal dedication to do good. It was purely political—and even if it wasn't, what use is there for hollow words to a pantheon of Celestials who don't even watch over us. If I'm to bid the wills of the divine, it will be to the two Goddesses who watch over us now. One of which being our very creator."
Hailey's scowl deepened. "If you continue this path… Sure, maybe you gain great power. But that power will only cause others to fear you as a heretic. Bashir's words may have meant to mislead you, but they still held an ounce of truth to them. You may not be a demon, as he claimed, but your appearance when you practice that magick looks as if you might be."
"How can I be a heretic? Those manifestations are a mark from the Goddess, they're in the image of Capricorn herself. Rather, I think our people will hail me as something close to divinity since they know the truth."
Hailey took a step back, "Is that what you hope to become? A Goddess in your own right?"
"And if it is!? Will you hold me back from a divine birthright? Hails, can't you just stand by my side and support me?"
I extended my arm out to her, but I caught sight of her body trembling as she recoiled from my reach.
"Hails, I…"
"I can't right now, Airis. I can hardly see the girl I fell in love with when I look at you lately. Why… why can't you just follow the Church's oath and do what's right? Why must you stray from the path we've followed for so long?"
"You might as well be asking for the impossible! Nothing in this world is right or just these days. I'm doing what I can to keep all of us moving forward—which, to me doesn't have to mean what we do or where we go is the most just course of action. I want us to survive, Hails," my voice cracked as I pleaded with her, "Just… survive with me for now. Once we've solidified our people's livelihood I promise I'll take the time to worry about what's right and wrong."
Hailey's hand raised up as she turned away from me, brushing away a shiny streak streaming down her cheek. She retreated down the hallway towards High Command without another word.
Ahhhhhh… That didn't go well, I'm a massive dummy.