Chapter Text
Palla, Catria and Minerva craned their necks skyward to fully take in the sight of Zofia Castle from outside its great southern rampart. Although the fact was that warfare and plunder had taken their toll on the grand bulwark's beauty, it still dazzled with such radiance as to make many Akaneian capital keeps look like common forts -- including Macedon's own Aerie.
The rapturing sight distracted the three flying warriors from the guards by the gates insistently asking them about their purpose, and then, more direly, from the noblewoman who decided to investigate what this business was. A harsh snapping of fingers finally brought their heads back down to ground level.
"The slack-jawed gawkers will state their purpose at once." The lady's voice was soft on the ears, but strict regardless.
"We have business to discuss with the queen." Palla turned out to be the quickest on the uptake of the three. "And I'm sorry to say we're not at liberty to explain further."
"Words that any duplicitous ruffian could grumble." Still, the lady scoffed. "We of the castle will not extend our courtesy towards such shifty characters as yourselves. Leave at once."
"At least, take us to see her royal highness, please." Catria then took the initiative. "I guarantee that she'll recognize us."
"And what, then, if I take you so close? Is that when you'll throw your knives and flee?" Her skepticism remained unbreakable, however. "Don't make me repeat myself-"
A sound cut into the exchange -- heavy hooves clapping on the beaten path, and then, a voice that pounded like the beat of a drum.
"Hey! Long time no see, ladies! We've been worried, y'know, not having any word from you all for so long!"
A colossal man waved from the back of a stout horse, his chiseled yet friendly face being one that Palla and Catria could recognize. "And I see you've brought along a new friend, at that! Hello there. My name's Valbar."
"Ah... Pleased to meet you. I am P-" Minerva caught the consonant in her throat as she stopped herself short of unwittingly revealing her status. "-alla's girlfriend." What she did reveal was not much better advised.
"PALLA!" Something squealed behind Valbar; Leon could be seen struggling to stand up on the stirrups. "You've been holding back on me! How could you!?"
Palla and Catria broke into giggling while Leon struck an indignant pose, hands curling at the sides of his hips. Minerva was very confused, and in that moment, she had something in common with the harsh noblewoman standing by the gates.
"Sorry, Leon. There's just so much that happened since we last had a chance to catch up... And some that stayed just the same." Palla turned to set a sweetly knowing glance onto Minerva.
"Anyways..." A forced cough from Catria cut off the sweet nothing before they could come and make her feel awkward and envious. "I'd be happy to catch up with everyone some other time, but we're here on official business. It'd be poor form to leave Celi- her royal highness waiting."
"Oh! Of course!" Valbar picked the reins of his horse back up. "I'll be happy to escort you all in a moment. I just need to bring this fellow here to the stables first... Leon, could you get them to a waiting room while I do that?"
"You only have to ask so nicely." Leon purred as he climbed down from the back of the saddle.
"Not so fast." The lady stretched forth a palm, striking pause into everyone moving about. "Sir Leon, just who are these strangers that you'd allow into our stronghold without a second thought? Shouldn't you be concerned for our queen's safety?"
"Aw, geez, Lady Clair..." Valbar's voice could still be heard clearly although his horse had already taken several steps afar before being halted. "These fine ladies here aren't just some sketchy strangers... We fought a whole lot of battles together, them and I. And the queen, too! We're all friends, see?"
"Look, let's make a deal." Leon sighed, righting his posture as if he were transforming into his own diplomatic version. "You can come along while we're escorting the girls. Surely, if your able eyes are on them the whole time, they wouldn't be able to try anything funny?"
The lady stood silent, deep in thought, for several moments, before giving her answer. "... The flattery is most unecessary, but I accept your proposal, Sir Leon. On just one condition: I expect your ready compliance on any security precaution that I consider necessary."
"Wonderful." Leon turned around with flair, quickly reverting to his usual, more casual way of carrying himself. "Well, then! Palla, Catria... Palla's girl-toy... follow me!"
And so they did, after giving Minerva enough time to channel her embarassment and regret from forehead to palms.
The halls of Zofia Castle were a side of the One Kingdom's prosperity that Palla and Catria hadn't had the chance to see before, when they were only around to rout bandits in dusty desert fortresses and arcanists in fetid bogs. Looking at every direction, they marveled at colorful banners, stunning works of art, high ceilings that seemed to challenge any established wisdom of architecture...
"This is really beyond the pale, Sir Leon." The lady tried to comment in private, but the acoustics were not on her side. "These women have obviously never been to the castle, and perhaps not to anywhere even half as interesting. How could they possibly be personal friends of the queen?"
"Don't mind her, girls." Leon sighed with a tone of dismissal, addressing his guests directly. "She just broke up with a boy last week, so she's all out of-"
His carefree spilling is cut short by a slap, lashing sharp on his cheek. "How dare you, Sir Leon! Not since the time of Desaix have I seen a knight of the kingdom take such liberties with etiquette! Chatter with your lousy guests all you like, but I'll not have my personal affairs turned into tavern gossip! Is that clear!?"
The lady turned away from the group in a huff, fixing herself on the path forward. "See? She's been just that touchy lately." Leon remarked, still rubbing a hand over the less fortunate of his cheeks. "It's like she's trying to compensate for all the touching that she's not getting anymore, if you know what I mean."
"That's enough, Leon. If you're not careful, you'll get slapped again." Palla's tone sooner gave the impression of trying to protect Leon from himself than of being concerned for the noblewoman.
"Can't say you're wrong about that!" Something else seemed to have Leon excited. "I've got a better idea than talking about her love life, anyway. Let's talk about yours, hmm?"
"Oh!" Palla was caught off guard, but recomposed herself in a moment. "Well, first of all, I should properly introduce the two of you, shouldn't I? Minerva, this is Leon..."
Catria's attention drifted from the conversation. Pleasantries and laughter faded to the background as something seemed to compel her to watch that strange noblewoman instead -- her stiff steps, the unsteady bobbing of her long wavy hair, the blush still spread across her wroth face...
"Thank you all for answering my summon."
And there Queen Anthiese was -- as Palla and Catria knew her but moreso than ever: a beacon of majesty and rectitude. As she descended the steps from her throne, she radiated a certain image: imposing, albeit not forceful; capable, although young. But as she reached the end of the steps and walked forth to meet her friends, she let the queenly façade fade somewhat, grinning openly and holding her hands up to her chest.
"Palla, Catria. I've missed you both a great deal. It pleases me to see you again."
"Oh... It's great seeing you again, too!" Palla was visibly touched by the queen's warmth. "But before we get to talking about everything, I should finally introduce the two of you, hm? Minerva, this is... uh... queen Anthiese of the One K-"
"Please. Call me Celica." She interrupted with a solemn wave of her hand. "And that goes for your former commander as well. Minerva, was it?"
"Indeed." Pretense though it was, Minerva privately enjoyed the thought of being the former commander, rather than the former sovereign. "I've heard a great deal about you... And it seems like the reverse is also true. I'm pleased to finally meet you."
The royals that are and were shook hands. Minerva couldn't help but notice the resolute firmness with which Celica's arm extended the formal greeting... And the contrast it made with how she'd let herself looser as she resumed talking to Palla and Catria.
Tuning out of the pleasantries and reminiscence, Minerva took to observing this new friend. She felt for her a strange mixture of pity, envy, and pride. It was painful to see someone so young and so royally burdened, and yet, the trappings of leadership had not thus far proven capable of fully destroying that young queen's potential to be open-hearted. It set Minerva to thinking about how she was still struggling to rebuild that ability within herself; about how she'd for too long allowed it to deny her the relationship that she now enjoys with her dear Palla. Still, Minerva couldn't bring herself to resent Celica; it was a relief to expect that the precious young lady's life was a better one than her own, that it might still be full of color and sound and love.
A subtle elbow from Catria halted the train of thought, to be filled in by her whispers. "Don't be so quiet. You're scaring her."
In a stroke of good fortune, Minerva's attention was brought back to the conversation as soon as the central subject came to be breached.
"I believe I've said so once already, but I have to reiterate... What we are about to discuss is a state secret. Do not let anyone know, who doesn't need to." Celica seemed to struggle with being so severe. "I'm sorry that it has to be this way, but the One Kingdom is still in its infancy. While I'd like to be able to openly acknowledge its weaknesses, we presently have to safeguard such knowledge from those who would wield it against the country."
"Don't worry about it." Minerva spoke up for the first time in the conversation, and firmly. "The three of us are perfectly familiar with this manner of operation. We won't allow any stray ears to become involved."
"Oh... Very well..." Celica was briefly taken aback by the unexpected austerity. "As for the matter at hand, then... It seems that, every day, we find something else to be missing -- another bounty of the Earth Mother or the War Father that we'd taken for granted. We've most recently discovered one such to be... the loyalty of our own pegasi."
Palla, Catria and Minerva stared at Celica with interest, listening intently.
"Since the end of the war, the pegasi have been growing rowdier. It took us a long time to notice the difference, but by now, it's become such a pervasive issue that our knights often can't so much as saddle them." Celica's eyes turned to the ground as she felt somewhat ashamed of admitting this weakness in her people. "We've been investigating the matter, and we've found that the pegasus was never quite native to Valentia -- it was Mila who had them brought here. It seems that pegasi were adored by the dragonkin, although they'd sooner keep them in a garden than take them to war."
The listeners raised their eyebrows, all three struck with wondering if that could be the reason why a population of pegasus exists in their homeland.
"Now that Mila isn't around, it seems that the pegasi no longer recognize us as their masters." Celica continued, still forlorn. "This whole time, we were never the ones taming them; it was the Earth Mother. It's possible we've never truly learned how to handle them. But if that's so... I happened to see for myself that there were people from other lands, who can guide the pegasus by their own skillful hands, without the help of any divinity."
"That's exactly who we are, yes." Minerva was ever ready to speak of her country's virtues. "We of Macedon have a legacy of aerial strength to uphold. If your people's need is to learn the pegasus anew, there's no one more suited to help than us."
"That, I have no doubt about. I've seen Palla and Catria's abilities firsthand, and if their words are as true as their skill, their commander is even more incredible." Celica finally seemed cheerier, thinking back on the battles of yesteryear. "I'll have the word out to our pegasus knight leaders, then; bestow on them your vast knowledge, and they'll in turn instruct the soldiers. If you need anything for the job, send for it and I'll make sure it's covered."
"We won't let you down." Catria spoke up in part to assert her determination, and in part to confirm something else. "Before we begin, however... I hate to be so quick to raise the matter of our compensation, but..."
"No, please feel free to discuss it. I know I ask much of you, so it's only fair... And besides..." Celica's sorrow for the following statement seemed more a personal sort than the patriotic sort from earlier. "I genuinely wish that I could honestly guarantee results in the same way that you three can. But I can promise you this much: I'll do everything within this kingdom's power to help you find Est."
"So, the suspicious forastiers presume to teach me something about riding a pegasus?"
Fate would have it that the noblewoman who had earlier harried Minerva, Palla and Catria was one of the officers supposed to receive their tutelage.
"It'll me pleasure to make such a spurious service unecessary. I'll need only a few moments in the sky to see you all dismissed!"
The lady got up on her pegasus, and with a quick dash across the course, she took off. Having gone to air, she commanded her steed through a sharp one-eighty turn and a series of maneuvers.
"Wow. It really is impressive." Catria watched from the ground, arms crossed.
"It really is." Palla was thinking the same thing as her. "I've never seen someone push a pegasus this hard and not get thrown off within five seconds." And it wasn't something flattering.
"Look, I think it's about to catch up to her." Minerva pointed at the overworked mount. "See the hind legs? That pegasus is going to rear up any moment now."
"Hey! Look out!" Catria took the initiative in being helpful, sprinting in the direction of the ill-fated flying exhibition.
Minerva's prediction came true; a mystically reverberating voice somehow resolved itself into an uncharacteristic gruff grunt, and the front of the pegasus jerked violently upward. Its rider was skilled enough to try to hold on, but she'd been much too slow to anticipate such a furious toss, and could only precariously hang on for a few moments before the freefall began.
The lady was fortunate that she hadn't been flying high enough to worry about a serious injury, but still, she dreaded to have a painful, undignified landing in the dirt... for all the few moments it took for her to be whisked in midair.
In a short moment, she took stock of her savior -- none other than Catria -- and of the fact that she'd ended up in her arms, in a perhaps embarassingly personal fashion. She only had time to notice so much before the selfsame savior, unsteady on her feet after stopping the fall, took a trip to the dirt for herself, all while skillfully remaining between the ground and her charge.
"Oh, my! Are you hurt? Please, let me help you up..." The lady's disposition seemed to have taken a sharp turn somewhere between the fall and the rescue.
"Alright, this is it. We have to straighten things out." Catria wasn't having that much of it, however, with her face still on the floor. "What's your name?"
"... Clair. My name is Clair. And... what would yours be?"
"Listen, then, Clair. This is going to be a lot more dangerous than it has to be if we don't get along. You have to believe that we're not here to steal your thunder or hurt your queen or whatever it is you're worried about. We just want to help. Is that clear?"
"Well... I do acknowledge that it was very earnest of you to help me in this situation, even after I've treated you with nothing but suspicion... and also, that your arms are strangely comfortable..."
"W-What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Ah! I didn't quite mean to say that out loud..."
Meanwhile, Palla and Minerva quietly watched the two from a distance.
"Huh. That's unexpected. Seems like Catria got to her." Minerva remarked with a hand on her waist. "And I can't help wondering if... she got to Catria, too."