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Eirika sighed as she felt her body sink into the pillow that was propped up against the headboard of her bed. Ever since the war had ended, even with summer turning into autumn, the days were still filled with long and exhausting meetings about Renais’ reconstruction from morning to evening. At least no one was in danger of dying from these meetings… Although any time she glanced over at Ephraim she wondered, with the way he’d twitch, if he wasn’t just itching to brandish his spear at an unlucky counselor who happened to be talking when his limit broke. So far Ephraim had managed to keep his temper in check until they were in private. Seth was a willing sparring partner for the frustrated king, while Eirika had her own routine to calm down. Tonight, like every night since the war, Eirika pulled out one of L’Arachel’s letters that she kept tucked in the drawer next to her bed.
My dearest beloved Eirika,
I would ask if you were in good health, but since I pray for your health and happiness daily, I am sure that you are doing well. But if I’m wrong, please let me know right away so I can rush to your side!
I have started to feel a cool wind against my cheeks when I go outside, and I wonder how can it be autumn already? It has been two seasons since I’ve last seen you, two seasons too many. Words can never properly describe how much I miss you. It’s rather maddening how many days we’ve had to be apart. I know you have been very busy; I keep myself busy as much as I can but it’s not the same without you. I can’t wait even another second to see you, but I know I must endure.
Every day, every moment, I can’t help but think about you. Every flower I look at, I wonder if you would like it, if it would match your hair, if it would match your dress, or would it smell good in your room, in the bath, mixed in with your scent, or could it make a good tea that we could enjoy together in the garden or on the balcony overlooking the courtyard or in the privacy of our room. Every tea I taste, every sweet I sample, I want to share with you. I look around to tell you about it, but then I remember you are still thousands of kilometers away.
My tailor wonders why I’ve started to wear more blue in my wardrobe. Blue? Your hair is a much more majestic color than simply “blue”. It is hard to find something that matches your color…
Rennac is laughing at me for using so much of this sheet of paper to tell you how much I miss you. What a rude man he is! He needs to fall in love, true love, and then he’ll learn this is no laughing matter!
Anyway, things are going well in Rausten. My uncle is in good health, but he is eager to retire to a simple life, which I will grant him once you are here by my side. I know together we will bring shining light to all and peace forevermore. Until then, I will miss you dearly.
Your beloved forever,
L’Arachel
Eirika smiled and tucked the letter back into the drawer. Reading L’Arachel’s letters was her method to gaining peaceful sleep; she slept dreaming about flowers, tea parties, and L’Arachel’s cheer.
*****
L’Arachel stepped into her room and removed her scarf, carefully placing it on her dresser. Recently it was cold outside even during the afternoon. Oh, if only she had Eirika here, they could sit by the fire and warm up together! Instead all she had was a letter.
Dear L’Arachel,
I can never find a proper response to your letters. I miss you dearly; words fail to properly convey this. However, I must ask for your patience and forgiveness once again. Things in Renais are improving but not as quickly as we had hoped. I will not bore you with the details, but we have managed to calm down most of the populace and should manage through the winter due to your nation’s kindness. Innes and Tana will visit soon with even more aid. In the spring we will need to work hard to prepare the fields and to continue rebuilding homes so our citizens can return to the lives they had before the war. In the meantime, there have been endless meetings as we plan for the upcoming year. It is frustrating that this process is taking so long, but when I leave Renais, I want it to be peaceful and prosperous and then I can be with you forever. Until Ephraim is safely and comfortably King, I must stay at his side. Please understand. I ask for forgiveness once again.
With love,
Eirika
L’arachel had read this letter at least a hundred times, and yet she had not penned her reply yet. In her last letter she had expressed impatience; surely Eirika could at least invite her to visit? The fact that Eirika’s reply had taken two weeks to come… If only L’Arachel could do something to help! But her uncle and Eirika had warned against too much interference; it would look as if Rausten was trying to undermine Renais’s sovereignty. All L’Arachel wanted to do was be with her true love. Was that too much to ask?
Oh wonderful, beautiful, kind-hearted Eirika… What L’Arachel needed to do was pen a letter to lift Eirika’s spirits, not to make Eirika apologize again. Which is why she was struggling to pen a reply, and Rennac’s laughter was not welcome.
“If you are just going to stand there and laugh, then go off and find me a book of…love poems.” It was the first resource that came to mind. Before he could take two steps she added, “Appropriate love poems. Not anything filthy.”
When the door shut, L’Arachel sighed and picked up a pen. She didn’t know if Rennac would actually prove useful (half the time he did not), so the least she could do was start writing down ideas.
Now what words would best describe Eirika’s hair…
*****
“An urgent letter for you, your Highness.”
Eirika frowned as she was pulled away from the important meeting about spring planting for a letter, but her heart stopped for a moment when she saw that the urgent letter was from Rausten. She immediately felt guilt; the last letter she had received from L’Arachel had said everything was going fine so Eirika had not worried, so involved in Renais’ affairs that she barely thought about her love. But what if that was not the case anymore? She tore open the seal roughly, her hands trembling as she read.
Dearest Eirika,
I have sent you two letters and assume the lack of response is due to how busy you must be. However, I cannot wait for a response any longer. I think about you constantly, I worry about you… I need to see you, if only for a day, for I fear I will go crazy without you, trying to remember if your hair is truly this shade of blue or if your lips curl up one or two centimeters when you smile. I hope at least this letter reaches you before I do. Please do not worry about a royal welcome. I do not require anything except to see your face and to hold you in my arms. I miss you fiercely.
Your beloved forever,
L’Arachel
Eirika wanted to be happy that the letter did not have bad news, but she felt panic instead. If this letter was sent a week ago, and if L’Arachel left around the same time… The mail system was still rather slow as the number of mail carriers was still far too low, when their horses were needed to help with carrying materials to fix village gates and roads and… It was possible that L’Arachel could burst into their castle at any moment, and she and Ephraim had not even told the counselors about her relationship with the Rausten princess yet…
Eirika folded the letter and told the messenger who had remained nearby to send a message to the guards, but before she could dictate, a guard entered the room.
“Your Highness, the Princess of Rausten L’Arachel has arrived and asks to see you right away.”
Eirika nodded, preparing to meet with the L’Arachel at once only to be interrupted by another guard. “Your Highness, the King is wondering if there was anything urgent in the letter that needs his attention?”
Eirika looked at the two guards and took a deep breath. “Please take me to Princess L’Arachel. Also, send word to Ephraim that Princess L’Arachel has arrived and that I will return to the meeting shortly with her.”
Eirika hoped that giving Ephraim a little notice could smooth the transition a bit as she dealt with L’Arachel’s untimely arrival. Eirika wished she could be overjoyed, but there frankly wasn’t the time. She greeted L’Arachel from the doorway of the waiting room. “Princess L’Arachel, I must apologize for our ill-prepared state for your arrival—"
“Oh, Eirika!” L’Arachel didn’t even wait for Eirika to finish speaking before tackling her into a fierce embrace. “I missed you so!”
Eirika pushed L’Arachel away but grabbed onto one of her hands. “I am glad to see you, but we were in the middle of important business.” When L’Arachel frowned, Eirika sighed. “It will be easiest to show you.”
“Wait, what do you mean Eirika?” L’Arachel asked as Eirika dragged her along the corridor behind the guard who briskly escorted to the meeting room. “Surely this is not proper…”
“Proper or not, unfortunately we aren’t in a situation where I can just skip a meeting,” Eirika replied. “Please understand.” This was the only warning she was able to give L’Arachel before the doors opened. All prior conversation suddenly stopped as the counselors just gaped at the two women. The door closed behind them amidst the silence.
“Eirika! Princess L’Arachel!” Ephraim rose from his seat and walked over to the couple. “Please excuse our surprise at your arrival.”
There was no time for L’Arachel to reply before one of the older counselors slammed his hand into the table. “What is the Princess of Rausten doing here?” he demanded.
Ephraim smiled politely. “Princess L’Arachel is a dear friend coming for a visit—”
Eirika shook her head. L’Arachel was here and it was embarrassing to gloss over the situation like this. The counselors would not be happy not knowing the truth, and there was not really an optimal time to reveal this information. Really, they should have done this much sooner. She would have to apologize profusely to L’Arachel later, but for now she would do her best to deal with the current situation.
Raised the hand that was holding L’Arachel’s tightly, Eirika declared, “She is my lover and we are to be wed.”
There were gasps all around the room. The topic of weddings and such had not been brought up in these meetings after the war, so she was not surprised by the response or by the questions that followed. “When will this wedding occur? Where are you two going to live? Are you abandoning Renais?”
Ephraim raised a hand up, commanding silence, and thankfully the counselors obeyed. He put his hand then on Eirika’s shoulder, indicating that it was her turn to speak. “We have no set plans, but yes, I will be moving to live in Rausten after the marriage,” Eirika answered. She glanced briefly over to L’Arachel, who stood tall and proud but also looked to be gritting her teeth. L’Arachel was definitely not happy about what she witnessed.
“But your Highness, you would be abandoning Renais,” one of the counselors protested.
This simple statement, probably a fair point-of-view from someone not knowing what Eirika felt, what L’Arachel felt deep in their hearts, provoked Eirika to defend herself and L’Arachel loudly. “I am not abandoning Renais!” Eirika shouted. She let go of L’Arachel’s hand and placed both of hands on top of her chest. “Renais is always in my heart. And Rausten has only been good to Renais. Did they not send us aid without asking anything in return? In addition, if Ephraim were to marry, there would be two queens of Renais. Would that not cause trouble for Ephraim’s future wife?”
The minute of silence that passed as the counselors considered Eirika’s words were nerve-wracking, but exactly a minute later Ephraim broke the silence to make his position clear.
“As King of Renais, I have approved of this future union. This is my final decision.” Ephraim spoke with a confidence of a commander leading his troops: a voice Eirika wished he would use more often. He turned to L’Arachel and bowed slightly. “Princess L’Arachel, unfortunately we were still in the middle of discussing spring planting. Would you retire to the guest quarters for now?”
Eirika watched nervously for L’Arachel’s response. L’Arachel wasn’t always the best with diplomacy and the way they had treated her was insulting. Thankfully all L’Arachel did was nod. “I understand.” She turned to Eirika. “Eirika, I…” She cut herself off and promptly made her exit.
Eirika’s heart was pounding when joined Ephraim back at the table. Perhaps due to L’Arachel’s shocking entrance, the meeting actually proceeded more smoothly after the interruption. In less than a half hour they had a plan and the counselors left for the day.
“I’m really sorry for what happened earlier. It should not have taken so long for this to have been brought up,” Ephraim said once the counselors were far enough not to overhear.
Eirika shook her head. “It is my fault too. I need to go apologize to L’Arachel.” Eirika was antsy to see L’Arachel. The sooner she talked to L’Arachel, the sooner she could apologize and beg for forgiveness.
“I understand, Eirika.” Ephraim gave Eirika an encouraging smile. They would put their post-meeting private discussion on hold to another time. “Please let me know if you need me for anything.”
“Thank you, Ephraim.” With that, Eirika all but ran out of the room.
*****
“Eirika!” L’Arachel exclaimed as Eirika knocked on the guest room where L’Arachel had been directed to. Eirika expected to find L’Arachel upset with her still but instead L’Arachel came flying at her, wrapping her arms around Eirika. “I’m so sorry!”
“What do you mean?” Eirika asked as this time she accepted L’Arachel’s embrace fully. This is the way they should have embraced when L’Arachel arrived, not what had happened before. “I should have explained better—”
“Seth gave me a fierce scolding,” L’Arachel said, “and rightfully so!” Eirika raised an eyebrow at that; had the guards gossiped and word reached Seth? Before Eirika could ask about Seth, L’Arachel continued. “I should have understood from your letters just how busy you were and how much Renais still needs you. I am ashamed of my behavior. Not only was it not appropriate for a noble lady, or even for a champion of justice and peace, but I hurt you, and only because of my selfishness!”
“Don’t apologize,” Eirika replied, breathing in L’Arachel’s floral scent. Her anxious heart was starting to relax. “It is okay to be selfish. I have been selfish too, not thinking about your feelings. Even though we have been busy, it should not have taken us so long to tell our counselors that you and I are to marry. I ask you to forgive me for this error.”
“Oh, Eirika…” L’Arachel removed one hand from Eirika’s waist to caress Eirika’s cheek. “You are always thinking of your people first. I saw it on my way here; there is still much left to rebuild. I understand how you would have no time to talk about these things.” She brought her lips closer to Eirika’s. “And yet I still wish I could kidnap you and bring you to Rausten, to have you enjoy your days with me, away from all the stress of your current life.”
Eirika accepted L’Arachel’s kiss, a sweet press of lips. When they separated for air, Eirika took a step back, her foot hitting the door. “Patience, my dear L’Arachel. We will have our endless days together soon.”
She drew L’Arachel back towards her, so that L’Arachel’s body pressed hers against the door. “But for now, let us enjoy the rest of this day.”
This time Eirika pressed her mouth against L’Arachel’s. This time Eirika had a chance to taste a mint flavor that coated L’Arachel’s mouth. She would ask about whether that came from new tea or new sweets…later…
*****
After L’Arachel’s short-notice visit in the spring, Eirika and Ephraim had no other unexpected interruptions. Spring bled into summer and into fall, and while the harvest for the year looked plentiful, the quelling of bandit raids was still an issue hampering full trust of the citizenry in Ephraim’s leadership. Eirika knew he itched to fight with his lance out on the fields, but Kyle and Forde managed to keep Ephraim entertained enough. Eirika was ready for even these battles to be over; it would mean one step closer to being with L’Arachel.
L’Arachel…she seemed to be more encouraging and less impatient in her letters now. Perhaps the fact that they now exchanged small gifts helped. Eirika had accumulated bottles of perfume, pressed flowers, small candies, even a few books. The letters were exchanged more frequently; Eirika never let herself be too busy to respond to a letter within a week, and it didn’t hurt that the mail delivery services were now functional enough to not delay letters as much as before.
Thus, when the next year came and L’Arachel asked if she could visit again, Eirika readily agreed to it. Eirika still could not take the entire week off from work, but she was able to travel a few days with L’Arachel and show her around the country. L’Arachel was rather enchanted with the rolling fields of wheat and the towns where people even set up small markets to sell and trade goods. They were supposed to be traveling “incognito” but with L’Arachel spending her money to buy basically any small trinket or sweet that caught her fancy, it was obvious that L’Arachel was at least a rich noblewoman. Thankfully most of the citizenry just cared about the money and getting their lives back on track and didn’t press for more details.
The night before L’Arachel had to return to Rausten, the two of them stood together, basking under the bright moonlight illuminating Eirika’s bedroom. Before L’Arachel had arrived, Eirika had ordered a simple silver band be made. It was time to take the ring out and present it to L’Arachel.
“I’m sorry that I keep breaking our promises,” Eirika said as she took hold of L’Arachel’s right hand with her left. Then she revealed the ring in her right hand. L’Arachel gasped at the sight of the ring. “But I want to make at least one promise that will not break,” Eirika continued. “With this ring I swear I will come to you within 2 years, so that we can be officially wed.”
“Yes!” L’Arachel exclaimed, vibrating with happiness. Eirika was sure she was smiling too. “You will hold this promise true. Now put that ring on my finger!”
Eirika laughed. “Of course, my dear L’Arachel.” After sliding the ring onto L’Arachel’s hand, she brought the hand to her lips. “And now the promise is sealed.”
L’Arachel withdrew her hand and held the ring up to the window, allowing the moonlight to reflect off of the metal. “I will never take this off, not until you come with an actual wedding ring,” L’Arachel declared. She kissed the ring before letting Eirika take hold of her hand once again. “I cannot wait until our ceremony. Our dresses will be white, definitely, but what flowers should we have? And what type of cake?”
As L’Arachel brainstormed out loud all types of details, both large and small, for their future wedding, Eirika gently pulled L’Arachel towards her so L’Arachel’s back was against her chest. Her response to L’Arachel’s dreams was a strong steady heartbeat, a warm embrace, and light kisses into L’Arachel’s hair. To be honest, Eirika would be happy with almost any wedding, as long as it made L’Arachel happiest. Although she wasn’t sure about a 10-tier cake…
*****
2 weeks shy of the two-year deadline, L’Arachel received an unexpected visitor. She didn’t care; as soon as she heard the name, she ran down the stairs and gave her visitor the most enthusiastic hug, in plain view of servants and soldiers and any visitors who happened to be in the vicinity. Her companion Dozla had already begun crying, knowing what was in store.
“I’m here now,” Eirika simply said before L’Arachel scandalized everyone by pulling Eirika into the most passionate kiss ever witnessed in the entryway of Rausten Court. People gasped while Dozla cheered, and even Rennac, who was somewhere in the audience, had a laugh.
They were still kissing when Pontifex Mansel finally reached them. “Oh good, I can finally retire now,” he said with a laugh, clapping L’Arachel lightly on the back.
Eirika pulled away from L’Arachel, her face as red as her dress. “Uncle! Not until the wedding!” L’Arachel replied, her face not that much lighter than Eirika’s. “You must make sure we are married before you can relinquish your duties.”
“Well, I suppose that is fair. Let us begin planning now.”
Eirika and L’Arachel followed Pontifex Mansel to the royal quarters, taking the first steps of their new life together.