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Someone was yelling outside her door. Loudly, and angrily, yes, definitely rather angrily. Katherine frowned at the mess she'd caused on the page, she usually wasn't one to jump so easily, all these nights sleeping under the stars must have made her paranoid. But there was nothing to be done about it now, the page was beyond salvation, she would have to start from scratch later.
What is going on out there? Katherine rose from her seat at the desk and descended the stairs, that creaked under each of her steps, into the lobby. The voices were louder, here, and she could identify one of the guards that were posted outside her door and cycled through their ranks every few hours like a clockwork. Straightening the comfortable, old shirt she had thrown on the second she got a chance to abandon the heavy coats of a diplomat, she made for the door. She wondered just how much like said diplomat she must look now, perhaps she should’ve taken a moment to look into the mirror, fix her hair, slip into something more...diplomat-y. No, it was late, beyond late, and she was tired and beyond caring.
Opening the door, the guard was caught by surprise and took a step backwards, leaving Katherine an opportunity to find the only other person out on the streets at this hour; Síora.
The guard was the first to collect her bearings, “I apologize if I disturbed you, your Excellency,” she practically tripped over her own words, and Katherine was reminded of something Kurt once told her concerning breathing techniques during a sword fight. “Rest assured that I’m handling the situation, you do not need to concern yourself with this.”
Katherine looked at Síora, then back at the guard, and back to Síora. She closed her eyes for a moment, suppressing the urge to press a hand against her temple, already feeling her headache returning with vengeance. “Would someone be so kind as to tell me what the hell is going on out here?”
“I caught this...this savage trying to break into the building, your Excellency, I’m only glad someone was here to stop her, otherwise-.” There were a hundred things Katherine wanted to say, most of which would only add kindling to the fire that was the pain in her temple, but before she had a chance to settle for one of them, Síora interrupted her.
“I wasn’t- I have a key, renaigse!” she reached into her robes, and soon enough fished out a small, metallic ring with a series of keys that clinked together in the soft breeze.
“She could’ve gotten those anywhere.” the guard defended herself.
Katherine took a deep breath, thinking of Kurt’s lessons and trying to keep her voice down. “Or,” she suggested, “she has them because I gave them to her, because she is my friend, and beyond that, she is here as an honored guest of the Congregation of Merchants.”
“I assumed-”
“Yes, yes you did.” Katherine cut her off, “And I’m sick of assumptions. Report back to the barracks, tell whoever is in charge that I no longer expect nor want their protection inside the city walls.”
“Of- of course, my Lady.” the expression on her face looked like she expected to wake from a bizarre dream any moment now. A second later she shook her head, turned around and began to walk.
“And soldier?” she waited until the guard stopped and turned around, then continued, “If I ever hear you say that word again I’ll have you sent back to the Continent on the first ship leaving the harbor.” she didn’t respond, or maybe she did and whatever words she might have said were swallowed by the wind.
Katherine only noticed the chilliness of the night now, and with the guard vanishing behind a corner, turned to head back inside. She heard the door close behind her and sighed, if these are the people that have been leading the charge there will be a lot more to fix than just some diplomatic misunderstandings. Turning around she found Síora studying her with a mixture of of curiosity and annoyance creaking her brow.
“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.” she stated, eyeing the keys still dangling in her hand.
“You don’t,” Katherine agreed earnestly, “and I don’t intend to. But this one was as much mine as it was yours to fight.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” Síora began, and Katherine threw her a questioning gaze. “What they think of me, or my people – they are ignorant, like children, so I ignore them.”
“I fear not everyone will see it quite that way, I’ve seen what ignorance can lead to, you’ve seen it, too. It is happening right now, all over Teer Fradee – no one is listening, everyone thinks themselves righteous and good.” she let her hand trail along the white lines in between the red bricks that made the walls. “Say we’re trying to build a house; every alliance we strike, every trade route we secure, and every conflict we can defuse – each one of them is nothing more than a simple brick, but each one of them helps us build a real, solid foundation for the future.” she found Síora’s eyes again, but had to force herself to look anywhere else. “Now these people, people like that woman sent to protect me, all they do is try and tear down what we’re trying to build, they’re like sledgehammers breaking down the foundation of our efforts – and I’m so sick of it, it feels like for every conflict that ends there are ten new ones fought over nothing at all.”
She felt a careful hand on her shoulder, and after a moment she turned to find Síora standing closer to her than before. “They’re not all like that, are they? I have seen the good in your people, Kath, I’ve seen what they’re capable of if they’re only shown another way. I don’t know what will happen in the days to come, but perhaps after we’ve met with my mother there will be more cheerful days ahead for both our peoples.”
“I hope you’re right, I really do.”
Katherine never did get a chance to redo her journal page that night, instead with some help from Síora she finally got around to unpack some of her belongings, explaining and laughing as her home in this strange new world slowly became exactly that – home. And maybe one day everyone could see what she saw every time she looked at Síora, that they really weren't so different in the end.