Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Are you sure this is actually useful?” Lino en Kuldes questioned, arms crossed and hands itching to grab something.

“Yes, of course!” Oleg exclaimed, his heart pounding. “Just a moment…”

Oleg was still sifting through the photos he had taken. He had been so excited about his new invention that he had gone a bit overboard and developed all of the pictures. However, his new “security camera”, despite being much smaller than his old unwieldy setup that required an hour to place and could easily be knocked over from its stilts, was still a work in progress. At first Oleg hadn’t been concerned that it had taken 300 photos over the span of an hour, but to his embarrassment it had been taking photos before Oleg had been ready. The first 50 had been of various parts of his face as Oleg had been trying to determine the best place to put the camera. But if it was only 300 photos in an hour, then at some point Oleg had not been in front of the camera, right? He was sure there was something in here, something that wasn’t just his face, right? This new model that he was working with was so finicky. It was supposed to be a self-timed camera that would snap photos at regular intervals.

The next 50 also seemed to be of his face, and the following 50, and the 50 after that… Until there was only one photo without Oleg’s face.

“Um…”

“I think your camera still needs some work before it’d be useful for us,” Lino en Kuldes said, turning away. “Setsu, give him a bit of money so he can stay the night at the inn.”

“Your Highness…” However, the King had already vacated the room.

“Go on, you,” Setsu said, pushing on the camera inventor. At the door he added, “Next time if you are going to have so many photos, make sure they are flattering ones of his Majesty. Then they would be at least worth something.”

Oleg left, discouraged, already wondering what had gone wrong with the timer on his new camera, when something about Setsu’s parting words made Oleg do a double take. Oh.

Well, next time he would go straight to Setsu.

Chapter Text

Agnes grumbled as she walked up the stairs from the second deck to the first deck. Lady Elenor had asked her to go down to the salon to get more wine, which should have been a simple request to fulfill, but Louise insisted on gifting Agnes something extra. “Aren’t you thirsty too? For a girl like you, we have milkshakes.”

“I’m not still a girl!” Agnes had exclaimed, but Louise had winked and laughed.

“Your body says otherwise,” Louise replied, withdrawing her hands so Agnes could not hand the glass of milky liquid back. “Drink up, and one day you’ll graduate to ‘adult’ drinks.”

Agnes huffed as she stomped away with the milkshake glass in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other, drowning out Louise’s laughter. Yes, her annoyance was showing a bit of her immaturity, but she did not appreciate the joke at all. There was nothing wrong with her body. Maybe she wasn’t full like Louise, but she didn’t want that kind of attention anyway… She rather…

“Tastes sweet.” Just outside Lady Elenor’s room was a person Agnes didn’t need to see right now, especially considering her mood. And did she…did Tanya just…?

Agnes froze, almost dropping the bottle of wine along with the milkshake onto the ground.

“Tanya! That’s my drink!” she scolded, stepping backwards.

“Even better,” Tanya replied. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“I did not share…” Agnes sighed. Tanya, of course, had already stepped past her and descended the stairs before Agnes could scold her further about her manners. Ugh, just being able to see the mark that Tanya’s mouth had left on the glass… Now that she looked at it more closely, it seemed almost the same size as one that Agnes’ mouth would make. Maybe if she… Before she thought much of it, Agnes had taken a sip of the milkshake from the same spot. Her mouth seemed to be a little smaller than Tanya’s actually, which meant… Agnes blushed, realizing where her thoughts were going.

“You coming in, Agnes?” she heard Lady Elenor grumble from the room.

“Y-yes, my lady!”

Agnes took another sip of the milkshake to cool her face down before entering the room. Her number one job and purpose was to serve and learn from Lady Elenor. Nothing else…no other distractions allowed…

Chapter Text

“Ah, a nice empty beach with no monsters about.” Rene stretched her limbs and glanced at the sky, where there was not a single cloud in sight. She would have plenty of time to dig to her heart’s content. “Time to get to work!”

It had been a while since she visited the Deserted Island and her abilities to detect treasure had only improved, so surely there would be treasure she could find that she missed last time? Rene had three large empty bags and she was looking forward to stuffing them with treasure.

At least that’s how the day started. Enthusiasm high, Rene took her shovel out and dug furiously. Her efforts were not useless per se, but after the 10th crab shell, her enthusiasm was sharply declining. It was if the crab shells were getting in the way of the good stuff.

“Lazlo must have been hunting here again,” Rene sighed, shoving another crab shell into her bag. She felt more like a garbage collector than a treasure hunter. At least she could sell the shells for money? She would collect the shells for now, but she would return soon, hopefully before Lazlo had another burst of crab-hunting…

Chapter Text

Lilly had only gone to fetch a drink to soothe her dry throat even though she hadn’t been the one whose ears had been nearly talked off by boring old rich men trying to curry favors she couldn’t actually grant. The entire time she had been talked at, she had kept an eye on the star of the party: the Silver Maiden/Flame Champion.

Of course the Zexen councilmen decided on a grandiose party for their one and only Silver Maiden/Flame Champion as soon as the war with Harmonia ended. Chris was the star of said show, but it was more an excuse to finally throw a party. These pompous rich men feared having a party during wartime even though they were rolling in money; it would be best to not bring attention to the fact they profited off of other people’s lives, literally. Lilly wasn’t stupid; not that she could claim herself morally superior when she knew some of her own money came from the same dirty business.

But business was not what she was really here for. She was here for one person and one person only, and said person had escaped. The party continued unabated even without the main star in the room, but Lilly knew exactly where Chris had went. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Chris had gone through the back ways to the gardens.

Now that Lilly thought about it, this was ideal for her request. In this private space they could just be Chris and Lilly, two women who happened to be similar in age and beauty. Two women who were friends, who could have been more than friends had the situation of their births been different…

Just the hint of orchestra music leaked out to the gardens, yet it would be enough for a dance. When Lilly was mere meters away, Chris turned around and faced Lilly. She shone bright under the moonlight, so brightly that Lilly had to remind herself to breathe.

“Lilly? Is something wrong?” Chris asked.

Lilly laughed. “Nah, just needed some fresh air.” She stepped even closer to Chris, so that they were only an armslength apart. “I came to finally get that dance.”

Chris looked around and spied no retainers, no fellow knights, not another soul. She smiled and held out her hand to Lilly. “I guess so.”

Lilly placed her hand in Chris’ and let Chris put her hand on Lilly’s back, let Chris lead the dance. As the orchestra played a waltz, Chris led Lilly expertly around the garden, avoiding all obstacles in the way as they danced along the different paths. They only stopped after the song switched to another tempo, another mood.

“I hope that was satisfactory,” Chris said as she removed her hand from Lilly’s back.

Lilly would never admit that the blush on her face being from something other than the exertion of the dancing. Nor would she say that she was annoyed how Chris did not seem flushed at all from dancing like the did. She was never one to lose.

Lilly replied, her smirk ready, “Not bad for a first dance, but I think you need more practice.”

Chris laughed. “I guess I do.”

When the music changed to another waltz, they danced again, many times, forgetting everything else for a moment. The next day Lilly would complain and yell at her retainers to carry her because her feet ached terribly, but even when they rebuffed her and she was forced to walk on her painful feet, she would still remember this night with fondness.

Chapter Text

The sun rune had been sealed up once more. People were worried, since it seemed that the current queen of Falena was not able to actually wield it. With all these powerful nations hungrily looking at the bountiful lands blessed by the Feitas river, would the Queendom of Falena survive?

Miakis, though, had no worries about that. Sure runes were powerful, terribly powerful, but people were too. People who had been hurt, devastated, came back stronger and more determined. This was something she learned from the civil war, from the Prince, from Queen Lymsleia herself.

So even though Lym might not have the ability to wield the sun rune, the Queendom would be fine. Because Lym had her own power: a smile, a stubbornness, a determination that shone brighter than the sun. And Miakis would forever be by Lym’s side, as her protector, as a shadow naturally beside the light.

Chapter Text

Myura opened her eyes and yawned. There was an incredible racket outside, but it wasn’t the sounds of fighting and the sun was barely up, so it meant she wasn’t leaving this bed...this warm, comfy bed. She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side. Just as she was about to lose consciousness again she heard the door open violently, slamming against the wall, and felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her.

“Get out of bed, Sis!” Gino yelled.

“Come on, it’s Sunday.” Myura didn’t trust her excitable little brother’s judgement on what was worthy of leaving bed this early in the morning. “Of all days I should be allowed to sleep in today, right?”

“It’s Numistero’s special meat-tastic breakfast! Everyone’s going crazy over it.”

“Huh?” Myura jolted out of bed, nearly knocking Gino off his feet with her sudden action. They had all been eating vegetables for the past week, which wasn’t bad per se, but the thought of having meat after such a long time… “Gino, get out so I can get ready!”

Gino laughed. “Yes Sis!” He skipped out and closed the door behind him.

Myura rushed to fix her hair and her clothes. Even though it was supposed to be a lazy Sunday morning, she wasn’t going to just lose out on the feast. Who knew when the next time they could celebrate like this? She was going to gorge herself. It could be a lazy morning after she got her fair share of the meat.

Chapter Text

When Jillia was young, reading about knights who rescued princesses was an escape from reality. She already knew she was a doll, a tool, a symbol to love or to hate without even knowing what was deep inside. The princess of Highland mattered, not the girl named Jillia Blight.

She was a tool for her Kingdom, for her brother, for a young man named Jowy Atreides and his tactician Leon Silverberg. Only one of them became her knight, in a way. Not in the traditional way at all. After all, when does the princess have to be the one rescuing the knight from death? It wasn’t like she’d take any option available, but she didn’t have many choices.

She was always just a tool. She may have been saved from the violence of her brother, but she was not rescued from this fate of just being a symbol more than a person.

Except at the very end, when the walls were collapsing, when Highland was no longer a nation, when she was no longer a symbol, when she was no longer Queen Jillia Blight. It was only in that moment that she was finally treated as a person, though it wasn’t even in the way she wanted to be treated. He didn’t save her because she was the Queen; he saved her out of guilt for hurting and using her, a fellow human being. At that moment she wanted to save him again, even if a “princess” wasn’t supposed to rescue a “knight”. But nothing Jillia said would change his mind.

It was bitter to finally be acknowledged and yet still be powerless. She was able to extract only an empty promise, one that she was not sure he would keep. But if they ever did meet again, it would be the start of a new story. After all, their first story was over. She was no longer a princess and he was no longer her “knight”. Hopefully the new tale would simply be between a man and a woman and not end in tragedy…

Chapter Text

Camus and Nanami often enjoyed meals together at Hai Yo’s restaurant, so Nanami was quick to notice that something was different about Camus today. His red jacket had been removed due to the sun’s heat, revealing his shirt which seemed to be too loose and ill-fitting. Nanami was concerned. “Did you lose weight? Your shirt looks a little big on you.”

Camus frowned in confusion. “I don’t think so? If anything, I would have gained a little weight from all the good food here. Having a chef like Hai Yo cook for this army is amazing, though it’s funny that Miklotov cannot tell the difference.” He stopped suddenly to sniff his shirt. “Wait a second…”

It took Nanami a second to understand why Camus had paused and his face started to turn red. When she understood her face also became tomato red.

“Well, um, you should get a new shirt!” Nanami babbled. “And eat more food!” With that she stuffed her face with a chunk of the meat pie she had ordered.

Camus laughed. “Yes, I’ll definitely do that.” He smiled. “After all, I should take more care to be better-dressed in front of a lady.”

Nanami smiled and nodded, focusing on swallowing her food safely. She quickly moved to the topic about the food they had ordered today, but it was too late for her to unlearn the new information she had received about Camus’ inclinations. She could imagine at night time, the two of them undressing before bed… She put down her fork and instead grabbed her glass of water, downing a third of it in one go.

“Are you okay, Lady Nanami?” Camus looked genuinely concerned.

“It is really hot outside today!” Nanami exclaimed loudly.

Camus dropped his fork. Then, politely playing oblivious, replied, “It is indeed.”

Chapter Text

“Hello there Miklotov.” Camus lied down on the bed next to his lover after a long day, lightly pressing up against his side. “I was asked an interesting question today.”

Miklotov turned slightly to press a kiss to the top of Camus’ head. “What was it?” he asked, curious.

“Some ladies who I chatted with asked me about my first kiss.” Camus chuckled. “I realized then that I didn’t know who you had your first kiss with.”

Miklotov was surprised that Camus didn’t know. He thought it was pretty well-known that he was a complete stick in the mud and never thought of anything besides his sword and his service until Camus had made his attraction known. “Don’t you know you were my first kiss?”

“Really?” Camus wondered. Surely someone would have noticed the tall handsome man before he had and stolen a kiss or two? “So there are no ex-lovers that I have to worry about?”

“No, none at all.” Miklotov used an arm to pull Camus closer so that they were face to face. “It has always been you.”

“That’s good.” Camus smiled as he slid a hand to cup Miklotov’s face and bring it closer. “Because I don’t share.”

With that Camus kissed Miklotov hungrily, coaxing Miklotov to open his mouth and allow him to plunder, to mark Miklotov as his. Although Miklotov was not Camus’ first kiss, he planned to be Miklotov’s first and last lover, for as long as he lived.

Pulling Camus closer, Miklotov responded eagerly, knowing that he was not Camus’ first kiss but hoping to be his best and his last, for as long as he lived.

Chapter Text

“No! Not in a million years!”

Josephine shrieked as Nifsara grabbed her arm and dragged her closer to Shula, who had been watching with lips upturned. Nifsara had no sympathies, though. It was raining heavily right now, and it would not do for her master to get drenched when there was a perfectly good way to get him across dry. She didn’t bother with gentleness; despite her looks Josephine was no weakling. “Stop yapping. It’s only from this building to that other one—”

“Why should I, a beautiful young woman, need to share with that…that uncultured man! Besides, this is not an umbrella, but a parasol.” Josephine protested, but Nifsara ignored the protests and interlocked Josephine’s left arm with Shula’s right. Perhaps they would look like proper siblings if one ignored the look on Josephine’s face.

Shula smiled. “Yuma, nice to see you doing well.” He made sure to secure his elbow joint around his sister’s before walking them towards the uncovered pathway.

“I am not…” Josephine immediately put up her “umbrella” before any rain could touch her hair. She scowled the entire minute it took to cross from one building to the other. “How dare you push me like this!” she exclaimed. “Are you trying to ruin my clothes?”

Neither Shula nor Nifsara paid her any attention. Once safely across, Shula let go of Josephine’s arm and stepped back. With a slight bow he said, “Thank you for sharing your umbrella, Yuma.”

“Don’t call me that!” Josephine replied, but instead of Shula’s response she received Nifsara’s laughter, for Shula had already slipped away. All Josephine could do was shake the water off her parasol in frustration. “Ugh, I hate him!”

Nifsara only laughed harder. It was too bad Josephine was a woman; otherwise she would find this cute.

Chapter Text

Of course she was crying, Miakis thought to herself as tears leaked from her eyes faster than she could wipe them away. It was embarrassing but Queen Lymsleia was more than just a Queen to her; she was her favorite “little sister”. What else would Miakis do on Lym’s wedding day?

This was technically the second time Lym was getting married, but this one meant much more to Miakis, to Lym, to everyone in Falena. This time Lym was marrying for love.

Over the last decade with Lym at the helm, the nation was strong enough to break stupid traditions, strong enough to put away the Sun Rune, to hide it forever if Miakis had any say in it. During this time Miakis could have left the knights and gotten married, but she didn’t. She chose to stay and today was her reward.

“Oh Lym. If only your parents could see you now!”

In the shimmering sunlight, Miakis saw a flicker of silver hair, maybe. It might have been a trick of the light caused by the tears blurring her vision, but she thought maybe, somehow, that her wish had been heard. For a second Lym had turned her head to look at the same direction and when she snapped her attention back to the ceremony, her smile seemed just a little bit brighter than before. Well, whatever it was, Miakis was sure if Queen Arshtat and Ferid were here they’d be extremely happy and proud. Miakis would just have to be three times happier than she would be otherwise to make up for it, right?

Maybe that was why she was crying so hard…