Chapter Text
Metal hooves clop against cobblestone, which becomes more frequent the closer the carriage gets to House Goneril.
Marianne’s already nervously playing with her handkerchief, partially using it to wipe her sweaty palms. This was one of the few rare times since the forced evacuation of Garreg Mach that her adoptive father approved of her leaving the house. The house Goneril was safe enough for him, thankfully.
She had been to Hilda’s house only once before. But that had been when they had been defending Captain Holst and when Hilda got possession of her hero’s relic. Marianne and the rest of the Golden Deer house hadn’t been able to go inside of the house, having head back to the monastery shortly after the battle.
Dear Marianne, 10 Blue Sea Moon
Hello! It’s been the longest time since we’ve last seen each other, so I wanted to ask if you would like to come over for the next week? Your adoptive father shouldn’t have an issue if you’re visiting another noble house. Holst is okay with it, as he’s going to be going on another campaign soon. See you then Mari!
Love, Hilda.
When Marianne got the letter, two pressed flowers came with it. A lily of the valley, which was Marianne’s favorite, and an anemone, which she knew to be Hilda’s. The stationary was cute and tinted pink, something Hilda went to extra lengths in order to acquire. It was lightly scented with a light floral smell that lingered to the next day.
She had pressed the letter to her bosom after she finished reading it, yearning to see her closest friend for the first time since their loss nearly two years back. But she wondered if it would be ok, for her to actually go visit for fun. Did she deserve that? Would Hilda be right in guessing that her adoptive father would allow her to join the other girl just because she was a high ranking noble?
And Hilda was right, Margrave von Edmund was surprisingly fine with Marianne going to House Goneril. That’s how things were now in the war; troubled noble’s seemed to rarely talk to common folk anymore unless necessary.
Marianne fingers the letter in her pocket, looking out the carriage window. The Goneril estate is visible in the distance, bathed in cream colors and golden sunlight. In a few minutes, she’ll be seeing her best friend. Marianne cannot help the way her hands tremble ever so slightly.
The excitement that builds in Marianne’s heart is great over the next few minutes. The steady clopping of the horse hooves is the only thing that can start her from being positively giddy.
When the carriage stops at the Goneril household, a soldier defending the household gives Marianne his hand and helps her step out of the carriage.
“Thank you very much.”
He shoots her a winning smile that is only cause for her anxiety, “Anytime, my lady.”
It’s around this time where the doors of the Goneril estate open and Hilda Valentine Goneril comes strolling out.
She’s changed over the last two years, her hair longer and worn down instead of the pigtails associated with her at the monastery. She’s gorgeous, even more so when she gets closer.
“Oh, let me look at you!” Is the first thing Hilda says, wasting no time to cup Marianne’s face within her soft, surprisingly uncalloused hands. “You’ve grown up a lot these last two years.”
“You have too,” Marianne sheepishly replies, placing a hand on one of Hilda’s. They smile at each other for a moment, uncaring of the fact that there’s an entire carriage crew with them.
There’s also another woman, who Marianne failed to notice. Her hair is short and dark, framing her thin face. She looks undeniably strict, but she sends Marianne a warm smile.
“Good evening, Lady Edmond. I am Sofia, the steward of the house. I’m very pleased to finally meet you.” Sofia extends a hand which Marianne hesitates to take and shakes lightly. “Do not hesitate to tell me if there’s anything you need during your stay or if Lady Hilda doesn’t comply with your wishes.”
“What, Sofi, that’s not a nice thing to say!” Hilda pouts.
“Just a precaution, my lady.”
Hilda tsks and grabs Marianne’s hand, guiding her down the walkway. “I’ll show you around the house and then we’ll have dinner, ok Mari? Let's ignore what Sofi said.”
The tour is anything but quick with the size of the estate, but Marianne expected as much. She doesn’t mind as it means she spends more time with Hilda. They’re just about to visit the stalls when a bell is rung for dinner.
“Aww, man. We’ll go see the horses tomorrow, I promise!” Hilda pouts. “Oh, I know! We should have a sleepover in my room tonight, Mari.”
“Don’t tell anyone this but,” Hilda starts, turning her head so that her nose is almost touching Marianne’s. They’re in her room and Marianne feels paralyzed on the bed as Hilda goes through her nightly routine. Dinner had gone off with Marianne only embarrassing herself once, though she still feels the eyes on her. “I’m probably getting a Wyvern soon. Holst is bringing a hatchling back with him, and we have a trainer on staff.”
“Who- who would I tell?” Marianne asks, honestly confused. She was good at keeping secrets, feeling her own heavy on her heart every waking moment.
Hilda moves to cover herself with the blankets of the bed.
“Don’t tell Callalily, I haven’t broken it to her yet.” Hilda sighs, moving to sit up in bed. “She refuses to act like she’s injured.”
Callalily was Hilda’s pegasus, who Hilda had fought with in countless battles. During the Battle of Gareg Mach, she had been an indispensable asset.
“Injured?” Marianne inquires, trying not to look at Hilda’s thighs in her nighty and not knowing where else to really look . Hilda sighs again, which startles Marianne. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Huh? What are you talking about, Mari? Well, anyways she got injured after the last battle. When we were retreating, she was striked by an arrow in her leg… but she kept flying. She got us out of there.”
To this day, Marianne can’t really remember the end of the first major battle of the war well. Her magic had been expended, but she knew that Hilda and Callalily were the reason she hadn’t died that day on the battlefield.
“Is… is it because you rescued me?”
Hilda looks at her, bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
“Is… it because you rescued me?”
“What? No!”
“You- you’re going to have to get a new ride because of me though.”
“No, Marianne that’s not it at all!” She reaches over and grabs Marianne’s hand for a moment, giving it a squeeze. Marianne’s heart soars. “I’d do it again Marianne, in a heartbeat. Besides, it’s not like I’m never going to ride Calla anymore. She’s just healing. I just… didn’t think it would be this soon. Honestly, me and Claude kind of have a pact. I just don’t know if I’m completely ready.”
The ugly jealousy Marianne feels in the pit of her stomach disgusts and unsettles the 19 year old to her core. Claude was her leader, her friend. He understood her better than even Hilda. Marianne loved and missed Claude, she doesn’t want to feel jealous. She doesn’t know why she’s this jealous. Why? It just goes to show just how despicable the heir of house Edmond really is, as Claude was never anything but a good friend to her. She didn’t think she could ever understand.
She tries to think of something else to say.
“O-oh, are you two… together?”
She fails. She might be on the verge of an anxiety attack.
“Oh gosh, really? We’re just friends, Mari. He wants me to become a wyvern rider with him.” She lets go of Marianne’s hand. “Wait, does that mean you haven't noticed how bad Claude has the hots for the Professor? He’s like, the opposite of my type anyways!”
“He is?” Marianne regrets asking this almost immediately and wants to hide her face. Stupid, stupid! There were so many different questions she could have asked instead.
“Are you serious?” Hilda starts to giggle. Marianne blushes and brings the covers closer to her face in order to try to hide it. She believed Hilda was laughing at her, like she deserved, until the pink haired woman beside her says, “He’s had it pretty bad since they met, but it wouldn’t have been allowed, you know? I think he’s in it for the long haul though, because well… he still mentions her in every letter. Even after… well, you know.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Marianne mumbles, stopping her descent underneath the covers momentarily. She can feel her anxiety slowly start to dissipate, like snow melting away in spring.
“Isn’t it? We’ve always had a tendency to talk about who we like and ignore the real feelings that bubbled up back at the monastery.” She yawns and settles down in bed. “Lets go to bed now, two beautiful ladies like us need our beauty sleep!”
Hilda falls asleep with little problem, her pink lips parted just slightly. Marianne has never been able to get this close of a look at Hilda before, but she can see just how long her lashes are.
Marianne still can’t look her in the eye for long, even when Hilda’s asleep. It feels worse this way anyways. Her stomach flips and, ashamed, Marianne turns the other way, bringing the covers up high enough to nearly cover her face. It’s going to take her hours to fall asleep.