Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Any attempts to ally with Eclenna are, at best, a fool’s errand.”

“In the past, yes, but now they’ve reached out to me,” Kairi said. She leaned forward slightly on her hands, the wood of the council table smooth and solid.

It was true: for as long as Kairi could remember, and as far back as she’d ever read in historical documents, the nation of Eclenna had never been interested in a true alliance with Radiant Garden. The nations had a long-standing truce, but from Eclenna’s side it was probably more like a polite agreement to ignore them.

Until an official letter had come to Kairi personally, addressing her as the soon-to-be-ruler, and offering her a chance to visit Eclenna, to reexamine the possibility of a closer relationship between the nations.

“Under the misguided impression that your coronation is a sure thing.” Braig smiled as he said it, but there was a certain mean-spirited twist to the councilman’s words.

Kairi forced herself to keep her expression neutral. She was the heir apparent to the throne of Radiant Garden, but her succession wasn’t yet guaranteed. Every would-be monarch had to do a great work of some kind before they could be crowned: something to benefit the country as a whole. Kairi hadn’t performed a work—yet—and the rest of the council wouldn’t let her forget it.

“Allow me to try,” she implored. “Even a chance at a true alliance with them is worth the attempt, isn’t it?”

She was the only one standing, but she tried to look each of the other five council members in the eyes (or eye, for Braig), willing them to listen and actually consider her request.

Braig would be an ass, of course. Ienzo would go along with Even, whatever he decided. It was hard to ever tell what Aeleus was thinking.

The fifth councilman, Dilan, leaned back in his seat and looked at her speculatively.

She waited. Of the five men, he was probably the one who was the most fair toward her. The five of them had been appointed by her late father, and she knew that none of them had ever quite been able to see her as anything other than a child, much less an equal on the council. Much, much less as the future ruler of Radiant Garden.

Perhaps there was an element of selfishness to their attitude as well; when she was crowned, she’d be responsible for appointing her own council to help guide her decisions, and they’d be out of a job. Set up well for life, but no longer in a position of direct power. Especially the direct power they had now, in the interim between official rulers.

Finally, Dilan spoke. “I believe Princess Kairi is correct in that much, at least. Eclenna’s power is not to be taken lightly, and their willingness to functionally disregard us has been more favorable to us than to them. However, it isn’t something we should count on lasting forever. A true alliance would certainly be a stronger position.”

Kairi relaxed marginally.

“A vote, then?” Aeleus asked.

Dilan nodded. “Those in favor?”

He raised his own hand, as did Aeleus. It took a moment, but Even raised his as well, and predictably Ienzo followed suit.

Equally unsurprising, Braig was the only one with his hand still down. Then he shrugged, and flicked his fingers upward, dismissive. “Seems like a waste of time, but far be it from me to stop you.”

She relaxed the rest of the way. At least she had a chance.

“Is Sora quite prepared?” Even asked, carefully neutral.

She felt a vague chill of foreboding. “Pardon?”

“As outlined in the letter,” he said. “You and your partner have been invited to Eclenna.”

“Now that it’s been approved, I’ll speak to him about the arrangements,” she said.

The wording of the letter hadn’t escaped her. And of course that meant she’d planned that her fiancé would accompany her, though diplomatic missions weren’t necessarily Sora’s forte.

“Do you know why Eclenna never wanted to ally with your father?” Even asked. His voice still held that careful note that sounded like a trap.

“They’ve never—”

“Because King Ansem the Wise, may his memory be ever present, never married,” Even answered, cutting her off.

She swallowed. It wasn’t news to her that her father hadn’t ever wed, of course, but for it to be relevant now…

“I’m sure you’ve studied Eclenna, obviously,” he said, clearly not believing she’d done so at all. “So you know they consider connections of the heart to be the highest form of value. More than just about anything else, they consider that to be a signifier of strength, of worthiness. So the idea of allying with an unmarried monarch? Well, that must have been impossible for them to even consider.”

Kairi swallowed, throat uncomfortably dry. “I appreciate the advice.”

“If that’s what it was,” Braig sneered. “Good luck with your fiancé.”

Dilan cleared his throat. “The invitation asked for a fairly immediate response, with the intent that you should arrive there two weeks from now, if you accepted the invitation. I assume you plan to put your best foot forward, so I suggest you keep to their timeline.”

Kairi nodded. “Thank you, gentlemen,” she said, inclining her head slightly.

As she left the council room, she fought down a wave of elation. It wasn’t really a victory, or at least not a complete one yet. There was certainly plenty of pressure on her now; in centuries, no one had managed to succeed at what she was about to attempt. But at least she was being given a chance to try.

“And so I have to bring a partner with me, in an official capacity,” Kairi explained.

Riku reclined on her bed, watching as she flitted around the room. It wasn’t a surprise that she was already into the thick of planning, identifying the things she would need to take with her. Apparently including a partner. He frowned. “That seems unnecessarily archaic.”

Bad enough that Radiant Garden’s own council wouldn’t take her claim to the throne as seriously as they should; but for another nation to treat her like she needed someone else to legitimize her?

She paused, halfway through examining a formal dress he didn’t remember ever getting to see her in. It would be beautiful on her, a deep blue with the suggestion of celestial patterns picked out in silver. She shrugged. “It’s a cultural thing. They prize the strength of connections between hearts, so it makes sense they’d want a potential ally to display that strength, doesn’t it?”

“Well, at least that shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” Riku looked pointedly between her and Sora. His voice was perfectly even. He would have been proud of that, but he’d had plenty of practice.

“The two of you have got to have the strongest heart connection out there,” Riku continued, pushing any other feelings to the side. “And anyone in Eclenna is going to see it.”

“Yeah!” Kairi agreed, though she was slow to resume her search through the closet.

Riku swallowed, trying to soothe his too-dry throat. Kairi and Sora’s engagement was new, but the friendship between all three of them was not. They’d been together for what felt like forever. Riku could maybe vaguely remember his childhood before having met Kairi, but he had no memories that predated Sora. And anyway, once the three of them had met, they’d been inseparable.

So it had probably been inevitable that Kairi would wind up marrying one of them, princess or no. And of course it would be Sora, because Sora was wonderful in every conceivable way, the same way she was. They were completely perfect for each other. Of course.

Sora tucked his legs up farther on the chair. “What exactly will I have to do?” He picked at the edge of the cushion.

“It’s been so long since Eclenna let anyone in that I don’t really know,” Kairi answered. “I imagine it will involve the usual mix of formal events. Maybe some boring, dry politics, but the tone of the invitation made it sound like it’s meant to be more social.”

“Well that’s not… great.”

“Says who?” Riku snapped.

If there was one thing he hated more than the council not taking Kairi seriously, it was how dismissive they were of Sora. None of the other council members had approved of the engagement, and if it had been up to them they would absolutely have put a stop to it. They’d even refused to include Sora’s name when the engagement was announced, transparently lying and saying it was for his ‘privacy.’ And worse, Sora seemed to be internalizing their disapproval.

“Says me,” Sora said. “I don’t know anything about a diplomatic mission. What if I use the wrong fork, or insult some official by referring to them with the wrong title? I could ruin the entire thing! A once in however-many-centuries chance, and it could be my fault if it doesn’t work!”

Kairi dropped the dress she was still examining onto the bed by Riku and crossed the room. She crouched in front of the chair, and reached out to grasp Sora’s hands. “You aren’t going to ruin anything! This is my responsibility, all right?”

Riku could almost see the wheels turning in Sora’s head, even as he felt the pieces rearranging in his own mind. They came to the same conclusion at almost the same instant.

“Oh stars, this could be your great work!” Sora blurted.

Kairi stepped back and made a face. “Yeah, that thought had occurred to me. Brokering an alliance with a nation where none have succeeded in centuries would probably count. But it’s fine! We can worry about that later.”

“Pretty sure I’m going to worry about it now,” said Sora faintly, leaning forward over his knees. “Kairi, that’s such a huge deal! This could be the great work that gets you crowned.”

“Maybe. Won’t know until we try, right?”

“But I don’t know how to be a royal consort! I mean, I knew I was going to be one someday, but… wrong forks and wrong titles! Tripping and falling! Telling a stupid joke that no one laughs at! I can’t be the one to wreck this for you!”

Riku well recognized the signs that Sora was firmly on the path to winding himself up into a full-blown panic.

With a roll of his eyes, he chucked one of Kairi’s pillows at him. There wasn’t enough force behind the toss to do more than startle him out of the anxiety spiral.

When he looked up, Riku said, “Then I guess we’re going to have to help you get ready for your role.”

The castle in Radiant Garden had plenty of rooms that Sora still hadn’t ever seen. This was one of them: an unused small ballroom.

It was described as “small,” yet the cleared wooden floor was probably still larger than the entire house he’d grown up in.

“All right!” Kairi said, sitting down in a stream of sunlight from the windows lining one wall. “I’ve got all the books I could find on Eclenna.”

“All… three of them.” Riku sat next to her and glanced skeptically over the leather-bound volumes. “And how old are they?”

“Two of them are older than I am,” she admitted. “And the one that’s more recent is still from two decades ago. On the bright side, that one included at least a few first-hand observations by someone who traveled there, so that’s something.”

Sora sank to the floor on her other side, leaning on her shoulder as he took his own glance over the books.

“All right,” Kairi said, opening the first. “The Eclennan Political Structure…”

After that, it was a bit of a crash course on modes of address and the hierarchy of their political system. Aspects of it were similar to Radiant Garden’s, with a primary ruler, and several others holding a lesser amount of power. Instead of Radiant Garden’s usually-hereditary ruler and appointed council, they had a system of nobility. The succession system wasn’t very clear, though it didn’t seem to be a hereditary inheritance.

Even so, it was similar enough, between the current queens and lords, and a simplified general honorific address of ‘my beloved insert title here,’ that Sora was slightly less concerned about committing a horrible offense with a slip of the tongue.

Unfortunately, that was the only part that seemed easier than he’d worried.

According to the most recent of the books, a lot of Eclenna’s official business was done in deceptively informal ways. They did have their closed-door meetings and debates, but a shocking amount of political business was done via social engagements. Formal ones like balls and dinners, but also parties and cultural performances… all of them factored into decisions.

Sora felt confident about precisely none of that. He liked people, but he was atrocious at small talk, or sharing the right kind of insight about current events, or knowing what to say to keep someone interested. Knowing that making the right impression on a conversational partner could determine the fate of peace between their nations… it felt like someone had dropped a boulder on his chest.

Even that might have been doable, if it weren’t for everything else. Like dancing, which was apparently also considered a vital skill. The formal balls all were said to include it, and performing well, or at least passably, was necessary to make a good impression.

Worst, there was one thing that all three of the books made very clear: the conduct of partners reflected on each other. So if Sora couldn’t make a good impression, or messed something up, it would absolutely change how the Eclennans viewed Kairi.

He felt nauseous, and turned away, hoping the other two couldn’t read it in his face.

“So we can safely assume that there will likely be multiple formal balls.” Riku ran his finger over a passage in one of the books. There were a couple simple sketches of partnered dances, the participants dressed finely. “It sounds like it’s probably the most common type of event they have.”

“Great, because I’m so good at that.” Sora tasted blood where he’d been chewing at his lip.

Somehow, learning to dance hadn’t ever seemed important. Like so many other aspects of being the future royal consort, he’d always assumed he’d have time to learn it later.

“Well then, up, up.” Kairi moved the heavy book from her lap and scrambled to her feet. “Time to practice!”

Riku pushed off the floor and then turned to offer his hands to help pull Sora up. “I’m sure Kairi and I can get you ready in no time.”

Sora wasn’t so sure, but it was true that Riku had been raised on this sort of thing. His parents had loved throwing big elaborate parties, and they’d forced Riku into etiquette lessons and dance classes from when he was a kid. Sora had always been sympathetic when Riku complained, but now found himself wishing maybe he’d had some of the same.

Sora stood with Kairi, and let Riku help position him, moving his hands and shifting his feet into the right stance to start. Then Riku did the first step of the dance for Sora to copy.

It went poorly. Somehow Sora’s feet got mixed up and he wound up with his weight in the wrong place, so off-balance that Kairi had to brace herself to keep him from falling.

They tried again, several more times, all to similar results. Sora didn’t manage to chain more than two or three correct steps before he missed a cue, or mixed up his feet, or stepped in the wrong direction…

Kairi was remarkably patient, doing nothing more than devolving into giggles when her foot was the victim of a bad step.

Sora usually considered himself to be fairly easy-going too, but even he was sick of just not getting it.

“Maybe if I knew what the whole dance was supposed to look like?” he finally suggested. He’d been woefully inadequate at copying even one step at a time, so he wasn’t sure it would really help. But maybe he’d at least know what he was working toward.

Riku looked to Kairi, and she shrugged an agreement. Sora stepped away, letting Riku take his place with Kairi. Even just the starting stance looked more natural for him, as he rested one hand on Kairi’s hip, the other gently grasping her fingers.

The two of them were just as perfectly matched once they were in motion. Riku led Kairi effortlessly through the dance Sora had been failing to practice. It was some formal ballroom thing, but the two of them made it look as easy as walking, practically weightless, gliding over the floor in the prescribed pattern.

Sora began to fill in the details around them: an actual dance floor, glowing with soft golden light; both of them in formal attire, rather than the casual clothes they’d had for practice; surrounded by other people dressed for the same kind of party, but of course standing out as the most beautiful ones there… If it was Riku and Kairi out there, Sora couldn’t imagine any Eclennan official voting against an alliance.

“Well?” Riku asked.

Sora startled. He’d been so caught up in imagining it, he hadn’t realized the dance itself was over.

“Daydreaming? Really?” Kairi asked, voice falling far closer to ‘fond’ than ‘scolding.’

He ran a hand through the spikes of his hair, sheepish. “You’re both just so good at it.”

Riku frowned. “But we have to make you good at it. Come on, you need to keep trying.”

“It’s been hours though. Are we even practicing the right thing?” Sora asked, reluctantly getting to his feet. “Or did the dance classes your parents shoved you into include the finest in Eclennan court dances?”

Riku reached out and jabbed him in the ribs. “Jerk. I’m doing the best I can, here.”

“Eclennan dances might not be the same,” Kairi allowed. “You’re probably right about that. But the more dances we both make sure to master, the more likely we’ll be able to pick up on theirs, don’t you think?”

“…How many do you think we need to know?”

Her expression was not encouraging.

Riku sighed. “So let’s go again.”

Two weeks was not actually a very long time to plan a diplomatic trip. Kairi had accepted the invitation as soon as the council had granted their approval, and through magically-aided transport, Eclenna had received her response and sent their own within two more days.

Riku had read the letter as well, naturally, as Kairi showed it to both Sora and to him before she’d even told the council of its contents.

It hadn’t given much guidance on what to bring or expect. Kairi was expected to bring her partner, though Sora hadn’t been addressed in the letter, and otherwise was asked to keep her retinue extremely small. Eclenna was still not exactly throwing the doors open in welcome to Radiant Garden as a whole.

Riku supposed that made sense; allowing her to bring as many people as she wanted could quickly warp into “show of force” territory, which was the last thing they needed.

But Kairi had taken the request for “extremely small” extremely literally, and intended for her party to only be three total: her and Sora, plus Riku as her only additional guest. She hadn’t ever relied on the services of a lady’s maid or the like, and any help she did need could be provided by Riku and Sora. The books from the castle library had made it clear that Eclenna was not a gender-segregated society, and it wouldn’t be odd for either of them to assist her.

To the council, she claimed Riku would be there as her bodyguard, an extra layer of protection while on foreign soil. A fair enough designation: he was one of the top fighters in Radiant Garden, proficient with most small weapons. Even so, it was likely to be completely unnecessary. Eclenna’s interest in peace seemed genuine, and even if it weren’t, any hypothetical attacker would have to get through both Sora and Kairi herself before they’d even need Riku. Personally, he pitied anyone foolish enough to assume “princess” meant “helpless”. And then he’d eagerly watch Kairi correct their misunderstanding.

But Sora was also an extremely skilled fighter, if slightly less formally trained than Riku. If someone put Kairi in danger, Riku had complete faith that Sora would do anything necessary to protect her. And since Riku would do the same, she was going to be as safe as it was possible for her to be.

But for as skilled as Sora could be when it came to a fight, Riku had no idea how he was so incapable of translating even a percent of that grace into dancing.

Sora overbalanced and stumbled, cracking one knee against the floor before catching himself.

Riku sighed, and helped haul him back to his feet. “And let’s try one more time. Without the falling.”

“Riku, I just can’t do it.”

“Of course you can. You’ll figure it out. At some point, it’s just all going to click.”

Or so Riku hoped. They were down to days before the three of them were leaving, and Sora’s progress was frankly negligible. With Kairi responsible for the rest of the preparations, she’d left Riku to help get Sora ready for everything. And so far, that meant unending dance lessons, for hours out of the day.

If it weren’t for the pressure of the situation, it would have been enjoyable in a way that Riku firmly tried not to think about.

“You keep saying that. But we’re out of time.”

“Come on, Sora. One more try. You lead, let’s go.”

Sora shook his head, but gamely took up the starting position again. “And here you are,” he complained, “completely comfortable leading and following. Not fair.”

“Get good at one and I’ll teach you the other, now step, left, back…”

Two rotations, and Sora faltered in the pattern. Riku squeezed his hand, trying to bring his attention back and get him back on track, but it was too late. As he attempted to get his feet back to where they should have been two missed steps ago, Sora managed to trip himself, this time sending them both crashing to the hardwood floor.

“Come on, Sora!” Riku said, more exasperated than he’d intended to let on. “That can’t happen in Eclenna!”

“I know.”

“A missed step might be forgivable, but sending you both to the ground? If that happened at one of these formal events, in front of the court—”

“So why don’t you do it, then?” Sora snapped.

Riku stopped and sighed, but before he could say anything, Sora repeated himself.

“So why don’t you do it?” This time he sounded excited.

Riku ran a hand over his face. “Oh good, now you’ve hit your head. I hope Kairi forgives me for concussing her fiancé.”

“No, Riku, it’s perfect!”

“There’s nothing perfect about that,” Riku said, quite reasonably, he thought.

“Why not? You go with her to Eclenna, you play the role of her fiancé, and you can do all this stuff that you’re great at! I’m awful at all of it: the parties, the socializing, the dancing.”

“You’re not—” Riku started, the denial and reassurance automatic.

Sora waved it away. “I am, and we both know it. But you aren’t awful at it. You’re great at it. And that’s what Kairi needs right now! Someone who can help her with her great work, not be in the way of it!”

There was no way Sora was saying it to be cruel, because Riku had known Sora forever, and cruel was the last thing Sora was capable of being. But ‘here, pretend to be the thing you wish so desperately could be real, but that you cannot ever truly have’ still felt cruel. Especially from him.

But Riku would do anything for either Sora or Kairi, so maybe that was why even entertained the idea.

But then he shook his head. “Kairi won’t agree to it,” he said, voice artificially light. Because she wouldn’t. There was no way she would.

“Well, let’s ask her!” Sora said, practically vibrating in place with the excitement of this ridiculous idea.

It was a mistake to have made Kairi’s inevitable rejection seem like his only problem with it, because then Riku couldn’t do anything but go along with him.

Sora’s energy was bordering on manic as he led Riku through the halls in search of Kairi. They didn’t have to go far, finding her in what served as her private office, hastily transcribing notes from one of the books about Eclenna.

“Kairi, we fixed it!” Sora said, the words bubbling out as soon as they were in the room.

Riku hurriedly shut the door behind them. Regardless of how quickly Kairi would shoot the plan down, he didn’t want to risk anyone else overhearing it.

Kairi raised an eyebrow. “Riku fixed your dancing?”

“Sort of! I won’t need to dance if Riku does it for me.”

She met Riku’s eyes over Sora’s shoulder. “And can you make that make sense for me?”

“I think I gave your fiancé a concussion. I didn’t see him hit his head, but that’s the only reason he’d come up with this—”

Sora shushed him. “I did not. I’m serious, Riku. This is the perfect plan!”

“What is the perfect plan?” Kairi asked.

Riku had intended to brush it off as a joke, to explain it away, to negate it before Kairi had to, but Sora didn’t give him a chance.

“Riku and I switch places. He goes as your fiancé, and then everything will be perfect.”

Riku shook his head, already anticipating Kairi’s flat refusal. Maybe she’d laugh, and they could all treat it like a joke. “I told him you wouldn’t agree to it. It’s not…”

He trailed off. Kairi hadn’t rushed to shoot it down. Instead she looked… thoughtful.

“You can’t be seriously considering it.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But it’s a thought, isn’t it?”

Sora gave out a whoop. “See? Riku already knows all the stuff I don’t have time to learn. He’s charming, and knows all the right things to do and say, and the two of you dance perfectly already.”

Riku felt himself blushing and tried to will it away. It wasn’t like Sora meant it personally.

“It is a thought,” Kairi repeated. She idly chewed her lip. “Eclenna is expecting me to bring my fiancé, but they haven’t ever mentioned Sora by name.”

Sora snapped his fingers. “Do you think they found out about the engagement from the council’s announcement?”

Kairi frowned. “I bet they did.”

Leaving Sora’s name off the announcement had absolutely been a snub, but it would work in their favor for this, at least. Riku shook his head. Now he was acting like this was worth considering.

“Never thought I’d have something to thank the council for,” Sora echoed Riku’s thoughts. “Did you mention my name?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t sent the response listing the three of us as the official party yet. I wanted to make sure that nothing came up that meant I’d have to add someone else. I was going to send it today, so it arrives a day or two before us. I can rewrite it, absolutely.”

“And if they don’t know my name,” Sora said, “then I can bet they don’t know what I look like, either. So there’s nothing that would give away that Riku isn’t your fiancé.”

“The council knows I’m not.”

“But they don’t have to know about this, because we’re the only three that will be going.” Kairi tapped her fingers on the desk. “We make the switch, such as it is, after we leave.”

Riku cleared his throat. “Best case scenario, pretending it all works out the way you want. We convince them, and the nations are at peace. I’m pretty sure they’ll notice when the wedding happens and I’m not the groom.”

“But that’s pretty far off from now,” Kairi said. “We can stage some sort of breakup. A thoroughly non-dramatic end to the engagement, nothing salacious, no hard feelings left behind. They don’t have to feel misled.”

“But is lying to them really the right thing to do?” Riku asked. “It doesn’t seem like the best way to start off an alliance.”

“It wouldn’t be lying exactly,” Kairi said. “Maybe… fibbing, a bit. But I still have to convince them for real that Radiant Garden is worth allying with. All of that is going to be legitimate. It’s just making sure they give me the chance to do that much, you know?”

When she put it that way…

“Please,” Sora begged. “For me? For Kairi? Don’t put me in the position to be the reason this fails. This could be what makes Kairi queen.”

“No pressure,” Riku said faintly.

“No pressure you can’t handle.” Kairi grinned. “Think you can play my fiancé for a couple weeks?”

Forever, if you wanted. And with both of them looking at him, eyes big, expressions pleading, Riku couldn’t say no.

He held out a hand to Kairi, and didn’t let on how much it hurt to say, “Let’s fake an engagement.”

Chapter Text

For their journey from Radiant Garden to Eclenna, the Eclennans had graciously supplied a magical transport that would speed their journey. Based on the same magic that had sped Kairi’s letters back and forth with the Eclennan queen, it turned a trip that would have taken weeks by mundane means into something that could be accomplished in just over a day.

It could even be undertaken in relative comfort, traveling in what was basically a very small suite of plush private rooms. It was certainly an impressive feat, one that Kairi didn’t completely understand the mechanism of. It was similar in a way to the magical elevators in the castle at Radiant Garden, but on a tremendous scale that they’d never been able to replicate.

Even the day and a half of travel time felt almost excruciatingly long, providing just enough time for the stakes of their mission to really sink in. Kairi had spent the weeks since she’d gained the council’s approval absorbed in preparations, pushing away any of the concern over what this could represent behind the necessary work.

Now, the twin thoughts that this could be her opportunity to prove her worth as a monarch and to ensure Radiant Garden’s future security were impossible to ignore.

At the same time, she might have welcomed the chance to take a week or more of travel time with Riku and Sora so they could truly work out every detail of their plan.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have a week.

Kairi sat on the edge of the bed in the room she'd claimed as 'hers' for the duration of the trip. Riku was sitting at the writing desk, while Sora leaned back on his hands on the floor.

They’d already done a cursory check for any magical listening devices. Eclenna certainly hadn’t given them any indication they would be spied on, but having what they were about to discuss be overheard was the last thing they needed.

Kairi licked dry lips. She’d been the one to call this meeting, such as it was, but she didn’t know exactly how to start.

She reached over to the bedside table and skimmed her fingers over what looked like a decorative paperweight, activating the silencing charm she’d brought with them. It would provide an extra layer of protection, in case they’d missed some sort of listening device. Functionally it was more of a muffling charm, so that anyone outside of the room containing the charm would struggle to hear anything inside it clearly.

Riku and Sora both straightened up a fraction, like that was the gesture that called their meeting to order.

She decided just to jump in. “All right. What are the most important rules for this?”

“I think you have to determine those, don’t you?” Riku said.

She shrugged. “We’re all involved. So we should all agree.”

“We already have agreed, haven’t we?” Sora asked. “This is the best way to make sure Eclenna gives you a fair chance, right?”

Kairi nodded. “But I still don’t know exactly what to expect. No one does. So what should we agree on beforehand? So nothing goes wrong, and so no one… gets hurt.”

She couldn’t quite bring herself to say what she was really most worried about. If anything jeopardized their closeness to each other, she didn’t think she could live with it. She wanted, desperately, for the peace with Eclenna to happen. But she was still selfish enough not to be willing to sacrifice her best friends for it.

Riku still seemed to catch her drift, judging from the look he gave her. “Kairi is right, Sora. We have to set the boundaries now. So what aren’t you okay with?”

“Okay with?” Sora echoed. “This was my idea, so I can’t exactly object now. Whatever has to happen has to happen.”

“Don’t pull that self-sacrificing nonsense,” Riku snapped.

“I’m not!” Sora snapped back.

“And I refuse to believe you have no reservations about any of this!”

Kairi interrupted before it could turn into a real argument. “Riku and I are going to be engaged as far as any of the Eclennans are concerned. If we’re in public, those are the roles we’re playing. What about in private?”

Sora fidgeted with the hem of his pants. “I don’t want to pretend when we’re alone.” The words were quiet and a little rushed, like he had to force them out.

Kairi nodded. “Me too.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it felt more sad than encouraging. The thought of being in love with Riku was far easier than the thought of pretending she didn’t love Sora.

“Of course,” said Riku stiffly. “I assumed that much. This is just a role we’re playing. No reason to keep it up when we’re alone.”

The expression on his face as he said it was inscrutable.

“But you’ll commit to it in public, right?” Sora asked. “This is for nothing if they don’t believe the two of you are in love. So you can’t get weird about people believing it either.”

“Of course,” Riku agreed. “But displays of affection in public only, then. Because you don’t want to pretend when we’re alone.”

Sora looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. He just nodded.

“Are those really the only rules we have?” Kairi asked. “Displays of affection in public only, and act like normal in private?”

“And keep it convincing,” Sora reminded them. “In public, I mean.”

“Three rules,” Kairi agreed. “Shake on it?”

She reached out a hand into the space between them.

Sora pushed up onto his knees and placed his hand on top of hers.

Riku rolled his eyes, but then leaned over to put his hand on top of the pile.

When the traveling suite came to a gentle stop, they took their positions at the doorway, ready to meet the Eclennans who would be sent to receive them.

It should have felt strange, being at Kairi’s left arm, a careful half-pace behind. (Behind, because Riku was here as her partner, but she was the future ruler, and he wanted to be certain no one forgot it.) Instead, it felt completely natural.

Sora was behind them another couple paces, and to the right. He was here as an “assistant”. When they had pitched Riku’s inclusion as the third party member to the council, they’d called him a “bodyguard”, but that sounded aggressive, or at the very least untrusting. They didn’t want to risk even minor offense to the Eclennans.

The door slid open with a soft sound, giving them their first unobstructed view of Eclenna. The transport had stopped in front of what had to be the royal palace: an expansive, white stone building, ornately decorated with patterns of inlaid pieces of glass.

Riku’s shoulders unknotted a fraction when he saw the greeting party. The delegation was small, only five people, but their positioning and the warmth on their faces made it feel intimate rather than like a snub. He appreciated the smaller number, especially since Kairi had been asked to keep her retinue so small. If the Eclennans had sent an enormous group to meet her party of three, it could have easily felt like a threat.

The woman in the lead of the delegation bowed, and the others behind her did the same. Kairi returned the gesture, so Riku did as well.

“We thank you so much for your kindness in providing us the transport to come here, and for being here to greet us,” Kairi said, voice warm.

As she looked forward at the Eclennans, Riku looked at her. He could already see her holding herself differently, tall and confident. It suited her.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised that it felt natural to be at her side. The only thing different about their proximity was the context around it. Fake context, he hastened to remind himself.

“Welcome, beloved future-Queen Kairi,” the woman at the front of the delegation said. “And to your fiancé and your assistant. My name is Amara. I’m the palace’s diplomacy coordinator.”

Amara was beautiful, with long, dark hair tied up in several elaborate, looping sections.

“Along with me, we have four more representatives of Eclenna from the palace: Lady Nathalie, Lord Sanson, Layrde Ourane, and Lord Terida.”

As she introduced each, they inclined their heads politely.

The queen was not among them, though that made sense. The first meeting between Kairi and Queen Lyshen would be something much more formal, and forcing it to happen now could have been a different kind of threat. Or at least an ambush.

“An honor to meet you all. I appreciate you coming here to greet us. This is my fiancé, Riku. And our friend and assistant Sora.”

Riku inclined his head, the same way the Eclennans had. Best to try and follow them for the rules of etiquette they may not have correctly absorbed from their limited research.

Amara didn’t drag the greetings out. “While I know the journey was not a long one, I’m sure you would like the opportunity to rest and settle in before dinner with the court. Please, follow us to the rooms that will be yours for the duration of your stay.”

Kairi graciously accepted the offer. It was protocol, of course, but Riku was still grateful for it. He squeezed Kairi’s fingers as they set off to follow the Eclennans.

He certainly wasn’t disappointed that they’d been brought directly to the palace; facing an additional journey, even a short one, would have probably sent his anxiety through the roof. He had to get that under control.

Amara led the way through the gates, and then through a series of beautiful gardens, while the other four Eclennans brought up the rear, carrying the trio’s luggage.

The gardens themselves were quite varied; some devoted to dramatic flower displays, others built around delicate water features, others drawing the eye up to trees arching overhead.

There was something subtly different about these gardens compared to the familiar ones in Radiant Garden, and Riku hoped he’d have a chance to look closer and figure out just what set them apart.

After the gardens, the path led through a large arched door, a private entrance into the palace itself. The halls were high-ceilinged and bright, and the route to their suite was reasonably direct. Another detail Riku appreciated; it was interior enough to be relatively safe, but no one was trying to disorient them.

Their luggage was left just inside the doors that Amara opened onto what appeared to be a small suite of rooms.

“Please get some rest, and prepare however you’d like to. I’ll be back in a few hours, when we’re ready for your celebratory dinner with the small court. We are honored and hopeful to have you here.”

“Thank you. We appreciate the hospitality, and share your feelings of honor and hope.”

Riku felt a bubble of pride in his chest, hearing the words from Kairi. And a brief flare of something like calm, finally glad that he had accepted his role in this, because she deserved this chance with Eclenna. And if this small deception granted her that? He was glad to do it.

There was still a definite loss of tension when the door closed behind the delegation, leaving Riku, Kairi, and Sora alone.

Sora was the first one to let out the breath it felt like they’d all been holding. “So… so far so good?”

Kairi let out a laugh, though it was uncomfortably close to hysteria rather than humor. “Now if only we can do that a few hundred more times, we should be fine, right?”

Riku reached out and pulled both of them into a sideways hug, and then froze. Was that too much physicality with Kairi, out of the public eye? Was that more than Sora would be comfortable with from him, given what they were doing now?

But neither of them objected. Kairi gave him a soft look, and Sora leaned into him for a moment.

He tightened his fingers on their shoulders before letting go. “Come on. Let’s get our things settled.”

The suite proved to be very pleasant. It was small, but well appointed, with luxurious touches all around; deep, wine-colored carpet thick enough it was hard to feel the floor, dark wood furniture polished to an intense shine, subtly patterned upholstery on the cushions for the chairs and loveseat, magical lights that imitated sunlight well enough to make the room feel open and bright.

The largest room stretched all the way from the door to the far back wall, containing everything needed for a sitting room. There was a desk in the back corner, which contained several choices of stationary and writing implements; a loveseat with a footstool; plus shelves of books and decorative art pieces.

Three doors opened off the right side of the long room. The closest one to the front was a small bedroom, perfect for an attendant who wanted to be nearest to any possible disruption. (It would also have been perfect for a bodyguard who intended to be the closest to any potential danger, so perhaps the Ecelennans had guessed that was the role of the third party member. Or it could have been a coincidence.)

The second door opened on a full bathroom.

The third door opened on the larger bedroom. It was clearly intended for two, judging by the twin wardrobes and absolutely massive bed.

“That’s one worry out of the way,” Kairi said, after they’d finished their initial once-over. “There really isn’t any prohibition against us sharing space. I know the books said the culture wasn’t segregated by gender, but I admit I was worried they were going to put me somewhere separate from you two.”

Riku nodded. “Having all of us in the same place should make this easier.” At least there wouldn’t be physical sneaking around on top of the rest.

Kairi and Riku unloaded their luggage into the pair of wardrobes in the main bedroom. Riku didn’t imagine he’d be sleeping in there, but the appearance was necessary, to avoid gossip should the cleaning staff take note of alternative arrangements.

Sora placed his effects in the smaller room. If he and Riku had to switch back and forth, making sure nothing gave the ruse away to a casual observer was worth the extra effort.

They embarked on a second, slightly more thorough exploration of the rooms, and repeated their check for anything potentially intended to spy on them. Fortunately, there was again nothing.

Even so, Kairi activated the muffling charm again, this time on the bedside table in the larger bedroom. It should cover the whole of the larger bedroom and most of the sitting room. Hopefully it would be unneeded, but if this was the one place they could let up on their act, they didn’t want even the slightest risk that their private space could be another kind of public.

Once everything seemed settled, Riku took his own clothing that he would wear for the formal dinner that evening into the smaller bedroom. He claimed he wanted to try and get a quick nap before the dinner, though he knew he wouldn’t actually be able to sleep, even if he had been tired.

This way he could give Sora and Kairi some privacy, so Sora could help her dress for the welcome dinner, and they could do whatever else they wanted to do, without having to ask Riku to leave.

True to her word, Amara returned for them a few hours later. She’d redressed as well, in layered robes of contrasting, vibrant colors.

Kairi took Riku’s arm, and Sora followed just behind. He wouldn’t always accompany them to these kinds of events—that was the whole point of the faux engagement—but he couldn’t skip the welcome dinner itself. Fortunately it was just a dinner. No dancing required.

Amara kept up a calm stream of commentary on the trip through the palace. Kairi responded to all of it with half her mind focused on the conversation, sharing tidbits about how something in Radiant Garden compared to a given architectural flourish, or how different the style of something else was.

The other half of her mind was still a bit in shock at even being here. She tightened her grip on Riku’s arm just a fraction. If he and Sora weren’t here, she didn’t know how she would do it. She smoothed down her skirt, hoping it didn’t look like the nervous gesture it was.

She and Riku were dressed to contrast. Her dress faded in gradients from pale gold at her shoulders, through shades of pink, down to dusky shades of purple where the skirt swirled around her legs. The shades of a sunset. Riku’s clothing was sharply tailored (which had been something of a trick, to get everything sized for him instead of for Sora), a long jacket in purple just a shade darker than the end of her skirt, blending into a deep blue barely shy of black. If her dress was a sunset sky, his was the sky after the sun sank below the horizon.

She was relieved that they didn’t seem overdressed for the occasion, at least.

The hall they were taken to was formal, with a woman seated at the center of a table set on raised dais at the head of the room. Her hair was a light gold-brown, pinned and braided up. Her clothing was similar to Amara’s, colors vibrant and bold. But she also had a simple, golden band settled on top of her head. Clearly, this was Queen Lyshen.

There were two other tables set up at the sides of the room, both full of other well-dressed courtiers. The high table had a few individuals seated toward the ends, though there were empty seats at either side of the queen. Perhaps a total of thirty or so people in the room? At a glance, Kairi recognized the rest of the greeting party, seated amongst the rest. She made brief eye contact with Nathalie, who smiled at her in what she thought was encouragement.

Kairi returned the smile before refocusing on the more important matter at hand.

Amara led them forward, then stepped aside so that they could greet the queen.

“Princess Kairi,” Lyshen said. Her voice was rich and dignified, carrying easily through the room. All other conversation died down. “It’s wonderful to meet you in person.”

“Likewise, beloved Queen,” Kairi said, remembering the proper form of address. She curtseyed, as both Riku and Sora bowed. “Your letters have been a deep source of hope. I’m delighted for the opportunity to be here, to see Eclenna and meet its people.”

“May this be merely the beginning of so much more. And will you introduce your companions? We were thrilled to learn of your engagement.”

“Thank you, beloved Queen. This is my fiancé, Riku. And with us we have our dear friend, Sora.”

“I hope all three of you know you are very welcome in Eclenna. Please join us now, so we can continue to speak, and share a meal, and begin to learn more about one another.”

There was a smattering of polite applause and greetings from the side tables.

Kairi anticipated being led up to the table near Lyshen. There were four empty seats there, three to the queen’s right, and one to her left, all facing into the rest of the room. The idea that the three stretching to Lyshen’s right were reserved for them as guests of honor seemed a safe assumption. It would also be the best way to ensure they were able to speak as the queen had indicated, even if it required a bit of leaning.

And indeed, Amara led them behind the table and indicated their seats—Kairi directly at Lyshen’s right, Riku next to her, and Sora on his other side. After they sat, Amara went to the remaining open seat at Lyshen’s left.

Lyshen leaned closer, and spoke in a feigned conspiratorial manner. “I hope my wife has been kind in her dealings with you. I wouldn’t expect otherwise, but…”

On her far side, Amara playfully smacked her arm.

“Your wife was wonderfully welcoming,” Kairi said. “Though I admit I didn’t realize she was your wife. She introduced herself as the diplomacy coordinator.”

Serving staff stepped forward to fill tall glasses with a pale gold liquid. It sparkled slightly in the gentle light of the hall.

Queen Lyshen smiled graciously at the woman who’d filled her glass, but continued speaking to Kairi. “A perfectly accurate introduction as well, if maybe an incomplete one.”

Amara’s soft smile as she sipped her drink hinted that it may have been a deliberate choice, as well.

“Sometimes there’s value in finding out how someone treats you before they know your rank,” Kairi agreed. “I’ve certainly wished I could be viewed on my own merits, without other assumptions getting in the way.”

Riku raised his glass in a gentle toast toward her at the statement.

“I’m sorry to hear that isn’t always something you’re afforded,” the queen said.

“I’m sure that many people could say the same for themselves,” Kairi said. Coming off as a martyr wasn’t the image she wanted to give, and hinting at discontent between her and the council wouldn’t be wise either. “Sometimes we just have to hope that our actions make a bigger impression that the preconceptions.”

Her wince at the thought that right now her actions included ‘deliberate deception, despite a noble motive’ was kept purely internal.

“Well said,” the queen said. She picked up her own glass and raised it toward Kairi. “To our own merits, and to forming our own opinions.”

Kairi returned the toast, and then sipped the wine. It was pleasantly bright and very slightly sweet. Not cloying or overwhelming. She’d heard many positive things about Eclennan wines, including in the books from the library, but had certainly never had the chance to try them before.

Then the queen stood, raising her glass again in a toast to the entire room. “To our guests of honor: Kairi, princess of Radiant Garden; Riku, her fiancé; and their companion Sora. They are the first from Radiant Garden to be welcomed here in many years, though we hope only the first of more to come.”

The toast was met with slightly more energetic clapping, and louder voices as the rest of the hall echoed the sentiment and raised their own glasses.

As the first course was brought out, Amara leaned forward and said, “We weren’t certain which flavors were common in the cuisine of Radiant Garden. If anything is not to your liking, please don’t feel compelled to eat it.”

Kairi nodded her agreement, while privately deciding she’d eat anything they served her, and hoping Riku and Sora would as well. None of the books on Eclenna had covered how serious a slight it would be to refuse food, but she didn’t want to find out the hard way.

It wound up being a completely unnecessary concern, because the food was varied, and all excellent. Small game birds roasted and served in rich cream sauce. A baked egg dish with vegetables cooked in that formed beautiful artistic patterns of landscapes. Fresh bread with swirls of bold spices.

Before the meal was done, Kairi was already wondering if recipes would be something she could ask for as a method of cultural exchange.

The conversation was light, mostly pleasantries about how their trip—short as it had been—was. Kairi made sure she was properly grateful for Lyshen’s generous loan of the transport that allowed for the journey to have been made so efficiently.

Amara engaged Riku in some talk about plans for the next few days. Naturally: the queen’s wife and the assumed future-royal consort would likely spend a good deal of time together.

Kairi glanced down past Riku to Sora, who looked completely relaxed. As always, he seemed to know just when she looked over at him, and he flashed her a quick grin, which she returned.

Overall, the initial dinner left Kairi with a definite sense of hope about the entire trip. Both Lyshen and Amara had been open and friendly, and Kairi felt like they had a genuine desire to see the alliance happen.

That was a relief, and once they’d returned to their rooms for the night, a good amount of the tension in Kairi’s shoulders dissolved. At least it seemed like it was starting from a point of good faith.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Sora slumped against it. “I don’t have to do that again, right?”

“I thought it went really well, didn’t you?” Kairi asked.

“I guess. But it was terrifying.”

“You’ve faced down bullies twice your size, and taken a rowboat onto the ocean in the middle of a massive thunderstorm. But dinner was terrifying,” Riku teased.

Sora made an exaggeratedly miserable sound instead of giving a real answer.

“I don’t think you’ll have to be at any more dinners,” Riku relented. “And I promise we’ll make sure you still get fed.”

“Unless there’s some other big celebration, like if it all goes right, then you should be off the hook,” Kairi agreed.

“Thank you,” Sora said emphatically, looking mostly at Riku. “I couldn’t do it.”

Privately, Kairi wasn’t completely sure of that. If he hadn’t had a choice, Sora would have done his best to be her required partner. And his best could be pretty damn good when he was putting his mind toward something. But he wouldn’t have to do it, with Riku here.

The council had asked her to write to them once she’d arrived, to keep them updated on how the negotiations were progressing. So before the three of them settled in for the night, she wrote a brief letter to them, informing them that they’d arrived safely and that she was optimistic about the success of the mission.

It was easy enough to call for someone to take the letter to be sent to Radiant Garden. Even if it didn’t get sent until the next morning, the council should have it by the day after.

She would have stayed up to talk to Riku and Sora, but Sora was already draped over the loveseat behind the writing desk, snoring. One leg was kicked up over the back, and the other across Riku’s lap, while his head rested against the armrest, bending his neck to a near right angle.

Riku didn’t look much more energetic, but at least he was conscious.

“Guess the stress really did wear him out,” she said. “How is that even comfortable?”

“Yeah,” Riku agreed. He scrubbed at his own eyes, and got to his feet. “I’ll get him to bed.”

It certainly wasn’t the first time Riku had carried Sora back to bed after a late night. Kairi remembered several sleepovers with similar outcomes, when Sora was inevitably the first one to doze off.

Riku scooped Sora up off the loveseat. He grumbled something indistinct, but didn’t wake up.

Riku didn’t take him into the smaller bedroom, but into the large one. Kairi almost said something about it, but then didn’t. It wasn’t like she was disappointed to sleep in the same room with her actual fiancé. It just hadn’t been what she was expecting, for some reason. But of course Riku didn’t want to share the room with her. No pretending in private. She followed them in.

“Thank you,” she said, after Riku had gotten Sora settled onto one side of the bed. At least Sora had already kicked off his shoes.

“Of course. Can’t let him wake up with a cramped neck.” Riku rummaged through the wardrobe, pulling out some appropriate sleeping attire for himself.

“Thank you for everything else, too. I know it’s not something easy to be asked, right? But you’re doing it for me. And for Sora. So thank you.”

“Bit late to be having second thoughts.” Riku frowned.

“What? No! No second thoughts! Just… realizing what a big thing it was to ask.”

Riku shrugged. “Well, we’re committed now. One dinner party down. Who knows how many more to go.”

“Yeah…” she laughed.

“Get some sleep, Princess.” He headed for the door.

She sat down at the small dressing table, before realizing an imminent dilemma. “Ah, Riku? Could I ask for one extra favor?”

“Always.”

“Can you undo the zipper on the back of my dress?” Her face flushed a little. Maybe she could contort to get it herself, but if not, she’d have to try and wake Sora to help, and he could sleep through a hurricane.

“Uh, sure.” He set his clothes in a pile on the bed before stepping up behind her.

Riku’s hands were very warm at the base of her neck, as he gently brushed wisps of hair to the side, and unhooked the tiny little catch. Then he slid the zipper down her back, just tracing the top half of her spine. His hands retreated. “Is that enough?”

She nodded. She could see all too clearly in the mirror that her face was even redder now. Riku’s face looked a little flushed too, but that could have been a trick of the low light. “Yeah, I’ve got it from here. Thanks. Again, I mean.”

“Get some sleep,” he repeated, voice just a little rough, before exiting and closing the door behind him.

Sora was disoriented when he woke up. Not only was it an unfamiliar bed, but also not where he remembered falling asleep. And he was still dressed from the party. Not that he’d been wearing anything fancy, not like Kairi and Riku, but it still wasn’t what he’d usually choose to sleep in.

Kairi was asleep on the other side of the bed, looking far more comfortable in a nightgown, though she’d kicked the blanket aside at some point, and her arms were sprawled at odd angles.

He grinned at that, and decided he’d let her sleep for a while. Rolling out of bed he realized one of the downsides to sleeping in the room that was set up to look like Riku was staying there.

It probably would have been better to change into something slightly more presentable before venturing out of the bedroom. Not that there would be anything else requiring his presence in an official capacity, or anyone officially representing Eclenna in their rooms, but still. If someone came to the door and saw him, it probably wouldn’t leave a favorable impression for them to see him wearing slept-in clothes.

He let out a breath of amusement. Not so long ago, it wouldn’t have even occurred to him to care about that. Maybe he was learning this “future consort” business after all.

Riku was already awake, sitting on the loveseat—which was the last place Sora actually remembered being—paging through a book.

He glanced up when Sora shut the bedroom door behind himself, and gave him a quick nod. “Morning. Sleep all right?”

“Morning,” Sora mumbled back. “I guess the dinner wiped me out.”

“I’ll say. Had to carry you to bed.”

“Sorry…”

Riku shrugged. “It’s nothing. Not the first time, likely not the last.”

Sora reminded himself that there was no possible innuendo to Riku promising to carry him to bed again in the future. He cleared his throat. “I’m just gonna get dressed real fast,” he excused himself.

He did genuinely feel better once he’d gotten changed into something that felt more normal, plus splashed some water on his face and forced a brush through his hair.

Though he finished just in time: as he was returning to the main room, there was a quiet knock on the door.

Sora glanced back to the larger bedroom, but the door was still closed. Riku sat up a little straighter, but Sora waved him back.

They’d been deliberately vague about Sora’s role in the group, and the hierarchies seemed to already be vague enough as it was. But still, if he was here as an “assistant” or “companion”, it probably wouldn’t do to have the future consort answering the door instead of him.

The young man on the other side was dressed in what seemed to be the uniform for the palace staff, a cream-colored tunic over rich brown pants and shirt. He was carrying an envelope, sealed with the stamp of the Radiant Garden council.

“A message for Princess Kairi,” he said, somewhat unnecessarily.

“May I take it for her, or would you like me to get her?” Sora asked.

“I trust you’ll pass it along to her. Thank you, beloved sir.”

“Thank you.” Did palace staff get a title? Or an honorific of some sort? Are they also ‘beloved’? This is why I’m not equipped for this. By the time he’d finished agonizing, the door was already closed.

Riku had also gotten to his feet. “A letter from the council?” he asked, clearly spotting the stamp on the front. “So soon?”

“They must have sent it before we even arrived. Do we open it? Wake Kairi?” Sora turned it over in his hands, feeling ridiculous at how much trepidation he felt about it.

“I know she wouldn’t mind us opening it, but it still doesn’t seem quite right.”

“Wouldn’t mind what?” Kairi asked, as the bedroom door clicked open. She stretched and stifled a yawn, still dressed in the comfortable-looking nightgown.

“There’s a letter for you,” Sora answered, holding it up.

“I sent them a letter last night, but there’s no way they could have gotten it by now, much less sent a response…” She ran her fingers through sleep-mussed hair, and crossed the room to take the letter.

She carefully tore it open, and unfolded the thick page within.

“Princess Kairi,” she read, “After further deliberation by the council, we have come to some additional conclusions regarding your journey to Eclenna. As previously discussed, we hope that you can reach an agreement of lasting peace and mutual aid. Additionally, we would appreciate an exchange of knowledge, particularly as it pertains to magical abilities, a field in which Eclenna has far surpassed Radiant Garden. Though in exchange, we would certainly be open to sharing our own research, some of which may be of interest to Eclenna, considering the cultural reverence for matters concerning the heart.

“If you are successful in both a peace agreement and at least some degree of magical advancement, the council has agreed this would be considered a Great Work.

“Should you accomplish what you have set out to do, you will return to Radiant Garden as the true heir, and we will begin the process leading to your coronation.

“Signed Dilan, Even, Ienzo, Braig, and Aeleus.”

All three of them were utterly silent when she finished reading the letter.

Kairi was the one to speak first, hand shaking just slightly on the letter. “I’d hoped they would agree to it being a great work, but I’d thought that would be later. Like in retrospect. Not… now, already.”

“But this is good news,” Riku said. “They’re acknowledging what you’re doing.”

She snorted. “Maybe, if I believed they thought it was possible. It feels like they’re only offering because they know it will fail. But then I certainly can’t ever complain that I wasn’t given a chance.”

“It’s not going to fail!” Sora said. “It doesn’t matter what the council thinks about it. They have to crown you if you succeed, now.”

“No pressure,” she said, shooting Riku an ironic look.

“No pressure you can’t handle,” he quoted back.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Sora said, nodding firmly. “Because we were always going to succeed.”

Chapter Text

Kairi knew she couldn’t focus too much on the letter from the council, though that was easier said than done. How could she not, now that everything was riding on this?

She’d been truthful in what she’d said to Riku. She knew this was only being offered because the council didn’t think there was any real chance that she would succeed. But by making the offer—even if it was made in bad faith—they ensured she could never claim she’d been denied an opportunity to take the throne.

She fixed her eyeliner and smoothed down a wisp of hair.

Sora had also been truthful: the letter didn’t change anything, because they were always going to succeed.

The first several days in Eclenna promised to be extraordinarily busy, judging by the itinerary that Amara brought by, listing out events, locations, and bits of information like what attire would be appropriate.

Kairi supposed this was the sort of thing most monarchs had staff to coordinate, and for the first time she briefly regretted that she hadn’t brought anyone else with her. Aerith or Yuna or any number of others in Radiant Garden would have been helpful at keeping track of those kinds of logistics.

Though of course, they couldn’t have brought anyone else, because then the entire ruse would have fallen apart.

Riku and Sora leaned in on either side, while she read through the itinerary, and the upcoming events they needed to prepare for.

First up, both Riku and Kairi would accompany Queen Lyshen to an Eclennan history and cultural museum. After that, there would be an informal luncheon back at the palace, where they could begin to discuss the potential alliance. In the evening would be the first of the formal balls, full of dancing and introductions to important people.

“Better both of you than me,” Sora said, when she’d finished describing everything happening just that day.

He pressed a kiss against the side of her head, careful not to mess her hair up.

After another deep breath, Kairi offered a hand to Riku, and they went to meet Lyshen and Amara.

The museum was everything Riku had even vaguely considered hoping for when he heard it was their destination.

The first wing was a hall of history, rooms containing artifacts and portraits and stories of famous Eclennan figures, dating back to even before the nation had been founded. The first rooms were dedicated to the oldest parts, describing figures and events from centuries before. Some aspects took on an almost mythological tone, describing the amazing feats and magics of the founders of the nation.

The founding of Eclenna itself had, according to the museum, been an act of love. Two beings, who may or may not have been human, had been locked into opposing sides of an ancestral war. Somehow the two had found each other, and come to care more for each other than for their sides in the conflict they were meant to uphold. The two had decided to abandon the war and create what would become Eclenna.

It certainly set the tone for the connections of the heart that the nation prized.

As the path wound on through the rooms, the stories contained in them grew more concrete, the artifacts more complete and better preserved. Actual copies—even originals—of treaties and proclamations. Contemporary portraits, mostly of couples. Sometimes preserved articles of clothing, or other personal effects.

If the alliance happened—When the alliance happened, he corrected himself—he wondered if he might be able to collect the stories the museum contained, to write a book for Radiant Garden. They’d read the three volumes that Kairi had dug out of the library cover to cover, and nothing in any of them had given him even a fraction of an idea of what Eclenna was like, not compared to just the brief stretch of walking through the museum. If—when—Eclenna and Radiant Garden were officially allied, and needing to learn about each other, something like this would be better than the scraps of information Radiant Garden had right now.

After the history hall came a section devoted to astronomy. Star-mapping, they called it. From what Riku could tell, next to the connections between hearts, this was the most important thing to Eclenna as a whole.

The maps themselves were intricate, stars and the paths they followed traced out in the finest of gold and silver lines. Dates and positions in the sky labeled each map.

The most magnificent of the star-maps were physical works of art, in a variety of mediums: paint, or colored stone and wire, or delicate fiber work. But other sections were magical, three-dimensional maps that could be controlled with a wave of a hand.

Lyshen showed them how to control it, to change their vantage point, or the date that the map showed. As Kairi stepped into the center of the map, scrolling to different dates, the delight on her face lit up brighter than any of the stars it sent wheeling around her. The brightest star among any. He wanted to chastise himself for being sappy, or ridiculous. It wasn’t his place, anyway. But it still felt true.

“The museum was amazing,” Kairi gushed. “The history of star-mapping was extraordinary; I had no idea that had been such a focus in Eclenna’s history.”

“I’m glad you found it so interesting!” Lyshen said. “Is there something similar in Radiant Garden? Some study that has persisted through the ages?”

Kairi weighed her potential responses. “Yes and no. The name of our country gives a bit of it away. We are continually adding to our gardens, in the palace and through the country as a whole. Tending what’s been grown before, as well as new variations and discoveries, has always been important. And we do also put a lot of emphasis on scientific advancement, discoveries about the world and ways to do things. Though in that regard, the interests of each monarch tend to guide us in different directions, rather than a constant cultural goal.”

Amara poured both Riku and Kairi some sort of hot drink.

Riku took the cue when she set the pot down, and poured for both Amara and Lyshen.

“And what will your goals be?” Lyshen asked, taking a sip.

Kairi took a sip of her own. Fortunately it was a drinkable temperature, rather than threatening to scald her tongue. The mingled spicy and sweet flavors were much stronger than the herbal teas she was used to, but in a way she definitely found pleasant.

“Is it too forward to say that I hope to devote myself to cultural understanding? I don’t want to sound like I’m… I don’t know, pandering? Trying to flatter? But I do genuinely feel like Radiant Garden has grown insular. Our study of other countries and cultures has been almost purely academic. I’d like for there to be more to it than that. A richer, more robust connection to other nations would strengthen Radiant Garden for its people as well.”

Lyshen laughed, though not meanly. “I think that sounds like a very noble goal for a future ruler to have. I’m glad that Eclenna is the first nation to welcome you across its borders. Though I’ll hazard a guess that we won’t be the last.”

Kairi felt suddenly shy, and she tried to hide it behind another sip of her drink. “That’s kind of you to say.”

Riku reached out and touched her arm. She flashed him a grateful smile, turning her wrist so that he could slide his hand into hers.

Amara smiled. “I’m glad to see you have someone supporting you.”

“Me too,” Kairi said, looking at Riku, and also thinking of Sora.

Her fiancé had supported her in everything she’d ever wanted or needed to do. Even now, when it meant he was staying behind in their rooms. But Riku’s support was just as genuine. She really was extremely lucky.

“Of course,” Kairi added, “I think that Radiant Garden has things to offer as well. All that academic study we do, that pursuit of knowledge, means we have a wealth of information on a wide spread of subjects. We also have people with experience and skills related to that research, and would be happy to turn their abilities toward things that help our friends. Radiant Garden is a beautiful nation, and I’d like people beyond its borders to recognize and appreciate it.”

“All the good intentions in the world can mean very little without the strength of the heart behind them,” said Lyshen.

There it was. “I understand that the strength of the heart, and the connections between hearts are very important in Eclenna. Even at the museum, that was a clear thread through everything. The history of Eclenna’s various rulers, even the star-maps themselves, they all emphasized strength of heart and connections between people.”

“This is true,” Lyshen agreed. “The strength of connection is the most important thing there is. Caring about people—even a single person—can be the greatest force for change. To see someone and decide you love them so much you would do anything to make their world better”—she reached out and brushed a strand of Amara’s hair back—“that is a strength that very few other things can compare to.”

“When you put it that way, it’s hard to argue with,” Riku said.

And he was looking at Kairi like he knew exactly what Queen Lyshen was talking about.

Kairi hoped the heat in her cheeks wasn’t as visible as it felt.

“On that note, perhaps it’s time to retire for the afternoon?” Amara suggested. “I feel like the morning has given us all some things to reflect on. The event tonight is bound to be a late one, so we should all come into it well-rested.”

Lyshen nodded and stood. Kairi and Riku did the same.

“My wife is frequently the one to remind me when a break is in order. There’s certainly no reason to rush through any of our business or discussion. I look forward to this evening, and I hope the both of you have a pleasant afternoon.” She wrapped an arm around Amara’s waist.

“Do you need any help getting back to your rooms?” Amara asked. “Though of course the rest of the palace and the gardens are also open to you.”

“Returning to our rooms would be lovely,” Kairi said. “But I think we can find our way.”

“Then we will see you in a few hours.”

“They certainly made the ‘connections of the heart’ thing pretty clear,” Riku said.

Kairi was taking Amara’s advice and taking a nap, but he’d been unable to even think of sleeping. So instead, he was filling Sora in on the events of the morning.

“Was it like they made it suspiciously clear, like they think something is up? Or just like they wanted to make sure you understood?”

Riku paused to consider. “The latter. Maybe. I don’t think they’re suspicious, anyway.”

And with you making heart-eyes at her, they probably won’t be, he berated himself. At least you’re helping to sell the bit, you hopeless, love-struck idiot.

“Riku, they can’t be suspicious. If they are, then this is all for nothing!”

“What if it’s not?” Riku asked. “What if we just… come clean about it? Lyshen and Amara have been perfectly kind and seem to want the alliance to work.”

“You can’t be serious!” Sora snapped. “You just told me they started talking about the connections of the heart. And remember what Kairi told us? They refused to ally with Ansem the Wise because he wasn’t married. So how can you think it wouldn’t matter to them, finding out that you weren’t really her fiancé?”

Riku resisted the urge to curl up on himself. “I just don’t know that I can do it, all right?” I thought I could, but what if I can’t!?”

“What can’t you do?” Sora asked. “You’re perfect at all of this. That’s the whole point.”

“The… being close. It’s not fair.” Riku winced. He hadn’t meant to say that last bit.

“Not fair? We all agreed, Riku. I’m not… mad about it, if that’s what you think.”

“That’s not what— All right. Thanks.” Better that Sora think that’s what he meant.

“Let’s practice, then.”

“What.” He couldn’t even make it sound like a question.

“That’s what we were doing back in Radiant Garden, right? You helped me practice so that I could be better at everything I was supposed to do here. So now let me help you practice.”

“I don’t—”

Sora sidled closer on the loveseat, until his leg was practically pressed against Riku’s. “You said you don’t know how to ‘be close.’ So we’ll practice.”

“Yeah, I know how to be close. Physical proximity isn’t what I meant.”

Sora rolled his eyes. “Me either.” Then he reached out and ran his fingers through a bit of Riku’s hair, brushing it back from his face.

It reminded him so strongly of Lyshen and Amara at lunch that he almost jumped, though instead he just froze. He wanted to lean into the touch. But as soon as he was capable of moving, he twitched his head away. “What are you doing?”

“I told you. Practice. Get comfortable with closeness.”

It was ridiculous. Nothing should feel any different than it had for the last twenty-plus years. He knew that at one point he would have thought nothing of hugging or holding hands or cuddling with Sora or Kairi or both. When had that changed? He wasn’t sure, just knew that it had.

Sora leaned against his shoulder, far hand coming up to rest on Riku’s arm, and Riku’s face burned. “It’s the little things, right? That show off how close you are. How connected you are,” he emphasized. “It’s not the big showy stuff.”

That was wiser than Riku would expect to hear from Sora, but he was thinking about Lyshen and Amara again. Lyshen brushing Amara’s hair back, her arm around her wife as the pair left for the afternoon. And then he was thinking about touching Kairi’s arm, how he hadn’t even thought about it before just reaching out to do it, the feeling of his fingers laced with hers…

“Put your arm over my shoulder,” said Sora.

Riku complied before thinking better of it, hand naturally falling to Sora’s shoulder, like he was pulling him in. Then his brain caught up and he went to move his arm back up.

Sora tightened his grip on the arm he was holding, so that Riku would have had to really pull to break the hold. “Pretend I’m Kairi. If your fiancée cuddled up to you and you pulled away, what do you think that would look like?”

Riku settled his arm back down. He imagined Kairi curled up at his side, soft hair brushing his shoulder. But it was Sora’s wiry-strong arm under his fingers, and his spicy-fruity shampoo Riku could smell. And he wanted both so badly.

You are going to fuck this all up.

He thought about asking ‘what happened to no pretending in private?’ but instead he tightened his fingers to bring Sora closer. “Can’t leave my ‘fiancée’ looking unloved.”

Sora beamed up at him. “Exactly. And you know Kairi. She’d spend her life moving hug to hug if she could.”

Riku brushed his fingers up and down Sora’s arm. This is okay right now. It’s not real, but it’s okay. “She would,” he agreed.

Sora nodded. “And that’s good. You’ve known Kairi just as long as I have.”

Riku’s throat grew tight. But she chose you. You chose her.

“So why do you think you don’t know how to be close?”

“It isn’t that.” Riku’s voice was so quiet he could hardly hear it himself. Then before Sora could reply, he continued, “But you’re right. Everything is different, but it’s all still the same.”

Sora huffed at that, like Riku was still missing something that he should have understood.

“It’s all the same,” Riku repeated, and wished desperately that it was true. And tried even more desperately to quash the wish that it wasn’t.

“Fine. But if it’s the same as ever, then you shouldn’t have any trouble, right?” Sora said. “Let everyone see it, and they’ll know just how connected you are.”

“Sure,” Riku agreed. He punctuated it with a squeeze to Sora’s shoulder.

You hopeless, love-struck idiot.

The formal ball that evening was everything that had been promised. The hall it was held in had arched ceilings that rose several stories above the floor, with glinting gold and silver lights floating in the top ten feet or so. They were clearly magical in nature, less bright than the sunshine-bright lights of their suite, but still illuminating the whole room. They drifted gently around each other, looking like stars against the dark paneling of the ceiling itself.

Kairi almost wondered if the décor had been chosen after she’d expressed so much interest in the star-mapping on display in the Eclennan history museum. She knew that was a silly thought, even in passing. It was far more likely it had been chosen as a deliberate allusion to that history, not to her interest in it.

She certainly felt dressed to match, though. Her gown was long, brushing the ground at her feet. It was a deep, midnight blue, with celestial patterns of stars and moons and constellations picked out in silver.

It probably looked to everyone else like she’d chosen the dress based on the star-maps, but truthfully it was the first dress she’d decided to bring. It was one she’d always loved, but never had the opportunity to wear at home in Radiant Garden. It was a coincidence that it suited Eclennan sensibilities so well.

Riku’s attire was less dramatic, but matched to hers. A fitted jacket and long trousers in the same dark blue, with silver accents at the collar, cuffs, and waist. The patterns on his clothing was more geometric, but still hinted at similar celestial figures.

Kairi caught Riku’s gaze from across the room. There were more people here than there had been even at the welcome dinner, mostly clustered in small groups. She watched the patterns of socializing, how people effortlessly moved between clusters, making introductions and small talk, before drifting to a new group. It was certainly its own kind of dance, even though the real dancing hadn’t started yet.

Yet her eye was drawn to Riku more than to anyone else. Understandable, not only because he was familiar, but because he was also absolutely beautiful. The dark blue set off his silver hair, almost brighter than the silver accents on his coat. He looked like a prince out of a fairytale. Well, even more so than usual.

He raised his wine glass toward her in a silent toast across the room and she returned the gesture. Then he turned back to his conversation, some pleasant-looking, animated discussion with one of the lords and his wife.

The currents of the room shifted, and a new conversational partner drifted toward her. She recognized the woman; one of the members of the greeting party when they’d first arrived.

“Lovely to see you again, beloved Lady Nathalie.” Kairi curtseyed.

“Beloved Princess Kairi, I hope you’ve settled well into Eclenna. Have you met my partner? This is Layrde Aubrin.”

“Lovely to meet you.”

The three spoke for a while, mostly Kairi gushing again about how much she’d adored parts of the museum, and how wonderful she’d found everything in Eclenna so far. Nathalie drifted off, but Aubrin stayed for a while. They also had a deep interest in star-mapping, which gave the two of them a point of commonality. Kairi promised that if the alliance went well, Aubrin could come to the palace in Radiant Garden any time, if they wanted to see the stars from another place.

After they’d stepped away, and Kairi had been pulled to a new knot of conversation, her eyes were drawn back to Riku. He’d moved on to a new group as well, a cluster of ladies who seemed to be showing off different drink and food pairings from the tables of finger-foods that were set up along the wall.

Kairi smiled to herself. Even unable to hear what was being said, it was clear they were all utterly charmed by him. And how could they not be? She tried to shake the dopey, soft look off her face, but she couldn’t quite manage it.

It was like he knew she was looking at him, because he glanced up again, and offered her a crooked smile, the look in his eyes soft and happy. Then he winked at her, quick and gone. She giggled a bit, before returning her attention to the conversation around her.

She was glad he was here with her. She thought Sora could have done better than he believed, but Riku truly was in his element. If partners reflected on each other in Eclenna, the way the books suggested, then Riku was definitely making people like her.

Finally, the rotation brought her into conversation with Lyshen. Kairi curtseyed again.

“Beloved Princess Kairi, how has your evening been?”

“Excellent, beloved Queen. Speaking with so many people has been wonderful.”

“Then I am truly delighted to hear it. Perhaps you would accompany me out to the courtyard for a bit of fresh air?”

There was certainly no turning that invitation down, not that Kairi would have wanted to.

The courtyard was quite a bit cooler than inside, even on the summer evening. It was refreshing though, a gentle breeze carrying the perfume of some night-blooming flowers that Kairi recognized from home.

“I hope we haven’t been putting too many demands on your time,” Lyshen said once they were a few yards away from the doors.

The courtyard was lit by levitating lights like the ones inside, though fewer of them, giving the walled garden a soft, otherworldly quality. Lyshen’s dress was also blue, though a much lighter shade than Kairi’s. The top layer had a rainbow iridescence that the lights set off beautifully.

“That is what we’re here for,” Kairi said. “You’re invited to demand as much of my time as you’d like. And Riku’s as well, of course.”

“Well, we are but human, and exhaustion is no one’s best state.”

“I appreciate that, beloved queen, and I promise to tell you if anything pushes us to that point. Though it’s only the first full day, so we have a bit of endurance left in us.”

Lyshen’s answering laugh was warm. “We’ll aim for better than merely enduring. How has your fiancé been finding things?”

“He’s been as thrilled as I have, I think. I know he was fascinated by the museum, and seems to be charming everyone at the party right now.”

“That much is true. He’s a good partner for you.” Lyshen led them to an ornamental bench placed under an arch of the fairy lights.

Kairi smiled, thinking of Sora as she sat down. “He is. And eventually, everyone will see that.”

“Do some people not?”

Kairi hesitated a beat too long. She didn’t want to give the appearance, accurate though it may be, that she and the council were at odds in any way. But she also didn’t relish more lies than she had to maintain. And maybe the couple glasses of wine had made her a little braver—or blunter—than usual. “I have to admit, the Radiant Garden council didn’t exactly approve of my choice.”

Lyshen made a surprised sound, but didn’t say anything.

“Fortunately, they don’t actually have any sway over whom I choose to marry,” Kairi continued. She’d intended it to be something of a joke, but she could see it didn’t land that way.

“I would hope not!” the queen said, then looked down, embarrassed. “My apologies. That may have sounded judgmental. It strikes me as very… upsetting… to consider someone else deciding whether you were allowed to marry, or whether a particular person was an appropriate candidate.”

Lyshen had been so poised the entire time Kairi had been around her, it was oddly endearing to see her even slightly off-balance.

Kairi tried to make her voice light as she said, “It’s not like they would have approved of anyone I’d chosen.”

Despite being, obviously, well-aware of that, saying it aloud made her consider how true it really was. She glanced in the open doors at the people still inside. She couldn’t quite see Riku from here, but she knew he was there.

Sora had been right when he’d suggested that Riku was perfect for this role. He wasn’t the only one to think that; there’d been plenty of people who expected that she’d someday marry Riku, as an ideal future-consort. A moot point, since she didn’t think Riku would have said yes. He hadn’t ever indicated that he would be interested, at least. Since he’d never been the shy type, surely he would have said something. It was a doubly moot point now.

But in a hypothetical situation where she’d asked the other, equally important person in her life to marry her instead, even knowing how well Riku was suited to the role of consort, she couldn’t imagine the council having approved of him either. There would always have been reasons they didn’t think it was a good idea, and snubs like their refusal to publicly announce Sora’s name.

Though she had also ensured with crystal clarity that they had no actual authority to select a marriage partner for her, or to deny one of her choice.

Maybe knowing that had been a small part of why she’d asked Sora to marry her without so much as mentioning it to the council first. Of course it wasn’t the primary reason; she loved him, and that was why she’d asked him to marry her. But there was still a twinge of satisfaction, knowing she hadn’t even attempted to appease the damn council, because it would have been a losing battle.

She shook her head, painfully aware she’d been lost in thought for an uncomfortably long time. “The council was appointed by my father,” she explained, though Lyshen almost certainly knew that already. “That may have something to do with it.”

Lyshen didn’t seem put off by her mental digression. “To our own merits, and forming our own opinions,” she said, quoting their toast from the previous night. “And our own decisions as well.”

Kairi smiled at her. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Well, time to head back inside,” Lyshen said, standing gracefully. “I can’t monopolize the guest of honor for the entire evening.”

Inside, the flow of conversational partners was still in motion, and Lyshen easily joined up with a stream that would take her over to Amara, who was now talking with Aubrin. Kairi was content to wait on the sidelines for a moment, just watching everyone in their finery. She took another tall flute of sweet wine from a staff member.

She felt the gentle touch on the back of her shoulder before she’d even realized Riku was there. She smiled up at him, and his fingers glided over her shoulder blades, along the open back of her dress.

She stepped a bit closer, bumping her hip against his. “Hey, you.”

“How are you doing, Princess?”

She giggled a bit at the half-sincere, half-teasing nickname. She was certainly feeling this most recent glass of wine. Nowhere near drunk, but at least to the point of pleasantly relaxed. “Just marvelous. And you?”

“Definitely the same.” He ran his hand down to rest at her waist. “Everyone I’ve met has been wonderfully interesting.”

“Same here.” She leaned into him. He was comfortably solid and warm at her back, where she was just slightly chilled from the colder outside air. She would happily have stood there for the entire night, enjoying the contact. He tightened his fingers just a fraction.

For better or worse, they didn’t have the entire night, as Lyshen announced in her clear, carrying voice that it was time for the dancing to begin.

“Finally, a chance to show off,” Riku murmured in her ear, too soft for anyone else to hear.

She giggled again, and let him pull her toward the rapidly clearing floor.

The first dance was something they didn’t exactly recognize, though the livelier tune coming from the group playing strings and woodwinds set an easy to follow pace.

The individual steps weren’t so different from dances they were familiar with, and watching some of the other couples for a few moments helped them to put the steps together in the right order.

Before more than a minute had gone by, they were moving easily around the floor. Riku led, since it was what they were more familiar with from when they’d practiced together, though Kairi thought they might trade off in future dances.

This dance was a joyful one, with lots of spins and twirls. But as fun as she found it, she couldn’t help imagining Sora in her place, and then she was giggling again.

Riku kept them from faltering, though he gave her a tolerantly amused look.

She leaned in close when the dance allowed it. “Just thinking about how much Sora would hate this.”

Riku’s fingers twitched a bit more tightly on hers and he laughed, too. “You have no idea,” he murmured back. “I’ve danced with him more than probably anyone else at this point. He would hate this.”

The next dance was a slower one, letting everyone recover from the pace of the first, and it was almost identical to a couple of the common dances they’d practiced before, so it was easy to relax into the steps.

Riku’s arms were warm where he held her, and she wanted to just curl into the almost-hug.

No, she reminded herself. It’s just a role. No matter how convincing he can make it feel.

So be convincing back, she argued with herself.

She let the gentle pressure of his fingers continue to nudge her into the right movements, but also pressed just a little bit closer. Certainly not inappropriately close, but just a bit closer than the dance itself asked.

Riku’s breathing hitched, and Kairi could almost believe it wasn’t an act. That he really did want her with him like they were supposed to be pretending.

She squinted her eyes shut, because that hurt. Because she loved Sora more than anything, but she just hadn’t thought Riku could feel that way about her. It all seemed like too much to think about, and she sternly told herself off for even worrying about it. That was foolish, because of course Riku was just doing exactly the thing they were here to do. Lie.

Fortunately the next dance was another lively one, and her introspective brooding was handily knocked aside.

This one involved switching partners, a series of steps she wasn’t quite ready for. At least she didn’t stomp on anyone’s feet. Riku was spun away to dance with Lady Nathalie, as Kairi wound up partnered with a young man whose name she didn’t remember. He had a kind face, and he did a good job of helping make the steps clear, so that when the partners switched again, it went much more smoothly.

This time she was with Amara, who was a wonderful dancer, and clearly a bit of a show-off, as she tossed a couple extra flourishes onto her steps that Kairi did not try to match.

From above, the patterns of dancers must have looked like a flower, or a starburst, everyone spinning in close to the center, then back out to the edge of the floor once they’d switched partners.

Not every dance had a story to it, but she got the sense of this one’s, as each trip back to the center of the floor brought her within inches of Riku, but sent her away with a different partner. She saw him dancing with Lyshen, then with Lord Terida, another from the party that had welcomed them to Eclenna. The theme seemed to be partners being pulled away from each other repeatedly, but always trying to return to each other. Connections of the heart, indeed.

Her theory was confirmed as everyone returned to the center, the pattern landing them back with their original partners, and the dance ended.

It had been energetic enough that Kairi was breathing just a bit harder than normal, and she collapsed forward into Riku with a soft laugh. He hugged her close, equally breathless, also laughing. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head, then to her cheek when she turned her face toward him.

And keep it convincing! Sora’s voice echoed in her head.

From there it was easy to turn her face just a bit more and press her lips to his. It felt perfectly easy and right, though when he made a startled noise, she broke away.

Don’t get carried away. She could feel the blush burning in her cheeks, likely matching the one on Riku’s, and she giggled a little nervously. That was enough to break the threatening tension, though. Riku tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and quirked a smile at her, and everything was fine.

The pair of them were laughing again when they returned to their rooms, hours later. There’d been more dancing, breaks to get food and drinks, or to talk with the other partygoers, and then more dancing. The final dance had been another lively one, and Riku still felt near-high from the energy of it.

Once they were inside the suite, Kairi leaned on him as she reached down to pull off her shoes. He was glad she hadn’t worn high heels; if his feet were tired from the long night, he was sure hers were even more so as it was. She overbalanced, trying to unbuckle a strap, and Riku caught her as she devolved into another fit of delighted giggling.

She was clearly not drunk, but probably just slightly tipsy, and maybe just as buzzed as he was from the energy of the party.

Riku held her by the elbows while she got her feet back under her. “You good?” he asked, her laughter contagious enough that he was having a hard time suppressing it.

“Absolutely.” She leaned forward into him for a moment. “It was a great party.”

“It definitely was,” he agreed. “And you should absolutely get to bed.”

She tried to pout up at him, but didn’t hold the expression for long before it turned into a grin. They were just inches apart, and it would have been so easy to close that gap and kiss her again.

He—very vividly—recalled the feeling of the kiss on the dance floor. The one that he’d maybe started, kissing her on the cheek, but she was the one who’d turned it into a real kiss. It had been shockingly natural feeling, in a way it definitely shouldn’t have. And it would be so easy to do it again.

He looked away instead, and moved his hands to her shoulders, helping to steer her back toward the bedroom, where Sora was almost certainly already asleep.

No pretending in private. “Come on, to bed.”

The grin briefly turned back to the pout, but she let herself be steered. There was one gently glowing light on her side of the bed. This time Riku didn’t wait for her to ask, and reached up to unhook the thin straps that crossed over the open back of her dress.

He’d been right, back when he first saw her pick it up, before they’d come to Eclenna; she did look amazing in the gown.

“Thank you,” she said, holding her hair out of the way.

From the bed, Sora mumbled something as he woke up.

Kairi turned and flopped down on the bed next to him, still in her dress, though it was ready to fall off her shoulder. “Sorry to wake you.”

Sora yawned. “It’s fine. How was the ball?”

“Fun,” she said. “There was dancing.”

He made a face.

Riku smiled at the look, then turned to leave.

“Riku?” Sora asked.

Ruku turned back toward the bed.

Sora was reaching a hand out toward him. Riku sighed and took his hand, letting Sora pull him over to the bed, too.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” Riku answered honestly. “It went really well.”

Sora beamed up at him. “Of course it did! You two are the best.”

Sora’s eyes were already drifting back shut, so Riku disentangled his hand, and resisted the silly urge to press a goodnight kiss to his forehead. Not that he hadn’t done it before, just… well, it felt different now. He contented himself with a whispered “Sleep well,” to them both, and headed for his room.

The next several days weren’t quite as busy as that first full day, but they certainly didn’t involve much downtime.

Kairi attended the first official diplomatic meeting, more like a Radiant Garden council session than anything else in Eclenna had been. She was able to formally outline precisely what Radiant Garden was hoping for out of a potential peace agreement—pacts of mutual aid and alliance, a sharing of magical and scientific knowledge, the ability for citizens to travel between nations for purposes of study or leisure.

No one objected to any of the points outright, which was encouraging, even though it looked like there would be quite a lot of refining of the exact terms and language being used. There would be plenty of hypotheticals to examine too, regarding peace or war with other nations, and where the limits of expectations of aid would fall.

After the meeting, Kairi wrote another carefully-worded update to the council. She knew it would be the first of many.

While Kairi was locked away in more official meetings for the second day in a row, Amara took Riku through the gardens. He’d hoped to get a chance to see them in more detail than the quick walkthrough when they’d first arrived. Getting the opportunity just a few days into their stay was a nice surprise.

He was familiar with the palace gardens of Radiant Garden, of course. They were breathtaking things, carefully curated to display each flower at its best. Some were organized by color, others by the types of flower, and others by the regions in which the flowers originated. The Purple Garden had always been his favorite, the beds of flowers precisely organized into a perfect gradient through every shade from the palest lilac to the deepest indigo.

But the first thing he’d noticed in the Eclennan gardens was that they felt different compared to the ones in Radiant Garden. It wasn’t anything about the beauty of the flowers, or the quality of the planting. Those were equally high.

He told Amara as much.

“I can’t quite tell what it is, but I can’t quite imagine this garden being in Radiant Garden. And the gardens there would look out of place next to these. Why is that?”

Amara just laughed. “Keep looking. Let me know if you figure it out.”

By the second garden, he had. They crossed over an arched wooden bridge, and had to duck to avoid the trailing branches of a weeping birch tree. Riku could smell the rich scent of damp leaf litter below the trees, and after they’d come around a curve in the path, the bridge was completely out of sight.

Ahead of them was a tangle of flowers at various heights, tall spires of vibrant blue competing with something low and spreading that had spiky green leaves and pink star-shaped blossoms. In the middle were larger bushes of honeysuckle, their shade providing space for shy-looking white flowers that peeked out along the ground. There were probably a dozen other flowers in that same stretch of garden.

“It’s wild,” he said aloud. “Or at least it gives the impression of it.”

“I’m not surprised you figured it out.”

And that was it. Radiant Garden was full of perfectly manicured, carefully designed, exactingly specific flowerbeds. They were beautiful works of art, no question. But here, flowers and trees were clearly planted deliberately and encouraged to grow in attractive ways… but they also seemed to be left to their own devices to some degree.

Amara stepped forward and cupped a flower dangling from a large vine. “Artful chaos, and even decay… we cultivate certain things, but appreciate them giving us things we didn’t anticipate as well.”

It was rare for Sora to be included on any of Riku or Kairi’s excursions. Everyone had stayed true to the goal of having him not be involved in any of the vaguely-political maneuvering. He’d had several peaceful, solitary days, where the worst he had to do was worry about Kairi and Riku.

Apparently today they were concerned that he would be bored.

It was a lovely day out, and being out in the sunshine was nice for a change. Not that he was a prisoner in their suite; he could have left if he’d wanted to. But that would have risked having to interact with someone, and defeated the purpose of having him not do that.

This was a perfect day for a picnic lunch in a quiet field out on the palace grounds. Ordinarily, this was the kind of thing Sora would have loved. Especially with Riku just next to him, and Kairi just a few feet away to Riku’s left.

That didn’t change the fact that he was seated across from the queen of Eclenna and her wife. They did manage to be less intimidating than the council, so they had that going for them.

He let the small talk wash over him, hoping he wasn’t going to have to participate.

“And you, Sora?” Amara asked, passing him a short glass of a refreshing chilled tea, and killing off that hope. “What is your favorite part of Radiant Garden? If we have the chance to visit, then I’d love to know the best places to go.”

“I love the ocean,” he said. “I mean, I’m sure Eclenna has great beaches too, so maybe it’s not that big a draw. But it really is beautiful. The sea is peaceful, and there are a bunch of small islands off the coast.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Amara agreed. “The sea here is beautiful, but most of our coastline is fairly rugged.”

“We—all three of us—used to spend parts of the summers on the beach in Radiant Garden, and my mom still lives there. I hope you’ll visit the area.”

Stop talking, he willed himself.

“Ah, truly some insider information,” Queen Lyshen said, “if it’s a good enough vacation spot for the future queen and her partner.”

Sora bit his lip, hard, before he could say the wrong thing.

“I miss the beach,” Kairi said. “Those summers were the best.”

“We’ll have to go again.” Riku reached out and grabbed her hand.

Sora couldn’t keep the stupid smile off his face, knowing Riku had clearly taken his advice about casual affection. And then Riku reached over and touched his hand, too. He didn’t hold his hand, but the touch lingered.

“Don’t worry, we’ll drag you along with us,” Riku said.

“I’d love that,” he answered before he’d thought of something wittier to say instead. He didn’t need Riku to reassure him, mid-conversation, in front of the people they had to ensure believed Kairi and Riku were in love… but that didn’t mean he didn’t love to hear it,

It was the kind of thing he’d have said to Riku, if he and Kairi had been talking about going, after all.

A week into the negotiations, and Kairi thought things were getting close to an actual agreement. She wrote as much to the council, in updates dutifully written out every other evening. Their responses were less frequent; only one more since their first letter arrived. It had been brief, acknowledging the information she’d passed on and urging her to continue negotiating.

With Eclenna, there’d been more formal meetings, dissecting the language, determining how it would impact hypothetical scenarios. They’d added and taken away various additional clauses. There’d also been more of the relaxed afternoons and evenings in Lyshen (and sometimes Amara’s) company. Kairi knew that those were just as official as the meetings, for all that they were much more enjoyable.

This afternoon was one of those more enjoyable events. Amara had taken Riku and a handful of others out on an excursion outside the palace, to a nature preserve that promised to be absolutely beautiful. Kairi would have been thrilled to go, except that Lyshen asked her to stay behind and have a private late lunch.

They were seated in a small, private room. Windows stretched floor to ceiling along two of the four walls, providing almost as much light as if they’d been outside. Though it was good that they were inside, as the expansive windows also provided a view of thick grey clouds moving across the sky.

Lyshen sliced some fresh fruit, offering half of it to Kairi before delicately cleaning the juice from her hands with a wet cloth.

“I hope you feel things are going well,” Lyshen said. “I certainly do.”

“It’s like you read my mind. I’m glad the feeling is mutual.”

Lyshen also poured Kairi a glass of the sweetened, fruity tea that was served cold on warm days. “I feel it’s been too long since there was an opportunity for a more genuine connection between our countries.”

Kairi returned the favor, pouring a glass for Lyshen. She did not point out that Radiant Garden wasn’t technically her country yet, not in a sense of leadership. Hopefully all of this would guarantee that it was going to be.

“If you don’t mind my asking, why did you choose now?” she asked instead. For as long as she’d been curious about it, she’d never actually asked. “You were the one to make the overture, for which I’m extremely glad. It was also certainly a surprise. So why?”

Lyshen sipped at her tea, and then hummed to herself for a moment. “Do you know why I didn’t reach out before? To King Ansem the Wise, in particular?”

“I heard… well, I was told that you didn’t want to ally with my father because he was unmarried.”

Lyshen snorted. “Typically reductive. Maybe not completely wrong, but it’s not the entire reason, either.”

“What is the entire reason?”

“I hope that you don’t take this as me speaking ill of your father.”

Kairi shook her head.

“But, well, I know that King Ansem the Wise made quite a study of the human heart. In the more… metaphorical sense, not anatomical. It was clearly a subject that fascinated him, and he devoted a great deal of time and energy toward.”

“He did,” Kairi confirmed. Most of her memories of her father were probably of him in his lab coat, always hunting for the next breakthrough about the nature of hearts.

“But his focus was purely academic,” Lyshen said. “A fact he was almost insultingly proud of, to my perspective. I did reach out to him once, were you aware?”

“No.” No one had ever mentioned that, just that Eclenna hadn’t been interested in an alliance while he was king.

“It was when I was younger. Amara and I had just wed, and I was new to the throne. But I had heard about his studies on the heart, and even read one of his treatises on it in a book we’d imported. I was interested in speaking to him about it, so I wrote to him.”

“And what happened?”

“He was startlingly dismissive. At the time, I wanted to know if he’d studied the way hearts connect with each other, because a perspective from outside of Eclenna would have been interesting to know, but the treatise I’d read only concerned hearts in relative isolation.”

She sighed and then continued, “His response was that only in isolation could hearts be understood. That connections between them were just so much white noise, obscuring what was truly important, and that Eclenna’s insistence on connection compromised the necessary objectivity to study them.”

“That sounds…” Kairi wished she could say so unlike him, but that would have been a lie. “Harsh,” she settled on.

“To me, at the time, it was almost horrifying. The idea that a monarch could be so opposed to the idea of connection felt dangerous. It wasn’t that he wasn’t married; it was that he refused to cultivate connections with anyone, and how could someone like that be a fair ruler of his people? It certainly made it clear that he would never be willing to love Eclenna’s people the way we would want an ally to.”

“I can understand why you felt that way. I don’t think he was unable or unwilling to love.” Kairi felt compelled to at least partially defend her father. “But even when it came to me, I think he thought there was an aspect of it that was inconvenient in some way.”

Lyshen’s voice was very careful when she said, “For quite some time, I wondered if his daughter would feel the same way. That connections between hearts were a waste of time, or a distraction, or beneath her as a ruler.”

Kairi tried to match her caution when she answered, “I certainly don’t think that those connections can ever be looked at in a solely academic context.”

“Seeing you and Riku together makes that seem clear. When we heard the announcement that you were engaged, I’d hoped that meant you would at least be more open to something we find so important.”

“Despite the Radiant Garden council not approving.” Kairi quirked a smile. It was a bit ironic.

“Especially,” Lyshen answered, with no trace of levity. “A willingness to seek a connection with someone you love, in the face of opposition? That requires a much stronger connection, and a lot more dedication to it.”

“I suppose that’s true enough.” Kairi sipped at her tea again.

The plan was clearly working: it had given her the chance she’d wanted. And Lyshen’s understanding was completely correct, even. The council’s opposition didn’t matter to her, and would never change her feelings. Yet Lyshen’s understanding was also completely based on deception, and Kairi was starting to hate that more and more.

“Do you ever worry about it? That the council could attempt to keep you from marrying, or anything like that?”

Kairi shrugged. “I suppose it’s frustrating knowing that they might wish they could. They have no actual power to impact my choice; only I can make those decisions. And it’s not like there’s anything they could say or do to make me reconsider. The most they can do is attempt to put it off, but everything will be fine in the end. Ultimately, when they run out of reasons to delay it, they probably won’t have anything to do with the wedding itself, nor will they want to.”

“Is that common? That the council wouldn’t be involved, even in their future ruler’s wedding?”

“If it’s the current council? To be expected. The political and personal are very separate, so while they have opinions about it, it doesn’t really matter to them. If I’ve already been crowned, I’ll have a council of my own, who will probably be more interested and supportive. Though regardless, I’d marry—” Sora “—Riku tomorrow if I could.”

That last bit had meant as a lighthearted joke, so she hadn’t expected Lyshen to take it terribly seriously.

But the queen replied, “Excellent.” She set her glass down with a gentle click. “I think we’re getting very close to finalizing the alliance, don’t you?”

Kairi relaxed back in her seat a bit. “I’ve certainly hoped so.”

“Then I have what I hope will be excellent news for all of us. Eclenna is prepared to approve the signing of the treaty with you as representative of Radiant Garden.”

Kairi’s heart was in her throat—she hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly or apparently unequivocally.

“There will probably be a few more sessions spent making sure the language is precisely what it should be, and ensuring nothing has been left out. And of course we want to give enough notice for there to be a celebration worthy of the event. There are some nobles not in the capital right now who will want to be present.”

Kairi nodded along.

“There was one, well… condition makes it sound a bit extreme. I think it will be something positive, actually.”

“Anything,” Kairi was quick to agree.

“Knowing the council wouldn’t care to be involved in your wedding is something of a relief, since that neatly avoids at least one potential issue of offense.”

Lyshen’s gaze was intense as she continued, “We’d like to host your and Riku’s wedding before the treaty is signed. Ideally as a hybrid of Eclennan and Radiant Garden traditions, we’d like it to be the feature of the celebration leading up to the alliance.”

And it felt like the floor dropped out from under her.

Chapter Text

Sora was listening to Riku’s description of the nature preserve they’d spent the morning at. It sounded beautiful—apparently there were very dramatic waterfalls—but they’d been forced to return early due to an inopportune rainstorm.

Kairi probably wouldn’t be back for another hour or so, since she was having a private lunch with Queen Lyshen. Hopefully that meant that everything was getting closer to an ultimate resolution. It was hard to tell for sure, with how Eclenna balanced their political dealings, but it seemed like it had to be either a very good or a very bad sign to have the two rulers-slash-future-rulers spending time alone. And Sora was going to absolutely believe it was good, because everything so far had been.

The click of the door closing and locking was barely audible over the conversation.

Sora turned toward the sound, already ready to greet his fiancée, back sooner than expected, and tell her that she should hear all about the place Riku had seen.

The words evaporated as soon as he saw the blank look on Kairi’s face. She looked calm, but utterly blank in a way that was far worse than if she’d been in tears.

Suddenly he was afraid that maybe it hadn’t been such a good thing that the queen had invited Kairi to meet in private.

Riku was on his feet less than a half pace behind Sora as they both crossed the room to Kairi.

She didn’t even seem to see them, just heading straight for the loveseat they’d vacated, and collapsing down onto it.

The seat was small for three, but Sora and Riku both squished in to either side of her. Sora wrapped an arm around the small of her back, and Riku wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“What happened?” Riku asked.

Sora was halfway through readying the question—only half-joking—of whether they needed to plan to flee the country, when she let out a shuddering breath.

She leaned forward, elbows on knees. “Eclenna is willing to ally with Radiant Garden, if one more condition is met."

That should have been good news, but something was clearly wrong.

“Okay?” Sora prompted.

Kairi swallowed heavily. “They want to host my wedding before the agreement is signed. My wedding to Riku.”

“And you said no,” Riku said.

Sora frowned. Riku sounded utterly certain, and so brittle that it almost short-circuited Sora’s concern about the bigger issue at hand.

Kairi didn’t reply immediately.

“You didn’t say no,” Sora guessed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t.” That was when the tears started.

Sora pulled her into a tighter hug against him, and she curled into his chest.

Before Riku could do something stupid like pull away, or try to retreat, Sora yanked him into the hug as well. There was a moment of resistance, and then Riku surrendered into it, awkwardly sandwiching Kairi between them as she sobbed.

“I didn’t know what to do!” she forced out in hitching breaths. “I should have said no, or maybe I should have told her the truth, but I didn’t. I can’t even remember what I did say, just something about having to talk to Riku about it. But whatever I said exactly, I think I agreed to it. I don’t know what to do now.”

“You-” Riku started.

Sora poked him in the ribs. He knew what Riku was going to say: that Kairi should have said no, and if he said that, then she was probably going to listen to him, and then she would tell Lyshen no, and then the alliance wouldn’t happen, and… All the horrible things that it would lead to spun out around him. He met Riku’s eyes over Kairi’s shoulder and hoped he understood.

Or could at least wait.

Kairi had never been much of a crier, so it was only another minute or two before her breathing steadied, and her words stopped tangling over each other.

Once the tears had stopped completely, Sora leaned back enough that Kairi had room to look up at him. As soon as she made eye contact, he said, “You did the right thing,” putting every bit of conviction he could behind the words.

Never mind that his chest felt hollow.

His fiancée had just agreed, tacitly, to marry someone else instead.

He wouldn’t say that was devastating, or anything quite so dramatic. If she married anyone else it would be Riku, obviously. Probably should have been him from the start.

But still. It didn’t feel good.

That didn’t change the fact it had been the right choice for her to make. The alliance, and what it would mean for Radiant Garden, to say nothing of what it would mean for her, had to be the priority.

He tried to grin, and it mostly felt real. “We all agreed to commit, right?”

“Sora—” Riku said, already sounding exasperated.

“No, Riku,” Sora interrupted. “We agreed.”

Riku scrambled up from the couch. “Not to this. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“What should we do, then?” Kairi asked.

Sora recognized the tight control her voice was under, though he’d only ever heard it when she was speaking to the council. When she didn’t want them to know how she felt. How upset she was.

“We leave.” Riku started pacing. “We pack up, right now. We fake an emergency back home. Or maybe just don’t say anything; just get across the border as fast as we can.”

“Seriously?” Sora asked. “You think we should—Kairi should—give up on everything?”

“It went too far. It was a bad idea that we never should have tried, and now it went too far.”

“And we’re stuck with it!” Sora snapped. “What do you think is going to happen if we run away?”

Riku stopped pacing, biting his lip so hard Sora was surprised he didn’t see blood.

“Kairi did the right thing,” Sora repeated. He tightened his arm around her. “This is more important than just the three of us. You know that, right? This could be about all of Radiant Garden.”

Riku took a deep, shaky breath.

“I’m sorry,” Kairi said. “I’m the one who put you in this position. Both of you. I’m the heir, the maybe-future queen. It shouldn’t be your responsibility to worry about all of Radiant Garden.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Sora said. “Of course it’s our responsibility. I agreed to that when we decided to get married.”

He winced. Maybe that had been the wrong thing to say at just that moment. He pushed on. “And even ignoring that, Riku and I are your best friends, aren’t we? So of course we worry about the things that matter to you.”

Riku nodded, reaching out to rest his hand on Kairi’s shoulder again. “Sora’s right. It’s not your fault we’ve been pulled into things. We would always have been here to do anything we could to help you.”

She reached up to rest her fingers on Riku’s, holding them tight to her shoulder. Her voice still had that uncomfortably detached tone when she spoke. “But I can’t volunteer you for anything. I can’t make you do something you don’t want to do, and that’s what I did by agreeing to Lyshen’s—Eclenna’s—condition.”

“It’s not… I can’t be the thing that hurts two people I l- I care about,” Riku said. “I can’t be responsible for breaking your engagement to each other.”

Kairi didn’t say anything, but didn’t drop her hand away from Riku’s. She didn’t pull away from Sora, either.

“You aren’t coming between us,” Sora said. Riku seemed practically obsessed with the idea, had been this whole time. Or some fear that he was doing something wrong, something he’d be blamed for.

“Pretty sure me marrying your fiancée in your place would count,” he said stiffly.

Sora took a deep breath and held it. Inanely, he remembered his mother telling him he looked like a pufferfish when he did that, and he breathed out slowly. “I know you aren’t trying to come between us,” he amended. “That’s not what this is.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m trying to, because that’s exactly what it is,” Riku argued.

“Nothing has happened yet.” Kairi’s voice was soft, but it broke through the beginnings of the argument.

“Nothing is going to happen until we all agree,” she continued. “So let’s look at the choices we do have.”

They spent the next half hour with all three of them crammed on the loveseat, trying to dissect the situation from every possible angle. Other than the stakes at hand, the process was a familiar one.

The three of them had spent many late nights and long afternoons holed up together to debate something, or to make a plan. From when they were kids and teenagers dealing with school projects, to the last several years spent helping Kairi to refine arguments she wanted to put before the council.

If it hadn’t been for the fact this could so easily determine the future for the three of them, Sora would almost have found it relaxing.

Even doing their best to be unemotional about the options, no shining, perfect solutions manifested during their examination. Ultimately, whatever choices they had, they boiled down to only three potential paths they could take.

They could come clean with the Eclennans. They could reveal the ruse, explain that Sora was actually Kairi’s fiancé, and that he’d been afraid of the diplomacy aspects. They could hope the Eclennans would be understanding and forgiving. But if they weren’t…

That wouldn’t go terribly well.

Choice two was to keep up the ruse. Riku and Kairi could plan their wedding, hybridizing Eclennan and Radiant Garden traditions. Best case scenario, this would lead to the alliance being formalized. While they would have no small amount of explaining to do back home, it would meet the council’s requirement for Kairi to ascend as queen.

The most dramatic downside, at least on the personal front, was that it would likely be years before Riku and Kairi could end their marriage without it potentially destabilizing—if not dissolving—the alliance. That was if they were ever able to do so. While it was unlikely that the alliance failing would be enough to damage her queenship over Radiant Garden, it would tarnish her Great Work, as well as put Radiant Garden back into a much more precarious political situation. That meant it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Kairi and Riku would have to prepare for the marriage to be permanent.

And Sora would just have to make peace with that. And so would Riku and Kairi.

The last option was to go with Riku’s initial reaction: flee for the border. Either literally, or with a maybe-shoddy excuse about having to immediately return home to Radiant Garden. An illness or a death in one of their families, perhaps. Maybe they could invent some custom that would forbid a wedding before an appropriate mourning period. Of course, that would be piling new lies on top of old, and of a kind that could be too easily disproven if Eclenna really looked into it.

Best case scenario for that solution would be that maybe they could try for an alliance again sometime in the future, without the ruse that had gotten them into trouble. It would be more difficult; they’d have to fight against the perception that Kairi’s “original” engagement had been called off in favor of someone else, and she’d have to get permission from the council again to even pursue a second attempt. And who knew if the council would grant it, much less allow it as the required Great Work on a second try.

The likelihood of that best-case for scenario three felt pretty thin. The council was far from generous toward Kairi, as they knew unfortunately well. And the invitation from Eclenna had been so unprecedented, it seemed like a big assumption to think they’d be open to it again, especially if they had some reason to believe Kairi was somehow fickle.

Sora had to grit his teeth against even the thought that people would believe that of her. Kairi was one of the least fickle people he’d ever met.

Kairi let out a heavy sigh. “So now what?”

“Thr-” Riku started.

“Option two,” Sora said, before Riku could get the word out.

He knew Riku would vote for option three. Maybe there was something to be said for the stubbornness inherent in both of them, that in all the talking, they were still both attached to their first inclinations.

Before Riku could say anything, Sora pushed on. “In order for three to have a good outcome, there’s too much left up to other people. Too much of it depends on the council or on Eclenna.”

“I think Sora is right,” Kairi said. “Number three and number one have that in common: it’s up to other people how it turns out. Two gives us the most control.”

“But requires the longest-term… pretending.” Riku’s voice was choked.

Kairi was leaning forward, elbows on her knees. She turned her focus toward Riku. “Could you do that?”

“Could you?” he countered.

There was less than a second of hesitation before she nodded. “Yes. But not if I have to force you to do something that will keep you miserable.”

Even though he’d already thrown his vote behind the same option, Sora still knew he probably should be upset or hurt that his fiancée was ready to accept a future being married to someone else. But the pang didn’t come.

“I wouldn’t be miserable,” Riku said, looking completely miserable. “Unless you were. Or Sora was. And I can’t imagine that you two wouldn’t be.”

“It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we have,” Sora said. “Knowing that we made the choice that best protects Radiant Garden? That part doesn’t—and won’t—make me miserable.”

Kairi nodded. She reached out and took both Riku’s and Sora’s hands. “I love Sora. I will always love Sora. But I love you too, Riku. You’ve both been my best friends forever, and will be forever. But I also love Radiant Garden. I have to do what’s best for the country I’m hoping to lead. And securing an alliance with Eclenna does that. It’s not like it’s some horrible hardship to think that I’ll be doing that with you by my side.”

Riku looked down and to the side, though he gripped her hand back just as tightly. He didn’t look away quite fast enough to hide the tears.

“But,” she said, “I know that it’s asking for what could be a big sacrifice from you, too. And I won’t bully you into that, all right? If you can’t do it, if it’s too much for me to ask… then we can leave.”

“It’s not too much to ask.” His voice was quiet, but Sora could still hear it. “I meant it when I said we’d be here, doing everything we can to help you. If this is what’s going to help, then of course I’ll do it.”

Kairi hauled her arms around them both and pulled them into what was a terribly bittersweet hug.

“What are the rules?” Riku asked. “Same as they’ve been?”

“If that’s what you want,” Kairi said.

“Displays of affection in public only. Commit to it. No pretending in private,” Riku recited.

“We can do this,” Sora said.

They would have to.

Kairi desperately wanted to call one of the palace staff and claim a headache to get out of dinner for the evening. Unfortunately that would hardly be in keeping with the attitude of an excited future queen who’d just been granted everything she ostensibly hoped for in one tidy package. Not that headaches cared about happiness, but it could still leave a poor impression.

At least this was a much smaller, calmer dinner, rather than a capital-E Event like the ball, or a bigger celebration.

It still passed in a haze. She had accepted the offer when Lyshen made it, though a bit vaguely, before she’d stumbled back to their suite. Now she was able to give a much more coherent and enthusiastic answer.

Riku, of course, played the perfect, charming, supportive, doting fiancé that he’d been playing the whole time. Even Kairi didn’t feel any hesitancy from him, and she knew it had to be there.

Even so, it was still a relief when they were able to return to their rooms at the end of the evening.

Riku hugged her, arms warm and strong. I was the kind of hug that made her feel like things really would be okay. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead and immediately retreated to his smaller room in the suite. She’d hoped that he would stay and talk with her and Sora some more, but she couldn’t fault him for needing time to himself.

He had just agreed to something that could be a sacrifice he’d continue making for the rest of his life.

Sora was already in their bedroom, on top of the covers on his side, paging idly through a book he’d obviously taken from the sitting room. Even before he looked up, she knew he hadn’t really been reading it.

“Hey.” He shot her a crooked smile, then glanced down, like he wasn’t sure what to say.

She didn’t care about changing out of her dress, instead practically flinging herself onto the bed next to him. By the time she’d shifted toward him, his arms were already open to hold her.

She let him pull her into his chest, and just lay there for several moments. He exhaled against her hair, and hugged her tight.

It wasn’t surprising that Sora was the one to break the silence, even if it was only to ask, “Are you okay?”

She replied with a sharp breath of laughter and wrapped her arms around him even more tightly. How, with everything he was doing for her, everything he’d agreed—even volunteered—to give up, because it would help her and Radiant Garden… How could he still be asking if she was all right?

“I love you,” she said instead of answering. “You know that, right?”

“I know.” No hesitation.

“Are you okay?”

She felt him shrug more than saw it. She leaned back to look at his face. He looked… thoughtful, maybe. Usually she’d tease him about that not being a common look for him, but now definitely wasn’t the time.

As usual, he didn’t let the silence last too long. “I know that this is the best choice we have. I told Riku that, and I meant it; knowing that we’re all making the choice that’s best for Radiant Garden is a good feeling. That doesn’t mean I’m completely happy about everything.”

She nodded.

If she hadn’t been leaning against his chest, she might not have heard when he added, “I was going to marry you.”

That was enough to tear the threatening sob out of her chest. She’d been holding it in for too long, ever since she’d stopped crying back in the living room hours ago.

Sora’s arms tightened again fractionally. More loudly he said, “And I still would. But if I can’t, I’m so glad it’s Riku.”

She nodded, burying her face farther against his chest. The wet spot she’d already left on his shirt pressed against her cheek. “I want to marry you. That hasn’t changed.”

“This would be a really elaborate way to try and call the engagement off,” he said. The tone was a little flat, but she appreciated the attempt at lightening the mood.

This time her sob was at least half-mixed with a laugh.

Sora ran his hands up her back to her shoulders, pulling her back just enough so that she would look at him. “I’m not upset,” he said. “I’m sad. I can’t say I’m not. But I love you. I love Riku. That’s not changing. This is the best thing we can do.”

She kissed him. Just a press of her lips to his. It was gentle and sweet, and she hoped he felt every bit of how much she loved him. When they pulled back, just a fraction of an inch, she said against his lips, “When we’re alone, we don’t have to pretend.”

Kairi was clinging to that like a lifeline. Even if it couldn’t be public, even if no one could know that she and Sora were still together, they would know.

She didn’t know how they’d make that work, make that be enough, forever. But they would if they had to. Plenty of monarchs had mistresses or lovers other than their spouse, after a marriage made for something other than love. It wasn’t something she’d go so far as to say was encouraged, or even really accepted… but there was a kind of resigned expectation that such a thing could happen. You could marry for all kinds of reasons, so sometimes you found love elsewhere.

Of course, she did love Riku, so that wasn’t quite the situation for them, but all three of them understood it. If Riku wanted to pursue a relationship someday, she certainly couldn’t begrudge him that. The thought of him doing so hurt, but as soon as the thought occurred, she knew with absolute certainty that he wouldn’t.

Why she was so sure, and what exactly that meant, was something she’d have to unpack later.

Sora kissed her again, and this time it wasn’t quite as soft. Still sweet, but more insistent. She was glad to reciprocate.

His fingers found the fastening of her dress between her shoulder blades, and easily unhooked it, tugging the zipper down her spine to the small of her back.

Dress tossed to the side, she was perfectly happy to spend some time not thinking about everything ahead of her. Ahead of all of them.

Whatever else they had to deal with, she knew she had the best possible people facing it with her. And despite everything, that made her feel like one of the luckiest people in the world.

“You’ll absolutely have access to all of the libraries and the museum if you think it will be helpful. Amara and I would be happy to point you toward some of our favorite sections, if you’d like a place to start,” Lyshen said.

“I’m sure that would be very helpful for both of us,” Kairi said, smiling up at Riku.

He pulled her a little closer, just a squeeze of an arm around her shoulder, before letting go again. The kind of almost-shy affection of a loving partner trying not to be too forward in front of someone else.

He played this role well enough to break her heart again.

“Well, we can head to the library now, if you’d like,” Amara offered. “I remember how long Lyshen and I spent selecting our references; it usually takes a while.”

“We’d love that,” Kairi said.

“Should get started, it sounds like,” Riku added, giving her a look that seemed both indulgent and conspiratorial.

Apparently one of the most important aspects of the Eclennan wedding ceremony—one they would be incorporating—was the finding of “references”. These were stories and quotations and such relating to figures from folklore and history, selected by the soon-to-be-spouses for the emotional resonances they felt with them. They would find inspiration in these figures from the past, connecting them to their relationship now.

It was a sweet custom, and one that Kairi would ordinarily have been extremely enthusiastic about. She was trying to summon that enthusiasm. Or, well, maybe that was a lie. She actually was looking forward to the process, looking for things in Radiant Garden’s history as well as Eclenna’s, heroes out of stories… She knew there would be countless people and loves that reminded her of Riku. Of Sora.

Maybe she thought she should feel less enthusiastic, given the situation. That she shouldn’t be excited about any of this. Finding joy in any part of it felt like a betrayal. Yet at the same time, she had to convince everyone else that she was a happy bride-to-be, so she should seem like she was enjoying it all.

Convince other people that you’re deliriously happy, while making sure you’re actually the appropriate level of miserable, because genuinely enjoying it would be wrong of you.

The library in the palace was certainly extensive, reminding Kairi strongly—and with one of the first real pangs of homesickness she’d had—of the one in Radiant Garden. It had always been one of her favorite rooms, a retreat from the rest of the palace when she needed it.

Amara slid away down one of the aisles, reaching up to pull down heavy-looking volumes that she knew exactly where to find.

Lyshen showed them to a table, set up with more of the magical, glowing lights that provide most of the indoor illumination in the palace.

“How many of these references are we supposed to find?” Riku asked.

A good question. One Kairi should have thought to ask.

“No particular number. Most partners find two or three stories that truly speak to them, and sometimes one they share. Each will be summed up in just a line or two during the ceremony. It might be nicely symbolic if you each found at least one reference from Radiant Garden, and one from Eclenna.”

Kairi nodded along.

“Of course, only if that works for you. If you prefer to stick to figures from Radiant Garden, that would be fine. I know your introduction to our history has been very recent.”

“No, I think that would be nice. To have both, I mean.”

“We’ll work on the timing for things within the ceremony itself,” Lyshen continued. “We want to be sure to blend the most important aspects of the Eclennan ceremony with the Radiant Garden traditions you have. Nothing weighed too heavily to one side or another.”

“Absolutely,” Kairi agreed. “I think I’d mentioned the paopu sharing as a tradition I’d like to incorporate.”

Sharing a paopu fruit was more of a regional tradition than one for Radiant Garden as a whole. But out on the coast it was a beloved part of any marriage ceremony. The fruit that tied anyone who shared it together, ensuring their destinies would remain entwined forever. It was something Kairi had always known she would do. She’d almost shared one with Sora and Riku years and years ago, back when they were barely teens. Would things be different now, if they had? Or was that fanciful thinking at best?

She shook the thoughts off so that she wouldn’t miss what Lyshen was saying.

“We will definitely make sure to get the appropriate fruit for you. That’s not a custom I’d ever heard of, but I have a feeling it might catch on as something of a trend after this! On the Eclennan side, the sharing of references as part of the vows is probably the most important thing. And the Sacred Star.”

“Sacred Star?” Kairi asked. She’d heard plenty of celestial terms mentioned, but couldn’t remember that one in particular.

“An old spell. Mythology holds that the original incarnation was a captive star, brought down to Eclenna by the founders of the nation. Connections between hearts are things that we treat very seriously, as you know. The Sacred Star judges the honesty of the participants in a marriage, ensuring their love is genuine. If the connection between them is not genuine, then the Star will dim. That would be… fairly disastrous, I suppose, since that means the ceremony can’t be completed. But of course that will be no problem for the two of you!”

“Of course,” Kairi laughed.

This could be a problem.

Chapter Text

The bright, warm, cheery sunlight coming through the library window was completely contrary to Kairi’s mood. She was curled up in an extremely comfortable overstuffed chair, in a patch of sunshine, with a stack of leather-bound books detailing Eclennan mythology and history. Viney ornamental plants twined around the windowsill, and the light winked off some of the brightly colored stones inlaid into the window frame. Every part of that should have been a dream come true.

At the very least, a library should have felt like an escape, the way the one in Radiant Garden always had.

Unfortunately—and ironically, for what she was supposed to be doing—her heart just wasn’t in it.

She was here to find her ‘references’ for her impending wedding. But the whole venture was starting to feel doomed. Every time they’d tried to find a way around one potential disaster, they stumbled face-first into a new, worse one. It would be comical if the stakes weren’t so high.

‘Your fake engagement has just been made very, very real, and your not-fake wedding is imminent’ had seemed like it would be a tough one to beat. ‘And you will be magically judged regarding how true your love is’ had managed to do it.

She shut the book in her lap with a snap. It was time to head to her next meeting with the Eclennan officials anyway, to finalize the details of the treaty.

“Of course, this is an agreement of mutual defense,” Lord Escera emphasized, unnecessarily, for at least the fourth time at one of these social meetings. It was like he thought Radiant Garden was just waiting for the instant the agreements were signed so that the could then spontaneously declare war on the rest of the damn world.

“Absolutely,” Kairi agreed, smile tight. She was running out of patience with the repeated comments, and it was harder to reply sweetly every time.

She actually almost missed the horrible council chamber in Radiant Garden. It would still have been infuriating to address the same things over and over, but somehow when the negotiation was posing as social interaction, the snide parts felt even worse.

It felt worse for other reasons, too. At a council meeting, glaring across the table at Braig, she probably could have focused on standing her ground, or arguing a point. With the trappings of a pleasant lunch party, it was harder not to let her mind wander back to the kinds of things she really wished she didn’t have to think about.

Was this all for nothing? All the planning—all the lying, because that’s what it was, no matter how well-intentioned—none of it would matter if the Sacred Star took a magical look at her and Riku and deemed their love untrue. All it would take was one… glance? Touch? Whatever the Star used, to see that Riku didn’t really love her, that she was in love with Sora.

Lord Escera clapped her on the shoulder, in what might have felt like a friendlier gesture if he hadn’t been harping on the same things she’d already agreed to.

Kairi stepped over to the refreshments table and picked up another glass of sweet fruit juice. She spun it in her hands instead of taking a sip.

She smiled politely at Layrde Ourane, who stepped up next to her, grabbing a drink of their own.

“I’m relieved, you know?”

“Me too,” she agreed.

“I’d hoped everything would work out from that first day you arrived. I’m a little amazed that it did, but glad, because this is for the best. And congratulations on the wedding! It’s wonderful that we all get to watch your connection to Riku be formalized.”

“Thank you.” She smiled as they walked away to rejoin a different conversational group, but she felt the expression fade a moment later.

Everyone waiting to see the connection formalized… they were going to be disappointed. Was there some way to trick the Sacred Star? That wasn’t exactly the kind of question she could ask Lyshen or Amara. Or anyone else, for that matter. Would it be enough for her to think about Sora while around the star? Or would that make it worse; should she think solely of Riku instead? If she thought of Sora, to give the impression of true love, then did Riku have someone he loved enough to think of and fool the Star?

She hoped not. She told herself that hope was selfless, solely because that would make it even worse that she was forcing him into this, if it meant she was taking him away from someone he did love, but had just… decided to hide from her and Sora.

Not that she believed he’d hide something—someone—like that from them.

She took a quick sip from her drink, using the sweetness to chase back the bitter taste of jealousy on her tongue. Jealousy and guilt. Because far from that ‘selfless’ reason, there was a small, terrible part of her that hated the idea of Riku leaving her and Sora for someone else. Even hypothetically. What a horrible thing to think. He deserved to be happy.

The next person to step up next to her was Amara, and Kairi tried to rein her thoughts back in. Not that she wanted to seem distracted or rude to anyone here, but especially not to either of the queens.

“You seem lost in thought,” Amara remarked.

Kairi couldn’t quite hide her wince, so she exaggerated it instead. “That obvious?”

“Plenty to think about, I imagine. I think any future bride, to say nothing of a future queen, is entitled to some of that.”

Kairi nodded and hid behind her glass, taking another drink.

“Figured I could at least save you from being cornered by Lord Escera, again.” Amara glanced meaningfully to Kairi’s left, where the lord in question was slowly making his way back around toward her.

“Thank you,” Kairi mouthed, as Amara offered her arm, so the two of them could walk off for a ‘private’ chat. Or as private as any of the conversations at one of these gatherings could be.

“He keeps reminding me that this is a defensive alliance,” Kairi said. “Like he thinks I’m excited and ready to declare war and then duck behind Eclenna.”

Amara rolled her eyes. “He was one of the last holdouts regarding the alliance. But don’t worry about it. Once the treaty is signed and the ceremony is complete, he’ll support it as strongly as everyone else.”

“I hope so.” She licked dry lips.

“So,” Amara said, dragging the syllable out. “Have you found your references yet?”

“Ah… I’m afraid not yet.” She thought of the stacks of books she’d been unable to focus on.

Amara bumped her shoulder into Kairi’s. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll find the right ones. It’s, well, maybe a bit of a superstition, but it’s said that the right ones will find you at the right time. Fate, or destiny, or the Sacred Star itself helps you to recognize the right ones when you see them.”

Kairi’s cheeks grew warm. It was a sweet thought. It reminded her of paopu fruits, entwining destinies forever, no matter what… “I’d love to believe that,” she answered. “I just hope the Sacred Star sees fit to help me out, in that case.”

She tried to brush it off with a laugh, but she could tell it sounded forced. Maybe Amara could too, because she gave Kairi a bit of an odd look.

“I’m sure it will.” Then in what was clearly intended as a reassuring tone, Amara added, “Your connection with Riku is clearly extremely strong and important to both of you. You have nothing to worry about.”

Kairi’s chest felt brittle. “Must just be nerves,” she said weakly, hoping it would be a plausible excuse.

Amara squeezed her arm, and then stepped away. That was how these official social gatherings always went; no one wanted to monopolize conversation with anyone else for too long.

Kairi retreated toward one of the tall windows, looking outside as if taking in the scenery, though she barely registered it.

Amara’s words had of course been the opposite of reassuring. Instead, they’d brought to the surface a thought that Kairi had been trying desperately not to even consider:

What if the Sacred Star didn’t find her connection with Riku lacking? What then?

The wedding would go off as expected, and Radiant Garden and Eclenna would officially be allies. She would be crowned queen. And she would have received tacit, yet soul-deep confirmation that she was in love with someone other than her real fiancé.

She’d always loved Riku, and she’d always known it. But she was rapidly losing the ability to pretend her love for him was markedly different than the love she had for Sora.

It didn’t diminish her love for her ‘real’ fiancé. It was almost the opposite, like those feelings toward each of them were magnified by virtue of the other existing. Just like they’d always been, an inseparable trio.

She had been the one to propose to Sora! And yet, if Lyshen came to her tomorrow to tell her that somehow the alliance now hinged on her marrying Sora instead of Riku, she thought she’d feel the same gnawing regret, the same feeling of leaving someone out who shouldn’t be.

As a small knot of ladies approached, she pasted her smile back on.

But finally considering the thought had opened a door she knew she couldn’t shut again. And there had only ever been two people that she would talk to about things like that.

Sora watched as Riku paced across the sitting room. He paused when he reached the writing desk, staring for a moment at the book sitting there. It was a thick, leather-bound thing. Riku had gotten it from the palace library, he’d said. That had come with some vague explanation about needing to find a ‘reference’ in it.

Kairi had at least been a little more forthcoming: it was one of the Eclennan marriage traditions they would be performing.

And that was a terrible bittersweet thought. That burst of elation thinking about a wedding, followed immediately by the crushing reminder that he wasn’t included. This was for the two people he loved most… but not for him.

Kairi had retreated to the library that morning so she could start finding her own references, before an afternoon filled with more of the social meetings with various lords, ladies, and layrdes. She’d sounded frustrated when she left, sure it was going to be more rehashing of the same terms, laying out how signing the agreements would work once the wedding was complete, things like that. Things she said they’d discussed to death already, yet still seemed to need to perfect further.

Later in the day, Riku would be joining her for yet more talks, though those would be to discuss the wedding itself. They still had to decide what Radiant Garden traditions they would be incorporating alongside the Eclennan ones.

With the power of the Eclennan rulers behind it, it sounded like it was their chance to truly plan their dream wedding. Sora tried to dodge the thought before he could fixate on it. After Kairi had proposed, his dream wedding had just been anything with her. Maybe a paopu, too. And of course Riku would be there.

And now it was just the two of them.

Riku was supposed to be reading the book, doing his part to prepare. Instead he’d been pacing for at least twenty minutes, with no sign of stopping. He stared at the book, then paced back in front of the loveseat, to the door to ‘his’ room, then back. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

“Nervous?” Sora asked.

Riku just let out a heavy breath instead of an answer.

“Because you’re starting to make me nervous, and I’m just sitting here.”

“I can’t imagine what any of us would have to be nervous about,” he snapped.

True enough, but, “And I can’t imagine what being an anxious mess is going to do to fix any of it.”

“Well, it was your anxiety about this whole thing that got us into this situation.”

Sora winced. So did Riku.

Riku sighed, clearly readying an apology. “That wasn’t fair, I know—”

“I’m not blaming you for any of this, you know,” Sora interrupted. Even if Riku hadn’t meant it, it still hurt to hear.

An awkward pause, then: “You should. Blame me.”

Sora rolled his eyes. “That’s not helping, either.”

“I don’t see how you aren’t blaming me for it. I’m the one who agreed to every stupid, misguided step of this whole plan.”

“As you just reminded me, it was my idea in the first place. And I do remember that.”

“I shouldn’t have said that. But you have to blame someone.”

Sora hardly knew what to say to that. “Why? We all agreed; this is the best choice we have, for all of us. Radiant Garden is more important than anything else. Kairi is more important than anything else. Why does that mean I have to blame you?”

“I’m marrying your fiancée!” The words sounded almost painful, the way they tore out of Riku’s throat.

“And if I can’t marry her, of course it should be you!”

Riku physically stumbled back a step.

“You care about Kairi, and you’ll take care of her, no matter what. You understand how important Radiant Garden is to her. To all of us. And you won’t…” Sora’s throat grew tight, and it took him a moment to get the rest of the words out. “You won’t forget about me.”

Because that was really the worst of it. Sora loved Kairi. And he loved Riku. As long as the two of them were okay, he could deal with this, no matter how much it hurt to be the one left out. But he couldn’t bear the idea of the two people most important to him just… forgetting about him.

Riku’s voice was far gentler when he said, “I could never forget about you, Sora.”

Sora swiped at his cheeks, brushing away tears that he was only slightly surprised to find. “So if this is how it has to be, then I’m glad it’s you.”

The gentleness took on a terrible quality when Riku said, “You say you’re okay with it now. What about a month from now? A year from now? A damn decade from now, when the love of your life is still married to someone else, because splitting up would create a diplomatic incident? It would be better not to pretend.” He sounded so matter-of-fact.

It sounded dangerously like Riku was saying he couldn’t do this.

Sora stood up. “So this is you saying you’re backing out? That you’d leave Kairi caught in the middle? It’d really be okay with you if we never reach a real peace with Eclenna, or that Kairi is never made queen?”

Riku’s face flushed slightly. He seemed to start to speak several times, never getting past opening his mouth and shutting it again.

His voice was shaky when he finally said, “You don’t want to be forgotten. I don’t want to be… hated.”

It was Sora’s turn to draw back. He felt like he’d been struck. He wished he’d been struck; it would have hurt less. “You think I’d hate you?”

Riku waved his hand dismissively. “When both of you realize I’m the one in between you, yeah, you will. It won’t matter that we all agreed.” He sounded… calm. Matter-of-fact. Like it was an inevitability.

“Riku. Kairi and I will never, ever hate you.” I love you.

Riku shook his head. “You think that’s true now, but—”

“Do you think you’ll hate me? Or Kairi?” Sora interrupted.

Riku jerked his head back like he was startled. “Of course not. But that’s not the same.”

“Why not?”

“I’m the one in the way.”

Sora could have screamed. He settled for throwing himself back down onto the loveseat, and running his hands through his hair, elbows braced on knees.

A moment later, the cushion settled next to him.

Riku sat on the loveseat next to Sora, but couldn’t quite bring himself to look at him. He fixed his eyes on a particular scroll of the wallpaper. “I’m not backing out. I’ve already promised, okay?”

Aside from being forgotten—and who could forget Sora? It would be like forgetting sunlight—Sora’s main concern had always been that Riku wouldn’t go through with this. So of course he was going to. Even if he knew it was going to hurt, this was all he could do for them right now.

Sora stopped running his hands through his hair long enough to look over at Riku. Then he shook his head. “But you’re doing it even though you think we’ll hate you in the end. What makes you think either of us would hate you? Riku, we love you. You’ve been our friend forever.”

Riku couldn’t suppress his wince at the word ‘love.’ He saw Sora notice the reaction. Another twist of the knife.

There was no ‘just’ about their friendship, like it was something inferior. He would gladly have taken that forever, pushing down the ache and longing for a different kind of love, burying that away underneath whatever they were willing to give him. He would have been happy with that.

But there was no way he was going to be allowed to keep it. Despite what Sora promised, Riku knew that he was destined to end up… if not hated, resented, at best.

“Really, Riku. What have we ever done to make you think we could hate you?”

When he put it that way, like Riku was accusing him of something… “Nothing. It’s not you, it’s—”

How did he even want to finish that sentence? It’s me? It’s the situation? It’s what I deserve for being greedy and wanting more than I should have?

But he had to get that wounded, awful look off of Sora’s face. “Nothing,” he repeated.

“You think we could hate you. That isn’t nothing.”

“Then thank you for telling me I was wrong.” Or that you think I’m wrong. That was something at least.

Sora knocked into him. He didn’t have a lot of momentum, from one cushion of the loveseat to the other, but it was enough to knock Riku back against the arm. Sora clung to him, fingers almost bruisingly tight against his back.

We have to stop meeting like this, Riku wanted to joke, thinking of the last time Sora had pulled him into a hug on the loveseat. He wanted to lighten it up from whatever this was. Even though he was the one to blame for the mood.

“More practice with being close?” he finally said, letting one arm settle over Sora’s back.

The joke fell as flat as he knew it would. Sora’s huff of laughter against his chest felt more like a pity acknowledgement of the attempt than any real humor at the joke.

“Why, do you need more practice?” Sora’s voice sounded as fragile as Riku felt.

“Do I?” he asked inanely. He thought about how he took Sora’s advice, a hand on Kairi’s waist at a formal dinner. “There haven’t been any complaints so far. Apparently I’ve been convincing enough.” Harder not to be.

He remembered that closeness leading so naturally to a kiss. And how much he’d wanted to do it again, even once they were back in the privacy of their own room. You’ve kissed her. So does kissing her mean I’ve kissed you, too? It was a foolish thought that he wished he wasn’t thinking, but now he couldn’t stop.

“Convincing enough that everyone is looking forward to your wedding.”

Riku tensed, but Sora didn’t move. “Yeah,” he agreed, forcing himself to relax again. “Not sure if I can convince the magical star that’s going to look into our hearts, but…”

Sora shrugged. “If it’s just looking for connection, you two are connected.”

Sora wasn’t wrong, but he was pretty sure the Sacred Star was going to look for more than just a connection. What would the Star do with a mismatched connection? Sure, it would probably be able to tell that Riku loved Kairi. But that Kairi didn’t feel the same way? Or that she wasn’t the only one Riku loved? What then?

He had the sudden fear that it would somehow… announce it to the world, like the worst version of a nightmare about having to perform for an audience when unprepared.

Riku settled his hand against the back of Sora’s head, thumb automatically stroking at his hair. Sora had to hear his heartbeat at this point, because Riku could feel it.

It felt strange and selfish to enjoy the contact. He’d been fully prepared to pick a fight just a few minutes ago, but seeing the hurt look on Sora’s face had punched a hole in that. Despite Sora’s certainty, Riku knew this kind of thing would disappear. He wouldn’t have this again.

The whole thing was like something out of a fairy tale, one of the cautionary ones; taking the false promise of what he’d wanted, to marry one of the people he loved, only for it to be a ruse, costing him the friendships he’d most valued.

Or maybe in this tale, he’d cursed himself. He remembered his immediate thought when Kairi had asked him ‘Think you can play my fiancé for a couple weeks?’

‘Forever, if you wanted.’ Be careful what you offer, be careful what you wish for.

Sora curled even closer, somehow, and Riku wondered if he was thinking something along the same lines, a fear or knowledge that this kind of thing was going to disappear. Riku wasn’t selfish enough to deny Sora the opportunity to cling to something, even if he was exactly selfish to let himself do the clinging.

Kairi paused outside the door to the guest rooms. The urge to knock was a silly one, but she was nervous about opening the door.

She’d probably seemed distracted and preoccupied for the rest of the lunch party, and hoped she’d at least kept from coming across as rude. At the conclusion, Lyshen had made a gentle comment about not letting anxiety get to her, assuring her both that all new rulers and new spouses felt the same kinds of nerves. She went on to say that of course the official alliance and the wedding would be wonderful things, and that when Kairi looked back, she’d be unable to remember what she’d even been worried about.

Oh, if only she knew. No matter what the outcome, Kairi would never be able to forget the nerves.

A quick glance up and down the hall revealed that she was completely alone, and she took just a moment to lean her forehead against the smooth, polished wood of the door. She just needed to breathe for a minute. There were so many branching paths this could lead down.

Everything up until now had felt like stumbling from one disaster of their own making to another. Like tripping up a flight of stairs.

This could be just another stumble.

Even if it was, she couldn’t shove her thoughts and feelings about Riku back into the box she’d been trying to hide them in. She loved him, and she knew she loved him, and she wasn’t going to unknow that or stop doing it. She also wasn’t ever going to stop loving Sora.

It was still her choice whether to tell them. Would saying something just make it worse? Would it hurt Sora, to know that she didn’t love him alone? That she’d also love her husband? Would it make Riku want to call it off, unwilling to go through with it unless they were both pretending?

She could just keep it to herself. But… no pretending when we’re alone. She’d agreed to it, one of so few rules. This hadn’t been what they meant, not at all… but every lie they told just made things worse. Lying to them, even by omission, seemed worse than everything else.

Half of her wanted to leave, to put this off. Maybe she could just go back to the library, make herself scarce until dinner. After that, she and Riku were supposed to meet with Lyshen and Amara to work on wedding planning, but she could probably disappear until then…

Before she could second-guess herself any further, she reached for the door handle.

The motion was too forceful, the handle turning so hard it sprang back into pace with a sharp snap, as the door itself swung open.

Both Riku and Sora startled up from the loveseat, looking toward the door.

Kairi was stuck awkwardly standing in the open doorway, scrambling to get the door shut behind her.

“So, uh… hey.” How did you start a conversation like this? “I… think I have something I have to tell you about.”

Within seconds, the two of them had gotten her seated on the loveseat. Sora sat next to her, Riku on the floor near her feet. All three had crammed onto the seat before, but it was a tight fit.

Both of them looked at her, serious and quiet, just waiting for her to speak. That didn’t help her figure out where to start.

“I don’t want to call any of this off, first of all,” she said. That seemed like one of the most important things to be clear about. “I know that what we’re doing is still the best option we have.”

Sora and Riku shared a look.

“And I know this is maybe kind of silly of me, because this whole thing has been based on a lie. But I don’t want to lie to you.”

“Okay,” Sora prompted, after she fell into silence for just a bit too long.

“But if what I say does mean that either of you aren’t willing to go through with our plan, then… I’ll understand. I don’t want the plan called off, but that’s also why I have to tell you. If I don’t, then it could be making you go through with it when you otherwise wouldn’t.”

“We all agreed already,” said Riku, prompting another look from Sora. “And I think you’re stalling.”

Of course she was. And she couldn’t quite stop herself from doing so just a little more. “What were our three rules?”

Riku glanced down. “Displays of affection with y—between us in public only.”

“No pretending in private,” Sora added. “And keep it convincing.”

She nodded, the pause stretching too long again. “So… I think I need to say… I think I messed up. I wasn’t trying to, but… I haven’t been pretending in public the way I thought I would be.”

She bit down on the inside of her lip, using that sting to try and ward of the sting of tears. She wasn’t saying this nearly as well as she’d hoped. Maybe she should have retreated to the library after all, just so she could have planned what to say.

“I don’t think I understand,” Riku said.

Sora also looked confused. “It sounds like everything between you and Riku has been good. It’s certainly convinced Eclenna that they want to host your wedding, so how bad could it have been?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that it hasn’t been convincing enough. I think we aced that rule pretty well.” She thought of the kiss on the dance floor, Riku’s hand on her waist to guide her through a room, his hand brushing her wrist… he’d definitely mastered acting the part. And her responses hadn’t been acting at all. “It’s the pretending part I failed at.”

She blinked rapidly, trying again to chase away the threat of tears.

“Sora, I love you, so much. Okay? Please do not think that has ever been anything other than genuine. I asked you to marry me, and even with—especially with—everything that’s happened here, I want to spend my life with you.”

He reached down and laced his fingers with hers, forcing her to relax one of the fists she’d clenched against the cushion. “I love you too, Kairi.”

“And Riku, I know we kept to the first rule, too. But… I haven’t always wanted to. The issue with pretending… I know it was supposed to be no pretending in private, but I haven’t been faking it in public either. Riku, I love you. I hope you already knew that I loved you. But I love you like I love Sora,”—she squeezed his hand—“and I don’t want to lie to either of you about that.”

Riku didn’t say anything.

“And if knowing that I love you means you can’t go through with the wedding, I’ll understand. I’d never try to make you feel a certain way, and if the fact that I feel differently about you than you feel about me is too much, we’ll figure something out—” The words got faster as she went, anxious to try and explain in the face of Riku’s silence, until he cut her off.

“It’s not different.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “What?” she asked. It was hard to believe she’d heard him correctly.

“It’s not different.” This time was even more mumbled, and he refused to look directly at her. His cheeks were red.

“You love me and you love Riku?” Sora said. It didn’t really sound like much of a question.

She nodded. “I do. And I don’t love you less because of it. And I hope you believe me—”

Then he cut her off, because he was hugging her, half-crushing her against him.

She returned the hug. “Please believe me. I love you both.”

Sora pulled back, but not really away. He looked at Riku, who was still sitting like he was frozen in place, staring down at the rug below him.

Sora bit his lip, before seeming to push himself to speak. “I’ve always loved both of you.” Then, like the confession made him self-conscious: “So I… I understand.”

Maybe it wasn’t fair, but after that from Sora, Kairi looked at Riku. Sora was staring at him again too, looking increasingly nervous the longer Riku didn’t say anything.

Finally, Riku let out a shuddering breath. He’d curled his knees up close, arms folded over them, face buried. “If either one of you is, I don’t know, going to laugh and say you were just joking…”

Kairi slid off the seat, landing on her knees in front of Riku. Tentatively, she reached out to touch his leg. “I’m not joking. And I’m sorry, I know it’s not fair to just throw this at you on top of everything else.”

Sora slid down next to her, resting his back against the leg of the loveseat. He poked at Riku’s thigh with his toe. “I wasn’t joking. I wouldn’t about that.”

“I wasn’t either,” Riku finally said, voice slightly muffled by his arm. “I said the feelings weren’t different from me. And they aren’t. Both of you. I know I shouldn’t feel that way, but…”

“So all three of us feel the same way, and just… haven’t been saying it?” Sora asked.

Kairi groaned and knocked her head against the cushioned seat. “Now I just feel silly, agonizing over it.”

That wasn’t completely true. She wasn’t sure how she felt. Elated, mostly, with the relief of having told them, and not having been outright rejected for it. It didn’t fix everything, but it felt like a start.

Riku was at least looking at the both of them now, though his head was still down. “You both really mean it?”

“Of course I do,” she confirmed.

Sora poked Riku with his foot again. “No take-backs.”

“And you?” she asked. “Did you mean it?”

He hadn’t actually said it, exactly.

“Stars, yes.” The words sounded almost desperate. “I don’t know if I remember a time I didn’t love the both of you.”

Kairi reached forward and grabbed Riku by the elbow, hauling him close enough to hug. He didn’t resist, instead collapsing almost limply against her. It took another minute before he got an arm up to hug her back, but when he did, it felt like he was never planning to let go.

Kairi held out her free arm toward Sora, and he slid easily up against her side. Riku shifted enough to cling to him too.

It was a few minutes before it started to feel silly, having all of them in a very inelegant embrace on the floor. And yet it still didn’t feel silly at all.

Sora turned his head to kiss her cheek, and then to press a kiss against Riku’s temple.

Riku let out another shuddering breath and somehow pulled both of them in even tighter. Kairi ran her fingers through his hair, pressing a kiss of her own to the top of his head.

Then Riku laughed. It sounded fragile, but genuine. “I guess you’re right. It is pretty funny that all three of us were quietly worrying about the same thing, just keeping it to ourselves. Resigned to it.”

“Guess all three of us really are meant to be,” Sora said.

That startled a stronger bark of laughter out of Riku.

“Well, now that we’re no longer suffering stoically in silence”—Kairi made a face—“can we move somewhere better than the floor? It’s thick carpet, but I’m sure there are more comfortable places to sit.”

Riku pulled away almost reluctantly. Even having been the one who’d asked, Kairi understood. It felt like it would break some spell, or crash them back to a reality where none of this was true.

Reality was waiting, but this had changed things. There was no spell to be broken.

The loveseat would barely fit all three of them, so instead they went to the bedroom. Sora was the first to throw himself onto the bed, sprawling back on the pillows. Riku sat much more gingerly at the edge of the mattress.

Sora sat up a little higher. “Does this mean I get to kiss you now?” he asked.

Riku somehow looked surprised, but he nodded. Sora looked delighted, and reached over to pull Riku close enough to do so. It was a gentle, slow kiss, and Riku didn’t completely lose his look of shock, even as he settled a hand at Sora’s neck and kissed him back.

Kairi knelt closer to the middle of the bed. There was no twinge of jealousy; the opposite, really. She hadn’t really expected there to be, once Sora and Riku had made their own confessions. Her thoughts had always been about how she wanted all three of them to stay together, how she couldn’t picture a future with only two of them, and nothing about that had changed.

She leaned forward to hug Riku from behind. He seemed like the one in the need of the most reassurance about everything. She probably should have expected that. She and Sora had had plenty of time to grow secure in their relationship, even if both of them had secretly been pining for Riku, too. Really, it sounded like Kairi had been the last to realize it, even though she’d been trying to keep herself from admitting it for far too long.

Riku leaned back against her, opening her up for a chance to kiss him too.

It wasn’t their first kiss, but it was their first kiss where they both got to be honest about the feelings behind it, and that made it feel new. They broke it off before too long, and Sora dove in for his own quick peck with her after.

She lost track of time for a bit, her focus all on the three of them. A hand running through her hair, the nip of teeth at her lip. Shoulders and hips and hands under hers.

Kairi wished they could spend a leisurely afternoon not caring about anything else. Unfortunately, there was still a schedule they were expected to keep, and there were only a few hours left before Kairi and Riku were supposed to meet Lyshen or Amara for a wedding planning session. And before any of that, she had to ask.

“I really hate to ruin the moment,” she said. Looking at both Riku and Sora, comfortable on the bed, relaxed in a way it felt like none of them had been in weeks, that regret was very strong. It would be so easy just to lean back in, do everything she wanted to… She shook her head. “I really hate to. But I have to ask… does this change anything? Does everything go forward the same way now?”

It seemed almost unfathomable that something this big for all three of them wouldn’t affect anything else. That it wouldn’t change anything for anyone else. But how could it?

Riku looked at Sora. “I think so. Doesn’t it? I know this… changes things. But not what we have to do, right? We still don’t want to risk the treaty.”

Sora nodded. “Just an amendment to the rules, right? We can get rid of the ‘affection in public only’ rule, with a little more emphasis on the ‘no pretending in private’ one.”

“Why does it feel like it’s going to be harder?” Kairi groaned. “I want this to have changed something, and I hate that no one else is going to know.”

“We know. I’m just glad about that.” Sora practically launched himself up to tackle both of them into a hug.

Kairi giggled as he pushed the two of them down into the soft mattress. It was definitely a more comfortable place to pile together than the floor by the loveseat.

None of them seemed at all inclined to move, even though they couldn’t stay there forever. As tempting as it was.

This time Riku broke the silence. “Are we still meeting with the queens this evening? We’re supposed to, right?

“We are,” she confirmed. “Did you find any references?”

“I don’t think he even opened the book,” Sora said.

“You snitch.” Riku poked Sora in the ribs, and Sora laughed.

“Guess Lyshen and Amara will be disappointed in both of us, then.” Kairi stuck out her tongue. “I went to the library, but I just couldn’t focus. Maybe there’s enough time for us to look for something now. We have a couple hours, right?”

After a moment, sounding shy, Sora asked, “Can I help?”

Kairi half sat up to look at him. “You want to?”

He shifted his shoulders in what could pass for a shrug. “Yes? I know that it’s you and Riku getting married. But, well, I like the idea of helping with it. Being a part of it, even if I can’t be a part of it. And I love both of you, so I bet I can help find things that remind me of you.”

“That would be nice, actually,” Riku said.

Kairi kissed Sora on the cheek. “Let me go grab a couple of the books from the library, and then we can start looking.”

The pile of books Kairi had taken out of the library was a little bit daunting. Sora eyed them slightly skeptically—there was no way they could get through all of them in just a few hours, even with all of them skimming different volumes.

Of course, they still had plenty of time before the wedding; they were just supposed to have some ideas today.

The ‘reference’ tradition was a sweet one, and Sora didn’t think he’d have much trouble finding heroic figures that reminded him of Riku and Kairi. Not you, though. The thought stung, but was also bittersweet. This was just for the two of them, but at least he got to be included.

They were still in the bedroom, Sora leaning against the headboard, Riku cross-legged on the foot of the bed, and Kairi sprawled on her stomach.

It gave him a brief flashback to days and evenings spent in much the same positions, studying and working on homework. Later, helping Kairi pore over history books, or tedious treaties, making sure she was prepared to go up in front of the council with something.

Not so different, then.

He turned back to the book he was supposed to be reading. There were several more in a pile next to him for when he finished the first one.

A History of Eclennan Folklore: Selected Tales and Figures was heavy, the leather of the cover gently worn at the edges.

There wasn’t going to be time for a cover-to-cover read right now, so he flipped to a random section and started to skim.

“There’s one in here about an unlikely alliance,” Kairi said, not looking up from her page. “Two people on opposite sides of a long-standing struggle. Their connection to each other led to them caring more for the world as a whole than for their own sides of the war.”

“I remember that story from the museum,” Riku said. “I think they were credited as the founders of Eclenna itself?”

Kairi skimmed a few more pages and then nodded confirmation.

“We aren’t exactly on opposite sides of a cosmic conflict. But I can see how it’s shaped Eclennan sensibilities. What was it that Lyshen said? ‘Finding a person you love so much…’”

“‘…That you’d do anything to make the world better for them,’” Kairi finished. She looked up and glanced between the both of them, before looking back down at the page, flustered.

Sora could certainly believe that as a definition of love. He skimmed past a couple stories that didn’t really feature connections in the way he was looking for.

There was a myth about a man following his lover into the afterlife, planning to barter for her soul to bring her back to the world of the living. While Sora felt like he’d gladly do the same for either Riku or Kairi, he hoped it would work out better if he had to. The tragic ending definitely disqualified it as wedding reference material.

Riku cleared his throat. “There’s one in here about two people who had to keep their relationship secret for years. They worked together, lived together, but never told anyone about what exactly they meant to each other. The woman died, and then came back from the dead… to prove she really was who she said she was, that she remembered her previous life, she confessed her love to him. It was the only thing that had been a secret only they knew.”

“That actually sounds very romantic in a way. As much as having a lover die but come back can be, I suppose,” Kairi said.

Better than the come-back-to-life attempt Sora had read about. “At least you aren’t keeping it a secret anymore!” he said.

“I… it actually made me think of you.” Riku half-hid behind the book. “How even if we can’t tell anyone, it’s still real. Even if it’s a secret only the three of us can know.”

“I think all three of us should find references,” Kairi announced. “Even if some of them are just between us. It just seems right.”

Both of them saying that… it was like being wrapped in a blanket, or pulled into a hug, all but erasing that pang of sadness about being left on the outside. “I’d like that.”

He turned back to his book, even more determined to find something for the both of them. He flipped forward to a random page and resumed skimming.

Lord S., having been lost for so long, made to believe that all others he loved were dead, was finally brought home. Even then, knowing what he had done, he could not bring himself to believe that he was deserving of compassion or love.

Lord P., having been his dearest friend, the one he’d loved for so long, would not leave him in doubt.

Lord S. had been the one to facilitate the marriage between Lord P. and his Queen D., a love that could have been lost without Lord S.’s intervention. And even in that great love, Lord P. had never forgotten his love of S., nor had D. forgotten her gratitude for him.

The couple came forward: proposing that as S. was no longer bound to the ones who had cruelly enchanted him, that he had divorced himself from the false love that cared only to control and possess him, that now he should marry them, and find peace within their Kingdom. Safely away from all that he had suffered, he could again become himself as he was meant to be, safe and happy with those who loved him, not what they could force him to do.

The three were so bound, the connections between them finally enough to drive away the past darkness.

Sora reread the passage several more times, but the words didn’t change. “Uh… guys. Can I read you one of these?”

Kairi pushed herself more upright, able to tell from his tone that it was serious. “Of course.”

Riku nodded, marking his spot with a finger, but closing the book so he could give his full attention to Sora.

Sora read the whole section to them, and the words didn’t change when spoken aloud, either.

“Is that… really a story that ends with a couple proposing to their friend?” Riku’s words were careful, like the meaning was something fragile that he was in danger of breaking.

Sora nodded, almost too emphatically. “Ends with the marriage to their friend. A friend they’d already loved. That’s exactly what it sounds like. I mean, isn’t it? That’s not just me reading too much into it, right?”

“All three were so bound?” Kairi repeated. “that sounds like that’s exactly what it’s saying. And this is an Eclennan story?”

Sra held up the book, showing her the cover. “Eclennan folklore. Reading the bits around it, it sounds like all of these people were really important, too. I mean, one of them was a Queen, though it sounds like it was just of one small part of Eclenna, not the whole thing.”

Kairi bit at her lower lip. After a pause she said, “I know that we all just agreed that nothing had changed. That we were moving forward with the plan as we’d already intended. But… maybe the plan can change. Or should.”

“Do you think it can?” Riku asked. “Without risking the treaty?”

“If it can, if Eclenna believes that three people can marry, and that it wouldn’t be some sort of betrayal of what we’re here for… is that what both of you want?” Kairi asked.

“Yes. So much,” Riku answered, no hesitation.

“Is this you proposing a second time?” Sora asked, trying to make it a joke, even though it was anything but. “Because you know I’ll say yes again.”

Her eyes were a little wide, a mix of hope and anxiety. “Then I think I need to talk to Lyshen.”

Chapter Text

Kairi’s nerves were jumping under her skin. The meeting with Lyshen and Amara had already been planned, so at least she hadn’t had to request they make time to see her. That would have felt far too much like a ‘we need to talk’ situation, making it clear there was something wrong.

But it wasn’t that there was something wrong. Or at least she desperately hoped not. Trying to fix something wrong, more like.

Riku wasn’t with her. Originally he was going to be, since this was supposed to be about planning the ceremony, but Kairi wanted to do this bit alone. As much as she would have loved some moral support, she needed to take responsibility for things up until now.

The meeting was set to happen in one of the many quiet sitting rooms scattered throughout the palace. Kairi remembered this one; the floor set as a striking mosaic of interlocking star maps. Soft voices came from inside. She was sure it was the two queens, though she couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. She faced the door, getting her composure.

The wood was dark and polished, inlaid with smooth, deep blue stones. Lapis maybe. The door was cracked open, and Kairi knew that she was welcome to enter without knocking.

She still did, a gentle rap of her knuckles, before she pushed the door open enough to enter the room.

Lyshen and Amara were seated in a pair of soft, overstuffed chairs right next to each other, knees just barely touching. Two empty chairs sat across from them, similarly close.

They both looked up and smiled as Kairi came in, though when she pulled the door partially closed behind her, she could see a hint of polite confusion.

“Good afternoon, beloved princess. Where is your fiancé? Is he well?” Amara asked.

“He is, thank you beloved queens. I had wanted an opportunity to speak to you about something. It does relate to the wedding, but, well, I’d wanted to ask alone, if I may.”

Lyshen glanced over at Amara, and the pair seemed to reach an easy, wordless agreement.

Both women stood up, Lyshen taking Amara’s hand and brushing a quick kiss over her knuckles.

“I would be happy to speak alone with you,” she said.

Amara smoothed her skirts and gave a polite incline of her head. “I’ll give you some privacy. I hope all is well, and we’ll speak again soon.”

Kairi started to raise a hand to object. She hadn’t meant that she wanted one of them to leave.

As Amara walked past, she reached out a hand and briefly squeezed Kairi’s arm. A supportive gesture, like she was wishing her luck. Lacking either Riku or Sora at her back, Kairi appreciated it.

“While I hope it’s nothing bad, it does sound like this might be something serious,” Lyshen said, as Amara left the room. “Would you perhaps prefer to speak in one of the gardens? It’s a pleasant afternoon. Sometimes a walk can make a serious conversation easier than sitting and staring at each other.”

“That… sounds very nice, actually.”

The walk to the gardens was quiet. Lyshen led the way, a half pace ahead. Kairi knew some of the ways to get outside, but certainly didn’t know the layout of the palace as well as the queen did. As she’d guessed, Lyshen led her out a smaller passage, much more direct than the bigger doors between the gardens and the hall where their rooms were.

The smaller door let them out behind a lattice completely covered in climbing vines. Kairi glanced back as they stepped around it; she wouldn’t have ever guessed there was a doorway behind it.

Lyshen slowed slightly, losing even her half pace lead, until she was letting Kairi choose their direction. Kairi couldn’t even formulate a thought on whether that was some obscure violation of protocol or something she should have expected.

The silence was companionable for a little while, as Kairi led them down one of the winding paths, through the first garden and through a stone arch into a second. A stream of water fell delicately through and over several terraced rock beds, providing a low, peaceful background music. Kairi tried to let it relax her.

The gravel path gave way to a curved wooden bridge that arched up over the stream. Lyshen didn’t push her to speak, but paused at the top of the bridge, resting her arms on the railing.

Kairi stopped next to her, facing the waterfall, watching the water. It was beautiful, but she was barely resisting the urge to fidget.

“Would it be too much to ask you if you’ve had any luck finding your references?” Lyshen asked, keeping her attention on the stream.

That was as good a place as any to start, and Kairi was grateful she’d broken the silence.

“Actually, yes. We’ve been looking through several of the books you recommended. About that… There was one particular story that I wanted to ask you about.”

Lyshen looked over to her with an open, pleasant expression. “Of course.”

“It was a story about a lord who had been through some sort of tragedy in his past. He’d been in a marriage that turned out to be untrue. He’d made other mistakes, done the wrong things when he thought they were his only choices. But at the end, when he was finally able to come back to himself, with a chance to become a better person again, he struggled to believe he deserved to be happy. One of the people he thought he’d lost was his best friend, a man he’d secretly been in love with, even as he helped his friend to get married to someone else. But his friend loved him too. In the end, the best friend and the best friend’s wife both ask to marry the lord, and take him with them to their kingdom.”

“Ah,” Lyshen sighed. “I’ve always loved that story. I think it’s ultimately a very kind story. I hope that most people eventually find someone who loves them like that. That even when they struggle with themselves, they have someone who wants the best for them.”

“The story really went that way, though? The lord married his best friend and his wife?”

Lyshen cocked her head to the side. “Of course. It was the chance to offer Lord S. the kind of love he’d been long denied. It was not that new love that redeemed him; he’d done that himself. He and his best friend had loved each other for a very long time, which did not change how the already married couple felt for each other. They just finally had the opportunity not to deny their connections to each other.”

“I suppose… Well, I know in Radiant Garden something like that would be seen as at least slightly suspect. Marriages are intended for two only. I feel like most people wouldn’t believe that someone could love two spouses that much, and that trying would simply mean they didn’t love either of them enough.”

“I think the story itself disproves that. Lord S. had been married before, to a woman who did not love him genuinely. Would that truly be a more ‘correct’ relationship than one with two people who did love him?”

“No. But some people might think so. Or that both relationships would be flawed.”

“I hope you do not take offense, because I don’t mean any. But that sounds very unfortunate. It strikes me as a very sad thing, that there may be people who love each other and are held back from doing so.”

Kairi took a deep breath. “So relationships like that, between more than just two partners, are acceptable here?”

Lyshen gave her an unreadable look out of the corner of her eye. “Acceptable. Normal. Even encouraged. The important thing in a marriage is the connection between the participants. Not the number of people, or even the kind of connection they share. Loving two people, or three, or more, is only a testament to how strong a heart someone must have, to connect so deeply with others. The connection doesn’t even have to be romantic, for all that it often is. Some of the strongest connections ever seen have been between those who loved each other platonically, but still chose each other above all others.

“I hope that knowing that does not make you feel differently toward Eclenna.”

Kairi shook her head. “Certainly not in a negative way. I think that perhaps I’d… made some assumptions based on the narrower view that I was familiar with. But I don’t think that the narrow view is the correct one.”

Admitting such a thing could be politically dangerous, she supposed. Taking the ‘side’ of another country, rather than her own. But it was honest.

“Did one story have such an impact on you?”

Maybe it was the repeat impulse to delay something that felt inevitable, but instead of answering she said, “Amara told me something earlier. She said that there’s a superstition about how prospective spouses find references. That sometimes the right ones just come to you, somehow drawn by the connections between you. Do you believe that?”

Lyshen’s face lit up with a smile. “I know Amara does. I would say it certainly feels that way, when the right story sticks out to you. It feels very meant to be.”

Kairi bit the inside of her lip until it hurt. She fixed her eyes on the tumbling water, though she couldn’t even pretend it was soothing her nerves anymore. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

“All right.”

“Riku was not my original fiancé. Sora was.”

“Your friend who accompanied you here?”

Kairi nodded. “There were… maybe a lot of foolish reasons behind why we portrayed things the way we did. But the truth is that all three of us love each other. Something I think we were all afraid of. Or afraid to admit. Like I said, it would be something considered suspect at best, back in Radiant Garden. Akin to some sort of assumed betrayal.

“So there’s definitely a part of me that believes Amara’s superstition: it felt like finding that story was a sign of something, or like it really was meant to be.”

She tightened her grip on the railing. “I understand that we’ve been dishonest. If this changes things so drastically that you can’t go through with the planned alliance, I’m prepared for that, and I will take the blame for it. But after finding that story… it doesn’t feel right to keep pretending. To lie to you, and to all of Eclenna. It wouldn’t be fair to Riku and Sora either.”

“Or to you?”

“Or to me,” she repeated. That felt small and selfish, the least of the concerns.

Lyshen was quiet for what felt like a very long time. Kairi had to force herself to stay still. Whatever Lyshen said, she would have to deal with it, and she would.

She was half ready to be immediately thrown out of the country by the time Lyshen finally spoke.

“I am disappointed and saddened that you did portray yourselves falsely when you arrived. But I also stand by what I said earlier: I think it is very unfortunate that there could be people who love each other but are held back from doing so. It sounds like that may have been the case for you.”

Kairi’s heart was pounding so hard she thought it might choke her. “It was. That doesn’t make it right that we lied to you. Or to each other, for that matter. I realize an apology doesn’t undo the lie.”

“Nothing can. But ending a lie can be better than carrying it forward, regardless of how long you’ve been tangled in it.”

It did feel like a relief. At least in part. Even if everything went bad from here—they were asked to leave Eclenna, true peace again taken off the table, having to go back and face maybe never being queen, defending her and Riku and Sora to the council—even then, having told someone would be a relief.

“Of course, the marriage as planned between you and Riku can’t go forward.”

Kairi winced, “I- I understand. If you would like us to leave—”

Lyshen cut her off. “The marriage as planned,” she said gently. “I will speak to the ladies, layrdes, and lords. I believe I can advocate for why your situation was a unique one, and for why the alliance itself should move forward, despite the… facts that were withheld.”

Her voice took on a harder edge when she said, “However, the idea of going forward with an incomplete marriage, when there is no reason for it to remain incomplete, would not be an acceptable one. To refer back to the reference you mentioned, the initial marriage happened when the third partner was not ready or available. It was only later in his life that he could join them. But you tell me that you, Riku, and Sora all love each other; unless there is something else that you’ve left aside, there doesn’t seem to be any reason that all three of you shouldn’t be married.”

Kairi thought the sudden elation should leave her floating above the ground. “No reason outside of the norms of Radiant Garden.”

“All three of you are going to have to be present for some social events, and this may ignite another round of rehashing terms. I don’t think anything will truly change except the ceremony itself.”

“I… barely know what to say. Of course we’ll be available for whatever events you need us for.”

“Excellent. As I said, I will make the case for you, at least to start. Though there will probably be plenty of people still curious about your reasons.”

“Your willingness to advocate on our behalf is extremely appreciated.” That sounded stiff, so she added, “I genuinely didn’t even dare hope for that.”

“I want this alliance to work. I’m not delighted about the deception, but I invited you here on the gamble that you might have the strength of heart I would hope to see leading a nation Eclenna was allied with. Instead of the strength of heart required for a connection with one person, you’ve revealed that you’re deeply connected to two. If that doesn’t confirm what I’d hoped to see, what would?”

Finally, the tears came. “Thank you, beloved queen.”

Lyshen reached for her hand, gently pulling her close enough that Lyshen could put an arm over her shoulders in a brief sideways hug. Between her and her wife, Lyshen definitely seemed to be the less physically affectionate. Knowing that, it felt all the more comforting.

Kairi took in a shuddering breath, and wiped her damp cheeks.

“I will meet with everyone tonight, after the evening meal. If you think that all three of you can manage one more relatively informal dinner with the court before everyone is aware of the… different circumstances, at least. Then tomorrow we can resume any new negotiations, as well as the plans for the ceremony itself.”

“That sounds excellent. Thank you.”

This time, returning to their rooms felt completely different. None of the anxiety making her want to retreat, all of it replaced with elation. As much as she’d hoped for a positive outcome when she went to Lyshen, she hadn’t expected things to go like this.

She knocked, but didn’t wait before entering the room, letting the door shut behind her.

Riku and Sora were already most of the way to their feet by the time she came in.

“Are we running for our lives? Making a break for the border?” Sora’s tone said it was a joke, but his slightly too-wide eyes spoke to the fairly real concern underneath.

“I think all three of us are going to be expected at a not-too-formal dinner tonight.”

“A dinner? All three of us?” Riku asked.

She nodded.

“So… not being unceremoniously dumped back on Radiant Garden soil, with the peace treaty shredded behind us?”

“Nope. Not yet, anyway.”

“What did happen?” Sora asked.

Apparently he had either made peace with his inclusion at dinner or hadn’t really thought about it yet.

“I asked Lyshen about the reference you found. She recognized the story, and told me she’s always liked that one. When I asked, she told me that Eclenna cares more for the strength of connection than the specifics of it. More than two people, more than three, romantic, platonic… it’s the strength that matters and is prized.”

She took a deep breath. “So I told Lyshen the truth. I didn’t go into every single detail for why we did what we did, but I did tell her the truth. That we all love each other, and had no idea that such a thing was acceptable here. That it’s not something that would pass without judgment in Radiant Garden.”

“How did she react?”

“Better than I thought. Not happy that we lied, but understanding. She wants all three of us to attend dinner tonight, though not to reveal anything new about our relationship. She said she’s willing to go to the lords, ladies, and layrdes on our behalf, to see if things can move forward just as they have been. Only now it will be with the three of us.”

“Really?” The hope and tempered excitement in Sora’s voice was almost painful.

“Really.” She smiled. “A marriage isn’t confined to two, here. And as she put it, if only two of us were to get married now, after we’ve admitted to mutual feelings all around, that would be what they’d consider more unacceptable. That if all three of us love each other and want to be together, it would be worse to deny it.”

Both Riku and Sora looked a little dumbstruck. She couldn’t blame them; she felt about the same.

“So I’d like to make it official.” She stood up a little straighter, squaring her shoulders and facing both of them. “Riku, Sora… will you marry me? And each other? For real, and completely honestly, without any ulterior intentions or portrayals or anything?”

“Now you really are proposing again,” Sora said. “Is this number two or three? But you know I’ll say yes. However many times you ask, always yes.”

She looked at Riku. He had tears in his eyes, but didn’t say anything. Instead he just nodded, so emphatically it looked like he might give himself whiplash.

She reached out both hands toward them,

Sora collided with her first, completely overshooting her outstretched arm, and pulling her into a crushing hug. Riku was right behind him, though a little more sedate when he reached out, until Sora yanked him into the hug.

“You were nodding for both of us, right?” Sora asked. “Do I need to propose, too?”

“Don’t be a jerk,” Riku laughed, jostling at his shoulder. “Like I’d let you beat me to it, anyway: Sora, will you marry me?”

“Of course I will. I won’t even make you ask three times, like Kairi did.” The teasing note almost completely left his voice as he added, “But always yes.”

“And you, Kairi?”

“Also yes. Also always.” She leaned forward to peck him quickly on the lips, and then turned to Sora and kissed him too.

“And you’re both marrying me, too?” Sora asked.

“What kind of proposal is that?” Riku teased. “Yes, we are.”

“Yes again,” she confirmed.

Objectively, it was silly, standing in a clump in the middle of a borrowed living room, all three proposing and confirming their acceptances. But it didn’t feel silly at all.

This was the first dinner that Sora had been required to attend since the welcome dinner the first night they’d arrived, but he realized it wasn’t going to be the last.

This was what he’d been so desperate to avoid. Somehow it didn’t seem quite so impossible to deal with now. For the moment at least he wasn’t the center of attention, though that was subject to change, once the new status between the three of them was public knowledge. Tonight he only garnered a couple of questioning looks, probably because it was a surprise to see him there.

Riku reached down and very quickly gave his arm a squeeze under the table. Sora flashed him a smile. Just because this didn’t feel impossible anymore didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous, and he appreciated the gesture.

He could make it through this, and through however many more social events he had to; it would be worth it.

Lyshen had been completely correct when she said the new revelation might set off even more rehashing of the terms of the treaty.

It did, every new discussion tied in with remarks that—while politely phrased—boiled down to “You aren’t hiding anything else, right?”

Kairi did her best to put those concerns to rest, but she could probably credit most of the success at doing so to Riku and Sora. To her fiancés: even thinking the word made her feel giddy.

All three of them attended a rapid-fire stream of morning, afternoon, and evening events, taking the chance to mingle with all of the people they’d already met. (Though for Sora, it was a first-time meeting with some of them.)

‘Affirming connections,’ Lyshen called it. It had to be a special brand of torture for Sora, though Kairi watched him handle it far better than he’d ever believed he could.

In the end, there weren’t any actual changes to the proposed alliance. Eclenna and Radiant Garden would still have mutual defense agreements; would set up official exchange programs for researchers and students; would share their own respective magical research and advancement; and would open their borders for travel, both for business and tourism. It still represented everything Kairi had hoped to achieve.

“You seem happier.”

Kairi looked up, suddenly aware of how lost in thought she’d been. This particular afternoon gathering had been moving on around her.

“If you don’t mind me saying so,” Lady Nathalie finished.

Kairi raised her glass of wine in acknowledgement. “I am happier, thank you. Happier than I ever thought I’d be.”

“All three of you do. As clearly as you and Riku were connected before, it seems even stronger now. And I think Sora brings… a sort of lightness to you both. Like he lets all three of you be what you’re meant to be.”

Kairi giggled. “Can I steal that for my wedding vows?”

She felt the utterly sappy look on her face as she looked over at Sora, who was in the middle of explaining something that required a lot of animated gesturing. That was the kind of thing he’d been worried would cast her in a poor light; instead, he was effortlessly charming everyone.

“If you want to.” By the only half-suppressed giggle in Nathalie’s voice, the sappy look on Kairi’s face was just as obvious to her.

Riku had been left out of most of the earliest preparations in the previous round, back when it was only going to be the two of them.

No such luck the second time. Or maybe just the right amount of luck, actually. Now that he wasn’t twisted in knots about wanting, but knowing he shouldn’t, and trying not to want, even as he had to pretend to want… Well, now he did want, and that was good.

Because Sora wanted, and Kairi wanted, and having all three of them involved felt perfectly, amazingly right.

They each had the traditions they wanted from home—a paopu fruit, specific flowers, the style of clothing they’d be wearing. These would blend with the Eclennan traditions of the Sacred Star and the sharing of references. The references had been blended, too. Some of them had been picked from the Eclennan history and mythology books, others from folklore of Radiant Garden.

About the only thing that they regretted not being able to incorporate was family. Lyshen and Amara had offered to send someone to find Riku’s parents and Sora’s mother, to bring them to Eclenna to witness the ceremony. It had been tempting, almost painfully so. But in the end, they decided it would be too much of a risk. The relationship between Eclenna and Radiant Garden hadn’t become an alliance yet, and Eclenna sending someone across the border and bringing Radiant Garden citizens wouldn’t happen without some attention. And attention from the council was risky; they didn’t want even a chance that the council could throw some new stumbling block in their way, as they finally drew close to everything they wanted.

Right now was a quiet moment in between the seemingly endless planning sessions and social gatherings. He was grateful for the temporary peace of their borrowed suite.

“We’re probably going to have to do this all over again when we get home,” Kairi said, walking up behind where he sat at the desk, draping herself over his shoulders.

“I imagine the council will be beautifully offended by the whole thing. The future queen, getting married on foreign soil. To two men they didn’t pick.” He rested his hand over hers.

“Let ‘em,” she murmured into his shoulder. “They can take their offense with them as part of their pension.”

That got a laugh out of him.

“Personally, I’m excited for that,” said Sora. He was sprawled across the loveseat.

“Why, Sora!” Riku turned just far enough to look at him, eyes exaggeratedly wide. “I had no idea you had a petty bone in your body.”

Sora stuck out his tongue. “Let’s see them leave my name off the announcement now.”

“I’d like to see them try,” Kairi said.

“Well, we still have to make it through one wedding before we can worry about the second,” Riku said.

“Spoilsport,” Sora complained.

“Actually, I was just thinking the longer we have to plan, the pettier we can make it.” He was already thinking of possibilities.

It was something of a tossup on whether the inevitable Radiant Garden wedding—or reception, or vow renewal, or whatever they wound up calling it since they would already be married—would require more or less planning than this one.

There would be more formalities, a different set of social rules, the new and additional pressures that would come from Kairi being the queen, trying to combat the scandal of the three of them.

But there wouldn’t be an alliance riding on it at that point, either. Or an ill-conceived impersonation-slash-fake-engagement plot.

Still, the idea that they’d have to do all of this excruciating planning of the minutest details again was exhausting. It would be worth it. But it would still be excruciating.

Then, as never-ending as the preparations seemed, they did come to an end.

One of the traditions that both Radiant Garden and Eclenna subscribed to for weddings was that the would-be spouses weren’t supposed to see each other before the wedding.

Of course, the three of them had still shared the suite up until the morning of the wedding; fortunately no one took that tradition so seriously that they were forced to sleep in separate rooms.

But very early in the day there was a knock on the door. It didn’t wake any of them, only because none of them had been able to sleep.

At the door were Queen Amara, Lady Nathalie, and Layrde Aubrin, each come to assist one of them with preparations.

Unsurprisingly, Amara swept Riku away after he’d done little more than run a comb through his hair. Lady Nathalie, who’d been so easily and happily charmed by Sora, led him away. That left Aubrin in the suite with Kairi.

“Breakfast is on the way,” they reassured her. “As is your dress.”

For as many dresses as she’d brought with her on this trip, a wedding dress definitely hadn’t been among them. That had been one of the many, many things that had been included in the interminable planning.

In order to keep connection to Radiant Garden, they’d decided to modify one of the dresses she had brought from home. She chose the blue and silver celestial one, a seamstress helping to add new layers to the skirt, changing the cut just slightly. It felt appropriate; a dress she’d already loved, also fitting in with the star-maps of Eclenna.

The dress arrived just as Aubrin had promised, along with a light breakfast of fresh fruit and cheese.

“I don’t think I have much of an appetite,” she admitted.

“Nerves?”

She laughed a little self-consciously. “At this point it feels like I couldn’t possibly have anything left to be nervous about, but…”

“If you weren’t nervous, I’d be afraid you didn’t care.”

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it.”

“Please do try to eat something, though. It’s going to be a very wonderful, happy day. It’s also going to be a long one. And you’ll have two spouses to hold me accountable if I don’t take proper care of you right now.” They winked.

“Well, anything but that,” she laughed. She took a couple slices of nectarine, and segments of a sun-sweet orange, which mollified Aubrin slightly.

“I will admit I’m not extremely familiar with playing ladies’ maid, though I’ve helped my wife with her dresses and hair and such, so I do have a little experience.”

“Considering how beautiful Nathalie always looks, I think I’m in very good hands.”

“And flattery of my lady wife will also get you everywhere.”

Aubrin was far better than they’d claimed at helping her get ready. She was used to doing without any formal help; that was part of why she’d been able to come here with only Riku and Sora accompanying her. At most she usually needed help getting a button or a tie fastened in an awkward place.

Dressing for her own wedding was a little bit more involved than that, so Aubrin’s help was as appreciated as it was necessary.

Her hair was the biggest project, mainly as sections were braided or softly curled to accommodate and accentuate a crown of flowers. The flowers themselves were a mix of white and the same multi-toned deep blue of her dress. The colors matched so well she suspected there’d been some magic applied in the creation of the crown.

Aubrin was careful, getting the flower crown to sit comfortably, nothing poking her or snagging her hair.

Getting dressed was simple by comparison, though again, Aubrin helped immeasurably. Not having to bend or reach at an awkward angle made the whole process go more smoothly.

The dress was still clearly the same one, with silver stars and moons stitched into the dark blue fabric. The new layers added extra flow to the skirt, and there was additional silver trim on the bodice. It was beautiful. She wondered what Riku and Sora would be wearing, though she was certain it would be equally lovely.

She wouldn’t have long to wait, as Aubrin gave her a final once-over and pronounced themself satisfied with the outcome. It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t happy with it, too.

“Are you ready?” Aubrin asked.

“Still nervous. But absolutely, yes. I’ve been ready to spend my life with both of them for as long as I’ve known them.”

Aubrin’s smile was amused, but also very soft. “Excellent. Because it’s time for you to get married.”

Nothing about the ceremony was going to be a surprise. They’d gone over every bit of it—where each of them would enter from, when they would speak, what they would say—but walking into the ballroom still took her breath away.

Aubrin gave her shoulder a brief squeeze, before closing the door behind her, plunging her into near darkness.

It wasn’t completely dark: the pathway from the door to the center of the room was lit with some of the glowing spherical lights that seemed so commonly used in Eclenna. These ones were far dimmer than the ones that had lit the dances and dinners. These were more comparable to candles, the soft glow barely enough to light her path.

There were two similarly lit pathways, one to each side, originating at other doorways into the room. All three paths converged at the center.

If the other doors had opened, she’d missed it. Maybe hers had been the last. Now she paused to let her eyes adjust as much as they could, though the light still didn’t illuminate anything more than the boundary of her path. That seemed to be some magical trick in and of itself.

With a deep breath, she started to walk. The other two would be doing the same from their respective doors. Glancing in both directions, she could see some of the farther lights winking out and back as her fiancés stepped in front of them.

It felt hard to breathe, but she forced herself to, and to keep walking.

The first glimpses of them she got were by the candle-like lights, as all three paths grew close to midpoint. She couldn’t see them perfectly yet, but the light glinted off Riku’s hair, and Sora’s bright eyes.

They reached the center together, where something flared to sudden bright light.

The Sacred Star.

It was on a chest-high pedestal, putting the star itself at eye level. It was a bright, clear, silver-white, sparkling and sending bright refractions over their faces.

All three of them locked gazes in turn, and Kairi saw the same elation and nerves reflected back at her twice.

The light from the star also finally made it clear that they were not alone in the room. She’d known they wouldn’t be, but it was still almost a shock to see people in the space beyond the paths that had been cleared for the three of them.

Lyshen stepped forward from the other side of the star, directly across from Kairi, and between all three of them and the other people who were gathered. She put a hand out, just a few inches above the star.

“Here we meet. Our beloved soon-queen Kairi, and her fiancés, our beloved Riku, our beloved Sora.” Her voice carried easily through the room. “They have come here from Radiant Garden, to prove they have the strength, and the connections of the heart that we have so longed to know they are capable of. The three are here, choosing the love and connection all three of them share. Does the Sacred Star judge these bonds true?”

As they’d been instructed, each of them raised their left hands toward the star.

Kairi held her breath. She knew it was true. She knew it with every fiber of her being, but there was still that worry of what if? She filled her thoughts with both of them, how much she loved them, how much she looked forward to having all three of them together facing the world and whatever it could possibly throw at them.

The Sacred Star was warm. Not hot, like reaching for a flame, but the light held a comforting heat that wrapped around her raised hand. As she finally started to let out the breath she’d held, the star flared brighter, small bits of light fracturing off the star itself, and onto their hands

When the light dimmed, its warmth remained. A golden ring glinted around the third finger of her left hand. Riku and Sora’s hands were adorned with matching ones. Sora was the one to pull his hand back to look at the ring first, which felt like permission for her to do the same. It was a thin gold band, fit perfectly around her finger. Beautiful, if simple.

Lyshen smiled broadly. “And knowing that the Sacred Star recognizes your bond, I believe you have some words for each other, the inspirations and commonalities you have found in history. For even as every connection is unique, we still share those connections to the past, just as the future will look to us in the same way.”

All three stepped closer, reaching out and clasping hands in a tangle in the middle of their small circle.

This was a part they’d practiced, at least in part. Deciding who would speak first, what order they’d go in. They’d decided to start by each sharing a reference from Radiant Garden, then one each from the Eclennan stories. Ending with one for all three of them.

Riku started. “Kairi. Like a pair of famed soldiers, I have always seen and admired your strength. That has always been more important than status or appearances, and has held true in everything you do. Especially when you turn that strength toward protecting others, whether individuals or an entire country.”

She felt heat rising in her cheeks, as she turned to Sora. “Similarly, Sora, you have always been able to see to the heart of me. I may not be a monster in a castle, but you’ve always been able to see below the surface and loved me for who I am, never just an appearance or a past.”

Sora, in turn, addressed Riku. “Just like you’ve seen through my every attempt to hide. Other people have tried to push me aside, or to make me less than I am. Sometimes I’ve done the same kind of minimizing to myself. But you’ve always been there, reminding me that I don’t have to hide myself away, or accept it when other people want me to.”

And then they traded references back the other way. Riku, sounding choked up from what Sora had said, squeezed his hand and said, “It feels like we’re fated to find and stay together. There’s a story here about two men who were true soulmates. Even death couldn’t keep them apart, and when one died too young, his soul found its way back to the man he loved. While I hope we never face the same, you’ve been a constant in my life, and no matter what, I will never leave you.”

He tightened his fingers on Kairi’s at the last, making it clear he intended that part toward them both.

Sora’s eyes were extra bright, tears barely held back. “I found another story of two people who defied death to stay together. When one of them was brought back from the dead, her lover couldn’t believe she’d returned to him. But there was a single secret that no one except for her could have known; the fact that they’d been in love. They’d allowed their lives to be entwined in secret. And I am so glad we don’t have to do that, but I know that even if we did, it wouldn’t make it any less real.”

She was glad they didn’t have to hide anymore. “Riku, the two men I’m thinking of didn’t defy death in quite so literal a fashion. But they overcame every reason they had to despise each other, growing beyond that to instead protect each other against all else. In the end, one was completely willing to sacrifice himself, to the point of death, to ensure the other stayed safe. They both lived, ending a war and uniting two countries. I will never forget or take for granted the fact you were willing to sacrifice anything I asked of you.”

His fingers tightened on hers again. Even if the sacrifice of his own happiness or future hadn’t materialized, even as this worked out in the best possible way, he’d been willing to give it up. For her, for Sora, for Radiant Garden.

“And one final reference,” Kairi said. She was well aware this was stretching toward the longer side of what was typical for a marriage ceremony. “There was a lord here who had to overcome so much tragedy in his life; much of his own making, but much also caused by connections to others, many of whom were unworthy or shallow in their supposed love. But he found true connections in admitting his love for his best friend and for his best friend’s wife. The three were married, bringing him into the safety and love he deserved, even as he struggled to accept he was worthy of it. It was beloved Queen Lyshen who told me what I think is the most important part: the hope that everyone can find that kind of love, the love of at least one person who believes they are worthy of peace and happiness and safety. And I know all three of us have that in each other.”

There was a stretch of silence, probably only seconds, though it felt nearly infinite.

Then Lyshen broke the silence. “There is one final tradition to be observed.”

From somewhere behind her, she pulled forward a tray. It looked very Eclennan—ornately, yet subtly patterned enamel, the dark blue, silver, and gold of the star-maps—but what was set on the tray was from Radiant Garden. A paopu fruit.

More for the benefit of their unseen audience than for Kairi, Sora, or Riku, Lyshen continued, “In Radiant Garden, there is a tradition regarding the paopu fruit. It’s said that when people share them, they’ll remain part of each others’ destinies, forever.”

The star-shaped fruit looked like it could have been picked from the tree just moments ago, though of course it had been procured at least a day before. But it was perfect: each point of the star as near-identical as possible, the skin a uniform, vibrant yellow, one bright green leaf clinging to the stem.

Sometimes, during more informal celebrations, the wedding couple would pull the fruit apart. It would cause a mess of juice when the rind tore, but it tended to keep the mood light, and give the couple a chance to be silly as they dealt with the sticky mess.

This was a slightly more serious ceremony, so there was also a silver knife set along the edge of the tray.

Like the extra reference, this part fell to Kairi. This they hadn’t been able to practice, since they weren’t going to get extra paopus, nor would they waste them on a practice run if they had them. She’d practiced peeling an orange without making a mess, but it wasn’t exactly the same.

The silver knife was very sharp, easy to make a slit at the top of the fruit near the stem, not snapping off the leaf. She made the cut through the rind, trying not to cut into the fruit itself, then sliced toward herself.

The fruit inside was darker in color than she’d expected, more yellow-orange than the bright yellow skin. The rind came away easily, the fruit clearly perfectly ripe. She set the knife on the tray with a clink, using her fingers to pull the rest of the rind away. After that, the five segments came apart easily. She handed one each to Riku and to Sora, keeping one for herself. The remaining segments were traditionally later split up and shared between the couple—or the trio, in this case—but the important part was they each had a piece now.

She raised her piece like she was toasting with it, and Riku and Sora did the same. Then she took a bite.

Now the juice exploded, too much running down her chin and over her fingers, forcing her to quickly put the rest in her mouth. It was delicious, tart and sweet like pineapple. The texture reminded her more of fresh mango, silky smooth, and also making such a mess as soon as it was bitten down on.

Her fiancés—just about now her husbands—had encountered the same problem, and were trying their best to look dignified as they tried not to drip juice onto their clothes or the floor. Hopefully Lyshen had napkins.

It turned out she did, subtly offering them each a small square of soft cloth. They each wiped their fingers, while trying not to giggle.

A smile quirked at the side of Lyshen’s mouth, too. “As we gather strength and inspiration from the past, so we hope to offer the same to the future. May many look upon you as inspiration for their own loves. All three of you are married, in the eyes of Eclenna and before the Sacred Star, and with destinies entwined. May the connections of your hearts remain as strong and bright as they are today.”

A kiss was optional for the ceremony in Eclenna, but it was another thing that none of them had a desire to forgo. All three leaned in. She pressed her lips to Sora’s first. He kissed Riku once she pulled back, and then Riku leaned in to kiss her. All three of them tasted like the paopu they’d just shared, lips still just a little bit sticky.

Applause erupted from all around them. The magical lights that had delineated their paths to the center of the room all brightened, as did lights set near the ceiling. The lights came up gradually enough not to be blinding, but they immediately revealed everyone who was assembled in the space behind Lyshen. Layrdes, ladies, and lords, all of whom Kairi knew she’d met at some point over the last few weeks.

It would have been nice to have some truly familiar faces; Sora’s mom, Riku’s parents, their friends, her future council… but there would be an opportunity for that in the future. For now, it was enough that the ceremony had happened. Nothing was going to take that away.

After, there was dancing. It was what Sora had been most afraid of in the first place, the threat that he could do so badly he could ruin the chance of peace between nations. At least at this point it wasn’t likely that he was going to ruin the alliance. Though maybe he’d keep just a little bit of that anxiety until the ink on the treaty was dry, which would be sometime the following day.

Even so, he couldn’t get completely out of dancing at his own wedding. And he wouldn’t have wanted to anyway.

Riku spun him around, then gripped his elbow so firmly he didn’t even have a chance to overbalance, before he was pulled back in. Kairi giggled as Riku spun her around in turn. She was a bit more graceful as she used her own momentum to carry herself back to them both, rather than Riku hauling her by the elbow.

But between Riku’s arm at his waist, and Kairi’s hand finding his shoulder, somehow he was much more capable of staying upright than he’d been after even the hours of attempted practice before. He let himself relax just enough to move with them, letting the two of them guide him along with gentle pressure.

It probably looked awkward, the three of them improvising a strange mix of leading and following, with Sora alternating between matching Kairi’s movements and Riku’s, the two of them switching between who was leading the dance as a whole. He did start to understand all the things both of them had tried so hard to describe before, how to feel what your partner was going to do, and what they were asking you to do in turn. It did seem silly now to remember how he’d struggled so badly.

Riku had bemoaned how he could be so good at footwork and balance when it came to fighting, yet so bad at it with dancing. Now he felt the similarities. Maybe it was just that he was relaxed into it. Maybe it was that this was at least partially improvised, so he was moving with them in the moment, not given a chance to overthink.

Waking up next to Sora, Kairi on his far side, was everything Riku could have dreamed of wanting. Had dreamed of, often: swinging wildly between wish fulfillment that left him bereft when he woke up for real, and nightmares where it all inevitably went wrong. There was no sense of loss or impending doom this time. Everything was completely, perfectly real.

The treaty itself was almost a work of art. The wording was exactly as they’d spent weeks hashing out, now transferred in the neatest of calligraphy onto the thickest, softest paper Kairi had ever felt. Symbols and artistic flourishes decorated the sides of the paper, stars and vines and flowers twining around the words themselves. There were two identical copies—and they were identical, despite their ornamentation, to the degree that Kairi wondered yet again if magic had had a hand in their creation—so that each country would have their own original document.

There were certain proclamations and the like in Radiant Garden that were this formal. They were kept under glass, displayed in an offshoot of the library. Some had been signed by her father, but most were older than that.

Knowing this would be the first one signed by her was a strange feeling. She wasn’t the queen of Radiant Garden—not yet—but she would be.

There were two lines at the bottom of each page, one for her to sign, and one for Lyshen to sign. Lyshen signed first, for the one Kairi would be taking with her, and Kairi signed first on the one that would be staying in Eclenna. A symbolic, but diplomatic gesture.

Kairi had spent a truly ridiculous amount of the morning practicing her signature. It would be terrible form to mess everything up with a sloppy signature.

She didn’t mess it up.

The ink was allowed to dry, everyone cheered, and the treaty she was bringing home with her was rolled up and put in a protective carrying case. The copy that was staying in Eclenna would be put in the vault where their most important political documents were kept. A copy would be displayed in the museum, something else that felt surreal when Kairi stopped to think about it. That she was part of Eclennan history now.

Maybe someday someone really would look at her marriage to Sora and Riku as something inspirational.

Goodbyes were always hard. Weeks ago, it had been hard to arrive in Eclenna, not knowing what was going to happen, but with so much at stake. Now it was hard to leave.

They were each saying some individual goodbyes before the transport left. Kairi was taking a last, slow walk around the gardens with Lyshen.

Not that Kairi wasn’t very ready to be home, because she was. She missed Radiant Garden, and getting to return triumphant was an excellent feeling. There would be a lot to do when she arrived home. Presenting the treaty. Her coronation. Appointing a council of her own. Another marriage ceremony, or at least celebration.

She sighed, and didn’t realize quite how loudly until Lyshen gave her a sideways glance.

Instead of asking what the sigh was about, she said, “I’m already looking forward to having you back in Eclenna. Or maybe being able to visit Radiant Garden.”

“The idea that both of those things are possible is a wonderful thing to be going home with,” Kairi agreed. “I think Layrde Aubrin is already thinking about how to convince Lady Nathalie to come for a visit, too. To be fair, I did promise them that they could be the first to visit and study the stars from our point of view.”

“They may be the first official visitors you receive.” Lyshen laughed. “I’m sure you’re excited to get home.”

Ah, there it was. “Of course I am. Very much.”

Lyshen’s pointed silence was enough to prompt:

“Just not looking forward to everything that’s waiting for me.”

“Something in particular?”

Bitter was absolutely the last thing that Kairi was feeling, but there was more than a bit of it in her single sharp laugh. “The scandal.”

Lyshen gave a knowing nod.

“The council has never had any say over my marriage, even as they made their disapproval of my engagement to Sora very clear. But a marriage between three people? That simply isn’t done. I know they aren’t going to be happy.”

“And what is the worst that could come of that?”

She shrugged. “Probably not much more than a lingering headache. They may try to delay my coronation, but they can’t prevent it forever, even if they try. I met the criteria they set forward.”

“If it helps, remind them of the wording of the treaty you’re bringing home with you. The nation of Eclenna is allying with Radiant Garden as led by you, based on the strength of your heart. With room for extension with your future heirs. Should your council deny you your rightful queenship, they do not benefit from any part of the treaty. But you will always have our full support and backing.” Lyshen’s smile was very sharp.

Kairi could feel a reflection of that edge in her own smile. “I appreciate the reminder.”

On Eclenna’s magically-enhanced transport, Kairi once again wished it wasn’t quite so efficient. It would have been nice to have a real honeymoon. Or at the very least, a more leisurely opportunity to travel with her husbands. And she already felt the ridiculous grin on her face. Husbands. Surely the dopey feeling when she so much as thought about that would stop at some point, right?

“So, are you going to ease the council into it, or just… announce your new status?” Sora asked.

“How did you know I was just thinking about being married?”

“Probably because the way you’re smiling matches the way he was smiling,” Riku said.

“Like we couldn’t say the same to you.” Sora pushed into Riku’s shoulder with his own.

“Didn’t say you couldn’t.”

“But no, no easing them into it,” she answered. “It’s not like there’s a gentle way to break the news. Even if there were, it wouldn’t somehow make them more okay with it. They’ll hate it either way, and it’s up to them whether they decide to be quiet or loud about it.”

“I think the only way they’ll be quiet about it is if they think they can make us keep it quiet, too,” Sora said.

She thought again about their grudging announcement of her engagement, with Sora’s name left out. She should thank them for it, really.

“No more keeping quiet,” she said. “I think that we’re all done with that, aren’t we?”

Riku and Sora both nodded agreement, and she reached out to grasp their hands.

That was how they were going to face everything, no matter what: hand in hand in hand.