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Rarely did people hear Finesse Calmreich and think of the person. The first thing people usually thought of when they heard her name was her status as a royal. The second thing would always be the princess with a pitiful health. The last and third thing was as the future wife to the heir of house Vaude.
In total Finesse could name four people at the top of her head who never saw those three things, instead they had always looked and seen her .
At first there was Damnatio. Finesse had grown up with more time than what she knew what to do with, her body did not have what it took to invest in training, both physically and magic wise. So in order to fill the hours Finesse turned to studying instead. And because of that she had reached a point of advancement that ended her up in a handful of different classes with Damnatio, at least when she had been healthy enough to participate in a proper classroom setting. Damnatio had been surprised to learn that they would be taking classes with each other, but a quick understanding had formed when he had seen her at element. Finesse had been the first and only one to best Damnatio, or draw him into a tie, whether it be debates, or different forms of studies. Finesse wasn’t a fighter, nor a proper support mage either, but she did know the ins and outs of her magic theories, litteratur, laws and mathematics.
They didn’t talk as much as they used to these days, Damnatio was busy with his job in the parliament after all. But he had been one of the first to see Finesse Calmreich, meanwhile Finesse had just been happy to have found someone willing to see underneath her shell.
The second to bear witness to Finesse Calmreich had been her uncle, Augustus the king of Clover. Now, Finesse wasn’t oblivious, or stupid when it came to who her uncle was as a person. He was ear grating and could act like a spoiled toddler stuck in a tantrum, but she also couldn’t say with sincerity that she hated the man.
Her first meeting with Augustus had happened shortly after her magic had manifested at the age of five, light magic was an extremely rare attribute so it wasn’t odd that the other who shared her magic type wanted to meet her. Finesse had been dragged this way and that by her fretting maids when Augustus had informed that the two would have breakfast with each other that day.
“So your magic only just manifested?” Asked king Augustus around a mouthful of eggs.
“Yes, sir, around a week ago to be exact,” answered Finesse with as much politeness as she could muster, though it was rather hard to keep focus with the giant spread on the table in front of her. Finesse recognised a lot of the dishes, but a lot of them were unknown to her. It all smelled heavenly.
The king nodded, “your training must be going well then, after all you share the same glorious magic as the amazing me.”
“I’m sorry but I can't do that sort of thing, sir.” Finesse pushed around the bacon on her plate with her fork.
The King paused before taking another bite, lifting a single eyebrow at her. “And why not?” He huffed.
“Well… I often get sick, so training and going on outings aren’t good for me.” At least that was how the kind doctor with the glasses and weird sea-magic-thing had explained it, was something about the added stress and strain being no good, though he had also said it was likely to get a lot more manageable when she was older.
Finesse did not lift her head again to meet the Kings’ eyes. Whenever she explained this part about her people either looked at her with eyes full of pity, or they didn’t believe her and were adamant that she just needed to try harder.
“Hmm, I see,” answered Augustus as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Do not worry, my dear little niece, your amazing uncle shall grant you his generosity.”
Finesse blinked, she was about to ask what he meant but then he had called forth dessert, and then her attention had been stolen by the stack of pancakes with chocolate sauce in front of her.
Finesse found out the answer a week later when numerous stacks of new books arrived to her room. They consisted of a good mixture of fantasy stories, tales and journals talking about grant adventures.
The next time she was arranged to see her uncle she had sprinted up to hug his legs in a tight grip, multiple thanks of gratitude falling from her lips in the process.
That day Finesse had spent lunch time together with Augustus as she rambled on about her favourite amongst the books gifted to her, it was a fantasy story about a female phoenix and her adventures that she came across as she had set out on a journey to find the star and moon who were her brothers. Augustus hahd nodded along with her retelling as he ate.
It was one instance out of many. So while she more often than not found herself disagreeing with Augustus, for her he did hold a place in her heart for the role he had willingly played for her throughout her childhood.
Even bad people could make good actions and choices from time to time after all.
And then there were the two last ones who have always seen Finesse as, well, her . The title was an equally shared draw between the two sons of house Vaude, Finral and Langris. Amongst all of them both Finral and Langris held the biggest part of her heart, despite the two of them having been later additions to her life.
Finesse had never explained her dynamic with the two spatial mages to others, and she knew if she tried it likely wouldn’t be of any success either. Finesse loved both Langris and Finral dearly, it was not in the usual way a wife and husband would love each other, but she would be lying if she claimed that marrying either of them would bring her any sorrow, or make her upset and distraught. Finesse supposed it was a bit of an odd form of love, something so wholly platonic, yet keeping such a tight close grip to bordering on something deeper and completely keen on staying by each of their sides for as long as she could.
She wouldn’t change their dynamic and relationship for the world.
Then again, their dynamic had been intended to be the more idealised and ‘normal’ version of love. Finesse could still clearly remember the day when her parents had announced that she would be engaged.
The announcement had happened soon after she had turned eighteen, getting married hadn’t come as a surprise to her in all honesty, it was just sooner than she had expected. While she didn’t even for a second doubt her parent’s love for her, but she had realised early on that they weren’t sure what to do with her either. Finesse’s health had never been great. It was a fact that was as true as the sky was blue, there wasn’t much she could do to change it. There was a time as a child she hated and wished for change, but now it was simply a part of her life she had learned and adapted to live with. After all, what use would it be for her to wallow in despair and bitterness at something unchangeable?
Finesse had learned quickly what game those despicable people in charge of Tota, who dared to call themselves parents, played. But she was not a fighter, never had been, nor did she really hold any high political power underneath her to be a threat. The boys were young, but it was a set plan that both boys would join The Magic Knights and only a year remained till their grimoires would be received. So Finesse could bite her tongue till so long, she would be there for them till the day where the chains connecting them to this awful place would shatter completely.
Looking back it was a rather naive plan her younger self had come up with. It had of course not been that easy, the scars from Tota ran deeper than ravines. She could only do her best to mend the damage that had been done. Not every time had been a success, but she felt assured in the fact that it wasn’t in vain. So as they grew, she watched.
Finesse had always been there and watched both of them. She had been there to reassure Finral whenever other people’s poison was too loud in his ears. She had been there to pull Langris back when he bore too much weight for him to carry and needed a break. She had been there to dote on Finral in the times where he was ignored. She had been there whenever Langris needed the exact opposite. Had been there to say nothing against Finral leaving the Vaudes, shattering one chain of the many hoisting him down in the process. Had been there to pick up the cracked and hurt pieces that remained of Langris after the disownment, her tongue silent against any words that him leaving had been a bad idea. And before she knew it had been years and she had gotten extremely attached to them both.
The times Finesse was able to meet them had become scarce since they joined the knights, only occasionally meeting Langris for tea and smaller outings. While her interactions with Finral had grown quiet after the disownment, but that was fine, Finesse had heard the words and rumours of the Black Bull and unlike many she knew that it was a good squad with a good captain, So Finral would be alright where he was. Getting Langris to shed his chains was a difficult case, but Finesse refused to leave till every last chain had gone away.
And then Finesse finally, after several years, got to see the cracks forming amongst the metal holding both her boys down in its poison.
It had come as a surprise when Finral had declared his challenge against Langris, to win back the title of heir, to win the title of her fiancé. She had blushed at the declaration, praise and attention had never been some of the things she had been good at receiving and accepting. Still, Finesse couldn’t help but internally shake her head, she had to wonder how long the two spatial mages would use the whole hier and engagement as cover for them wanting to interact with each other. But perhaps that was fine too. One day the two of them would be able to talk and communicate properly, that day would take its time to get there with all the hurt in the way, so until then Finesse can’t say she minded being what fueled and helped them both further along till they could reach that goal by themselves.
Finesse would always be there for both of them, and she knew that Finral and Langris would always be there for her in return. And that fact made her happier than any status, wealth, book, or knowledge could give her.