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Ryoko kicks her foot back against the wooden leg of the bench she’s sitting at, pushed off into one corner of the cell she’s been stuck in. Overstocked the local holding cells, so they’ve sent her to be holed up in the monastery instead. An underused dungeon system that was recently reintegrated due to the rise in crime in the area.
She leans her head back against the cool stone wall. This is it. They caught her and threw her here, and it’s only a matter of time before she’s called in front of the local magistrate and cursed to death or a thousand years of servitude or perhaps they found her family, and first they’ll kill all of them before-
The door creaks open, and Ryoko listens to the footsteps approaching—three sets—scrunching her eyes closed and lamenting her fate.
“This is her,” the monk says quietly. “We’ve been asked to hold her until you came to collect her.”
“How have you treated her?”
“She’s allowed out for a supervised walk and an hour of fresh air a day. We also allow her the option to receive communion, should she wish it.”
“I see.”
“I’m- I’m sorry to ask, but I’m surprised an admiral from the King’s Navy would be sent to do this.”
One of the people laughs. “We just made landfall a few days ago. I lost cards to a captain, so I’m here. Dragged my first mate away from her family, too.”
“An unfortunate vice.”
“There isn’t always much to do at sea. You’ll have to forgive me.” A sword clangs against the bars of the cell. “Let’s wake up, sleeping beauty.”
Ryoko opens her eyes to glare at the admiral, then freezes. There’s two people there beside the monk. The admiral smirks down at her, and the first mate next to her stands with her arms crossed. Unlike the admiral, she wears no indication of the royal army on her. The monk gives an apologetic smile.
“Let’s go,” the admiral says.
“What?”
“They’re going to take you,” the monk says. “Into the capital.”
“It was petty thievery! Into the capital?”
“Save your excuses,” the admiral says. Ryoko stares at her. “Let’s go!”
“Allow me to unlock the door, first,” the monk says, pulling the keys from his belt. “We would like to offer you the sacrament before you go,” he says to Ryoko.
She shakes her head numbly. The door is unlocked, and swings open.
“Don’t try to run,” the admiral says.
“Right.”
“They said you would have the keys for her, um, hands.” He gestures to the cuffs holding her hands in front of her at shoulder distance. Thankfully they didn’t have any for her legs.
“We’ll deal with it when we return,” she says.
“Right, of course.”
“Follow.”
Ryoko steps out with them. Maybe, she considers, if she chooses to be the perfect prisoner, they won’t kill her outright. She’s also more than a little stupefied.
“Let’s go,” the admiral says.
The monk joins them up to the gate of the monastery, Ryoko walking with the admiral and first mate flanking her on either side. They say polite farewells to the monk, and step out onto the road.
“We have a carriage in town,” the admiral explains, when they’ve walked far enough away from the monastery that Ryoko wouldn’t be able to make out its particulars. “That will take us the rest of the way.” She touches an arm to Ryoko’s, halting both of them. “Misora.”
“Got it.” Misora steps in front of her, smiling and pulling something from her pocket, sticking it into the lock of the cuffs. It’s silent then, only the sound of the tension and give of the pegs in the lock.
The admiral takes off her hat, letting out a small sigh.
“It was good to hold onto this,” she says.
“Yeah,” Misora says. The lock clicks open on Ryoko’s left hand. “One more,” she says.
“Tsukasa and I had talked about burning it, to be safe.”
“The best fake is what’s real,” Misora says.
“True enough.”
The other lock falls off, the cuffs slapping to the mud on the ground. Misora picks them up, throwing them into some bushes beside the path.
“Walking again,” the admiral announces.
“Um, permission to speak,” Ryoko says.
“My, you’re a very polite thief,” the admiral says. “Permission granted.”
“What’s going on here?”
“What do you think?”
“I thought I was being sent to my death. I’m still unclear on that.”
“We don’t have a good reason to kill you, unless you turn tail and run back where you came from.”
“There’s another thing,” Ryoko says. “You’re Shizuha Kocho. Elite admiral of the King’s Navy.”
“So I am,” Shizuha beams.
“You’ve been missing presumed dead for years.”
“I didn’t know you were a fan.” Shizuha places the admiral’s cap onto Ryoko’s head, pulling off the blue admiral’s coat and folding it. “Then you must realize we aren’t acting on behalf of the King.”
“We would have gotten there sooner,” Misora says. “But Shizuha had to make us attend mass at the monastery before getting you.”
“We’re a few days out on the actual captain sent to retrieve you. It was perfectly fine to stop and enjoy ourselves.”
“What do you want with me?”
“Well, we needed a thief. And so, I found a thief.”
“They should have kept your hands bound. There’s no telling what you might steal from any of us.”
“You don’t have anything of value for her to steal, Lalafin.” Lalafin, standing in front of Ryoko, looks at the woman passing by them, horrified.
“Unbelievable! I have a- a look!” She pulls something from her pocket. “An extra slice of bread pilfered from the kitchen.” She looks at Ryoko. “You want this, don’t you?”
“Ignore her. You’re with me,” the other woman says. “Come on.” Ryoko follows. Lalafin shrugs, removing some of the paper surrounding the bread and taking a bite, before re-covering it and putting it back into her coat’s inside pocket.
“You’re not familiar with the sea much, are you,” she asks Ryoko. Ryoko shakes her head. “You get seasick?”
“I’ve never been on a boat before.”
She sighs. “Shizuha,” she mutters under her breath. “We’ll do what we can, then. My name’s Tsukasa.”
“I’m Ryoko.”
“They told me. Listen, if you start getting seasick, tell us. It throws a wrench in the whole plan, but better we scramble to readjust than assume you’re fine.”
“Right. Yeah, right. Um, what’s the plan?”
Tsukasa stares at her. “Shizuha didn’t tell you anything?” Ryoko shakes her head. “We’re breaking into a nobleman’s summer home and stealing shit, basically. I’ll tell Shizuha to actually fill you in properly.”
“That would be really helpful. What am I helping you with?”
“I was just told to set you up somewhere to sleep. You want to help?”
“It seems wrong for me to live here and not help.”
She hums. “Good attitude,” she says. “I’m retying some knots. I’ll show you. Follow me.”
Ryoko meets the other captain later in the day.
“I overslept,” is the first thing Aruru says, whining as she enters the room, fixing the tightness of a belt that crosses over her shoulder and taking a seat next to Ryoko. “Hi!” She beams.
“You’re setting a poor example,” Shizuha says.
“You have something,” Misora says, reaching a hand across to pull a feather out of Aruru’s hair, squinting at it.
“Macaroni,” Aruru mumbles.
Misora frowns.
“So,” Aruru says, looking at Ryoko. “Are you caught up?”
“I don’t- no.”
“I believe you were coming up with our master plan.”
“Didn’t I tell you? Maybe I just had a dream that I did.” Shizuha smiles. “Okay! We’ll work through it now. Welcome aboard the Wild Pirates, Ryoko!”
Ryoko blanches. “The Wild Pirates?”
“The King gave us our nifty new name,” Aruru says. “So we’re returning the favor. There’s a villa on the coast she received from the old king before taking the throne. She keeps most of her valuables stashed there.”
“In one month’s time, the guard will be light, involved mostly in the neighboring town for a festival. We’ll strike then.”
“We’re stealing from the King?”
“You could have told her that much,” Aruru says to Misora and Shizuha, frowning. “You can back out,” she tells Ryoko.
“No. I’ll do it.”
Shizuha smiles at her.
“Are you sure?” Aruru asks. Ryoko nods. “Oh good. Tsukasa says you’re a quick study on those knots, so I’m glad to keep you.”
“Until the mission’s done,” Shizuha says.
“Then what happens to me?” Ryoko asks.
“Well I mean, you can stay if you want,” Aruru says. “Maybe you’ll like pirating.”
It’s a bit jarring to ingratiate yourself into life on a pirate ship. Especially one with such a small crew. As Shizuha explained, they used to have a larger boat, with a larger crew, but there was an unfortunate situation involving some ideological differences between them and the captains (Aruru, specifically), so the three loyal to the two captains (loyal to each other) departed on a separate boat. (“Unfortunately,” Tsukasa mentioned. “They sent such a hurried farewell that Shizuha and I had no time to mention the recent and sudden damage that had been done to the bow of the ship. And it seems they sank the next time they were out at sea. It’s a shame, really. They were a good crew.”)
Lalafin and Tsukasa both take turns teaching her different duties around the ship, Aruru joining in sometimes. Shizuha mans the helm alongside Misora, but they take their turns with duties, too. The ship has a surprisingly even distribution of power, and she doesn’t just find herself doing the runt tasks nobody else wants to handle.
She suffers a brief bout of seasickness early on, having never been at sea before, much less for this long, but it subsides after enough time. The Wild Pirates, for all their famed ruthlessness, are kind to her. She’s added into their fold. She likes it.
“We’re docked!” Aruru announces, sliding down the railing onto the main dock.
“We’re together,” Misora tells Ryoko. “You said you’re good with locks, right?”
“I can do them. Why did you need a thief?”
Misora shrugs. “Aruru was adamant there were six of us for it. She’s been playing this cat and mouse game since before the King was, well, the King. I assume it’s somehow part of it.”
“Change in plans, actually,” Tsukasa says. Shizuha and Lalafin have already unboarded, Aruru following behind. “We’re dividing into two groups. You, Shizuha, and Lalafin’s will keep up the old plan. Aruru and I are taking the new kid.”
“What?” Misora asks.
“She’s got her eye on something particular. Try and keep the two of them in line, okay?”
“Let’s go Misora,” Lalafin calls, grinning. “Dream trio.”
Misora grimaces. “Good luck,” she tells Ryoko.
There’s an entrance to the large manor, the docks directly leading to an alcove and basement entrance, to allow easy access for ships carrying food shipments to the castle, or perhaps for the King nee knight to make a quiet entrance by ship, not disturbing the nearby town.
Misora picks the lock of the basement door. They walk quietly, dividing once they exit the basement, the other three heading left for the treasury while Tsukasa and Ryoko follow behind Aruru, venturing off the planned path and further into the manor.
Aruru finds a small service staircase, gesturing for Ryoko to pick this lock.
It takes her two tries, the complete darkness of the manor a bit difficult to see what she’s doing, but she gets it. They walk slowly, Aruru in front, checking for creaks and gesturing at steps they need to skip. They make it out, into a hallway on the upper floor. Aruru beelines for a specific door.
“This,” she breathes out. Ryoko sets to work on the lock again. It’s harder than the first, but she focuses on the sounds, tries to keep her hands from shaking.
Finally, it gives, and the door swings inward.
Aruru creeps in first, finally adding some light, setting three candles in the room.
“What are we looking for,” Tsukasa asks, whispering. There’s a desk immediately, and Ryoko fools herself into thinking it’s just an office, before realizing the room is larger than she thought, converting into a bedroom further to the right.
“There should be a box,” Aruru says. “Small box. Should be there. Open it. Ring inside.”
They separate, checking each surface for the box. Ryoko is a bit surprised at the clutter. She wonders if the King uses it for storage these days. All this fancy manor and she doesn’t even stay here.
Aruru takes in a sharp breath of air.
“Did you find it?” Tsukasa asks. “Wait.” They freeze.
A set of footsteps slowly approach the door.
“Maids never lock,” they hear someone mumbling.
“Guard,” Aruru says quietly. “Hide.”
Ryoko, standing near the desk, is the only one visible from the door. She stumbles to try and hide behind it, Tsukasa and Aruru both holding still, but in the process accidentally knock something onto the ground.
The guard enters the room fully, looking around and immediately making eye contact with Tsukasa.
“Intruders!” He shouts.
“Shit,” Tsukasa whispers. She rushes forward, trying to catch the guard on her momentum and knock him to the ground, but he manages to take the blow fine, grabbing onto her and holding her in place.
Aruru barrels into them next, and this seems to get him, as he stumbles, losing hold of Tsukasa. Another guard enters the room, stopping the first one from stumbling.
Tsukasa sighs. “I’m not fond of fistfights,” she says. The guard rushes at her this time, knocking her onto the ground. She slams a fist into his stomach, making him wheeze and push off of her.
“Don’t move.” There’s a third guard, holding Aruru in a chokehold. She slaps at it with one of her hands, the other enclosed in a tight fist around a chain. Tsukasa freezes. One guard still lies beside Tsukasa, gripping his stomach. The other steps away from Aruru and the third, grabbing Tsukasa by her shoulder and forcing her to stand.
“Do the two of you understand what you’ve done here?”
Aruru opens her mouth to say something, but only lets out a choked noise.
“Obviously,” Tsukasa says.
“Do you understand exactly who you’ve tried to steal from?”
“Do you think we’re stupid?”
Ryoko glances at the knife that fell to the floor as she pushed herself behind the desk. She quietly picks it up, making sure to not make any noise. They don’t seem to realize she’s there, but there’s too much space between her and Aruru.
Who might be a mind reader.
Who at that very moment bites down on the guard’s arm, hard enough that he yelps, releasing her. She stumbles forward a few steps. Ryoko takes her chance, darting out from behind the desk, stabbing the guard holding Tsukasa’s shoulder directly into his chest, twisting before pulling it out. He gasps, before falling.
The guard who had been holding Aruru rushes them again. Ryoko grabs the nearest item on the desk, a metal paperweight, smashing it into his skull. He falls down.
“There’s one more,” Tsukasa says quietly.
Ryoko grunts, falling to her knees in front of the third guard. It’s quick to kill him.
She stands back up, still gripping the knife.
“Now I understand,” Tsukasa says quietly.
“It’s not ideal, but getting caught wasn’t ideal either,” Aruru says. Ryoko looks up at her. “Good work.”
She nods, looking back down at the bodies. It’s silent, Aruru moves the door mostly closed and they both finish whatever business they had left in the room.
The door pushes open again. Ryoko moves on instinct. She’s got three bodies on her conscience. What’s another? She swings the knife roughly where the chest should emerge, but a hand grabs her arm and another her shoulder, pushing to twist her around, her arm taut behind her back.
“I see,” Shizuha says quietly, directly behind her. “I made a good choice.” She releases Ryoko. “Did you find what you wanted?” She asks Aruru.
Aruru holds up her fist, and points to Ryoko. “That’s the knife.”
“Good. We’ve finished. I’ve sent Misora and Lalafin back to the boat. We should move quickly.”
They’re back at sea the next morning. Ryoko stays above deck, listening to the sounds of the waves lapping quietly against the boat. There’s a seagull that’s roosting on the mast that she likes to watch, too.
“Not down celebrating?” Aruru asks, taking a careful seat beside Ryoko.
“Everyone’s excited,” Ryoko says. Lalafin and Misora having been matching each other drink for drink, and started challenging everyone to tests of strength that range from stupid to dangerous.
“I don’t like drinking much,” Aruru says. “Except the occasional nightcap. I get weepy. But it’s a bad habit, so it’s good you don’t start.” Ryoko smiles. “So, where to next?”
“Huh?”
“You want us to drop you off somewhere? World’s your oyster. Except back, really. You’re in a much worse position than you were before, but I’m sure we could find somewhere that’d give you some good work, y’know?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.”
“You can stay here ‘till you figure it out, at least. We’ve got you that far, for sure.”
“That would- thank you.”
Aruru grins. “You’ll have to keep earning your keep and all around the ship, but you’ll do fine.”
Ryoko nods again. “Uh, captain?”
“Hm?”
“What did you steal from the King’s manor?”
“This!” Aruru pulls a ring out from under her shirt, wrapped around her neck with a string of cord.
“A ring?”
“It’s real important to Her Highness. It’s a wonder she ever separated it from herself like that, leaving it in that old manor. Her loss.”
“Why did you steal it?”
“Because it’s important to her.”
“But- sorry. Why?”
Aruru hums. “That’s a tough question to answer,” she says. “Mostly, it’s fun to make her squirm a little bit, if I can. She hates my guts. But I saved her life once, so she owes me.”
“So you’re messing with her?”
“I want to see where she snaps. Imagine, some annoying pirate stealing your most prized possession. I think it might just kill me.”
Six months later, Aruru pulls Ryoko into the Captain’s Cabin. Shizuha is already in there, using the small mirror set in the back of the room to adjust the collar of her shirt.
“Take this,” Aruru says, handing Ryoko the ring on a chain. The one they’d stolen from the King. “We’re going to have a meeting with military officials at Thorn’s Inn. Keep it on you, but keep it hidden.”
“Military officials,” Shizuha says, sighing. “It’s just Mei Fan.”
“The King’s most trusted general. Her famed right hand and greatest rival.”
“Mei Fan,” Shizuha repeats.
“I forgot you guys have your little back and forth thing.”
“I tell her things, she tells the King wrong things, and she accuses me of being duplicitous.”
“The three of us are going,” Aruru tells Ryoko. “So look sharp, okay?”
“Should I wear the old admiral uniform?” Shizuha asks.
Aruru grins. “Absolutely,” she says.
Ryoko shifts uncomfortably, seated at the end of their side of the table, Aruru sandwiched between her and Shizuha.
“You know why I’m here,” Mei Fan says, entering the room with two guards, each taking a space at either side of the door. She sits across from them. “You might have managed a year if you hadn’t decided to add murder to your list of charges.”
“No, I think Yachiyo knew it was missing before she knew the guards were dead.”
“Don’t refer to her so informally.”
“Don’t you call her Yachiyo?”
“You’re not her friend.”
“She wounds me. All these years mean nothing to her.”
Mei Fan looks unimpressed. “Yachiyo will spare no expense to get it back,” she says. “For your own sake, I think you should return it.”
“For ours, or for yours?” Shizuha asks. “Did you tell her you could get it back without dispensing force?”
Mei Fan picks a point on the desk to stare at. “If we both benefit, we both benefit,” she says forcefully.
“What do we get out of it?” Aruru asks.
“Your lives?”
“Personally, I would like a ball in our honor, and a special dance with the King.”
“I let you leave here without arresting you.”
“I’m not sure that’s an option for you,” Shizuha says. “We have a trade we could offer.”
Mei Fan narrows her eyes.
“Really, you’ll get two things for the price of one,” she says.
“It’s a good deal,” Aruru adds.
“What is it?”
“Our friend here,” Shizuha says, referring to Ryoko.
“You want to send me back with one of your ilk. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“Our ilk. We stole her.”
“You stole a child?”
“We stole a thief.”
Mei Fan stares at Shizuha.
“We needed a thief, youths are probably happier outside of prisons than in them. It just seemed like a good idea.”
“Nothing about this seems appealing, still.”
“She’s still young. I assume that, in proper care, she might lead a better life than she would with us. Certainly if you were mentoring her, or something like that.”
Ryoko is frozen.
“You want me to teach a teenager for you.”
“And drop her charges, which now I believe technically include evading arrest, jailbreak, things like that. It moves past the local magistrate at that point, doesn’t it?” Shizuha leans forward, conspiratorially. Despite her disgusted facial expression, Mei Fan matches. “She has a family. More than a few younger siblings. She hasn’t been able to see them in a long while.”
Mei Fan leans back.
“Plus,” Shizuha says. “Once she was on the boat she didn’t have much of a choice. Either she helps us or we, you know, kill her. On the boat. In the ocean.”
“Fine,” Mei Fan says. She holds out her hand. “Give it to me, then.”
“It’s in Ryoko’s care. She’ll return it when she’s safely initiated into her new life.”
Mei Fan stands up. “Very well,” she says. “We’ll leave,” she tells Ryoko.
Ryoko looks over at Aruru and Shizuha, horrified.
“You did not tell her at all,” Aruru says, noticing Ryoko’s expression.
“I thought it might be a fun surprise.”
“It’s like she said,” Aruru tells Ryoko. “This is the way you can have a better life. You can see your family and make honest money you can send home to them.”
“Come on,” Mei Fan says. “We’re leaving before they arrest everyone left in this room.”
“Well, now that we know,” Shizuha says.
“You already knew!” Mei Fan snaps.
Ryoko pushes herself standing. “Then, goodbye?” She says. “Goodbye?” She sounds slightly panicked. She feels extremely moreso.
“A goodbye is too serious,” Shizuha says. We’ll call it a ‘see you later’, instead.”
“See you when you’re put behind bars!” Mei Fan shouts, pushing open the door to the room.
They both gesture for Ryoko to follow.
“Rest assured,” Aruru says. “Our paths will keep crossing.”
“I can give you the ring,” Ryoko says. “If you give me half a day, I’ll make sure you never see me again.”
“No,” Mei Fan says. “I made a vow, I’ll see it through.” Ryoko sits in the back of a wagon, feet dangling out the back, while Mei Fan rides on her horse, trotting slowly beside the wagon. Ryoko doesn’t recall a vow, but doesn’t comment.
“You were just negotiating for a ring.”
“It’s important to the King. But I won’t break the deals of our agreement.”
“Okay.”
“You have a family,” Mei Fan says. “You can’t just leave them behind to fit your fancy.”
“It’s not- no,” Ryoko says, furrowing her eyebrows.
“You think it’s fun to be a thief.”
“I don’t!” Ryoko snaps. Her eyes widen. “I’m- we needed money and food. It was my only option.”
Mei Fan contemplates for a moment. “I have a family too,” she says. “Younger sisters. My parents were poor soldiers. When I left for this country, they weren’t excited. They thought I’d be sent to die. But King Akira saw talent in me. That was how I became a general.”
“Would I really be able to support my family this way?”
“Knights-in-training usually come from noble families and pay their dues to the crown. But, since you’re my nominee, Yachiyo will waive your living fees.” She pauses. “I’ll look into finding you some extra work in town. I can give you a bit of an allowance until then.”
“You don’t have to be so nice to me. I’m just a common variety pickpocket, really. Not even a good thief.”
“Family is important,” Mei Fan says. “I can’t abide stealing, but both Shiori and I can greatly respect that level of dedication to supporting them.”
“That’s very kind.”
Mei Fan grins. “The next time we see the Wild Pirates,” she announces. “You’ll be so imbued with knightly valor you’ll be leading the charge to arrest them!”
The King and Mei Fan have a short, quiet conversation when they arrive at the castle, one where Ryoko assumes her execution is being planned with glee, but when she’s called into the room with them Yachiyo merely holds her hand out for the ring and, when it’s returned to her care, directs Mei Fan to take her to her quarters.
“You’ll stay with the other knights-in-training,” Mei Fan explains on the way. “And, on your first day off, I’ll call on you so we can discuss work.” Ryoko nods.
“Clothes must be washed regularly; bed must be made each morning. You should clean your shoes of muck in the evenings. There are other duties, your peers will fill you in.”
“I don’t have a change of clothes,” Ryoko says.
“I would help you there,” Mei Fan says. “But unfortunately, in spite of fresh start claims, your old accomplices have forwarded you some extra clothing. You should work hard to replace each piece with one bought in your own earnest money! But it will have to do for now.”
She pushes open a door, stepping aside to let Ryoko enter first, then following after.
“Sir!” There are a few people who stand immediately to attention on Mei Fan’s entrance. One of them is notably slower.
“This is Ryoko. From today on, she’ll be training with you. Make her feel welcome,” Mei Fan says. “Kuina, I expect you to show her around.”
One of the people nods. “Understood!”
“Okay,” Mei Fan turns to Ryoko. “I have something to deal with. We’ll speak again.”
Ryoko nods. When Mei Fan leaves, the group disperses, returning to whatever activities they were doing before. Kuina stands in front of her, holding out a hand for her to shake. Ryoko takes it. Her grip is nothing compared to Kuina’s, who shakes like she knows how to shake hands.
“Knight training,” another girl asks. Her bed is closest to the door, poorly made, and she dangles her feet off the edge, grinning at Ryoko.
“I- I guess,” Ryoko says.
“Minku.” She holds out a hand. “I guess me too.”
“Minku, don’t bother her,” Kuina says. “You can just ignore her.”
Minku pouts.
“How much have you prepared for this?”
“I sort of- it’s complicated,” Ryoko says. “I have no idea what I’m doing here.”
“I see,” Kuina frowns. “Well, allow me to explain everything from the top to you. Minku, you stay as well. You could use the refresher.” Minku salutes, leaning back on her other arm.
She does her best to integrate herself into her new life. She’s not good at sword fighting, which is built on specific rules and requirements, and half the time she could get a point but gets a foul instead. The next two months pass this same way, struggling to keep up with her training. Mei Fan sets her up as an errand boy around town, something to make a bit of money, and she manages to send her first paycheck back to her family without drawing attention to the time she spent away, in prison and then on a pirate ship.
Which means on days off, or days with lazy mornings, she wakes up, before the nobles she lives with, and heads into town, pulling foodstock off carts for merchants and delivering packages across town.
Some days, when it’s particularly hefty, like today, they give her a handcart. She pushes it along, scanning the door frames for one marked with a circle and three lines. The sign she eventually finds sticks out a back alley, with one door about halfway down to the other street.
She knocks on the door.
“Who’s that?” Someone calls.
“Delivery,” she calls back.
“One second.” There’s three large locks pushed back, before the door swings open. “Right, where is it?”
“What the hell?”
“Well,” Aruru grins at her. “Long time no see, right?”
“How- what-”
“Misora,” Aruru calls inside. “Package!”
Misora appears in the door, moving past Aruru and picking the large cloth bag Ryoko’s been carting around, bringing it inside with ease.
“Hey,” she says to Ryoko.
“Hi?”
“We figured two months would be good. Wouldn’t be imbued with knightly valor just yet,” Aruru says, stepping aside and gesturing for Ryoko to enter. “We said we’d pay the service fee for the delivery.”
Ryoko steps into the room, Aruru closing the door behind. Poorly lit, she can make out a sparsely furnished house. Misora takes the bag into a bag room.
“It’s just the three of us,” Shizuha says. Ryoko whirls around, startled. She was just out of sight. “Not so exciting a reunion. Here you go,” she hands Ryoko a small pouch, heavy with gold.
“Did you know?” Ryoko asks.
Aruru nods. “We put some thoughts in ears about getting someone to run deliveries.”
“Coincided well with you moving into the castle,” Shizuha adds. “Lucky for us.”
“So it was just to get me on the inside?” Ryoko asks. “You could have told me.”
“Oh, no, we meant what we said,” Aruru says. “It’s a chance for you to have an honest life!”
“Somewhat,” Shizuha says. “You’re welcome to make a clean exit anytime, so long as your new knightly ideals involve not selling out your old friends.”
“I- I would never-”
“She’s just messing with you,” Aruru says. Shizuha smiles at her in a way that says she most certainly is not.
“I still want to help,” Ryoko says. “Of course I do.”
“Now you can send your family money officially,” Shizuha says. “You can even go back and visit them. Mei Fan won’t go back on her word.”
“She promised she wouldn’t,” Ryoko agrees.
“And really,” Shizuha says. “Having a knight on the inside is the best we could hope for.”
“A crooked knight.”
“Not with anybody else, of course. It would be a shame to let our competition walk free.” Ryoko stares at her. “As we said, you’re welcome to back out at any time.”
“I won’t,” Ryoko says. “I don’t have your ring anymore,” she tells Aruru.
“Oh, don’t worry about that! You were supposed to return it. We still have the knife!”
“Knife?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you. The knife you used back in the manor. That’s the same one Yachiyo used to kill her predecessor.” Aruru pulls it from her belt. “It’s a king killer.”
Postscript
“Let it be yours,” Stella implores. “This body I didn’t ask for. This life that I don’t want. If I must be called to keep existing, let it be you who inhabits the body.”
“It is not mine to inhabit.”
Ryoko stands in the back of the cave. She thinks maybe she’s guarding the entrance. From what, she’s not sure.
“If the King is haunted, and goes mad, that king should be deposed. Was I not haunted? Am I not now haunted?
“You’ve been cursed to have a long life.”
“And you are not a king.”
“I can’t do it.”
“If anybody can, it would be you.”
Ryoko thinks it’s strange to see the King in death. The lines in their face exactly like the last time they had given Ryoko a mission, out along the port. She didn’t know what was going to happen then. She was glad she was by the water. She wonders if the King knew.
It’s stranger still to see her sister. She knows, in her mind, which is older, but their faces conflict them.
“Akira is watching over the castle,” Fumi says. “She hasn’t changed.”
“I don’t think I can do it,” Stella says.
“Shiro’s life is on the line,” Shiori says. “And you worry about being enough?”