Chapter Text
“I don’t need your permission for this, do I?” Maka turned her glare to her father. “You’ve been bugging me nonstop to finally pick a knight. Well, I’m picking one now.”
Her voice rose higher than she’d meant, and the sound bounced off the walls of the wide, mostly vacant space spread out before her. They hadn’t been at this for very long, but it never took much effort for her frustration with her father to reach a boiling point. Spirit gawked at her in seeming disbelief, struggling to come up with any sort of intelligible response. Maka didn’t wait for his answer, and instead swept her gaze across the others present.
The throne room was too big to have this sort of meeting. There were less than 10 people in total – Maka, her dad, Stein, Marie, Azusa. Cold white marble made up the floors, walls, and ceilings, stretching far out beyond the little group huddled around the sets of thrones at the back end of the room. This was a place meant to host hundreds of people when the occasion called for it, but whenever Spirit and the others needed to conduct any official business that was one bar above ‘having a discussion’, they used this as a makeshift meeting room.
Only Azusa and her dad were sitting in their designated spots; Spirit seated in the king’s throne and Azusa in one of the appointed Death Scythe seats. Stein and Marie were lounging around and treating it with all the nonchalance of a family gathering; typical behavior for times like these when it was only the royal family and their inner circle.
Their reactions were about what Maka had expected. Marie had clasped her hands together, not bothering to hide her excitement at this new development. Azusa’s brows were furrowed, but she was still sitting back calmly and waiting to hear what Maka had to say. Stein looked vaguely impressed, and maybe even a little smug as he shot a glance over towards Spirit in what seemed like a thinly veiled ‘told you so’ which the latter stoutly ignored.
Finally, at the end of the narrow, blood-red carpet that unfurled from the center of the back wall, a few feet away from their little gathering, stood the lone figure of Crona.
Crona had been looking increasingly uncomfortable throughout the proceedings – hugging their sword close to their chest, head downcast and curling in on themself. Like they were hoping to blot out all sound in the room and ignore as much of the meeting as possible until it was over. Never mind that it was a meeting about them and determining where they’d be sent. But Maka’s words seemed to pierce through that hazy, defensive veil they’d built up, and they flinched; eyes widening as they stared down at the tiled floor in stunned silence.
“Maka dear, please be a little more reasonable about this. A few months of good behavior is all well and good, it’s why we’re even having this meeting. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to…” He trailed off, sensing there was no way he could voice his thoughts in a way that wouldn’t further incite his daughter’s anger. “Going to…”
“Going to what?” Maka shot back, glaring at him again over her shoulder.
Spirit wrung his hands, sounding like he was having an equally hard time wringing the words out. “Going to place my daughter’s life in the hands of some kid we barely know.”
And there it was. Nothing new, nothing she hadn’t been expecting. But after years and years of persistent badgering – insisting she needed to pick someone, insisting she needed the extra protection – now she had to hear that her choice was a bad call.
Maka kept her gaze steady, but there was still a ticking undercurrent of anger; like fingers flicking the ignition on a lighter that hadn’t quite sparked a flame. “I do know Crona. I know them better than any of you do.”
Her dad heaved a sigh and bent forward, looking down at the hands clasped together in his lap. “And that’s exactly what worries me. How do we know the goal here isn’t to get close to you? Maybe that’s been their aim since the beginning.”
“As loathe as I am to agree with your father-“ Azusa cut in, and Spirit made a startled choking noise. “This does seem a bit rash to me, Maka. If it wasn’t a captured enemy combatant from the Witch’s Kingdom, I’d be willing to defer to your judgement. As it stands, you could be putting yourself in a very vulnerable position.”
Maka was used to Azusa playing the devil’s advocate, and it was only natural she’d do the same here. Still, Maka didn’t find herself bothered by it. Some things needed to be said and addressed out loud, even if it was unpleasant. At least when it came from Azusa, it felt more like careful consideration and an offering for counterargument. There was a sense of respect. And anyway, it was better than arguing with her dad in front of everyone.
“It wouldn’t be any riskier than these past few months. I’ve been alone with them in and out of the dungeon plenty of times.”
“I won’t deny that.” Azusa adjusted her glasses, leveling her with a calm, even gaze. “But being your knight, they’d need to be granted greater access to the castle. Security details on how best to protect and attend to you. They’d have more access to you too. Naturally, that would also mean everything in the prince’s quarters, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
On either side of her, Maka could swear she saw both Crona and her father flinch.
“Yeah. And I wouldn’t be asking if it was someone I didn’t trust with that access. If it’s the prince’s quarters, that should be my call, shouldn’t it?”
“And the rest of the guard duties?”
“If you’re worried about the castle, I won’t argue. But we can take it slow. I’ve been on my own all this time, so it wouldn’t make much difference to have a knight without any security detail.”
Azusa breathed out a small sigh, shaking her head and looking faintly amused. “Already asking us to bend the rules, huh?”
“Oh, just let them do it!” Marie had stepped forward, unable to stay quiet any longer. “We all know Crona’s a good kid. I’m vouching for them, one hundred percent.”
“Because they never say no when you ask them to help out in the kitchen?” Azusa turned that same amused expression over towards her, raising an eyebrow.
“And they help me find my way back to the storehouse whenever I get turned around. But it’s more than that, you know?” Marie smiled knowingly, folding her hands behind her back. “I never thought I’d see Maka so excited to pick someone out. There’s no way we can turn her down after she finally found someone.”
As Marie turned her gaze towards Maka, she felt her face heating up. Was ‘excited’ really how she was coming across this whole time…? It sure didn’t feel like it, but…then again, she had been getting pretty worked up.
Spirit, on the other hand, was looking increasingly deflated as the conversation carried on, sinking down further into his seat on the throne. “You guys…Why do I get the feeling you’re all out to make me the bad guy? Look, if we’re talking ‘taking things slow’ we don’t have to make things official today one way or another. How about we…take some more time? Maybe try things out first instead?”
Any of the tension that had been starting to ease off Maka snapped right back into place. “How much more do you need? It’s been months already. More time in the dungeons isn’t going to change anything. It’s not going to help you build up any trust if they’re stuck sitting around. I’m not letting you send them back there again.”
“I-I’m not saying it has to be the dungeons! But do they have to be your knight?”
“You already vetoed all your own stupid ideas. You don’t want to send them too far away so you can keep an eye on them. But you don’t want to put them in any position here either.”
Sensing that things had taken a turn, Spirit seemingly decided to spring to the heart of the matter. “Maka, you can pick anyone you want in the whole Scythe Kingdom! Anyone in Death City, anyone from the Star Clan! Even any of the Death Scythes! Does it really need to be this kid? Right here? Right now?”
“Yeah.” She turned herself around fully to face her dad this time. “It does.”
…
“A ‘personal’ knight? Is that different than a regular one…?” Crona had tilted their head, cheek resting against the pillow squeezed between their arms from their seat on the bed.
Maka heaved a sigh, swapping out some of the books she’d loaned Crona with new ones. The little shelf had been gradually filling up more and more with Maka’s visits. Each time she brought new volumes to series Crona liked, books from the same author, completely new things to try --- Crona read everything she brought. With the shelf full, she’d started bringing other things too, little potted plants from her own room, extra pillows and blankets for the bed. It helped to ease up the oppressive atmosphere of the dark room they’d stuffed Crona into.
“They’re more like personal bodyguards, really. All the royal family members are supposed to pick one, but I keep putting it off.”
“Oh.” Crona mumbled into the pillow, knees pressing tighter together. They seemed to mull over her words for a bit before deciding to ask “You…don’t want one?”
Volume 3 of ‘A Knight’s Errand’ was pulled off the second shelf, and Maka slid the fourth into its empty space. She paused at the question, frowning down at the stack of books piled on the floor next to her. Talking to Crona about it wasn’t a problem, but it was a bit of a sore subject with a lot of weird history behind it. What was the best way of getting into it without dumping too much onto her friend all at once…?
She hummed as she pressed her thumb into the sharp edge of the corner of the book.
“It’s not that I totally hate the idea, but….I guess my main issue is--- whoever they are, they’re gonna be around me all the time. So I can’t pick just anyone.”
“You can’t?”
Maka flashed a grin up at them. “No way! You wouldn’t either, right? Imagine if you had someone like the doc following you around everywhere.”
A shudder passed through Crona, and they squeezed their pillow hard enough it looked like it might burst. “N-no…! No thank you...”
“See?” Maka laughed as she returned to her self-imposed shelf organizing duties. “You know, Stein’s not as scary as he seems. But I still wouldn’t want him around me all the time.”
“Then, there’s not anyone around here like that?” There was something like apprehension in Crona’s voice. That itself wasn’t unusual, but she was still a bit surprised to hear it. She watched from the corner of her eye as they twirled their forefinger down into the fabric of the bedsheet and quietly trailed off. “That you want around you all the time…”
“Hmm. It’s more than that. I want someone I get along with for sure. But I also-…“ She bit her lip, stewing over the words. There was a lot she wanted, and some of it was simple and easy enough to pinpoint. She wanted a friend. Someone she could count on. Someone who wouldn’t treat her like a damsel in distress. But a personal knight was supposed to be more than that; it was someone you shared your life with. There was a small twister of feelings in her heart – a turmoil of thoughts associated with the knight selection process that stormed around inside of her. It felt at once like a hokey, outdated process and at the same time a sincere, intimate gesture of mutual trust and connection.
Crona’s brow was starting to furrow with worry from how long she’d been quiet. Eventually, Maka smiled as she slotted another book into the shelf. “I want it to be special. Someone special to me.”
…
The two of them had come to a standstill. Eyes locked, posture stiff and unmoving. Maka couldn’t see Crona from where she stood, but she could feel their presence behind her. Up until that moment, they’d been shrinking in on themself, trying to be as small and unnoticeable as possible. Now she could feel the weight of their gaze on her back.
But for the moment, Crona stayed quiet, and it was someone else who broke through the tense silence in the air.
Ever since she’d first put this idea on the table, Stein had stuck to silently observing from the side; carrying his typical air of nonchalance as he leaned against his throne rather than sitting on it. At Maka’s latest declaration, he broke out into a wide smirk, letting his head tilt to the side as he glanced down at Spirit.
“You know, it’s not such a terrible idea.”
Suffering blow after blow from his companions in the room, Spirit gawked at his partner with a look of betrayal. “Stein, what the hell? Aren’t you supposed to be taking my side here?!”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Since when?”
“Since we’re married? Since we’re supposed to be showing a united front?”
“Not likely.”
“Oh come on!”
Stein rolled his eyes. He was, of course, overly familiar by now with both sides of this age-old family argument. “You never shut up about wanting Maka to have a ‘proper’ bodyguard. And in this case –“ he pointed to Crona. “you couldn’t ask for a better one. Don’t you think?”
That was one fact no one could argue with. Not in the least because several people in the room had fought against Crona in the past. Their strength was undeniable.
“Well…” Spirit shot a glance over towards Crona, seeming to weigh the options in his mind – imagining what a best case scenario might look like. Lowering his head again, eventually he mumbled out a response. “That’s…only if it works out like we want it to.”
With a shrug, Stein stood up straight, tucking his hands into his pockets. “As it stands, we don’t have better alternatives anyway. You don’t want to make them a soldier or give them a job at the castle for the same reasons you don’t want them to be Maka’s knight. At least in terms of duties, this is more of a lax position.”
“I…hear what you’re saying, but…” Another sigh. There were always cracks in the wall, but Stein knew exactly where to put the hammer and nails.
“Don’t worry so much. I think we can all make some compromises today. I’ll fit our little would-be knight with some portable magic suppressants for the time being. Maka should be able to handle anything worse than that, huh? We’ll figure out the details later.” He gave Spirit a hearty clap on the back and then turned over his shoulder to meet Maka’s gaze. “How’s that sound to you?”
A magic suppressant wasn’t exactly the ideal outcome, but Maka knew better than to push too hard when she was already asking for a lot. She folded her arms and nodded. “As long as Crona’s ok with it, fine.”
Burying his face in his hands, Spirit’s shoulders sagged. “Alright, alright. I can already see I’m not walking out of this one. Stein, if you’ll handle it, I’ll trust you.” After a moment, he hesitantly raised his head again, looking towards his daughter. His lips wobbled like he was in danger of bursting into tears. “Maka honey, I’m sorry we have to go through this when you finally found someone. I really am. We’ll…go ahead with it, alright?”
Small pinpricks of irritation buzzed in the back of Maka’s mind. Of course, it was only after Stein intervened that her dad budged. But she didn’t want to waste time stewing in it. A yes was a yes. Letting her temper get the better of her even after she’d gotten her way would be no better than a child throwing a fit. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply as she tried to level her anger.
Not hearing an answer right away, Spirit strained to try and fill the gaps in the conversation. “You know, if your swordsman really is who you think they are, your papa will be happy for you…”
“I know…thanks, dad.”
Her voice still came out a bit curt, but as she opened her eyes, Maka saw her dad giving her a hopeful little smile – still wracked with nerves, but a genuine one. That was probably as good of an outcome as she could’ve hoped for, and she didn’t really want to think about it beyond that. Dealing with her dad could come later. Right now, coming to the end of the whole affair, Crona was the one she wanted to give her full attention to.
As she turned to face them, Maka found pale grey eyes waiting for her. And in that same instant, all her feelings of bravado were washed away.
It was unusually hard to get a read on Crona’s expression. Their eyes were wide with some subdued shock, but beyond that – …she realized that for the first time in a long while, didn’t even have a clue what they might be thinking.
It was stupid to realize it so late, but…maybe she’d gotten too carried away. The whole idea had been an on-the-fly decision when the meeting started going downhill. When it looked like they were running out of options that wouldn’t involve sending Crona away, locking them up again, or sticking them with something they’d hate. As soon as Maka had said it, she knew without a doubt it was what she wanted.
But Crona…? For all she knew, this idea was an equally horrible one. And now she was putting them on the spot in front of this little group of royalty.
Maka started to step forward – walking until everyone else was behind her, out of her field of vision, and creating the illusion that it was only the two of them here.
“Crona, I…I’m sorry I went and said all that without getting the chance to talk with you first. But I…really do mean it. All of it.”
Crona’s fingers twitched against the hilt of their sword, but they otherwise didn’t respond. It seemed like they were in a daze, but it wasn’t the typical ‘frozen from fear’ responses she’d seen before. The anxiousness in Maka wound its way around inside her like thorned vines – pricking her heart, her lungs, her throat as it squeezed in tight.
“Just tell me whatever you think.” She took another step closer, her voice coming out much smaller than before. “Even if you say no, I’m not going to be mad, ok? I promise.”
At those last few words, Crona flinched ever so slightly, seeming to snap out of their daze. As Maka finished, they sucked in a breath, their expression hardening.
They took a knee, draping their free arm across it while the other turned the dark blade to stick the sword’s tip down into the ground. Their eyes didn’t leave Maka’s until they lowered their head in a deep bow. It was a movement that carried the confidence and grace she’d only seen Crona exhibit whenever they’d been fighting. And when they spoke, their voice rang out loud and clear.
“If you wish it, Lady Maka, then I’m yours.”
A ripple of cold, hushing quiet swept across the room, muffling even the smallest sounds into stillness and silence.
For a meeting that was supposed to be about Crona, those were the first words they’d uttered the entire time. And maybe because of that, it already felt like it’d been quite a while since she’d heard Crona’s voice. But that made the impact of those words hit all the harder
In an instant, she was brought back to their last encounter on the battlefield, what felt like a lifetime ago now. Visions of a water-less beach, cracked and dry. Of the tides that had come rushing in when they’d connected.
Those same waves seemed to flood up to Maka now – crashing high onto the shore without any warning, and suddenly she was waist deep in water. They were the waters of an ocean still chilled by a recently ended winter, and the tides seemed to beckon her, threatening to pull her in along with them.
She clenched her fist into the folds of fabric against her chest, trying to steady the shiver that raced through her.
Was this----- what Crona was like when they knew they wanted something? And that ‘something’ was being with her?