Chapter 1: The Toast
Chapter Text
Chilchuck looked around the table and saw that all his friends were there. It was an early summer evening and a small feast had been set out in the gardens behind the castle. A breeze rustled the leaves of the citrus trees and their branches swayed and dropped sweet-smelling flowers on the hair of his daughters.
The wine flowed and there was food aplenty. Everyone was talking happily, eased as much by wine as by fondness after not having seen each other for so long. The men nodded pleasantly as the women laughed, their voices tinkling like silver on glass.
He let his gaze meander toward the sea. The sun had yet to set and it glowed gently over the water, waiting for the stars to come. Before them, the lawn rolled gently down a slope - a tapestry in emerald green dotted with small, yellow-white flowers. Children rolled on the grass, laughing and shrieking among the bushes as they chased an overexcited dog.
Laios sat at the head of the table. An hour or so beforehand, the guests rose to their feet as he made his entrance. The young King blushed as he turned and led Marcille in front of him. Chilchuck noticed that she was nervous, and that she took his hand with a giddy sort of happiness.
Something in that simple gesture made Chilchuck uneasy and his old aversion to party romance reared its head. Laios had not been this solicitous to Marcille the last time they had sat down to a meal together, and he wondered what had changed. In any case, Chilchuck was determined to mind his own business. He was only a guest after all, and their dungeon delving days were long over.
Laios motioned for everyone to sit down, but several guests paid him no heed. Senshi drew himself up to his full height so he could reach out and pat his old party leader on the back. Instead, he found himself being enfolded in both Laios's and Marcille's arms.
Izutsumi sized them both up but only allowed Marcille a brief embrace before slipping back to her seat.
Namari – a little awestruck – did not seem sure what to do before Marcille bent down and gave her a warm hug.
“That Marcille…” Namari said as she hid her blushes and returned to her spot beside Tansu Floke and Yarn Floke.
And so it went, even with people whom Chilchuck assumed Laios and Marcille saw almost everyday. The King clasped Kabru’s hand while – to his surprise – Marcille and Mithrun kissed each others’ cheeks.
Yaad the Chief Minister was also there but he seemed a bit distracted as he smiled and clapped Laios on the shoulder.
Even the Orc leader Zon and his sister were there, and with them a young Orc who was introduced as Leed's husband. Marcille clasped Leed’s hands with her own and began speaking to her intently.
Chilchuck waited until everyone had filed past. It appeared that Laios had even invited the adventurers from the Dungeon’s second floor – the Tallman Doni and his Half-elven wife Fionil – both of whom seemed a bit daunted by the other attendees.
“Dad, why are you waiting so long?” Flertom asked, smiling through gritted teeth. He looked at his middle daughter and thought she looked especially lovely this evening with her flowery dress and matching shoes. Of all his children she resembled her mother the most.
Meijack, his eldest, was being even more quiet than usual as she shifted uncomfortably in her boyish clothes.
“Dad, I need to talk to you,” she said right before they arrived but he had shushed her by saying they were already late.
Meanwhile Puckpatti was transfixed. She had nurtured a little crush on Laios since their family was first invited to dinner and he showed genuine interest in her work. It proved a very unappetizing discussion for everyone else, but Patti was undeniably smitten. So when her father still hesitated, she pinched him in his side. Hard.
“Owwww!” Chilchuck yelled. “Okay, okay. Behave yourselves.” He said as they made their way toward their hosts.
Laios’s face broke into a wide smile when he saw the Tims draw near.
“Chilchuck!” He exclaimed as he leaned into an awkward half-standing, half bending position. Fortunately, Laios was only wearing a light cape so he did not smother the father of three when he put his arms around him.
“Yeah, so how's it going?” Chilchuck said distractedly as he watched his daughters curtsy before Marcille while she began to aggressively fawn over them.
“My goodness, how lovely you all look!” She gushed, producing daisy garlands from her sleeve pockets and placing them on the half foot women’s necks.
They’re fully grown! Chilchuck wanted to snap. He’d forgotten how annoying Marcille could be, and he felt his hackles rising. Just because Half-foots were smaller didn't mean that the other races could treat them like children. And his daughters’ conduct – with the exception of Meijack’s – did nothing to discourage this sort of behavior.
Chilchuck was about to intervene when he felt a large right hand on his shoulder.
“Chilchuck, I’m sorry,” Laios said softly. “But you know how Marcille gets around kids - she sometimes forgets herself.”
He looked up at Laios and saw sadness in his eyes. When he turned toward Marcille, he saw that she was sitting on her heels and asking Flertom about how she made her dress, while Puckpatti shyly stole glances in Laios’s direction. Meanwhile, Meijack shot him a look that said, Help!
Chilchuck was barely an adult when he became a father, so while he loved his daughters, he also saw them as a huge responsibility. He remembered watching his friends carouse while he had to hurry home because Meijack was ill. The sleepless nights when his wife was exhausted from feeding, when he had to carry both a baby and a toddler and walk endless circles around their block so they would somehow fall asleep. How the neighbors would yell because of the endless crying.
And yet here was Marcille. She would never lose sleep anxiously waiting for a fever to go down, but she would also miss out on seeing a child take their first step. She would never see one slowly grow up and become their own person, with their own character, quirks and predilections.
Chilchuck sighed heavily and touched Laios’s hand to indicate that he understood. “I’m a very lucky man.” he said as Laios smiled.
When the pleasantries were over, he and his daughters returned to their assigned seats, which – to Flertom’s delight – happened to be right opposite Senshi's.
“Where’s Falin?” Chilchuck asked suddenly, sensing that Izutsumi was about to sidle up to him for warmth.
“She’s still on her travels,” Senshi replied. “Last week, she sent me some very interesting ingredients from Wa Island and I used them to create a special dessert for tonight. I would have liked to prepare the main course for this feast as well, but Laios insisted that I come as a guest.”
“Guess she’s still visiting with Shuro, eh?” Chilchuck replied as Namari’s ears perked up.
“Yeah, I heard his Dad died so she really couldn’t leave before they buried him.” She said.
“My dear,” Mrs. Yarn Floke interrupted in her usual gentle manner, “I don’t think we should talk about such things at this time.”
The Gnome Priestess began to chant a spell to dispel bad luck and restore levity to the proceedings but she needn't have bothered. At that very moment, the Golden Country’s Vintner arrived with several bottles of Melini’s finest wine.
Until then, the guests had been grazing from plates filled with fruit and nuts and bread and cheese. But when Remi the chamberlain poured everyone a glass, a few snuck in a sip while they sniffed the wine’s bouquet. Those who did remarked that they could barely taste the alcohol, even as it made them pleasantly lightheaded.
“This is your best yet.” Zon grunted enthusiastically to the winemaker who turned almost as pale as the vintage he was serving.
“It’s the same wine as the one we served at Captain Leed’s wedding.” He insisted as beads of sweat quickly formed on his brow. “The only difference is that it’s been in the barrel slightly longer. The cellars were pretty dry this year so we could keep it for another month.”
Zon looked at his sister proudly as she spoke to her new husband. How long has it been since the great wedding feast? Only one month and yet it seemed like a lifetime ago. Now Orcs could walk the streets of Melini with their heads held high. And while there were still stares and whispers about how his people had forgotten their place, Zon felt reassured by the sight of his own son playing on the grass with the children of the Golden Castle.
He had grown so much in just three years and was already starting to lose his stripes. How long would it be before Leed would bear her own children and they would play in these same gardens with their cousin? Zon must have been talking aloud to himself, because Leed had fixed him with a stare that made her feelings on the matter quite clear.
The guests continued to chat while another smaller table was set up for the children – this one piled high with snacks and little bites and pitchers of chilled juice made from the last winter fruit. The rules were relaxed so the young ones could play and eat whenever they pleased. Meanwhile the adults grazed and took furtive sips from their wine glasses until the first course arrived and everyone turned their attention to their meal.
“Everyone, please dig in!” Laios exhorted as everyone uncovered their appetizers.
Chilchuck was pleased to discover that the first course was a mixed seafood tartare served on a bed of fresh lettuce and tomatoes. For the guests who weren’t too keen on sashimi, small bricks filled with hot coals had been set at the center of the table so they could grill their fish and crustaceans after brushing them with a sweet, citrusy sauce.
The smell of charcoal in the evening breeze reminded the guests of when they used to run down to the beach to eat freshly-grilled sardines after the first catch came in. One by one, their eyes began to mist over - but they weren't sure if it was from nostalgia or from the smoke.
Chilchuck realized that a good ale would be the perfect accompaniment to this meal, but he didn’t want to seem too greedy. After all, he had just had a full glass of uncommonly good wine. It was so fresh, fruity and incredibly light that he did not think to warn his daughters that they were not drinking juice.
“Dad,” Meijack said as she turned to Chilchuck after finishing her course. While the cutlery was the perfect size for Half-foots, the portions were not, so Meijack arranged her knife and fork to indicate that she would not be taking a second course.
“Did your friend say that he had received some ingredients from the Eastern Islands?” She said as she tilted her head in Senshi’s direction. The Dwarven cook was still eating his first course with a calm deliberation, as though he was figuring out how to improve it.
“Yes, that’s what he said.” Chilchuck replied.
“So there must be a ship that arrives and leaves each week?” Meijack pressed.
“Not sure about the shipping routes, but I think you’re better off asking that guy over there.” Chilchuck pointed toward the brown-skinned, blue-eyed Tallman who sat between the Chief Minister and the former Captain of the Canaries.
“No one does more traveling than Kabru, so he would be familiar with both the shipping and transport routes and schedules.”
Meijack looked excited, more than she had ever been, in fact. This unusual behaviour put Chilchuck on edge and made him wonder what his eldest daughter was planning. But as his eyes lighted on Kabru who was his usual ebullient self, Chilchuck noticed that Yaad was strangely silent. The Chief Minister picked restlessly at his meal – after taking a bite, he would sigh and stare off into space.
Whenever Laios or Marcille tried to engage him in conversation, he would smile and nod, but otherwise Yaad seemed quite far away. Chilchuck began to wonder if the veil that was said to tether him and the rest of the citizens of the Golden Country to this existence was finally beginning to lift.
Rather selfishly, the Half-foot’s first thought was to try and persuade the Vintner to pass on his secrets and techniques - for it would be a tragedy if their gathering would be the last to enjoy his wine. He wondered what life would be like for those who had yet to experience the brilliant haze in which Chilchuck found himself - a cocoon-like warmth that blunted the sting of his sharp senses and made him feel nothing but good will toward his fellow human beings.
After everyone had finished the first course, the servants came to remove the bricks, plates and cutlery. Yaad seemed to retreat within himself for several minutes before he rose from his seat. It was not necessary to call everyone’s attention, for the former ruler of Melini still knew how to command a room. The guests quieted down as Yaad bowed slightly and began to speak.
“I wish to express my thanks to King Laios and Lady Marcille for inviting me to this feast,” he said, pausing to find his smile.
“What an honor it is to see you all again – those of you who have had a hand in the Kingdom’s restoration!”
He raised his glass to the assembled guests. Seated at this table were no less than three former Dungeon Lords – one of whom had barely escaped with his life and sanity intact, another who had proved herself powerful enough to challenge the Mad Mage, and of course one who not only defeated the Mad Mage but an ancient Demon as well. The rest were adventurers who had had a part in this remarkable achievement, and thus deserved Melini’s eternal gratitude. And yet to someone like Yaad who had lived for more than a thousand years, even the oldest of them seemed like mere children.
He did not understand why the Flokes were there, nor why Captain Leed and her brother and husband were asked to come. But it was no longer his decision to make. Over the past month he noticed that he was being asked to join the Council less and less, and while it was perhaps because the King had finally found his footing, he could not help but feel like a mother bird who had worked tirelessly to feed her young, only to watch them fledge and fly off without even a backwards glance.
“As you know I am quite old,” at these words, both the Chamberlain and the Vintner nodded somberly. “And an old man knows when he should take his rest and let the young ones take the reins. So I would like to announce that I am stepping back from my duties as Chief Minister.”
Kabru and the citizens of the Golden Country did not seem alarmed by this news, but those who glanced at Laios and Marcille could see that they were taken by surprise.
“The Governor will find this interesting,” Tansu the Gnome whispered to his wife as he straightened himself in his chair, but Yarn pretended not to hear.
Yaad lifted his glass towards the head of the table, “King Laios, it was an honor to serve you.”
As everyone drank a toast in Laios’s honor, the King rose abruptly from his seat. Chilchuck saw several expressions flash quickly across Laios’s face – sadness, surprise, perhaps even a hint of resentment – before it settled into a kind of acceptance. He approached Yaad and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Thank you, Yaad.” He said through tears. “Thank you.”
There were also tears in the old man’s eyes when he pulled away and said, “Be a good King, Laios Touden.”
A few more words were spoken before Marcille came up and Yaad took her hand in his and said, “Use your time wisely.”
Before she could ask him what he meant, Yaad bid goodbye to the assembled guests.
“I meant it when I said I needed to take a rest. I’ll leave you young people to it.”
Then, it was Laios’s turn to raise a glass and the rest of the gathering joined him.
“To Yaad!” His voice resounded throughout the garden, along with that of the guests who had joined in the toast.
Over and over they hailed Yaad’s name and that of his family. The wind carried their triumphant voices down from the castle mount and into the valley where it ambled gently toward the sea. As time passed, the sound grew fainter and fainter until the night air was once again filled with silence.
Chapter 2: The Announcement
Summary:
A little wine goes a long way.
Chapter Text
After Yaad’s departure, the party became a lot more relaxed.
Perhaps it was because everyone reflexively held their breath in the former ruler’s presence that they now exhaled collectively.
Perhaps it was because the sky had now faded from a fiery orange to a star-sprinkled deep blue - which meant that the children could now be led indoors for their baths and bedtime stories. Countless kisses were demanded and given, and a few parents that still felt uneasy over leaving their children in the care of the servants took their leave. Zon was one of them.
With the garden now strangely silent, the dog – realizing that his play companions had gone – whimpered and howled before he crawled underneath the table where he could comfort himself with table scraps and Laios’s reassurances that he had been a very good boy.
Perhaps it was because most of the guests were already on their fifth or sixth glass, and they were now beginning to feel the wine's less salubrious effects. With a group now mostly comprised of former dungeon delvers, stories from their adventuring days flew back and forth as the servants began setting plates for the main course.
Namari raucously recalled how she and Senshi captured and killed an Undine. Kabru held forth on how he had forced himself to eat monsters to convince Laios that he was on his side. Everyone held a vote on who could defeat this monster or that, and Izutsumi recounted the story of how she alone was able to defeat the succubi.
“I’m not a beast, but I’m not a human either,” she said proudly. “So it’s nearly impossible for a succubus to know which heart I’m using at any moment.”
“But what if one has no heart?” asked Mithrun. “What would the succubus do then?”
At that instant, everyone looked to Laios to decide the matter. It would seem that for the first time, they were genuinely interested in what he had to say on this particular topic.
“So Laios, how would you settle this?” Izutsumi demanded, but the former party leader surprisingly demurred.
“I don’t think I’m qualified to give an opinion on this matter. I didn’t even stand a chance against my succubus.”
A little in his cups, Laios glanced longingly at Marcille who was in deep conversation with Puckpatti. It was a look that was certainly not lost on Chilchuck.
At this point, the torches were lit and several small candles were placed on the table. The guests continued their conversation, with some even switching seats for the main course. Chilchuck found that Meijack had been replaced by Mithrun, who had ceded his chair so his daughter could interrogate Kabru.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” he said to his new seatmate who simply shrugged.
Despite finishing his appetizer, Chilchuck realized that the grilled seafood might not have been enough to soak up all the alcohol he had imbibed. He must have been really drunk, because he only just realized that Mithrun was wearing glasses, and that the former Canary seemed to be winking at him with his one good eye.
As Chilchuck searched for a carafe of water, he saw that Laios and Marcille were now holding hands in full view of all the guests. He was talking to her softly and smiling in that shy way of his that drove the village girls to distraction. Marcille seemed embarrassed by something and kept her head bowed as she laughed softly.
He quickly glanced at his two daughters who remained on his side of the table. Puckpatti would remain oblivious to the display of affection while she argued with Flertom, who was staking her claim to Yaad’s seat.
“You can’t do that!” Puckpatti gasped.
“Why not? Meijack already switched, so why can’t I?”
Flertom gathered her skirts and stood up. She had set her sights on sitting next to Senshi and heaven help anything that stood between Flertom Chils and what she wanted. Fortunately, at that very moment, the servants arrived with the main course and Chilchuck's daughter was forced to sit down.
There was a collective gasp of relief as the guests uncovered their dishes and discovered that they would each be feasting on their personal favorites instead of monster du jour.
“I haven’t had honey-glazed sea salted ham in years!” Doni exclaimed, while Fionil gasped over her seafood chowder bread bowl.
Meanwhile, Mithrun and Meijack had to reach across the table and exchange dishes when the young Half-foot realized that she had been served handmade ramen in a rich tonkotsu broth. For her part, Marcille was thrilled to eat grilled squid again, though Laios blanched at the sight.
Chilchuck saw Kabru’s eyes watering when he saw that someone had taken the trouble to make him curry and flatbread in the classic Utaya style. Senshi likewise teared up when he realized he had been served Bulalo soup with hippogriff meat and marrow bones.
Chilchuck grumbled as he started digging into his beer-battered fish and chips. No doubt his former party mate was feeling generously disposed towards Laios and Marcille. If only he knew what those two were playing at. Were they feeding their guests exactly what they wanted so it would be easier for them to swallow whatever they were serving up later?
Senshi was seated right next to Laios. He could see everything that was happening, but he didn’t seem concerned at all.
“Let the young’uns have their fun,” the Dwarf would say. “They’re meant to enjoy life the same way we’re meant to enjoy this here meal - down to the very marrow.”
“Overindulgent fool,” Chilchuck said under his breath just as he noticed that Flertom was making eyes at his old party mate from across the table. Fortunately, her target was so focused on his soup that he didn’t even look up from his bowl.
Nevertheless, Chilchuck felt it was about time he intervened before Flertom made a fool of herself. He put down his napkin and was about to leave his seat when he felt Izutsumi pawing his arm.
“I’m bored,” she said. She had just finished her main course of steamed crabs and as far as she was concerned, nothing was going to surpass that experience.
Meanwhile, Flertom – who had an uncanny ability to detect when her father was too distracted – saw the perfect opportunity when Izutsumi leaned sleepily on Chilchuck's shoulder.
Ignoring her dish of summer vegetables in aspic, Flertom checked her reflection in a sterling silver spoon. But before she could lay siege to Senshi's defenses, she felt Puckpatti's hand on her arm.
"Fler," she said, shaking her head.
But Flertom would not be so easily dissuaded. Her eyes lighted on Laios and Marcille who were leaning rather conspiratorially toward each other. A smile slowly spread across Flertom's face.
"Patti, look," she said, pointing to her sister's seat mates. "Aren't those two looking cozy tonight?"
Puckpatti Chils - who had been minding her own business all this time - looked to her right and saw Laios whispering something into Marcille's ear that made her blush a deep red.
All at once Patti's world crumbled around her, but Flertom did not even notice because she had slipped under the table and came face to face with a very confused dog who yelped in surprise.
"Hey Ludo, hey boy. What's up?" Laios asked when he heard a great thump that made the glasses rattle. A few seconds later, a somewhat disheveled Flertom emerged with a lump on her forehead to claim Yaad's seat.
Meanwhile, Izutsumi was doing her best to persuade Chilchuck to leave the party.
“You have to come with me,” she insisted.
To where? Chilchuck wanted to ask. The last time he heard, Izutsumi had taken up residence on the palace roof.
“No thanks,” he said shortly. “Go find another person you can use as a futon. I need to rein in my daughters.”
Izutsumi sniffed. “Yeah well, it looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
She tilted her chin toward Flertom, who was now occupying the seat next to Senshi.
Chilchuck thought he was about to have a heart attack. He suddenly realized that Flertom and Puckpatti must have drunk as much wine as he did. And while they had all finished their first course, neither of them had even started their mains.
All those stupid toasts! And in Tallmen-sized wine glasses because they didn’t want to cause offense! Chilchuck thought as he stood up too quickly.
“Whoa there,” Izutsumi said as Chilchuck swayed like a listing ship. As he fell, Mithrun caught him and helped him back into his seat, while Namari reached over and swiftly replaced Chilchuck’s goblet with a glass of water
It was in the midst of this commotion that Laios decided to get up and speak.
“My friends.” He declared, “Thank you so much for joining us on this fine summer evening. I'm really glad you could all make it on such short notice - although I regret that Yaad was not able to stay.”
Laios looked at Chilchuck and smiled. “I’ve asked you all here today because I wanted to share some very special news. I was planning on waiting until after dessert, but I think that if I put this off any longer, some of you might not be able to remain conscious.”
He waited for a few scattered laughs to die down before he continued.
"I hope you all enjoyed your meals. Marcille said that it was the least I could do, especially if I was going to ask everyone who was important to me to come to an impromptu banquet and do me a small favour."
"I knew it!" Chilchuck said to himself as he held his head in his hands.
"The truth is, I also wanted to serve each and every one of you a special meal as a token of my thanks, because I've lost count of the times when you’ve done something that you didn't like for my sake, or for my sister's sake. Even when it seemed I was asking for too much, you still said yes. And I’m hoping that you’ll say yes one more time.”
At this point, Laios bit his lip to steady himself.
“Anyway, the good news is that Falin is coming home! I have it on good authority that the fast clipper from the Eastern Islands is due to arrive tomorrow morning.”
Everyone was genuinely pleased with this news and Laios was gratified to hear some of the guests even cheering, but he raised his hand to ask for silence so he could continue before he lost his nerve.
"Unfortunately, Falin will only be with us for a short while since she plans to continue her travels. So I wanted to ask if you could all join us for another special occasion tomorrow. There's room enough in the castle for everyone to stay over."
The guests were more than a little puzzled by Laios’s request. Only the ones who came from afar and knew they would be drinking had brought extra clothing. And while the next day was a weekend, did it not occur to their hosts that they may have had other plans?
"Young man, what are you up to?" Mr. Tansu demanded as he stood up unsteadily. "Have you brought us here under false pretenses?"
"In a way," Laios admitted. "The truth is, my sister is indeed coming home and I really, really wish you would all still be here tomorrow."
"But why all the fuss and secrecy if she's only making a stop?" Namari asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to stay and not just because Falin's coming back, but is there something you're not telling us?’’
At this point, Marcille could no longer bear to remain silent. She stood up beside Laios and blurted out, "It's because I asked Falin to be my maid of honor."
Leed gasped aloud while a few guests covered their mouths with their hands. However, most of the party-goers were too far gone to understand the implication, so Laios decided to finally spell it out.
“Friends, Marcille and I are getting married tomorrow."
Suddenly, a sharp wail pierced everyone’s ears. With mounting terror, Chilchuck realized that it had come from Puckpatti.
The sound was so unexpected that some of the guests began to laugh uncomfortably, while others began to guffaw outright. Flertom was ready to lunge across the table and murder her youngest sister for her outburst, but both Meijack and Senshi stood up to restrain her. Meijack looked towards her father for instructions, but he was too stunned to say or do anything.
For his part, Laios froze for a solid minute. He didn’t move, he didn’t speak and he didn’t even blink while Puckpatti, in a flood of tears, rose from her chair and ran off towards the gardens. Fortunately, Marcille had enough presence of mind to follow her.
Throughout all this, Kabru remained silent. He assessed the situation and determined that the best way to spare Chilchuck and his family from further embarrassment was to deflect the negative attention onto someone who was used to it and could therefore better handle it.
“And THAT'S why you don't get engaged to Laios Touden.”
When Mithrun saw that no one seemed to get the joke, he started laughing in a totally wooden and unconvincing way and soon enough, the rest of the guests were laughing of their own accord.
With the tension broken, the guests rose from their seats to offer their congratulations and to drink another toast to the King and his soon-to-be, although currently absent, bride.
Chapter 3: The Dragon Dung Seller
Summary:
Puckpatti Chils finds out what she's really made of.
Chapter Text
There were days when Puckpatti Chils couldn’t wash the smell of dragon dung from her hands, but it was something that she had learned to accept.
As the youngest daughter, she did not get as much attention from her parents as her twin sisters. When she cried, they did not rush to her side as quickly. Nor did they seem as upset whenever she fell down and scuffed her knees.
It was not for any lack of love but for the simple fact that her parents were too exhausted to be as anxious for her happiness and safety. By the time Puckpatti was a year old, any hopes that her parents would make up for their lack of attention were dashed when her father became a seasoned dungeon delver.
While Chilchuck could go on longer expeditions and earn more money for his growing family, it also meant that the responsibility of raising all three daughters mainly fell on his wife. Thus from an early age, Puckpatti learned not to expect too much from her family, and consequently from life.
“It’s going to burn you someday.” Chilchuck warned, but by then Patti had become too much of a blithe spirit to heed the worry in her father’s voice.
In many ways however, her easy going nature had been Puckpatti’s saving grace. She was not high-strung like her father, nor did she ever feel stymied by life like her mother. And because she had very few hopes and even less ambition, she was never disappointed. So she watched in helpless confusion while her parents tore themselves up with their own restlessness.
When the time came for Puckpatti to support herself, the only job she could find in the village was as a dragon dung seller. It was the lowest of the professions that were available to Half-foots, but a job was a job.
Her mother and Flertom sat her down and explained that her choice would affect not just her, but her sisters’ chances of finding suitable husbands as well. However, Chilchuck shot down their objections by saying, “Would you rather Patti go into the dungeon and become succubus bait?”
Thus, Puckpatti passed her days selling dragon dung in the village that had sprung up around the dungeon. She worked in a tiny stall located between a blacksmith’s forge and an animal surgery that would tan the hide of any creatures it couldn’t save.
On account of her profession, Patti was not allowed to eat in the food hall, nor could she go into the market proper or any area where they sold produce – even though the dung she sold was used to make those very same fruits and vegetables grow.
At first, she was taken aback by these restrictions but she eventually accepted them. Day after day, she would carry her small lunch bag as she walked to her stall from the small rooming house where she stayed with her sisters – placidly ignoring any strangers who would ask her how many times she had to wash her hands before she could eat.
Nevertheless, Puckpatti served her customers honestly, efficiently and cheerfully. Anyone who regularly did business with her felt that she was being wasted on such low work, but Patti didn’t think that her lot needed improving, so she stuck with it.
The one thing that did bother Puckpatti was her stall neighbor. Whenever the blacksmith got drunk, he would hurl abuse at her and claim that the stench of dragon dung hurt his business. In truth, customers avoided him on account of his dishonesty and foul disposition. To stay on his good side, Puckpatti would give him whatever dung was left at the end of the day to use when his coal ran out. The blacksmith would complain that it would ruin his hearth, but he would still take her peace offering and Patti could continue to ignore his outbursts.
Then one day, a few months after her father had retired from adventuring, she received an invitation to dine at the Golden Castle. She had heard that her father was acquainted with the King of Melini, but she was still confused. Puckpatti asked her sisters Flertom and Meijack if they had also been invited, and they confirmed that they were. But she still wasn’t sure, so she went to see her father at his locksmith’s shop in Kahka Brud.
“Marcille keeps bugging me to introduce you girls to her. Don’t ask me why.” He said with an exasperated sigh.
For Puckpatti, this was the most extraordinary thing – how could a humble picklock like her father be on a first name basis with people who lived in a palace? For the first time, she asked him to describe what his former party mates were like, and Chilchuck began rattling off their good and bad qualities.
“Marcille’s our mage – she’s really handy with attack spells and books, but she’s also very clumsy. I think she’s too much of a perfectionist for her own good.
“Izutsumi is a Beastman who joined our party pretty late. She’s half-cat and half-human, but she basically behaves like a stray and does whatever she pleases.
“Senshi is a warrior who’s also an excellent cook. He was part of a group of dwarven miners when he was young, so I doubt that he was ever respectable.
“Falin is our cleric. She's just as skilled with wielding a mace as she is with healing, but she's a little too flighty and distracted if you ask me."
But when it came to describing their former party leader, Chilchuck could not seem to find the right words. He would start talking, but each time he tried, he would trip over his own tongue. In the end, he simply offered his youngest daughter some words of advice.
“When you meet Laios, just try not to be too put off .” He said. “Because he’s really, really WEIRD.”
Puckpatti became intrigued. She couldn’t imagine a more unlikely group of people working with her father, yet this was the same party that had restored the Kingdom of Melini. And because she had never met any of them, they began to take on heroic proportions in her mind.
For the first time, Puckpatti worried that someone would be able to smell the stench of dragon dung on her clothes, her hair and her hands. So she borrowed an old dress from Flertom who told her she could keep it. “Or you could just burn it afterwards,” she suggested.
On the day of the dinner party, Puckpatti bought a very expensive flower bath and spent an hour soaking in it. When she felt she still could not get rid of the smell on her fingers, she bought a pair of scented gloves that cost more than what she made in a month.
When she arrived at the palace with her sisters, she was suitably impressed by the grandeur of the Golden Castle. She thought it would take most of the evening to walk its breadth and reach the dining hall.
When they got there however, Puckpatti was disappointed to see that her fellow guests were not that much different from the adventurers she used to see in the village. Perhaps the ladies were more refined and the men were better dressed, but on the whole the legendary Touden party failed to measure up to the image she had in her head.
Puckpatti began to feel foolish and thought that she had gone through all this fuss for nothing. So for most of the evening, she picked at her food and remained silent while Flertom and even Meijack ate and conversed easily with their father’s friends. Her mood was so different from her sisters’ that even Laios took notice.
He took Chilchuck aside and asked why his youngest daughter seemed especially shy that evening.
“Maybe it’s because you’re a Tallman,” he speculated. “Patti’s stall is right next to the blacksmith’s.”
“Ah, I see.” Laios replied.
But Marcille was already way ahead of him. Having sensed that Puckpatti was ill at ease, she decided that the best way to get Puckpatti out of her shell was to start by praising her exquisite gloves. When Izutsumi was about to say something about table manners being enforced for Beastmen while exceptions were made for Half-foots, Marcille shot her a look that immediately silenced any objection.
Fortunately, everyone chose to abide by the unspoken rule that no one was to ask Puckpatti about her job. That is, until Laios went ahead and did just that.
Everyone’s eyes were suddenly fixed on the former party leader, but Patti thought that they must be staring at her. She felt that she couldn’t refuse to answer such a direct question, and from the King himself. So in a small, almost inaudible voice, she replied that she was a dragon dung seller.
Patti braced herself for the awkward laughter and collective nose-wrinkling that she had come to expect after such a revelation. Instead, she was surprised to see Laios break into the biggest smile she had ever seen.
“Dragon dung? What an amazing coincidence!” He exclaimed. “As it happens, I’m studying various methods on how monster excreta can be processed into clean-burning fuel.”
Laios explained how the borders of the Golden Country would be littered with the stuff each spring, and how it could be harvested once the monsters moved on to follow their prey. He explained that dried dung was a lot less unpleasant to work with, and that a single solid brick of dehydrated dragon feces could produce enough energy to power a hearth for almost an entire day.
“Imagine being able to hold the equivalent of a cord of firewood in one hand. Think of all the trees we could save by utilizing a resource that is both plentiful and free!”
While the rest of the dinner guests quickly moved further down the table so they would be spared from such specifics, Puckpatti listened with rapt attention. She had always been told that her profession was disreputable, and that the best she could hope for was subsistence. Now here was someone – a King no less – telling her that not only would she be able to make a decent living, she would also be performing a public service.
By the end of the evening, Puckpatti had agreed to help sell the first dragon bricks manufactured in Melini. When Laios extended his hand so they could shake on it, he insisted that she take off her glove. Patti was once again unsure of herself, but Laios reassured her that there was nothing for her to be ashamed about.
“If you knew what I’ve been up to my arms in as an adventurer, you would be the one insisting that I wear gloves.” He laughed.
As Laios clasped her bare hand, Patti felt a slight jolt – like electricity passing from his palm to the tips of her dry, yellow-stained fingers.
“That happens sometimes when I get a bit excited.” Laios apologized.
On the carriage ride home, Puckpatti caught her father smiling to himself.
“That crazy...” he said almost admiringly before turning to his youngest daughter and asking, “What exactly did he say to you?”
She explained that Laios had invited her to move to Melini so she could sell dragon bricks. If the business was a success, then she could start employing the Half-foots who had lost their livelihood after the dungeon collapsed.
“Is this something that your Guild can help with?” Puckpatti asked her father with newfound confidence.
Puckpatti would think back on that dinner party as the point at which her life began to change rapidly. Within two weeks, she moved to Melini so she could live within walking distance of an old powder tower that had been converted to a storefront.
At first she missed her old routine – the peaceful predictability of living with her sisters and going to her village stall each day. There were indeed times when she felt overwhelmed by her new responsibilities, but somehow her father and his old friends would always find an excuse to drop by and help.
Chilchuck made sure that all the hinges, doors and locks were in good working condition, while Senshi – accustomed to living in small spaces – made adjustments to Puckpatti’s workspace so it would be comfortable and accessible for a person of her small stature.
For her part, Izutsumi stress-tested the premises and recommended security improvements, while Marcille and Falin cast powerful protective spells on the building and its new proprietor.
One day, just when she thought she was starting to get the hang of her new job, Puckpatti found that a large consignment of dragon bricks had been delivered while she was away. The conveyors had had no choice but to leave the pallets at the back of the store since she was the only one who had a key to the storage room.
Puckpatti never knew how she would have managed. Fortunately, Laios had decided to check in on the store that day. Taking off his red tunic, he rolled up his shirtsleeves and declared that he would be stacking the pallets in the storage room himself. When she protested, Laios said that he missed doing useful work.
“Let me sort out the pallets while you take care of the customers,” he insisted.
There must have been an unusual spring in Puckpatti’s step, because she sold more dragon bricks that day than she ever had or ever will. Customers complimented her on her bright smile, and the way her eyes shone whenever she returned from the storage room with new merchandise. She even hummed as she double wrapped the packages and tied them with string, pausing only to remind each customer to keep the bricks dry and cool.
When they were done for the day, Puckpatti brought Laios some food and shyly thanked him for all his help. He told her that it was nothing and was about to reach for the food, when he realized something.
“I should probably wash my hands,” he chuckled.
For his part, Laios was happier than he had been for a long time. He missed using his strength and stacking heavy pallets of dragon bricks felt like a tonic. Whistling while he waited for Puckpatti to start the water pump, he accidentally put too much Kelpie soap on his hands. Remembering how long it took Marcille to make a single portion of the stuff, he decided that it wouldn’t do just to let it all wash out in the drain.
“I know you’re already clean, but let me wash your hands anyway so the soap doesn’t go to waste.”
Puckpatti felt the blood rising in her cheeks as Laios took both of her hands in his and began to lather them with Kelpie soap. As he pressed his thumbs to her palms and gently squeezed her fingers, she wondered how a King’s hands could feel just as rough and calloused as her own.
His face was so close that she could feel his breath on her hair as they rinsed their hands together. He wasn’t even aware that he was humming the same hand washing song that Puckpatti learned from her parents until she found herself humming along with him.
“Wash them clean, wash them clean. Then they won’t know where you’ve been..”
Puckpatti could not help giggling, while Laios sputtered as he reached for the towel.
“There, all done.” He said.
When Puckpatti felt brave enough to look up, she saw that Laios was beaming at her. But there was also a hint of sadness in his eyes as if he was sorry that their time together had ended.
When she took to her bed that night, Puckpatti started fervently wishing for something that she knew was beyond her reach. It made no sense but still, she wished for it – even though she knew that she risked being disappointed.
Meanwhile, Laios simply returned to the palace and resumed his life. When Marcille asked him how his day went, he simply said that he had had an exceedingly pleasant day.
A few months later, Puckpatti was once again summoned to the Golden Castle along with her father and sisters. While she now wore a beautiful new dress that she could easily afford, and her hair and hands smelled like flowers and Kelpie soap, she felt more nervous than she had ever been.
When she boarded the carriage where her father and sisters had been waiting, they were all surprised by how much she had changed in such a short time – like a swan that had suddenly come into its plumage – but she was too distracted to acknowledge their admiration.
Puckpatti felt that something momentous was about to happen that evening, but she could scarcely wonder what it could be.
A few hours later, Puckpatti was running as fast as her feet could carry her. She wanted to get away from the banquet and all the laughing guests. Away from the endless toasts to the King and his Lady on their impending marriage. Away from the place where her unspoken dream had just been dashed into dust.
Puckpatti ran and ran until her silken slippers were torn to shreds. Stopping briefly to take them off, she kept on running until the soles of her feet were covered with blisters – until she reached the furthest part of the castle gardens where the cypress trees rose above the limestone cliffs and waved toward the starlit sea.
She looked around herself and realized that she didn’t know where she was.
“What was the point of getting this far,” she thought. “If it only meant heartbreak and disappointment?”
She felt like her heart would burst as a great sob rose from her tiny chest. She fought it with all her might, but it found its way up her throat and rose like a howl from her helpless mouth.
Puckpatti wondered if anyone had ever felt this much pain as she folded into herself and fell into a heap beside a row of hydrangeas. There, she wept and wept until she could hardly breathe, until she was so tired that all she could do was let sleep claim her.
By the time Marcille found her, Puckpatti was covered in faint, purplish-blue petals. The wind had risen, and Marcille took her cape off so she could tuck it around the shivering young Half-foot. Then, she waited for Patti to come around so she could ask if it was alright to examine her.
Even in the moonlight, Marcille could see that the soles of Puckpatti’s feet were bleeding. When she slowly turned Patti’s foot, the younger woman gasped in pain.
Puckpatti would have screamed, but she wouldn’t allow herself – not in front of Marcille, and not in front of anyone, not ever again. She thought of her father and her sisters, she thought of her father’s friends, and lastly she thought of Laios. Overcome with shame, she wondered if she would be able to face any of them again.
Lost in these thoughts, she didn’t realize that Marcille had placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Patti, I think you’ve sprained your ankle.”
Marcille paused for a few seconds, then took a deep breath before she spoke.
“I wouldn't normally do this, but would you prefer it if I dull your senses before I heal you?” She asked gently. “I think you’ve already had quite an eventful evening, and if I don’t dull the pain I’m afraid you might pass out.”
Puckpatti was confused. She had assumed that magic users had always used some kind of stupefacient with their healing spells.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “You’re telling me that I can choose whether to feel pain or not?”
Marcille nodded. “Personally, I don't believe in dulling the pain,” she explained. “Because if you can’t feel pain, it will be very difficult to know if you’ve healed properly or not.”
She took Puckpatti’s hand in hers and asked, “What will it be?”
It was then that the dragon dung seller looked the Queen Presumptive of Melini in the eye and said, “I want to feel it. I don’t care if it hurts.”
When Laios arrived, he found Marcille cradling an unconscious Puckpatti.
“Is she alright?” He asked, his voice fraught with worry, as he knelt down on the grass beside them.
Marcille looked at Laios with an unreadable expression before she said, “I think she will be.”
She watched him gently scoop the young Half-foot into his arms and told him to wait while she made sure that she was wrapped warmly.
When Patti regained consciousness, they were within sight of the other guests who began running towards them, their voices ringing with relief.
Realizing that she was in Laios’s arms, she pulled herself closer to his chest and listened to his heartbeat for the first and last time.
Chapter 4: Hair of the Dog
Summary:
Sometimes things need to get worse before they get better. Meanwhile Flertom discovers her competitive side.
Notes:
This chapter was significantly updated to flesh out the last section which takes place in the palace kitchens.
Chapter Text
Yarn Floke calmly regarded the chaos into which the dinner had descended and sighed indulgently. Back when they were still at university, Tansu would celebrate passing his exams by spending his afternoons and evenings in the tavern – often forgetting that he still had class the following day. They weren’t married then, but Yarn had already set her sights on the very serious and somewhat arrogant scholar with whom she read Advanced Spiritology.
After arriving in class, Tansu would do his best to hide his bleary eyes under his scholar’s cap, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. During the break, Yarn handed him a flask filled with a clear, unctuous-looking liquid.
“Drink this,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. And for the first time in his life, Tansu Floke was at a loss for words.
Yarn caught her husband grumbling under his breath as he sat with his arms folded across his chest. He assumed this pose whenever he was in deep deliberation and he had much to consider after Laios's surprise announcement. Catching the eye of a passing servant, Tansu Floke asked to send a message to the Governor of Kahka Brud, but the servant assured him that the message would be sent after the wedding.
“Something’s up,” he whispered to his wife.
“Now dear, let the young people have their privacy.” She said as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
When Tansu remained unconvinced, she took his hand and chided him. “Don’t you remember what we were like at that age?”
Right after graduation, Tansu Floke had been offered a coveted position as an apprentice Court Magician. While this was something the careful and calculating gnome had been working towards for years, he was at a loss. If he accepted the job, he would have to live in the Royal Court, and while he had never planned to fall for the young Gnomish Priestess, he felt that he had found an unexpected treasure and he was loathe to leave her behind.
“Let’s get married, right now!” He insisted. The plan was to arrive at his new master's household and act as though the new Mrs. Floke was part of the deal. So Tansu put on his best stone face and knocked on the Court Magician’s door even though he was sweating buckets beneath his new robe.
For her part, Yarn was quietly confident. While she was definitely not the sort who would habitually break convention, she believed that a greater hand was at work when stolid folks began behaving in unexpected ways.
So the Priestess who paid close attention as her new husband bluffed his way into the Royal Household now carefully observed her fellow dinner guests' reactions to the King's unexpected engagement.
While the Orcs and Tallmen had been more or less able to keep their heads, it did not go quite as well for the Half-foots. So when the servants arrived to clear the dishes, she caught one of them by the arm and asked if they would be so kind as to lead her towards the kitchen.
One by one, the guests were reconciled to the idea that they would be spending the night at the castle and attending a homecoming slash wedding fete the following day. When Remi the Chamberlain appeared at Chilchuck’s side to ask if he would like his usual suite prepared for him and his daughters, the Half-foot laughed bitterly. Puckpatti was still nowhere to be found and Flertom had been assiduously pawing a deeply mortified Senshi who chose to ignore the young Half-foot’s attentions by sitting stock straight and staring straight ahead.
“That would be fine. Thank you very much.” Meijack replied, not wanting to seem rude.
Chilchuck looked at his eldest daughter and smiled sadly.
“Ah Mei, at least I've still got you.” He said before he slumped forward.
As Meijack lunged to keep her father from hitting his head on the table, she felt a little lost. Earlier, Izutsumi had circled Chilchuck protectively, but when the Beastkin saw that he was inconsolable, she quickly disappeared indoors. So Meijack was somewhat relieved when Yarn Floke appeared beside her holding a pitcher filled with a mysterious clear liquid.
“Give this to your father, my dear.” The Priestess instructed, before turning to pour out another glass for Flertom.
"And this one's for your sister."
“I don’t want it,” Flertom said as she pushed the glass away and clung even more tightly to Senshi's beard.
Meijack glared at her sister but happened to catch Senshi's eye. She gave him an apologetic look and mouthed, “Sorry!” as she tried to get her father to drink Yarn’s cure.
After seeing Chilchuck’s eldest daughter in distress, Senshi snapped out of his self-imposed paralysis, looked at Flertom and said, “Miss, I would really appreciate it if ye would drink this.”
As he handed her the glass, Flertom snapped awake and immediately began chugging the sweet-smelling liquid.
“What is this, rosewater?” She asked, looking into Senshi’s eyes.
Meanwhile, the other guests had noted their hosts’ prolonged absence and began to wonder if the banquet had already finished. However, the servants arrived to reassure them that dessert was still going to be served.
When Laios was finally spotted walking up the hill with Marcille, everyone sighed in relief. They whispered and wondered about the bundle he was carrying in his arms, but Chilchuck immediately recognized his youngest daughter.
“Patti!” He cried as he ran towards them. Laios knelt down on the grass and relinquished his precious cargo into Chilchuck’s arms.
“Is she alright? Why is she like this?” Chilchuck demanded, his voice full of reproach as he held his daughter against his chest.
“She sprained her ankle and her feet are covered in blisters,” Marcille explained carefully as Patti lapsed in and out of consciousness. “Don’t worry, I already cast a healing spell and she’s going to be alright.”
“Then why did she pass out?” Chilchuck snapped. “I swear on my ancestors Marcille, your HEALING is worse than any injury!”
“Hey, take it easy.” Laios said. Marcille had been unusually quiet and he wasn't sure how well she was taking the latest turn of events.
Thinking it best to deflect their former party mate's anger, Laios touched Chilchuck’s shoulder but was immediately swatted away. If anything, a somewhat sober Chilchuck was worse than a drunk one, and he wheeled on his former party leader as though he and he alone had been the chief cause of tonight's misfortunes.
“You godforsaken GIGOLO!” Chilchuck hollered. “How dare you go filling my Puckpatti’s head with these ridiculous notions while you’re carrying on with Marcille. How dare you lead her on!”
Chilchuck was so loud that Patti revived briefly to say, “Dad, please stop.”
Marcille quickly pulled the young Half-foot from her father’s grasp as Chilchuck drew himself up to his full height and landed a kick on Laios’s shin.
While he was capable of good-naturedly taking abuse from his former party mates, Laios was not the sort to sit down and accept accusations that had no basis in reality. Placing both of his hands on Chilchuck’s shoulders, he pushed down until the Half-foot was sat on the ground.
“I didn't lead her on.” Laios said with a grim expression. “Look. I have no control over you blaming me for everything that’s happened – any more than you can control what your daughters decide to feel.”
Glancing briefly at Puckpatti to make sure that she was safe in Marcille’s arms, he continued.
“Chilchuck, please. You know I would never hurt you or your family.”
The Half-foot knew his old friend was speaking the truth, but it didn't help the way he was feeling. If anything, it made him feel worse. Having calmed down, he motioned for Meijack to hand him the rest of Yarn's cure and he quickly gulped it down.
When he finished, Chilchuck looked into his friend’s guileless amber eyes. He finally understood what Shuro meant when he said that he hated how Laios would look all innocent even as he pushed his problems onto other people.
With unerring precision, Chilchuck landed a solid kick on Laios’s face before raining a torrent of abuse in multiple languages on his head.
At this point, Senshi had heard and seen enough. He rose from his seat and took both Meijack and Flertom by the hand.
“I think it’s time ye young ladies help me with dessert.” He said as he quickly ushered them back inside the castle.
The remaining dinner guests agreed that things had gotten too far. Zon and Kabru swiftly appeared to pull Chilchuck off of Laios as the Half-foot continued thrashing about. Meanwhile, Marcille and Remi the Chamberlain promptly brought Puckpatti inside.
“Incredible,” Remi said to himself. “If anyone dared do anything like that to King Delgal during Thistle’s time, they would have been immediately executed.”
While Kabru carefully examined Laios’s swollen face, Zon seated the still-struggling Half-foot in the King’s chair and said, "If you're going to take a swing at him, you might as well see what it's like to be in his place."
At which point Ludo the dog emerged from his place beneath the banquet table and immediately made his displeasure clear.
“Easy boy, easy.” Chilchuck pleaded as beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Meanwhile, away from the chaos, Senshi, Meijack and Flertom entered the kitchen where the servants had just finished rinsing the dishes.
They smiled and nodded at the new arrivals before directing Senshi to his wares. The Dwarf paused before the linen cupboard and put on a chef’s hat and coat before tying a kerchief around his luxurious beard.
“Why are you doing that?” Asked Flertom who thought it made Senshi look like a bandit and enhanced his appeal.
“Just making sure my hair doesn’t touch the food,” he said with a muffled voice. “Now if ye young misses don’t mind, could ye also put on coats and cover yer hair?”
Meijack plaited her braids into a crown before putting it under a cap. To preserve her curls, Flertom found a kerchief like Senshi’s to tie on like a bonnet. After putting on a pair of kitchen coats in their size, the two sisters followed Senshi as he ushered them towards the back of the kitchen.
“Mind yer step,” he warned as he unlocked and opened a heavy wooden door. Beyond it, the young Half-foots found an inverted tower – a sort of well with built-in steps that spiraled all the way to the bottom.
Before entering, Meijack noticed that there was a slot beside the door that was used to hold a piece of slate. “What’s this for?” She asked.
“To tell the others not to lock this door in case they close up for the night,” Senshi said calmly as he turned the slate to show its reversed red side.
The two Half-foots swallowed nervously as they stepped into the well while the Dwarf closed the door behind them.
Flertom made sure to walk closely behind Senshi as they descended the steps guided only by moonlight that had filtered through the glass-paned roof. The deeper they went, the cooler and drier the air felt.
When there was hardly any light left to go by, the Dwarf produced a small lantern and lit it with a match. Shadows danced on the curved walls as the trio carefully made their way to the bottom. Once they were back on solid ground, Flertom felt unnerved.
“What is this place?” She said, disguising her fear with annoyance as she backed away from her companions and into something large and pointy.
“AIEEEE!” She shrieked. Turning quickly, she found a Minotaur carcass suspended from a rack.
“It’s an ice well. What were you expecting?” Meijack said. “This is where the castle stores its meat and other perishables.”
“If it’s an ice well, then where’s the ice?” Flertom shot back. She was about to scream again when she spied something round and white scurrying around her feet.
“They’re Jack Frosts.” An exasperated Meijack replied. “They were used to keep Aunt Falin, uh… fresh.”
Senshi nodded as the tiny snowmen captured the moisture from their breath and transformed it into snowflakes.
“Mind, they might not be too happy since there’s three of us here right now,” he said. “But the jelly is already set, so we should be able to take the desserts out.”
The Dwarf directed the young Half-foots into a recessed cupboard that contained bowls of different sizes. There, he began to hand two medium-sized bowls to Meijack and Flertom.
“Be very careful. They’re cold so they can take a bit of a jiggle, but try yer best not to jostle them too much.” He cautioned before taking the largest bowl for himself.
Slowly and carefully, the trio made their ascent with Senshi lighting the way.
After closing the door and reversing the slate, they returned to the main kitchen where they found piping bags with egg white icing, sugar flowers, fresh fruit and various syrups laid out on the counter.
They placed their bowls next to these items while Senshi directed Meijack to fetch serving platters from a nearby shelf.
“The nice silver ones,” he suggested.
After Meijack placed the platters on the counter, Senshi took the largest one and secured it atop his bowl before turning it over in one smooth motion. After tapping the bowl in a few places, there was a sound like a suction cup coming loose. With a flourish, Senshi removed the bowl and revealed his creation.
The Half-foots gasped. There, suspended in clear jelly, was a perfect miniature of the Wa Flying Clipper in a thousandth scale – according to Meijack’s reckoning. It floated atop a greenish-blue sea with waves that churned white, while its multiple masts trailed wisps of spun sugar clouds.
“How is this even possible?” Flertom demanded as she reflexively touched the jelly. It yielded only slightly before immediately bouncing back.
“And with a mold of this size? How does it even keep its form?”
Flertom’s disbelief was such that she could not help but sound angry, even accusatory. Aspic was her favorite dish and she had made many in her time – vegetable aspic, meatloaf aspic, even a much-lauded centerpiece of edible flowers and herbs. But bone broth gelatin was extremely hard to work with, besides requiring a lot of cooling. And to see a jelly of this size, strength and clarity – to say nothing of the intricacy of the scene it encased – well, it seemed to Flertom that something more akin to magic was at work and she told Senshi just as much.
“Besides the Jack Frosts, did Marcille help you with this?”
The Dwarf looked at her evenly, but did not speak. Later on, he would write in his diary that he found Chilchuck’s second daughter rather presumptuous before crossing out the entry entirely.
Flertom continued to pepper Senshi with questions, but the Dwarf kept silent aside from instructing the two sisters to place platters over their own molds and turn them over.
“We need to decorate these jellies for serving.” He said, indicating the piping bags, flowers and fresh fruit on the counter.
“Hold on,” Flertom said as she held up one finger. “How long can the jelly keep and at what temperature?”
To make sure that she got the information she needed, she added, “I’ll respect your secrets but I need to know which techniques I can and can’t use.”
Senshi acknowledged that the young Half-foot had a point. He assured her that the jelly would keep as long as the temperature did not exceed forty degrees centigrade.
“At least the young miss is no longer flirting with me,” he thought with relief as both sisters set about their work.
With their nimble fingers and quick minds, it took Meijack and Flertom all of thirty minutes to place the flowers, flute the egg white and drizzle syrup over their jellies. When they had finished, Senshi inspected their work and commended them on how the decorations enhanced but did not overwhelm the desserts.
Since her jelly contained a miniature of Laios’s three-headed monster, Flertom decided to take a dramatic approach. She divided the egg white icing into three bowls and dyed them various shades of red, orange and yellow using crushed berries and fruit. She then piped the colored icing into flame-shaped meringues on a waxed pan, which were baked for ten minutes before being cooked and arranged in concentric circles.
Meanwhile, Meijack opted for a naturalistic style and decided that her jelly of Marcille’s winged white coatl should be flanked by flowers and fruit with lashes of syrup.
After some deliberation, Senshi declared that Meijack would bring her jelly to the table first, followed by Flertom. Senshi himself would arrive last with his naval scene as the pièce de résistance – which he thought best to leave unembellished.
As he instructed them on how to arrange the dessert platters on the banquet table, Meijack realized that the jellies told a story. To celebrate Marcille and Laios’s engagement, Senshi had made a study for the new coat of arms of Melini which would include their respective coatl and three-headed monster emblems.
“I guess this is what Laios meant when he said he wanted to wait until dessert to make an announcement,” Meijack said with a sad smile as they prepared to leave the kitchen.
“It’s really beautiful Senshi, and I’m sorry we got so drunk that the King had to spoil your surprise.”
Senshi nodded quietly as he tried to hide his blushes at Meijack’s compliment.
“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it.”
Meanwhile, Flertom could not help but envy the ease with which her sister and Senshi spoke with one another. It didn’t seem fair, she thought, especially since she had put so much more effort into decorating her dessert.
Not being one to take this sort of challenge lying down, Flertom resolved to make Senshi take her seriously, but before she could formulate any plans, she and her sister were both ushered out of the kitchen and into the late evening air.
Chapter 5: Cold Feet
Summary:
Marcille has second thoughts.
Chapter Text
Marcille looked up from the book she was reading as she watched over Puckpatti. She heard a polite knock on the door before Remi the Chamberlain entered, bearing a tray with a pitcher and two glasses.
“What is it?” Marcille spoke softly so she would not wake up her charge.
“Hair of the dog,” Remi whispered as he placed the tray on the nightstand. “Mainly for Miss Puckpatti, but I brought another glass for you just in case. I’ve been told it tastes like rosewater.”
Marcille declined. She had only had a single glass of wine during the banquet, but considering how the evening was going, she wondered if she should have asked for a bottle to go.
“Thank you, Remi. I’ll make sure to give it to her as soon as she wakes up.”
Marcille was about to ask the chamberlain to tell her how the other guests were doing when he suddenly stood at attention, bowed and marched towards the door.
“Should you need anything, my lady.” Remi pointed to the tasseled rope that hung beside the door before quickly exiting the room.
No doubt the chamberlain must be rushed off his feet, but Marcille couldn’t help but feel a little neglected.
Everyone had been behaving strangely ever since Laios made his ill-timed announcement. She had hoped that things would calm down once they brought Puckpatti back, but then Chilchuck decided to give Laios a piece of his mind along with the heel of his boot.
Marcille felt a little discouraged as she sank deeper into the armchair cushions. She wondered if it was the wine or if there was just something about the Toudens that provoked every reaction except indifference. It wasn't just that Laios and Falin were tall and objectively attractive people, but both brother and sister possessed an outsized presence that seemed at odds with their unassuming natures.
Indeed, whenever Marcille was in discussions with Yaad or Kabru, they would instantly turn their attention to Laios as soon as he entered the room.
It annoyed her endlessly, until she decided to amuse herself by quietly slipping away to see if anyone noticed. But the joke was on her because nobody did – at least not until Laios asked her why she did it.
“It’s nothing!” Marcille said, laughing it off. “It’s just a little joke that I like to play from time to time.”
“But why?” Laios pressed on.
Marcille thought deeply about what she wanted to say.
“Laios, do you ever notice how whenever you enter a room, everyone is suddenly focused on you? It's as though nobody else matters.” She sighed.
“It’s something that I have to get used to, but I don’t think I ever will.”
But instead of saying what was on her mind, Marcille just smiled.
“It's just a joke. Don't worry about it.”
“Marcille?” Puckpatti said softly as she opened her eyes.
“Patti!” Marcille smiled as she sat up in her chair. “Do you think you'll be able to take some medicine?”
The young Half-foot nodded. Marcille placed another pillow against the headboard and helped her scooch up against it. As Patti drank the cure, Marcille kept a handkerchief ready in case of spills.
After placing the empty glass back on the nightstand, Marcille brushed Puckpatti’s fringe out of her eyes and happened to feel her cold and clammy forehead.
“How are you feeling, Patti?” Marcille asked, her own brow knotted in concern.
“A little embarrassed to be honest.” She said sheepishly.
Marcille was about to clarify her question when Puckpatti said, “I’m sorry for ruining your engagement party.”
Her large dark eyes began to shine with tears when Marcille pressed her handkerchief into the young Half-foot's palm.
“Ssh, it was the wine.” She said kindly. “But I do think you need to get some more rest since you’re not out of the woods yet.”
Puckpatti’s heart felt full. Lady Marcille had always been kind to her and her family and yet they had all behaved abominably - tonight of all nights. While it would have been within her rights to have them all ejected from the palace, Marcille instead chose to spend her evening nursing Patti back to health.
“May I?” Marcille asked as she placed her hand on the Half-foot’s forehead. When the healing spell was done, Marcille was relieved to find that Patti's temperature had returned to normal and that her breathing was once again calm and steady.
When she was sure that her charge had drifted back to sleep, Marcille got up to dim the lamp on the dresser. In the semi-darkness, the mask of calm that she had put on for Puckpatti’s benefit began to slip.
“How can he be so careless?” She almost cried out in frustration. “I know he was just being himself, but if he’s not careful someone else is going to get hurt.”
Marcille was so anxious that she couldn’t sit down. She moved towards the window where there was a little more light and began pacing the room.
“Why am I feeling this way?” She wondered. “I’m not jealous. I’m certain that he loves me – and yet.”
Marcille thought of Laios’s lack of personal boundaries and how he would immediately trust people – even those he had just met. She recalled how he could be uncomfortably physical with people he considered close friends, even if they did not think of him in the same way.
A chill ran down Marcille's spine when she wondered what he could have done to make Puckpatti fall for him. Was it the way he smiled, as though he was seeing her for the first time? How opened his mouth as if he was about to say something before losing his train of thought? The way her hands could both easily fit in one of his, or how he would change his stride so she wouldn't have to run to catch up to him?
It was sometimes hard to know if Laios did these things out of affection, or simply because he was being kind and openhearted. Marcille knew from experience that the very qualities that made her feel protective of him also confused and dismayed others. So she took it upon herself to teach him how to navigate his personal relationships - even as she herself began to struggle with the implications of their engagement.
“I would keep it under wraps for now,” Kabru advised after noticing the ribbons on their fingers. “On account of Leed’s upcoming wedding.”
Laios and Marcille agreed that it would be bad form to distract from the Orc Captain’s impending nuptials, so they opted for more discreet ways to show their devotion. Laios kept a bracelet made from Marcille's choker hidden under his left sleeve, while Marcille concealed a dragonscale ring as a pendant under her bodice.
The ring was incredibly rare and surpassingly beautiful, but Marcille had never liked monsters and she didn’t particularly care for the fact that her engagement ring was made from the same type of creature as the one that had devoured Falin.
However, not wanting to seem ungrateful, Marcille smiled and said that it was lovely and that she would always cherish it. She hoped that in time, just as Laios’s more off-putting qualities eventually grew on her, she would come to appreciate the ring and learn not to feel its chain digging into her neck.
Leed stormed into the anteroom of the palace chapel about an hour before the ceremony. Tearing furiously at her gown, the Orc captain stripped down to her furs and threw an assortment of skirts and petticoats on the floor.
“Never get married!” She bellowed before launching herself into the settee where she pushed her face into a cushion to muffle her screams.
As the only woman in the Council, the responsibility of helping the bride fell on Marcille.
“It’s only for the ceremony,” she reasoned as she gently touched Leed’s shoulder. “After all, you’ve already eloped. Once it’s done you can wear and do whatever you want.”
Swatting Marcille’s hand away, Leed cried, “I would rather be dressed in a giant frog suit!”
To spare herself from further embarrassment, the Half-elven mage decided to wait until the Orc captain calmed down. When she did, she looked at Marcille with dismay.
“How can you wear such a suffocating thing every day?” She asked.
Though Leed was referring to the formal gown that she wore as Magical Adviser, Marcille put her hand over the dragonscale ring that was hidden in her bosom.
“This?” She said in a slightly trembling voice. “I haven’t always had it.”
“That’s true. You wore more practical clothing as an adventurer.” Leed acknowledged. “Imagine going into the dungeon wearing THAT.”
Leed sat up on the settee and began musing to herself.
“They tell you that it’s only just this once. But before you know it, it’s for a couple of days, then a week, a month, a year, until…”
Marcille held up her hand and interrupted Leed before her own misgivings could unnerve her.
“I’m not just an adventurer now. This is what I’ve worn ever since I took on the role of Magical Adviser to the King. If I ever need to go down into a dungeon again, I still have my old outfit and I can just put it back on – or have it remade if it doesn’t fit me anymore.”
Taking a deep breath, Marcille tried to sound as convincing as possible.
“You’re not just a captain anymore, Leed. This ceremony has always been about helping your people be seen as equal citizens of Melini, with the same rights and privileges as everyone else. Don’t you think that’s worth putting on a terribly impractical outfit for just one day?”
The Orc captain looked at the pile of white organza on the floor and grunted in derision. “You can’t make me look like a Longlegs any more than you can forget that you’re a Longear.”
“Maybe so,” Marcille replied, thinking quickly. “But we can still find ways to assert ourselves.”
Within the hour, the palace seamstresses were able to sew a new gown from the remnants that Leed had torn off while managing to incorporate her much-missed antler breastplate into the bodice.
To everyone’s relief, the ceremony was able to proceed as planned. But the entire experience served to convince Marcille that inviting the entire Kingdom to a multi-day wedding celebration was not for her. She would later corner an exhausted Laios and plead that their own nuptials be a small, private affair.
“Just us and our friends, and maybe a few family members.”
Having just endured three days of glad handing and enforced jollity, Laios immediately agreed before stipulating his conditions.
“On my side, I just want Falin to be there. And maybe Shuro.” He said with finality. “A wedding is supposed to be a joyful occasion, and I don’t think I can be happy if my parents are there.”
Marcille was anticipating this, but she could not help but feel disappointed and she told Laios just as much. She figured that if she would be able to meet her future in-laws, she would be able to reconcile them with their son.
For the second time since he had known her, Laios told Marcille to mind her own business.
“Can you imagine pretending to like something that you really hate?”
At that moment, Marcille wished that she had her staff on hand so she could brain him with it.
“It’s perfectly fine if you invite your mother and your stepfather.” Said Laios, who didn't have the sense to keep his mouth shut. “I have absolutely nothing against them coming.”
Just then, Marcille heard a loud yelp coming from the garden.
She glanced outside and saw Laios and Chilchuck under the pergola. For some reason, Chilchuck had placed his tube scarf on Laios’s cheek, who looked about ready to jump out of his skin.
At that moment, any resentment Marcille may have felt towards her fiancé was mollified by the sight of him clutching the scarf to his face as though he were pressing an ice pack over a toothache.
When she glanced at Chilchuck – who was crouching before Laios and seemed to be making amends – Marcille realized that she had hardly ever seen him without his scarf. Which was just as well because it made him look like a llama that had just had its neck shaved.
Despite herself, Marcille began to chuckle. The laughter came unbidden – rising from her gut, it crawled up her insides before exploding in a guffaw that left her weak in the knees..
She laughed so hard that she woke up Puckpatti for a second. Fearing that Laios and Chilchuck would hear her all the way down in the garden, Marcille clamped her hand tightly over her mouth, sank to the floor and hid herself beneath the window.
There in the semi-darkness, she kept giggling and chortling as tears streamed down her face. Marcille had to use all her strength to remain calm until the laughing fit finally subsided.
“Whew,” she said to herself as she took a deep breath. “So this was what they meant by wedding jitters.”
She felt as though she had been seized by a temporary madness, that all the fears and anxieties that she had been fighting back so she could remain calm despite the chaos had bubbled up to the surface before finally bursting through.
Marcille closed her eyes and let out a long, slow sigh of relief. If this is what they could expect with a small, discreet ceremony, imagine if they had let everyone know about their plans?
They did not accept it at first when Kabru suggested otherwise. Once she and Laios had agreed on the guest list, they sat down with their mutual friend and asked him what he thought.
Resting his chin on his hands, Kabru pondered for several minutes before saying, “On the matter of the wedding, just as with your engagement, I would advise discretion.”
Laios and Marcille looked at each other in confusion. “Surely there’s no longer any need…” Laios began to speak, but Kabru held up his hand.
“I think you should make an announcement only after the fact. You’ll spare yourself the controversy and no one will be able to say or do anything once it’s done.”
Laios took a long, deep breath. He straightened his back and squared his shoulders as he addressed Kabru in an even tone. “There’s nothing controversial with me marrying Marcille. We’ve known each other for years.”
The Ambassador did not back down. Instead, he turned his blue-eyed gaze to the bride-to-be and said, “You were with Leed during the ceremony so you know what I’m talking about."
Marcille winced at the memory. As Leed's de facto maid of honor, she had heard the guests whispering about how the Orcs were forgetting their place. Some had even correctly speculated that Leed was originally supposed to marry Laios.
“That would have been much worse,” someone said within earshot.
“What can you expect from a Northerner who loves monsters? Next thing you know, he'll be engaged to that Elf Mage.” Another speculated.
When Marcille discussed these encounters with Kabru, he didn’t seem the least bit surprised. The Ambassador rose from his seat, poured himself a drink and casually offered Marcille a glass which she promptly declined.
“Right before the ceremony was announced, Yaad had sent a contingent of Tallmen and Orc soldiers to protect the Orc settlements – just to be on the safe side, of course." He said.
“We’re really lucky that most of the residents of the Golden Country had been trading with the Orcs for hundreds of years, so there was already some kind of détente. But some of our newer residents from Kahka Brud still believe that the Governor’s bounty on Orcs still apply here as well.”
Kabru sat down and threw back his drink.
“But that’s people for you. They hate change and mistrust anything that seems different from them. But if you give them a chance they will come around.” He said as he stretched out his legs.
“In the meantime, we can only prevent them from doing anything that can cause lasting harm.”
Marcille had been a little shocked at Kabru’s placid acceptance of what seemed to be the worst in human nature. But there was also something appealing in his confidence – that understanding and accepting people’s capacity for selfishness or indifference could be more effective in thwarting those very same qualities than denying or rejecting them outright.
Marcille looked into Laios' eyes. She put her hand on his arm and said, “I’m with Kabru on this one.”
“Are you sure?” He asked, furrowing his brow. He had that old feeling that he – and now his fiancée – were being led somewhere they did not wish to go.
“Forgive me, but I’d also like to point out that since the Captain’s wedding, we’ve had unwanted guests in the palace grounds.” Kabru interjected.
“While a few genuinely believe that the party is still ongoing, it’s quite possible that some of them could be spies – or worse.”
The Ambassador leaned forward and made his proposal, “I would suggest inviting your guests for a special banquet to throw any interlopers off the scent. Once the guests arrive, have them sequestered and then you will be able to have your ceremony in peace.”
Marcille put her head in her hands and said, “They won’t like being lied to. I don’t think our new life together should start with us misleading our friends.”
“There’s a difference between misleading someone and surprising them.” Kabru said as he reached out and took Marcille’s hand.
“Please, believe me when I say that this is only for your own safety.”
Laios shut his eyes and pressed his hand to his forehead as though his head was about to split open.
After a minute or so, he sighed and said in a determined voice, “If Falin comes home for the ceremony, we can say that it’s a homecoming party.”
An hour would pass before Kabru knocked on Yaad’s door so he could inform the Chief Minister of their plans.
After hearing their decision, Yaad rose from his desk to open the doors that led to the balcony. Silently, he took out his pipe, pressed some tobacco into the bowl and lit it with a match.
“At least Marcille will be safe.” Kabru said. “On that we can both agree.”
The Chief Minister turned to face the young Ambassador, his pipe still in hand.
“When the King made us promise to protect Lady Marcille with all our strength and cunning, this was not what I had in mind.”
Kabru spread his hands in a gesture of appeasement.
“At the time, we didn’t anticipate that we’d have to deal with House Kerensil or their boundless resources.”
“But it’s wrong!” Yaad shouted. He struck his pipe on the balustrade by accident and sparks flew for an instant.
“Even a small country like Melini should not cower before the Western Continent – just as the Devourer of All Things should not fear a family of money changers!” Yaad said with his eyes aflame.
“Or did you forget your promise to help the short-lived races determine their own fate?”
Not for the last time, Kabru raised his voice at Yaad.
“Are you saying that you would rather risk a war that would kill thousands of citizens for the pretense of strength? Because let me tell you that Melini will lose that war – with or without monsters.”
The Ambassador closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry Yaad, but you have to hear me out. Once Marcille is crowned Queen of Melini, Hemeia herself will acknowledge her new status by sending her congratulations. I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes a matter of pro forma is all it takes to stop these ancient houses in their tracks.
“We shouldn't respond openly to their provocations. To do so will only set the rest of the Western Continent against us - and waste whatever goodwill Laios gained by defeating the Demon.”
Yaad hated Kabru at that moment, yet he could not fail to see that the young man was right. He acknowledged that the Ambassador had no peer when it came to navigating relations with the Western Elves, and that Melini would lose in a direct conflict with any nation ruled by a long-lived race. As painful as it was to admit, the difference in technology, political power and magical ability was just too great.
Without smoking his pipe, Yaad tapped its contents into a fireproof receptacle before turning to address Kabru. “Have it your way then.”
The Ambassador bowed and left the Chief Minister to ponder his own thoughts.
Chapter 6: The Sweet Life
Summary:
Izutsumi tries to persuade Yaad, while Chilchuck reminisces about his daughters.
Notes:
Thank you for your patience. As promised, this chapter has been updated with the following changes:
* new title and chapter summary
* Yaad's section being moved up to the beginning to improve flow
* additional details and information have been added where needed.
I hope the improvement is noticeable!
Chapter Text
Yaad Melini took a long, leisurely draught from his pipe and let his insides bathe in the smooth velvety smoke that reminded him of when they burned chaff when the harvest was done. As he did, he commended himself for leaving the party at the right moment. After all, did he not just witness Chilchuck Tims being dragged away from Laios Touden not ten minutes ago?
It had been only three years since the reign of Laios the Devourer began, but Yaad had gained more lines on his borrowed face than Delgal ever did during the thousand years that Melini was under Thistle’s thumb.
Kabru said that this was due to the terrible habit he acquired while negotiating with the now defunct Kahka Brud Port Authority, but the Chief Minister dismissed the Ambassador’s concerns saying that smoking was something that he did only very occasionally.
Indeed, the last of the ancient royal bloodline would only light up his pipe whenever he tried to calm himself or get his thoughts in order.
When he had taken his last puff, Yaad tapped the ivory bowl into a fireproof receptacle on the balcony. As he turned to go back inside, he found a familiar face waiting by the door.
“Miss Izutsumi!” Yaad’s face immediately brightened when he saw the young Beastkin. This was not the first time she had scaled the trellis beside his balcony and he was delighted by her unexpected presence.
“Enjoying the show?” She inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Not really,” Yaad replied. “How are you my dear?”
Izutsumi shrugged and said, “So-so.”
Twirling her finger around a stray vine, she nodded toward the gardens below.
“I kinda understand now why Maizuru used to send me and the rest of the retainers to bed whenever they brought out the strong sake.”
Just as Yaad felt a self-satisfied smile slowly spreading across his face, Izutsumi fixed him with a glare so icy that he immediately bit his lip.
“It’s your fault, you know.” She said.
“Me?” Yaad said in surprise. “The last time I looked, your friends were all adults.”
The Beastkin scowled and began to pace restlessly. She may have just turned twenty, but at that moment she reminded Yaad of nothing so much as an angry teenager who was having a terrible day and complaining to the only person who would listen.
“What a bunch of hypocrites,” She snarled, making sure to make eye contact with Yaad, who blinked back in disbelief.
“It’s not just about you. Think about how your actions affect others! That's what you and those idiots downstairs always tell me. And yet here you are bailing out on everyone.”
Yaad raised his hand and began to speak calmly and carefully. He understood that the young Beastskin behaved this way because she felt her trust was being betrayed.
“My dear, I don’t see how I’m responsible for how your friends choose to conduct themselves.”
“Because they’re your friends too!” She shot back. “Ever notice that they never act like this when you’re around? Because you're the only one around here who’s actually an ADULT.”
Izutsumi stalked around in circles, her steps quickening with frustration.
“And now that you're going, all I can look forward to is more of THAT.” She hissed in the direction of the banquet.
To emphasize her displeasure, she kicked over the receptacle, spilling ash all over the balcony and singeing her tail in the process.
As the steel bowl clanged onto the stone floor, Izutsumi sprang onto the balustrade while Yaad quickly took off his tunic and used it to extinguish the still-glowing embers.
For an entire minute both were stunned silent. Suddenly, Yaad's shoulders began to tremble. He covered his mouth with his hands but he couldn’t stop himself from laughing.
“Miss Izutsumi,” he said. “The look on your face…!” He guffawed as he clutched his sides, fearing that they would split from laughter.
When he was finally able to regain control of himself, he dried his eyes and gazed indulgently on the young Beastkin.
“My dear, adults are not perfect, far from it. If anything, we make the stupidest mistakes.” He said.
Tiptoeing around the spilled ash, Yaad approached Izutsumi and gave her his hand so he could lead her down safely.
“Look, I’m a thousand and twenty years old and I still make mistakes. But it doesn’t change the fact that I care for you, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me from time to time.”
Izutsumi looked the Chief Minister in the eyes and said, “If that’s the case, then why can’t you forgive them?”
Yaad closed his eyes. How could he explain to her that he didn’t want to retire because of anger or resentment, but because he felt like he was no longer needed, that he preferred to leave on his own terms instead of being gradually eased out?
“It’s complicated.” He said finally.
Izutsumi shook her head. “No, it’s not. You decided it was time to go, but you were wrong. Does it look like they’re doing fine without you?”
She leapt from the balustrade while still holding Yaad’s hand.
“You don’t even need to do anything. You just need to be around. Just show up and see how quickly their backs straighten out.”
Yaad could not help but smile. Perhaps it was because he had spent most of his life in the body of a child that he hadn't considered that the entire Council, indeed even the King, lived in fear of his disapproval.
Even Kabru, who never seemed to be intimidated by anything, would give him a wide berth. And perhaps that’s what everyone was doing – giving him space, letting him keep his own counsel because he only ever told them what they were doing wrong.
In the past three years, Yaad Melini had never looked in the mirror and actually seen the man he had become. He only saw Delgal and the sacrifice that he made for his kingdom – one that he could only fail to live up to even as he tried to carry out his grandfather's wishes.
All his thwarted expectations, all the burning impatience from having one’s life curtailed for a thousand years – Yaad placed on the shoulders of Laios Touden and his council of adventurers – none of whom imagined that they would be in this position.
“So, what’ll it be?” Izutsumi asked.
The young Beastkin looked away so Yaad wouldn’t see the disappointment in her eyes in case he refused.
Chilchuck’s nose wrinkled when he entered the antechamber to the family suite.
Laios, always alert to any signs from his party's trap detector, sniffed the air before declaring, “It must be Yaad. He usually smokes when he’s having trouble sleeping.”
Chilchuck wanted to go check on Puckpatti alone, but Laios asked if he could join him. After everything that had happened, the father of three felt that he had no right to refuse. So he said yes even as he wondered if he would have to spend the rest of his life making it up to his friend.
“I just wanted to check on Marcille.” Laios explained. “I promise I won’t go near Puckpatti.”
What good would that do? Chilchuck said to himself as he shrugged his shoulders.
After quickly closing the windows, Laios offered to move Chilchuck and his family to different quarters, but the latter refused. It would be too much trouble, especially if Patti was already asleep. Besides, what’s a little smoke from a recently retired insomniac?
Chilchuck believed that Yaad Melini had been a steadying presence, not just for the inexperienced King but for the rest of his young council. And it could not have been made any clearer than when Yaad left and the banquet almost immediately descended into chaos.
Funny how these things only get noticed once someone is gone, Chilchuck mused. Whenever he wondered how his own absence would affect his daughters, he figured that the answer would be, not much. After all, all three had somehow managed to become young adults without too much involvement from his side.
Would Meijack, Flertom and Puckpatti be just as self-sufficient if he had been in their lives more? Probably not. Would they be happier? Maybe. Would his two youngest daughters have been less boy-crazy? Most definitely. But otherwise, he wasn’t sure if his presence in their lives would be considered a net plus.
Just then, Laios caught his attention and pointed to a door next to the window.
“I think that’s where Remi put them up.”
Chilchuck paused for an entire minute before he finally knocked. He had a few more apologies to make and as uncomfortable as he was being in Laios’s debt, he especially dreaded having to see Marcille’s self-righteous smirk.
Fortunately, the King's Magical Adviser was not in a self-satisfied mood when she opened the door. Just the same, Chilchuck bowed to avoid meeting her eyes.
“Marcille, thank you for taking care of Puckpatti.” The words came out in a rush. “I also wanted to say…”
Before he could continue, the Half-foot found himself being pulled into a tight embrace. His head squeezed against Marcille’s chest, he felt something hard digging into his cheek.
“Owwwww. What are you keeping in there?” Chilchuck demanded as he extricated himself.
“It’s nothing,” Marcille said as she threw open the door. When Laios hovered into view, their eyes met and lingered for a while before she looked away.
“Puckpatti’s awake,” she said quickly. “She's well enough to see you now.”
Marcille pointed to the bed where Chilchuck's youngest daughter was resting.
Feeling that he had gotten off lightly, he sat down beside Puckpatti and said, “Hey kiddo.”
“Hey Dad,” she replied as her father planted a kiss on her forehead.
She seemed to be agonizing over something before she lunged toward him and buried her face in his neck. They remained like that for a few seconds before Puckpatti quickly pulled away.
“Eww, Dad. Why is your scarf wet?”
Chilchuck laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her thick brown hair. After all, Patti was his little one - he could still remember the first time he touched his nose to the soft part at the top of her head.
“Gently, now.” Berenice cautioned when she first let him hold their new baby.
Like all Half-foot fathers, Chilchuck made a big show of wanting a boy, but as he cradled his daughter in his arms he fell in love just the same.
Unlike Meijack and Flertom who had to share their mother’s belly and consequently came into the world looking like a pair of red prunes, Puckpatti was born perfectly pink and smooth.
“She’s so quiet,” her mother said with pride.
“Too quiet?” Chilchuck wondered as he started playing with her button nose.
Just then, Puckpatti seized his finger with all of her might and took firm hold of her father’s heart.
After his youngest daughter was born, Chilchuck applied for and received a benefit from the Half-foot union that would enable him to remain at home for a few months. It was a welcome respite for his wife who needed to recover from a complicated pregnancy during which she had also been the sole caregiver to twins.
For the first time, Chilchuck was able to experience parenthood in full measure. Berenice would sleep during the day after being up all night nursing. The twins Meijack and Flertom were quite precocious and were already toddling about and getting into everything, while Puckpatti was much calmer and didn’t seem to need much besides the usual burping and changing and feeding.
Despite some initial struggles, Chilchuck surprised himself when he discovered that he enjoyed being a homemaker. He cooked and cleaned and made sure his daughters were healthy and safe. Whenever Berenice would come downstairs, she found the twins seated at the table and Puckpatti in her highchair. Dinner would be served and Chilchuck would pull up her chair and kiss the top of her head as he tied a napkin around her neck so crumbs would not get into her cleavage.
On warm days, Chilchuck would pack a picnic basket and bring his girls outside town. Hitching a ride on a hay cart, the four of them would jostle along and point at the animals they saw until they reached a flowering meadow. There, they would hop off after thanking the driver and put down a blanket. After they all enjoyed a small feast of fruit, sandwiches and juice, Chilchuck would lie down on the grass and let his little daughters crawl all over him.
“Dada,” Flertom would say as she strung together a daisy chain with her chubby little fingers. She would then climb onto her father’s chest and place it on his head with all due ceremony. And Chilchuck would feel as though he was the luckiest man in the world.
“Are you alright, Dad?” Puckpatti said as she searched her father’s face. “You seem awfully quiet.”
Chilchuck shook his head and smiled. “I was just thinking how quickly things can change.”
A few weeks after Chilchuck began staying at home, a party of Half-foots went to survey a newly-discovered section of the dungeon and was almost immediately caught in a collapse. Fortunately there were no casualties, but most were incapacitated and would take months to recover.
Fearing that their children would probably starve within weeks, Chilchuck called a meeting of the Half-foot union and asked for everyone to give additional dues to help the families of the injured party.
“That’s all well and good, Tims.” Someone called out from the back. “But don’t you think it’s a little rich for you to stand there and ask when you yourself are on benefit and not working?”
Chilchuck tried to defend himself, saying that his wife still needed time to recover. But Half-foot after half-foot declared that having babies was what their wives were expected to do, that – as the head of his household – his job was to earn money and not, “Swan around having picnics with his daughters, while our comrades nearly lost their lives on a dungeon survey.”
Chilchuck raised his hand. For a minute he thought of his wife, his children, and the future that he hoped to provide them. Then he thought of all the children of all the Half-foots on the Island and Kahka Brud. He closed his eyes and hoped that he was making the right decision.
“If I gave up the benefit and returned to work, will each and everyone of you agree to the collection of additional dues until our fellow Half-foots are able to return to work?”
Several members expressed their skepticism, “He’ll never do it. He’s gotten used to the sweet life.”
But it was Berenice who was surprised when she came down one morning and saw her husband packing up his gear.
“I have to go back into the dungeon. The money’s run out.” Chilchuck said. Unable to bear the disappointment in his wife's eyes, he walked straight out the door without so much as a backwards glance.
Berenice looked at her three daughters and hung her head in despair - she thought she would have a little more time. The least she could have hoped for was a better explanation, but as Chilchuck walked out without even saying goodbye, she knew that none was forthcoming.
Now, just when he had finally retired and Tims & Daughter Locksmiths was gaining a steady clientele – thanks to a sign that said By appointment to the King of Melini – Chilchuck sensed that he would have to let go of his girls all over again.
“Dad, where’s His Majesty?”
Chilchuck blinked. It took him a few seconds to realize that Puckpatti was referring to Laios.
“Sweetheart, you do realize that he’s not for you?” He said gently, when Puckpatti gave him a look.
“Of course Dad, I know that.” She replied, “I just wanted to say sorry.”
He glanced once more at the doorway where Laios and Marcille were still standing. Chilchuck excused himself, got up and walked toward his old friends.
“Good luck you two. I hope you sort it out.” He said as he closed the door.
When he returned to his daughter's side, he told her that there was no need to say sorry.
“At this point, I don’t think another apology is going to help.”
Chapter 7: True to Form
Summary:
Marcille discovers something that Laios isn't even aware that he's hiding.
Chapter Text
Following Chilchuck’s cue, Laios decided to find someplace private where he could talk to his future wife.
As he closed the door to the King's chambers, he took a deep breath and decided to keep his back toward Marcille in case she felt like throwing something at him.
When he realized that no projectile was forthcoming, he turned around and asked her if anything was wrong.
“Marcille?”
Drawing a long breath, she said, “I’m just tired, Laios.”
Barely keeping her eyes open, Marcille sat down on the bed and sank into the cushions as Laios knelt down beside her.
“Your mana must be pretty low.” He said as he placed his hand on her forehead and felt a slight fever.
“It figures.” She nodded. “I thought Puckpatti had an infection because her skin felt clammy, but it was something else.”
Marcille could barely keep her head up – she was not expecting to feel so exhausted after healing Chilchuck’s daughter. It wasn’t even a physical kind of tiredness, more like an inability to muster the will to continue.
The Half-elf bit her lip and wondered if she should say something given that Laios had already been put through the ringer. Besides, the guests were still waiting for them to return. But if she had absorbed only a fraction of what Puckpatti had gone through, then she could not put off the conversation any longer.
“Laios,” she said gently. “You do know that you broke Puckpatti’s heart?”
The Tallman bowed his head and nodded – Chilchuck had certainly made sure he was aware of it. But he really didn’t see how he could have had any control over Puckpatti’s feelings. Moreover, was he supposed to ignore her, be mean to her? In his mind, he treated her no differently than her sisters – well, except maybe Flertom whom he knew to keep at arm’s length.
Seeing the confused look on his face, Marcille touched his cheek and tried to speak without judgment.
“I know it’s not easy for you to know exactly how to be around people,” she said, not unkindly.
“But when it comes to younger, more vulnerable women who haven’t always had a great life – I think you should make sure to always bring another person along so you’re never alone. And I think that goes for younger men too.”
Laios tried to guess Marcille’s feelings, but she answered before he could even ask.
“No, I’m not jealous.” She said with a sad smile, “And I do think you can be trusted, it’s just that…”
“It’s just that?” He asked.
“I know your heart,” she replied, “But people can misinterpret what you say and do because of who you are and what you represent. But also because people are just the way they are.”
Laios tilted his head back so Marcille could not see him roll his eyes. If he was honest with himself, he was feeling a little exasperated right now.
“Marcille, just because people are the way they are doesn’t mean that I have to constantly try to read their minds.” He said peevishly.
“Besides, people change their minds all the time. And to have to change the way I act just because they might think ill of me – well, that’s no way to live.”
Marcille narrowed her eyes. What did Laios think she had been doing all this time? But she decided that this merited discussion on another day, so she held up her hand.
“Let me put it to you this way. When we were in the dungeon, Chilchuck never allowed Izutsumi to sleep on your futon – do you have an idea why that might be?”
Laios didn’t know where Marcille was going with her line of questioning, but he gamely replied, “No.”
“It’s because you were petting her like a cat…”
“She IS A CAT!” Laios interrupted.
“But she’s also a young woman.” Marcille countered.
To drive her point home, she looked at Laios and raised her eyebrows knowingly. When the realization finally dawned on him, Laios’s already fair skin became even paler before turning positively crimson.
“Oh.” He said.
Marcille spread her hands in a conciliatory gesture.
“When you get a little over-enthusiastic – like when you found out that Izutsumi was a Beastkin, and that Puckpatti already worked with dragon fuel – you can sometimes forget yourself.”
She leaned her head on Laios’s shoulder and sighed, “I just think it’s a good idea to have someone around to remind you from time to time.”
Laios remained silent for a few minutes to reflect on this new information, before he turned and kissed the top of Marcille’s head.
“Funny,” he remarked. “I was rather hoping that it would be you.”
She shook her head and said, “It can’t be me.”
Laios blinked in surprise before asking, “Why not?”
“Well for one thing, I already have a job as your Magical Adviser.” Marcille replied. “And because a Queen can’t be seen contradicting or correcting the King – at least not publicly.”
“Be serious.” He said.
“I am serious. Both of my parents were courtiers. I don’t joke about these things.”
Laios closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
One more day and they would be married, he thought to himself. One more day and he would be able to take her away from the palace and all its pointless protocols and stay at a tiny cottage with a small farm where they can live simply and self-sufficiently for about a month or so.
Just the two of them. No servants bowing and scraping, no courtiers or guards shadowing their every move, no Kabru catching them up on the latest intrigues, no Yaad staring down his nose whenever he felt they were not taking their responsibilities seriously. It would be as though they were back in the Dungeon, but with fresher produce and friendlier livestock.
But right now, Marcille was still low on mana. Until she could return to the banquet to eat or drink something that could replenish it, the fastest way would be to share some of his own.
Laios took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. As he did, Marcille guessed his intentions and pulled away.
“You’ll run out.” She objected.
“I think I have enough to tide us both over until we can get back to the party.” He said.
“Fine. Let me get comfortable then.” Marcille said with a resigned smile.
As she turned to raise herself on the cushions, Laios saw something on the back of her neck.
“What's that?” He asked as he pulled up her long blond hair.
She seemed to be wearing her hair down a lot lately, and while Laios couldn’t complain, her reasons for doing so became immediately evident when he saw the back of her neck.
“MARCILLE!” He gasped when he saw the blood-red line where the chain had cut into her skin.
Laios’s immediate thought was that it must have caught onto something to injure her neck like that, so he asked her to hold up her hair while he removed the necklace. As he did, the dragonscale ring hooked onto her decolletage and grazed her bosom.
The sting of it made Marcille gasp, but she managed to stop herself from crying out.
Seeing the drops of blood under her bodice, Laios threw the necklace and dragonscale ring onto the table where it rolled two full circles before clattering to a stop.
“Has it always been like this?” he asked angrily as he examined the damage. Apart from the cuts in Marcille’s nape and bosom, Laios saw several small blisters forming where the necklace had rubbed against the skin of her chest.
“It hurt at first,” Marcille said weakly. “But after a while I got used to it.”
“Gotten used to it?” Laios exclaimed in disbelief. “How can you get used to something that’s clearly hurting you?”
Marcille looked him in the eye and said, “I don’t know, Laios. It seemed important to you at the time.”
“It’s too large and heavy.” Senshi warned as he examined the ring.
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect!” Laios said as he put it on his ring finger.
When Senshi looked at him strangely, he explained that it was customary for men in his country to give their fiancées one of their rings to wear as a pendant.
“Falin wore a small copper ring for a while when she was engaged. I was forced to give a rather nice-looking silver ring to a girl I’d never even met who lived in the next village.
“Luckily, I was able to get it back.” He recalled with some satisfaction.
When Marcille said yes, Laios did not even have a signet ring to present to her, so he immediately set about designing the most amazing piece of jewelry he could think of. And how better to symbolize the profound love and respect that he felt for his bride-to-be, than a ring made from the scale of the same creature from which she had resurrected his sister?
Laios was so excited to present the dragonscale ring to Marcille – perhaps because he was also looking forward to her placing the ring back on his finger – that he didn’t notice how her initial excitement turned to deep ambivalence when she opened the velvet-lined box.
He had forgotten that women in the Northern Countries almost invariably wore collars due to the cold, and that pendant rings were always worn over clothing – never underneath.
Furthermore, he did not consider that they would be getting married in the summer – when Marcille’s official court dress would have a low neckline – and that the sharp, heavy piece of jewelry would be worn right next to his fiancée’s skin.
“I’ll cherish it forever.” And she tried to convince herself that she would, since this one small thing seemed to matter so much to him. Besides, it wouldn’t be for too long as she was expected to place the ring on his finger on their wedding day.
“Only one more day,” she told herself.
When Laios managed to stop cursing himself, he turned to Marcille and said, “I’ll heal you.”
With Marcille sitting and holding her hair up, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently shifted her into position until he was close enough to kiss the back of her neck. Tracing the wound with his finger, he closed his eyes and began to chant.
“Spelarae ieptum.”
Marcille felt his breath on the tiny hairs of her nape and shuddered. She remembered how shy he had been when she first taught him how to perform the same healing spell. Back then, he could barely even touch her ear without squeezing. Now, she relished the sureness and confidence of his touch as he drew from the energy that pooled in the space between his sacrum and mound.
To Marcille, this pool appeared as a glowing, living thing that lay coiled at the base of the spine. All creatures have it, and in humans its capacity depended on attributes like race and whether the person practiced magic or not.
For instance, a formidable Half-elven mage like Marcille should have a greater pool from which to draw energy than Laios, a Tallman who had only recently learned how to cast spells. And yet he and his sister seemed to be naturally gifted when it came to such things.
“Lefelmus virulen.”
As Laios’s energy flowed into her, she felt her skin tingling, as though awash with something warm that slowly seeped into every cell of her subcutaneous layer. Slowly but surely, Marcille regained her full strength, yet his force continued to flow until she began to thrum and vibrate with the motion of life.
“Iulecanto ouinsu.”
It was possible that there still lived within Laios an undigested portion of the Demon’s desire – the want and the will that makes all creation possible. And perhaps it was this that animated and moved him – subtly changing and making his eyes shine as his breath grew shallower and faster to match Marcille’s.
“Laios.” Her voice was soft, almost whimpering as he lifted her up and turned her to face him.
Beads of sweat formed on his face. His fingers trembled as he traced the line the necklace had made – all the way down to where the ring had grazed her bosom.
Marcille closed her eyes and leaned back as she felt him tug and pull on her stays until her bodice came apart. He did not touch her sleeves, but he pulled off the white blouse that had been stained with her blood. As he pressed his fingers against her breast, he struggled to remember the incantation.
“Spelarae…”
When Marcille opened her eyes, she saw that his half-open mouth bore sharp, canine teeth, while the backs of his arms and hands were covered in fur and scales.
She wanted to reach out and pull off his shirt, to see if she would find snow white down instead of soft creamy flesh, but she stayed her hand.
“When I asked you to be my queen, I didn't ask you to deny yourself.” Laios said without moving his lips, as if he spoke directly into her mind.
His voice was different – disembodied and yet strangely familiar. As his hand snaked between her legs he pulled up her skirts, and she felt his claws grazing the insides of her thighs.
Daring a glance, she raised herself up on her elbows and watched Laios rear on his hind legs while mismatched wings tore through his skin and sprang from his spine. As he went down, he took hold of himself – the creature had awakened and unspooled itself from his center. Alive and of its own accord, it dove inside Marcille.
Deeper and deeper it went. As she cried out, she felt giant wings beating against the air, making the lamplight flicker as its flames grew higher and brighter.
Something surged between them, and Laios seemed to fall senseless for an instant before he jolted awake as though a current had passed through his entire being. Again and again this happened. Crying out as though he was in pain, he sought succor and his mouth found her breast each time he fell.
Even as he devoured her – his serpent tongue darting about, licking and lapping her up – Marcille felt herself pulsing and growing fuller as the creature pressed into the very same well from which she drew her own power.
It poured itself into her, magnifying and increasing her own force until it crested. Poised upon the brink, her brain alight with fire, Marcille lingered before a precipice – it was but one moment but she guessed that she would not know anything like it ever again.
With a sigh, she allowed herself to be pulled into the depths as the force of it ebbed and flowed out from under her.
“Marcille?”
She was still a little shaken when Laios finally managed to revive her. Curiously, he was still in his human form. Even stranger, his clothes were still on and unruffled – and so was hers.
“What happened?” Marcille said in a daze.
“I started kissing you while I was casting the spell.” Laios said as he rubbed the back of his head. “I guess I overdid it.”
Marcille blushed to the roots of her hair as he kissed her cheek.
“Are you okay?” He asked as he helped her sit up on the bed.
“I’m fine,” she smiled brightly to keep him from worrying.
When Laios was satisfied that Marcille had recovered, he took her hand and led her outside so they could rejoin their guests.
Chapter 8: More Like Meijack
Summary:
Meijack Tims decides to take a different path, while Flertom makes up her mind about what she really wants.
Notes:
This was supposed to be the first part of a really long chapter, but I've decided to split it into two.
Chapter Text
Meijack took a deep breath as she waited by the door that led to the gardens. Flertom was supposed to go first as soon as they received the signal, but she was busy hovering over the desserts like a woman who was possessed.
“How is this even possible!” She said again and again as she cast her gimlet eye over Senshi’s handiwork.
The miniature of the Wa Flying Clipper appeared to be enclosed in a giant water drop. The ship itself was formed out of brown sugar, while the sails were fashioned from paper-thin pastry sheets. And while most of the confection was suspended in gelatin, the curve of the sails and the churn and bubble of egg-white waves conjured the illusion of movement.
Meijack could not help but feel a strange mixture of longing and dread whenever she glanced at the replica, as though her stomach had been hollowed out and replaced with a large, wet bag of sand.
The clipper was scheduled to arrive at the docks tomorrow morning, and Meijack was hoping to start preparations in order to board the ship for its return journey. If she did not talk to her father soon, she would miss her chance. And if she missed her chance, she believed that she would lose her nerve altogether.
“It’s usually one week's journey on the summer tide – six days if you’re lucky,” said Kabru after she had taken Yaad’s seat.
“The crew will rest for about a day, then the next day will be spent loading the cargo. Once that’s done, they’ll review the manifest and see how many people they can bring back. It all depends on how much cargo and passengers are already scheduled to go to Wa.”
Meijack noticed that Kabru was drinking from two glasses – one filled with water, the other with wine. When the Tallman realized this, he smiled.
“The better for me to last the evening.” He said with a wink. “Anyway, as a Half-foot, you’re pretty light so I don’t think they’ll be too concerned about your weight. But I can write a letter to the Captain saying that you can take my reserved spot.”
Kabru sighed as his thoughts turned fondly toward the Chief Minister.
“Did you know that Yaad negotiated that there would be a spot reserved for diplomats on every ship that docks in Melini?”
But Meijack wasn’t listening. She simply nodded as she wondered how she was going to break her father’s heart.
At this point, Flertom was so frustrated that she was not able to surmise Senshi’s secrets that the only thing that could keep her from pulling it apart was to find a distraction. With that in mind, she marched past her sister and peeked outside the door.
“Hold on, we’re supposed to wait for a signal.” Meijack said as she blocked Flertom with an outstretched arm.
Flertom blinked several times in a combination of annoyance and disbelief. “And I guess you do everything that you’re told?”
The eldest Tims daughter was used to her twin’s impertinence, yet she found herself wounded by the truth in her accusation.
It was true that Meijack did everything that was asked of her. Even as a child, she was puzzled by Flertom’s overt defiance, while Puckpatti was a lot more subtle – hiding herself so well that their parents would often forget to discipline her.
“Why can’t you be more like Meijack?” Their mother would remark in frustration while Mei quietly put away the dishes, or swept the floor, or did any of the chores that her two sisters managed to avoid.
It was a refrain they would hear more often as their father went on longer dungeon delving missions. Meijack was not aware how much resentment this constant comparison had caused, until their parents finally divorced and their mother went to live with Flertom.
“See?” Flertom said, welcoming Berenice into the small apartment above the restaurant where she worked as a cook. Meijack was a few steps behind carrying the rest of the luggage when she heard her twin say, “Isn’t it funny that you’re moving in with me, while Dad’s gets to keep the good one?”
Berenice shrugged. After all, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Meijack would follow her father whom she resembled so much – not just in looks, but also in temperament and skills.
“He had marked Meijack for his own the day she was born.” She said dispassionately.
And Meijack didn’t mind it at all. It wasn’t such a terrible thing to have one’s life set – to know that if she simply followed in the steps that her father already trod she would be able to live a good, respectable life – not one of penury or uncertainty, and certainly not one marked by the disdain that had once been Puckpatti’s lot.
She still remembered how proud he was after he had bought the shop and had the sign above the front door painted to read, Tims and Daughter – even when some passers-by loudly wondered if the quality of the workmanship would suffer due to Meijack’s gender.
Fortunately, Chilchuck was in a generous mood and he proclaimed to all and sundry that, “Meijack is as good as I am, even better! But I want you all to give her a chance – as an incentive, I will offer a discount to anyone who would specifically ask for my daughter.”
And so Meijack became the principal locksmith in Kahka Brud while her father began to focus more and more on helping the Half-foots who were struggling to find work after the Dungeon’s closure. Chilchuck’s plan was to get them trained in handling hazardous materials so they could find employment in the growing Dragon brick industry in Melini.
Then one day, ten minutes before Meijack was about to close up shop, a stranger arrived with a black lacquered box. She was going to ask him to return the next day, but the man’s appearance and demeanor reminded her of the Eastern warrior who used to be part of the Touden party – except that the man was clearly older and of humbler birth.
“If you please,” said the stranger as he bowed deeply. “I was told that this was the only place in Kahka Brud that could help me get this fixed.”
When Meijack relented, the man placed the box on the counter and carefully removed the black lacquered case to reveal a doll. It was a delicate thing, made of bone porcelain and dressed in colorful silks. Its eyes were closed and it appeared to be asleep on its velveteen bed.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not a dollmaker…” She was about to say, when the stranger removed the figure from its box and posed it on its feet. The eyelids flapped open to reveal eyes of golden amber.
“It’s a present for the Dragon Princess, the sister of the King of Melini. I was told that Master Tims was a friend, and that he would know how to fix it.”
The stranger turned a key that was hidden by a bow that adorned the figure’s back and it began to move. Jerkily, tentatively, but still it moved. It turned its head this way and that, raised one hand even as the other drew a fan from its sleeve. Then, it suddenly flicked its wrist and the fan opened with a flourish.
Meijack was speechless. She had never seen an automaton before.
“Karakuri.” The stranger corrected her. “The problem is that it’s supposed to play music while it moves, but somehow the mechanism has gotten stuck.”
Meijack worked that night and the entirety of the next day to fix the karakuri. She was so fascinated by it, that she locked herself in her room and wouldn’t tell her father why he had to man the shop all by himself the following day. But Chilchuck didn’t mind – he saw the glint in his eldest daughter’s eyes and recognized the same intensity that he felt whenever he had to disarm a trap that he had never seen before.
“Do you want me to send up some food?” He asked admiringly.
“Yes please,” Meijack shouted through the half-opened door. “But nothing too greasy – and something that I can eat quickly.”
By the time she was done, not only was Meijack able to get the music to play, but she also improved the movement by smoothing out some joints that had been worn out. But that was the utmost limit to which she allowed herself to interfere with the karakuri’s inner workings. The automaton was such a delicate thing that even someone with a Half-foot’s attention to detail would not feel comfortable taking it apart to find out how it worked.
When the stranger arrived to pick up the karakuri, he examined Meijack’s work and bowed deeply in appreciation.
“You know there are very few Half-foots in Wa Island.” He said as he placed a pouch filled with golden coins on the counter. “But I believe that you are especially suited to this kind of work which requires exquisite refinement and delicacy.”
The stranger did not realize it, but he had planted a seed in Meijack’s mind – an awareness of a world beyond the locksmith’s shop on Kahka Brud. It took root in her soul and grew into a desire for something more than what one well-meaning father had intended for his eldest daughter.
“LOOK ALIVE!” Flertom said as she rushed past.
“What..?” Said a startled Meijack who roused herself from her reverie.
Picking up the tray with the jelly encasing Laios's three-headed monster, Flertom quickly stood in front of her sister so she could face the exit.
“Senshi’s on his way. We have to be ready. Everyone’s there – the King, Lady Marcille, even Dad and Puckpatti are back!”
Meijack noticed that Flertom was incredibly nervous – she was speaking very quickly, her face was quite pale, and a film of sweat had formed above her top lip. For the first time, she believed that her sister was in a genuine panic.
Mei would have found it terribly amusing if the evening didn’t already have such high stakes. Instead, she found her own nerves beginning to fray just as Senshi finally made his appearance.
When he saw how nervous Flertom was, he crouched down so they would be able to look each other in the eye.
“Easy does it, Miss.” He said. “Ye’ve done yer best and there's nowt but go through with it.”
Flertom looked into Senshi's eyes and noticed that they were black like her own. Such a small coincidence and yet it somehow gave her the confidence to calm down. She took a long deep breath and began to speak.
“Senshi, I know that you don’t think I am a serious person, but I hope that you’ll allow me to regain your trust.” She said, her large dark eyes shining.
Taken aback by her words, the Dwarf was even more surprised when Flertom curtseyed while holding the dessert. Grasping her small, unsteady hands on either side of the tray, he urged her to stand up.
“T’is not with words that ye regain trust, but with yer actions.” He said solemnly.
Flertom nodded as she fought back tears. But there were other feelings that played across her face like clouds shifting shape against a gray sky. Gratitude was one, self-reproach was another – but there was also the glint of self-belief and determination.
“If you would,” she said, emboldened by Senshi’s generosity. “Please take me as your apprentice. In return for teaching me your wisdom, I promise to serve you faithfully.”
The Dwarf seemed alarmed by the prospect, and there was more than a hint of annoyance in his voice when he replied.
“Now is not the time. If ye would learn from me, then ye must know when t’is time to work and HUSH UP!”
Senshi then proceeded to retrieve his own large tray, carefully lifting it with both hands. As he brushed past Meijack, he gave her the briefest of winks as he took his place at the back of their tiny procession, and Chilchuck’s eldest daughter suddenly felt a lot less anxious about her mission.
Finally, one of the servants opened the door while Senshi was giving last minute instructions.
“Hold your head up, keep your back straight, and make sure to keep your eye on where you’re going.”
The three of them walked out toward the garden where they were greeted by astonished gasps from eagerly waiting guests.
Chapter 9: Fionil's Arrow
Summary:
Fionil follows her instincts while Mithrun confirms his suspicions.
Chapter Text
The evening had steadily darkened into a purplish blue, but Remi told the servants not to relight the torches to nudge the guests to return to the banquet. And so everyone began to peel themselves off from the various groups scattered across the grounds and leisurely wander back to their assigned seats.
Yet there was one pair that lingered lazily under the old pergola that was covered with light-blue azaleas.
“Do we have to go back?” Fionil asked as Doni traced the curve of her chin with his finger.
Her gentle face seemed to glow even in the gathering gloom while her Tallman husband wondered for the hundredth time what stroke of good luck had brought her to him.
“Yes,” Doni said reluctantly as he tilted her face towards his and kissed it.
Feeling his blood grow warm, he slid his hand under her blouse and began caressing her ample chest until she pushed him away.
“Not now,” she said breathlessly. “I’m still feeling a little tender.”
For Doni and Fionil, the last three years had passed like a blur. They had gotten married and moved to Melini to start a farm, before receiving a most unexpected gift that turned their lives completely upside down.
So when the young couple were invited to a banquet at the palace, they saw it as a chance to return to the carefree days of their courtship, if only for one evening.
Fionil told her husband that he must kiss her hand before he could lead her back to the banquet.
“Again.” She protested, but even with multiple inducements she still dragged her feet.
Ever since she had conveniently forgotten her orders to survey and report back on the Island to join Doni’s party, Fionil felt uneasy in the company of other Elves. But there was one high-born Elf in particular that she wanted to avoid.
“They are not going to put you in prison.” Doni assured her as they crossed the emerald green lawn that fanned out from the banquet area.
“Besides, how can they fault you for not investigating an Island that no longer exists?”
While Fionil’s fears began to subside, Doni stopped in his tracks as though he had just remembered something very important.
“It’s my turn, isn’t it?” He said suddenly.
Before his wife could say anything, Doni turned toward the palace and began to walk briskly.
“I won’t be long!” He called out as he blew her a kiss, leaving Fionil to return to the banquet all by herself.
What luck, she thought as she pulled her cape tightly around her shoulders. The wind might be still but the Half-elf could not help but feel a chill in the air.
Of course it was Doni’s turn, she grumbled as she approached the table. She may have had a few glasses of wine which may have made her a tad disagreeable, but couldn’t Doni at least wait until they were both seated before he took off again?
Fionil supposed that she was lucky that her husband was attentive to his duties, but there was a part of her that could not help but feel neglected. After all, this was the first evening when they could properly dine together in months.
And just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, she saw that the very person she was trying to avoid had taken the seat right next to hers.
Exasperated, Fionil wondered aloud where on earth Mr. Tansu had gone.
“He asked to switch.”
“I’m sorry?” The hoarseness of his voice was so surprising that Fionil did not realize at first that it was indeed Mithrun who spoke.
They regarded each other warily, before the high-born Elf remembered his manners and rose from his seat.
“Please,” he said as he pulled out Fionil’s chair with one smooth motion.
She was not expecting such consideration from the former Canary, and she thanked him awkwardly as she sat down.
“You mustn’t concern yourself.” Mithrun whispered into her ear as he pushed her chair toward the table. “I no longer work for the Western Elves.”
Fionil blushed. “Am I that transparent?”
He regarded her anxious expression and was tempted to agree, but instead Mithrun simply adjusted his eyeglasses, shrugged and said, “I tend to leave a certain impression on people.”
Despite her initial misgivings, Fionil found herself enjoying Mithrun’s company. Still, she kept him at arm’s length even as he spoke knowledgeably about the different types of wheat, their various textures and which ones were best for noodle-making.
When it was her turn for conversation, Fionil shared that their farm had had its first successful harvest.
“Spring wheat as it happens,” she said with some satisfaction, before admitting, “But only after a fair bit of trial and error. We’re starting preparations to plant the winter wheat as soon as we return home.”
Mithrun smiled as he drank from his glass. There was something about the pretty but relatively unrefined Half-elf that fascinated him – although by all accounts she had been an unreliable employee and an unpromising adventurer.
And now, she and her Tallman husband had decided to become wheat farmers. He had guessed that the young couple was concealing something and if he was correct, then they would need some extra income. Perhaps he ought to purchase grain directly from their farm and see if they were any good at this latest venture.
Mithrun was about to propose just that, when something caught his attention.
“A bee? How odd.” Fionil said, as she watched the creature alight on a serving spoon. “Isn’t it supposed to be asleep, the poor thing?”
At that moment, the Half-elf had dropped her reserve and her voice switched to a higher, sing-songy register – which only further confirmed Mithrun’s suspicions. He would have asked her about it if he didn’t find the bee’s presence more concerning.
“Indeed,” he said as he slowly placed his hand next to the spoon and waited patiently for the creature to climb onto his outstretched palm.
Once there, the bee stumbled around, rubbing its pollenless forelegs together out of habit before it settled its tired little head on Mithrun’s palmar arch and began to sleep.
Suddenly, the former Canary snapped his hand shut, instantly crushing the insect in his fist.
Fionil was aghast. She stood up so quickly that her chair shot out from behind her.
“How could you?” She demanded as a single tear fell from her eye.
The other guests briefly glanced their way to see if something was the matter, but when they saw that the former Canary was involved, they shook their heads and resumed speculating as to when dessert would arrive.
Mithrun calmly rose from his seat and wiped the bee’s remains from his hand with a napkin.
“I’m sorry but you’ll have to excuse me,” he said as he turned and walked toward the lawn.
Fionil’s initial shock was replaced by anger. How dare he, she thought. The way he had lured the helpless and trusting little creature onto his palm before callously taking its life.
It didn’t matter that Mithrun was now a resident of Melini, he was still very much a Western Elf – all courtly manners and gentility one minute and breathtaking viciousness the next.
Fionil’s eyes narrowed. She did not understand exactly why she was so upset over the bee’s brutal end, but she knew that it was wrong and she was determined that Mithrun should answer for it.
However she would have to find him first because at that very moment, Mithrun was once again hopelessly lost.
Since the torches had not been re-lit, the garden was pitch dark in places where the tree canopy was so thick that it blocked the light from the moon and stars. And Mithrun had been so focused on finding the deceased insect’s hive, that he wandered into precisely such an area.
When his predicament became clear, he began to look for signs that might indicate his position, but there was not even an evening breeze which would have told him his location relative to the sea.
Mithrun cursed himself. He really should have paid more attention when Kabru took him on a tour of the gardens, but they had been somewhat preoccupied.
“Hey,” Kabru said, his blue eyes twinkling. “You’ve got something in your hair.”
The Tallman absently reached for a leaf that had fallen onto the Elf’s white-grayish mop before he got his fingers tangled in the strands.
“Oops,” Kabru laughed as he drew closer. The more he tried to extricate himself, the more he got entangled.
Mihtrun caught a whiff of cinnamon and wondered if it was his friend, or if it was the tree under which they had taken refuge from the blazing noonday sun.
“It’s called a katsura tree,” Kabru said as he twirled the heart-shaped leaf between his fingers.
Mithrun leaned against the trunk and smiled as the Tallman held the leaf under his nose.
“Do you know the common name for katsura?” Kabru asked as he leaned in.
They hovered there, breathlessly for an instant, their faces almost close enough to touch when the Tallman suddenly leaned back, winked and started walking away.
Mithrun woke from his reverie when he suddenly smelled something burning.
“Who’s there?” He called out.
A light began to flicker wildly beneath the branches of a nearby grove. It cast an eerie, almost violent glow that made the trees appear to move of their own accord.
For a single bone-chilling instant, Mithrun believed that the garden was on fire until he heard a familiar voice call out, “It’s me.”
He saw that Fionil had conjured what appeared to be a short, flaming spear that hovered in front of her as though it was suspended from an unburning, invisible thread. The arrowhead spun wildly each time she changed direction – like a pointer on a compass.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She demanded, her face animated as much by anger as the flames that leapt and curled from the fiery shaft.
“Go back to the banquet.” Mithrun advised her curtly, but Fionil stood her ground.
“I’m not going anywhere unless you explain what you just did.”
Mithrun was about to dismiss her when she said, “I can only conjure one of these arrows at a time, so if I leave here, you won’t be able to find your way back without teleporting yourself into a tree.”
Fionil took one step closer and the flaming arrow came dangerously close to setting him alight.
Mithrun decided right then that it might not be wise to ignore her threats.
“The bee was a familiar.” He revealed, “It was spying on our gathering.”
He held up both his hands and said, “I killed it out of expediency, but I also did it out of mercy.”
Taking a deep breath, he explained that familiars did not eat or sleep or perform any normal biological functions when they were under the control of a mage – and that this took a terrible toll on creatures with short lifespans.
Fionil took one step back and the arrow likewise retreated.
“I thought they only used birds as familiars?” She said.
Mihtrun nodded. “Birds live for years, so they can survive after a Mage withdraws control. But Marcille cast a barrier that deterred birds from approaching the castle and its immediate vicinity. So the Western Elves have resorted to using insects…”
The former Canary trailed off when he noticed that Fionil’s face had gone white as a sheet. Suddenly, there was a deafening sound of a thousand wings flapping – the unmistakable buzz of an approaching swarm.
“GET DOWN!” Mithrun shouted as he pulled the Half-elf to the ground.
With Fionil’s arrow still hovering above them, he reached out to grasp its burning shaft and teleported it right into the midst of the swarm.
A great number of bees instantly burst into flames. For several seconds, the grove was alight with hundreds of tiny conflagrations.
Fionil would have screamed, but she saw that the bees that took the arrow’s place began to torment Mithrun relentlessly. Safe on the ground, she quickly removed her cape and threw it over him before quickly joining him within its folds.
“Where was the arrow pointing before you teleported it?” She demanded.
Mithrun stopped spinning and swatting away long enough to indicate the direction with his finger.
“Right,” Fionil said as she quickly counted her steps. “Can you send us one hundred and twenty paces in the opposite direction?”
Mihtrun nodded. The Half-elf held her breath when she felt him grab her waist.
The guests were surprised to see Fionil and Mithrun suddenly appear in the middle of the lawn. As they stumbled onto the grass, Doni quickly rose from his chair and began running toward them.
“Everyone was worried you were going to miss dessert…”
The Tallman trailed off when he saw Mithrun unfurl his wife’s cloak and flap it several times in case some bees decided to join them for the ride.
But before Doni could ask what was going on, he realized that the former Canary was injured.
“That’s a nasty burn.” He winced when he saw Mithrun’s hand.
The Elf hid his injury and quickly deflected the attention toward Fionil, who was sat on the ground still trying to get her bearings.
As Doni bent down to help her up, Mithrun smelled something sour wafting from the Tallman’s shoulder.
Fionil was still peeved at Mithrun, even as he apologized for pushing her to the ground earlier.
“Oh, and congratulations, by the way.” He said as an aside.
“What are you talking about?” Fionil demanded.
Meanwhile, Doni’s eyes grew wide even as his skin paled.
“I never breathed a word, honey. I swear.”
Which Mithrun affirmed as he explained, “You were being incredibly protective of something small and seemingly defenseless. Plus whatever doubts I may have had disappeared when I smelled spit up on your husband’s tunic.”
It was Fionil’s turn to be shocked when Mithrun kissed her on the cheek and said, “Blessings on your new baby.”
Chapter 10: Just Desserts
Summary:
Dessert is best served with some uncomfortable truths and a surprise or two.
Notes:
This chapter was updated for clarity and flow.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I’m fine Dad, really.” Puckpatti said as her father led her back to the banquet table.
When the guests saw that Chilchuck and his daughter had returned, they enquired eagerly after her health and were duly reassured. But just to be on the safe side, the retired picklock placed a light woolen shawl on his daughter’s shoulders.
When he learned that Puckpatti would be sitting next to him, Leed’s husband Vir rose to his feet and said, “Allow me,” before pushing her chair toward the table.
The young Half-foot blushed and said, “Thank you sir,” as the gallant Orc went red under his grayish white pelt.
Puckpatti wasn’t sure if it was Marcille’s healing spell, the wool shawl, or the fact that everyone was being genuinely kind that made her feel fuzzy inside. She thought that perhaps it was the dozens of tealights glowing softly around the table that imbued the gathering with warmth and goodwill.
Transfixed by the small flames that flickered and bounced off the silverware, she watched as the light passed through glasses of cut crystal, before being refracted into thousands of tiny diamonds that shone on the eyes and faces of everyone there.
But the spell was suddenly broken when Namari loudly called out to Chilchuck as he took his seat.
“We were wondering where you’d gone.” She said, raising a glass to her former partymate.
Instead of responding, Chilchuck raised his eyebrows and side-eyed the Gnome who had taken the spot on his right. He also noted that Mithrun was nowhere to be seen – and for that matter, neither were Meijack or Flertom.
“Mithrun was talking to that other Half-elf – what’s her name? Fionil?” Namari said. “But both of them left in a hurry a couple of minutes ago.”
“I'm not moving from this spot.” Tansu Floke declared gruffly. “No one knows where the one-eyed Elf is, and both your daughters are busy helping prepare dessert.”
Mr. Tansu cast a forlorn look at his wife. After all, it was Yarn who had exiled him because he had gotten too handsy. So she told him to move across the table where she could keep an eye on him.
He would thank her later, but for now Mr. Tansu wondered what on earth he was going to talk about with the retired picklock. He needn’t have worried though, because Chilchuck was too busy fretting over Flertom being around Senshi and desperately hoping that Meijack would keep her from going too far.
Meanwhile the remaining guests chatted away, hoping there would be another surprise in store. They were not disappointed when Remi soon arrived to announce that the King and his bride-to-be were rejoining the banquet.
The guests stood up as Laios helped Marcille to her seat, but any attempts at a dignified entrance were quickly disrupted by Ludo.
As soon as he heard his master’s voice, the dog bounded out from his spot under the table and leapt onto Laios’s chest – with Marcille just managing to get out of the way.
“Easy boy! Easy…” Laios said delightedly as Ludo started licking his face and barking enthusiastically, while Marcille began frantically searching for a table napkin.
After getting the dog to calm down and making sure that Marcille had wiped all the drool from his face, Laios looked around the table and caught Chilchuck’s eye. The two men nodded at each other and smiled, but the latter felt a twinge in his chest when he recalled their conversation from about an hour ago.
Chilchuck had made his way to the pergola where Kabru was tending to Laios. Even from a distance, he could see that the Tallman’s cheek had swollen to the size of a small grapefruit.
After taking off his tube scarf, Chilchuck asked a passing servant for ice so he could create a makeshift cold pack which he now offered to his injured friend.
“I think you might need this.” He said.
Kabru glanced at Laios who mumbled, “It’s okay,” before indicating that he would like to speak to Chilchuck alone.
Before he left, Kabru fixed his blue-eyed stare on the Half-foot to let him know that his every move would be watched.
Chilchuck crouched down to place his scarf on Laios’s cheek. As he did so, he lost his balance and pitched forward, placing all his weight on his right hand. The Tallman howled like a dog that just had its tail stepped on.
“I didn’t kick you that hard, did I?” Chilchuck asked as he immediately drew back.
“Hard enough to make a tooth come loose,” Laios winced. “But I’m not done healing yet.”
Retrieving the cold pack, he placed it on his own cheek and began to chant. When the healing spell was complete, Laios spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva into a nearby planter.
“Sorry,” he said as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
“That’s my line.” Chilchuck said as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him. “Come on, don’t make more work for the washerwoman.”
As Laios wiped his mouth, the Half-foot glanced idly at the banquet table and shook his head.
Instead of being put off by the evening’s shenanigans, the guests continued to mill about and enjoy themselves – as though his confrontation with his former party leader had been part of the evening’s entertainment.
Then, out of the blue, Laios asked, “Do you know why I asked you and your daughters to come tonight?”
Chilchuck wondered the same thing. While Flertom and Puckpatti seemed to live for fancy dress dinner parties, he would much rather be in a tavern cracking terrible jokes and drinking himself senseless because that was the world he was accustomed to.
He couldn’t stand these endless gatherings full of forced bonhomie, yet for Laios and Marcille such gatherings were a part of their life now. Chilchuck couldn't even recall the last time he saw either of them eating in a food hall or having a drink in a tavern – unlike Mithrun or Kabru whom he would still run into from time to time.
And now these two goobers are getting married, he sniffed as he felt the distance between him and his former party mates growing into an impassable gulf.
Unable to answer, Chilchuck simply shook his head.
The Tallman took a deep breath before he confessed, “It’s because I think you’re an excellent father.”
Chilchuck blinked in confusion before saying, “Quit messing with me.”
Realizing that all the ice had all melted, Laios wrung the water out of the scarf and handed it back to his old friend.
“You know, the only time my father got upset was when he found me unconscious in a graveyard.” He explained.
“I know it’s strange to say this, but when I see you and your girls fighting and disagreeing but still sticking together, well, it makes me feel good.”
“That’s enough.” Chilchuck said sternly. “I won't have you making fun of my family.”
“Who says I’m making fun?” Laios said before he stared off into the distance.
“I never fought with my parents, I just did what I was told. Ever since I became King, I began to understand that my father did what he did because he couldn’t afford to be seen as weak.”
He sighed. “But now I’m afraid that I might become exactly like him.”
Chilchuck saw that familiar hangdog expression and cursed himself for falling once again into the trap of sentimentality.
This is what I get for trying to be a decent person, he thought as he tried to get out of the conversation. Unfortunately, Laios turned to face him and Chilchuck felt those limpid amber eyes lock onto his.
“Whenever I see you with your girls, I can’t help but think, what if my father allowed himself to get upset once in a while? Because then at least I would have known that he cared.”
The Tallman smiled as he pointed to his face and said, “Look at what you did to me after you thought that I hurt Puckpatti. If that’s not a sign of a father who cares, then I don’t know what is.”
Chilchuck didn’t know what was more mortifying – Laios being so maudlin, or the fact that he allowed himself to be pulled into a hug after which he began to weep uncontrollably on the Tallman’s shoulder.
“I’m losing them, Laios. I’m losing my girls.” Chilchuck sobbed.
“I never got to be a real father to them. I was always away – working in that stupid dungeon. And now that I’m retired, they’re all grown and they don’t want to be with their old man.
“I kept thinking to myself, maybe with the union, I can set something up, make sure they’ll be taken care of. Them and the other Half-foot kids who barely see their dads – and the ones whose dads didn’t make it back home.”
Chilchuck pulled himself away and wiped his tears on the back of his hand. The crying had loosened something that he had been holding back for years. He said nothing then because he felt it wasn’t his place, but he had just humiliated himself in front of Laios – of all people – and if he was ever going to say something, then it might as well be now.
“Do you have any idea how incredible it is that you can just wave your hand and suddenly, POOF! You’ve made Puckpatti’s life all better?” Chilchuck asked.
“I’m grateful, but I hate you for it too. Because I keep thinking maybe Patti's life never had to be that hard in the first place. And maybe Flertom wouldn’t be so obsessed with marrying a rich dwarf.”
“But Senshi’s not rich…” Laios interrupted.
“The point is…!” Chilchuck continued, “You can do so much good, and yet here you are – feeling sorry for yourself and wishing I was your dad. When I’m only three years older than you and I’m actually a terrible father.”
The Half-foot pulled himself up to his full height, all one hundred and ten centimeters of him, and said what was on his mind.
“Listen to me, Laios Touden. I get it that you had a terrible childhood, but look at what you’re doing as a King. You have all this power in your hands and all the resources to change people’s lives for the better – and yet you seem as uninterested in ruling your country as your father was in being a dad.”
Chilchuck's aim never missed and Laios felt as though he had shot an arrow straight into his heart. He began to wonder if Yaad had quit because he had gotten tired of waiting for him to face up to his responsibilities.
And while Laios had always considered his parents’ decision to send Falin away as a dereliction of their duty, was he not doing the exact same thing by neglecting his obligations as King?
The Half-foot sighed. “There are worse things than bad fathers and unhappy families, Laios. Like it or not, everyone is looking to you now, and if you don’t stop being so preoccupied with something that you never had in the first place, then so much more will be lost.”
Chilchuck fell silent. He didn’t know if he had gone too far and he decided that he didn’t care. In which case, Laios was perfectly within his rights to have him and his girls removed from the palace grounds.
If the Tallman was indeed the sort who couldn't take hard truths from an old friend who had no interest in flattering or deceiving him, then Chilchuck felt that he didn’t owe him any fealty, loyalty or friendship anyway.
But Laios did nothing of the sort. He simply cradled his chin in his hands and thought for a long while, until the Half-foot began to feel restless.
“I really ought to go check on Puckpatti.” Chilchuck said finally.
The young King rose to his feet and asked, “Can I come with you?”
A few minutes before the desserts were brought out, Yaad finally made his appearance with Izutsumi on his arm.
Marcille was so happy that she did not realize at first that her eyes were welling up with tears. When Laios got up to greet them, Yaad quickly asked him to sit down.
“Your Majesty really needs a refresher on royal protocol,” he said good-naturedly, but Laios ignored this advice as he pulled both his Chief Minister and former party member into a bone-crushing bear hug.
Get him off me! Izutsumi mouthed desperately to Marcille, who quickly put her hand on her Laios's shoulder.
Upon her release, Izutsumi planted herself in the seat next to Marcille’s and began pestering Laios for some kind of honorarium for getting Yaad to return to the table.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister turned to Marcille and asked if he could speak to her for a minute.
“Of – of course!” She stammered. Taking a few steps back from the table, Marcille clasped her hands together so that Yaad could not see how nervous she was.
“Lady Marcille, I don’t think I ever thanked you.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. She had been expecting a reprimand for neglecting to rein in the party, for spoiling her own wedding and for ruining Kabru’s carefully planned subterfuge. And yet here was Yaad, sincerely expressing his gratitude to her.
Marcille had always thought that he disapproved of her in some way, but she felt that the Chief Adviser was entitled to his opinion. After all, did she not allow herself to be manipulated by the Winged Lion?
When she told Yaad this, he shook his head.
“Were we not all deceived?” He replied as he gently took her hand and clasped it in both of his.
“I meant to thank you because you’ve always been honest with his Majesty, always willing to speak the truth even when he didn’t wish to hear it.”
At these words, Marcille glanced at Chilchuck who was still worrying about his daughters and said, “I can’t take all the credit.”
Yaad smiled. “You are already the King’s most trusted adviser and tomorrow you will become his Queen.”
The former Chief Adviser bowed and kissed Marcille’s hand.
“And I would be deeply honored if you would grant me an audience from time to time.”
Yaad Melini had been so anxious to impart his wisdom that he despaired of Laios’s disinterest in the intricacies of royal rule. And when he saw that the Council was not receptive to his ideas, he had to face the possibility that all this knowledge would be lost upon his death.
The thought had troubled him until Izutsumi made an offhand remark as they descended the stairs.
“She’s such a weirdo,” the Beastkin said when they saw Marcille sitting beside Laios at the head of the table.
“Apparently she learned all the spells that she needed to use in the dungeon in a single day.”
Yaad realized then that Marcille was right to be confused when he told her to use her time wisely. After all, she was only a twentieth of his age, and yet she had already wrestled with a demon.
While he and his family politely waited to be rescued as the Golden Country suffered under Thistle’s thumb, did Marcille not take it upon herself to master the dungeon’s secrets without the aid of ancient artifacts?
Most importantly, because she had been raised among Tallmen, Marcille would not be afflicted by the Elves’ indifference to the passage of time, despite the near-certainty that she would outlive everyone else.
What the next thousand years would be like for Melini, Yaad could not say for certain, but he felt more reassured than he had ever been when he considered that Marcille would soon be Queen.
Just then, Remi asked all the guests to return to their seats so that dessert could be served.
Yaad wanted to sit next to Marcille so they could continue their conversation, but he shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly when he saw that Izutsumi had already taken that spot.
No matter, he thought. I might not have all the time in the world, but I have enough.
The guests gradually returned to the table with the exception of Doni. Even Mithrun and Fionil reappeared, albeit looking a little worse for wear. As they took their seats, the high-born Elf calmly wrapped a napkin around his injured hand, while Fionil pulled her cloak closely about her.
There was no fanfare when Flertom, Meijack and Senshi filed out from the kitchen, each bearing silver serving dishes of different sizes. The guests all held their breath as the trio paused to present their offerings to the King and his bride-to-be.
With a flourish, Flertom removed her cover to reveal a likeness of Laios’s ultimate strongest monster. While she was proud of her meringue flames, she knew that the real star was Senshi’s three-headed chimera. Fashioned out of sugar and painted in eerily realistic detail, the creature appeared to move within its gelatinous half-sphere.
Laios was so overcome with joy, that he found himself unable to protest when his monster was whisked away to make space for Meijack’s dessert.
Chilchuck’s eldest daughter had no flair for theatrics. After placing her tray in front of Marcille, Meijack was so nervous that she took the cover off too quickly – causing the flowers and fruit to spill out. This lent an unexpected drama to the presentation as Marcille covered her mouth with her hands.
She did not expect to see her Coatl again and she had almost forgotten how beautiful it was. Its pearlescent skin shimmered as multiple wings propelled the twisting form upwards, as though it was about to burst through the dome at any second.
Marcille’s monster was truly impressive, but it took Senshi’s art to make everyone realize it. When she looked up, she saw Laios beaming at her as if to say, well done.
Everyone turned toward the Dwarf as he made his way to the middle of the table and set down his tray. Since he was not known for making speeches, the gathering immediately fell silent when Senshi raised his hand and asked for permission to speak.
“The desserts show creatures that represent Laios and Marcille on the eve of their marriage. So I ask ye to raise a glass to the King and his new Queen.” The Dwarf said.
While most of the guests complied, Namari kept her glass on the table.
“Nuh-uh,” she said. “Not until you show us what you have under your tray.”
Senshi inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. The interruption had thrown him off and his nerves got the better of him.
He did not mean to overshadow the young couple and yet he would be doing precisely that once he revealed his dessert. He was simply following his instincts when he created it, and never once did he think about the implications.
Senshi began to tremble slightly, but before he could be overwhelmed by his own embarrassment, Flertom placed her hand on his arm to help steady him.
When Senshi opened his eyes, he found Flertom staring at him with a fierce look. “You’ve done your best and there's nothing else to do but go through with it.”
What a remarkable young woman, the Dwarf thought as he collected himself. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea to take her on after all.
Quickly nodding to his new apprentice, Senshi pulled the cover off his serving dish to reveal his matchless miniature of the Wa Flying Clipper.
Everyone gasped in astonishment. Laios and Marcille’s creatures were one thing, but this depiction of Falin’s ship as it rounded the cove just beyond the Melini docks was something else altogether.
When the guests returned to their homes, they would recall this evening as a jumble of various events – each one more confusing than the last – except for this moment when Senshi revealed the summit of his capabilities.
It took a while before anyone was willing to say anything intelligible. If there was even the slightest hint that they had finished admiring Senshi’s handiwork, then it would be time to cut into this triumph of culinary engineering.
“You know,” Tansu Floke said suddenly. “At the Royal Court, guests would receive slices of wedding cake but they would refuse to eat it.”
Senshi narrowed his eyes at the Gnome. He had never heard such nonsense in his life.
“Instead, they would bring the cake slices home and soak them in rum so they can be preserved as mementoes. This way, they would be able to preserve the cake for decades…”
Mr. Tansu had not finished speaking when Senshi produced the Mithril knife that had blinded the Red Dragon. In one fell swoop, he sliced through the entire thing – from one side of the sea-colored cake base to the other, bisecting the ship from bow to stern with such speed and precision that the gossamer sails still appeared to float.
The guests were shocked to see the Dwarf continue to cut and divide his masterwork into smaller portions while Flertom quickly placed them on dessert plates which Meijack then handed out.
“But it was too beautiful!” Fionil said as the tear that always lingered at the corner of her eye finally fell.
“T’is a thing of beauty, aye.” The Dwarf conceded. “But t’is also a thing for eating – not preserving!”
And with that, Senshi gave the dinner guests permission to finally enjoy their dessert.
“Aren't you going to eat it?” Laios asked his bride-to-be.
After carving out the cake base, Marcille found that she was still too transfixed by her Coatl to take a slice out of it. She wanted to wait until she could ask Senshi what the serpent was made of.
“It’s just sugar,” Laios mumbled as he crunched on a rhinoceros head.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t think it's possible to make a familiar just out of sugar. But then again…” He trailed off just as the Dwarf returned to his chair.
“Thank you, Senshi. This was really a lovely engagement present.” Marcille said as she leaned over her fiancé to reach out and squeeze the Dwarf’s hand.
“I just want ye kids to be happy.” He beamed. “By the way, did ye notice something on the serpent’s neck?”
Marcille looked more closely at her creature and found a collar right beneath its head.
Laios crossed his arms as he sat back on his chair. A large smile slowly spread across his face as he said, “I’m sure Senshi wouldn’t mind it if you just sliced right through.”
When her curiosity finally overcame her sense of scruples, Marcille did as Laios suggested. The collar detached itself and rolled onto the table before Senshi caught it in his hand.
“Here ye go Laios. I’m glad ye finally listened to me.” He said as he placed the ring in the Tallman’s outstretched palm.
Laios turned to Marcille and asked for her left hand. Great, salty tears of happiness fell from Marcille’s eyes as he carefully slipped the ring on her finger.
“Dragonscale is nothing against Mithril, so I jumped at the chance when Senshi said he would be able to source...”
Laios could not finish speaking because Marcille had thrown her arms around his neck and began to kiss him in full view of everyone.
“Will you control yourselves, PLEASE.” Someone shouted jokingly from the other end of the table. “There are children present.”
When everyone turned to see who had spoken up, they found Doni cradling a very fussy baby. By his side was Zon’s son, who was lighting their way with a small lamp.
The leader of the Orcs raised his eyebrows at the orcling who was supposed to be in bed, but the boy reasoned that he couldn’t sleep because of the baby.
“So I thought if I asked nicely, I could come down and have some cake.”
“I think little Aro wants his mama,” Doni said as Fionil got up to relieve her husband, who had been walking circles around the nursery for the past twenty minutes trying to get their little one to go to sleep.
The Tallman finally slumped back into his chair, smiling but exhausted, while Zon made space for his son to sit on his lap.
“Alright, just this once.” He said.
These developments did not go unnoticed at the head of the table.
Chilchuck laughed quietly to himself when he saw Marcille rise from her seat and head straight toward Fionil and her baby – with Laios following a few steps behind.
Once the precious little bundle was placed in her arms, Marcille began peppering the young mother with questions.
“What are his ears like? Who does he take after? Does he seem to be growing at a natural rate to you?” She mercilessly interrogated the new parents, even as she gently rocked their baby back and forth. When Laios asked if he could hold little Aro, Marcille flat out refused.
Chilchuck guessed that Doni and Fionil will probably need Zon’s help prying their infant from the Magical Advisor’s arms. Then again, he remembered how exhausted he and Berenice had been when the twins were small, and he figured the new parents probably wouldn’t mind a break.
A break would be nice, Chilchuck thought. His daughters may be all grown now, but he was younger than any of them when he first became a father.
When the desserts were finished, Meijack finally took her father aside to talk about her future plans.
“I know you set up the shop in Kahka Brud for me Dad, but I really believe I was meant to do something else. Even if it’s something as stupid as making dolls that move and play music, in a country where I don’t speak the language or know the culture, or…”
Chilchuck mumbled something.
“Sorry Dad?”
“I said, it's not stupid. How can something be stupid when it makes your face light up like that?” He said.
“Does that mean I can stay in the apartment above the shop?”
Chilchuck spun around when he realized that Flertom had been hovering within earshot all this time. He blinked in confusion as his daughter explained that Senshi had tentatively agreed to take her under his wing.
“As long as I behave myself.” Flertom declared.
When they heard these words, Meijack and Puckpatti immediately gave each other skeptical looks.
“Listen, my current job lets me stay above the restaurant. When I begin my apprenticeship, I’ll have to give up my place – do you really want me to be homeless?
“Besides,” Flertom said teasingly, “That means mom will have to come live with me. Maybe that’ll give you a chance to finally patch things up.”
Chilchuck stood up so quickly, it was as if someone had set his seat on fire. His daughters giggled as he started straightening his clothes and making sure his hair looked alright.
“She's not here Dad, so will you just RELAX?” Puckpatti laughed. “And if you ever need to take a breather from either Mom or Flertom, you know you can always stay with me in Melini.”
Notes:
This chapter is dedicated to my dear C. I wish you peace, wherever you may be.
Chapter 11: Epilogue
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
When Kabru finished dressing Mithrun’s hand, he raised the bandaged palm to his lips and kissed it.
“That was quite brave of you.” He said.
But the high-born Elf simply withdrew his hand and shrugged. Mithrun was not feeling particularly receptive to any form of tenderness or flattery at the moment.
It was way past midnight and Mithrun chose to join Kabru in his chambers after all the other guests had retired to their rooms. The moon was visible through the open window which let in a slight breeze.
“It would have been better if I had found and destroyed the entire hive.”
Kabru stood up and crossed his arms on his chest. He was quite sanguine about palace security being compromised. There would always be leaks after all – no matter how many barriers Marcille cast nor how many nests she destroyed – and he wondered why Mithrun was so concerned.
“It was just one bee,” The Tallman said, trying to make light of the situation. “Besides, how much do you think it was able to transmit?”
Mithrun couldn’t say. He didn’t know how long the insect had been spying on the banquet..
“I think there’s no need to worry. The wedding is tomorrow, and there’s hardly anything at this point that the Western Elves could do to stop it from happening.” Kabru said confidently.
Mithrun looked up and regarded his closest friend with a gaze that was filled with worry and dread.
“What makes you think that it was the Queen who was spying on the banquet?”
Kabru pushed these words out of his head as he went about his rounds the next day.
The wedding had been scheduled for mid-afternoon, but the palace staff were asked to prepare for a party to welcome the Lady Falin. Accordingly, the King and his Magical Adviser had already departed for the harbor that morning.
As soon as he finished his breakfast, Kabru called in on Remi while he was meeting with the Vintner.
“Why the long faces?” Kabru said cheerfully.
The Chamberlain turned his face to hide his annoyance at the unexpected interruption.
“I was asking the Vintner why he served the stronger wine from Captain Leed’s wedding last night when I specifically requested a lighter vintage.”
Before the Vintner could respond, Kabru raised his hand and said, “Don’t you think it would be better if we settle this matter after Lady Falin's feast?”
Remi sighed as he rose from his seat. After nodding to the Vintner, he bowed to Kabru and said, “I simply wanted to ensure that the same mistake will not be repeated this afternoon. Ambassador.”
As the Chamberlain closed the door behind him, he muttered under his breath. Hundreds of years he’s supplied the Melini palace and he’s never made a mistake like this. Why now?
The Vintner shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Kabru took Remi’s place. Beads of sweat formed on the winemaker's face, while the Ambassador sat back and coolly regarded him with his impossibly large blue eyes.
A minute passed, then two, before the Vintner could no longer stand the silence.
“I’m going to lose the royal warrant, aren’t I?” He said, after swallowing the huge lump in his throat.
Kabru smiled, reached into his tunic and carefully placed a velvet pouch on the table.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “Your wine is excellent and they would be fools to put you out of business.”
The Vintner trembled as he reached for the pouch. The bag was heavier than he expected, and when he pulled on the drawstring he found twice as much gold as the Ambassador had promised.
The man sighed and wondered how he would be able to manage his affairs if he was expected to lie low for a few of months. For the hundredth time, he asked himself if it was worth sullying his name to ensure his family’s prosperity once the magical veil over Melini disappeared - and him along with it.
Seeing that the gold was not enough to allay the man’s fears, Kabru fixed a dazzlingly white smile on his face and began to speak in as lighthearted a manner as possible.
“I’m sure you can make arrangements for a family member to take over operations in your absence. Before you know it, this will all be over and you will be back as the official Vintner.”
The Ambassador leaned back in his chair and stretched his long thin legs under the table.
“Remember that you are doing this for the good of the Kingdom. As someone who has lived more than a thousand years, surely you must appreciate that our plans must be measured in centuries.”
As he turned to leave, Kabru asked the Vintner to close the door. Once he was certain that he was alone, the Tallman rose from his seat and began to kick and punch the air in triumph.
Everything had worked out better than he had hoped.
I don’t think our new life together should start with us misleading our friends.Marcille had said when he first suggested that they keep their wedding a secret.
Kabru was aware that their deception would inevitably breed resentment, and that it would worsen the rifts he already saw forming between the Council and Yaad, between Laios and his old partymates, even between Laios and Marcille.
The cracks were still small, but if nothing was done then the King could lose his most valuable allies and friends – the ones who knew him before he took the throne. Without such people to anchor him, Kabru feared that Laios would forget who he was and be consumed by his obsessions.
Kabru could think of no solution, except locking everyone up in a room and making sure that no one left until they had all hashed out their differences, until one evening when he and Mithrun ran into Chilchuck and Namari when they visited a tavern.
After raising their glasses to the pair, they kept a respectful distance and watched as the Dwarf and Half-foot order their pints. While the former partymates seemed a little stiff and hesitant with each other at first, their inhibitions quickly loosened as soon as the beer flowed.
Within minutes, Chilchuck and Namari began to tell each other off for ancient slights. But just when Kabru decided to intercede because he was convinced that they were about to come to blows, the two suddenly came to an understanding and began loudly reaffirming their friendship.
“Perhaps alcohol is indeed the best lubricant in such cases.” Mithrun concluded as he raised his glass once more to the newly-reconciled friends.
It had all worked out perfectly, Kabru said to himself. Now if he could only convince the former Canary to give up searching for a silly little beehive.
He had hoped that Mithrun had forgotten about it when he saw him that morning, but the Elf declared that he would much rather not attend the wedding if he could not find and destroy the hive in time.
“If I am unsuccessful, please give my apologies to the King and his new Queen.” He said.
“Shall I tell them the House of Kerensil sends their regrets?” Kabru said jokingly.
Mithrun did not smile, instead he said, “I am no longer a member of that house. If you must know, my brother was forced to cede leadership to Alvar – a cousin once removed on our mother’s side.”
As Kabru searched the grounds, he turned these recollections over in his head. It was no small thing for a powerful house to be placed in the hands of a distant relative, and perhaps Mithrun was worried for his brother. But he did not see what it had to do with last night’s banquet, or the bee that had been caught spying on it.
Suddenly, the Tallman stopped dead in his tracks. His face turned pale when he remembered that Alvar was an old Elvish word for beehive.
Some time after King Laios and Queen Marcille returned from their month-long sojourn in the country, they received an urgent message that Ambassador Pattadol would soon be arriving in Melini.
On the appointed date, Marcille joined Kabru on the docks to greet the former Assistant Captain, but there was no sign of the diplomat's vessel. Instead, they saw Pattadol disembarking alone from a trading ship - almost completely concealed by a great cloak.
"That's odd." Kabru noted with concern. "Normally there would be at least some pomp when the Elvish Ambassador arrives with the Queen's greetings for the new consort."
Marcille sighed. "I suppose it's alright then that Laios wasn't able to make it. There was just too much that Yaad had to catch him up on while we were away."
When Pattadol mounted the steps to the dock, her hosts saw that her face was pale and drawn - as if she had not eaten in days.
“Your Majesty, I bring you sad news.” Pattadol said as she curtseyed before Marcille.
As the Elf bent her knee, her cloak opened and Kabru saw that she was dressed from head to toe in deepest black.
“Her Royal Highness Queen Hemeia has passed away.”
Notes:
Thank you very much for reading until the end! 🙏
I am planning to add an appendix at some point to this story so please stay tuned for updates. This is the second work in a planned trilogy, but I will be taking a break for a while and will probably be publishing with less frequency.
I apologize in advance because I have also committed to joining a writing contest for the month of November and will probably be revisiting the trilogy in December - unless I miss these characters too much and decide that I can't quit them :')
I'm not sure if this is against the rules, but you can find me on Twitter (@EvieMacaraig) where I occasionally post artwork and updates on my writing-related stuff.
Chapter 12: Author's Notes
Summary:
A few notes on real life events, objects, locations and structures that are referenced in this work.
Notes:
A clue has been hidden in one of the items to indicate where the story will be heading.
Chapter Text
- Secret wedding - Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were secretly wed while the monarch was still married to Katherine of Aragon. To avoid discovery, the participants were isolated and hidden away from the public. A fair bit of deception was also used to get the celebrant to play along.
- Wa Flying Clipper - Referred to in Chapters 2, 4, 8 and 10, a clipper is a narrow ship with multiple sails that is designed for speed. In appearance, the Wa Flying Clipper resembles the Oshoro Maru I which is shown below.
- Dragon Dung Fuel - The dragon bricks, i.e., dehydrated and processed dragon dung that Puckpatti Chils sells in Chapter 3: The Dragon Dung Seller are based on dung cakes.
- Cow dung has been used as fuel, fertilizer and insulation material in many societies since prehistoric times.
- Powder Tower - In Chapter 3: The Dragon Dung Seller, Puckpatti conducts business from a converted powder tower, a building used to store gunpowder and explosives.
- In Melini, such structures would be located a safe distance away from the town to prevent events like the Delft Thunderclap, which killed Carel Fabritius who is presumed to be the teacher of Johannes Vermeer.
- In appearance, Melini powder towers resemble martello towers, i.e., defensive gun platforms where ammunition and other supplies could be stored. Three excellent examples of such towers are currently located in the Plains of Abraham in Québec City.
(Photo by John Stanton)
- In Melini, such structures would be located a safe distance away from the town to prevent events like the Delft Thunderclap, which killed Carel Fabritius who is presumed to be the teacher of Johannes Vermeer.
- Transference - In Chapter 3: The Dragon Dung Seller, Puckpatti appears to experience some form of transference in her relationship with Laios, who takes on the role of a protector and provider when he becomes her employer.
- Ice Well - In Chapter 4: Hair of the Dog, Senshi, Meijack and Flertom retrieve the desserts from an ice well, a.k.a., ice house. Before modern refrigeration was invented, giant blocks of ice were cut from frozen lakes and rivers and stored either underground or in insulated structures such as these.
- The ice well's appearance is similar to that of the initiation wells of Quinta da Regaleira.
- The ice well's appearance is similar to that of the initiation wells of Quinta da Regaleira.
- Agar Agar - In Chapter 4: Hair of the Dog, Flertom is flummoxed by the clarity and strength of the jelly that Senshi uses to create his desserts. While it is not revealed in the story, the secret ingredient that was sent by Falin is kanten, a.k.a, agar-agar. Derived from seaweed, this gelling agent can be used to make jellies that can set and remain stable at relatively high temperatures.
- Royal Warrant - A royal warrant of appointment attests that a merchant or provider has rendered goods or services to a member of the royal family.
- In Chapter 6: The Sweet Life, Chilchuck acknowledges that he owes the success of his locksmith's shop to one, while in the Chapter 11 Epilogue, the Vintner fears that he will lose his warrant after he supplies the banquet with a different wine.
- Karakuri - In Chapter 8: More like Meijack, Chilchuck’s eldest daughter is inspired to leave for Wa Island so she can build karakuri, automatons that can move, dance, play music, shoot arrows and even serve tea.
See also Gakutensoku. - Katsura - The tree that Mithrun rests under in Chapter 9: Fionil’s Arrow is a Cercidiphyllum magnificum, which is known for its sweet smell. As the tree is relatively young, Kabru confuses it with Cercis siliquastrum, which is otherwise known as the Judas tree.
- Flaming arrow - One inspiration for Fionil’s Arrow in Chapter 9 is the flaming arrow that lit the Olympic flame in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
- His Master’s Voice - In Chapter 10: Just Desserts, Ludo the dog reacts excitedly to hearing “his master’s voice,” which, incidentally, is what HMV stands for, and is a reference to the image below:
- Musical chairs - The guests keep changing seats as the party progresses.
- The original seating plan:
- Yaad departs after announcing his retirement from active duty. Zon leaves next to make sure that his son is settled in for the night. Meijack switches places with Mithrun so she can talk to Kabru about the Wa Flying Clipper, while Flertom manages to slip into Yaad’s empty seat so she can flirt with Senshi.
- From Chapter 3, Marcille, Laios and Puckpatti are absent from the table. They return briefly, but leave again after Chilchuck assaults Laios. A disappointed Senshi leaves with Meijack and Flertom, while Izutsumi goes off in search of Yaad. Almost half of the table is still gone by the time Fionil learns that Mithrun is her new seatmate in Chapter 9.
- When everyone returns in Chapter 10, the seating arrangement has changed again, but at least Remi the Chamberlain won't be pulling his hair out because everyone's getting more or less the same desserts.
- The original seating plan:
- Cow dung has been used as fuel, fertilizer and insulation material in many societies since prehistoric times.