Chapter Text
Soon after Yagorath’s defeat, Grand Magister Karne announced his retirement to little fanfare. Khan expected this, as his old age made it difficult for him to make the right calls as a leader. It had almost cost them the Realm, after all. If not for Commander Octavia’s strategy, they probably would have sat by and lost it all. Not to mention that his reputation had been tarnished by the controversy surrounding his son.
It was much more of a surprise, albeit a welcome one, when he appointed Princess Lian as his replacement.
This was just the victory that House Aico had been aiming for since Ascension Peak, the beginning of a new chapter for the dynasty. Lian’s dedication to her people and her methodical planning had finally paid off. As always, he was proud to serve such an ambitious and revered leader. He was eager to take on his new role as military advisor to the Grand Magister herself. And, although he might grow homesick, spending more time in the more temperate Crosswind Hold could be a welcome change. If not for him, then definitely for Rei, who never seemed to get used to the tundra’s biting cold. Both had remained in the city since Yagorath’s defeat, awaiting the arrival of their Princess for her swearing-in as Grand Magister.
Preparations for her ceremony and the subsequent celebrations were already underway when she was due to arrive. General Khan and Rei were ready to greet her at the gates of the Magistrate’s keep, red banners flowing in the warm breeze of a summer day. He absent-mindedly peered at the spellcaster, her lilac irises radiant with the sunlight. His heart skipped a beat when he realized she was looking right back at him. She flashed a strained smile before the sound of horse’s hooves nearby caught her attention.
“She’s here!” Rei beamed. Sure enough, a chariot bearing the banner of the Phoenix had stopped in front of the gates. A familiar ivory-haired woman waved to the pair. Khan approached the vehicle. He opened the door and took Lian’s hand, helping her to the ground. As soon as her heel met the stone, the leipori sprinted over and wrapped her arms around her tightly. The Scion returned the gesture.
“Princess Lian! I’m so happy to see you again, it’s been too long,” Rei started, excitement in her voice.
“Indeed, it has. I missed you too.” She patted her back as they broke their embrace. Before they started for the keep, Khan grabbed bags containing the Princess’s personal items from her chariot.
“I have so much to tell you.”
“I’m sure you do.” Khan could have sworn Lian shot him a knowing look, but between them turning to walk away towards the castle and white hairs blowing across her face, he couldn’t be sure.
“But, business first! I’ve hired a team of locals to set up for the past couple days, and I already contacted the royal tailors back home about your dress and I have five for you to try on-” Khan tuned out her voice as Rei babbled on about preparations for the coming days. The Princess nodded along, making an occasional comment. At the entrance, Khan briefly put down Lian’s bags to open the door for the ladies. When they entered, Lian looked upward towards beams of light which penetrated the still partially destroyed walls. Her nose crinkled in dissatisfaction.
“I know the castle is a bit of a fixer-upper at the moment—from the war, obviously—but I’ve already got a local mason coming tomorrow to work on it,” Rei assured, seeming anxious.
“You didn’t have to do all this, seriously,” Lian insisted, her voice gentler than usual.
“Oh, please, you’re going to be the Grand Magister! It has to be perfect,” Rei replied matter-of-factly. Lian let out an exasperated sigh.
“I suppose I chose you as royal advisor for a reason,” she said with an affectionate smile, “But please, don’t overwork yourself, Rei. Perhaps you should take a break. A moment for us to catch up on everything,” Lian suggested. Rei exhaled.
“Alright, fine. A short break while you settle in. But the tailors are supposed to be here with the dresses this afternoon, we should get a fitting done,” the mage explained.
“Thank you.” Lian’s gaze hung on Khan expectantly. “I’ll meet you back here shortly, after Khan shows me to my room."
“Allow me,” he chimed in. The group split as he began to escort Lian to the master chamber of the keep. They were silent until Lian turned her head back, presumably to check if Rei was still within earshot.
“Rei said she had much to share. Do you?” Lian started, immediately accusatory. If nothing else, he was glad to have a return to the familiar, even if it meant he was subjected to the Princess’s antics once more.
“Would you like to hear reports on the missing and maimed from the war?” he asked sarcastically. She raised her brow in suspicion.
“So I take it you two haven’t worked out your differences?” Khan pursed his lip under his helmet. He knew her decision to deploy them alone together was deliberate, but she hadn’t addressed it until now.
“I believe we have,” he answered earnestly.
“Well, that’s a relief. It would be difficult if two of my closest advisors refused to speak to each other,” she remarked, “So that’s all?” He wouldn’t allow her to pry anymore.
“Yes. It was a simple misunderstanding,” he asserted, his voice flat. “We’re here.”
“Alright,” she answered, defeated. She reached for the door, allowing him to enter and carry her items into the room. It was grand, with a large canopied bed in the middle and ornate wooden furniture. He placed the satchels filled with her personal items onto the bed.
“I suppose this will do for a temporary stay,” she managed, seeming unimpressed.
“I can have your room changed.”
“Later, perhaps. I fear with the ceremony so near, there will be little time. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to Rei. There is much to discuss.” With a nod, he opened the door for her and escorted her back down the hall where Rei was waiting. The Primus lingered as the women began chatting. Typically, Khan allowed Lian her privacy when it came to spending time with Rei, but he figured that her lack of familiarity with the Stone Keep warranted his discretion.
“Princess, it may be wise for me to accompany you both,” Khan suggested, “Extra caution is necessary before such an important event.” Their eyes met him, Rei’s expression seeming uncertain.
“I appreciate the offer, but Rei is more than capable.”
“As you wish,” he answered with a nod.
“We will reconvene this evening at my quarters, as usual.” Khan wore a grin under his helmet, choosing to ignore how Rei’s stare stuck on him for a little bit too long. He was always proud to be entrusted with such an important duty. It was a nice return to normalcy. In the meantime, he kept himself busy arranging the security detail for the upcoming events. It wasn’t too difficult for Khan to work with the Magistrate’s council of arms, even if they were pampered officials he only begrudgingly respected. Those who hadn't already known him as a Magistrate officer had gotten used to his curtness during the war. However, as the group of tacticians, officers, and advisors discussed, they came to agree on their severe lack of manpower, thanks to Grand Magister Karne’s strategic blunders. They resolved to post jobs for hire, hoping the capital’s transient mercenary population would take the opportunity for some extra cash. Khan didn’t like the idea of entrusting outsiders with the safety of Princess Lian and the guests. He told them he would speak to her about having some of the Royal Guard sent over for the event. In the meantime, outsourcing was their best option.
After spending the rest of his afternoon overseeing subordinates in their recruiting efforts, it was time to return to his guarding duty. When he arrived back at Lian’s quarters, he expected to meet both the Princess and her advisor. Khan knocked on the door to Lian’s room, only to be caught off guard when Lian herself answered. She had donned a silk lounging robe, in contrast to her usual formal attire.
“What is it, Khan?” He peered past her. The mage was nowhere in sight. He knew he was right to doubt her, she clearly couldn’t handle protecting the Princess, at least not while she had so many other duties to balance.
“Where’s Rei? Did she leave you unguarded?”
“No, I asked her to leave. She was exhausting me with all the preparations for the ball,” the Princess explained, exasperated, “I needed a break.”
“You shouldn’t put yourself in that position again. What if someone tried to hurt you?” he continued, one step from scolding her.
“Spare me the lecture.” She began to close the door on him, but he grabbed it.
“Allow me to have a word, there is something I must bring to your attention,” he pivoted, swallowing his frustration. Days of traveling along with Rei overwhelming her had certainly worn her out. There was no need for him to exacerbate her already sour mood.
“Is it about the ceremony?”
“Yes, but it won’t take longer than a few minutes. I can handle the rest.” She let go of the door, and he followed her inside. Her bags had been put away, so she flopped onto her bed. She only looked at the canopy above. It wasn’t like her to be so unrefined, but he got to see many sides of Lian that others never saw.
“With haste, please,” she sighed. Good thing he wasn’t one for many words.
“Upon meeting with the Magistrate’s Council of Arms, we concluded there aren’t enough men for an adequate security force. Their current resolution is to post jobs for hire. I proposed sending for the House’s Royal Guard. I told the council I would defer to you.” Lian kicked her heels idly, seeming to think through the decision. She’d do the same thing while studying the royal codes as a younger woman.
“I suppose that will be a better course of action, but we need to assure that enough of our men stay in House Aico’s lands. We wouldn’t want any opportunistic attacks on the kingdom or the court,” she started, “Besides, we only need them for one day. The risk of using mercenaries does not go unnoticed, but for an event with such a limited capacity, I don’t anticipate many issues.”
“It’s always better to be prepared for that which we don’t expect,” Khan retorted.
“Yes, of course. Send for the Royal Guard reserves, it’ll serve as adequate backup. Enough so they can oversee the recruits to ensure no issues,” she added, the General nodding in agreement.
“I’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, now, allow me to rest.” She rolled over, her face invisible to him as the robe’s fabric spilled across the linens behind her. As he stepped away, though, she spoke up again.
“Wait—one more thing.” He peered over his shoulder, the woman still not facing him.
“Yes?”
“When you retire for the night, please check in on Rei. I don’t think she’s been getting enough sleep. Assure that she’s not working into the night. Her room is at the end of the south wing, by the archives.” The dismissive wave of her hand betrayed that she thought of this as a small task, but his stomach sank.
“As you command, Princess.” He concealed his trepidation with a stony voice. At that, he slipped out of her room, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Even after all these months, Rei still made him uneasy. They had been on better terms at the end of the war, they had a sentimental moment on the battlefield. But it was just that: a moment. Now, they were in uncertain territory. He knew that she probably didn’t see him the same way anymore. It was better for her that way, but there was still much left unsaid between them. Khan didn’t think he would ever be ready to have that conversation, as inevitable as it felt. It was a dangerous possibility he wanted to avoid. Standing guard, he dreaded every minute that passed by, instead of hoping it would be over quicker. Maybe he could just disobey the Princess’s orders? It was just one small request for her, she might not even notice if he didn’t actually follow through. Though, having stumbled upon the scholar at night himself, he knew her suspicions were probably correct. Rei was always a little too dedicated to her studies and her work. And Lian would certainly notice if she had worked instead of slept. There was no avoiding this encounter. But he assured himself it didn’t have to be awkward. He’d simply go to her room, relay the Princess’s orders and be done with it.
But when it finally came time to do so, it wouldn’t go so smoothly.
When the next guard came to relieve him of his duty, he headed straight for the southern wing of the castle, eager to get this confrontation over with. Eventually, he reached the end of the hall. There was a room next to the entrance to the Magistrate’s archives. Rei’s chambers. He knocked on the door and paused, waiting for a response. Maybe she was already asleep, and his fears were for nothing. Just to be sure, he called out to her. Still no response. He let out a sigh of relief, ready to get out of here. But as he turned, his eye caught the door to the library slightly ajar. Two possibilities entered his mind: there was an intruder in his midst, or someone, likely Rei, had carelessly left the door open. Even if it was just a mistake, it would be safer to secure the area, especially considering the sensitive nature of some of the manuscripts within. With a groan, he drew his repeater and entered the Magistrate’s Archives.
Being sure to stop at each corner to scan his surroundings, he made his way through the maze of shelves inside. His hearing wasn’t stellar, but he couldn’t hear nor see anyone else. That was, until he reached an open study area. The light of a dying lantern danced across the spines of shelved books and crawled over a familiar slim form slumped over a wooden desk. Khan silently pinched the bridge of his nose as he holstered his weapon and approached the young mage. His first instinct was to call her name, but he stopped himself as he stepped around the chair to get a look at Rei’s face. She was clearly fast asleep, her shoulders heaving with soft breaths. He tried to ignore how endearing it was. Somehow, she had managed to fall asleep in her day wear, flopped across the journal she had been writing in. At least her glasses were neatly folded on the desk. It didn't look comfortable, but at least she was getting some rest like Lian wanted. It wouldn’t be a good idea to wake her. And, this way, he didn’t have to talk to her. Not that he couldn’t if he needed to.
As Khan departed the archives, he hesitated when he passed by the door to Rei’s room. He tried the doorknob, and she had left it unlocked. She sure had a bad habit of doing that. Peering around the dark room, he spotted a thick blanket sprawled across her bed. He picked up and carried the linen in his arms all the way back through the archives to where Rei had fallen asleep. He draped it over her lightly, then made sure to blow out the lantern she’d left burning. She looked much more peaceful now, untouchable to him like an ancient artifact or a beautiful ornament.
He didn’t know how much longer he could do this.