I spent a few days resting and healing, often having visitors for Arceia come by. I’d chat with them every so often while recovering from whatever that psychic attack was. I found out that one of them was actually Emperor Zephyrus, and I had a hard time talking to him freely with how regal he carried himself, but there were times when he showed his humanity. This was his adopted daughter after all, so it was natural he would act like a worried father sometimes, but I had a hard time catching the moment. Every time I did he recomposed himself and spoke to me as a superior, asking me little things about myself. I wasn’t comfortable sharing that we were blood related, so I left that out, but I was generally pretty open otherwise.
The final day I would spend in this room, I woke to see only myself and Professor Ritter present. She had visited before, but this time Arceia was also missing. I immediately thought to question this.
“She finally woke up, right?” I asked, concerned. She nodded to me, which made me immediately relieved. I had worried about her state for a while now, especially when the rest of us made it out mostly unscathed. Sure, my brain took a beating, but aside from a few days of bad headaches and dizziness I was mostly okay. I don’t even remember the battle, just the result being that everyone made it out unscathed. I felt like this was something important to note, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“How has class been going?” I asked.
“It’s going.” Professor Ritter said flatly. “Faye and I are pretty sure that everyone is going to be able to perform basic Flux tasks and wards without tiring themselves within the next week. Naturally, you’ve gotta be caught up, but where your injuries were inflicted by magic you’ll be out of commission for a little while longer. Instead, Faye volunteered to tutor you when you’ve recovered fully.”
“Grandmother is a lot nicer than the other students probably realize.” I responded, which got a snicker from Professor Ritter.
“She is, but don’t tell anyone. She has this fixation on her reputation.”
“Gotcha.” I nodded, sitting up with ease and then immediately feeling lightheadedness hit me, forcing me to look at the floor for a few minutes. It seems this was just in time for wherever Arceia had left to be done with her, as she came back into the room fully dressed and looking no worse for wear, with her father following behind soon after.
“…The Tower will be made of– Oh, she’s awake.” The Emperor said, as Arceia was already upon me trying to help me stabilize.
“You alright, Arceia?” I asked, unable to see straight but pretty sure she nodded to me in confirmation.
“Doing just fine. And with lots of good news to share for all of us. But that’s for later, are you okay?”
“Just a little dizzy.” I laughed, refusing to shake my head on the idea that it would get worse. “Sounds like I won’t be in class for a while though, so I may ask to borrow some of those Empire books to study in the meantime.”
“Not a problem. My personal library is up for use as long as you need it.”
“I appreciate you.” I said in a slightly delirious sing-songy voice. “So, don’t keep me waiting. What’s the good news?”
“Well…” she ruffled her hip a bit where she normally kept whatever book was on hand and produced a few scraps of paper from the satchel. “You probably shouldn’t read this right now, but father and I went back to the scene of the battle and I was able to commit to paper what we did and what we battled. This means that the unknown species can now be documented and reported. I’m sure the Peacemakers will be thrilled.”
“That is good news.” I sat up slightly, finally processing the room straight on a bit better. Not perfect, but I could make out only two Emperors now instead of the six I probably would have seen earlier. “What about the farm? There wasn’t anyone at it when we were there but the lights were on. Is everyone okay?”
“We didn’t check.” she confessed. “Though there was no damage to the building, so I have to assume so.”
“Thank heavens.”
“June.” The Emperor spoke to me directly, cutting us off. “Is it true that you battled this creature you call an abomination prior to your bounty?”
“Y-yes sir.” I stammered out, to which he smiled.
“Then I owe you more thanks than before. Without that foresight, my daughter would be lost to me. Name your reward, and I will grant it.”
“Reward?’ I questioned, uncertain of exactly what qualified me for such a thing.
“Of course. You defended my daughter, and thus, you defended the Empire. You deserve to be recognized for this feat.”
I stayed silent for a second, thinking carefully about what it is I could ask for. Of all the loose ends I had to chase, from grandmother being banished from the Empire to the murderer of my father and my personal goal to protect people, I didn’t have much room for worldly wants. My own reward would be better spent on others, and I decided that of the objectives in mind right now, one would be the best to pursue.
“I’d like to ask that Professor Faye be allowed into the Empire again. If that’s not acceptable, then I’d like to think a bit more about it. That’s the only thing I’d want that I feel I can’t get done with hard work.”
There was a pause, and then the Emperor leaned in closer to me, his crouched position at eye level with me. He stared for a moment, before smiling and standing again.
“I knew there was something about you that I recognized. You’re Frejas’ daughter, aren’t you?”
“Yes sir.” I said, giving up on hiding the fact. “Don’t think I want anything to do with the benefits of the bloodline though. I am not trying to get any power or position or anything.”
“I didn’t think you did.” he responded. “You seem far more earthen and simple than that.”
Unsure of if I should feel insulted or not by this, I stayed silent as he turned his back to me and folded his arms behind his back.
“This makes you a renegade noble, however. One of my own, in fact. My great-great-granddaughter. Thus, by birthright, you are carrying a strange set of blood in your veins. The mixture of a deity, a tactical genius, and a warrior unparalleled. Why, adding that nobility would be a waste of your potential I’d say. You have just about everything someone could ask for.”
“I don’t exactly know how important that is, but I’d rather it mean nothing.” I interjected, to which he turned back to face me.
“Now, that is one thing I cannot grant to you. Your heritage matters. You will not be held accountable for any political affairs nor will you be burdened with Imperial duties, but as a member of the royal family you are henceforth going to be watched and protected, at whatever distance you deem satisfactory. However, returning to your given circumstances and your request…” he scratched his chin for a moment, turning to Arceia as if to silently confirm with her.
“Your request is granted. Jamie Faye-Kohma will be permitted into Imperial territory once more. On the singular condition that you, June Kohma, daughter of Saint Foxtail and true blood heir to the throne, will uphold one small agreement with me.”
“What sort of agreement?”
“You will allow me to meet with your family, and invite them to enjoy the same protection as any other member of the royal family. That would be agreeable for you, no?”
“Protecting my family? Yes, I think I can agree to those terms. And thank you, sir. I know it may be selfish, but embracing any sort of birthright is so counter to what I want in life. I’ve never been a princess or a god or anything, and I doubt I’d be able to handle it. If I’m just another protected person, then I can accept that as a middle ground. As long as I’m free to do what I want with my life.”
“I admire your sense of self.” he smiled. “I can see now why your cousin took a liking to you so quickly. You truly are the spitting image of your bloodline.”
“Thank you, I think.” I swallowed, finally feeling my eyes adjusting properly enough to examine everyone individually. “That reminds me, did we get paid for the bounty?”
“How does that remind you of the bounty?” Arceia sighed. “But I thought you’d have already had the money on hand by now. Where is it?”
“That one, I can answer.” A familiar voice came from the doorway. It was Sir Mirroheart, holding a bag in one hand. “I’ve been hanging onto it until you both woke up. Good job out there in your first real battle, kid. And thanks for helping her out, Third Princess.”
“Third Hunter,now.” Arceia corrected. To me, that felt like a downgrade, but she seemed to treat it as a promotion.
“Fair enough.” Sir Mirroheart stepped further in, placing one bag in my hands and then reaching for another to give to Arceia. “Ragnis got hers already, don’t worry about that.”
“Thank you!” I eagerly pulled the bag open, and began to count. I noted that there were a few missing from the total I expected, and it seemed as though Sir Mirroheart anticipated this as from his position, he tossed me a small stone.
“Already sent the other one to Freja.” he said, confirming what I assumed. “Give her my regards when you call, alright?”
“Can do!” I said, excitedly putting the small stone away for later examination as Sir Mirroheart left, not another word coming out from behind that mask of his.
“He sure is on top of things.” Arceia joked, and I laughed as well.
“He is. I’m surprised he didn’t want to talk to you though, sir.” I addressed the Emperor, who crossed his arms and shrugged.
“We talk often enough.”
“Suppose I can’t argue with that. Well… Now what?” I asked. “I mean, this is what I was working for and now the whole family can be reunited sort of, including grandmother. We have info on his weird abomination thing, so that’s huge. But what else from here today?”
“Today?” Professor Ritter stepped forward. “Today you wait to be cleared, head back to the Ouzo building, and then enjoy your forced vacation.”
“I guess that’s fine… Hey, wait a second actually.” I pointed to Arceia. “You need to tell me all about this promotion!”
“Well, I suppose this is where we part ways for now.” The Emperor spoke up, commanding our attention. “I’ll be returning to the palace now. Third Hunter, I will be in contact regarding our arrangement shortly. Second General, please continue to supervise this young up-and-coming. And June, stay true to your ideals, but never forget that hard work is only half the battle. It also takes planning and good intentions.”
“Got it. Thank you so much, sir.”
Without another word, he disappeared behind the door as well. Soon, Professor Ritter followed, leaving just Arceia and I to discuss things. We spent a good hour discussing everything that she had seen and remembered, as well as the details of her promotion and new home tower. After a while though she, too, disappeared behind the door frame with that zephyra woman I’d met the other night after the battle. I recognized her, but not from which point. Still, this left me to my own devices, and so I decided to examine my, well, new device.
The Sending Heart I received was a deep red, almost glistening in specific locations. I noted that a marble of sorts sat within the center of one side with runes written around the other, as well as encircling the main unit. They always just looked like stones to me from a distance, but I supposed it wouldn’t be that simple. Nothing had been, so far.
I smiled and tried to recall how to use the device, recalling the first time Sir Mirroheart showed it to me. He pressed it between his hands as if in prayer and concentrated on the person he wished to contact, and they would answer.
I thought for a few minutes before calling, wondering if it was too late in the day and thinking about what I could go over with her. So much had happened after all, from realizing my heritage, making new friends, awakening my potential, and of course the battle. Should I tell her I was on a sports team? Or that I was injured recently? Or maybe I could tell her about my first Imperial meal first – that tasty calzone I was surely going back to have after I finished up in this ward.
I decided I’d start from the beginning, and while I may have a few loose ends to work on down the road, right now I felt pretty comfortable with the way my life was headed.
I pressed the stone between my hands, and concentrated on my mothers’ face. Her voice and the duets we had together. How she and I looked so similar before. I wondered how I would know that she responded, until I heard some rustling in my mind. I was still a little uneasy so it was possible that this was my imagination, and so I asked, both out loud and in my head.
“Mom?”
For a few moments, I heard silence, before a familiar and long-missed voice broke the silence.
“Well hey there, sunshine.”
Magna Varia 