Yumina Return

-.

-.

I exhaled roughly as I walked out through the door. That was unexpectedly exhausting. Even if I did nothing but to sit there and occasionally be made to offer commentary if things sounded too unreasonable to the common people. Ah, they still expect princesses to be symbols of sympathy, huh?

My father and King Jamukha remained behind to discuss more finely the details of their alliance. After all, Sir Zah and I were technically simply third parties who were only doing a service.

A third party... "Mhhhm." I raised my hand above my head and stretched. I luxuriated in the fiery feeling of my muscles being unwound. "A third party…" I whispered openly. "A third force that can stand to make sure that both sides are keeping to their agreement. I guess it's true what they say – a chair with two legs can't stand."

But people on two legs do. But they do so by themselves for themselves.

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes - who watches the watchers?" Sir Zah noted. And then "You look like a cat."

"Bwah!" I yelped and swung my arms about. Oh noes. I forgot that we were no longer out in the road, and I was wearing my princess gown! White gown, white arm gloves, hair once again expertly washed and brushed – a white cat, I could understand the impression. I could feel my blood rushing to my face, quickly I lowered my hands and hid my blush behind my palms. How embarrassing!

And what happened to your profundities?! I looked up to see Sir Zah smirking down at me like the smuggest cat. Mistakes were made. I should never have been too comfortable in your presence!

"Don't mind it. It's cute. You worked hard." He grinned and raised his thumb like the symbol of peace or something.

"H-hearing that doesn't make me happy!" I lied.

"Mister Zah!"

We turned towards the excited wail. Miss Linze all but leaped out of her seat, while Miss Elze gave us a cool look while leaning on a wall. Miss Yae seated beside Miss Linze brushed breadcrumbs off her lap and stood up. She clenched one hand into a fist and wrapped the other hand over it, and bowed sharply. "Playa-dono! Welcome back!" she spoke strongly and briskly. "OKAERINASAIMASE!"

They were waiting here all this while. We even had lunch brought in through the meeting. I should probably apologize. Though… from what I could see from the stack of plates on a rolling table right next to Miss Yae… they had little shame about taking advantage of all the culinary courtesies of a royal house.

A̷u̷d̷a̷c̷i̷t̷y̷.̷ ̷E̷v̷e̷r̷ ̷a̷u̷d̷a̷c̷i̷t̷y̷.̷ Shameless. Ever shameless. Ugh, this party was teaching me some terrible lessons.

But it all keeps working out, should I trust ittt?!!

Sir Zah stepped out ahead and waved "Oh hey-"

WHAPOW.

I was sure I didn't blink, but now Miss Elze was standing in front of me. Her fist was held straight out. A strong breeze flowed through the hallway.

A second later there was a far-off bang and crunch. Sir Zah was embedded face-first into the far wall of the corridor. Oh. Right. Punchface. So it was promised. So it was done.

"Wa-what is this godspeed?!!!" Miss Yae gasped.

Miss Elze's face was the same as Miss Linze, they were twins after all. But looking at her, she had a strong profile. Her cold eyes, her impassive expression, going from rest to a roaring volcanic burst then back to rest again in the space of an eyeblink – an impossible precision of force! Whereas Sir Zah flitters around with gusts of awesome power, Miss Elze arrives with sudden, overwhelming and unwavering drive!

My breath caught in my throat. My heart was beating quickly in my chest. How… enviable!

/"Veeery nice."/ whispered Lady Monika. She had been standing behind Sir Zah all this time.

And I could see a small drop of sweat flow down Miss Elze's temples. Her expression remained firm, but there was the dawning comprehension she may have messed up.

But I applaud your bravery, Miss Elze! I will always support you.

/"He probably deserved that."/

"Yeah I kinda did~…" Sir Zah moaned while still stuck halfway into a wall.

"You gonna make something of it?" Miss Elze hissed valiantly. "You want some of this too for a change?"

Miss Monika stared blandly down at her. She was literally looking down on Miss Elze. 'This girl is no threat', her whole demeanor exuded that. I could hear Miss Elze's teeth grinding, her fear being replaced by indignant anger. Ah, such spite! Unlike cowardly me, Miss Elze would not bow to anyone.

She remained in that beautiful punching pose.

It was the purest arrogance for Sir Zah and Lady Monika to declare that this Alliance would happen no matter what. But it was the look in those eyes that convinced us. Well, more like Lady Monika's eyes since Sir Zah was always wearing his mask. Her look was normally cold and penetrating, as if nothing around her was quite real. As if everything could be picked up and discarded without emotion, like something that can be loved intensely in the present but will not be sorely missed when it was gone.

But there was a warmth in those eyes now. My father, King Jamukha, she looked at them like with only a certain clarity as if they were nothing but pieces on the board. Sir Zah CARES. But Lady Monika only cares that Sir Zah gives a hoot about something. How odd really, the one whose eyes cannot be seen is the one who shows more genuine feeling.

But to me… her eyes said /'You are REAL to me'./

And towards Miss Elze, I could see now that her eyes… glittered with the same indulgent amusement that she gave Sir Zah on occasion? /'More!'/ that look implied. /'Intensify yourself! Show me how much further you can go with sort of behavior, you wicked wicked child! Ohohohoh!'/

You ruin a child by spoiling them too much, you know? Are you to blame for Sir Zah being the way he is? Hmm.

No, I suppose Sir Zah is strong-willed and purposeful with things he likes, and knows how to swallow his anger when it would serve him not, so he was no spoiled rotten child. They were a relationship of equals.

She nonchalantly walked past Miss Elze, refusing to act was itself firmly putting the young adventurer in her place.

Aaah! What is this viscous, yet oddly refreshing feeling – wait, am I sure this isn't just static cling from a charged environment? No? Very well then. Ah! What is this feeling!

Is this the joy of youth? The feeling that the only thing that matters is what's happening around you, with your most trusted companions! Ah! This is the meaning of high adventure!

"She doesn't realize that she's doing all this silent posing around now, is she?"

Wait what was that just now.

Ahem.

I came back to my senses to find that Lady Monika now had Miss Linze pressed to the wall.

Wait. I know this pose. This… this is how salacious! She had her elbow to the wall and loomed over Miss Linze.

/"Hey~"/ Lady Monika whispered huskily.

Miss Linze let out a helpless little "Eep!" as she blushed mightily and squirmed in place.

"Wait a second- shadows?" Miss Elze piped up, now standing beside me. "You're solid! I thought you couldn't do that except in your tiny body because there's not a way to control enough material for a full-size body!"

I grimaced minutely. "Yeees that is a thing now, apparently."

Miss Linze blinked. Her expression regained clarity, and then intensity. She looked up and hesitantly reached out. Lady Monika grabbed her hand and pressed it to her cheek. Miss Linze sucked in her breath.

"W-warm."

Lady Monika smiled gently. /"I too am made of layers. Deep inside I am boiling. Do you know what this means?"/

Miss Linze shook her head slowly and quivered like a trapped rabbit feeling the hot breath of a wolf on its face.

Lady Monika went all shifty-eyed and leaned closer and she whispered straight into Miss Linze's ear /"It means you too can now earn Monika Points."/

"Gleep!"

"NTR IS A TRASH FETISH MONIKA!" Sir Zah roared from across the room.

We turned about to see him sliding back into place, the marble-tiled floors of the palace icing up ahead of him so he could just flow frictionlessly forward. Huh. Water and wind. This kind of maneuver magic has been done before I suppose (but never really adopted as a tactic), but it had potential and was something I could try. My magic was [Earth] and [Wind], but I could flatten and smooth out ground surface and just have someone else freeze it. Sir Zah and I would not be hindered at all, while everyone else slips and slides.

I could see guards discreetly peering around the corners of the corridor far behind Sir Zah… but no one dared approach. It was like they could taste the signs of shenanigans afoot. No. Let us be a little charitable. There were formal talks going on behind the door at out backs. Interfering with anything could have drastic consequences.

Then with a high-pitched yell of "Wah-he-hoooo!" he launched off, made a double somersault in mid-air, and then landed standing next to Miss Linze on the opposite side facing Lady Monika. He laid his elbow on the wall and loomed over Miss Linze.

"Hey~," he whispered huskily and waggled his eyebrows.

And then Miss Monika crooned again /"Hey~."/

"B-both of you?! Eeek!" Her blush went volcanic and she curled up down and into a ball. She let out a keening hissing noise like a hot teapot boiling over "Eeeeeeeeeee….. I'm… my heart is not prepared for thiiiiis!"

What even am I looking at here, seriously.

I glanced towards Miss Yae. A tall, raven-haired well-proportioned exotic beauty rooted in the martial arts, beside me a young Princess who could only really fight with her mind. We had little in common. She never looked bothered by anything.

I schooled my face into the same enduring calm. Ahh. I suppose cool competence was something we could share.

Miss Elze stomped over, reached down, and pulled her twin sister up. She hugged Miss Linze, who clung to her sister listless and giggling suspiciously. "All right, that's enough of that from you two! There are lines you know! Don't cross them unless you're serious! You can't just play around with other people like that! Stop it, you're just bullying Linze at this point!"

/"Ah, that reminds me,"/ Lady Monika raised a finger to her chin. /"Elze. I think it's about time we had… a talk."/

Again Miss Elze wrinkled her face like an angry rabbit. She was extremely annoyed, for Lady Monika was not a problem that could just be punched away. She had no idea how to deal with someone who overmatches her so completely in social combat.

Come to think of it… yes, that was true. She spent more time with Sir Zah and Lady Monika had Miss Linze. I could not conceive of a reason when Lady Monika and Miss Elze would ever have a time to sit down and get to know each other. Their personalities differed too much, there were some people that you work with perfectly but just do not feel any need for emotional intimacy towards.

Is this really all right?

"Is this really all right?" Sir Zah asked.

/"Oh don't worry Player. It's just that I've come to realize that we never really had a girl's outing before. Sure, we've had the all girl team, and we've trained in pairs, but never just me and Linze and Elze. It's long overdue that we have a private thotful discussion."/

Sir Zah may have his eyes covered, but I could tell he was narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Don't think I didn't notice the way you said that."

Lady Monika chuckled deviously and began shooing him away. /"Away with you for a while, Player. Look. I just remembered that you haven't spent time with Yae before, haven't you? Go take her out around town. Away!"/

Sir Zah huffed "I do this because I trust youuu~!"

He looked towards Miss Yae, who quickly stood to attention. Her cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel as she'd hastily jammed one last scone in there.

"Yae!"

"Yef, Feya-hama!"

Sir Zah slapped his left hip. "New swords, let's go." Oh! Well that made sense. Sir Zah and Miss Yae broke their swords against that black dragon back then.

Wait. What about me?

-.

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A short while later I was introduced to Matriarch Leene, undisputed ruler of the Fairy Tribe, a being over six hundred years old and the personal trainer of Belfast's own court magician. All right, the last one was a little worrying, but no one could deny that Miss Charlotte was peerless on the battlefield. No one could cast as fast and as efficiently using the least amount of magic power and stamina for maximum effect, except perhaps the one who taught her all that from her own centuries of refinement and experience.

She looked no older than me, and had a soft disinterested expression. "So, this is YOUR student?" she hummed. "Interesting. And you're just lending her to me for the afternoon? What a delicious little g-"

"IRON CLAAAAW!"

Sir Zah gripped Matriarch Leene by the top of her head and pulled her up. The fairy dangled futiley from his surprisingly powerful arms. "A delightful little guide, that's what I was saying!" she whined.

What are you doing Sir Zah what is this diplomatic incideeent!

"She is off limits. Charlotte will not be repeated. Do you understand?" Sir Zah unclenched his fingers and Matriarch Leene dropped.

"Fine. Understood. Your disciple is your disciple, I will not impinge on those rights." She sniffed haughtily and turned towards me. "What are your affinities, girl?"

"[Earth], [Wind], [Dark!], ma'am!" I responded sharply and smartly.

"An eclectic mix. [Water] and [Earth] or [Fire] and [Wind] harmonizes quite well, but [Earth] and [Wind] have few spells that can overlap their effects."

"I would be endlessly grateful for whatever instruction you give, Madam Leene!"

Matriarch Leene raised a hand to her chin and nodded approvingly. She looked up towards Sir Zah. "She has good personal discipline. And there is drive in her, a good head of stubborn pride – she has potential. I predict that her teachers still have that superstition about [Dark] being an evil branch of magic. Curses are more useful than you might think."

"Great. I will come by later, we need to talk about summoning magic. Yumina, keep being you. You, stop being you so much."

"Why don't you respect meeee?" Matriarch Leene pouted and whined again like the young sister-like girl she appeared to be. I frowned minutely. Sir Zah you should set some boundaries too, that's rude.

Matriarch Leene saw my expression and seemed taken aback, her eyes widening in pleasant surprise. Then she smiled impishly.

Sir Zah and Miss Yae then tromped off nonchalantly. Matriarch Leene floated an inch or so above the air and circled around. Oh! This casual flight. Sir Zah and his still unfulfilled dream of true flight must find this casual power so irritating. Now he can feel what the rest of us feels.

"Tell me, child…" the fairy asked with a dark chuckle "Do you know… how to DODGE?"

I raised my right hand, suddenly wrapped in the strong contained gale of of the [Heavy Wind]. "The best defense is a good offense!" I replied.

Slap enemy spells right out of the air! It was scary at first, but it was now a thriller to be able to slap away incoming arrows. Then someday, to be able to slap people from all the way across the room. I have altered the deal, pray I do not alter it any further. Slap. Slap. Slap!

In future when I reign over my own court, must avoid the temptation to slap scheming nobles whenever they stand in front of windows and recreate the Defenestration of Alephis.

Matriarch Leene beamed. "You. I like you. I like you a lot."

"Thank you." That does make me feel a little better.

In this land of the beastkin where insanity dwells.