Athua walked them to Cetlali's quarters, a level below Ezren's suite. She had given them all a brief tour and some useful tips on not getting lost around the labyrinth-like palace.
Lovou stepped in first, flicking his eyes around the space before he opened the door wide for the rest of them. He abandoned his place to wait during their entrance, skipping the niceties. He began pacing around the area in determined investigation. His glare was looking as if the gauzy curtains themselves held nefarious plots he meant to unearth.
Athua showed Cetlali the solar and the bedroom. Circumventing Lovou's intensity was easy enough with her lilting knowledge. The bed was massive, bigger than just enough for two. Cetlali's stomach went rancid on wondering why she'd ever want the extra space.
It was not something she had ever requested.
The mere theory of it being a space for two or more chilled her. She'd only ever had one
unwanted occupant in a shared bed. No matter how 'innocent' it was, the enormous bed made a distinct illness chill her to the bone.
Athua noticed her discomfort. She came to Cetlali's side in an instant, her tone genuine with concern. "You seem displeased."
Cetlali's head snapped up to look at her. She shook her head. "No, no, that's not it. I've just never had a bed that big before. Your bed didn't use to be that big. I mean, it's just supposed to be me and that's far too big for only me." Lovou stiffened in his search as she spoke. Her words sounding much more frightened than she wanted them to.
Athua nodded, trying to reassure her friend.
"Well, most of the Complex's rooms have larger beds than normal. Attendants switched this one in when Masha wanted my old one in her new rooms. She'd carved things into the frame, you see. The newer one probably differs from the quarters you've stayed in as a Vassal's attendant too."
Athua was careful with her continued explanation. She knew Cetlali needed facts to edge away from whatever made her look so absent. "Aside from the Emperor and his Imperial Clan, the Vassour Elect is surely the most integral person to the safety and stability of the Pagegonian Empire. The Sovereignty and the citizenry appreciate their services and those of all who tend to them. We often show them great favor."
Athua grinned, "And well, since Ezren doesn't have any kin with him, I persuaded Eraughn to give you the rooms that once belonged to me when my father lived here. My profound regrets, because I could not decide on amenities after I had moved out." Her smile was wistful for the surrounding room. "Masha and I will have to come and show you how to spend a night in here without going mad with the space."
"Oh, that'd be tremendous!" Cetlali beamed and clapped several times.
When Athua shifted to show her to the washroom, a physical barrier between her and Lovou moved, too. Before he realized she was attending to him, Cetlali caught the curious, soft look on his face aimed in her direction. It made him look less distant and so much younger. Then he scowled his angry scowl at her, flushed, and went back to his avid investigation. She let Athua tug her along by her arm. Cetlali wondered why he always had to be so damn enigmatic and confusing, like an honest smile would kill him.
"The washroom has a copper tub!" Athua grinned at the enormous oblong well in the center of the room. "My father had it installed a few months ago. It more closely resembled the styles we have in Cazar Waingnam. It holds heat so much longer than others because of the insulation."
Cetlali forced a grin at first, but when she saw it, she was indeed pleased. "It's amazing!"
She stepped forward and knelt down, brushing her fingers over the smooth, gleaming rim.
"Dear gods! Could I have a bath all by myself every single day?"
Athua nodded her head with an eager grin.
"Yes, and your first one shall spoil you rotten!"
She giggled and excitement lit up her eyes as she pulled Cetlali out of the washroom. She sounded conspiratory as she spoke, "Tonight you'll be bathing in the intended Empress's quarters. It's quite possibly decorated with some of the most extravagant nonsense I have ever seen." She sighed, sounding pleased as she walked Cetlali back in to the receiving solar.
"I'm going to make sure my attendants give yours all the knowledge and advice they have for the Vassour Elect's Complex."
Cetlali gripped Athua's hand on her arm.
Not quite ungentle, but with a clear urgency.
"Perhaps not everything," she muttered and glanced back over her shoulder. Lovou stood in the corner, overseeing the attendants all milling around the space and getting to know it. "I'm still unsure of who I can trust." As if he'd heard Cetlali, his gaze snapped to hers and she looked
back at Athua with a nervous smile. "I've never had personal attendants before."
Athua nodded, but there was a slight frown across her delicate features. "Did you not get to interview and choose the people you wished to hire?"
The question surprised Cetlali. "No," she shook her head, "Ezren arranged all that."
"Oh," Athua paused, persisting with logic that Cetlali didn't have any decent refutation for, "But they're supposed to be in your service."
"And I'm his," Cetlali replied with an absent sharpness that made Athua lean back. Feeling her stomach churn and her heart thump, Cetlali corrected, "In his service, I mean. I've spent most of my life at his side. He knows me well enough to choose for me. Plus, he's far better with people than I could ever hope to be."
Athua nodded and smiled, though it was a little unsure. "Let me go confer with my
attendants then." She walked off, calling to her stewards in her usual sweet and melodic tone.
Cetlali's sigh came out jagged as she watched Athua walk away. She let her eyes trail away over the space. Huge compared to anywhere she'd ever lived in before. She'd seen the room when it had been Athua's, but it had been fuller, livelier. Now, stripped of all the memories, it was close to unrecognizable.
That made Cetlali's smile twinge with sadness. Athua's room had been a rare and welcome escape from her time at the Citadel.
One of the few real refuges she had from Ezren, too. She swallowed with a great sense of regret for bringing her life to this place, something she once had felt was sacred. Athua, Masha, and the Enharouq name, had protected it. Now that it was hers, it would be cursed. Everything about her was cursed.
"First you scowl at the bed, now you scowl at the solar," Lovou grumbled from right in front of her. She startled, having not noticed his proximity in her frightful haze of thoughts.
"Difficult to please, are we?" He chuckled. His menacing sarcasm made her feel insignificant.
Instead of being able to come up with something appropriate as a witty or derisive response, she dug her own wounds deeper. Her dismal honesty still came out with him easier than it did with anyone else. "I had wonderful memories in here when it belonged to Athua..."
She swallowed, her voice sounded small. "I don't want that to be sullied just cause it's mine now."
Lovou leveled a severe scowl at her for that statement. Eyes searching over her like she was a book, looking affronted that her skin didn't have all her secrets written on it. He opened his mouth, but Athua came sweeping back in with a smile.
It faltered when she somehow magically read the tone of the room. "My apologies..." She glanced at Lovou and noticed how stiffly he was staring at Cetlali. Cetlali was doing her best to look at anything but him. She finally
found Athua's gaze, and she appeared wrecked by an urgent discomfort.
"Are you ready for your repose?" Athua waited for Cetlali to reply. Her silence was close to dangerous for a long moment before she finally nodded. Athua smiled, bright and sweet, and took Cetlali by the arm. Guiding her from the room, her voice was smooth and sweet as she spoke. She hoped the nonsense would help Cetlali focus on something other than whatever caused her to look so severe.
"You'll squeeze my hand if you'd appreciate some silence, won't you?" Athua's question was gentle. "One for affirmation and two squeezes can be for disagreement or stop if it pleases you.
I don't have questions at the moment, but they might come up, so the same for yes and no, respectively."
Cetlali squeezed once.
Athua smirked with triumph. Their ability to figure out the best ways to communicate was essential. She could imagine doing nothing
else, especially when Cetlali needed the most support. Athua used a similar technique with Masha when she was deeply affected by one of her moods. She usually preferred to hack away at something or shoot arrows at a target. 'Head shot for yes, crotch shot for no, dear sister?' It was a lovely intimacy that would likely frighten anyone else.
"Zhi — pardon, Lovou," Athua began, "will you be accompanying us to my rooms as well?"
"To drop you off, then I'll return to my post at the Vassour Elect's side," Lovou replied.
"She'll stay in your rooms until I come to call on her."
Athua raised an amused eyebrow at him.
"And what if she decides otherwise?"
Lovou muttered his biting reply, speaking to Cetlali even if he really wasn't, "She won't if she knows what's good for her."
Athua frowned and opened her mouth to reprimand him. She felt Cetlali's hand at her
arm flutter with discomforting squeezes and she looked down at the sensation.
That allowed Lovou to speak again, more earnestly this time, instead of his usual growl, "I don't trust this keep yet, not its people or its passages. Until a time come and that changes, she's my —," he paused, his jaw clenched and he forced the words out with a shake of his head,
"— it's my duty to be suspicious."
He shifted and looked away as he spoke of Cetlali, not as if she wasn't there, rather like he didn't want her to be. Not right then. Athua asked with a careful civility, "And do you trust me, Lovou?"
"No," Lovou's reply was instant and cold.
Cetlali's hand on Athua's arm squeezed again and Athua squeezed back before he continued.
"But she does, and that's more important."
The future Empress nodded, her gaze bemused beneath a sly smile. "Good answer."
Athua squeezed Cetlali's arm, firm and comforting. The gentle sensation was
grounding, rounding up all her pieces, inspiring them to come back together.
"Lovou, as we walk, I would appreciate some time and space to speak with her in private. Would that be agreeable to you?"
Athua asked Lovou.
"It is," he nodded once. He trailed behind them until he was an appropriate distance out of earshot, but close enough in case some unknowing disaster might befall them.
"Well, I'll be showing you the best, most direct, and usually well occupied, but not too busy paths from my room to yours." Athua continued in a knowing and compassionate tone to Cetlali. She wound their hands and arms together, as close as it could be to a hug.
"I'm not joking when I say those are quite literal classifications for the passages. Masha has been vetting them all ever since we moved here. She's been overcome with a delightful obsession over researching the keep. Evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, discovering all its nooks and
crannies. She might know it better than those that built it."
Cetlali felt a soft smile form on her lips as her absent gaze settled on her path so as not to trip. Athua kept speaking in that same melodic tone.
"You wouldn't believe the gossip Masha causes. Wearing mucky riding trousers and muddy boots in the keep — even at feasts!"
Athua chuckled. "What misdirected sensitivities the court has, arbitrary and silly as can be. Her body is hers to do with as she wishes." She sighed and smirked. "I would have hoped that I could have imparted just a fraction of my femininity to her. I guess my desire for kin to braid hair with and speak of nonsense has to be passed onto you, then."
Cetlali squeezed twice, fast, and Athua laughed, "Oh come now, what if I promise to limit my sisterly abuse to alternating nights?"
Cetlali squeezed Athua's arm twice. Athua frowned, thoughtful, and then sighed, "Oh, I'm sorry, that's a horrible word to use, isn't it?"
Cetlali squeezed once. Athua's seamless reply to the wordless conversation was, "You're right. I cherish our time together. I'd never want to give it such an ugly association, even as a jape." Cetlali squeezed once and her fingers rubbed against Athua's bronzed skin, imparting a sense of compassionate relief.
Athua continued to update her friend as they walked. "Father has gotten it in his head that after he escapes Anidozja Palace, he'll go back to Ynuchalak. He plants to build his own cabin in the woods near our home for him and mother. He's inclined to let my sister and her brood have the keep to continue worrying about."
She rolled her eyes. "I mean honestly, it's a lovely idea in theory, but father is getting old.
How he thinks he will build his own cabin single-handed, either in winter storms or
summer snows, makes me concerned for his rationality."
Her responding chuckle was light and airy.
"He's never had a reputation for wistfulness. I'm likely to think an omahnojahue has taken him.
Only some evil forest spirit lying ghost eggs in his ears could cause such frivolous ideas to hatch in his mind."
Cetlali snickered at Athua's side. Athua grinned, "Mother would love to find some lands by the rivers near Cazar Waingnam to live out her days, I'm sure. She has always said it reminds her of her childhood home near the Phoulga River. I've only been there a few times since I came of age, but we went there frequently as children."
Her wistful sigh was a segue. "I'd say I miss the hot springs in the North and the frozen waterfalls of Tiwahng Peaks more. Though the Dihlizek Bay is so extravagant. Worthy of being called the true heart of our Empire! Have you been to Anidozja's Ivory Cove?"
Cetlali squeezed twice.
Athua tsked her. "Oh, we'll have to take you.
It's gorgeous and enormous! On a clear day, you can see it stretches out into the very curves of the land that surrounds us. It flows into every river and connects our entire realm with all its various offshoots. I know you lived on the western coast, but did you have an offshoot near you?"
Three squeezes. "You don't know?" One squeeze. Athua nodded, "Hm, very well. Do you think Lovou would know? He's from Cazar Shcomou as well, isn't he? I recall you told me he was Ezren's Auxiliary as a child —," she was already turning to call out to him.
Cetlali squeezed on Athua's arm for a long, tense moment. She kept squeezing in fast, pulsing beats. Athua flinched, "Oh! I'm going to assume that's an endless stream of no's, as in, you don't want me to ask?" Cetlali released her harsh grip, but nodded her head with vehemence.
Athua sighed and nodded, "Alright, I won't ask. We have too much else to catch up on, anyway. Masha will probably never stop talking about her newest weapons once she starts at you, so you'll have plenty of time for listening then. I might just make you write me a letter and tell me all that's become of you since I've seen you last."
Cetlali gave her a soft squeeze alongside Athua's smile. "Very well then, take your time, dear Cetlali, we'll have you feeling more yourself in no time. I promise."
Cetlali's sigh was a happy one as they sunk into a peaceful silence. They strode down a path that stretched between the Emperor's Hall and the Vassour's Complex. Athua kept pointing out certain things and giving directions to the bathhouses, the dining hall, and the pavilions she enjoyed the most. A path to the gardens that housed the Celestial God's temples was a favorite, and several ponds were perfect for swimming.
Athua tried to keep her speaking to a minimum after that, but maybe hummed a song or two. They finally reached her quarters where the Clan Guard of her father's choosing stood watch.
Athua looked over her shoulder at Lovou and asked, "Would you please assure Vassour Elect I will take utmost care of Vae Cetlali until it is time for the feasts?"
He stood with a twitching hand at his side.
He looked at the guards, then at Athua, and eventually to Cetlali. "I will."
"Thank you, Lovou," Athua nodded,
appreciative. She directed her firm, commanding gaze at him. "I trust you will be the one to come for her before supper?" Cetlali gaped at her for the tone alone. It sounded like a question, but she laced it with an ultimatum.
He nodded and dragged his eyes away from Cetlali. "If I can't, it'll be someone you know and she trusts. Loraeta or Merlo, Xocthl might suffice in a pinch. If it's anyone else or Cetlali
says no, send someone for me right away." He grumbled the words, but they still came out harsh. "Just until my brother remembers his place and how firmly set above him she is."
Athua's eyes widened, and she had to force herself to blink them back to their normal size.
Cetlali's grip on her tightened. The future Empress schooled her features rather fast.
Though the corners of her mouth curled up in a more devious grin than she usually showed, a puckish and curious thing. She nodded to Lovou. "Your devotion to her is much appreciated." Athua fought a grimace when Cetlali's fingertips dug into her flesh. Thankful that Cetlali had a habit of gnawing her nails down to stubs.
Lovou snorted as he turned to walk away, barking over his shoulder, "Tell her that."
Athua grinned at his back. She turned to Cetlali, who was still directing a pointed gaze away. Her sigh came out soft. "Well, that certainly was a stimulating arrival, wasn't it?"
Another squeeze in response.
Athua hummed with a wistful smile. She had plenty of questions, but knew they would have to wait. "Perhaps we should see a spoilt teenager about a bath?" Athua grinned and walked Cetlali into her solar with a firm, affectionate grip on her hand.
When Athua and Cetlali walked in, Masha started talking like a whirlwind. Athua intercepted her. She was kind enough to let Masha know Cetlali would need some time for silence and didn't quite feel like talking. With an abrupt understanding and a knowing look, Masha nodded her head with a soft grin.
Masha reached for her hand and pulled Cetlali along, communicating through nudges and facial expressions.
Since they all wanted to prepare for the feast together, Athua asked her attendants to bring up Cetlali's finest dressing trunks. While Masha and Cetlali undressed and got in the bath, Athua put on her sleeping shift and a robe. The trunk came quick, so she began pulling out some of Cetlali's clothes. The supply frustrated
her with all the thicker fabrics. There was a voluminous amount of clothing that would end up suffocating in the heat of the Citadel. It tempted Athua to imagine all the wonderful dresses she could find for Cetlali in the realm.
Instead, she devoted herself to searching for an outfit befitting the Vassour Elect's most faithful attendant. The other issues would have to wait.
She found a purple square necked vest made of an interesting brocade. It had pale, shimmering roses embroidered on the bodice.
A flowing silver tunic in a similar shade to the thread and a pair of deep, slate grey split skirts would pair well.
Athua eventually heard Masha and Cetlali murmuring back and forth to one another.
Finished with the clothes, she asked her attendants to take the rest away before she made her way into the washroom. She let out a playful huff at the scene with her hands on her wide hips. Masha and Cetlali were both in the steaming tub. It still had plenty of space for more, sunk into the floor like the ones connected to the filtering systems in bathing
houses. It took up almost half the room and was large enough for maybe ten of them.
Athua spoke with a lofty tone, "No one told me everyone would all be bathing or that there would be wine."
"Its ale," Cetlali replied with a soft, sorry smile.
"Well, shit..." Athua huffed in an overt, prissy way, "I wanted wine, but ale will just have to suffice, I suppose." She rolled her eyes and took her robe off with a theatrical sniffle. Masha and Cetlali both chuckled at her dramatics. With a devastating whimper, Athua let her shift fall and put a delicate, despondent hand to her head, "Oh, but what will we do with all this cacao I was saving for the wine?"
"Cacao!?" Masha and Cetlali both
squawked. They scrambled over to the edge of the tub. The water sloshed, full of oils wafting delicate fragrances into the thick air.
Athua pulled a square wrapped in waxed cloth out of her robe's pockets and held it up in both hands. "Aye cacao!" She grinned like the Queen of the Nine Hells and stepped her way into the tub towards their eager hands. "Pour me some ale and I'll share."
Cetlali was eager to agree to her request.
She poured her a large glass for some small chips of cacao off of the block. Cetlali retreated to her corner, letting the heat seep into her bones. She watched Masha and Athua go back and forth, talking about life in Anidozja Palace with cheeks full of the delectable spiced treat.
With half the bar gone, they put it aside helped each other bathe. They washed and rinsed each other's hair with great affection.
Athua's glorious, long hair and Cetlali's fantastic curls took a bit more effort than Masha's short, slick, straight bob. They laughed plenty during the process, especially when Masha had got enough bubbles in her hair to make it stick out in many directions. She howled like a wolf would call to their beloved Oolmaya.
Eventually, the three got out of the bath. In their dressing gowns, they snacked a bit on fruits, more cacao, cheese, warm bread and soft butter. All accompanied by the dark ale that they enjoyed with a bit too much freedom. It was a fine vintage, since Ynuchalak was the only place that brewed the dark ale. The unique caramel colored wheat sprouting at the base of their mountains produced a hearty, spiced brew with a smooth, warm taste.
"You know I thought that after Athua gets married, I might try to make a trip down to Suichai to visit with Vassal Kayin and her wife Natan." Masha mused. "She sent a raven at the start of the season and said she's with child a second time now." She grinned. Despite zero desire to have her own, she was always over enthusiastic for someone else to bring more babies into the world — particularly Athua. She wanted to be an aunt so bad it came off desperate some days. When Eraughn came into the picture, she stopped pushing it so hard, for obvious reasons. She nudged Cetlali's foot with her own. "You should come with me."
Cetlali scoffed with a little disbelief. "That'd be amazing. It would be wonderful to see Kayin again and meet her wife. I've only ever seen her out here on business and sparingly at that. Do they still run that awesome Menagerie with all those creatures?"
Masha nodded with vibrant enthusiasm.
"Yes! She told me she'd have a desert dragon for me the next time I saw her. It has only three legs and can't go back into the wild to reintegrate."
"Masha," Athua quipped after she bit into a jackalberry, "a desert dragon won't survive in the North. It's too cold. Don't they need the warmth and light of Uroxem to keep them alive?"
Masha huffed, "I was thinking one could live in the Spring Caves where we grow the vegetables and spices. It's warmer in there than anywhere else."
Athua nodded, thoughtful. "Hm, I supposed that's possible. You must ask Kayin, though.
She is the foremost knowledgeable creature keeper in the entire realm."
"Well, I already told you she was going to give me one. Don't you think she's wise enough to think it through?" Masha snapped back with her usual fervor.
Athua snorted at her ire, "Perhaps not wise enough to talk to mother or father first?"
Masha shrugged, ambivalent towards things like rules and customs. "I'll be in the Citadel for a while anyway, so the heat will be perfect for them." Her eyes popped open, and she grinned. "That reminds me, Cetlali! I'm going to be shadowing you and the Vassour Elect for a small time."
Masha might as well held down the levity of the moment and drowned it in the bath they'd sat in. Cetlali gaped and blurted out a horrified,
"Why!?" Masha crumpled in on herself in an instant, hurt. Cetlali knocked herself on the
head with her knuckles a few times and apologized, "I'm sorry, that wasn't — it's not about you. I'm just... surprised."
Cetlali's eyes flashed towards Athua, who frowned at her younger sister. Cetlali had never uttered a word to anyone about what she had been through at the hands of Ezren. She never exactly told Athua either. The brilliant woman perhaps figured out some things well enough all on her own. She'd seen Cetlali fall apart enough times, had to help her pick up all the pieces. It wasn't impossible for Athua to put them all together for herself. She never pushed.
Athua was a thorough source of support, affectionate, and sometimes positive, despite Cetlali's chagrin. She treated Cetlali like a younger sibling instead of the adult having two seasons more on this earth than she did. Not that much of a difference in the grand span of things. It still made Cetlali feel a distinct helplessness that someone younger than her could be so wise and sure.
Cetlali shook her head of the errant thoughts and focused on Masha. "Sorry, I just
never thought Ezren would — wait, why are you shadowing me?"
Masha shrugged. "I'm going to Auxiliary for Caran Armistead. Since he's the Imperator Elect, they also want me to learn the duties of a steward. I'm supposed to shadow you every few days to learn Keep-and-Empire-like duties."
Cetlali put up a valiant fight against her frown. "I'm thrilled to have you along, honestly.
It's just new." She shook her head and laughed, coming out bitter, "I apologize. I am weary and getting drunk. I think I still need to adjust to the Citadel as a permanent thing."
Her mind whirred with all the battling factions of nerves vying for attention. Foremost, she continued feeling hesitant about letting Ezren near the youngest Enharouq daughter.
To the best of her knowledge, he spared no one else the same sort of looks he gave Cetlali. She was still weary, experiencing such a kinship to the girl. Though Masha was edging into adulthood, she still just looked so very young. It was more alarming when Cetlali remembered
the shift in her relationship with Ezren once she'd been around Masha's age. Spilt milk, now.
She looked at Masha with a sick
determination. "I will teach you everything I know about being a proper steward."
"I'll try not to fuck it up," Masha laughed.
She clanked her cup against Cetlali's, diffident at her stiffness. Masha's deep sigh was slow to bring Cetlali out of her doom and gloom. They leaned against one another and sunk into the sensation. Masha's voice tinkled with mischief,
"Ezren's such a tight ass. I'm not looking forward to having to stand there in silence for hours on end, waiting for him to lift a finger."
Cetlali snorted, "Careful, don't want to speak ill of the great Vassour Elect. I hear that's treason."
"Fuck treason. Eraughn's a shit too," Masha smirked.
Athua smacked her arm, but didn't quite refute it. Cetlali guffawed as they lounged on the featherbed of the future Empress and howled with laughter.