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Cecil and Rosa agreed at once when Rydia asked for a private moment.
"Thanks for seeing me," Rydia said. "I know you're busy all the time."
"It's no problem," Cecil said. "I'd make time for you. Are you hungry? Did you have a good trip?" Taciturn King Cecil only babbled around people he liked. "Surely you must know I'd make time. Surely you know that."
"I know. I believe you. And I'm fine," Rydia said, even as Rosa brought a tray of tea to their table and Cecil jumped up to help her. Rydia stood up on court etiquette but Rosa shooed her back into the chair. "Really, I won't need more than a moment with you, but I wanted to ask you something."
"To ask something in private," Cecil said. "Are you safe? Are you in danger? What do you need?"
"I'm sure she's fine," Rosa said. She had an idea what Rydia might say, but it was important and Rydia should be the one to ask.
"I'm fine," Rydia said. "I'm more than fine."
"Right, right," Cecil said. "You wouldn't let anyone get the drop on you."
Rydia wrinkled her nose like she always did when teasing. "You should know that by now. No one gets past me if I don't want them to."
"Dear, have a little faith in her otherwordly magical abilities," Rosa said.
Cecil held up his hands. "Don't need faith. Seen it myself." He laughed. The stress of being King melted from his face. "I just worry about you, when I'm not looking." His expression blanked, and history for a moment weighed over their little table. Rydia and Rosa understood this was a truth that popped out before Cecil meant it to.
"That's alright," Rydia said. "I worry about you two, too." Then she stopped. Whatever Rydia had to say, she might need a little prompting.
Rosa covered the pause in conversation with pouring the tea. "How is Edge?" she asked.
"Speaking of people I worry about," Cecil said.
Rydia smiled and tucked her head down a little, to hide her glee. It was such a typical movement for a young woman in love that Cecil had to hold his surprise.
"Well. Edge and I. Um. We just got back from visiting the Feymarch," she said.
The Feymarch was a home to Rydia, and to everyone else it was the long-forgotten alien world of sentient monsters of legend. Even though Cecil and Rosa had been, twice, they still felt a thrill of awe when it was mentioned.
"And?" Rosa said. "It . . . went well? Asura and Leviathan are well?" she asked, stumbling and falling back on neutral politeness.
"Oh yes. I wanted to introduce them to Edge again, and for him to spend enough time for them to get to know each other. He managed to spend two whole weeks out of Eblan, got everything prepared and signed off. He gets so much more done when he's motivated. It turned into six months in the Feymarch. I think he really appreciated a long time away from the throne."
"Between us? Can't say I blame him," Cecil said. "And this . . . went alright? Edge in the Feymarch?"
"For half a year?" Rosa said.
"Yeah," Rydia said. When Rydia had started looking dreamy-eyed when talking about Edge, Cecil couldn't say, but it made his heart clench a little at his responsibilities drawing him away from friends. "Yeah, he and I had a wonderful time. I miss them all already," she sighed. "But, it also really is like Asura tried to tell me. I miss the surface, too. I'm glad now she told me to get out of the Feymarch more." She took a sip of her tea. "I don't think I'll be going back for such long periods anymore."
"Oh?" Cecil said. "Not that I'm not afraid when the next time I see you you'll have grown old, but are you sure that's what you want?"
"Mist is also my home," Rydia said. "And Eblan is too, now-"
"Oh," Cecil said, and Rosa thought, Ah.
"-and I've done what I set out to do with the new order of Summoners," Rydia continued. "There's not many, but there are some. My distant cousins, or random chance. They're doing so great, they study everything I tell them, and practice all the time," she said.
"Wait, but do you not still intend to keep them hidden? You don't need to tell us about them," Cecil said. "I still think you shouldn't. For their sake."
"I won't," Rydia said. "And I'm not. But I get to be proud of them, right? Let me brag a little! They're doing all the hard work but I like to think it's because I'm a good teacher, too!"
They all laughed.
She continued. "My point is, Mist is my home but it's not going to be the home of Summoners any longer. We're going to move around, stay separated for a time."
"That's a hard life," Cecil said.
"Not like wanderers," Rydia said. "Just a hidden group, our people in different places around the world. Living ordinary lives, as black mages or white mages. I might even have a Sage on my hand, if they can hold on to the balance. But I will be the only one who knows where all of them are," she said.
Cecil assumed this was what she needed help with. "What do you need? Anything I can give, I will," he said.
"Oh, no," Rydia said. "It's already done. The ninja skills have been of great help. Edge taught them the basics."
Cecil and Rosa glanced at each other. "He did?" Rosa said.
"He knows them?" Cecil said.
"He's the one who suggested all the subterfuge," Rydia said.
"But, he is . . . " A king, Cecil wanted to say.
"Ah," Rydia said. She sighed. "It really is unavoidable, politics."
"No. No," he said. "Not for this. It's too important. Does he understand that no one else can know? If, all the gods forbid, one day Eblan does as Baron did, then a record Edge leaves behind, even accidentally-"
"I don't think that will be a problem," Rydia said. "He doesn't know their names, or where they are. Give us some credit, please."
"Of course, of course," Cecil said. "But-"
"I don't think Eblan and the Summoners are going to be in conflict for a long time, unless Edge is taken off the throne," Rydia said, and shifted in her seat.
Rosa hesitated, then spoke. "Rydia, I know you've spent a lot of time with him, but he will always be the leader of his people before a friend," she said.
"I know. I know that!" She threw up her hands. "Next thing you're going to tell me is he has to marry some day," Rydia said, and avoided looking them in the eye.
"I'm sure that's hard to think about, Rydia," Cecil said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Whatever happens, Rosa and I will be here for you." He looked to Rosa for assistance, who was now being quiet for some reason Cecil couldn't fathom. "It - it might not even change much between you and Edge," he said.
"Well I hope not," Rydia said, "because he's married to me."
Cecil stopped rubbing his thumb over Rydia's scapula.
"What?" he said.
"I married him," she said. Her eyes twinkled and her nose was, very slowly, wrinkling again. "Edge. We got married. We decided in the Feymarch."
Rosa broke into a huge smile.
"Arm Lady and Daddymonster were really patient with him," Rydia said, using her private family nicknames for Asura and Leviathan from when she was a girl. "Daddymonster especially, while Edge figured it out. He was right, he needed time away from court."
Cecil said, "What?"
"Time away from court. To figure out that I am much scarier than Eblan court politics," Rydia said.
"Much scarier," Rosa said.
"No," Cecil said. "I mean, you . . . got married? You married Edge?"
Rosa giggled and stood up to cover his ears, laughing at him. "He needs a moment," she said.
Rydia was giggling now, too. "Why - why is he like this whenever anyone surprises him?"
"It's good news, Cecil," Rosa said, drumming his skull. "Don't think too hard."
"Hey, hey now," he said, grabbing Rosa and pulling her into his lap. "Of course it's good news! Con - Congratulations!" he said.
"Why are you wheezing," Rydia said, now laughing in full.
"I just needed a moment," Cecil said. "Oh, oh. Oh. You're married." He stood up. Rosa squealed in indignation as she was forced to stand up too.
"Cecil, what-"
"You're the Queen of Eblan, now," Cecil said.
Rosa dashed around and grabbed Rydia in a huge hug.
"I feel like - like this is very good but maybe a little bit rushed," Cecil said.
Rosa glared at him from over Rydia's head.
"Are you sure about this?" he said.
Rosa huffed. Rydia said, "Well, I sure hope so, because it's done! Yes, Sir Cecil, I'm sure."
Cecil blushed. Rydia had only ever called him Sir Cecil when first reacquainted as adults and unsure of mortal habits.
"She spent six months with him in the Feymarch," Rosa said. "That's plenty long enough."
"The Eidolons all like him," Rydia said.
"I . . . " Cecil said. "I don't mean about the Eidolons. Eblan has assassins, Rydia. Eblan is assassins."
"That's a negative stereotype, but yes. It is. But I'm not worried about them," Rydia says. "Or the old judgy Judys at court."
"Who knows?" Rosa said. This was what Cecil really wanted to know but couldn't assemble the words for.
"The Lord and Lady of the Feymarch, Edge's personal guard, and his seneschal. And now you two. For now."
"Oh, so we are still important to you," Cecil said.
Rydia and Rosa stared at him.
Cecil clapped his hand over his mouth.
"I didn't mean that," he said. "I didn't mean that. Rydia, I'm sorry, I don't know why I think I have the right-"
"Cecil," Rosa said, and having known Rosa for most of his life and been married to her for five years now, he heard the danger. "Are you jealous?"
Damn women and their damn intuition understanding him before he understood himself.
"No!" he said. "I'm not jealous."
Rydia muttered something under her breath. Unless Cecil's ears were also as muddled as his thoughts were, it very much sounded like, "And there he goes again with the guilt spiral."
"Cecil." The Queen of Baron crossed her arms. "You're upset she didn't tell you they were getting married when they were in the Feymarch," Rosa said.
"No, that's ridiculous! I wouldn't be so petty," he said, and hoped, oh how he hoped, that the political skills he gained as King were going to one day give him the ability to lie.
But not to Rosa. Never Rosa. Just because he wanted to avoid the consequences of his own stupidity right now didn't mean he thought it was a good idea to lie to his wife. She looked him in the eyes. "You are," she said.
"That's absurd," Cecil said. I thought I stopped digging my own holes a long time ago. "I - I really don't know where I get the idea I can keep doing this to you, Rydia, but I am so sorry-"
"Keep doing what?" Rydia said.
Rosa stared him down too and Cecil felt almost nauseous.
"Keep doing what, exactly?" Rydia said.
"I - I -"
Rosa saw what he meant, saw him floundering, and finally gave blessed, stinging mercy. She uncrossed her arms and spoke quietly. "We're not your family."
"No," Cecil said. "We're not. I'm sorry."
Rydia looked between both of them, and no matter how hard Cecil told himself she was an adult - she was more than an adult, she had often walked the road between the sands of time and come out closer to Edge's age than Cecil's own -
- he still just saw a little girl peeking out from beneath the covers in Kaipo while he wiped his blade clean of his countrymen's blood.
"You're not?" Rydia said.
Cecil grew even more confused.
"So do you not want to be?" Rydia said.
Cecil and Rosa shared glances. "Huh?" Rosa said.
Rydia said, "I don't know a lot of people that personally on the surface still. People that can come to a royal wedding. The Eidolons and my summoner students can't. Isn't it important for someone to give the bride away?"
"I'm confused," Cecil said.
"I am too," Rosa said.
"Oh. We're going to have another wedding," Rydia said. "I got scared and skipped ahead. Sorry. Do you . . . Do you not want to walk me down the aisle?" She tilted her head at Cecil. "It's more of a surface thing, Daddymonster already gave his blessing anyway. I thought it wouldn't matter to me but in the Eblan weddings I've been to - oh, oh no, oh Cecil don't cry," Rydia said.
Cecil reared back and touched his face. He was crying? Why had he started crying?
He blinked and was hugging Rydia. He blinked again and was sitting down in the chair, sagging like a bag of potatoes. The weird noises coming from his mouth and nose were indecorous for a king of a sovereign nation to make, but wasn't he already among company that didn't care?
"Oh," he heard Rosa saying. "Another wedding. Oh, that makes sense."
"For the benefit of Eblan and everyone else," Rydia said. "Because it really is always about politics, isn't it? He's marrying the Summoners and I'm marrying Eblan."
"Politics," Rosa said. "Sometimes I think Kain had the right idea . . . "
"Is - is he alright?" Rydia said, eyeing Cecil.
"I think he will be, yes," Rosa said, and she squeezed her hand. Cecil realized it was wrapped in his. He squeezed back. "I've . . . never seen him like this, though," Rosa said.
"Cecil, sometimes I can't tell what's going on in your head," Rydia said.
"Oh that's alright," he said, sounding like he had a head cold. "Makes two of us."
"So . . . can you do it?" Rydia said. "Walk me down the aisle?"
Cecil burst into tears again.
"That's happy crying," Rosa said. "Yes. Yes, he will, or I will throw him in the dungeon myself."
"I'm glad I have you to translate," Rydia said.
"Well I - I really don't know what's happening. Cecil, honey, breathe-"
Rydia started giggling. "Oh, no, I've broken him again."