Knight-Captain Fanilly Danbalion and Lady Gertrude Jäger
It was around this moment that Fanilly realized just how limited her one-on-one interactions with one of their newest allies really were. While she had spoken to her alone, it was usually with the presence of other knights in the vicinity.
This time, she was likely going to be completely on her own talking to Lady Gertrude.
With Lady Gertrude’s rather… strong personality, was she approaching this the wrong way? How should she start their conversation? Was she already messing this up before it even started? What if Lady Gertrude didn’t want to be bothered?
The young knight-captain pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, in a bid to clear her head.
She was being silly, wasn’t she?
Lady Gertrude hadn’t been unhelpful, even if she’d needed some flattery to be cooperative before. A simple question and talk shouldn’t be too challenging, right?
—Then when did she feel quite so nervous?
She shouldn’t be nervous. She was the Knight-Captain of the Iron Rose Knights. Being nervous about simply talking to an allied mage shouldn’t be making her hesitate at all.
What would previous knight-captains say about this?
It was embarrassing, surely…
Currently clad in the blue, white,and gold dress uniform of the Knight-Captain, sword on her hip as a formality rather than necessity, she had come to a halt in the hallway that would
hopefully lead to Lady Gertrude’s location. She’d apparently been seen this way.
She didn’t want to be an embarrassment.
So, regardless of her nerves, Fanilly pressed on. Exactly what Lady Gertrude was doing at the moment, she couldn’t really guess, but hopefully it wasn’t something that she’d be too annoyed about pausing.
After all, surely she would be able to help understand if there was a way to divine the location of the Angroron shards.
After being up a good portion of the night trying to understand the purpose of that stupid bleeding stick, Gertrude had slept in until midday, and was only now awakening. Since taking a room for herself, Merilia had outfitted it with all her old stuff, and she’d ended up passing out on a pile of stuffed toys. Giving Yaya her blood was likely to blame for some portion of her lethargy, but still, she felt it a worthwhile experience.
Speaking of her old things, it turned out that having them
did make her bitter. But it also made her nostalgic and a little happy. For the moment, she was happy to keep them all.
The room in question was a little out of the way of most of the others, as Gertrude had desired. She wanted to deal with as few people as possible between her room and wherever else she went.
At the moment, she was heading to the dining hall, stick in tow. From there, it was naptime. Wake, eat, nap. Just as she liked.
Then, when she turned a corner, she came face to face with a
person. She didn’t care for that, but when she saw who it was, a wicked grin crept up on her face.
Gertrude was dressed in her usual maid uniform, though much of her blouse was woefully unbuttoned in her rush to dine and she hadn’t yet brushed her hair. As presentable as Fanilly looked, Gertrude did
not.
“Mistress,” she greeted, her eyes darting back and forth to see if there was anyone else around.
There was not.
It was just her and Fanny, with no one to interrupt them. Finally, an opportunity presented itself.
Gertrude reached out…
And attempted to pat her mistress’ head.
There she was. Fanilly could at least be relieved about that, she wouldn’t have to go searching for Lady Gertrude anywhere else. Of course, she wasn’t exactly sure how to ask her question yet, but for the moment it meant she was on the right track.
Fanilly sucked in another deep breath.
“L-Lady Gertrude, I was wo—”
—Huh?
The taller girl in the maid uniform had reached out, and…
Dully, Fanilly stood there, uncertain of what to say or do, as Gertrude’s hand came down and lightly patted her head.
“...”
What was happening?
Why was this happening?
What made Lady Gertrude decide to do this?
Confusion ran through Fanilly’s mind repeatedly as she made an attempt to comprehend her situation.
“... Wh… wh-wha…”
Gertrude smirked as she enjoyed watching Fanilly process what was happening. Fionn was not present to prevent it, so she would take her time and cherish her victory while she could. Savor every last strand of hair that her fingertips brushed. She didn’t plan on stopping any time soon, but saw no reason not to continue the conversation.
“You’ll be happy to know, I suppose, that I’ve made my residence nearby and am settling into it nicely. I don’t expect you come this way often, so I assume you have business with me. Well? Here to praise me for my recent performance?” Gertrude teased lightly.
“If you’d like to beg me to make a more permanent runic augment to your equipment, I may hear you out. I am, after all, yours, mistress.”
Business?
Praise?
Mistress?
Confusion had chased nearly every other thought out of Fanilly’s mind for a few moments, as she slowly opened and shut her mouth and tried to collect her thoughts. What was she here for again? Why was Lady Gertrude’s first response to seeing her to start patting her on the head? It wasn’t as if she’d never experienced this before, but that was when she was younger, with family.
—Divining! That was it.
Her cheeks coloring with embarrassment, Fanilly managed to reach to the top of her head, taking Gertrude’s hand in both of her own and slowly moving it. There was no way she could talk or think coherently if the other girl had kept patting her that.
“Er, yes, well… Y-you’ve been very helpful s-so…” the Knight-Captain stumbled over her words for a moment.
No, that wouldn’t do. Wasn’t that embarrassing for the former Knight-Captains? How could she act like that?
“---H-How much do you know about divination?” she asked, finding her voice and following the thread of her thoughts to its end, “Or is the more correct term scrying?”
Gertrude let out a contented sigh as Fanilly’s cheeks colored. Even though the woman had removed her hand, she was
very pleased with the result. So pleased, in fact, that she leaned in close to get a good look at those rosy cheeks she had cultivated.
“Most of my expertise lies in combat magic,” Gertrude admitted, smiling, “though if my mistress wishes, I could probably learn a little divination. I am a prodigy, after all. Though Merilia happens to be well-versed in divination, if you can catch hold of her.”
Gertrude chuckled.
“But… perhaps not. If you tell me what you need,
maybe I can learn the relevant bits and have something for you in the future. When I feel like it,” Gertrude teased.
When she felt like it—
A small part of Fanilly coiled up in frustration. It wouldn’t do to snap, not right now, especially when Lady Gertrude wasn’t simply trying to be difficult this time. If she didn’t have any experience with divination or the more in-depth forms of scrying, then it wasn’t as if getting upset would make her suddenly gain the required knowledge.
“I’d been hoping for some chance of a lead on the potential whereabouts of the Angroron shards,” Fanilly said with a sigh, averting her eyes from the other girl, “I suppose it was wishful thinking to begin with, when we have so little information…”
The Knight-Captain trailed off.
It wasn’t just that the masked figure had already obtained two shards of the Void Blade. It was that those were only the ones they knew about.
What if they already had more? And where were the rest to begin with?
“It’s not as if tracking Lady Merilia down is so easy, either.”
There was no hiding the frustration in her voice that time.
But sitting there and wishing they could simply know where all the remaining shards of Angroron were wasn’t going to achieve anything. It certainly wasn’t behavior suitable for the Knight-Captain of the Iron Rose Knights.
Lady Gertrude’s clothing was rather disheveled, wouldn’t it be embarrassing to walk around like that? And that stick—
“... That stick,” Fanilly found herself saying, “It’s from one of the trees in the Moonlit Queen’s fae realm, isn’t it?”
She’d thought that Lady Gertrude had received something before their departure from that bizarre space. While she hadn’t seen it happen directly, she’d seen the fairy noblelady speak to the taller girl more personally, not to mention the fact that a few of her knights(as well as her maids) had mentioned that the ‘prickly new mage’ was working on something.
Fanilly did her best to keep track of occurrences among her knights and the other residents of Candaeln. It felt like it was simply appropriate for the Knight-Captain.
The strange, black, almost glossy bark of the trees in the Moonlit Queen’s domain were difficult to forget.
“I see…”
Gertrude nodded, as if coming to a realization.
“Gretchen had seen you in the library quite a bit recently. A whole order of knights at her disposal, and my mistress stares at texts alone in the dark until she’s cross-eyed,” Gertrude chided with a derisive smirk.
A derisive smirk that, perhaps this time, hid a genuine hint of concern.
“It was about the shards, wasn’t it? Don’t know what you thought you’d accomplish alone. Well… Gretchen has been familiarizing herself with the library all the time we’ve been out. She’s a bit more of a bleeding heart than I am, so she might’ve helped.”
Gertrude shrugged, then brandished her stick at Fanilly, a frown on her face.
“But aye, the Moonlit Queen gave this gift to me herself. I imagine the rest of the knights were flustered when I began negotiating, but the sodding stick is
mine. I can be quite persuasive, mistress. Still… she didn’t tell me what the bleeding thing
meant and now Gretchen will be busy with this horseshite for for the foreseeable future.”
Then, another smile crept up on her lips.
“Interested, mistress?”
Well—
It’s not that Fanilly wouldn’t involve the other knights, but what was the point of simply ordering everyone to carry out research without doing it herself? This was an incredibly important matter, after all. Countless lives could be in danger.
Shouldn’t she be performing the research herself as well?
Fanilly opened her mouth to try and make her point—
But maybe she should have mentioned it to the others sooner.
She softly shut it.
It’s not as if they wouldn’t have helped…
The shiny black stick was a welcome distraction from her own embarrassment at her lack of foresight.
“A gift from the Moonlit Queen…”
The diminutive fae lady was seemingly more generous than she appeared, but there was no way to be certain what the object actually did.
If it was dangerous—
As Knight-Captain, Fanilly couldn’t simply leave this alone.
“It’s my duty to know about such things,” she declared, after taking a deep breath, “So I can’t afford not to be curious. You’re a guest and active ally of the Iron Rose Knights, after all.”
Gertrude grinned smugly as her words appeared to genuinely sink into her mistress. Anyone could taunt someone about something they didn’t care about, but it took a genius to hit someone where it counted. That said, it seemed that Fanilly shared her fascination with the fey queen’s gift. To Gertrude as well, that was the more interesting topic of conversation.
“A ‘guest and an ally’, am I?” Gertrude teased, “I suppose with my attitude, I can’t hope for much more than that. Still, it doesn’t make me sound grand at all.”
Gertrude shook her head.
“But… my mistress is a clever girl, isn’t she? Surely she’s figured me out by now. That blighter Arken almost certainly has.”
Gertrude went to poke Fanilly’s cheek incessantly with the stick.
“But Gretchen has been researching all this time… have you any ideas, mistress?”
“A-ah…”
The stick felt like wood, even if it shimmered like glass, as it prodded her cheek. The Knight-Captain had no choice but to quickly step back and hopefully out of range of the fae gift.
Arken…?
The Lord Court Mage? What was she talking about?
Did he somehow know what the glossy branch was meant to do? Or was it something else that Lady Gertrude was alluding to?
Regardless, it didn’t seem as if the other girl had come to any kind of conclusion, despite her sister’s assistance. The fact that it originated from a fae realm, as a gift from a fae noble, meant that it could be nearly anything.
“I’m not a mage, but… It’s for the best if I know what’s going on, so I’ll try and help,” Fanilly said, composing herself after the stick-based assault, “Er, so, what have you tried so far?”
Gertrude frowned as Fanilly backed away from her prodding, but quickly shrugged and flipped the stick up into the air. As it fell in between them, Gertrude pointed at it and stopped it in midair just in front of Fanilly’s face. She gently reached out, tapped it with the tip of her finger, and spun it around.
“I’ve run my mana through it and attempted to detect whatever properties it might possess, but it’s been
real bleeding evasive. I only know it contains a
lot of mana.”
Gertrude tapped the stick once more, and it glowed slightly as she sent her mana through it again.
“The only thing I can think of is that it requires activation, and until it’s activated, it naturally masks its properties. If I could locate a word or an action or even a thought that opens it up… well, that’s what Gretchen has been up to.”
Gertrude growled, obviously frustrated, and then took a deep breath.
“But… perhaps the hallway isn’t the best place. Would you like to come to my room to discuss things further, mistress?”
Gertrude smiled, and extended her hand for Fanilly to take.
It wasn’t as if Fanilly had any real knowledge about these sorts of magical processes. She had learned how, in theory, to fight those who used magic. But actually working with magical items was something she had no experience with.
Still, from the sounds of things, Lady Gertrude had tried a few different methods of attempting to discern what the stick could do, to no avail. Just what was a stick from the Moonlit Queen’s fae realm potentially capable of in the first place? There had to be some reason.
“Very well, Lady Gertrude,” Fanilly replied, hesitating for only a moment before reaching out to take the taller girl’s hand, “It’s an unknown item from a fae noble, so it’s important that I know what’s being done with it.”
And aside from that, she admittedly couldn’t deny her own curiosity.
“Of course, mistress,” Gertrude replied, her fingers wrapping around Fanilly’s hand far more intimately than would be appropriate for a maid, “perhaps I should have kept you apprised to begin with, only…”
Gertrude shook her head. They could get into that once they were away from the communal hallways, no matter how sparse these particular ones were. Her room was only just a couple of turns away, but she led Fanilly dutifully. Then, once they reached her room, she tapped the door and it glowed.
“I… don’t normally let others inside. Not even the cleaning staff. It’s far quicker and easier for me to just clean it magically,” she said offhandedly as she opened the door and ushered her mistress inside.
It was not the sort of room one might expect from an abrasive woman like Gertrude. Most of her decor was pink and white, and her luxurious bed was piled high with various adorable stuffed animals. Resting on some shelves to the left was a variety of board and card games, including those of obviously foreign origin. Most had custom pieces featuring rabbits, even the domestic games. There was a desk that was obviously used for work, but it likewise was colorful and adorned lovingly with paintings of various small fauna. The closet, currently open, displayed a couple of the same maid uniform as well as some dresses that no one in the castle had ever seen her in. Most were immodest in how much they revealed.
“...I’ve been meaning to speak with you privately, anyways.”
Then, a teasing grin crept back up on her lips.
“Have you been wanting to meet with
me, mistress?”
Something about the way that Lady Gertrude’s fingers wrapped around her hand made Fanilly pause for a moment. She hadn’t previously entered most of the residential rooms in Candaeln. There was simply no reason for her to intrude, but it was natural to study a magic item somewhere more suited for it
So, accompanying Lady Gertrude to her room only felt natural, but—
Taking her hand like this felt somewhat…
Fanilly took a deep breath, shaking her head. No, no. It’s simply to guide her there. There’s nothing at all strange about it.
It was clear Lady Gertrude had quickly set about making herself at home, given the enchantment she had already laid upon her door to make it open automatically.
And then—
Ah…!
Fanilly’s eyes immediately fell upon the collection of stuffed toys adorning the taller girl’s bed. So many! She didn’t even have that many, not before she moved to Candaeln and certainly not after. She’d only brought along a few, like Mallie and Jasper, and didn’t even have them out most of the time…
For a few moments, her attention was entirely fixated on the impressive pile of soft toys. She tried counting each, making out every single fluffy, cute shape she could manage to lay eyes on—
Wait wait this wasn’t what she was here for at all!
Cheeks coloring immediately, Fanilly tore her eyes from the bed and turned to face Lady Gertrude once more. There were a collection of other curious objects, a large number of games, and… did… Gertrude actually wear some of those…?
—Nevermind.
“A-ahem, er,” Fanilly cleared her throat, trying to swiftly recover from her composure, “I-I have, yes. I thought it would be best to speak with you like this at some point, a-and this gave me an opportunity to do so.”
Gertrude grinned as she watched Fanilly stare at her bed, transfixed. Was that a little blush she saw? Was her mistress thinking about the stuffed animals, or maybe…?
“I’m glad to hear it, mistress. But you sound so nervous, and your cheeks are so
pink,” she teased, “I wonder why? You’ve faced down the Midnight Hunt, but an invite to my room seems to have caught you off-guard.”
Gertrude snapped her fingers, and the door shut behind them as she sauntered over to her bed. She sat, crossing one leg over the other, and patted the spot next to her. She wanted to tease Fanilly a bit more before they got to the meat of the conversation.
“Come, mistress,” she said, smiling. It was not an offer or a proposition, but a command, as light as it might’ve been, “before we discuss the stick, I have something to tell you.”
For a brief instant, all Fanilly could think about was one particular worry.
Had Lady Gertrude noticed her staring at the stuffed toys, now? Isn’t that completely unbecoming for a Knight-Captain of the Iron Rose Knights?
The realization that this may indeed be the case caused her cheeks to grow even redder. It really was unsuitable, wasn’t it?
All she could do was try to quickly move on and hope it wouldn’t be mentioned. There were so many, though, and they were all so cute…
“.. V… very well!”
Without much thought about the action, Fanilly swiftly sat down on the bed.
She sucked in a deep breath, then cleared her throat in an effort to compose herself. This wasn’t exactly what she’d anticipated when she first wanted to investigate what the fae gift could possibly do.
“What did you wish to discuss, Lady Gertrude?”
Gertrude let out an amused snort once Fanilly took her seat.
“Awfully obedient, mistress,” she teased, a look of smug satisfaction on her face, “for that, I’ll allow you to hold one of my friends.”
Gertrude thoughtfully dug through the pile of plushies at her side, before finally pulling out a crustacean in a posh hat and placing it in Fanilly’s lap.
“That’s Sir Crabbington,” she informed Fanilly as if Sir Crabbington was an important guest she was to make a good impression on at a party, “he’s highborn and snooty, but has an indomitable sense of noblesse oblige. He will never allow those in his charge to suffer or come to harm.”
She put her arm around Fanilly, and rested a hand on her shoulder.
“At first, I didn’t understand why the knights seemed to hold you in such high regard, daft violence-apes that they are. But I’m starting to get it. Perhaps your position was unearned, but you bleeding
try, and you’re earnest in doing so.”
Gertrude cleared her throat.
“Don’t expect many compliments. You have a long way to go yet, but who else can claim a rout of the Midnight Hunt? Even if the story ended here, it would be an impressive one. And so, you have earned a boon. So long as you guard it, I shall gift you a secret. Be bloody grateful.”
She gently pulled Fanilly closer, and leaned in to whisper into her ear.
“Some others may have figured it already, but as captain, it’s important for you to be acquainted with the talents at your disposal. I, Gertrude Jäger, am a capital-W-Witch. Just not one of the old hags. I hope you appreciate why I’ve kept this a secret.”
“Sir… Crabbington…”
Ah. Lady Gertrude had definitely figured it out, but at the same time—
She’d never even seen a plush crab before! Were they more common in coastal areas, where they would be modeled off some of the crabs from the sea? Fanilly didn’t know, but she held Sir Crabbington very carefully on her lap, close to her stomach. A snooty, highborn type with a strong sense of justice…
Before she could dwell on Sir Crabbington much longer, she suddenly found Lady Gertrude quite a bit closer to her. The proximity was something she had normally only experienced with her family or her maids, and so for a moment she found herself going quite still as her cheeks reddened once more.
Before she could open her mouth, however, Lady Gertrude had already begun to speak.
What she didn’t expect was to be complimented quite so much. She knew that Lady Gertrude frequently needed coercion in order to cooperate, and that could be doled out in praise, but she didn’t anticipate having it returned to her, even in a somewhat caustic fashion.
Her cheeks only became hotter. Did she even deserve this praise? Surely, surely, her knights had earned it far more thoroughly than she had. She was nothing compared to prior Knight-Captains. Whatever pride she had felt in defeating the Midnight Hunt should clearly have been for her knights and not herself.
It was so much praise, so quickly, and when she least expected it. Her heartbeat quickened in a manner that almost felt like she was about to panic.
She had so much distance to go to even capture half of the prior Knight-Captain’s glory, how could she even accept such praise?
—Even if it wasn’t exactly
bad...
“I… I-I’m not so—”
Lady Gertrude’s lips at her ear made her cut herself off again.
And then—
Fanilly knew little of magic beyond how to fight and command those who wielded it. The nuances of spells and schools of magic were largely unfamiliar to her.
But almost anyone knew of Witchcraft, and its mysterious wielders. Lady Merilia herself was among their number, and through her it became clear that Witchcraft was precisely the impossible, taboo sorcery that it had been described to her as.
“E-eh?!”
Already overwhelmed, the truth would take a moment for the Knight-Captain to recover from.
Gertrude looked down at Fanilly and grinned. The woman was speechless. Utterly speechless. And holding Sir Crabbington rather tenderly, all the while. With her uncertain demeanor and rose-red cheeks, she looked…
“Surprisingly adorable, aren’t you, mistress? I see you’ve taken a liking to my stuffed toys. I didn’t tell you about myself because of your skill on the battlefield, you know?”
She poked Fanilly’s cheek.
“It’s because of this. Your earnestness defies your sense of propriety. You’re a
terrible bleeding liar, which is bad for me, but your loyalty will see that this information only goes as far as it needs to.
That’s what I require now. I trust I can count on you, mistress?”
Her hand slid back up Fanilly’s shoulder, and landed once again on her head. How she enjoyed watching those cheeks color in abject embarrassment.
“I—”
It was a lot to take in all at once. So much so that Fanilly couldn’t find her words. Witchcraft was a taboo that violated the laws of this world, but at the same time Lady Merilia had been one of their Order’s founding members.
She opened and shut her mouth slowly. The amount of praise being thrown her way didn’t make it any easier to figure out what to say.
Lady Merilia.
That was what she clung to now.
If a Witch could be there from the very beginning, then a Witch becoming the order’s alley was no violation and no crime.
The fact that Lady Gertrude’s hand was still on her head didn’t exactly help, but eventually the Knight-Captain managed to suck in a deep gulp of air and find her words.
“L-Lady Merilia was one of the Iron Rose Knights’ founding members,” she began, “If th-that’s the case, then there’s nothing wrong with you being here. If you don’t want the truth spread right now, then—”
She paused for a moment. It probably was a good idea to keep it a secret right now, ultimately…
“---Until you feel ready to tell it yourself, I won’t say anything.”
Gertrude smiled.
“Of course you won’t, mistress,” she replied smugly, as if there were no other answer Fanilly could have possibly given. Still, this truth had affected the young woman a little bit more than Gertrude had thought it would. She took her hand off Fanilly’s head.
“Still… if even a woman who’s bloody fought beside me is
this aghast at my news, I think I made the right call in keeping it close to the chest,” Gertrude sighed, looking down at Fanilly.
“...I was thinking about telling you what my Witchcraft can do, but you’re already barely keeping it together. Probably best we move back to the bleeding stick.”
She presented the item to Fanilly once again.
“I’ve been trying things on my own, but maybe the trigger requires two people. The Moonlit Queen gave this to me when I told her I was a Witch, so I thought maybe imparting the same to someone else might’ve done it. Suppose that was wishful thinking…”
“A-ah, no, it was just surprising—!”
Fanilly hadn’t been sure how to articulate herself, but she certainly hadn’t wanted to make it seem like she was genuinely horrified. Witchcraft was a taboo, but Lady Merilia was an ally despite that, and the same held for Lady Gertrude.
Her shoulders sagged somewhat, but at least it appeared that Lady Gertrude wasn’t too upset.
Though—
What
did her Witchcraft do, exactly? What did any Witchcraft do? Fanilly only knew what it was in broad strokes.
Maybe that was a question for another time.
Right now, Lady Gertrude was still trying to figure out how the stick worked. Fanilly wasn’t sure she could help, but at the very least she wanted to. It was some sort of fae gift, after all. Knowing what it actually did was important.
The same held true for that glass frog, actually.
But for now, the stick.
“Well, it’s part of a tree, er…”
Her cheeks reddened once more as she realized how that what she was about to say was rather silly. Surely Lady Gertrude had tried something like this already, right?
“M-Maybe you plant it?”
“...
Plant the bloody thing?”
Gertrude looked down at Fanilly for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.
“Your idea is to
plant this stick in the ground like a sapling? That’s bleeding
daft, mistress! I admit, it’s not an idea
I would have come up with,” she said with simultaneous derision and amusement, “but still, it sounds like an idea a fey might have.”
The mental image Gertrude conjured up of her and Fanilly carefully tending to a twig they had stuck in the ground was nothing less than comedy.
“Sure, mistress, let’s give it a go,” Gertrude finished, wiping a tear from her eye, “if this idea works, it’ll make me
almost as annoyed as Yaya’s idiot magic, but I’ll bloody well owe you. You pick the spot, though, because if it grows into a tree or something, it might be a permanent fixture.”
Gertrude stood, and offered her hand to Fanilly once more. The same borderline inappropriate, strangely intimate grip awaited her.
“You can take Sir Crabbington along, if you’d like. I’m sure he’d appreciate being kept apprised of the goings-on to relay to his posh friends.”
Was it that ridiculous?
Maybe it was. Fanilly didn’t know much when it came to magic, so perhaps it was an absurdity that simply didn’t hold up to anyone with actual experience.
She found her cheeks growing redder as she listened to Lady Gertrude’s amused response. Maybe she shouldn’t have suggested it at all—
But then, to her surprise, the taller girl said that they should try it anyway.
“R-really?” she found herself stammering. After how ridiculous the Witch had made it seem, now she was going to try it anyway. Maybe it’s because there was a fae involved? Regardless, after a moment of hesitation, the Knight-Captain reached out to take Lady Gertrude’s hand and pull herself to her feet, cheeks still pink with embarrassment over the initial reception to her suggestion.
The act of taking Sir Crabbington along was only half-conscious.
“Well… well there’s a relatively open spot on the east side of the courtyard,” Fanilly suggested, “So even if it gets a lot larger there should be enough space…”
Gertrude grinned as she looked down at Fanilly, flustered, embarrassed, rosy-cheeked, and holding onto a stuffed crab in a fancy hat. She held the young woman’s hand tight, and began leading her to the east side of the courtyard. Her mistress really was remarkably cute when she allowed herself to be, and Gertrude wanted to see more.
Normally Gertrude would go through pains to take a path that avoided as many people as she could, but she wanted to parade Fanilly around a little. Deliberately taking the most public route possible, she aimed to ensure that at least a few people noticed her mistress carrying around a stuffed toy and holding Gertrude’s hand.
“I really am hoping it will work, mistress,” Gertrude reassured along the way, “as silly as it sounds to me, I’ll take bloody anything at this point.”
As they approached a good location, she pulled Fanilly a little closer and leaned slightly to get closer to her mistress’s level.
“Well, mistress? Shall I, or would you like to do it together?”
Wait, why were they going this way? Weren’t there a lot of people this way?
It’s not like the Knight-Captain accompanying a guest and ally was anything strange, but she was already carrying Sir Crabbington and she couldn’t exactly just drop him or something at this point so now—!
Burning hot, her head hanging low as if she was trying to hide, Fanilly turned her body as they walked in hopes of concealing the stuffed toy from any passersby.
Why was Lady Gertrude doing this?! Ah, she really did like messing with people, didn’t she!?
She definitely passed some of the staff. Her maids seeing wouldn’t be so bad, though Alaree probably wouldn’t leave her alone about it. But if any of her knights saw…
How could someone reconcile the title of Knight-Captain with this situation?
By the time they reached the courtyard, Fanilly’s head was hanging low, her arm clutching Sir Crabbington tightly to her chest, and her cheeks a brilliant shade of scarlet.
“Wh-why did we have to…”
She trailed off. At this point, she knew exactly why: Lady Gertrude deliberately wanted to make her embarrassed.
“... Y-you know more about such things, so y-you can do it…”
Gertrude smirked.
“You know why,” she responded as if she had read Fanilly’s mind, “I enjoy watching those cheeks of yours color. That my mistress should find her own affection for stuffed toys as vexing a villain as the Midnight Hunt is far too amusing not to prod.”
Gertrude twirled the stick between her fingers, a smug grin on her face, before sauntering over to a good spot. Clear, out of the way, fertile soil…
Gertrude knelt down, and looked over her shoulder back at Fanilly.
“...I like them too, you know?”
She scooped out a hole, carefully pressed the stick inside, and began piling soil around it.
“Didn’t have too many friends growing up, but
they were always there. Hard to believe, mistress?”
It
was an obvious answer when it came down to it. Why else would Lady Gertrude be doing these things? It was because she liked messing with her and liked seeing her reactions. If she didn’t give as much of a reaction, maybe it would subside, but how did she still her heart in these kinds of situations?
Sucking in a deep breath and clutching the stuffed crab to her side, Fanilly took a step closer.
While the reasons were likely different, it wasn’t as if such feelings were unfamiliar to her. A childhood filled with preparations left for only a little time outside of it, and much of the time she spent outside of training were at functions between nobility.
To put it simply, it didn’t leave her much time to casually make friends.
“I…” she hesitated for a moment, before parting her lips once more, “I can’t say I’m unfamiliar with such feelings…”
The Knight-Captain paused briefly, her eyes drifting to the stick that was planted in the ground as she attempted to find her words.
—Did it just glow a little?
“I had a feeling you’d understand, mistress,” Gertrude replied, flashing Fanilly an oddly gentle smile, “you can come by my room more often, if you’d like. Meet the rest of my friends. Tell the knights that we’re discussing strategy or some other bullshite…”
As Gertrude spoke, she noticed the little twig begin to glow. It was more than she had gotten it to do through experimentation, which likely meant that it was activating. Its purpose would soon be revealed.
Gertrude chortled, partially in derision but mostly in joy. She was happier that the mystery was solved than angry at its conclusion. In fact, she found it charmingly funny.
“I think it bloody worked, mistress! You must be a genius. Suppose I
do owe you, then.”
Gertrude stood, and turned her attention to the stick fully. Her prize for seeing this task through to its completion.
There was no doubt about it. The stick was glowing, indeed, the white light traveling up from its base as it began to sprout small leaves. It looked less like a stick, now, and more like a miniscule tree, identical to the ones that composed the forest in the Moonlit Queen’s fae realm.
And yet the glow was not dimming.
It was growing brighter, and brighter, alongside a rushing sound, and—
Fanilly moved without thinking, her hand flying to the hilt of her sword. Something was wrong. Something
had to be wrong! Steel sang as the blade left its sheath, and she grabbed Lady Gertrude’s shoulder, putting herself between the fae gift and the taller girl as swiftly as she could.
And then—
Candaeln was gone.
The air was warm, but snow crunched beneath her feet.
Black, glossy trees surrounded them, dense, with smaller, equally-glass like plants dotting the ground beneath them.
What appeared to be a silvery mushroom waddled by on short, stubby legs, followed by a gaggle of similar shapes.
Fanilly drew in a deep breath, then slowly released it, her hand still gripping her blade tightly. The miniscule tree was still there, in front of them, but this place—
It was the Moonlit Queen’s fae realm, once more.
Gertrude was not particularly alarmed at the progressive brightening of the fey gift, nor the tempestuous sound that accompanied what she assumed to be their transposition. She had not known this would be the outcome of the stick’s activation, but it was within her expectations.
Still, her mistress who knew very little of magic interposed herself just as she did with the guardian serpent. Moved without even the space to think in order to protect her. Gertrude wondered, briefly, if this chivalry was for her… or if it was something Fanilly would do for anyone.
Gertrude couldn’t imagine Fanilly would do as much for a knight, who she probably trusted to be able to protect themself. If she didn’t have that trust, after all, there was no way she could lead as she did.
Was it because she considered Gertrude to be weak? Could that be the case, even when Fanilly knew well how powerful she was by this point? The audacity she had to protect a genuine Witch…
Gertrude had some difficulty understanding it, though at this point she knew it was no fluke. Fanilly would move to guard her. Her mistress would put herself in danger to ensure Gertrude’s safety. Her cheeks colored slightly as she gazed down at the young woman.
Gertrude reached out, and gently placed her hand on Fanilly’s head. It was unmistakably a gesture more of affection than derision, this time.
“Well, mistress, it appears the object was a key to the Moonlit Queen’s realm. A rather interesting conclusion, wouldn’t you say? I wonder if we can remove it from the ground and use it again… or perhaps we now have a permanent gate on castle grounds. A boon, either way.”
Gertrude began softly patting her mistress as she began considering the implications and uses such a thing could have.
The strangeness of this space, despite having been here before, was impossible to get used to. Fanilly couldn’t reconcile the snow on the ground with the warmth of the air, the strangeness of a moon unlike that of Mayon’s domain. The glassy texture of the black trees, and now the sight of the walking troupe of mushrooms ahead of them. None of these things matched in her mind, and yet once again they were presented before her.
Before she could say anything else, she felt Lady Gertrude’s hand upon her head, patting her. Immediately the tension inside of her snapped, and she felt heat rushing into her cheeks as they practically glowed a luminescent pink.
“L-Lady Gertrude, that’s—”
She stumbled over her words as she looked back over her shoulder. Being patted in such a childish way right when she had been ready to defend the other girl had nearly ripped her mental state in two.
Turning to face Lady Gertrude and stepping away, her sword still drawn, the Knight-Captain took a moment to try and compose herself.
“S-so… so this is some sort of gateway, then?” she questioned as she glanced towards the glossy bark of one of the many trees, “I’d never even considered we might have direct access to a fae lady’s domain.”
“Calling it a ‘gateway’ is close, mistress,” Gertrude replied, retracting her hand as Fanilly stepped away. Her mistress was still on guard, so perhaps the patting was more agitating than calming… it probably didn’t help that Gertrude had about ten times as much practice annoying people as comforting them.
“My current thesis is that planting the branch, which came from the Moonlit Queen’s realm, innately tied a small portion of our land to hers. Less a key or gate, and more of a bridge. I suspect we could be in the Brennan Woods within a few moments, depending on where or how we leave.”
Gertrude offered a reassuring smile.
“It’s nice here, isn’t it, mistress? I was on guard the first time we arrived in this realm because I didn’t know where we stood. However, that stick constitutes an
invitation. It represents the favor we’ve earned with the Moonlit Queen. I believe we will not be harmed here, as her honored guests.”
Gertrude looked around and admired the odd atmosphere, seeing it for the first time without the accompanying uncertainty.
“I grew up in a walking house, you know? Places like this can be quite lovely once you know you’re safe.”
“Oh, but a little bit of danger just brightens everything up, does it not?” It seemed they weren’t alone after all, a familiar, childish lilt coming at them out of the trees, followed by its owner. This time, the Moonlit Queen had come to them… or perhaps she had simply had them arrive near enough for her convenience?
Immediately seated upon a throne, the queen seemed pleased to see them, looking more than satisfied at her visitors, “I was wondering how long it would take you to arrive. Is it not obvious that a tree needs to grow? I nearly sent a servant to check on you! But you brought a distinguished guest, so I forgive your tardiness.”
Gertrude had been fairly certain that bringing the Moonlit Queen up in conversation would entreat her to reveal herself, and her highness did not disappoint. Gertrude smiled pleasantly as her eyes alighted upon the mothlike Fey on her throne.
“Danger can be nice in its own way, but a bit distracting,” Gertrude replied with a curtsey, “and I wouldn’t want to have my attention on anything but you.”
Then, she nodded towards Fanilly.
“My assessment of the item was a bit more… clinical. In truth, it was my mistress that suggested we plant the sapling. Unsurprising, I think, that common sense should elude a Witch.”
Gertrude didn’t mind giving Fanilly her credit where it was due. If she wanted to work alongside the Moonlit Queen, it only made sense that the woman should have some respect for her employer.
Besides, it was certainly true that Witches and common sense rarely mixed.
“And thank you for your forgiveness.”
A walking house? If she was a Witch, then didn’t that mean she was—
Fanilly’s thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of the domain’s creator.
The Moonlit Queen.
Last time they’d met, it had ended well, but at the same time Fanilly found herself somewhat instinctively reaching for her hair. Dealing with tresses of such exceptional length was not exactly easy, for herself or her maids.
The Knight-Captain lowered her blade and sucked in a deep breath, before sheathing it at her side. At the very least she could feel certain there wouldn’t be a fight with the fae lady, despite the inherent uncertainty attached to the young-looking girl.
She bowed her head respectfully. They were in her domain, after all. It was only suitable.
“We’re honored by your welcome, your highness.”
“Oh, did you miss my little gift? You’re welcome to it again, after all~” Fanilly’s instinctual motion had not gone unnoticed, as once again she was burdened with more hair than she reasonably knew what to do with. “Now… to business!”
The small fairy leant forward, face locked in a stern expression. “Have you found who dared to steal from the Moonlit Queen?”
Ah, she should have known—
There it was, again, the hair flowing down from her scalp, spilling over her hands and fingers and falling down her back like a golden waterfall, reaching the ground in a matter of seconds. Oh, no, having all this dealt with again was going to be a nightmare for her maids!
At least she didn’t have to fight with so much hair this time. Tying it up enough to battle the Midnight Hunt hadn’t exactly been easy.
“A-ah…”
Flustered over her overgrown locks, it took a few moments for Fanilly to recover. Even then, she was still struggling with her hair.
“N-no, er, we haven’t yet, but we’re trying to narrow it d-down…”
Gertrude grinned as the Moonlit Queen elongated Fanilly’s hair once more. She suspected it would never
not be amusing. She reached out once again to pat her mistress’s head, though it was neither to comfort or bully the young woman. Quite simply, the Moonlit Queen had made Fanilly’s head even more pattable, and it would be a waste not to do something before it had been taken care of again.
“My mistress has personally haunted Candaeln’s library day and night searching for clues, but to no avail. It may behoove her to ask for help on occasion,” Gertrude chided lightly, “but it is our current priority. If we could locate the other shards, we could likely get ahead of the culprit. That may be our most fruitful option.”
Gertrude smiled pleasantly.
“Do you have a punishment in mind for when we apprehend the blackguard?”
“Hmm… perhaps I should begin by slowly peeling their skin and using the exposed flesh as a flowerbed? Quite a simple punishment, but one does not want to break the thieves too early in their punishment, no?”
Gertrude didn’t know what she was expecting from a Faerie Queen, but that punishment sounded about right for one. Perhaps it was a good thing she had held herself back from patting the woman.
Though she still wanted to.
Gertrude grinned, seemingly unperturbed by the gruesome description. She really couldn’t imagine that anyone who was stealing those awful shards in the first place deserved better. Whatever their plans, it couldn’t be good.
“I agree, that sounds like a good start. You can see how it fits, and go from there. I’m sorry we don’t have more progress for you, but they’re an elusive bugger.”
Gertrude shrugged.
“Still, I must thank you for your gift. Is it a permanent fixture, now it’s been planted?”
The gruesome description wasn’t exactly unexpected when it came to a fae lady. She looked like a child, but her nature was not even close to that of a human. She’d demonstrated that well enough already plenty of times, so it wasn’t exactly surprising to hear her blood-soaked intentions for the thief.
It didn’t make the image of flowers growing from someone’s still-living body any less unpleasant, though.
Fanilly’s hands slowly lowered. Her hair was now simply too long and voluminous to deal with on her own at the moment.
She sucked in a deep breath, then let out a heavy sigh. She’d just have to try and keep it from dragging, for now.
“Moonlit Queen, I… If there’s any kind of assistance you can offer, it may help us capture the thief more swiftly.”
“Yes, of course; what good would a single-use audience be? I expect further updates on your progress,” the small fey said dismissively, very much not answering the question of ‘further assistance’. That would be a no, then. “It requires yourself, but you’re always free to bring a guest along to entertain me with~”
“Oh, and tell me, miss captain, have you made use of my other gift yet?”
“Then I’ll be certain to keep you updated,” Gertrude replied, smiling, “perhaps I’ll even be able to introduce you to aunt Merilia at some point. I’m sure you’ll find her interesting.”
Gertrude turned her gaze down towards her mistress.
“Well, mistress? You’ve been rather busy trying to track down this thief, so perhaps you haven’t gotten to The Moonlit Queen’s generous gift yet.”
“Ah…”
Hopefully this wouldn’t earn her even longer hair or some other silly and inconvenient response.
“I apologize, Moonlit Queen, but unfortunately I haven’t had time to further examine your gift yet,” she replied, bowing her head apologetically. At the very least, she felt certain her hair wasn’t dragging on the floor at the moment. Hopefully that would be that.
“When I return, I’ll make sure to take a look at it.”
“Oh? You haven’t looked at it yet?” the fairy was pouting, “Do you need some extra encouragement? I could keep your hair growing beautifully until you show me the appreciation my gift deserves~”
What? That—
Even ignoring all the other problems, wouldn’t that make it impossible to even manage looking at the glass frog if her hair was continuously getting even longer than this?!
“E-er, no, um,” stammered Fanilly, “I’ll make sure I take a look at it when we get back!”
“Oh…” the queen gave a disappointed sigh, “Remember to brush your hair first, though, it’s a bit messy when it grows out like that~”
Gertrude smiled. She did enjoy watching her mistress become flustered, though there was of course business to get to as well. She glanced down at Fanilly and winked.
“Worry not, mistress. I can brush your hair for you, if you’d like. I used to do it with my auntie whenever she came to visit.”
Then, she turned back to the Moonlit Queen.
“What does that frog do, by the way? Knowing would save me a little time, which I could spend following up on your thief.”
The Moonlit Queen giggled, waving her away, “Where would be the fun in telling you? If your captain plays with it enough, then I’m sure she can find out~”
Gertrude shrugged, and smiled at Fanilly.
“As she says, mistress. You’ll be required to play with it. You shouldn’t dislike that too much, I trust,” she jabbed, thinking back to the look on the young woman’s face when she saw Gertrude’s collection of stuffed toys.
“The mistress and I do share an appreciation for such things, I think.”
“Eh? I, well…”
Fanilly’s gaze lowered and she shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. It wasn’t exactly untrue, but was it suitable for the Knight-Captain of the Iron Roses?
“I s-suppose that is true…”
And it wasn’t as if the glass frog wasn’t cute, too. It certainly didn’t seem to be the product of any normal glasswork due to its realism, but it was certainly made of glass all the same.
“Excellent! Then you’ll visit again when you’ve learned what it does, yes?” the fairy gave an innocent smile, as if this wasn’t simply another order, “I do hope your hair is better cared for then.”
“We will certainly visit again once we’ve played with the frog,” Gertrude said, smiling, “if not just for the pleasure of your company.”
Though the temptation to ask the Moonlit Queen if Gertrude could pat her head was great, it seemed the meeting was reaching its conclusion. She could hold on a bit longer.
“The mistress has been shy about meeting with me, but as her maid, I would gladly tend her hair if she so requested. I hope you will be pleased when we return. Perhaps Yaya would join us as well~”
Gertrude, her hand twitching for want of a short woman to pat, quickly found herself hovering back over to her mistress.
Ah.
Things were beginning to get somewhat overwhelming…
Fanilly took a deep breath and made a valiant attempt to clear her head. She simply couldn’t deal with having this much hair, how would it even fit into her helmet? But at the same time, it was true she needed to learn what that frog did—
“Y-yes, of course,” Fanilly replied, bobbing her head and trying not to focus on anything else, “We will certainly return to let you know.”
It was, in the end, a fair request regardless of what was attached to it. The Moonlit Queen may be an instructable fae, but it wasn’t unfair to let her know what they thought of her gift.
As Fanilly was nodding, Gertrude’s hand found its mark and she gently began patting her mistress’s head. Again. After a few moments of enjoying what would likely be trimmed down soon, she stopped, gave the Moonlit Queen a curtsy, and took Fanilly’s hand.
“It’s been a pleasure, as always,” Gertrude said, smiling, “we’re looking forward to our next visit, and hope to bring you good news soon.”
“F-farewell, your highness.”
No sooner had the words left her lips then she saw the Moonlit Queen’s curl into a smile. Then the world around them seemed to tilt, then condense into a singular point—
Only to vanish.
They were once again in Candaeln’s gardens, beside the twig.
Only now, it was a black, glass-like tree, much like the ones growing within the Moonlit Queen’s realm.
“... Ah… I… feel somewhat lightheaded…”
Seeing the way in which the world seemed to collapse and fade away around her, Fanilly couldn’t help but be somewhat disoriented, placing her free hand against her forehead.
Gertrude gently hooked her arm around Fanilly’s, looking down at her mistress.
“That’s common for those unused to shifting between realms. It happens to be one aspect in which my constitution doesn’t fail me,” Gertrude admitted, making certain that her mistress was steady.
“Goddesses above, but I wanted to pat her bloody head. She’s adorable, isn’t she?”
Gertrude sighed, half in defeat and half in anticipation of the day she would make her desire a reality.
“Well, mistress? Shall I escort you back to your room, or to mine?”
“Er, I need to deal with all of this hair, first,” Fanilly responded. It was a lot for her to take in, ultimately. The disorientation from shifting between the fae realm and normal space was fading already, so now she had to deal with more immediate problems. At least this wasn’t the first time she dealt with having hair this long anymore, sighing slightly as she ran her fingers through it.
Having direct access to the Moonlit Queen, though—
That meant they could try and draw more information out of her. It was unlikely she was purposefully omitting anything, but if there was anything else they could obtain that was one of their ways foreward.
“After that, I think I want to visit the library. And—”
Fanilly hesitated for a moment.
“---If you’re willing to come along, Lady Gertrude, then, er, that may be of assistance.”
Gertrude smirked.
“About time you asked, mistress. A proper captain should utilize her resources, after all. I can help with your hair, too, if you’d like. Gretchen is already in the library, so she can start on research while you get ready.”
Gertrude gently placed a hand on Fanilly’s back.
“Whatever the case, it wouldn’t bloody do to have you fall over on your way. I’ll escort you where you need to go, and you can have the cook make extra dessert just for me for a week.”
Fanilly sighed. She was feeling better, but it wsn’t as if a little more assistance would be a bad thing in this case.
“Very well, Lady Gertrude.”
The demand for for extra dessert was probably fine.
Despite everything, Lady Gertrude really had helped out, after all.
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