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1 - Black
Peritios 3, 818
Outside the protection of the curtains of Lenna's bed, Faris is her sister. They avoid letting anyone see them as anything but sisters, and it's not so hard when there are other people around to perform for. Faris has her role as the Queen's right hand and commander in chief of the military, and those roles often send her out of the castle long enough and frequently enough that their happiness to see each other upon Faris' return is overlooked.
In the shelter of those curtains at night, where it's darker than dark and they have only touch to guide them, Faris is her lover. In the dark, they keep no secrets between them. The only light is that which is between them, hidden from view. In the dark, this is all that matters.
2 - Spring
Artamitios 18, 818
When spring comes to Tycoon, Lenna knows that she must bid her sister a fond farewell and await her return a few months later. Knowing it doesn't make the loss any easier, nor does she quite get over feeling ridiculous for it.
In preparation for taking the latest crop of midshipmen to sea, Faris spends more time running up and down the corridors of the castle than anything else. Rarely, if she sees Lenna alone, she takes her aside for something daring that always leaves her feeling fluttery: a kiss that sears with promise for the night. Lenna doesn't mind the departure so much then.
3 - Cake
Hyperberetaios 5, 817
There was one luxury Faris allowed for herself, at least in regards to sweets. She wasn't much for them normally, but would eat a little if the occasion arose. Something about not having them regularly available when she was a child, resulting in a loss of interest in them. But Lenna's coronation counted as a special occasion, so she went to the castle's chief cook with her request.
Tycoon and Karnak share much in the way of food preferences, as it turns out. The chef understood her request, but the specific mixture of spices she wanted it cooked with was rare to Tycoon and he had to make do with her knocking around in his kitchen until she got the ratios right. Then there was the base flavor, which he looked in askance at but did not question her. The final request he nodded at and got to work.
The coronation was a grand affair. Lenna had prepared Faris early and let her in on the speech, so Faris doesn't guffaw when she announces herself the Virgin Queen of Tycoon, who would take no husband but the state itself. Faris politely ignores that as a member of the royal family, she counts as the state. It's a sentiment that no one else would understand, because she and Lenna had been together on and off during the campaign against ExDeath and have firmly settled into on, for good.
At the banquet after the coronation, she sits at Lenna's right hand and Butz and Krile at her left, as honored guests. The meal is, predictably, thoroughly traditional Tycoonian cuisine given a little spice from Karnak. A nod to the founding of Tycoon as indigenous, but given Karnak money to build and a Karnak spouse to secure alliances.
When the cakes come out, most of them are the traditional semolina cakes soaked in rose water syrup. The one that isn't is small and cut in half, and each part placed on little plates in front of Faris and Lenna. A single orange blossom decorates each part.
Intrigued by the difference in decoration—the other cakes are decorated with rose petals—Lenna slices off a piece with her fork and eats it. It takes but a moment for her to realize that the flavoring is orange blossom water and a particularly Karnakian mix of dessert spices. Traditional wedding cake flavor, in other words. Lenna taps Faris' foot with hers under the table, though Faris is pretty sure she'd prefer to kick her, instead.
"Don't ever say I've not been paying attention to your lectures," Faris mutters under her breath. Because yes, the lectures on history, tradition, and how to be a royal are bloody boring, but she does listen.
4 - Field
[Date unknown, a world of respite]
Faris doesn't know where exactly in the timeline any of them comes from, where they actually are, or whether any of them are real or simply copies of the originals made to fight for gods with no real understanding of human needs or motivations. When Lenna finally arrives and turns out to be her lover from close to her own timeline, after all, Faris tosses all care into the wind and welcomes her back into her arms.
Not that Faris ever strays, but for a little while there she was speculating on just how close Fang and Vanille were. Or whether Ashe was available, because apparently Faris has a type and it's short-haired, head-strong princesses. They were all idle thoughts borne of being separated for far too long, none that she would ever act on, and easily discarded the moment Lenna arrived.
By the time she waves off the scouting group and says she needs to catch up with Lenna, the wind picks up in the field of flowers and petals drift away on it. Butz stays behind, saying he'll warn them if someone's coming, and parks himself on the crest of a hill not too far away.
Bless him for that. For being a true friend and not judging them for their vices. She'll have to think of something to thank him with later. For now, she lies back in a field of flowers and enjoys an intimate reunion with her favorite person in any world, her sister.
5 - Mystery
Xandikos 3, 819
Lenna's been hiding something for months. Faris isn't sure what, and efforts to pry it out of her result in little more than cryptic smiles and requests for patience. Such things take time, after all. The sentiment drives Faris up the wall. Efforts to ferret out something from the ledgers were useless, as none of the expenditures stuck out to her as unusual. The castle staff are tight-lipped, and even the wards of the state won't talk.
Naturally, when Xandikos roars in like a lion on the heels of a bitterly cold but quiet Dystros, little else is on her mind. Misses the importance of the next day, and she thinks nothing of it when Lenna "invites" her to the growing port town to the southwest that served the entire country. It takes a little over a day of hard riding on chocobos to get there, but they do get in during the evening on the third day of the month.
Lenna leads her to the docks, and Faris doesn't quite get it yet. Yes, the ship is very nice—full-rigged, big but not unwieldy, freshly tarred and polished and painted and…the figurehead is a sea dragon's head shaped and carved from salvaged wood.
Upon noticing realization dawn on her sister's face, Lenna leans close. "Happy birthday, dear sister. The wood on the figurehead comes from your old ship; Butz obtained a salvage permit from Carwen for us to retrieve it. Bal offered extra hands for the building. She's yours."
Well aware of the people walking around, Faris does not engage in any untoward behaviors. Which is really too bad, because her kneejerk reaction would be to kiss Lenna as thanks. She does manage a quick hug from the side, which should be sisterly enough.
6 - Umbrella
Hyperberetaios 12, 817
Being situated on the equator as Tycoon Castle is, one would expect mild winters and hot summers. And, for the most part, that tends to be true for the northernmost parts of the country. But Tycoon Castle is high up in the mountains, and the high winds can sap away warmth with alarming efficiency. Having grown up in the castle, Lenna is familiar enough with the reality that the early months of the year come with rains falling diagonally and that the winds tend to turn umbrellas inside out.
The harsh winter storms haven't come quite yet. The rains arrived after the summer's dry spells with a sluggishness that might be considered gentle, but the winds aren't yet so strong as to necessitate the usage of oilcloth coats. Still, Faris shouldn't be out on the top of the dragon's tower without some protection.
There's always a sad little tug on Lenna's heart when she leaves the access stairwell and crosses the top of the tower to what was once home to her father's dragon. It was meant for dragons, was built for them, but had only ever housed one. It was unlikely to be occupied again.
The rain patters softly on the oil-paper surface of her umbrella as she turns the corner of the structure that sheltered her father's dragon; the air smells of wet limestone, and no scent of dragons remain. It's there she finds Faris whenever the ministers harangue her into leaving before she does something more unbecoming of a princess.
"Someday I'm gonna slam Minister Nikomedes' head into a wall," Faris grouses upon seeing Lenna. "Several times."
"I would prefer that you didn't." Under the shelter of the structure's ceiling, Lenna closes the umbrella and tucks herself into Faris' side.
Faris' answer is a draping of her arm over Lenna's shoulders. A concession. In the comfortable silence, the rains continue to fall in soft little drops. The silence stretches like a fat, lazy cat in a sunbeam, until Lenna remembers that it's nearly time for supper.
"I'll remind him that you are to be yourself, and that he is to present me with a logical argument for his insistence on you wearing a dress if he presses the matter." Faris sighs, which urges Lenna to continue. "What you wear is meaningless—Tycoon has always been composed of hill and mountain tribes, and the norms of Walse never applied to us. Several famous clan leaders before Tycoon's consolidation were known crossdressers. Some were born one way and lived the other way."
"And you took it upon yourself to learn all their names." Faris' voice is dry and fond and has the effect of making her feel warm and fuzzy. The kiss at her temple just makes it better.
Well, of course she did. Faris goes so far to protect her, why shouldn't she do the same?
In time, when the sky starts to darken more, they go back to the castle interior under the shelter of Lenna's umbrella.
7 - Dahlia
Hyperberetaios 5, 831
Lenna doesn't know exactly what date would count as her anniversary with Faris. Does that first romp in Carwen's inn count, before they knew who they were to each other? Would it be the night under Crescent Island's bay, when they accepted that they couldn't deny their feelings any longer, despite knowing that they were committing incest? Would it be that night in Moore, after Galuf's death and before what they thought was the final battle with ExDeath, when they promised themselves to each other?
Eventually she decides that their anniversary should be her coronation date, which she set up as a covert wedding—she announced to all that the only spouse she would ever take was the state, and technically, as Princess, Faris counted as the state. After the surprise of the wedding cake, she loved that her sister caught on so quickly and rewarded her for her consideration that night.
It took a few tries to pin down an anniversary date, as Faris had never been one to hold any day to any sort of importance, but eventually she agreed with Lenna and they settled on getting each other little gifts and spending time together.
The gifts are never extravagant, as they've always needed to keep their relationships secret. Extravagance is for birthdays. They're usually little things that not even the castle staff would notice when cleaning—this year, Lenna got her beloved a new pair of plain gloves to protect her hands while on her flagship. The ropes will fray the old pair soon enough, as Faris never stopped being a sailor and refuses to just sit back and let others do a job she could handle herself.
When Faris turns up in the evening, well after supper, it's with a small bouquet of pink and red dahlias. Something she can explain away easily. The little addition to Lenna's collection of glass animals, a coeurl cub, slips into her palm shortly afterwards. Lenna allows herself to be led to the couch in her quarters and cuddles up in Faris' arms.
It's been fourteen years, formally. Sixteen, informally. And still she would consider having no one else as her life's partner.
8 - Grey
Daisios 3, 817
Grey is the color of the overcast sky just before dawn. Faris ventures out onto her personal balcony every now and then during that time, when only the kitchen staff and the guards are up and about. It's a time in which she can think without interruption.
She misses the rolling of a ship under her feet. She misses the spray of the sea, the smell of pine pitch, the men scurrying about on her orders. She misses the hunt for unsuspecting merchant ships, the excuse to throw herself into a fight. She misses Syldra more than ever.
She doesn't miss the bad food aboard, or keeping her secret from men who had poor opinions about women in general, and women in charge especially. She doesn't miss washing up with just a bucket of water and a rag, or making excuses for getting away to attend to her menses. She doesn't miss hiding her own injuries from the crew, or the fear of being discovered.
Or maybe she just misses having a sense of purpose. She can't go back to piracy, as every country considers it a crime of economics. Rumors spread faster than wildfire, and broadsheets follow close behind. Her being discovered as going back to piracy would be bad for everyone involved, but especially Lenna.
Lenna is everything to her. She'll die for her little sister, kill for her, and do everything possible to ensure that Lenna never has to fear for Faris. So she remains in the castle, with Lenna, because she trusts no one else to protect her.
For her part, Lenna swears she'll find a way to help Faris settle into this new life of hers. It shouldn't be hard, Faris thinks. She'd survived a paradigm shift before, she can do it again.
9 - Summer
Loios 16, 817
After the merging of worlds, most of the coastlines have to be redrawn on maps and boundaries renegotiated. The Ship's Graveyard is now several dozen feet above water, what used to be a sea in Lenna's world is now a dry southern part of Tycoon. She considers it a miracle that her ancestral home of Telos Island, just over the mountains to the east of Tycoon Castle, survived mostly intact.
The island has a lot more rocks underwater than it did before the merging. The fishermen who remain had to resort to hiring a dozen geomancers to clear the worst of them out of the one useable harbor that remains. Several homes needed to be rebuilt, including her grandfather's villa. She committed personal funds to rebuild what could be rebuilt of the villa, reducing its size to something that fit her needs.
When the rebuilding of the villa and the conversion of its remaining footprint into a garden is done, she declares that both she and Faris need a week's vacation and takes Faris with her to the island. It is high summer, but the breeze coming off the sea is cooling enough to make it comfortable.
Faris is nothing but proper as they make their way off the boat and take rented chocobos onto the path leading to the more remote villa. Faris greets the groundskeeper coolly, and the groundskeeper is pleased enough by having the villa occupied again (and receiving a more generous salary for taking care of it) that he barely notices as he tells Lenna about what he's been working on in the garden. Then he tells them that they'll have the privacy they need and wanders off to his cottage with chocobos in tow the moment Lenna slips him a little extra for his good work.
Inside the villa, it's cool and clean; the groundskeeper's wife did well in preparing it for them. The light-blocking drapes are mostly drawn closed, save for that little underlayer of sheer muslin that's completely closed. Most importantly, though, is that they're completely alone. Other than the groundskeeper and his wife, who keep to themselves, there's no other staff. The nearest house is a mile away. The fishing village next to the harbor is three miles away.
Lenna beams as she slips into the circle of Faris' arms. "I know it's been hard not really being together in the castle, but I thought we'd have all the time we'd like to ourselves here."
"Grandpa's house?" Faris asks, her hand slipping around to the small of Lenna's back. It's a gesture she knows well, because it always precedes a kiss. Lenna's breath catches in anticipation and she has to breathe to respond.
"So to speak. It's been in the family since before there was a Tycoon. When the country was founded, it became a vacation home."
Knowing that it's coming doesn't make the kiss any less thrilling.
10 - Plush
Gorpiaios 27, 816
Having been dead for about a year and then punted out of the afterlife by some old man about three days ago, Faris has a renewed gratitude for the sensations of life. She finds herself running her fingers over soft cloth and flower petals alike, relishing the flavors in her food and drink more, and even appreciating odd smells.
When she can sneak into Lenna's bedroom at night, she relishes just being with her. Kissing those plush, welcoming lips. Holding her soft body close. Breathing in the scent of perfumes fading from her bath. So on. Being dead has turned her into a lush, so it seems. In the warm, quiet dark, ensconced in luxurious sheets and with an eager partner in her arms, she doesn't have the wherewithal to care about anything but the moment.
11 - Sky
Xandikos 16, 815
Having never been in a romantic relationship before, Lenna fell in love with the handsome pirate captain quickly. It started with there being something about him that captured her attention, then snowballed when Faris said that she was a woman and was perfect. She thought little of getting close to her, or of letting their mutual attraction grow to the point where she was the one inviting Faris to her bed when they reached Carwen. It was her one real teenage rebellion, she decided.
Then Faris leapt to her rescue on North Mountain and the ground gave out from under her. Sick as Lenna had been with poison coursing through her veins, she couldn't do a thing to help her lover. Her heart lodged in her throat when Faris climbed up the cliff for her and refused to go back down until Magisa and her husband were defeated. It fluttered when Faris did as she asked without protest.
After they piled up on her father's healed sky dragon, with her in the lead and Faris behind her, Faris whispered "I love you" in her ear as her arm circled Lenna's midriff.
"I know," she said, letting go of the riding strap just enough to squeeze that hand.
It doesn't fully hit her until the dragon spreads his wings and soars into the clear blue sky, and then her heart feels like it's soaring on little wings, too. Oh! So she really is in love with Faris. The realization is a wonder that makes her giddy all the way back to Carwen.
12 - Dress
Dios 18, 815
When the Light Warriors return to Tycoon after it mysteriously appears in the aftermath of the battle with ExDeath in his castle, the sisters get swept up immediately in a welcome home celebration. Which is all very nice, Lenna thinks, but she feels that she should have anticipated the idea that they'd end up being able to come back at all. Diving into the whirling dimensional magic and into Galuf's world had felt awfully final.
Thinking that there would be no way back, Lenna had penned a missive to the prime minister, and another to Jenica. Both missives detailed her father's death and finding Sarisa living as a pirate, and that they were unlikely to return. Thus, when they turned up at the castle entrance, the staff sweeps them all along well-planned paths.
Lenna had seen enough during the campaign to save the Crystals that she's not overly surprised by the abuse of the Haste spell by the staff just to get everything arranged quickly. Nor is she surprised by the prime minister taking everything in hand just to ensure things go smoothly. What does surprise her is Jenica swooping down on an unsuspecting Faris and dragging her to Lenna's room to prepare for presenting the long-lost princess to the country.
The seamstresses appropriate one of Lenna's old dresses, take Faris' measurements, and have Haste cast on themselves to have the alteration done by the evening.
Faris looks overwhelmed enough by the speed at which the staff works that Lenna takes a moment to send everyone on break just for her sister to breathe.
Objectively, Faris does look lovely in the sunny yellow dress still being altered to fit her. Subjectively, Lenna knows that it's not her sister's preferred sort of attire and she looks uncomfortable and irritated as a result.
"I'm just doing this for you," Faris says dourly as Lenna enters the room with a tea service for refreshment.
She sets the tray aside, on the vanity, and draws close to brush a quick kiss on Faris' cheek. It's not enough, but the seamstresses could return at any moment. "You don't have to, but thank you for trying."
The dourness dissipates for a moment; it will likely return in full force if the prime minister gets his way in regards to the evening. Faris laces their fingers together and she's sure they'll be back to normal on the morrow.
13 - Sunflower
Loios 18, 815
"Sunflower heads!" Butz exclaims excitedly as they finally come across a stretch of solid ground that emerges from the vast expanse of a rotting bog on Galuf's world. After the long slog, it's a welcome relief. Just ahead of Lenna, Galuf slumps ever so slightly and she worries for him. The campaign against ExDeath seems to wear on him more and more.
Butz runs towards the patch of sunflowers, some still bright and yellow and most starting to turn to seed, and Galuf follows after him at a slower pace. Lenna lingers behind, with Faris, as she often does these days. It's not that they worry so much about being discovered, but it seems more prudent to be quiet about the depth of their relationship. Galuf and Butz pretend they don't notice.
Faris' fingers lace with hers as they pause on solid ground. The trek makes it difficult to be as intimate as Lenna wants to be, but her appreciation of these small gestures never wane. When most of their days involve walking, hiking, and fighting monsters, they're like little spots of color against the monotony.
14 - Sweetheart
Xandikos 19, 815
Typically Faris falls out of love as quickly as she falls into it. Her first love she was done with as soon as shore leave was over, though she still retains a bit of fondness for the Jacolean dancer. Later lovers were little more than whirlwind affairs meant to satisfy either her curiosity or theirs.
Lenna is an outlier. When Faris thinks of the future, those dreams of retirement from piracy involve marrying someone she can settle down with, someone who keeps her on her toes and doesn't care that she straddles both male and female worlds and is a part of neither. Lenna fits so easily into that dream role that Faris wonders sometimes if the universe is going to pull one over on her and reveal some mar she overlooked.
Not being particularly the type to grant pet names to anyone, it takes a while for Faris to settle on one for her princess. "Sweetheart" sounds close to good enough, but she doesn't think anything quite fits what Lenna has become to her. Spirits willing, she'll have time for something better to come to mind. For now, the endearment brings a darling little smile to Lenna's face and Faris doesn't regret her lack of erudition so much.
15 - Rainbow
Artamitios 14, 818
There is a box that sits on the mantel in the queen's apartments, in a place of honor that is usually reserved for more expensive things. When Lenna's father still lived in these rooms, its occupant was a marble sculpture of the Highwind family crest in front of a sky dragon passant. Lenna still has the sculpture, but its place is now on her office desk. To her, the box is more precious.
Faris calls it a sailor's love token. Tiny, rainbow-hued shells in intricate mosaic patterns grace the interior of the box, and knotwork as delicate as lace secures the exterior. Nothing but the knowledge that this box was made by hand makes it valuable, nothing but that same knowledge reveals it to be more than some pretty souvenir with vacuous sentiments picked up from the islands. Lenna remembers Faris picking up these shells over the length of their campaign against ExDeath and never questioning it, as Faris' fingers were often a bit prone to picking up things they shouldn't. She remembers Faris working on bits and pieces during their downtime and never quite imagining how it would all come together.
When Faris handed it to her, she treated it like it was nothing of real value. And maybe it wasn't, but the amount of work that went into it means a great deal to Lenna. It always will.
16 - Fall
Dios 3, 829
Tycoon doesn't really have seasons, not like the lands further north or south do. For Tycoon, there's just the warmer dry season and the cooler wet season. When it's coldest, snow falls in the mountains.
Fall in Lix, therefore, is something of a novelty for Lenna. The trees explode in a riot of warm colors. There's a bite of chill in the air. Some houses have carved, dried turnips with candles inside them at their doorsteps. The smells of mulling wine and pastries baked with warming spices hang heavy in the evening air. There's a sharpness to the stars that's absent in Tycoon.
In the warmth of a rented house, the chill outside doesn't matter so much. Butz fidgets at the table while Faris starts on getting drunk and Krile ropes Lenna into helping her with the food. In fairness, Butz and Faris had done most of the cooking; Lenna never had the patience for it and Krile insists that she's better at setting up the table than keeping her ingredients in order long enough to follow a recipe.
By the time they have the table set, Butz has his forehead firmly planted on the table and Faris is on her way to draining his glass for him.
"Our useless menfolk," Krile says in a teasing stage whisper at Lenna as she sits at Butz's side and elbows him in the ribs.
The comment makes Faris look up from the wine in surprise. Though Lenna hardly knows why, as neither Butz or Krile are any good at keeping whatever they have secret. She gently places a hand on her sister's shoulder as she sits at her side.
The nudge prompts Butz to straighten himself and scrub his face with a hand. He clearly doesn't want to talk, but he's been building himself up for it all day. "So, uh. I'm…kinda with Krile now. I guess."
"You guess," Faris echoes a bit more sarcastically than necessary. "It's one or the other, mate."
Lenna pats her on the thigh, under the table, which Faris responds to with another sip of mulled wine. With that, Lenna turns to Krile. The younger woman certainly spent a lot of her young adulthood enjoying it with others. Men and women; Lenna couldn't imagine liking both so easily. "Are you sure you're ready for such a big step?" Krile wouldn't have called them all together if it was just another fling.
"I'm twenty-eight," Krile points out. A smile spreads on her face to take the sting out of her words. "Pretty sure you were younger when you and Faris decided to be gross together, forever."
Faris looks sour, but she never took real offense to Krile's teasing. In fairness, even as a teenager Krile caught on quickly to the depth of their relationship. It was hard to hide such things from an empath. At least she had never been judgmental about it.
"It's not really like all that anyway," Butz adds. He seems more at ease now that it's out in the open. "Krile still has Bal, and I still have my journeys. It's just…not quite as intense as your situation."
Well, maybe not. An age difference of six years aside, one that's not even noticeable among adults, they can at least be out in the open. With that thought settling on her mind, Lenna leans against her lover and takes comfort in the arm draping around her shoulders. At least with their friends, they can have something akin to normalcy.
17 - Harmony
Artamitios 12, 820
In the year 815, Faris lost everything. In doing so, she gained a sister, a history, and a new life. She also gained a lover, but that's something she keeps close to the chest and under wraps. The last thing she needs is anyone noticing that she and her sister are much closer than they should be.
A pleasant side-effect of the campaign against ExDeath was learning to fight together, as a unit. Butz is the stronger fighter, but she's faster. Despite her adolescent persistence in training in the sword, Lenna's natural talents are in magic. Galuf was, physically, the strongest of them. Krile is as good with magic as she is with the katana. Towards the end of it, they covered for each other's weaknesses and were greater for it.
These days, there's no need to maintain battle readiness. Lenna has a country to run and Faris has sailors to whip into shape and maintenance teams to oversee. Still, they make time to practice. Once a week, if Faris isn't out to sea, they go out into the garden to practice their swordsmanship.
At this point, their practice is a dance in itself. They know each other too well for either to lose to the other easily. In those moments in which Lenna resorts to trickery to try to gain an upper hand, Faris loves her little sister more. Lenna always manages to keep her guessing.
18 - Ocean
Panamos 3, 819
Lenna's sister, the love of her life, has a mistress. Lenna has accepted this, of course, as most of Faris' sort seems to have such loves. How can she compete against such a mistress, against unpredictable waves and salt sea air and the ever-lingering threat that an upset or a single misstep can result in the doom of the crew? She knows that she should be grateful that Faris restricted her tour of duty on the Eltanin to three months a year and lets someone else captain the ship the rest of the time, but sometimes those three months feel like forever.
She waits because she has her own mistress to attend to. The country needs her, and in those three months, the country is all she focuses on. And when Faris comes back, both mistresses become an afterthought in the sanctuary of Lenna's bed.
19 - For Sure
Apellaiios 6, 819
Above the din of the wards of the state milling around Lenna during her visit, a response of "for sure!" rings out like a clarion call. It sounds like one of the older refugee children left behind by ExDeath's occupation of lands that were once their ancestral homes. Though the sisters did their best to find other homes for the orphans, too many remained undesirable as potential adoptees.
Faris wonders sometimes whether Lenna regrets that she can't give her children. The one time it was brought up, Lenna reassured her that all she wanted was Faris. For how long will that be enough?
Not that it matters now, she supposes. Lenna catches her gaze across the room and her smile softens, and the moment is enough for both of them.
20 - Fake
Dystros 16, 825
Rumors of Faris' womanizing are greatly exaggerated. She might flirt a little with young women among the castle staff, or in port towns abroad, but none of them have received anything more physically intimate than a pat on the shoulder. But because Faris is a princess and looks very dashing in her men's clothes, some of those women exaggerate the encounter. If they don't lie entirely.
Lenna doesn't mind it, really. When Faris comes home from her voyages, she's always hungry for Lenna's attention. There's never a whit of evidence that she considers straying. The lies and insinuations protect them, and they need all the protection they can get.
21 - Tulip
Xandikos 20, 817
The advent of spring is marked by the emergence of tulips. Lenna had never been that partial to them, but they were her mother's favorite flowers. In memory of her, she collects the early emerging flowers and sets them in a vase in the family cinerarium.
The ritual had been interrupted in 815 by the search for her father. In 816, Lenna couldn't bear to enter the cinerarium, knowing that her father's body couldn't be found to fill his allotted urn with ashes, and that Faris was lost to the Void and would be considered dead. This year, Faris joins her with the traditional offerings in a basket.
"'Fraid I don't recall much about Mum," Faris says as they enter the stone building that houses the royal family's cremated remains. Each occupied nook holds an urn and plaque listing its resident; as the royal family formally began only three generations ago, there are far more unoccupied nooks. Faris grimaces, likely at the thought that she would expect to be tucked away here, too.
Lenna takes a moment to tuck some tulips around her mother's urn. "She was sick often, but fought to work for the good of the country when she could. Father said that after our grandfather's war, she argued to retain rule of the country when the other nations were ready to install a puppet. I think she was always fighting, but she succumbed to her illness when I was twelve."
"Probably got to be too much." Faris sits at the contemplation bench in the middle of the room, facing the wall of niches. Incense burns at the altar in front of her and a few cut strands of hair sits on an offering plate, though Lenna doesn't remember her setting up the altar. It's one less thing to worry about. Taking her dagger, she slices off a bit of her own hair to join her sister's and sets them both alight. The chamber soon reeks of burning hair, but the smell is gone soon enough.
Though Faris says nothing as Lenna joins her on the bench, she takes Lenna's hand in hers and lets her take comfort in their closeness. In that silence, Lenna doesn't feel so alone.
22 - (Free day)
Loios 17, 820
According to historical record, Tycoon was formally unified under Deinomenes of Telos on the seventeenth of Loios, just over a hundred years ago, and recognized as a nation by Karnak and Walse on that date. It was celebrated yearly as Synoikia, the Feast of Union. The main event is paid for by representatives of each of the hill and mountain tribes and clans that made up Tycoon, and much of it involves thanking each of them for continued support of the union with small gifts. It ends, as most festivals do, with feasts and dances.
Lenna persists in staying until the end of the festival because she is the queen and it's expected of her. Faris allows for one or two dances with whichever woman catches her eye at the time, then excuses herself for the rest of the night. As far as anyone knows, she heads to bed then and isn't expected back in the main hall.
It's then that Lenna's interest really piques and her attention turns to the clock ever so often. Those close to her assume that it's because she wishes to go to bed, too, and she allows them the misconception.
Roughly an hour later—they changed the appointment time each festival, just in case—Lenna excuses herself to refresh herself in her chambers. The guards in front of the antechamber leading to the royal chambers nod in greeting as she passes by them; she reminds herself to have treats brought to them for their hard work. Instead of going on to her own chambers, she detours to Faris'.
Faris waits for her in those dapper masculine clothes that suit her so well. In any light she looks striking, but she's especially handsome in candlelight. As Lenna locks the door behind her, Faris offers a hand. "Last dance of the night, love."
The last dance is always hers. Lenna's heart might flutter a little as her hand slips into her sister's and Faris closes the gap.
The music wafting in from the throne room and main hall is faint and still something they can dance to. Faris leads her in a dance closer and more intimate than any she had with the women she dances with in public. In the shelter of her rooms, she allows herself to be unguarded. Lenna adores these moments when they can dance without fear of discovery; it's just the two of them and the music.
When the music finally ends, Faris lets her go with a deep kiss that nearly makes Lenna swoon. The entirely besotted look on Lenna's face brings a smile to Faris', who follows up with a more sisterly kiss to her forehead. "Come back when it's over," Faris says.
Lenna gives her sister a parting kiss on the cheek before leaving. In the antechamber, she clears away any sign of impropriety with the straightening out of her dress and a Cure spell to dissipate any evidence of blushes and well-kissed lips. Then it's back to the public and counting down the hours until she can return to Faris' arms.
23 - Jewel
Loios 8, 819
Faris' fingers used to itch when her eyes caught on some pretty bauble, and when she was younger she would just take it once the opportunity presented itself.
As the Queen's right hand, it's not something she can get away with anymore. Lenna indulges her at times, keeping her skills sharp with little games of hiding her personal jewels for Faris to steal, but kleptomania starts to lose its luster without the spice of the hunt.
After a while, her fingers stop itching. Faris hardly notices until the king of Walse sends Lenna a bauble for her birthday. It's a lovely little brooch, the simple and unassuming sort that Lenna likes, but Faris simply has no desire to make off with it for all of a few hours.
The one conclusion that makes sense is that at some point she simply accepted that she already has the treasure she wanted all along, and it's her sister.
24 - Winter
Audnaios 21, 838
As time rolls along, the castle staff slowly settles into polite indifference towards the sisters' closeness. Mornings involve breakfast in Lenna's rooms, lunch is usually taken in the office of whomever is busiest at the time, and supper tends to be in Faris' rooms and they go their separate ways.
Winter presents an excuse for Faris to unofficially move into Lenna's room for the coldest months. At first the story was that she hates the cold and that her room is drafty, which isn't entirely true, and that she trusts no one else to keep her sister's bed warm and her sister safe, which is true. Added to the argument is that most of the female staff is married. Seems absurd to take them from their husbands just so that the queen can have a warm bed.
At first she's cautious and they return to bedclothes after their lovemaking. These days, after years of this practice, it's so easy to stop pretending. The castle staff no longer intrudes without knocking, and attend to other tasks if Lenna doesn't answer them immediately. If either of them sleeps in, who cares? Faris certainly doesn't. Not anymore.
25 - Vulnerable
Xandikos 13, 815
Being vulnerable around anyone was not something Faris was used to. She bound her feelings tightly under wraps and kicked them off to some dark corner where no one could find them. The only one she had ever opened up to was a giant sea dragon, and that served her well.
Mostly.
Until that giant sea dragon wasn't around anymore. Then she was at a loss; Syldra had been half her heart and soul for a good five years. Without Syldra, without her ship, who was she? Really? How does one define themselves when everything that made their life worthwhile was gone?
Faris didn't trust the men in the party. Not yet, and not after she was so thoroughly exposed on the decaying sloop of war in the Ship's Graveyard. But Lenna…Lenna was there for her, supporting her through her grief over both Syldra and her loss of identity. Lenna never judged her, never expected anything from her.
Even before Syldra's loss, Faris felt a certain affection for the pretty princess. Maybe she should risk courting Lenna. It wasn't as if Faris had anything left to lose.
26 - Space
[Date unknown, a world of respite]
Lenna gave up on figuring out this new world about three nights in. It can be changed through sheer willpower, which strikes her as silly. Everyone is mutually intelligible, even though they surely must speak different languages. Different versions of the same person exist in the same place. Very small people roam about with staves taller than them, and they seem to think nothing of how much bigger everyone else seems to them. Even Galuf is here, even though deep down she knows that he shouldn't be. Why he shouldn't be here, she's not sure. There are gaping holes and vague spots in her memory, and it seems that others experience the same things.
In her sister's room in an airship that shouldn't have the space to house all of them, none of it matters. She's with her dearest love, and Butz has the room next door. Krile and Galuf share a room next to him.
What does matter is that no matter how much larger the airship is in the inside than it appears outside, they're still in close quarters with an awfully large number of people. Some of those people being much friendlier and nosier than she expected, it feels as if she needs to be more careful here than she would be at home.
"We need to be careful," she tells Faris one night, in a bed that was meant for one but somehow has room for them both. Not that she expects most of these people to hang her for incest, but she knows better than to hope for acceptance.
There's a deep rumble in Faris' chest that feels a lot like an unvoiced grumble. Lenna would press more of herself into the embrace if she could, but has to settle on brushing a kiss across her sister's cheek instead. "Separate scouting parties, then. If we must."
Knowing her sister, the only reason Faris would agree to this at all is if she can get someone to watch out for Lenna in her stead. Lenna hardly minds. "A little space would keep people from asking too many questions."
"Fine." Then Faris pulls the blanket over her, and Lenna stops worrying about anyone else.
27 - Real
Panamos 23, 846
Sometimes, none of this seems real. When Faris was younger, she simply assumed that she would die at sea. Or rot in jail. Or get run through in a boarding skirmish gone poorly. There were a number of gruesome ends she'd narrowly avoided; sooner or later one of them would end up being realized.
But here she is, instead: Faris, Princess Sarisa Scherwil of Tycoon. A good third of her year is spent out at sea in a flagship commissioned for her. The rest of the year is spent with someone who is still far too good for her and pretending that nothing untoward goes on between them. She's even got a sky dragon now, and his partner is Lenna's dragon. One week a year, they go off to be alone in the family villa on an island mostly populated by fisherfolk and play at being a married couple.
It's too ridiculous to be real. She should still be hunting the ships of unscrupulous merchants, not walking on a rocky beach with all her concerns miles away. She should still be keeping everyone at arm's length, not sharing her secrets with her sister. She should still be half-starved from bad food on the ship, but now she's stronger and healthier than she ever was as a pirate.
Yet here she is, instead. Though she'll always favor masculine clothes, she comfortable enough now with herself that she doesn't wear the binding vest in the relative solitude of Telos. No one makes her feel lesser than for being a woman and preferring to be as she is. She has everything she ever wanted.
If it's not real, she'd rather not wake up.
28 - Daisy
Gorpiaios 27, 817
It's almost idyllic here, where the Great Tree grows. Thanks to its magic, flowers bloom here all year. The Light Warriors think nothing of visiting once a year.
It's a time to reflect on their trials, where they came from, and where they might go. It's a time to catch up with each other with an intimacy that's often missing in letters. Often enough, it's a way to talk about sensitive topics to friends who will never betray them.
Butz recently discovered that he has a son by a woman in his hometown; to them alone he shares his grief over never being invited to participate in the boy's life. Krile is increasingly unhappy in the responsibilities of the crown and only to them does she share thoughts of abdication and dissolving the monarchy. To them Faris shares her yearning for the freedom of piracy and a mourning for the fact that she can't be open about the true depth of her relationship with Lenna. For her part, Lenna shares similar sentiments.
When evening comes, Butz and Faris get to work on supper with a synchronicity developed through the months they traveled together. Lenna sits by to watch and leaves her thoughts to wander in a peace she doesn't allow herself in the castle. Krile sits at her side with a skirt full of flowers and busy fingers.
"Didn't want to talk about anything else bothering you?" Krile asks absently. Her attention is more on the flower stems she weaves together than Lenna. It's an attempt to leave Lenna the space to talk, if she wants, and it's so much like something Galuf would do that it brings a smile to Lenna's face.
Lenna doesn't want to admit that she considered abdication once or twice, too. But Tycoon is still too new, too young to yet form a cohesive national identity. She fears that the dissolution of the monarchy may result in the fragmenting of the country and the loss of all her parents' work. Her plans to slowly shift power to a parliament have to be carefully laid, and sometimes she wonders if she might make one wrong step and ruin everything. And beneath all that is the worry over Faris. "Not particularly."
"I believe you." Krile's voice has that mildly teasing quality in it. She draws the long stem of a daisy through a growing plait. Another joins it soon enough and Lenna's attention returns to the others.
In time, Krile finishes up her work and places a crown of daisies on Lenna's head. "Because you're still worrying about affairs of the state," she says as explanation. "I promise none of us minds you behaving like a normal person with us. Go be with Faris. I'll take over the cooking."
Lenna appreciates the sentiment, and soon enough all thoughts of the state fall away when Faris joins her at her seat on a log.
29 - White
Loios 16, 879
Towards the twilight years of her life, Lenna finds herself thinking more of the past than the future. The crown stopped being an obligation for her once her heirs were ready to take the throne, leaving her to retire to Telos. After a lifetime of service to the country, retirement was a welcome change of pace.
Though Faris had encouraged her to move on after her death, Lenna never took another lover. Who could measure up to her sister? No one could know her as well as her sister; no one could share in her grief and halve it like Faris; no one could help her shoulder her burdens as both Queen and Light Warrior like her lover. She and Faris had always been a matched set.
It hurt losing Faris, but the Fire Crystal's warriors tended to burn out quickly and Faris lasted until nearly her seventies before a fast and hard life finally caught up to her. Lenna was grateful to have had her sister close for so long, truly. In her eighties, it feels like it wasn't long enough. At least she was able to see to it that Faris' last days were comfortable.
Butz followed not long after Faris, and his loss she felt keenly. Neither of them she could save, but there might have been a chance with Butz had he simply capitulated to Krile's urging and retired. He died as he lived, wandering on a mountain trail until his heart gave out.
More and more these days, Lenna feels like she's next. She's asleep more often than she's awake, even though the sun shines brightly through the white muslin curtains of her ancestral home in Telos. The local sky dragons began chirping concern at her recently, which she took as suggestion to summon everyone remaining who matters to her.
Krile is the first to arrive. She looks younger, almost like she's in her early fifties rather than her late seventies, but the Earth Crystal's warriors tend to age more slowly. She says nothing about Lenna's feelings regarding the end of her life and simply wanders around the villa to attend to any chores Lenna no longer has the energy for. Lenna's grateful for it.
"I hate that I'm going to be the last," Krile says suddenly. It's a bright day and Lenna has to squint at her from under a sun hat. Had she been moved to the patio? She doesn't recall going out to lounge. To be fair, she doesn't recall a lot anymore. Old as she is, she spends most of her time focusing on her past.
"You have your dragon," Lenna reminds her. As if it was easy to forget; sky dragons always retained a connection to their bonded humans. Her own sky dragon suns herself close by.
"The last of the Light Warriors." Krile's arm slips around hers and she switches topics entirely. "Want to go down to the beach?"
Lenna nods; it's a nice, warm day and the sun's out. The beach always reminds her of lazy days with Faris. One of her dragon's latest yearlings skitters close to offer support on the way down the stairs. Krile helps her up on the little dragon and they make their way slowly down to the beach.
The sands are white in this sun, and the rocks that protected the area from unwanted eyes had been cleared out after Faris' passing. Nowadays a couple of Tycoonian guards in plain clothes camp out nearby to keep an eye on her for her heirs.
Krile sits her on a blanket under a parasol that had been prepared for her, and their dragons take to the waves. The little yearling curls up to her side. They don't talk about anything of substance for hours, as their mutual grief is a well-tread path at this point. They focus on their memories, instead. This little part of Telos Island was always Faris' favorite place. They'd spent so much time being intimate here in a way they could never be in the castle.
It's nearly evening by the time Lenna speaks again. "If it's possible, I'd like a favor."
"Anything."
"Can you mix my ashes with Faris'? It's what we both wanted, and I don't think anyone else would heed such a thing."
Krile's face softens in the dimming light. She understands because she was always able to feel something of their own feelings. "Of course. Would you like to go back?"
Lenna would shake her head, but it feels heavy. Has been feeling heavy for the past hour. She's just tired and would like to nap. If just for a little while.
She wakes to Faris sitting on the blanket beside her and dressed very handsomely in the flowing white shirt and trousers she favored out here. Faris is as she was in life during those last few years: snow-white hair pulled back and still stray hairs frame her care-worn face, with spectacles to compensate for damage from the sun. Her skin always darkens from all the time spent out here in retirement, but the cancer spots are gone.
"You'll be joining me soon," Faris says.
A warmth Lenna felt missing since Faris' death returns. She doesn't feel the need to sit up, instead taking the opportunity to simply relax in her sister's presence. "Not soon enough."
Faris doesn't answer immediately. She lays back next to Lenna, and for a while there's nothing more. Lenna reaches out to clasp her sister's hand and lace their fingers together. She still remembers the sword calluses and that scar across the knuckle of her sister's thumb, and the memory comforts her. While she has forgotten a lot of details of her life and can no longer recall large swaths of her day-to-day life as Queen, the ones that are truly important remain.
"Don't rush it, love. We'll have eternity."
Eternity with her soul's mate, her sister, sounds so nice. She turns her head.
Faris is gone. Lenna finds herself waking up in her too-large bed in the villa, and the yearling sky dragon curled up at the foot of her bed. In the kitchen, Krile putters around as if this was her home. Instead of getting up immediately, Lenna stares up at the ceiling.
Her heirs will likely be here in the morning. After that, she can finally join Faris. She can afford to wait, because she'll have eternity soon enough.
