“Dinner shall be ready in a half-hour, Mistress. Would you like me to help you change into more proper clothing?”

Anoriana waved away her chamber-maid with a playful, teasing gesture. “Oh, Maylina, things do not have to be so formal now that Tonakli has returned. You should know better.”

Maylina smiled. “I do, Mistress, but amusing you is one of my chief delights.” She finished pouring the water for the High-Priestess’s bath and then hung the kettle on a hook next to the servant door. She glanced at Anoriana, who was seated at a writing station busy scribbling something. “And what pressing matters cannot wait until after your bath today?” she asked lightly, trying to get Anoriana to forget about her duties for a moment, to relax.

Pausing in her writing, Anoriana turned to Maylina and sighed. “Tonakli.” Maylina raised an eyebrow, wondering what the knight could have done to put her Mistress in such a somber mood. “He should not be here, you know. He was assigned to train the guardian who will take his place once he comes of age, and to protect the Holy Sanctum from the minions of the Evil One.” This Maylina knew, and so did most of the other residents of the palace. It had almost broken Anoriana’s heart when she heard the recommendation to send him out to do such important work. Yes, it was important, but Anoriana had counted on having him by her side in these precious times. Her baby had been born while he was away.

No, their baby had been born while he was away. By Divine Law, Anoriana did not have to be married to carry the title High-Priestess, and in fact if she did choose to be married, her husband would have to be a Priest of the Order, not just a Knight. But when the recognition of love happens between two people who care for one another, what Law can stand in the way of that?

“I wish he had been here for when Katerina had been born.” Her tone wistful, Anoriana stared out one of the open widows to where the sun could be seen setting over the distant mountains. “He has not even seen her yet.” As if on a cue, a wailing noise came from the crib on the far side of the room. Anoriana was up and by its side in moments.

Smiling, she reached down and picked up her daughter. Like her mother, she had red hair, only just beginning to fill in on top of her head, and although her eyes were closed at the moment, Anoriana knew they were a bright, intelligent green. Tonakli’s eyes, she thought to herself, her smile widening. “And what troubles you today, Princess? You should not be upset; your father is home.” She whispered these things to her daughter, Katerina, as she gently rocked her back and forth in her arms. “And he will protect you with his life. You are safe, Little One. You are safe.”

        *                *                *                *                *

In another room in the palace, a giddy young apprentice splashed his bath water at his master, soaking Tonakli’s linen shorts and part of the floor beyond.

“The servants are going to hate you, you know,” he said, frowning as he sank into his bath. Though not an old man by any real standard, he was getting on in the years and luxuries like bathing came not often enough, as far as he was concerned. “Perhaps I should offer to have you help maintain the castle while we are here. Maybe that will finally teach you some humility.”

Hirako laughed. “You do make the funniest jokes, Master. I would never help the servants when there is still so much learn from you in the few short months we have left together.” Hirako would be eighteen summers old at the next Polon Festival, the honored age of maturity in Ryano. The age when he, having completed the seven years of study needed, would be passed the Blade of Power. Indeed, his master was already letting him wear the sacred scabbard, accounting for part of the guard’s surprise this morning at the gate. It was a heavy thing, and Tonakli was constantly reminding him that it was the material representation of the weight of responsibility. Hirako sometimes had trouble grasping that aspect. He had become a Knight for the adventure, and often wondered why Tonakli had selected him to have as an apprentice. His master never revealed his reasons for anything, perhaps because he himself was never sure, Hirako suspected. He was a secretive man on all accounts.

A few moments of silence passed between them. “I think the High-Priestess was glad to see us, despite the fact she must know we bring anything but good news.” Hirako never knew what would get a reaction out of his master, but judging from the lack of movement in the nearby tub, he guessed this was something Tonakli had already thought on.

“She was glad to see us. It has been many months since I was at the Palace. You remember, it was the Festival of Polon ten months ago when we were last in Miriat, and even that stay was not all that long.”

“Yes, and you never let me come to the Palace with you, either.” Hirako was very good at remembering when someone did something he felt was unjust to him. A trait even his master could not teach out of him. Or beat out of him, he though ruefully, thinking back on his first lessons as a knight in training. Another boy had purposely spilled slop on one of the paths through the academy, on the route that Hirako always took as he was running messages as part of his duties as a page. The result was several very important documents getting slathered with mud, and a beating from the master-at-arms in punishment. If the boy hadn’t come to Hirako to gloat about it, nothing would have ever come of it. Instead, two months later, that boy had the worst case of diarrhea ever seen in that part of the country. He was forced to sleep out with the horses for an entire week until the stink left him.

Hirako grinned, remembering how perplexed all the masters were that they couldn’t find the nasty boy who had slipped the laxative into Yulian’s food. Of course they suspected Hirako, but nothing could ever be proved. The rest of his training was quite pleasant after that.

“You were not needed in the Palace,” said Tonakli gently, reminding his apprentice that this discussion had already taken place, oblivious to Hirako‘s lapse in thought. “And you were more of use right where I left you.”

“Yes, a with a flea-infested peasant family.” Always trying to take advantage of every opportunity that presented itself to teach a lesson, Tonakli had offered to leave Hirako with the family that had put them up for a night while he went on to the Palace on his errand for the Knight’s Council. Hirako had not been pleased with the change in surroundings, having only really known the finer aspects of life. But the result was what Tonakli had hoped; a new Hirako with an appreciation for the social class that was responsible for making the world go round. He’d never been the same since, thank the Goddess.

Tonakli smiled. “They were no more flea-infested than you at that point in time, if my memory serves correctly.”

Hirako groaned. “Not another lecture on cleanliness, please Master. I did grow out of that, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“I thought there were fewer pigs trying to follow us on our journey than last time…” Another large splash ensured, most of it finding its mark. Tonakli sputtered the water out of his mouth as Hirako laughed heartily.

Just then, the maid returned. “Are you almost finished, Masters?” she asked, keeping her eyes averted from the tubs.

“We will be in a few moments,” said Hirako. “But I’m afraid we’ve made quite a mess.” At this, the maid turned her gaze on them and saw the water covering the floor around the soaking wet Tonakli. A smile played over her lips as she locked eyes with Hirako a moment. Then she remembered why she wasn’t supposed to actually look into the room and a flush crept over her cheeks before she could look away again. “Please knock when you are finished,” she said breathlessly, and closed the door.

Tonakli raised an eyebrow at his apprentice who blushed in response, evoking a laugh out of his master. “I said those looks would get you into trouble someday.”

Hirako remained silent, fuming. He hadn’t had much chance for female company during his training, it in fact being highly discouraged by most elder Knights who said only a bachelor’s life was proper for a true Knight of Miriat. But over the past few years as he’d grown into maturity, Hirako couldn’t help but notice the attentions of many of the young girls he met. Though they were not always welcome and most made him uncomfortable, Hirako had finally come to terms with the fact that most females found him attractive. Coming to terms with it, however, was still a far step from being comfortable with it.

“I think it is time to get dressed.” Hirako lifted himself out of the bath, and headed to where towels were waiting on a nearby rack. He dried himself off and began to dress in his formal Knight’s attire which had been left out on the bed for him. A thought hit him. “Are we expected to share a bed, Master, or will one of us be sleeping in a different room?”

Still relaxing in the warmth of the bath, Tonakli didn’t respond right away. “This will be your room for the duration of our stay. I have…other sleeping arrangements.” Apparently that was all the details Hirako would get voluntarily. Very well, he thought, I will simply found out later why it is that my Master feels so at home here, and why he and I will not be sharing the same quaters for the first time since I became his apprentice.