Chương 91: Squirt's Bathtime Girltalk

The door shut, and suddenly it was just them. No attendants. No eavesdroppers. Just the two of them. Squirt finally relaxed. A tub lay waiting in the room, already full of heated water. Squirt wrinkled her nose but obeyed the silent ask, stripping and tentatively climbing in the tub. She still preferred toweling off in the cold mountain streams, particularly in the summer heat, but nothing seemed to make her limbs turn traitorous as quickly as a hot bath.

As she settled in the tub, Kenna gave her a knowing look at the way Squirt's shoulders quickly lost their tension. At the sight of the smirk on Kenna's face, Squirt bit out, "What?"

"Nothing." Squirt sank into the water, glaring and blowing bubbles in her pout. Kenna shrugged and smiled.

"I am glad to see you enjoying some of the finer things in life." Sitting up a little to bend forward and wet her hair, Squirt start scrubbing and muttered, "Yeah, sure."

"So, how was your trip?"

"I didn't die, so that's something."

"Nothing else? No other issues?" Squirt snorted.

"Cirn and Jul have a hot-and-cold will-they-won't-they thing between them. We stayed a few days in one village and Zakam had a gods damn early morning line of fey to fuck, but he's a dumb pile of bricks and at least isn't bothered by it. Anvanil has been awkward with me for having the audacity to accidentally catch him in a private moment—""What kind of private moment?"

"The kind that is neither of our damn business."

"Ah."

"… Qzi is no longer asking if I will mate him every minute of the day, so that's… improvement." Her tone flattened as she responded, "Is it?" Defensive of the redcap, Squirt insisted, "It is."

"Hm."

"It is!"

"Hm." Squirt growled in annoyance but let it go. A moment passed between them as Squirt dunked her head to wash off the soap, shoving down the reflexive need to further defend the redcap she was absolutely not interested in. When she came back up for air, she huffed, pouting a little before saying, "Zhadin gave me a bow and has implied … something."

"Oh?" Squirt nodded, her eyes down on the water, her scowl softening into a slight frown. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Zhadin, are you fucking listening in?" A tendril reached over the lip of the bath to graze her cheek. She glared at it before gesturing vaguely at the tendril with one hand and a look of ' Do you see this shit?' to Kenna. Kenna gave the tendril a long, thoroughly considering stare, her eyes narrowed in judgement. While she didn't disapprove, she clearly didn't condone their actions, either. The tendril pulled back.

From a different space in the wall, Zhadin formed into their fey self, their features pulled into a facsimile of a teasing smirk.

"She has yet to mention being kidnapped." Kenna went rigid, a rare growl escaping her lips, her eyes the amber of her wolf. They smirked a wider.

"Twice." Squirt snapped, "Fuck off," at Zhadin.

"And you were kidnapped, too, idiot. You don't see me creepily stalking you." Had she considered it? Maybe. That wasn't the point. They shrugged.

"I had thought it best to give you as much space as possible—then you were captured and nearly died. I had thought to give you a little space, and you were nearly taken from us. I tried to deal with a threat alone and put us both at risk. I would rather risk your annoyance and privacy than your life." Squirt almost snapped at them. Almost. It annoyed her that they had followed her into the wolves' den, and based on Kenna's expression, they were not a welcome pack member.

But frankly, with as many new faces as there were in the halls of the castle? With it being a celebration of the turn of seasons? She couldn't seem to bring herself to truly chastise them for it. If she were honest, it was a relief to know they were there. Her thoughts must have read all over her face, because in the next moment, they fucking smirked. She narrowed her eyes. Asshole.

"Fine," she snapped.

"But this is the pack's private space, so lea—" Kenna's tone was pleasant enough, but there was a dangerous edge to it as she said, "Tell me more about these kidnappings." Now it was Squirt's turn to growl. Zhadin was playing Kenna, she knew they were. Manipulating the situation to earn permission to stay. Zhadin tilted their head.

"First, Ranin compromised her identity in front of unfamiliar hunters. One of them turned traitor, turning the evening meal into a sleeping draught and stealing her away in the night." The palpable rage coming from the shifter had Squirt sweating, and she had the passing thought that the lord prince commander was in for another black eye. Squirt glared at Zhadin, silently telling them to shut their big mouth. They pretended not to notice.

"She struggles to sleep now."

"Oh fuck off —" snapped Squirt, standing in the tub, caught between wanting to fight and wanting to hide from their words when, to her horror, a bit of wetness unrelated to the bath threatened her eyes. She willed it away, baring her teeth in a grimace of anger and hurt.

"I can sleep just fucking fine—" They continued as if they couldn't hear her, their lips tugged down into a more despondent expression.

"Then she was trying to spy on the kidnapped fey children and taken as a hostage. This one was my mistake. The shadowfell leader concluded she was my lover, using her to secure my compliance." They cocked their head the other way, a dash of anger in their brows now.

"It was the children who attempted to hurt her the most." Could Squirt stab them? She could certainly try. Kenna's voice was rough with her wolf as she said, "And this is why you have followed her here?"

"Yes." Her wolf then receded, her voice returning to normal as she nodded.

"Good. Keep doing that." Aghast at the declaration, Squirt could only stare in speechless rage at the unrepentant wolf.

"I'll let Bartos know so he's not blindsided by this, but if anything, I think it'll be a relief." Kenna waved her hand and the bathwater disappeared, leaving Squirt naked, clean, and dry, before she handed her the same tunic and breeches Squirt wore after returning from Riverlands. Squirt knew they were too rich for her but swiped them anyway as she stepped from the tub. She dressed herself while Kenna continued.

"Especially with the population boom here, we've been worried. For right now, we're referring to her as Athi. The situation is too volatile to risk the same strategies Bartos used before to earn her a fanbase." Squirt scowled, muttering, "You could just call me Squirt." Kenna added, "But Athi is so cute. I thought of it myself."

"I'm not cute." She was.

"I didn't say you were, just the name. You'll let me use it, won't you?"

"Whatever. Why would the refugees care about me, anyway?" Kenna answered mildly, "It's not the refugees we're worried about." Finished pulling the shirt and tunic over her head, Squirt took a moment to give the woman a hard stare before she bit out, "What do you mean it's not the refugees you're worried about? Who else is there?" Kenna sighed, turning towards the tea cart to make a pot while she spoke with a dull, tired tone.

"There are a few different groups. Some of them have arrived because they are curious and want to know of the origins of the great Athereon—those are some of the most troublesome, as they are entitled, precocious, and entirely unprepared for the harder life in the Outskirts. Others arrived as worshipers of the Hunt who see Athereon as a messiah, a herald of their goddess, and wish to be closer to Her in any way they can.

Still others who are hoping to learn from you, for one reason or another, to improve their own skills. Hunters, mages, even some students who have yet to fully unlock their powers. And, of course, intermixed amongst all of these fey are those who are here to collect on your bounty or agents of the Skyian King hoping to sow chaos and discord overwinter." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

She poured the steaming tea into cups, then lifted the tray and carried it over to the pile of fur with a sigh.

"It's been a mess. Three assassination attempts in the last two weeks on Bartos alone." The color drained from Squirt's face. Kenna studied the smaller woman carefully, noting the terror in her eyes and the guilt tugging on her lips. In a ghostly whisper, Squirt said, "They've tried… because of me?"

Kenna found her lips curling up into a small, genuine smile. The pixie was difficult to read sometimes, particularly when it was something that made her in any way vulnerable. But there, tucked into her expression, was a certain depth of care that was equal parts joyous and cutting for Kenna.

"No, Athi. It's not because of you. They target him because he's important to the Queen, and because we are adjacent to Riverlands. If they can destabilize this region, they'll have a greater advantage next year." She let the pixie absorb this information. While it seemed to ease the guilt, her expression remained dark, thoughtful, and clearly worried.

A tension that had melted from the pixie during her bath had returned, and she shifted on her feet, one hand crossing her body to hold her opposite elbow, her unfocused eyes sliding around the room.

"Is… that why he's not here?" Kenna smiled.

"No. His brother has arrived from the Capital, and with the increase in population he's running himself ragged, so he is training his brother to be of assistance over the next few months. He'll be back this evening." The huntress nodded slowly, still lost in her thoughts and clear nerves. Not even the sweets Kenna had set out on the tea tray seemed to draw her eye, so lost to her thoughts was she.

It wasn't until Zhadin, the shadowfell, fell back partway into shadow, some of their tendrils closing the distance to gently touch her wrists and stroke her skin that some of the sudden tension weighing on her eased. Kenna fought against the possessive need to keep them away from her, instead focusing on observing the interaction. Zhadin's top half disappeared in the shadow by the wall, reappearing from the pixie's shadow, close enough to make a statement without actually touching her.

"Do you wish for me to check on him?" Kenna expected the pixie to scowl. Instead, she seemed to genuinely consider it. Good, Kenna told herself. She could at least take comfort in that Bartos's tentative affection for the pixie would not be one-sided. She would not wish her own fate on either of them. Finally, the pixie shook her head.

"No. He knows better how to handle himself here. These political games are not ones I'm familiar with." Their head cocked.

"You are worried about what kind of a message it would send?" She nodded, her eyes downcast. Kenna's eyes flickered between the two with increasing interest. When had this level of trust developed between them?

"Very well," the shadowfell eventually said. The huntress nodded, the air heavy between the three of them before she finally broke the silence.

"… is there any point in hiding myself?" she whispered, almost like a question she was asking herself rather than the other two in the room. Well, three including Pakos, but Kenna was still unaware that the hound had fey-level intelligence. Something she learned when the huntress turned to face the moon hound, then scowled in annoyance at him. She snapped out, "Oh for the love of— why me?" Kenna raised a brow but didn't press.

Instead, she watched with some amusement as the pixie cussed out the divine beast like he was a fey who had run out on his tavern bill.

Eventually, Squirt huffed, took a seat on the furs opposite of Kenna, and angrily swiped her teacup—though she held it delicately and moved it carefully to not risk spilling it, no matter how irritated she obviously was—before saying, "Whatever. Kenna, what am I supposed to do about the pest?" A slight smirk that Kenna wore when discussing the pest previously tugged up the corner of her mouth.

"Whatever do you mean?" Squirt snapped, "You damn well know what I mean."

"Do I?" Squirt considered stabbing the beautiful wolf, even if she knew she'd never be able to get a hit in. Kenna's visible amusement grew.

"Well, I think we decided to let him court you, did we not?" A rare vulnerability flickered in Squirt's eyes as she turned her face away, scowling to hide it. Unsuccessfully, but she tried.

"Yeah, but… it's not like there's really a point to us courting. We have nothing in common."

"But we established you liked him, didn't we?"

"He's pretty, at least."

"Just pretty?"

"Pretty and powerful and a whole lot of trouble."

"I seem to remember you liking him for reasons other than his face." Squirt had the decency to blush. It was easier to admit those things in the wake of the Sia-bitch's demise when she'd been raw and emotionally vulnerable with the wolf.

"I…"

"Has that changed? Have you lost interest?" If anything, her interest had grown.

"He probably will." Kenna's expression softened at realizing what was actually bothering Squirt.

"You don't need a plan, Athi. That's his job as the one courting you. All you have to do is be true to yourself." Squirt chewed on her lip before grasping her head in her hands and groaning.

"Gods damn it. This is stupid. He's stupid." Zhadin's raspy voice added, "And apparently stupid pretty."

"Piss off," she snapped. Kenna leaned forward, intrigued.

"Oh?" Squirt turned bright red.

"I got drunk and said a bunch of shit."

"Well now I'm only more curious." Grumbling incoherently, she took a few sips of her tea before muttering, "He is stupid pretty. That's just a damn fact. And I'm…" She ran her hand through her hair, her expression vulnerable and self-conscious.

Kenna considered the pixie's hair. It had grown longer the last three months and was due for a trim. With a smile, she said, "Want me to cut your hair?" The tiny huntress scowled, running her fingers through her hair, her shoulders just slightly hunched. Eventually, she nodded. Kenna smiled. So much had changed in such a short time period, and it was endearing to see her slowly open up and learn to trust.

She sent up a brief prayer to the gods—that they were able to keep her safe despite the uncertain instability of Everwinter, and that if Feldan broke her heart, that he would be cursed while the huntress found happiness with Bartos, instead. Jul reached the hunter's clearing, somewhat surprised to see how it had expanded in his absence. There were a number of new recruits strolling around, their voices excitedly discussing heading off to the festival at the keep in another hour.

The redcap had been muttering to himself under his breath the whole time, and despite Jul's own desire to shirk his duty to check in for the icy beauty with whom he'd shared an intimate moment, he didn't. Instead, he was fairly certain he was the only reason Qzi hadn't already fucked off. Where was Zhadin when they were needed? Previously, the shadowfell had been practically glued to the redcap's side, keeping him in line for everyone else. This was the first time Zhadin hadn't been around to keep him in line.

So when the two stopped their steeds in front of Tobias, no one was prepared for the redcap Qzi to say, "I'm here. Goodbye," turn his steed around and race into the woods directly towards the castle. Jul considered stopping him. He did. He just hesitated a moment too long, and then the redcap was gone. Tobias gave Jul a sidelong glance and sighed, waving his hand.

"Don't worry about it. How'd the trip go?" Tempted though he was to race off after the redcap, Jul dismounted, removing the tack from his steed as he did.

"It went… well." He winced. Tobias's hand clamped down on Jul's shoulder. Though the man was smiling, Jul swore there was an aura that darkened the very air around them.

"Oh? Come on, leave the beastie to one of the new trainees. I think you owe me a story." Jul grimaced, glancing forlornly at the trees.

"As you wish," he muttered half-heartedly.

"Oh no."

"Oh no, what?" Tobias's eyes narrowed as he leaned in close enough for Jul to count the flecks of gold in his eyes.

"You aren't in love with her, are you?" A bright red blush bloomed over Jul's cheeks.

"I uh—" A growl slipped from Tobias's mouth.

"No, not—not the huntress, I swear!" The aura of violence dissipated in a second.

"Oh. Someone else?" His cheeks still tinged pink, Jul glanced away and sighed.

"It's the Lady Cirn." He still remembered the moment that their magic had touched. Hers had felt… soothing. A cool drink on a warm day. A level head. A protective shield. His affliction had only worsened when she lost the covering for her face, revealing the most beautiful fey Jul had ever seen. Tobias let out a low whistle as he led Jul over to the firepit, nodding briefly at the trainee who took over getting Jul's mount situated.

"You've got it bad, don't you?" Morosely, Jul nodded, plopping himself down on one of the logs with a deep sigh.

"… yeah." His mother had squandered her fated mate. While most mates shared each other freely, they had not. His father took his own life from grief when his mother abandoned him for a tryst that produced his sister, a tryst she then moved on from as she did everything. More than once, he'd had the thought that the fate of his mother and sister might have been a long brewing punishment by the Whims. Jul had sworn on his father's grave that, should he ever be blessed with his own fated, he'd never waver.

He'd cherish them. Never stop loving them. And the way Lady Cirn's magic had connected with his… He could understand for the first time why his mother's rejection of her mate had been an insurmountable hurdle for his father. There was nothing like it. He ached for it. Ached for her. Even if she never looked on him again, to be by her side was all he needed. Her icy eyes bored into him.

"Don't be a fool. You are too powerful to waste yourself by my side." A deep voice chuckled lowly. Jul lifted his eyes to see a goliath, a near-giant standing at least seven feet tall, seated opposite him, on the other side of the fire. The flames parted for Jul, allowing him to see the man better, and surprising him out of his reverie when he realized what the man was doing. A set of goggles were stretched over his face, and Jul was certain they used glasslizard scales.

In his lap sat a tray, and with tiny tools the giant of fey dexterously wove together golden wire into a delicate frame around a jewel. Jul could sense the man weaving the magic as he worked, though he had no sense as to what spell he was imbuing the item with. The golden wires were as thin as a single hair as he seemed to knit them together into a breathtaking pattern. At his side, Tobias's expression flattened.

"Lord Valof. May I remind you that temporary lodgings for travelers are at the keep?"

"But the lodgings for the huntress are here, are they not?"

"I told you I would inform you when she arrives."

"And has she?"

"Nope, so get out." The man pretended to not hear Tobias as he focused on the work in front of him. Lord Valof. The head of the Valof Family. That explained the… But a goliath? The goliath never took his eyes from his work as his deep voice resonated across the fire.

"Hit by Love's shot, are you?" he asked Jul. Jul fought his blush once more. He'd had plenty of experience, but nothing this… intense. And it was frightening to admit it. The man once again didn't glance up as he chuckled.

"Ah, yep. I know that look. They a troublesome fey?"

"Just a… reluctant one." Jul dropped his head.

"She wouldn't even let me serve her. She wouldn't take my name." Tobias winced with a hiss.

"That's rough." The goliath chuckled once more.

"Love does enjoy His games. He rarely makes it easy on any of us. But she hasn't rejected you, has she?" Tobias asked, "How'd you figure that? I assumed she had." Jul shot the wolf a sidelong glare at the insinuation, even if it was entirely accurate. Of a sort.

"She hasn't rejected me, but…" His hand rubbed his cheek, remembering the slap she gave him when he'd made the mistake of trying to kiss her after pouring out his heart. Maybe that was why he let Qzi go. He'd been feeling a vague kinship with the redcap for weeks now, as they were both in love with fey that were reluctant to accept them. Tobias glanced back at Jul, then smiled with a slight mischievous edge to it.

"So, have you given up, then?" Jul considered it. She hadn't even looked at him when they got to the castle. He didn't know how Qzi did it, continued on after being ignored. Tobias hummed.

"You know, you could always ask her to reject you." Jul snapped up, horrified by the thought until he noticed the earnest gleam in Tobias's eyes. A touch of real pain. Tobias gave him a single shoulder shrug.

"You can't serve her platonically, and yet she hasn't rejected you romantically. If she's genuinely considering it, then she won't be able to reject you, right?" Jul considered that. Remembered the way the huntress's voice had cracked after Qzi offered to leave. Remembered how emotional it made her. Maybe that's why Qzi could shoulder the burden. Because slowly, incrementally, they were growing closer. So long as the hope remained, he didn't give up. And neither would Jul. His resolve solidified, Jul stood.

"Yeah. Yeah. I think I will do that." He smiled down at the bittersweet expression on Tobias's face, considering it for a heartbeat before asking, "Were you rejected?" Tobias's smile lessened by a fraction before he answered.

"I never asked." Jul hesitated, wondering if it was even his place to say something before he said, "You should. I can't imagine anyone being fool enough to reject you." Tobias considered Jul for several long minutes before dropping his head with a soft smile and a sigh.

"It's… complicated." He waved Jul off.

"Go on. The others are about to leave for the festivities. I'll join in a bit. Go woo your fey." Though his gut was twisted with nerves, Jul saluted Tobias before turning back towards the castle, deciding to take it at a trot. He could use the exercise, anyway.