How a Little Bird Stayed in the Nest (3)

Heat.

I felt the vellus on my arms vaporize as flames erupted from the duchess’s fingertips and grazed my body, setting the ribbon on my dress uniform alight. Stumbling back, I quickly extinguished the fire with my off hand and drew my blade with my right.

“Your Grace, are you certain I can’t convince you to settle for a written note?”

The duchess shrugged. “Solana tends to let letters pile up unopened, you see. She only truly gets a message if it’s delivered physically. Judging by the heirloom at your side, I suspect engraving my feelings on your flesh would suffice to get her attention.”

Solana’s tutoring ran through my mind.

Coroban wielded fire on instinct, totally unbound from the constraints of magical schemas or the delay of invocations. In short: the worst possible opponent for a swordsman. Her flames would devour the air I needed to breathe, set my hair alight, and melt my weapon. And on top of that, she could fight up close, unharmed by her own magic.

At least we were alone. No bystanders to set on fire and use against me.

The duchess stretched her arm up into the air. A massive scythe materialized in her grip, its blade razor thin and made entirely of roiling fire. 

Oh, that looks very hard to parry. 

She bowed politely, then swept the flaming scythe straight at my neck.

My vision blurred. Where was I? Was I still standing? My head seemed to be connected to my shoulders, at the very least. Pretense was still gripped in my hand, its familiar warmth spreading through my fingers. Right—I was still armed. 

The duchess paused and looked me over, the magic scythe smoldering in her idle hands. “How interesting. Please, show me more.” The scythe flew forth once again, this time aimed at my waist.

Instinct took hold of my spine and sent my sword rushing forward. Blade clashed against flame, halting the scythe. Pretense glowed blinding red in my vision.

The scythe dissipated, and the duchess clapped her now-empty hands with delight. “Oh, wonderful! Solana must care deeply to gift a treasure like that to you. I’ll have to ask her where she found it.” She paused. “Hello? Can you still hear me?”

I could, though it was a struggle. Something was very wrong. Was it fear that gripped me so tightly, or had something else wrapped itself around my chest and crawled its way into my head?

“In any case, I’ve still a message to send, so enough playing around. Do you think one arm will suffice?” With this, Duchess Coroban summoned a pair of scythes, and, wielding one in each hand, swung.

An image rose from my memory: the fairy’s lake, frozen over in the middle of winter. It shone beautifully in the midday sun. All around, icicles draped from the trees in shimmering curtains, ice bending the light into rainbows that refracted through Helian’s eyes, making them look like gemstones.

I shut my eyes tight, gripped Pretense tighter, and while recalling another memory, snapped my fingers.

------

When I came to my senses, the sun had already set. The countess was staring down at me with concern, her figure framed by… something unrecognizable. My whole body was numb.

“You’d best lie still, little bird. The healer is on his way, so do your best not to flap your wings.”

“I… still have my arms?”

“Despite punching your dance card with the duchess, yes. The frostbite isn’t too severe, so a bit of love and attention from a proper healer should fix them right up. I doubt he’ll be able to do anything about those singed eyebrows, however.”

Helian and the Demonic Duchess (2)

“Pardon? Who’s here to see me?”

Rosa answered nonchalantly. “Duchess Coroban, Lady Saintess. She is waiting downstairs.”

“Not Duke Coroban? I wasn’t aware he had married.”

“Forgive me, Lady Saintess, but I’m not sure how to answer that question. Should I politely ask Her Grace to leave? Do you need me to kill her?”

What? “No, Rosa, but thank you. I’ll go see the duchess.”

I searched my memories to try to make sense of things. It had been decades since I read the novel, but Duke Coroban had been unmarried, this much was certain. Perhaps he’d originally been divorced, and due to XXXXX’s interventions, the divorce was not yet finalized in this version of the story? Sending your estranged wife to pick up a woman on the eve of your divorce did seem fitting behavior for a demonic duke…

As I rounded the corner and descended the staircase, the truth of what was happening dawned on me. 

Duke Coroban was not married. Duke Coroban no longer existed. 

As I stepped into the hallway on the first floor, I was met with the sight of a statuesque older woman with pitch-black hair and pitch-black eyes. Eyes that were as deep as wells. 

Upon seeing me, she bowed deeply and sang a greeting. “Lady Saintess, an honor to meet you! I am the Duchess Coroban, one of the King’s most loyal servants. It is my great pleasure to bring word from him personally.”

“Yes?” I croaked. “What word do you bring, Your Grace?”

The duchess grinned from ear to ear. “We are to be married, Lady Helian!”

I leaned against the railing for support as Rosa scrambled to catch me.

------

Having distinguished… herself during the conflicts of the seven-year war, Duchess Coroban was one of the most powerful and connected people in the kingdom. Nevermind her reputation for violent outbursts and flights of whimsy—neither of which undermined her skill at governance or tarnished her beauty.

In short, anyone would jump at the chance to marry her, and as such, the king saw fit to approve his loyal retainer’s request for an arranged marriage without any consideration for the other party’s feelings. Even though I had decided to follow the plot, this was so absurd that it was hard not to object.

In response to my shock the servants had rushed me into the nearest sitting room, where I now sat next to the duchess. Rosa was preparing tea.

“Would you like anything in your tea, Your Grace?”

The duchess shook her head. “No, thank you. Lady Helian, would you like honey?”

Rosa beamed. “Oh, she loves honey in her tea! I’m glad her new partner understands the finer details like this. So many people just don’t understand the importance of a precisely balanced sip…”

“Rosa, please see to it that the saintess’ belongings are packed and ready. I plan for us to depart this evening, if at all possible.”

“I’ll get right on it, Your Grace! See you soon, Lady Saintess!” Rosa gave me a wink for good luck before fleeing the room, leaving the door wide open in her wake.

Duchess Coroban closed her eyes as she savored the aroma of her tea. “Your maidservant is quite something.”

“Yes, I’m reminded of that every day. She’s an irreplaceable asset to me.”

She nodded and took a sip. “Well, it’s only right for you to bring a trusted servant. At the very least, she’s overqualified for the role. I fear none of the maids in my service would be eager to leave my side, in any case… so this solves that problem nicely.” She paused and stared at me with those black eyes. “I suppose we should move on to the next topic. Do you have any thoughts on the wedding?”

I choked on my tea.

Duchess Coroban patted me on the back as I coughed. “Are you alright? I’m sorry for alarming you.”

“I’m alright, I was just surprised. I hadn’t considered the topic until you brought it up.”

“If it’s too much for you, you don’t have to pay it any mind. Just know that if you have any expectations for the wedding day, I’ll ensure that they’re met – exceeded, even. You’ll only ever have one day like it, so it must be special!”

She certainly seemed excited. “If it’s not too presumptuous of me to ask, Your Grace, how do you feel about the wedding?”

“Oh, you don’t have to be reserved like that with me, Lady Helian. And thank you for asking. There are so many little things that come to mind when I think of a wedding! Like giving every attendee a paper lantern and holding a ceremony at the end of the night where the lanterns are cast up into the sky… or hosting a private ceremony where the fated couple exchange their vows on wyvern-back while it soars through the sky. Things like that!”

Duchesses think big. “That last one sounds incredible, though I don’t know how feasible it would be, Your Grace.”

“The wyvern trainers I spoke to all agreed with you, unfortunately. But it’s still nice to dream. To tell the truth, daydreaming about my ideal marriage is one of the things that keeps me sane during the endless hours I spend weighed down by the responsibilities of the duchy. I suppose once the wedding is over, I’ll have to find new things to dream of!”

I nodded. “I’m sure you’ll find something, Your Grace.”

She shook her head. “No, we’ll find something, together! After all, that’s what married life is all about: confronting every challenge that crosses your path as a duo, supporting each other through times of pain and misery, and sharing joy together in times of triumph. A married couple is a sum that’s greater than its individual parts! Speaking of sums, I’m told you’re quite fond of them? Please, tell me more about yourself.”

I described my childhood in brief, leaving out the most important parts, then related the tale of my encounter with the baron’s son—mostly unmodified. She seemed to be genuinely shocked by some of the details of that particular story, which made me wonder how much of the truth Solana had been keeping from the king and his other vassals.

The duchess nodded and accepted a fresh cup of tea from the servant who arrived as a stand-in for Rosa. “I see, I see. I’m glad you were able to put that tragedy behind you. And Solana arrived in the nick of time to save you—is that so?”

“Yes, Your Grace. She extracted me from the situation quite deftly. All else aside, for that alone, I am in her debt.”

“I had heard some distressing rumors about her estate and your treatment there… but I suppose based on the expression you make when you speak of her, they couldn’t possibly be true.”

My expression? “The countess and I did have some disagreements, yes, which was what led to me leaving her estate. But all that aside, she was good to me, so you needn’t worry. I’m alright.”

“I was concerned when I first learned that you had ended up in Solana’s clutches. She has a well-earned reputation, one that even her old friends like the king and I can’t overlook. But I am truly glad that in this case, the reputation was exaggerated. If any bad memories remain from your visit, rest assured, you’ll forget them in no time!”

Bad ones aside, there were some pleasant memories from my visit I wouldn’t soon forget.

It was clear that Her Grace seemed intent on driving a wedge between me and the countess, even though my exile from the estate meant that we were no longer that close. I couldn’t figure out whether she held her own suspicions about Lady Solana’s motives, or if she simply wanted to ensure I would have nowhere to go if I decided to flee.