Steel and Mana

It was still cold, it was still snowing, but, despite the long winter, it was still very much lively within Avalon. It was something that would have been an impossibility a few decades ago and still just a dream at other ends of the world. But here, white smoke rose from the chimneys, and inside the massive bathhouse of the city, thick mist curled above the surface of the open pool, filled with pleasantly hot water. Even though it was already dark and the snowfall never stopped, families were still enjoying the bath to its fullest.

Right there, amongst them in the corner of the largest outdoor pool, the five Khulmani princesses had finally gathered again after almost a month of being apart from each other.

Rashira leaned back against the smooth edge of the pool, sitting, her arms lazily resting along the rim, looking up at the dark sky, watching the snowfall while her body remained warm underwater. Her previously sharp and cautious gaze was surprisingly mellow this time around. Beside her, Seltana sat a bit straighter, her chin tilted slightly, something she subconsciously picked up by always following Oleg around and being part of the Avalonian military, saluting and giving proper reports, even if just for a short time.

"I still can't believe we brought it down," she suddenly murmured, her voice betraying the thoughts that were still rocking her brain and returning in her memories, even though it was already a past memory.

"The worm?" Rashira asked, stretching her legs, letting her toes appear above the waterline.

"Yeah," Seltana nodded, "That thing was... what, a hundred meters long in Avalonian units? Maybe more? I was watching from the bridge and even I couldn't grasp its power, not even after it died... And then when it fired that… that pulse. I couldn't feel it from the ship, but it was visible, like... a shockwave. Just by looking at it, my teeth tingled. I never imagined such a scenario, and it was the first time I felt myself unprepared..."

"Welcome to the real world," Rashira replied with a giggle, tapping the surface of the water with a finger. "I only saw its corpse, but yeah... I get it. It looked horrible. I'm glad it died! I don't think our troops could have done it better. Maybe Father could kill it, but how many people would we have lost by just... baiting it out of its hole?"

"A lot..." Seltana agreed, but then a third voice interrupted them.

"So, you two just… killed a god-like supermonster," Jila pouted, floating nearby with her arms lazily waving to keep herself upright, wearing a way too revealing bikini, something that Rashira already chastised her for, but she didn't listen. "You blasted a big monster into oblivion, collapsed a hive-city, burnt their lair to the ground, and then flew away like it was nothing? AND I WASN'T THERE?!"

"You wouldn't want to be there!" Rashira raised a brow. "And it wasn't exactly nothing."

"No, I mean it was awesome," Jila clarified, slipping under the surface for a second before bobbing back up, shaking her head, splashing water everywhere. "I got to spend time at the Avalonian Pass, for the exact reason! And you know how many monsters tried to break through in three weeks? Three! ONLY THREE! And all of them died before they even got close to the wall! Lancelot wouldn't even let me head out when they recovered the corpses... Damn it! I thought it would be more exciting... Yet you two went on such a great adventure... I feel robbed."

"It wasn't an adventure." Seltana reprimanded her, while Rashira kept nodding in agreement. "That wasn't a game..."

"I think our sisters are right..." Meyli swam closer, only her head visible above water, trying to placate Jila, "Listen to them."

"Don't even try," Tarsine muttered, sitting to the left of Seltana, "She barely listens to Lancelot, her Prince Charming."

"I listen to him in bed~! I kept trying to impress him, too," Jila huffed, "But so far we didn't get farther than hugs and another kiss when he got a bit drunk... because I kept refilling his mug when he wasn't watching. Okay, that kiss was awesome, he used tongue and all and squeezed my bum!"

Meyli let out a cough, quickly covering her mouth as she sank further into the water, only her nose remaining above it.

"You..." Rashira moaned, pinching the ridge of her nose.

"Huh?" Jila pouted. "What? I didn't say anything indecent. We are going to be married, and it is fine. I even talked with his grandmother, Lady Louise! She agreed to it, so I got all the green light as I heard them say! Whatever that means. I am already an Avalonian, I even got myself a proper Avalonian Identification Document!"

"She did, and she kept showing it off for three days," Tarsine said with a soft smile, her tone dry but amused, explaining it to the two who were out of Avalon for the longest. "Father would be furious if he learned of it, because Jila officially gave up on her Khulman origin and actually became an Avalonian. Which means, she no longer counts as a princess either by Avalonian rules."

"What?!" Rashira yelped, and even Seltana's eyes grew twice their size.

"Yeah, I did," Jila shot back, flipping a splash in their direction. "I am going to marry him. I am going to live with him." She said, so much conviction in her voice that it took Rashira back, unable to say anything in retort, "I am going to give birth to his child. I don't care about Father's intentions, and he can't touch me now! Hmph!"

"She is serious..." Meyli muttered, finally coming back above water to speak, "She asked to do it, in the first place..."

"Meyli's right," Tarsine nodded, watching her eldest sister's disbelieving expression. "I would have stepped in otherwise, but it was Jila's idea."

"If you had interfered," Jila rolled her eyes, looking at Tarsine, "I would have waited until you were gone."

"Jila!" Rashira yelled again, but Tarsine raised a hand quickly to calm her down.

"She means the time I was out of the city."

"You were?" Rashira and Seltana looked at her, a little surprised.

"I was. I just returned from Atuvia with Master Dorian. We met with tailors, cloth suppliers, and even a few mill owners over there. Did you know that the whole trip only takes the better part of a day by train? Plus, they are doing their best to transform their city into a replica of Avalon... It's kinda cute. Anyway... Their threadwork is better than I expected! I've got preliminary agreements in place to import fabrics and sell my own designs through Atuvian merchant groups, letting it spread across the Union."

"It is the first time I've heard you speak this much and this... openly," Seltana muttered, blinking her eyes, making Tarsine blush.

"You went with Dorian?" Rashira asked, tilting her head as she inched closer to Tarsine, "With a man?"

"A married man, so don't get weird ideas." Tarsine said bluntly, "He is experienced and handled the introductions for me. My designs were surprisingly well received, I might add. And he helped me get my name out."

"That's... Generous." Seltana said, genuinely surprised.

"It is." Tarsine agreed, "But don't overthink it. In the same case, I could say, you are with General Oleg all day... so you two must be dating."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"We aren't." Seltana stated quickly, "He is a great man and I can honestly say, I appreciate his openness and the willingness to let me try things and even accept my ideas."

"But would you be with him?" Jila asked, grinning, "I support you, big sis!"

"..." Seltana didn't say anything in the end, just rolled her eyes.

"You all changed a lot..." Meyli smiled softly, resting her chin on the edge of the pool and letting her body float behind her. "I didn't go anywhere exciting. But I've been learning a lot!"

"Oh?" Rashira asked, turning toward her. "What have you been learning?"

"Morgan's been teaching me healing spells most of the time. Real ones! Tailored to me! I can stabilize internal bleeding now, too, and not just on animals! Um, um... And I can cure fevers!"

"She does," Jila agreed, "She made mine go away."

"You were sick?" Rashira asked, snapping her head to stare at her sister.

"I got sweaty in training and caught a cold. Meyli came over with Morgy and fixed me up!"

"Don't call her that," Meyli pouted, her voice surprisingly angry, "That sounds wrong! She is called Morgan, respect her name!"

"Okay, okay!" Jila grinned, winking at her older sisters.

"It's... It's not like that..." Meyli blushed, seeing her do that... "She is my best friend, that's all! She even showed me how to close puncture wounds with no scar left behind..."

"That's impressive," Seltana said, clearly meaning it, not trying to tease her like Jila did.

"Isn't it?!" Meyli nodded, glowing under her praise, "She's… really good. She explains everything so clearly, and she always knows what to do... Even when I'm panicking, she just... smiles, and then I remember how to... calm down. She is... very nice..." she finished, muttering, suddenly starting to sink into the water from embrassment.

"Told 'ya..." Jila whispered as the others exchanged a look.

"She's amazing," Meyli mumbled dreamily, not even hearing her sister.

"Khm," Jila's lips curled upward. "Meyli?"

"Yes?"

"Are you in love with Morgan?"

Finally, that question reached her ears, and Meyli flushed, almost looking like she was a lobster being boiled in water.

"Wawawawawa... WHAT? No! I mean... I don't think so! We are girls! Um... Its... Ah! She's just… I admire her a lot! She's kind! And calm! And... her eyes are really... focused..."

"Mhm," Jila said, hiding a smile that wasn't even hidden at all. "Very focused. So much so that you get lost in them, hm? It is fine! Go for it, nyahahaha!"

"Deep admiration," Seltana agreed. "Definitely not infatuation."

"Uuuu..." Meyli went even deeper into the water, muttering, blowing bubbles into it, "You're all mean."

"They are just teasing," Rashira said with a light laugh, surprising even herself, "Don't mind your sisters!"

"Hauh..." She kept mumbling, making bubbles while the sisters continued enjoying the hot bath... especially because it helped them forget that it was still in the middle of winter.

...
....
......

While the Khulmani girls were relaxing in the bathhouse, three siblings on the Avalonian side were also gathering in Morgan's room. Because Arthur and Leyla were still out, touring the Union throughout the winter, now it was only Lancelot, Galahad, and Morgan meeting after a long time being apart from each other.

Morgan sat cross-legged near the fireplace, her robe pulled tight, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, blowing on it before sipping, listening to her youngest brother. She couldn't help but smile, seeing how open he had become, how much he bloomed... He wasn't like the Galahad from a few years before, and... it made her genuinely happy.

"I'm just saying," Galahad moaned, sprawled out on his back on the rug, arms folded behind his head, "I've seen monsters before. But that worm? It was a completely different level. You couldn't look at it and not think: This thing shouldn't exist. I can't believe we killed it just like that..."

"I can," Lancelot said from where he lounged against the windowsill, one knee up, stirring his tea. "You fought alongside my Mother, Mom Sasha, and Father. That thing never stood a chance!"

"I didn't say I doubted us," Galahad chuckled, "I just… it felt like something out of a storybook mom writes all the time."

"Or Meyli's nightmares," Morgan added with a small smile. "She told me she had one where she was surrounded by weird creatures after I showed her drawings of the beasts we killed in the past."

"You slept with her?" Lancelot teased, making Morgan not even bat her eyes.

"I'm already pregnant."

"Oh, shut up!" He laughed, shaking his head, "Were we lied to, Galahad? Maybe Morgan's mom is Yuri, and my mom is Mikan."

"No." Galahad answered honestly, "Your faces resemble them perfectly."

"The perfect brain strikes again," Lancelot's smirk sharpened. "Speaking of you… Fila's recovery's going well, isn't it?"

"Yeah... She's resting," he said stiffly, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Don't you dare leave the juices out of this meal!" Morgan leaned in slightly, her mug cradled in both hands, her fingernails clanking against its side, making Galahad nervous. "She's been sleeping peacefully, hasn't she? Beside you~!"

"She needs rest. That magical feedback was—" Galahad started, but didn't get far.

"You tucked her in yourself, didn't you?" Lancelot grinned.

"No... well, yes... but that's not the point!"

"So protective," Morgan teased, her voice an octave higher, giggling. "Do you brush her hair too?"

"I did that only once!" Galahad sat up, blushing fiercely by now. "Her pillow was twisted, and she looked uncomfortable, and... Aaaaargh! Look, it doesn't mean anything!"

"Mmhm," Morgan said innocently. "Sure, sure. That's why I hear our parents are considering sending an official letter to the Empress."

"Yeah, if you don't want to get promised to her, it's better to act fast! And if you don't like her..." Lancelot continued with raised brows.

Hearing him, Galahad opened his mouth... but then he closed it and finally exhaled, giving up.

"…I do," he muttered. "Okay? I do. She's brave and sharp and stubborn as a mule if you get to know her... But... That's cute, too. I don't know when it happened, but… yeah. I like her..."

"Finally!" Morgan clapped, putting down her mug, "Took you long enough!"

"What she said," Lancelot joined in.

"I hate both of you," Galahad moaned, hiding his face in his hands, but there was no edge to his words.

"To be fair," Morgan said, "I think she likes you too."

"She better be," Galahad joked under his breath, earning a soft laugh from his siblings, making Lancelot come over and pat his shoulders.

"That's my lil' brother! Conqueror of monsters and savior of princesses! What a badass!"

"Ugh..." After a moment, he lifted his head, narrowing his eyes, trying to hide his grin. "Alright, your turn, Lancy... You're always off with your girlfriend, too! So what's going on with you and Princess Jila?"

The smirk on Lancelot's face faltered, but just a little before plopping down between them.

"…We're fine."

"Fine?" Morgan hummed, "She talked about you for ten minutes straight during dinner today. You're all she thinks about... Even Meyli says that."

"Sounds about right," Lancelot muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I do think so too..."

"So?" Galahad prompted, leaning forward. "Are you going to marry her or not?"

"Haaaah..." Lancelot didn't answer immediately; instead, after sighing, he sipped his tea, letting the warmth roll over his tongue.

"I plan to," he said at last, "But not like this."

"Woah, straightforward!" Morgan tilted her head. "But... What do you mean?"

"I mean, she thinks that if she pushes hard enough, I'll give in to what she wants. And that's not how I want it to happen." He said with confidence and a bit of indignation, "She's bold and I love that about her, but I don't want her to think she can just barge into my life and own it. Nu-uh! I want to… court her properly. Let's do this... calmly. Infatuation can wear off, especially after she gets me... Then what? I want to earn her affection, and have her earn mine in return. Not just... skip to the end because it's convenient."

Morgan was looking at him with her mouth hanging open, especially because she could tell that there was a quiet sincerity in his voice that made both of his siblings pause and look at each other.

"That's very… unlike Yuri," Morgan declared, "Maybe we did swap mothers..."

"Maybe you are indeed right," Galahad agreed. "But does that mean... You're just going to keep resisting her kisses and wine tricks?"

"…Mostly," Lancelot said, flinching, "That was a one-time blunder on my part... Good thing I didn't do anything... else..."

"Heh..." Morgan chuckled, tilting her head and thinking, finally speaking up in a bit unsure voice, "You two keep talking about who you like…" she began, making her siblings look at her questioningly, "…I think I might like someone too."

That made them both sit up straighter, gazing at Morgan's face, which was neutral, but a faint pink crept into her cheeks from both sides.

"Who?" They asked in tandem.

"Meyli," she said, then added quickly, "I mean, maybe? I'm not sure. But she's just… too cute sometimes. When she's flustered or trying to be brave or wanting to do her best... her hands shaking... I just want to wrap her in a blanket and protect her forever as my personal little... What did Dad call that food? Burrito... Ehehe... Aw..."

"That's… very specific," Galahad muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"And very Mikan-esque," Lancelot said, smiling.

"Maybe..." Morgan buried her face in her mug. "Ugh... I don't even know if I like her like that... I just… feel happy when she's nearby and we can do things..."

"That's usually a sign," Galahad offered.

"I don't even know if she likes girls!" Morgan hissed, sipping on her drink.

"Mom always said that every girl likes girls," Lancelot tilted his head.

"Are we trusting Mom Yuri's advice now?" Morgan groaned and sank deeper into her seat, pulling her hair over her face.

"Sometimes even she can be right." Galahad offered, making Lancelot nod his head rapidly.

"You're all mean..."

"Well!" Lancelot grinned, reaching out and rubbing her head, making a mess out of her hair, "We are siblings... it is part of the course to be mean!"