The Endless Solvent

When Nilda caught up to them within the castle walls, the twins had stopped right by the arched stone entrance to the main courtyard, quietly peeking around the corner, the prince hiding behind his sister so that she could mask their presence if needed. A commotion of sorts had broken out - Nilda spotted Rask’s wide back in his standard blue uniform. In front of him were two Kuvanian emissaries with plate armor painted in traditional Gaian colors of dark red and gold.

Nilda put a hand on the princess’s head. “Stay here,” she said softly to the girl, who nodded slightly and pressed against the wall, out of sight.

“…we were told that the Caelisian kingdom would openly accept our customs,” one of the Kuvanian emissaries said loudly. He was the taller of the two with neatly trimmed facial hair that formed a mustache and a goatee. “What does it mean that we cannot preach the intent of the Parts at the banquet?”

“If preaching includes undermining every Caelisian belief under the Sun, then no, you are not allowed to have your little speech.” Nilda was close enough to hear Rask speak.

“Your ‘Caelisian belief’ is nothing more than fairy tales about the sun and the moon,”' the second, shorter emissary rolled his eyes. “Absolute nonsense akin to Yscian delusions. We will be speaking to your people the real way the world works - we believe they should have the right to listen to it.”

Before the taller one could continue the line of thought, Nilda joined Rask’s side, giving the emissaries a smile. The shorter one openly stared at her, taking in her dark hair loose on her shoulders and the insistently blue tunic that matched Rask’s. Most of the serving class in the castle wore the color, coupled with gold or brass accents.

“My, a wonderful Gaian beauty that would be much more fitting in reds and maroons,” the smaller emissary breathed out. Nilda glanced over at Rask in time to see a muscle in his jaw tick.

She kept a warm smile on the two foreigners, sidling carefully into the space between them and Rask while keeping her hands clasped politely in front of her as she made a small bow. “My lords, it would be our honor to hear you speak after the feast. I am certain my lady, the Brilliance, has set aside time and space for your words of wisdom,” she said.

“Of course you would see reason, my lady,” the taller emissary crowed, stroking his mustache. “Your grace and intelligence is not fitting in this primitive land. Perhaps you would find much happiness back on Kuvan soil!”

“Truly?” Nilda feigned fascination. “What kind of happiness are we talking about?”

“Everything a woman like you would ever want,” the shorter emissary said enthusiastically, puffing out his chest. “A sturdy husband, a big house, a belly full of children.”

She could feel Rask stiffen in indignation behind her. She slowly drifted closer to the shorter emissary, who was still a hand’s width taller than her. Her eyes dipped down to his mouth where lips peeled back to reveal tobacco stained teeth. Nilda idly noted that even his teeth were warmed toned like a good Gaian. “Are you propositioning me, my lord?” she asked softly.

“Parts, yes,” the emissary said. “If only for the last bit.”

Her smile widened because she could really feel Rask getting riled up, but the emissary thought she was smiling for him.

“Should we get to it?”

“I really don’t think I’m your type,” Nilda said, raising her hand and drawing a rush of Solvent around her.

Three things happened at the same time - the emissary thought she was reaching for him and so he tried to grab her. Rask had his staff unbound from the metal caps and the wood materialized and poised at the emissary’s throat. At the same time, twenty three spikes of rocks erupted from the court floor and threatened to pierce flesh.

Both emissaries staggered backwards, blood draining from their faces. “A manipulator,” the taller one gasped. “Blasphemy!”

The shorter one straightened and struggled to form proper words. “What have they done to a woman of fine breeding?” he managed to splutter out. “What kind of degeneracy - ”

“I suggest you stop talking,” Rask growled.

“And here you were all ready to be the father to my children,” Nilda gave them a cold smile. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle a… rocky relationship? I guess you weren’t too interested in a relationship in the first place.”

“As if I would ever sully myself with the likes of you,” the shorter one spat.

“I’m glad it worked out. I dislike men that talk too much anyway. What is that Yscian saying? ‘The longer the sentences, the shorter the dick.’”

“That’s not a Yscian saying. We don’t know any Yscian sayings,” Rask muttered to her. She ignored him as she was enjoying the scandalized looks on the emissaries’ faces.

“Well I never - ”

“I will be listening to your preachings with bated breath,” Nilda said sarcastically, bowing to them. “Until then.”

She and Rask left the two stunned men at the front courtyard with the twenty three spikes still aimed at them. Rask spotted the twins huddled just around the corner and sternly shook his head before either of them could erupt in excited chatter. Both the prince and princess clapped their hands over their mouths at the same time and Nilda had to fight the urge to laugh.

They barely made it to the building to the royal chambers until the twins nearly vibrated with excitement.

“There were so many spikes! What did that man say to you?”

“You almost hit him with the staff too!”

“Nilda could beat both of them - ”

“Rask could too - ”

“Will you teach me how to do that - ”

Rask gave a sharp inhale, gesturing for silence. The little prince immediately clamped his mouth shut but the princess ignored him and continued to hang on to Nilda’s arm, begging for her to show how to make rock spikes. Nilda patted the princess’s dark head and nodded to Rask and only then the princess quieted with a pout.

“We had a disagreement between adults,” Rask said as a form of explanation of their altercation. Nilda gave him an ‘are you serious’ look that he entirely ignored. “But I ask that you two stay away from the Kuvanian officials, understood? Do you remember what they look like?”

The twins nodded.

“The banquet will start soon, you both need to return to your rooms to be cleaned and dressed,” Rask said. He crossed his thick arms and gave them a stern look. “Will you behave and let the maids clean and dress you or will Nilda and I need to wrangle the two of you?”

“We’ll behave,” the prince said fervently while the princess rolled her eyes. The usually prince obeyed Rask asked but the princess always needed a bit more coaxing.

“Go on, little moon,” Nilda said, patting her dark head again. Cool gray eyes peered up at her, the color inherited from the Solaris’ bloodline: the current Lunaris - the princess’s aunt - also had gray eyes. But the facial features: the turn of her nose, the smart, angled face, and the intelligent shine in her eyes were all Taurin Leton. The attitude was squarely from the Solaris’s.

“Will you tell me what happened with those Kuvanian men later?” the princess asked in a hushed tone.

“You know I will,” Nilda whispered back. The princess gave her an impish grin then skipped after her brother.

“I have no idea how you handle her,” Rask said after the twins were put to the mercy of a gaggle of maids ready to change them into finer clothing. “She doesn’t listen to anyone but you.”

“Maybe if you were a little more interesting, she would pay attention,” Nilda shrugged, then laughed when Rask glowered at her. They stalled in the hallway just before the door, alone as all the servants and maids were upstairs tending to the twins. His gaze softened as she laughed.

“You do that a lot more now,” he suddenly said.

“Do what?”

“Laughing.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You’ve done that a lot more since the twins were born.”

The silence stretched between them. Through the eight years she’s been here, she and Rask had had many awkward silences like that, each one growing deeper than the last. Many unspoken words passed between them during those times.

“We… should get our wards ready for the banquet as well,” Rask said, breaking the suffocating spell. Nilda agreed and they went their separate ways.

It seemed like it was another day for the words to remain unsaid.